#like there's her best friend tier and a Marina tier above it

[colorfuldream]

Try as they may but they will not be anything close to Splatocalypse's resolution with Pearl demanding the cameras were on her so that Marina could cry peacefully

[askwaterwitch-perbear]

Monsoon Isle HCS: villager edition

Barbra 

Her sweet demeanor should not surprise anyone she’s a sweetie 

She used to be much more savage over the years, but she’s mellowing out with old age

She worries everyone who cares about her old sheep bones because she sleeps on a towel 

Is the island representative's absolute favorite because she has a soft for the grandma like behaviors. (I don’t care if she’s not old. She might not be I’ll always think of her old) 

She acts like a grandma figure to so many of the younger residents

She always has candy on her especially in her purse

She wishes to live the high life because her house is literally her own spa

She still has some sass and foxy for her age her current friends right now is Audie, Rolf, and Muffy, though two of them won’t be around for much longer

Favorite music is the tango 

Flora

Wants stardom!!!

She has the fabulous oh! everything is so fabulous girlfriend!! 

She doesn’t know how to not be quiet!

She is fast friends with June, Rolf, and newcomer Marina. 

She wants to be Lapis’s best friend and knock June and Bob out of the picture

Wants to know everything about everyone so nosey! 

Hates that Bob is so lazy and “influencing” her forever bestie to hang out with him 

All the cats are sleazy to her and she doesn’t like them very much. They have some nerve showing up and kicking her friends Flip and Phobe out! 

Curious about Pearl and wants to be friends but thinks herself below her status

Steven is always sweet to her she might do well to have him for a friend instead. 

Bratty attitude and her home full of squid and butterflies!  

June

Super soft-spoken and polite teenage cub 

She wants Lapis to be her mentor or become like her big sister. 

Is semi jealous of Kyanite, because of how close Lapis is with her actual sister, but still likes her. No bad blood.  

She loves the sea and the tropical getaway package and was lucky to meet so many nice animals

She likes to receive fish as pets especially tropical fish. 

She thinks Flora can be too pushy with no disrespect because she hit it off better with Lapis by being cautious and not so invasive

Wants to know about Peridot! She showed up to her birthday party and gave her a present so she would like to be her friend! 

She’s scared to approach Pearl and if she talks to Aquamarine she will get bullied. 

Lapis will protect her like she would protect Ky and Bob too

Bob and Punchy act like strong big brothers to June and she’s uber close to Punchy (Hey! How about that? Steven and Lapis’s Favs are friends)  

She makes a point to talk to Rolf and Barbra when they are out and about, good grandpa and granny figures. 

Rolf

An old friend very loyal companion especially for Kristin he does call her kiddo every single time he sees her

This island is getting a little too wiper snapper young boys for his liking but he stays because Barbra is there and Kristin who gave him a home when he needed it they became a family unit and good friends

Rolf wants to teach the funny boy some respect going around blastin’ his horns and throwing cream pies at people what RUBBISH! 

These kiddos don’t know how to make the true honest living! 

Has a lawnmower but rarely uses it he’s just going to sit outside and complain 

Spends a lot of time in the mountains enjoys to fish but is miffed when he can’t catch any

Close to death and he knows that leaving an impact! 

He doesn’t like Lapis’s attitude because she teases him a lot about his gruff deep voice because it sounds like he’s choking on his words smoking six-packs of zigs a day! 

He would like to be an uncle figure everyone can look up to but he’s not popular enough 

appreciates Steven’s good nature thinks the boy can do no wrong

Bob and Punchy throw fish around his yard 

Bob

The newcomer has approached! 

Bob will always be best friend with his god-tier friend Punchy 

Bob is a little older and looks out for Punchy they’ve already hit it off like brothers

How does he sleep on a block bed? 

Is the most easy-going guy just don’t hurt his friends. 

Bob closest friends are Punchy and June

He likes to pretend he’s got an ouchie to con some candy off of Barbra

Insanely easy going just don’t touch his sandwich

He can tell he’s hit it off really well with Lapis and will cherish her as a best friend since they are eerily similar in enjoying the simple pleasures of life

Will always have mad respect for Flip to go out into the world and find a new place because Bob can see he got some good property with a beach and a Pool! 

Loves to meme

Pisses Flora off on purpose

Is excited for the playground and the campgrounds

Is there when someone needs him even if he’s sarcastic

Punchy

Convinced to move to Monsoon island because of Steven now that is incredible because most cats hate water! 

Loves to nap in the sunshine on Lapis’ beach and Pearl’s private beaches

Precious. Must protect!  

Will touch all of the gizmos and gadgets and camping gear Peri has just to be sneaky and attempt to be friends

becomes spikey scared boy when Aquamarine is around 

He enjoys Kyanite thinks she’s very sweet 

He wants to be friends with Pietro he’s SO FUNNY! But Spinel growls at him 

Will protect June with his snacks and risking his tail for her

Everyone is a good friend even if Rolf doesn’t like his laid back personality

Flora is a little too judgy for him and it hurts his feelings

Goes for long walks on the beach with Steven and Lapis and sometimes June, Bob, and Biskit 

Cutie Pie

Respect! 

Biskit

A very good girl yes I said girl (fight me) 

Peridot’s favorite VillagerTM (Strong personified Pumpkin vibes)  

She doesn’t mind being Peridot’s best friend since the mad scientist smart city human gives her presents and treats her very sweetly

She has a dog house in her backyard because sometimes she’ll lay in it and watch the clouds up above

She is friends with practically everyone except for Muffy, Bluebear, and Flora since they are very judging of her stimmy dog behaviors.

LOVES PERIDOT AND LAPIS!!! Even if they are judged.  

She will growl at intruders if they don’t smell right. 

A good younger sister and teacher’s pet character

Has picnics with June and Flora begrudgingly when she can

Chases anything that moves including her tail   

Enjoys STEVEN, PEARL, AQUA, SPINEL, AND MUCH LOVE FOR LEADER KRISTIN!

Pietro

He somehow got to be the ONLY villager that isn’t beat up by Spinel 

Even stranger he respects and genuinely cares for Spinel like the other two strange weirdos who love Spinel and teach her right things. 

Us clown acts gotta stick together 

Marina tries to get him to consider taking amusement jobs that pay better but he won’t do it

Wants to be besties with Julien, but Spinel doesn’t think he would make the travel with how he got plane sick on the way to her island

Pranks everyone and thinks he’s the hottest stuff in the world

WHERE IS HIS BED? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW! 

He is misunderstood and Bob and Punchy know that so they make an effort to dry his tears

We’re not sure if he’s an adult or not??? 

Not doing so good with Rolf the dude has to loosen up a bit

Walks around spraying people with flowers and Joins Spinel in net fights and slapping villagers with fish learns from Her

“THAT’s a big sister figure you don’t need to be influenced by,” says Steven to him time and time again

Blasts loud Boom Boom ain’t it great to be crazy?!  

Very Sad that Weasel is afraid of him wants to be their buddy. 

Marina

The mom friendTM 

She can tell everyone is goofing around and not working hard so when it happens she tells them they can’t have snacks until they get it done

She adores that Pearl H. is so welcoming to her and will jump in at the chance to live on the island with her and teach her some responsibility

She’s a little uptight, but she’s older than almost everyone except Flora, Barb, and Rolf so it falls on her to make sure things don’t go south.

She adores the Island Rep K. May not be the smartest, but her heart is bigger than anyone’s

June, Bob, Punchy, Bluebear, Flora, Pietro? Protective as hell

Would LOOOVE to visit Cheeri and tell her how everything is

She thinks that the “farm couple” (Peri and Lapis) are little scamps

She loves sunsets, water fights, sweets, togetherness

FAMILY ORIENTED

Bluebear

INSTIGATOR!!!

Young, bratty, little shit

Stirs up drama at any chance she gets 

Still teases Pearl by flirting with her partner even though they are MARRIED

Is tired of Muffy and  Audie can she leave already so she can take over!

Girl Power!

Has a good heart but still very judgy of others

BFF is Aquamarine, Flora, and occasionally Pearl 

Wishes she could get into Julliens friend circle on Typhoon Island, but he has a bestie already but she can easily be replaced teehee.

Misses Rosie a lot and can tell Aqua does too, but they bond over tea and discussing who they think is a screw-up

They laugh at how Flora thinks she’s famous, but since they also wanna be they kinda relate,

She will be nice to June and Biskit but she’s still on the fence about being seen too much with them. Deep down she does care though

She will stir up drama Real fuckin’ fast

WHERE’S MY TICKET ALREADY?!

I”M A LITTLE ANGEL!!!!

I WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stays away from Bob and Punchy and Pietro they’re boys ewwie

believes Bob has cooties and will avoid him but he will scoop her up and throw her into the pool!

Not at the biggest fan of any of the human residents 

Omg Freak Biskit! 

Gonna own this island she believes

Sunbathes frequently 

Bubble Gum K. is her favorite song. 

[thomcoldman-blog]

My 10 Favourite Games Of 2017

This list was originally posted on the forum Resetera, but I felt like putting it up here too, with a little more insight into why I liked these games so much, and so they don’t get lost in the muddle of forum posts. Enjoy!

10. Snake Pass (Sumo Digital; Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Sumo Digital has been a developer I've admired for years, particularly for their work on the Nintendo-tier kart racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Snake Pass is their first independently-produced title, and it has a great hook - the player controls a snake in much the same manner as a real snake might move. There's no jump button, no Earthworm Jim spacesuit, just the power to raise one's head and the strength to grip tightly to any object you've coiled around. There's no timer or enemies; Snake Pass is content to let you explore its levels at your own pace, letting you getting used to its unique feeling and take in the calming David Wise soundtrack. It's a game that feels like learning to ride a bike again, and the progression in ability over time is such a pleasing sensation that it earns it its place on this list by itself. The good use of collectables and generous helping of levels is icing on the cake.

9. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (MachineGames; PS4, Xbox One, PC)

B.J. Blazkowicz returns and he's lost all meaning of subtlety whilst he's been out of action. Wolfenstein 2 shoots all of its shots - the action is bloody, explosive carnage, and the subject matter isn't satisfied with just skewering Nazi idiocy and narcissism, taking time to shine a light on White America's love affair with sitting back and reaping the rewards of compliance under fascist rule. Whether it's exploring B.J.'s broken psyche, giving Wyatt a crash course on hallucinogenics or putting you under the spotlight in a terrifying audition, MachineGames refuse to pull their punches, each great moment coming swinging like B.J.'s Nazi-reprimanding fireaxe. The combat encounters are far from polished, with stealth being heavily nerfed from The New Order and the half-way shift in tone from borderline-satirical diatribe on mortality and American race relations to comic-book capers is incredibly stodgy, but Wolfenstein 2 leaves a hell of an impression all the same. Shame about that credits music.

8. Gorogoa (Jason Roberts; PC, iOS, Nintendo Switch)

A good puzzle game can make a really strong impression, guiding you subtly by the hand to make you feel like a member of MENSA just for pressing a few buttons or prodding at a screen. With Gorogoa, I can't even begin to describe how the puzzles actually work. Imagine a window segmented with 4 panes of glass, and now imagine you can drag elements out of those panes and into other panes, or over where there isn't a pane to create a new pane... See, it’s hard! In as simple terms as I can muster, it’s a game about taking the world apart and putting it back together again to create paths and progress for your anonymous young hero. It’s intensely abstract, yet the South Asian aesthetic feels like a living locale, an exploration of a boy's days-to-come. It's a short experience, but with each puzzle solved making me feeling smarter than Albert god damn Einstein, it's one that will stick with me for a long time.

7. Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch)

Like pretty much everyone, I didn't own a Wii U, but the sting of that decision never really happened until the arrival of Splatoon - Nintendo's first proper new "core" universe since what felt like Pikmin. It instantly looked like sheer fun - and as a big fan of both Jet Set Radio and The World Ends With You, it was clear as day Nintendo's younger designers were picking up the Shibuya fashion torch those games dropped behind them. Put simply, it's totally my shit. Splatoon 2 confirms my suspicions and then some, being the first multiplayer title I've enjoyed online in forever. I can't get enough of the soundtrack, the sound effects, the amazingly catty banter between Pearl and Marina, and just the feeling of dropping into ink, strafing around a sucker and blasting them straight between the eyeballs with my N-ZAP '85. 20% of Switch owners in the US can't be wrong.

6. Yakuza 0 (SEGA; PS4)

The only games I've played previously by SEGA's Toshihiro Nagoshi are the brilliant arcade/Gamecube bangers F-Zero GX and Super Monkey Ball 2, plus his one-off PS3 sci-fi shooter Binary Domain. Loving those 3 wacky games, I always felt a little put-off by his regular gig nowadays being a series about Japan's most decorated crime organisation, and a bare-knuckle brawler at that. Yakuza 0, the 80s-set series prequel that serves as a perfect entry point for series newcomers, proved my suspicions ill-founded. It's a game which instantly casts the majority of the yakuza as control freaks and bullies, pits its protagonists Kiryu and Majima as their unfounded targets and pawns... and then lets you fight your way out of hell via brutal finishing moves, bizarrely complex business management sidequests and, if you're so inclined, a gun shaped like a giant fish. It's that kind of game that always keeps you guessing whether or not you should take it seriously, and so it wins you over with its best-in-class action choreography, astonishingly good direction and a never-ending deluge of sidequests, minigames and challenges. Don't sleep on Kamurocho.

5. Sonic Mania (SEGA/Christian Whitehead/Headcannon/PagodaWest Games; Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

If you’re reading this, you probably know I'm a Sonic apologist. I don't really stand by the 3D entries - bar Sonic Generations, which I genuinely love - but the narrative that "Sonic was never good" is some ridiculous meme that I can't stand. They were genuinely fun games, albeit far from perfect; every game can use some improvement. Sonic Mania is that improvement, spinning the level themes and gimmicks from the original Mega Drive (and Mega CD) games into vast new forms, with myraid routes, tons of secrets, an astonishing sense of speed from beginning to end and fairer, more agreeable, more exciting level design. Old locales, new levels - oh, and some new locales as well, one of which (Studiopolis Zone) is an instant classic. 16:9 presentation, all new animations and crazy levels of animation detail, and a mind-blowing soundtrack by Tee Lopes - Sonic Mania is the perfect Sonic game.

4. NieR: Automata (Square Enix/PlatinumGames; PS4, PC)

For my first foray into the sunken mind of Yoko Taro, he couldn't have left a better impression. NieR: Automata uses Platinum's engaging-at-worst, thrilling-at-best melee combat as the language to tell his new story of how pointless it is for anyone to even bother throwing themselves after ideals of society or humanity, and why it's worth trying all the same. Every inch of this game feels crusted in Taro’s sensibilities, with the no-bullshit 2B and her curious whiny partner 9S running into robots waving white flags, avenging fallen comrades, establishing monarchies, throwing themselves to their deaths, and coming to terms with their crumbling existence in apocalypse.  It's crushing, it's raw, it's often dull, but its uniquely bleak vision of AIs breaking free of their programming has a grip as powerful as a Terminator's. And when it’s ready to let you go, it has you send it off with the most memorable credits sequence in history. Glory to Yoko Taro, glory to PlatinumGames - glory to mankind.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch, Wii U)

Standing in the centre of a bridge connecting Hyrule’s broad, emerald green fields to the desert mountain approach, a bridge overlooking the still Lake Hylia, I fire an arrow into a lizard bastard’s head, or at least I try to. He dodges it and rushes me, forcing me to jump away and retaliate with my claymore. Out for the count, I resume looking for the lost Zora wife I’ve been asked to seek out, who apparently washed all the way downstream in a recent downpour. I can’t see any wife - my entire view is dominated by the giant green dragon snaking across the night sky above me. The wind picks up, but I am too awestruck by its presence to take note that I could glide up to it and shoot off a valuable scale. Instead, I just stand and stare, this utterly unexpected moment happening before my eyes. Friend or foe? A boss monster, perhaps? A vital story element later on? The answer ended up being none of the above: in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there be dragons, and that fact in and of itself speaks volumes about what this game is about. After 30 years, Hyrule finally feels alive.

2. Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall; PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)

Very few games instil a genuine emotional response within me, but the story of Mae Borowski's no-fanfare return from college to suburban gloom resonates hard with me. It's an expert at the little touches - the needless-yet-fun triple jump, the not-so-starcrossed rooftop musicians, the impulsive reaction to poke a severed arm with a stick - and woefully precise with its big swings, like an upsetting cross-town party, a wave of violent frustration amongst the townspeople, and the inability to just lay it all on the table with friends and family when you need to most. In the cosmic dreams of shitty teens, Night in the Woods finds an ugly beauty in depression. 

1. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD; Nintendo Switch)

It’s impossible to deny 2017 has been the year of Nintendo. There’s plenty of celebrate elsewhere, but the Switch’s rise to prominence as the machine to be playing ideally everything on, and the amount of absolute smash hits Nintendo has producing this year makes it hard for the narrative to focus elsewhere. The epitome of all this is their final killer game of 2017: Super Mario Odyssey, the grand return of a more open-ended style of Mario platformer. A true blue achievement in joyous freedom, it brings together everything from Mario's history of 3D platforming - 64's freedom, Sunshine's other-worldliness and sky-high skill ceiling, Galaxy's spectacle, 3D World's razor-sharp platforming challenge - and throws into one big pot, creating a Mario where both the journey and the destination are one and the same, and exciting to the very end. In a year of amazing games that hit upon horrid, upsetting themes with delicate, pinpoint accuracy for tremendous success, I’m not sure whether it’s a shame or an inevitability that such an unapologetically surprising, happy game made the biggest mark on me this year, but either way, I’m welcome to have Mario be truly Super once more.

[tripstations]

Travel influencers: The good, the bad and the downright ugly

(CNN) — Amy Seder isn’t used to having the door slammed in her face. Her artfully posed Instagram posts of a glamorous life led in glamorous destinations has won her an army of online admirers that the travel industry is usually eager to embrace.

But when she recently contacted one hotel in Italy hoping for a free stay in exchange for social media exposure, she was bluntly rejected.

“Blogger infestation. Not interested,” came the curt response.

So-called travel influencers such as Seder make a living by sharing their globetrotting experiences on social media and personal blogs. They get freebies, discounts or payments for promoting places, products and experiences via their accounts.

The past few years have seen a relative explosion in the number of people apparently carving careers via this route. The many travelers who now plan their vacations based on what they’ve seen on social media make it a viable proposition.

But it’s a trend that, as Seder found, may now have reached saturation point with some hotels and other travel industry organizations growing weary of the demands placed on them by influencers and becoming increasingly doubtful of the commercial benefits.

Inspirational or loathsome?

Partly to blame for the disillusionment are a slew of recent headlines about entitled and inappropriate behavior that have exposed the fine line between inspiring the online community and incurring its unbridled wrath.

Gianluca Casaccia, a beach club owner in the Philippines, took to Facebook in April to tear into “freeloaders” he said were plaguing his establishment with requests for gratis food, drinks and accommodation.In another case, a Czech couple traveling in Bali drew ire after apparently splashing themselves with holy water at a temple and posting images of it to an Instagram account with tens of thousands of followers.

These incidents, while unrepresentative of the many influencers who steer clear of controversy, have helped shine a spotlight on a side of the travel industry of which many people were perhaps were unaware, highlighting some of the hard-nosed reality beneath the surface of the soft-focused dreamscapes on Instagram.

They also raise questions about the sustainability of the agreements between influencers and the travel industry and the lifestyles they support in a rapidly changing industry environment.

While travel blogging is a relatively young phenomenon, it has already evolved into a mature and sophisticated business model, with participants on both sides working hard to protect and promote their brands.

A working relationship

Those on the industry side say there’s tangible commercial benefit, provided influencers are carefully vetted.

“If people are actively liking and commenting on influencers’ posts, it shows they’re getting inspired by the destination,” Keiko Mastura, PR specialist at the Japan National Tourism Organization, tells CNN Travel.

“We monitor comments and note when users tag other accounts or comment about the destination, suggesting they’re adding it to their virtual travel bucket lists. Someone is influential if they have above a 3.5% engagement rate.”

For some tourism outlets, bloggers offer a way to promote products that might be overlooked by more conventional channels. Even those with just 40,000 followers can make a difference.

Kimron Corion, communications manager of Grenada’s Tourism Authority, says his organization has “had a lot of success engaging with micro-influencers who exposed some of our more niche offerings effectively.”

Such engagement doesn’t come cheap though.

All expenses paid

Trips or freebies often cover luxury experiences, meaning considerable outlay for the hotel or tourism body involved.

A night in the Serenity Club Junior Suite Ocean Front at Haven Resort in Cancun, Mexico, costs between $500 and $900 depending on the season. The Insta-famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore can be upwards of $720 a night.

That means extra pressure in finding the right influencer to convey the relevant message — particularly when the aim is to deliver real-time social media exposure.

“We analyze each profile to make sure they’re an appropriate fit,” says Florencia Grossi, director of international promotion for Visit Argentina. “We look for content with dynamic and interesting stories that invites followers to live the experience.”

One challenge is weeding out genuine influencers from the fake, a job that’s typically done by manually scrutinizing audience feedback for responses that betray automated followers. Bogus bloggers are another reason the market is becoming increasingly wary.

“If comments are just emojis or slightly out of context, it indicates a bot,” says Anne Pedersen, the head of French travel website Atout France’s public relations. “If the comments all come from the same country, they could be fake accounts.”

While some businesses and organizations may be turning their back on influencers, many still find it profitable to engage.

Seder — who fell into influencing after she and fiance Brandon Burkley quit their jobs in New York to travel full time — soon found an alternative Italian venue willing to strike a deal, despite their rejection from the first “blogger infested” hotel.

Such hustles are part and parcel of a profession that, according to those making a living out of it, is much harder work than the sun-kissed Instagram photos would have you believe.

The most successful influencers spend the majority of their time working to grow their audience and develop content — often with a team of dedicated employees.

They also spend a fair amount of time looking for handouts in exchange for Instagram posts, branded tweets, YouTube videos and more.

Posts are typically valued — depending on audience location — at about $1,000 for every 100,000 followers. Some top-tier travel influencers are also paid a per diem or per deliverable rate.

Seder makes money working with tourism brands that pay for sponsored Instagram and blog posts. Additional earnings come from her professional photography and affiliate marketing.

She says her workis often made trickier by the fact that influencers are often lumped in with traditional travel journalists on regimented press trips that fail to take into account their need to constantly connect with their audience.

“There have been times where I was forced to get up in the middle of the night to meet my contracted deliverables because there was absolutely no time to do it during the day,” she says.

“The best press trips are those with a good balance of activities and shooting time, a mix of famous and local authentic destinations, and arrangements with popular sites before or after hours, to avoid crowds.”

Valeria Hinojosa, a Bolivian private banker turned influencer with 129,000 Instagram followers, specializes in promoting eco hotels around the world, for which she charges upwards of $3,000.

“My goal is to show that every destination has a story,” she says. “From sustainable hotels, the kindness of the locals, the exotic taste and aroma of food, and the connection with nature.”

Hinojosa says she doesn’t get too hung up on audience numbers.

“If I reach my readers’ souls through my words, then I’ve succeeded,” she says. “The overflow of love I receive from the people who follow me and the brands I work with is a good measurement.”

San Francisco-based Dimag Ozgum (539,000 followers) says he measures his impact by how frequently his photos get replicated and how many Instagrammers use his community hashtag, #VacationWolf.

“After we visit a region and share it, a massive amount of influencers get influenced and end up traveling there,” he says.

Walter DeMirci, USA country manager for the Qatar National Tourism Council, recognizes the limitations of using influencers, even if his organization is still willing to make use of them.

“While creating beautiful content is part of the requirement, having a successful partnership also means creating an organic brand ambassador that will share their positive experience with friends and families outside of social media,” he says.

In other words, tourism boards try to identify good influencers who will create educational posts about their destinations that will then inspire travelers to book a trip.

Value proposition

This is where things can get tricky. Not all influencers are necessarily interested in what value their posts lend their audience, leading to scenes like the Bali temple incident or outbursts like those of the Philippines club owner.

Los Angeles ice cream truck owner Joe Nicchi is another who lost his cool with constant requests for handouts. Earlier this year he announced he intended to charge influencers double.

Tourism reps, meanwhile, recount dealing with tantrums when demands weren’t met.

“One of our executives had an encounter with an influencer who said he ‘doesn’t f——- pay for anything, ever’ after she informed him that some of his meals weren’t going to be covered,” says Grenada Tourism Authority’s Corion.

Many luxury properties in the Maldives have terminated their influencer marketing programs after getting countless requests from fraudulent influencers.

For well-intentioned influencers such as Emilie Ristevski, who has over one million followers on Instagram, the rise in irresponsible “influencers” is frustrating.

“It’s disappointing to hear this is happening, it has extremely negative effects on the industry,” she says. “It’s a shame to see self-entitlement and unethical work practices be a recurring theme for some influencers.”

When the influencer and a tourism board mesh, the results can be tourism marketing gold. Influencers bring new perspectives to destinations and reach a broad, international audience.

Qatar’s DeMirci says influencers have been an asset in promoting his destination.

“With social media on the rise with regards to planning travel, we’re tapping into influencer partnerships which allows us to showcase Qatar from a variety of perspectives,” he says.

And, says Ristevski, in an age of runaway mass tourism, where travelers are often accused of harming the places they’re visiting by turning out in such large numbers, influencers can be a force for good, particularly when promoting lesser known destinations.

“Bringing sustainable tourism into remote areas supports smaller communities and their livelihoods,” she adds, “along with helping to compensate overtourism due to photographic locations.”

The post Travel influencers: The good, the bad and the downright ugly appeared first on Tripstations.

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[ozsaill]

Hurricane Irma: sailing to safety, how you can help

Totem and crew are in Grenada. Time and mobility were our key advantages to get safely far from the devastating path of Irma when others could not. When Irma made landfall at Barbuda, we were secure in St Lucia. Clouds streamed from the west at sunset, sucked in the “wrong” direction by Irma. We watched the system’s arrival via glowing laptop screens, as Jamie stayed up half the night glued to live data from weather stations until they succumbed – then followed as best we could in the aftermath, waiting anxiously for news from the friends squarely in Irma’s track.

In the days that followed, a few things became apparent. First, that the destruction in the islands is staggering. Our friend relaying to his evacuated wife that “there is nothing to come back to.” The first pictures to filter out showed destruction beyond imagination, descriptors like Biblical proportions and post apocalyptic all too fitting. First person accounts of the storm and the aftermath describing unimaginable chaos. For those of us making our homes on the water, how terrible to see large boats tossed like toys; piled up on top of each other, upside down, crushed into the corners of “hurricane hole” bays.

One of the early images circulating on social media

It also became clear how tenuous the safety net of these islands is: with no power, no cellular network, the communications have been deeply challenged. In the struggle to get word out and disseminated, misinformation spread.

What’s also evident is the resilience and community of islanders. And they need every ounce of this, because media attention is focused elsewhere. The breakdown at relief in finding friends are safe is sobered with news that desperation in a devastated, disconnected land has turned to violence and looting as the situation is increasingly dire.

Can you help?

There are several organizations offering immediate assistance which can use support.

In Puerto Rico, cruisers Tory Fine and Jon Vidar (Sail Me Om) turned their skills to organize Sailors Helping. What they have done in short order is tremendous. An update from this afternoon: “Today we helped a family get off of St. John, have helped organize boats to Jost Van Dyke, St John, and Tortola, and have raised about $4,000 directly while pooling efforts with a few other organizations and private donors to have access to almost 10 times that to fills boats and planes to the islands.” It continues: “In less than two hours, we have at least two boats going to St Thomas or Tortola, a plane being inspected so it can start flying next week, and a 180′ cargo ship all willing to help bring supplies to the islands and hopefully some people back; We have found four people temporary housing in San Juan; We may have a ride for a trauma surgeon to get to Tortola and a family to get off of St. John; And we’ve raised $2,000 that will go directly to purchasing supplies to fill these vessels.”

They are in tune with what’s needed…NOW. “The islands DO NOT need direct cash, or anymore clothes, first aid kits or baby supplies. They do need cots to sleep on, tarps for shade, food and water, and building supplies. This is where we will be focusing our efforts.”

To read the latest updates, see the Sailors Helping Facebook page. To volunteer or make a donation, visit the Sailors Helping website. And while the comments above reference USVIs and BVIs, that’s not the limit of their focus—at top of the wish list: a peace keeping group to evacuate large number of people at once from St Martin (where the reports of destruction and raiding have been extreme).

Tortola-based Three Sheets Sailing is another example of cruiser solidarity. Safely away (yet close by, and with access to US postal service delivery) in St Croix they’ve joined other charter skippers and now have four boats to shuttle between St Croix and the affected islands. To donate, visit their GoFundMe site; for more information, see the Three Sheets Sailing and Yacht Sea Boss Facebook pages.

For regular updates, follow Where the Coconuts Grow: Jody and baby Brig have evacuated from Tortola, but her husband Peter stayed behind and has the miracles of both a functional tender and a sat phone, offering early information of the real impact. Their boat/home is a total loss, and livelihood too. Jody’s continuing to feed updates to help the greater good, just as Peter works tirelessly for the same on the ground.

Windtraveler: the Tortola-based family’s boat and charter business are both probably victims to Irma, but that’s not flagged the energy of mom Brittany from fighting tirelessly for her home community. Scott arrives soon with resources and assistance: he’s buying supplies in Puerto Rico NOW, and their sat phone is how Peter has gotten word out from otherwise disconnected islands – donate here to help their on-the-ground efforts.

BVI Abroad – Hurricane Irma: Initiated on Facebook, this group is an excellent resource for BVI updates and has organized a website detailing relief from organizations to donate money (with transparency about fees taken by fundraiser sites), donate supplies, or otherwise get involved. Visit BVI Relief site they set up.

Looking for someone? See Irma Safety Check – http://ift.tt/2xX9baQ (VI focused) and http://ift.tt/2vSUWGB (BVIs only)

Additional sources of information and support welcomed, please add in comments or contact me.

It’s personal: reflections

The proximity of Irma, our recent stays in the places now devastated, our deep respect for the force of weather – all brings this event close.

Drone flight we made over Nanny Cay, late August

Nanny Cay at nearly the same angle, post-Irma

People we care about have lost homes and livelihoods. The search for the unaccounted for by those who were able to evacuate was sharply painful; tears routinely sneaking up. And it’s not just these places mentioned but Barbuda, St Barth, DR, Haiti… has anything been heard about Irma’s impact on Cuba? I have no doubt there is utter devastation in the Bahamas, and probably also in Turks & Caicos, and tomorrow we’ll learn about how Florida has weathered. It is overwhelming. Processing this while knowing fires rage on several fronts near our home waters, friends are affected by Harvey, the freaking big earthquake in Mexico this morning… it’s heavy. We all do a little to pay it forward, to bring a little light into a dark time. Like the stranger who anonymously bought breakfast for our friends evacuating from the Keys, having been an evacuee himself before and wanting to repay the kindness he was shown.

I keep thinking back to our assets in security: time, and mobility. We had significant notice to make a southbound path. We had tiered plans, backups to our backups, unburdened by constraints that prevented others from avoiding Irma. Weather rules our lives, and is compulsively monitored during hurricane season. At the early whiffs of the system forming, there were at least 10 days to add distance—which we did, in a relaxed fashion with stops in Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Martinique. If things happened faster, there were options for a dash.

Southbound on the coast of St Lucia, the ‘morning after’ Irma’s VI tear

The tough reality is that most people didn’t have those options, and had other complicating factors: it might have been ties and responsibilities they couldn’t relinquish. It may have been lack of funds. It may have been any one of a number of things outside my reality to imagine. Islanders can’t just drive inland and away (hello, Florida), and as the wreckage amply demonstrates it’s unclear how to find a place that’s safe. Withhold judgment.

As cruisers, the stress / challenge isn’t making our plans and backup plans. It’s around timing decisions. The future size and path of a ‘cane isn’t known as it grows from satellite fluff off the Sahara, but he system’s speed is easier to track, and it’s not fast…moving across an ocean at slower speeds than you need to stay legal driving past an elementary school. From there we can estimate when it’s time to make our move. When we do, it can be decisive: Jamie likened this to a basic collision avoidance strategy used with other boats. Make your move early, and make it clear. At different times this year that may have involved backtracking to the mangroves in Salinas, PR; jetting south to Grenada (check!); ducking southwest to Bonaire. The problem is trying to second guess storm tracks. Until the storm does something decisive, you can’t count anything out. How many times has the predicted track of Irma shifted?

There is a long road ahead for these islands Irma whacked. But among all the hard news, bright spots. Like seeing a post from Andy Schell this morning showing that that our friends Ted & Claudia’s boat/home, Demeter, really truly HAD made it through…moved into an outer-marina berth, even. Finding out that our friends on St John were fine, just cut off from everything in Coral Bay; their home came through, too. They help balance the harder stories: knowing they’re OK. Making it easier to believe we’ll all be OK.

Moved to the intact outer marina, post-Irma

    from Sailing Totem http://ift.tt/2eWV5l7 via IFTTT

[thesylvalining]

Time to trade Lisa’s mountain bike for… Lisa! And when she’s back from tour, it always means one thing:

So first, the girls shared aperitivo with their buddy Loic on the church steps in Faenza, with cheese from the Modena hills and wine from Loic’s latest tour in France. I enjoy this photo because somehow Lisa made Loic look like a swimsuit model with too many clothes and me look like a CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) groupie. Meanwhile, Lisa looks lovely and excited to to see her eclectic subjects come together so well.

Next stop(s), obviously, is/are our favorite bar/restaurant/beach/nightclub/obsession on in Marina Romea: Boca Barranca! Lisa’s amazing longtime friend Nico is along as well. There are refreshing dunks in the ocean, Spritz, the mouth-watering fried seafood plate we’ve eaten our weight in and the equally mouth-watering bartender… everything turns out to be just as good as we remembered :). 

This time, the journeys perpetuate the watery theme. I take to calling us sorrellas (sisters) from other fellas because — per usual — we’re hooked at the hip.  Like thirsty camels, the sorrellas swap heat for aqueous dips at every opportunity. At this juncture, it seems fitting for me to be so near tenacious water. I appreciate water’s fluidity, its propensity to literally go with the flow, to be at home everywhere in the world.

We soon find ourselves drawn, like a water droplet from a sponge, out of the penetrative heat in Faenza. We arrive in Crespino del Lamone via the train up the Lamone river valley (which, after cresting the Apenninni dumps out in Firenze). From there, it’s a blissful cruise down to our dipping spot of choice. The first is overrun by what New Girl‘s Schmidt would call “youths” (pronounced ewe-thz), predominantly the testosterone-fueled variety. The second, while still afloat in testosterone, boasts a couple of families and several tiered pools in which to disseminate the youths.

In the swelter of Italian summer, I have discovered innumerous ways to whittle away a sweaty afternoon. The time spent dipping, napping, journaling and watching the youths cannonball off an abandoned building while the occasional train grumbled by overhead was precious. Precious because it was spent with Lisa, precious because it was a beautiful day and a fantastic time to be alive. Precious because both of us were fully present and wholly content doing a lot of nothing in particular.

Being present is another gift from the Universe, stashed in my increasingly bountiful cornucopia of Neat New Tricks. It is not that I have ceased to feel angry or sad about how everything between Tyler and I turned out. No — I feel difficult emotions but I am unafraid to let them wash over me like the often murky, refreshing waters of the Adriatic. It absolutely acceptable to feel strongly because we are human — I am human. But I have learned better, more enriching ways to be, partially because I consciously live in the present moment, without (too much) lingering in the past or hoping for the future.

I’m realizing, it’s all about a comprehensive view of life — like Benjamin Hoff explains in The Tao of Pooh. I swear, every time I pick it up, there’s a little jewel of wisdom waiting for me to ponder its shiny facets. Hoff explains best what I’m getting at: our favorite moments in life often occur before a much-anticipated event. Like finally opening birthday presents, going on vacation or seeing someone especially cool after not seeing them for a couple of weeks… 😉 The moments between and before are the crusts of bread if you can’t wait to eat the soft inside — but without them, there’s not actually bread.

My Italian buddy Igor and I were discussing life and such things at his house near Bagnacavallo whilst hanging laundry and nibbling bread and chocolate. It was before a particularly quirky and wonderful concert by Devendra Banhart on Monday night (I’ll wax lyrical upon this later). I said: I feel like I’m in my 20s again. Once again, I bask in the same natural spontaneity and joyousness — but with the brain, experience and self-awareness I have now. I feel lucky but it is far beyond luck. I’ve ceased to search for happiness, but it found me anyway as I suspect it does when life flows easily.

Waterfalls are happy places.

The tan lines of a cyclist!

Let us return to the Lamone river where the The Tao of Pooh was again eerily appropriate. As the water rushed by, I pulled my tarnished bookmark and read:

“Say, Pooh, why aren’t you busy?” I asked.

“Because it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.

“Yes, but –”

“Why ruin it?” he said.

“But you could be doing something Important,” I said.

“I am,” said Pooh.

“Oh? Doing what?”

“Listening,” he said.

“Listening to what?”

“To the birds. And that squirrel over there.”

“What are they saying?” I asked.

“That it’s a nice day,” said Pooh.

“But you know that already,” I said.

“Yes, but it’s always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too,” he replied.

I closed the book with a laugh, read the passage to Lisa (contemplating her second nap on the pale ledge above me) and we both turned back to our important nothings, listening to the birds, the squirrels and the youths now cannonballing off the waterfall.

And on the way back? Gelato! Duh!

Back in Faenza, Palio season was in full effect. For those of you who’ve dipped a toe in Italy, the word Palio may hasten forth images of titillating horse races in the medieval heart of Siena. Faenza holds its own version throughout July, a fully and ornately costumed affair between the different rioni (neighborhoods), each with their own colors and meeting places (which are boisterous and serve good, inexpensive food all month).

The Palio starts with youth (ewe-th) flag tossing and horse races (which keep Sylva up into the wee hours of the night) and culminates at month’s end with the same song and dance for adults. Lisa and I popped out to watch with the parade to the final race with the rest of Faenza… And let me just say, anyone who knew me in my awkward years knows to say I was obsessed with medieval stuff (Nini? Kelly?) is putting it mildly. So I rather enjoyed the entire affair!

Freaking knights in freaking armor, everybody!

Each rione has a competition for prettiest wench, I mean lady.

And each rione has its own spirited band.

A day later, we marched ourselves and our bicycles up to the ridge of San Mamante, beloved by cyclists for its hilly spine and idyllic views. Also beloved by watery wenches such as ourselves, because ExperiencePlus! organized us all a lovely poolside aperitivo…

After Lisa trudged off somewhat reluctantly to lead another tour with the infamous Enrico 🙂 I was left largely to my own devices. Nature put in its liquid two cents, too, cooling down scorching Faenza with much-needed rain:

Even with my sorella gone, I live a far cry from a solitary life — I have aperitivi, multiple dates in one week with my bike and actual humans (even with a guy I met on the train — you guessed it, more later). Or I travel solo, which I truly savor. Or I also linger about the castle like a friendly spirit, diligently working on my book (almost finished and ready to be sent off), this blog and corrections for the article (now finalized!) for the Italian magazine, Ossigeno.

And I have oh-so-much time to ponder. I can process how much my life has changed and absorb this delectable sense of freedom and adventure into my very bones, which were created, I believe, to absorb such things. And to celebrate them!

You guessed it: The Tao of Pooh has something to say on this matter. Hoff unearthed a quote that’s so beautifully apt I’m going to quote Hoff quoting Lu Yu.

The clouds above us join and separate,

The breeze in the courtyard leaves and returns.

Life is like that, so why not relax?

Who can stop us from celebrating?

And what more says celebrate than when your morning Nutella on wholegrain tigella (imported from the recent mountain bike trip) suddenly looks exactly like the country you’re so very happy to be celebrating in!??!

So, to celebrate the celebration, I combed my fresh-out-of-bed hair and adventured. Sylvas adore a good adventure — even, and often especially, da sola (alone). I hopped aboard the same train Lisa and I rode for our river dip trip –surprisingly almost clean, not entirely packed — to Marradi. Marradi? Yes, the same spot the sorellas began their multi-day hike in the colder, windier, rainier days of late April. This time around, it was hotter than Beyonce’s sister Solange.

The hike became an all day affair, especially after I missed the nonexistent train between 1440 and 1859. Unfortunately this meant missing hamburgerata (a bi-annual hamburger cook off with their friends) with the downstairs neighbors, the same whose lovely daughter (and friend) I teach English to several times weekly. But it meant more time in the wide, wonderful outdoors where I always feel at home.

I found the forest, even in crowded Italy, largely devoid of other humans. I could hear them on distant dirt bikes and cars and early on, passed a group watching their buddy hang glide off an open, hilltop. And evidence of humanity presented sporadically with a fence, a rickety shelter or scared sheep bolting down the path ahead of me, the bells around their necks ringing a frantic tune. Otherwise, it was just me, the birds, the squirrels, the breeze…

… the trees and the ivy…

… the old cobblestones on the road to Eremo di Gamogna (the hermitage of Gamogna)…

… and quite possibly the best lunch spot around!

By the time I arrived back in Faenza it was after 1930 and of course, I was ravenous, but tired and very sated after a long sojourn in The Nature.

The beauty’s in the messy details…

Heading out of Marradi.

Lunch spot views.

Sylva = very scary.

Almost to the lunch spot!

A walk in the woods, anyone?

Heading back down.

There’s an Italian saying: Chi dorme non piglia pesci, or those who sleep don’t catch any fish. I may not have been in the business of catching fish (although some people might be able to argue that point… Lisa? 🙂 ) but recently I definitely was in the business of not sleeping… case in point why this clock…

… says 0400 (4 a.m.). Yep — more on that next time. Ciao for now!

Aqueous Transmissions Time to trade Lisa's mountain bike for... Lisa! And when she's back from tour, it always means one thing: