#emotional supporter for 3rd wheeler

[sleepyminty]

Behind every disaster gay couples there’s always a short level-headed,angry, 100% tired girlboss (or a girlfail in disguise) who keeps everything in check whenever their divorce made it into everyone’s problem. And behind every girlboss is their emotional support bimbo who make sure their partner didnt explode for dealing with that said gay couple shit. This is my favorite ot4

[hqsloane]

hello !! it’s ally back at it again with another muse !! for those of you who don’t know, i also play violet ( the taylor hill fc ) !! but this is a very new muse that i’m v excited about, so if you want to plot just like this post & i’ll slide into your dms <3 

chicago’s very own sloane windsor has been spotted on madison avenue driving a rolls-royce dawn , welcome ! your resemblance to charlotte d'alessio is unreal . according to tmz , you just had your twentieth birthday bash  . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re insatiable , but being gregarious might help you . i think being a libra explains that .  3 things that would paint  a  better picture of you would be designer sunglasses disguising bloodshot eyes , vintage abba records , a room full of first place trophies. ( i just got out of rehab for a drug addiction ) & ( cisfemale + she/her  ) +  ( ally , 21 , she/her )

full name: sloane ( warrior ) madeleine ( of french origin woman meaning ‘ woman from magdala or high tower ’ ) windsor ( english last name ). nickname(s): s, princess. age: twenty. birthday: 3 october 1999. zodiac: libra. gender: cisfemale. pronouns: she / her / hers. sexual orientation: bisexual. languages spoken: english & french. hometown: buckhead, georgia. occupation: vlogger. parents: darcy sinclair ( rachel mcadams ) & spencer windsor ( jon hamm ). siblings:  two older brothers. pet(s): forrest ( golden retriever ) & jenny ( border collie ). religion: southern baptist. drink / drugs / sex: yes / yes / yes. height: 5′5. right/left handed: left handed. tattoos: a rose on her hip ( x ), this on the back of her right elbow, & a quote on her ribs ( x ).  positive traits: gregarious, discerning, tender, impartial, dignified, courageous, independent, empathetic, & audacious.  negative traits: covetous, controlling, aloof, rebellious, daunting, compulsive, tactless, vain, cunning, obstinate, & snarky. hobbies: photography, traveling, procrastination, meddling, partying, late night instagram live streams, dancing on tables well past last call, visiting art museums, & video editing. habits: tying her hair up in a loose ponytail when she’s stressed, fleeing the country on a whim, chewing the insides of her cheek in order to hold back what she truly wants to say, chewing the ends of brightly colored pens, binge drinking, & doodling. labels: the catalyst ( the independent one ), the doctrinaire ( the perfectionist ), & the aesthete ( the muse ). aesthetics: cat eye sunglasses shielding emerald hues, mascara tear stained cheeks, shattered trophies, polaroids, disposable film, late night notifications, hiding any ounce of emotion behind a camera, paint splattered jeans, parisian architecture, sunday brunch, missed phone calls, & the longing for her mother’s approval.  style inspo: nicola peltz, bella hadid, kendall jenner, rosie huntington whiteley, meghan markle, & alexa chung. here are just a few examples of her wardrobe !! ( x x x x x )  muse inspo: monica geller ( friends ), caroline forbes ( the vampire diaries ), serena van der woodsen ( gossip girl ), lydia martin ( teen wolf ), peyton sawyer ( one tree hill ), nancy wheeler ( stranger things ), & emily fitch ( skins ). net worth: 30 million.

background ;;

before spencer & darcy got married in 1989, they knew all they wanted was one child: a girl. yet, their life did not go according to plan. after they welcomed their first child into the world ( a boy ), they figured that the next one would be a girl. they of course loved their son more than anything in this world, but they knew they wanted a daughter to complete their growing family. however, when darcy discovered the sex of their second child was a boy, she knew she wouldn’t stop having children until they welcomed their perfect girl into this world.

soon after the birth of their second son, they discovered they were expecting again. this time, with the daughter they had always wanted !! sloane was born on october 3rd, 1999 in a wealthy suburb of atlanta, georgia. & from the day she was born, an enormous pressure was put on her.

what you need to know about the windsor family ( other than their strong southern roots ) is that they’re extremely rich. they are high key based off the carrington’s from dynasty bc i’m #trash. buttttt what you need to know is that they own a multibillion dollar international oil company called windsor industries ( formerly known as windsor petroleum group ). 

if you aren’t familiar with oil conglomerates, all you need to know is that windsor industries are responsible for literal power. they are one of the leading producers for oil & gas in the world which is why they have offices all over the country. & let me tell you, they don’t conduct business ethically !! they are notorious for fracking & their continuous use of fossil fuels. when people talk about climate change, they constantly bring up windsor industries & how much they have contributed to global warming. & to make matters worse, spencer & his eldest son put millions of dollars into the pockets of politicians to get them to support their cause & vote against climate change regulation. so if we all burn up one day, you can blame them !!

the windsor family has lived in georgia for generations ( big yikes ) & that’s where they started the family business in 1942. spencer’s grandfather came from a long line of prominent politicians in state politics which is why his family was ready to disown him when he decided to go into business over politics. but when his business took off & he was making more money than everyone else in his family by the age of twenty-two, they quickly shut up & started supporting him.

since then, windsor industries has been passed down from generation to generation. spencer was handed the business on his thirtieth birthday ( twenty years ago ) & has been dominating ever since. once his eldest son turned eighteen, he quickly got him involved & he is expected to take over the family business one day.

as successful as his business is, spencer is known as the bad guy in america. he is a billionaire who doesn’t know what it’s like to come from humble beginnings. he was literally handed a multibillion dollar business & the rest was history !! he definitely is a bad guy since he doesn’t care about the environment or anything else. all he cares about is making money no matter who gets hurt. he was even considered to work for trump at one point but quickly declined !! he just wrote him a big ass check instead bcsjkhdfs

but he does love his family. he would do literally anything for his family despite his tough love approach to his two sons. but when it comes to sloane, he is a complete softie. she can literally do no wrong in his eyes which is why they have such a great relationship !!

darcy, on the other hand, did not come from a lot of money. like her husband, she’s also from georgia but she’s not from a rich suburb. she is from a rural town where she literally grew up in a trailer. & from an early age, she always knew she wanted more. she was always ungrateful for her life & could have cared less about how hard her parents worked to support her & her three other siblings. 

things for darcy changed by the time she was eighteen !! she became miss. america which isn’t that big of a deal for most. but she took pride on receiving that title after years of competing in local pageants. despite not coming from a lot of money, she always knew how to fool the judges & everyone else for that matter. she really could have cared less about school, all she cared about was winning pageants.

so when she made it into miss. universe, she thought her life was going to be complete !! yet, it didn’t go according to plan. darcy lost the competition & her short lived media coverage quickly died. no one knew who darcy sinclair was until it was announced that she was marrying one of the heirs to windsor industries. 

the reason why darcy wanted a daughter so bad was so she could also be a pageant contender. she didn’t want her daughter to grow up to be a doctor, a lawyer, or anything else for that matter. all she wanted for sloane from the day she was born was to be a pageant queen.

by the time sloane turned five, her mother had already registered her for her first pageant. & unlike the ones darcy used to compete in, this was prestigious. her entire childhood consisted of tap dancing classes & pageants taking priority over school. & because her parents pride themselves on their southern values, they really could have cared less about their daughter attending school. so it came as no surprise when she started to slip up !!

& of course, they bribed her school to fix her grades. from the outside looking in, everyone wanted sloane’s life. she had it all: money, family, looks, everything. but in reality, her mother was working her like a dog. she would be practicing for pageants seven days a week with little to no breaks. but once she was crowned little miss georgia, they knew she was destined for greatness. 

the older she got, the more pressure her mother would put on her. & sloane took that pressure extremely seriously. all she ever wanted was to please her mother, so she would strive to be nothing less than perfect. & in order to keep up with the strict demands of her mother & her life, she started turning to drugs. at first, she would start taking adderall to have more energy that way she can cater to her hectic schedule. 

even sloane will admit that her high school years were a blur due to her growing drug abuse. the only thing holding her together was her growing addiction to pills. her mother knew. she saw the empty pill bottles lying around her bathroom & there was even a late night where she had to call 911 after finding her only daughter unresponsive. but she never told anyone. she never even asked sloane if she was okay or if she needed help. she only cared about her daughter becoming miss. universe since that was a title that she was robbed of.

all her life, sloane has tried to please her mother. everything she has ever done has never been good enough for her. so by the time she was a senior in high school, she decided the only way to escape her life was by going to college. she knew she didn’t have the grades to get in anywhere far enough from atlanta, even if her parents ensured her transcripts were nothing short of flawless. but when she sat her parents down & told them that she wanted to attend college, she was surprised by their reactions. her father, who has always supported sloane, was willing to do anything she wanted even if that meant delaying his wife’s plans for her. & even her mother came around on the idea after she promised her that she would go back to training for miss. universe once she finished college.

& following her graduation from high school, she packed her bags & went to the university of chicago. she figured that this was a school far enough away from her mother which is why she told her father this was the school of her dreams. sloane never questioned anything during her applications process. all she knew was that she needed to leave her mother’s grasp & learn to live life for herself.

at college, she had decided to study photography soon realizing that is one of her passions in life. & she’s damn good at it too. & even though sloane started living life in college, her drug addiction only worsened. there, she was introduced to even more drugs & the craze of combining uppers & downers.

things started to get crazy last year during the college admissions scandal when it was revealed that spencer & darcy had paid to get sloane accepted into the university of chicago. the school agreed to allow her to finish the semester before they would ultimately expel her due to the negative press coverage. & of course on her last night at school, sloane ended up in the hospital.

after combining far too many uppers & downers at a frat party, she overdosed. this was not the first time she landed up in the hospital after a night out, but it was the first time her father found out. & once he found out, he ensured that she would seek the help she needed.

so that’s where sloane spent the entire summer !! in a private rehab center seeking treatment for drug addiction. however, her family could not afford anymore scandals. so they quickly buried any stories about their youngest child’s overdose & told the media that she was traveling the world with friends this summer. sloane’s scandal is something that they are without a doubt ashamed of despite how many times her father has insisted the opposite. they are willing to do anything to bury this secret, no matter the cost. 

now, she’s twenty years old & living in new york. following her discharge from rehab, she wanted to move as far away from chicago as she could. she knows she can’t enroll in college anytime soon given her family’s involvement in the college admissions scandal, but she is wiling to do just about anything to avoid moving back home.

nowadays, you can find sloane vlogging !! she has a v successful youtube channel that is similar to matt king’s ( if ya’ll know who that is ily ). but all you need to know is that she is a daily vlogger with an artsy style & she definitely does q & a videos & all that fun stuff. she is still very dependent on her father’s money but she is making a lot of money off youtube.

personality & misc ;;

personality wise, i’d say she’s pretty easy going. her taste isn’t the usual which i’ll probs go into a little bit, but that doesn’t mean she’s not approachable unlike vi.

truth be told, she’s all over the place & has a lot of depth. she has the ability to light up any room she walks into but that doesn’t mean she lets people walk all over her. after dealing with darcy sinclair for eighteen years, sloane knows when to fight back & channel her rich bitch side.

she’s also really fucking smart despite her fuck ups & she would know her true potential if she just stopped getting fucked up all the time. even though she went to rehab, she isn’t clean but that doesn’t stop her from telling her dad she is.

has never had a serious relationship tbh

instead, she’s had flings that are like relationships without the title.

she may act like an independent bitch but she is also a 100% a daddy’s girl & calls him up for money every other week

very artistic 

aside from photography, she is great at painting & drawing & you can find dozens of sketches lying on the floor of her room ( you can also find baggies on her desk tbh )

extremely possessive of her family despite her relationship with her mom. she won’t let anyone else insult her other than her.

hella impulsive

speaks fluent french

also has an apartment in paris that she visits all of the time

tbh, she’s just in love with art. you will always find her at a museum just gazing at art for hours

she’s also constantly leaving the country for vlog material

doesn’t want to think that she has an accent but low key does

even though she’s a huge perfectionist, her room is literally always a mess but she doesn’t let just anyone see that

overall, she is a perfectionist art h*e tbh

if you made it this far ily. here’s her pinterest board if you want to take a look !! it’s v late for me rn & i have to get up early tomorrow so i don’t have any wc listed out but i promise i will bombard you all with plot ideas okay ily

[jupitermelichios]

Thoughts on Stranger Things 2

Spoilers below the cut. Warning that this is very much a critique. If you liked the show and don’t want to read about someone disliking it, this isn’t for you.

First thing, why is there a season 2? Season 1 ended on a good ‘happy ending with a sting in the tail’ note. It was a cliffhanger in the proud tradition of twilight zone episodes and portmanteau horror movies. It didn’t need resolving because leaving it open is what makes it a horror story.

Steve says that him and Nancy have spent ‘a stupid number of days’ working on their Halloween costumes. They don’t wear them to the Halloween party, or at any other time. Everyone else at the party has a costume. Were the wardrobe department on strike? Were their costumes just ‘people wearing normal clothes’?

Three love triangles. Three. In a nine-episode show about killing monsters, they somehow felt they needed three goddamn hereto love-triangles. No one even likes that fucking trope okay?! Either you have kill off one of the dudes or make them an asshole, or pull a full-on Stephanie Meyer and have one of them marry a baby! And I’m refusing to give them any points just for not having Dustin marry a baby.

What purpose does Max serve, exactly? Someone somewhere explain her existence in this show without using the words love triangle. She’s a cool character, I like her, but I like her isn’t justification for adding another character into a show which already struggled in season 1 to give enough airtime to the characters it has. Nothing about the show would change if she wasn’t there, except that I would like Mike Wheeler a whole lot more.

On that subject, why is Lucas in the show? I mean, I know why. He’s there to be the black one, but someone explain why Dustin, Will and Mike all had to be white? Lucas gets a storyline this season, but it’s basically entirely disposable and separate from the main story, and he didn’t even get that in the first season. I bet the Duffer Brothers thought they were hilarious when they wrote that line Lucas has about not wanting to be the token black ghostbuster, apparently completely obvious to the fact that they made him the token black demagorgen slayer.

Someone on the writing team thinks Charlie Heaton is super hot, and I’m deeply confused by this. I mean you do you, but there’s more than one line which suggests they think he is specifically conventionally attractive, which is just weird.

I came out of season 1 suspecting that the Duffer Brothers hate women. I came out of season 2 certain of it. There are no positive female relationships in this show. None. Barb and Nancy argue all the time about Nancy wanting to spend all her time with Steve, which would be okay as a minor plot point, but then you look around the show and realise that theirs is the most positive female relationship in this. Nancy’s relationship with her mother is strained, she seems to have no genuine female friends, El hates Max for no god-damned reason (more on that later), El’s aunt rats her out to the police, her sister is a murderer, and Joyce... never interacts with another woman outside of life-or-death situations. She has no friends, no relatives, she barely speaks to Nancy and gets maybe three seconds interaction with El. The male characters all have positive relationships with other men (even Hopper gets a warrior bonds between men moment with Bob). But apparently women can’t spend time together socially, because all that sexual jealousy gets in the way.

That sexual jealousy. I’ve seen so many posts on this site saying anyone who ships the kids is an evil pervert going straight to hell, apparently not noticing that the fucking film-makers are doing it. Have this season’s plot points can be resolved down to ‘two of the pre-teens want to fuck’. El is not only rude and dismissive to Max, she actually attacks her with her powers because she had a conversation with Mike. Not making out with him, not Mike choosing Max over her, having a barely civil conversation which was mainly about the fact that Mike irrationally hates Max for daring to be a girl. Mike interacting with another girl even just to tell them he hates them is too much for El’s female sexual jealousy what all women have towards other women to handle. That whole relationship just turned my stomach to be honest, it was like every toxic trope about women Hollywood has mashed together into two interactions. I would genuinely rather we had stuck to only having 3 female characters than have the Duffer Brother’s hatred of women shoved in my face like that. It was nearly enough to make me stop watching. If the show had been longer than 9 episodes, I probably would have done.

Oh and then there’s Mike. Mike’s reactions are probably pretty common among traumatised kids who lack a support network, but the thing is, this is TV, and the show isn’t about showing how trauma affects pre-teens. If it was, I would have no issues about Mike’s behaviour. But this is a show about kids nearly getting eaten by monsters, and in order for that to hold our attention for 9 hours, we need to care about the kids. Even if it might be unrealistic, we need to see the kids being nice, so we can build up an emotional attachment to them. Mike has one very brief scene with Will, where he’s offering support and comfort. But that’s it. Apart from that he’s a dick to his friends, he’s a monumental dick to Max, he’s a dick to Hopper... he’s pretty unrelentingly unlikeable for 9 hours, which had the result that by the end I honestly didn’t care if he died or not. I cared more about Bob, who might as well have been wearing a red shirt with the words ‘will die at the 2/3rds mark to show the monsters are dangerous’ written on it.

Hopper and El. The thing I was most excited for going into this was Hopper and El’s relationship. I’m a sucker for some gruff loner learns to love again parent-child bonding. It’s tropey and cheesey, and I love it. Except I didn’t get that. I got gruff loner takes out his frustrated masculinity on an emotionally vunerable child. I was genuinely concerned for El’s safety in more than one of her scenes with him. We’re supposed to think it’s all okay because he says sorry afterwards, but frankly? I didn’t believe him. I’m sure he was sorry, but I honestly did not believe he wasn’t going to do it again. I would much much have preferred El stay with her aunt, or her sister. But she has to be in Hawkins because the writers ship her and Mike, and that means a parent figure needs to be found. In Hopper’s defence, I will say that he’s not any worse than most of the other parents in this (except Joyce, who is an Almodavar style Madonna figure).

Freud would have a field-day with this show, he really would.

What character arcs does this seaon have? Nancy dumping Steve and deciding to fight back barely counts when it’s actually her returning to the character she was at the end of season one but for some reaon stopping being during the break. Will doesn’t get one, Joyce doesn’t get one, Jonathan doesn’t get one. Mike and Dustin don’t get one. Lucas and Max don’t get one. El doesn’t actually get one. She gets something that looks like a character arc from a distance but is actually her starting off wanting to help her friends, wandering around for a bit and then realising that yes, she still wants to help her friends. Hopper gets one I guess, if you count apologising for one specific fight a character arc. Steve is the only one who gets anything even approaching actual character developement. Everyone else stays exactly the same, with just their location changing to add interest. No one actually grows or changes.

Okay, putting the themes and characters aside for a moment, what is up with the pacing? Seriously. Nothing happens until episode 4, and then the last two episodes are basically wall to wall action. It wouldn’t matter much if this were being aired weekly, but this is Netflix and your show takes less than a day to watch. Most viewers are going to watch it in one sitting, and that means you have to think about the pacing of the whole, not just the individual episodes, and they didn’t at all. The ultimate finale was just a ridiculous nothing of an ending. The kids decide they’re going to burn the tunnels but just never get round to it. Seriously, they go into the upsidedown, wander around a bit, and come out. El and Hopper walk into the facility, shoot 3 or 4 monsters and close the portal no problem. Joyce is able to save Will from possession just by sitting him next to the fire for  bit. They rushed the ending so they could spendmore time filming 12 year olds kissing. And I don’t know about you guys, but I remember being 12 pretty clearly. I spent school discos doing stupid dances with my friends during upbeat songs, and sitting somewhere quiet and talking during the slow ones, and so did most of the other kids. Even the popular straight kids weren’t making out while they slow danced in public at until we were 14. This is approaching teenwolf levels of ‘why are the showrunners so into teenagers sex lives’ in places, though they do at least have the taste to cut away before Nancy takes any clothes off when she sleeps with Jonathn, which TW certainly wouldn’t have. 

Speaking of pacing, they were so desperate to get to their ‘and now the kids kiss’ moment that they totally forget they needed some kind of resolution to Mike’s relationship with Max. So our happy ending includes Mike hating and lashing out at Max any time she’s near him, meaning she can’t spend time with the only friends she has without being attacked. That was supposed to be where you put his character arc, assholes. You don’t get to set this stuff up, not resolve it, and then expect me to be happy with the ending! Max being emotionally at risk from Mike and physically at rick from El and her step-borther (and let’s be real here, step-father as well) is not a happy ending! This is what I mean when I say this season would be better without Max. Eveyrhing about the set up they gave her ruins the happy ending, and she didn’t contribute anything plotwise. She’s a good character, but the show is worse for having her in it.

The advice Kali gives El about ‘anger makes you stronger’. Every genre trope suggests that advice should turn out to be bad, and really it’s love for her friends that makes her stronger. But that’s the one goddamn trope they don’t use, and it’s the one which would have added something to the story. 

The ‘but will evil return’ final shot for this season just felt forced and cheap.”Ooo the upside-down is still there!” Yeah, we know. That’s not the point. The door was closed. The threat is over. Reminding us that the dimension is still there is meaningless, just cheap sequel bait.

Overall, there were enough moments and elements I enjoyed to keep coming back. I liked El’s relationship with her sister (even if it was just a whole bunch of toxic tropes). I liked Hopper and Joyce’s relationship. I liked Steve’s character arc, such as it was. I liked Max. I was interested to see how the various threats would resolve themselves. But considering what changed between season 1 and 2, if there’s a 3rd season I won’t be watching it. This is Hollywood tropes dressed up in Indie pretensions and pop-culture references in the hopes we won’t notice it’s the same toxic bullshit about how much women need a man that we’ve seen a million times before. Well sorry Duffer Brothers, but the fancy set dressing isn’t enough to hide the fact this show is predictable as hell in all the wrong ways.

[tsgdenvercolorado]

Out & About with Scout | November 2019

Mark your calendars!

From a grand opening party to inspiring talks and the beginning of holiday sales…find out what we’re looking forward to this month.

NOVEMBER 1st | Free Fridays at RISE Collaborative Workspace

Come get work done or have a meeting at RISE Collaborative Workspace any Friday in November for free!  Click here to register.

730 Colorado Boulevard

NOVEMBER 1st 4-8pm | Laurie Smith Pop-Up at CLP Jewelry

CLP Jewelry is hosting Laurie Smith and her collection of photographs from the border.

1464 S Broadway

NOVEMBER 1-2nd | W. Klienberg Trunk Show at Andrisen Morton

Get an exclusive look at the latest collection from W. Klienberg at Andrisen Morton Friday, November 1st and Saturday, November 2nd.

270 St Paul Street

NOVEMBER 2nd 5-8pm | Grand Opening at Kitto Katto Skincare

Celebrate the grand opening of the brand new Kitto Katto Skincare flagship location.  Hors d’oeuvres and drinks by Table 6.

601 Corona Street

NOVEMBER 5th- December 23rd | Gift Wrapping Services by THRIVE Lifestyle Solutions

THRIVE Lifestyle Solutions is offering Mobile and On-Site Gift Wrapping Services this Holiday Season. THRIVE comes to YOU with mobile, on-site and gift-wrapping party options including fully stocked gift wrapping pop up stations. Take 15% off if you book before November 30th.

NOVEMBER 5th 5:30-7:30pm | Parent Leadership & the Family Healing Process Workshop at Equinox Counseling & Wellness Center

Equinox parenting and mental health experts, Dr. Nancy Buck, Eileen Scheibe, LMFT, and Mary Marcantonio, will help parents identify and understand the complexities of mental, emotional and behavioral health issues of their child. In addition, these seminars will explore how these issues relate to neuro-developmental disorders, neuro-diversity, executive functioning, school refusal, anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Click here to register - limited space available.

600 S Cherry Street, Suite 325

NOVEMBER 6th & 7th 7-8:30pm | An Evening with the “Accidental Talmudist” bloggers, Nina and Sal Litvak at HW Home

HW Home has partnered with Clean Speech Colorado, a new state-wide initiative challenging the community to a month of mindful speech this November. They are hosting bloggers Nina and Sal Litvak, a Jewish duo whose insights offer an informative and entertaining take on building a better, more compassionate community for all.

Wednesday, November 6th: 1941 Pearl Street, Boulder

Thursday, November 7th: 199 Clayton Lane

NOVEMBER 7th 5-8pm | Style & Sip with Style TM & Scout & Cellar Wines at Anatomie

Come and sip wine and get styled by Tina Friedman of Style TM at Anatomie.

2500 E 2nd Ave

NOVEMBER 7th-11th | Holiday Open House, Vietri Signing Event, and Jewelry Trunk Show at Homefest

Join Homefest for their annual Holiday Open House. They will be celebrating with great savings on everything you need to get your home and gift closet in shape for the upcoming holiday season. Save 15% on dinnerware, flatware, table linens, rugs, bedding, florals, and jewelry.  During the event, we are excited to host three special events:

Vietri Founder Event: We are thrilled to welcome Vietri founder and creative director, Susan Gravely for our annual Vietri Signing Event on Saturday, November 9th, from 12 – 4PM. Susan will be inscribing your purchases and sharing stories of the inspiration behind the beautiful collections.

Jewelry Trunk Shows: We’ll be showcasing two of our favorite jewelry collections and we can’t think of a better excuse to treat yourself or make that holiday wish-list.

Hsiao Chang of Julie Vos jewelry will be bringing their collection of elegant gold bangles and baubles November 7th

Jeanette Simon of Gypsy jewelry will be joining us on November 8th – 9th to share her bold and distinctive designs.

5912 S Holly Street

NOVEMBER 8th | Free Fridays at RISE Collaborative Workspace

Come get work done or have a meeting at RISE Collaborative Workspace any Friday in November for free!  Click here to register.

730 Colorado Boulevard

NOVEMBER 8th 10-1pm | The Vintage Label and Cora Wheeler at the Found(H)er Holiday Market at The Riveter

Get started early on your holiday shopping!  Shop over 20 indie designers including The Vintage Label and prints from Cora Wheeler and get your holiday shopping out of the way so you can actually enjoy the holidays properly! Click here to RSVP.

2734 Walnut Street

NOVEMBER 8th 6-9pm  | Studio Party at Among the Colors

Laura Moretz of Among the Colors is hosting a Gin, Jazz, & Pizza night to celebrate Denver Arts Week at her studio located at at the Ironton Distillery in RiNo. Click here for tickets - limited number available.

3636 Chestnut Place

NOVEMBER 8th-9th | Zanella Trunk Show at Andrisen Morton

Get an exclusive look at the latest collection from Zanella at Andrisen Morton Friday, November 8th and Saturday, November 9th.

270 St Paul Street

NOVEMBER 12th 5:30-7:30pm | Understanding Mental Health Treatment Options for Adolescents & Young Adults with Complex Psychiatric, Neuro-Developmental, and Behavioral Health Issues Workshop at Equinox Counseling & Wellness Center

Equinox parenting and mental health experts, Dr. Nancy Buck, Eileen Scheibe, LMFT, and Mary Marcantonio, will help parents identify and understand the complexities of mental, emotional and behavior health issues of their child. In addition, these seminar will explore how these issues relate to neuro-developmental disorders, neuro-diversity, executive functioning, school refusal, anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Click here to register - limited space available.

600 S Cherry Street, Suite 325

NOVEMBER 13th 11-5pm | Teeth Whitening with Denver Mobile Teeth Whitening

Stop by the Denver Design District on November 13th to get your teeth whitened with Denver Mobile Teeth Whitening!  Click here to register.

595 S Broadway St, #200

NOVEMBER 13th 4-7pm | 4th Annual Bubble Bash at Sarah O Jewelry

Join Sarah O Jewelry for their annual sale of the year! Enjoy treats, bubbly, and a DIY smudge station as you shop just in time for the holidays. Click here to RSVP.

4301 Tennyson Street

NOVEMBER 14th 5-6pm | Apres Hour: Everyday Elegance with Perch Denver at Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek

Freshen up your holiday wardrobe with stylish pieces from the fashion gurus at Perch Denver. Whether you’re going from work to a party or anything in between, Perch has gorgeous outfits from Veronica Beard, L’Agence, Tanya Taylor, and more, that will make you shine this holiday season. With something for everyBODY, Perch will highlight looks that range in style and price so you can feel your absolute best! Click here to register.

245 Columbine Street

NOVEMBER 14th-17th | Grey Salt Trunk Show at Perch Denver

Shop the latest from Grey Salt at Perch Denver Thursday, November 14th - Sunday, November 17th.

2606 E. 3rd Street

NOVEMBER 15th | Free Fridays at RISE Collaborative Workspace

Come get work done or have a meeting at RISE Collaborative Workspace any Friday in November for free!  Click here to register.

730 Colorado Boulevard

NOVEMBER 18th 5:30-7pm | Turn Up the Heat: Wellness Series at Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek

Turn up the heat, get your burn on, and transform your week when you attend the TruFusion Fitness Series at Halcyon. Discover your mental and physical edge with dynamic exercises led by your favorite fitness experts, all in a supportive wellness community. Bring your friends and après with on our Rooftop Pool Deck for an hour class, followed by complimentary wine and beer. NOTE: Classes are rain or shine! Click here to register.

245 Columbine Street

NOVEMBER 21st 5-7pm | Fertility and Fashion with CCRM

Join CCRM for a private event at SOL Lingerie.  Meet Dr. Sara Barton, CCRM board certified reproductive endocrinologist and ash your fertility-related question in an informal, relaxed atmosphere.  All attendees will receive a FREE new patient consultation at CCRM, as well as 20% off their SOL purchase.  Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be provided.  Click here to register.

3010 E 6th Avenue

NOVEMBER 21st 5-10pm | The Vintage Label Pret-a-Porter Pop-up with Nue Denver Magazine at Sterling Event Space

Featuring designer vintage and current fashions & accessories with holiday gifts.

2161 Delaware Street

NOVEMBER 21st 5:30-7:30pm | Cocktail Club: Imbibe & Master with Albion Bundey at Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek

Make great cocktails at home when you learn the tricks of the trade from the bartender, Albion Bundey. Expand your cocktail repertoire for the upcoming holiday season, and learn the “How To’s” behind two of our favorite seasonal drinks, a B&GC Hot Toddy and Milk Punch. Both cocktails are equal parts festive and hearty, aimed to enhance your holiday soirees and impress your friends. Limited space is available - click here to register.

245 Columbine Street

NOVEMBER 21st-22nd | 360 Cashmere Trunk Show at Perch Denver

Shop the latest from 360 Cashmere at Perch Denver Thursday, November 21st and Friday, November 22nd.

2606 E. 3rd Street

NOVEMBER 22nd | Free Fridays at RISE Collaborative Workspace

Come get work done or have a meeting at RISE Collaborative Workspace any Friday in November for free!  Click here to register.

730 Colorado Boulevard

NOVEMBER 22nd & 23rd 11-5pm | Adorned at CLP Jewelry

CLP Jewelry’s Adorned bracelets and rings are the perfect compliment to your jewelry collection.  These delicate threads are cut and welded directly onto your wrist.  They are a perfect daily reminder of the intentions that you set while having them added to your wrist. CLP offers 18 karat yellow gold, 18 karat rose gold and sterling silver.

Friday, November 22nd: CLP Jewelry 1464 S Broadway

Saturday, November 23rd: Chelsea 1646 Pearl Street, Boulder

NOVEMBER 29th 11-2pm | Champagne & Donuts at Visions West Contemporary

Join Visions West Contemporary for champagne and donuts to celebrate the unusual and quirky exhibition Black Friday: BaZaar which will feature over 40 artists along with hundreds of their amazing art pieces. BaZaar is in response to the holiday madness and Visions West Contemporary wants to encourage people to utilize art to give as a gift that will last a lifetime.

2605 Walnut Street

NOVEMBER 30th | Shop Small Saturday at Pitter Patter Children’s Boutique

Support our small business and shop local.  Pitter Patter Children’s Boutique will be well staff and ready to handle all your buying needs for your little ones.

931 Main Street, Louisville

[daehwi]

this might sound a bit rude but why is haknyeon even still in the top 11? i have nothing against him but i dont particularly like him either. he's managed to stay up there for so long without really having a "story", any notable talents, any memorable moments, lots of screentime, or just anything besides being jeju boy. im confused??? are knetz noticing something we arent??? i know he had a bit of a story during right round but even that was short lol pls help

!!Warning: long (possibly boring) post!!

It’s okay, buddy~ 

In short: He’s top 11 because he’s popular and he’s popular because he’s likable and he’s likable partly because he’s cute. I think that he’s remained stable in popularity (despite the reasons you’ve given) because of the way his popularity formed and the cultural context and cognitive biases that helped form it. 

I answered an ask about this here where I talked a little about how culture plays a big role in “visuals” being super popular. In this post I will be fully expanding on the points of the previous post. In the future, I will be linking any asks about this topic to this post so I do not become redundant. 

Disclaimer: I’m personally indifferent about Haknyeon- I can see why people think he’s cute but I don’t think he’s ready to be in top 11. This analysis is not intended to condemn or dismiss people’s reasons for liking him, it is also not meant to be the only reasons why he’s popular- I am merely exploring the cognitive and cultural factors that may have facilitated his popularity. 

Disclaimer #2: I am not a professional psychologist/researcher/etc. I am a 3rd year cognitive science, computer programming double major who has worked in labs that study cultural differences in social and developmental psychology. I’ve done my best to research and cite the articles that I use to support my observations but feel free to bring up any discrepancies. 

First, the timing:

March 9, 2017 - Mnet first unveiled the contestants through the Pick Me stage on MCountdown.

That same day, Mnet had a “Meet the Producers” event where the trainees met with fans and gave them gifts. Here’s a Naver link to their behind the scenes footage of the event.

March 10, 2017 - PR videos started being released.

April 7, 2017 - The show officially started airing.

Haknyeon caught a lot of people’s attention for being very cute and smiley at the “meet the national producers” event. Right after the event lots of people posted fan pics of him and he had fan sites popping up left and right- take a look at the twitter activity for his name on 3/9. And then on March 10, his PR video came out and people thought it was really endearing that he talked about Jeju and being a farm boy so he gained more fans. 

Remember that this all happened BEFORE the season started airing. The fans hadn’t seen his talents/skills (other than what was shown in the PR video) and we hadn’t really seen anyone else’s skills/talents either. There wasn’t much to go on other than his personality and his looks and we didn’t have any way of properly comparing him to other trainees yet.

“Visual” culture:

The industry itself counts “visuals” as a position in kpop groups and the country as a whole places importance on being the best “you” you can be (as seen in their many skincare/makeup lines, minor plastic surgery -like eyelid surgery- being the norm, and their tendency to criticize). It may seem like visuals are more important in Korean culture because they are. This importance is even reflected in the fact that Korean language has more descriptive terms for people’s looks.

Examples, taken from Park, 2007 (pg. 55):

eoljjang (“face king,” a person with a handsome face), momjjang (“body king,” a person with a nice body), saengeol (a pretty face without any make-up), dongan (a young-looking face), longdari (slang term for “long legs”), jjukjjuk ppangppang (“long, slim, and supple”), S-line (hourglass figure), V-line (slender face), etc

The fact that Korea is homogeneous and has its own set of beauty standards/ideals also contributes to the disconnect between their culture and international fan’s cultures. That’s not to say other Asian cultures don’t share similar standards. In fact, John Nguyeat Erni and Siew Keng Chua argue that “racial proximity” can explain the popularity of K-drama/K-pop in Asia because of the shared “norms of beauty (male and female)… in contrast to perceived western outlooks” (quoted in Kim, 2007, pg 48). 

I will not go more into these because I myself am not Korean nor have I studied these aspects sufficiently to feel confident in analyzing their role in “visual” popularity. But be aware that they exist and are large parts of the culture. (For further reading I recommend this study by Bissel & Chung where they discuss Korean socio-cultural attitudes toward ideal beauty).

The psychology of attractiveness: 

It’s easy for people to become biased to a person when all they have are personality and visuals to judge them on. There is a cognitive bias that every human has in some degree or another where we tend to equate good looks with having good traits. It’s called the physical attractiveness stereotype. Studies have shown that “in a first-impression situation, [where you only have personality and visuals to judge on] a person’s level of attractiveness may evoke in a perceiver a set of expectancies” (Miller, 1970).

In 1997, Wheeler & Kim conducted a study with Korean university students where they found that Korean university students were more likely than North American university students to stereotype based on attractiveness and were more likely to rate attractive people are being more trustworthy. 

In individualistic cultures, (i.e. US/Western Europe) the physical attractiveness stereotype tends to make observers perceive attractive people as more successful/powerful but it also causes observers to attribute more negative traits to attractive people and see their integrity/kindness as low. However, in collectivist cultures (i.e. East Asian countries) which stress harmony, attractive people are not seen as more powerful- instead they are seen as having higher integrity, loyalty, and other traits that culture values.

There is another cognitive bias called the halo effect where an observer’s positive impression of one aspect of a person (like their personality) makes other aspects of that person also appear positive to the observer. 

One study found that subjects “significantly favored more attractive singers over the less attractive singers” even when their singing was poor. (Wapnick, Darrow, Kovacs, & Dalrymple, 1997).

Another study found that subjects rated an essay as more intelligent if the writer was attractive even when the essay itself was poorly written (Landy & Sigall 1975). Here is a quote from their study that explains the interactions between attractiveness and perception of talent (I’ve bolded some things that stood out to me): 

The results of this experiment indicate thatthe physical attractiveness of an individualperforming a given task affects the manner inwhich people evaluate both the performanceand the performer. This was so even thoughthe task performance being evaluated wascompletely unrelated to the physical attractivenessof the performer. Thus, physical appearancenot only affects the way in whichothers react to a person, it also affects theway in which they react to that person’saccomplishments. (pg. 304)

Remember, these biases are often subconscious and we are not aware that we have them and are being influenced by them.

How it comes together:

Joo Haknyeon became popular because of his visuals and personality before the season started airing- in some part because of the physical attractiveness stereotype and in part because his personality is likable. Korean culture, in general, also places a lot of emphasis on “visuals”. In addition to this, the initial buzz on twitter gave him some very dedicated fans. When the season actually started airing, those fans already loved him so much that it didn’t matter if he had amazing talents or not- in their eyes, he’s the best and they want the best for him. This is the halo effect- because they love his personality and visuals, his fans are more likely to see the rest of him positively and disregard his shortcomings.

His lack of screen time only made his fandom more invested because it forced them to have to go the extra mile in finding content and information about him. Many have invested a lot effort, time, and emotions on him. (This is one of the reasons why fans are so rabid and why fans can become vicious if they feel betrayed by their idol, but I won’t go into that here).

The fact that people tend to question “Why is Haknyeon still in top 11?” etc. only strengthens the fandom because defending someone again and again only makes them believe in that person more. There’s also the confirmation bias at play- people interpret information in a way that confirms their existing beliefs- especially for emotionally charged things. 

In conclusion:

There are several cognitive biases that influence how we perceive attractive people but their effect depends on culture. These reasons are not the only reasons why people like him and not every Korean fan is influenced by these biases. For the most part, though, cognitive biases and the cultural context are likely playing a role in some degree, even if people aren’t aware of it. That doesn’t make the influence wrong or the Korean perceptions wrong; it just makes them different from international perceptions. 

Different cultures like different things- and a good portion of the Korean voters like Haknyeon. If you were born in Korea and grew up learning their values and immersed in their culture, you might also have liked Haknyeon. Even if you didn’t stan him, you might have included him in your top 11 vote just because he’s very cheerful and cute- which is what I think is happening. He has a big fandom, but it could also be that other fans tend to use him to fill up space. We’ll be able to assess true popularity and fandom power (and not just casual liking) once we get to 2 pick and 1 pick.

Anyway, if you read all of this, then yay! Feel free to send me a private message or an ask if anything is still confusing (and/or if you disagree and want to discuss this) and I’ll try to expand more on that particular piece. Again, in the future, I will be linking to this answer if anyone else asks this question.

[press-a-repeatedly]

Justin's Top 10 Games of 2018

by Justin Tomasello | @Oaf7724

2018 was a year of change for me. In January I moved back to South Jersey after spending six years living in Staten Island. I worked three (actually four) different jobs this year, trying to find the right fit. I spent a lot of time in my own head, trying to figure out a direction to take and force myself to stay on it. On top of all my mental deliberation, the state of the world continued its transition into a pretty depressing and embarrassing place. I'm not thrilled to admit that to save my sanity, my response to it all was to just bury my head in the sand, much like the noble ostrich.

Obviously, everyone's goal in life is to achieve total happiness in all aspects of it. That is not an easy task by a long shot, as new obstacles and challenges appear quite often to thwart us in our quest. Part of the game of life is not just overcoming these challenges, but acknowledging them and embracing them when they arrive.

Things like family, friends, and of course video games were great avenues this year for me to relax, have some fun, and forget about stuff that was bothering me. I am so thankful to have such a great support group close by to have a beer with and play games to get away from overthinking and worrying about things too damn much.

2018 was a great year for games! Unfortunately, it was quite a busy one for me and I wasn't able to play as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, the experiences I've had were all quite memorable, including a few games that had me thinking about them constantly while working or away from home. Please enjoy my personal top ten below, along with some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

Steamworld Dig 2 - I started playing Steamworld Dig 2 moments after the curtain closed on 2017, and the more I played, the angrier I got that I had waited so long. This gorgeous 2D exploration platformer had such an excellent element of progression to it. Every item you received provided you the ability to get to a new area and get a little bit further down into the depths of the earth. The characters were unique and creative, the story was a surprise, and the music was kick ass (that main town theme is one of the smoothest tracks I've heard in quite a while.) Had I played this in 2017 it may have been in my top three games of the year.

Harvest Moon 64 - The summertime always gets me in the mood to play Harvest Moon, and this year was no different. I picked up HM64 on the Wii U's virtual console just to mess around in for a bit one muggy July day and wound up putting probably more than 40 hours into it. It had always been my favorite game of the series, and I was worried that it would feel too dated. But after an hour of playing I just got used to everything and enjoyed a hearty mix of good ol' farm-sim fun and nostalgia.

Tales of Berseria - Another game that came out in 2017 that I didn't get around to playing until this year, but I'm so glad I finally did. I've been known to enjoy a good Tales game from time to time and this entry did not disappoint. Yeah the battles are a bit repetitive and lack any real sense of strategy, but the characters are awesome and the bloodthirsty-for-vengeance themed story had me quite entertained. I got about 15 hours in until RDR2 came out and understandably fell off. But I'm hoping to go and finish it up in 2019!

And Now, The Top 10

10.) Starlink: Battle for Atlas - When this was first shown off in E3 2017 I recall being quite excited. The idea of a space-adventure shooter coming to the Switch was unexpected but welcomed. The toys to life angle may have scared a bunch of players off, but when StarFox was announced as a playable character in E3 2018, interest returned.

The gameplay is fun and the wealth of weapons is a cool feature (even if it is a bit annoying to keep navigating through menus to switch them - this is made easier if you bought the toy portion of the game, but they are not necessary to play). The game is pretty open too, letting you visit multiple planets at your leisure, or just absentmindedly drift through the cosmos. There is definitely a large No Man's Sky vibe in Starlink, with the ability to travel through space at different speeds and the vibrant colors and textures of the alien worlds. I've barely scratched the surface of Ubisoft's sci-fi adventure but am certainly interested in playing more.

9.) The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit - If you're a loyal listener of the pod, there's no secret that the Life is Strange series is quite beloved by some of our team. To get players excited for the sequel, DONTNOD released a playable intro/demo to Life is Strange 2 earlier this year. As expected the game provided us with deep and interesting characters, great dialogue, and threw our emotions in a tizzy. It's impressive how accurately the team was able to present the story through the imagination and mystic-eyed wonder of a young boy. This game also included the most bullshit, no-way-you'd-figure-this-out-without-looking-it-up puzzle of all time.

8.) Monster Hunter World - Capcom certainly made a splash at the beginning of the year when Monster Hunter World hit the store shelves. Releasing the game on all the big consoles (and PC) and changing some of the mechanics around to be a little bit friendlier to new players helped the series finally breakthrough with the core US audience (this game sold a TON of copies both here and in the East). The game looks the best it ever has and is packed with plenty of badass monsters to take down. While I did enjoy my time with it around launch, I quickly fell off as I always tend to do with Monster Hunter games. The required repetitive gameplay and the chunky online matchmaking were frustrating, and since I didn't have as much time to play as my pals, I was pretty quickly left in the dust.

7.) A Way Out - Chris and I played through the first half of this cooperative video game / team-building exercise earlier in the year. It's cliché as all hell, the characters are pretty one-dimensional, and the writing was terrible (the characters were basically saying the same things over and over again, just presented differently). Beyond those flaws, though, hides a pretty unique and creative local-multiplayer gameplay experience. I cannot properly describe how hard we laughed when Chris drove our getaway vehicle directly into an oncoming 18-wheeler. Or at my failed attempt at sneaking into an old man's house, where he opened the door, saw me, and blasted me off his porch point-blank with his trusty shotgun. We need to finish this game, preferably with some friends watching alongside us.

6.) Subnautica - Something you may not know about me: I am fascinated with the sea, and what lies beneath. I've gone snorkeling a few times on vacations and watching the aquatic world operate right beneath you is a serene, calming, beautiful experience. So I am of course impressed when video games are able to recreate that world in their own artistic vision (Abzu, anyone?). Subnautica at its core is a survival game, which I tend to pompously turn my nose at. However, when fellow PAR teamie Butch showed me some videos wayyyy back in January, I immediately became interested. The art direction is gorgeous. The world of the sea is vast, menacing, beautiful, and unknown. The contraptions you can build (underwater base, a sub-like motorcycle thing) are pretty damn cool. I put this on hold when MHW came out and shamefully never returned. I'd really like to "dive" back in! Oh jeeze, I think I hear the Pun Police knocking on my door.

5.)  Octopath Traveler - I regrettably did not purchase Octopath Traveler in 2018 (this has since been rectified). However, I did play to completion the two demos that were released prior to the game's launch. The second of which is basically the first three hours of the game, and I'll be able to forward my progress once I officially start the main game. Octopath Traveler has everything a classic turn-based JRPG fan like myself wants: beautifully detailed sprite graphics, awesome music, interesting characters and writing, and a fun, strategic battle system. The art direction is a standout, offering a unique, pop-up storybook/diorama style of environment. Plus the game is helmed by the Bravely Default team, who already had a great pedigree with RPG fans.

4.) No Man's Sky - NEXT - No Man's Sky - NEXT, the content-packed free DLC that came out this past summer, is an inspiration. After NMS's absolute nightmare of an initial launch, no one would have blamed Hello Games if they packed up shop and moved to Morocco to hide under false identities as coconut farmers. Instead, they faced the brunt of millions of disappointed and angry fans. They endured Sony turning their backs on them and throwing them under the bus. They owned their mistakes, worked effortlessly, and silently, and managed to take a game we all thought was dead and buried and convert it into one of the most talked about experiences in 2018. NEXT added features such as online multiplayer, character customization, 3rd-person view, base building, better graphics and textures, and a better credit system that made buying ships and other more expensive items much easier. NEXT was only one of a few free expansions that came out this year. ABYSS followed, which provided swimming and a complete remap of aquatic life. VISIONS came out shortly after that, boasting a more diverse universe with new biomes, flora, fauna and architecture. While I would not argue those who say NMS's core gameplay is still weak, these new updates provided me personally with a relaxing and enjoyable starship-exploring experience for a good chunk of the year.

3.)  Donut County - It's rare when a game meets your expectations 100%, but Donut County absolutely did for me. I fell in love with the game's art style and quirkiness when I first caught wind of it at PSX 2017. The game is simply relaxing, fun, and bursting with charm. The wonky characters are a joy, the music is plucky and catchy, and the dialogue is modern and funny without being annoying (a lot of it is conveyed via text message, and I was never once rolling my eyes). The game is brief but I would equate it to a game like Octodad: it ends just before the mechanics would start to wear thin. Donut County was exactly what I wanted it to be.

2.) God of War - My prior knowledge of the God of War series up to this year was pretty weak. Being a strict Nintendo fanboy growing up, I never played anything from the franchise. I was pretty green going in on Sony Santa Monica's latest offering. The fact that I could enjoy this game as much as I did without having played any of the previous games is just one of the many reasons this game ranks so highly on my list.

The direction of this game is spectacular. Spinning the game's lore to mesh with the massive scope of Norse Mythology was so interesting and impressive (heck, we even did a whole podcast about it). Shifting Kratos from a one-dimensional revenge-driven character to a hardened widow noticeably troubled about having to raise a son on his own and prevent him from making the same mistakes he has was unexpected. Watching Atreus grow, and watching Kratos allow him to grow was a touching experience. I still think the scene of the two of them sharing a bottle of wine was my favorite gaming moment of the year.

Oh yeah, then there's the actual gameplay. The combat is fast, fun and intuitive. The progression system is well-designed and the variety of different moves you can perform is so vast I found myself losing track. The way that Atreus' arrows are incorporated is creative; they are also incredibly handy with some of the tougher fights. It should also be noted that in an era of every single player game feeling the need to be a grandiose open-world experience, I found a lot of pleasure rolling through a more linear-based type of gameplay. Sure, the world opens up eventually and there are multiple new areas to explore, but they are pretty paltry in comparison to the main game. Extra content and side quests are the weakest part of the package. Minor flaws aside, God of War was a must-have experience in 2018.

1.) Red Dead Redemption 2 - Give me a good story, give me deep characters, and give me exceptional writing, and I am one happy camper. With the added bonus that I am quite partial to a western/cowboy setting, RDR2 was my personal game of the year. I had only played through the original a couple years ago and I loved every moment of it. When Rockstar dropped the bomb on RDR2, my hype train was blasting through the station, even if I was a tad concerned with how the story would work as a prequel. To my surprise: remarkably well.

Arthur Morgan's character is well-developed and interesting, and as you progress through the game and witness him begin to question, doubt, and worry about his future, your bond with him only swells. The supporting cast of nomadic outlaws are also varied, detailed and bursting with life. Every single one of them is unique and has personality. They all have reasons they joined Dutch's crew and doing quests for each member became an absolute joy for me. None ever felt like a chore.

The environments are beautiful and serene. The NPCs are quite animated and often busy. They will interact with you constantly, even when you don't want them to. The soundtrack is breathtaking, and the animation and graphics on everything (yes, even those horse privates) are the best I have ever seen.

There of course were some minor nags for me. The clunky jog-wheel menus could often be frustrating to navigate. The shooting never felt great. There were some serious pacing issues in moments of the story, and a couple parts that kinda didn't make much sense that often disrupted the experience for me. Some of the gameplay I thought was a bit too similar to the original Red Dead Redemption. Ultimately, these were just bumps in the road that my caravan's wheels were able to roll over without causing any destruction. The game from start to finish (and the fun and lengthy epilogue at the end) was an engrossing, wholesome, and moving experience that anyone who appreciates good narrative and good characters absolutely must play.

[katehilldesignblg-blog]

What is Branding?

Branding has become a central part of society since the late 1900’s. How it has been defined in past time is contrary to how it is defined today. It is widespread and even penetrates some of the poorest countries in the world. Brands are recognised by a collection of signs and visual elements, that are then associated with a product, organisation and/or nations. This essay will define what branding is, include expert opinions, define branding, (and what it is not), touch on branding origins, and explore the difference between brands, branding and brand identity.

Expert, Robert Jones believes that ‘Branding connects ordinary things with a larger idea’ (p. 3,  2017). This perspective allows us to understand that Branding is not just an ethos or provence of a product. How a brand is portrayed, greatly affects the idea we form about a product. Corporations such as Coca-Cola support this statement, through the way they portray certain connotations around what the drink embodies. We have been subjected to believe that the notion of someone opening a bottle, is often associated with ‘Opening Happiness’. Coca-Cola is a brand that has connected an ordinary thing (a fizzy drink) with a larger idea - happiness, which is ultimately what everyone in life wants to achieve. This shows how powerful branding is, and that the brand is not just a product, but an added layer which enhances a products value by elevating it’s meaning.

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2009/coca-cola-open-happiness/

The origins of branding are contrary to how we perceive it now. ‘The word brand is derived from the Old Norse word brandr, which means “to burn by fire” (Milman, p.10, 2012). Ancient Egypt farmers would brand their stock with a hot iron. By Branding cattle, farmers were able to identify their own livestock, as well as others. Brand reputation was prominent and crucial, as it still is today. Branded cattle would allow Farmers to hold distinction between high-quality cattle and inferior stock. ‘Branding academic David Aaker refers to the internal version as ‘identity’ and the external version as ‘image’. ‘Brand’ means both identity and image’ (Jones, 2017) and people often mistake a brand’s logo as its identity. However, brand identity is much more than just a logo. Elements such as colour, music, typographic choice etc. all play a role in creating a brands identity.

Design and Branding expert Debbie Milman describes branding as ‘Storytelling elevated to narrative, often embellished with a myth to enhance a products identity’. (p.6, 2012). Apple is not just a logo, but also visual elements and ideas that work together to create a brand identity, that exercises ideas around luxury, loyalty, and sophistication. Therefore brand and brand identity co-exist but are mutually interdependent. Alina Wheeler (2013), says that ‘brand identity fuels recognition, amplifies differentiations, and makes big ideas and meaning accessible’.  As seen below, Apple's slogan is ‘Think Differently’. These chosen words allow people to perceive Apple as a highly intelligent brand. By displaying such meaning, fuels the idea that Apple as a brand is smart and successful. Ultimately if you want to be smart and successful then you should engage and consume Apple’s products and also employ their way of thinking.

http://myndset.com/2014/09/apple-brand-marketing-strategy/

To define branding, we first must define brand. ‘Brands get us to do things, they change behaviour, they create value, and that’s because they’re not static images on paper, they’re dynamic ideas in our minds’ (Jones, 2017). Branding works on our reasoning, emotional, intuitive and preconscious levels within the brain and therefore alters the way we think about something in life, it changes how we think, feel and act towards a product. It can manipulate our way of perception towards a specific idea. As a common everyday consumer, we make choices that are shaped by our way of thinking, from brands of coffee that we drink in the morning, to our toothpaste choice at the supermarket, these are all subconscious decisions that we have made through successful company branding.

In basic terms, Branding is defined as a process in which a company creates unique visual imagery for a product or idea, within the consumer's mind. Brands like Nike, Mcdonalds, Colgate, Moccona, Nintendo and many more have all created a specific visual value and an idea or meaning that the actual product holds. Colgate toothpaste itself, is actually just a scientific formula in a tube. However, it is what the consumer thinks about the toothpaste that makes its branding successful. Initially the toothpaste offers whiter teeth, which is identifiable with any toothpaste, it’s the branding around colgate which suggests ideas such as a nicer smile, confidence, more friends, and an overall happier life. In branding, we first have a product or a concept, that is then developed into a narrative. Robert Jones defines branding as a ‘a set of ideas, feelings, memories’ (2017). These collectively play on consumers emotional states which give brands the power to redesign their perception.

Moreover, it is understood that branding is not just a product, but the idea behind the product that is represented. It is defined as a process that helps present a product or idea towards an audience, shaping the mind into thinking, acting and feeling a certain way. A brand is a set of feelings and ideas associated with a product. Brand identity is created collectively through multiple visual elements to create a uniqueness that an audience recognises and feels an emotional connection to. Strong Brands redesign the mind to perceive and idea in a new light and that is what makes branding so powerful.  

(931 Word Count)

Reference List:

Milman. D (2012). Brand Bible: The Complete Guide to branding, designing and sustaining brands. Beverly, MA: Rockport.

Jones, R (2017). Branding: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. United States of America.

Budelmann, K. , Kim, Y. , & Wozniak, C. (2010). Brand identity essentials : 100 principles for designing logos and building brand. Rockport Publishers.

Wheeler, A. (2010). 3rd Edition. Designing brand identity : an essential guide for the whole branding team. 3rd Edition. Wiley.