#today was pretty eventful.. even if not very productive. but ive never been a very productive person

[midnightclover]

Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (ATLUS, 2003)

[solange-lol]

More Than This

Summary: Five times Will and Nico acted like they weren’t flirting and one time they stopped pretending

Words: 4,409

Nico di Angelo Birthday Event  - Day 3/4

Read on Ao3

I. 

It was an argument with his father that had Nico approaching a breakfast place called Naomi’s at 8:30 on a Saturday morning.

The argument itself was irrelevant. Something about how Nico needed to get out more. Somehow he found himself a job, despite the fact that his father said “getting out” doesn’t mean “getting a job.” Anyway, it was better than texting Jason Grace for the first time in four months if he wanted to “hang out.”  

As soon as Nico stepped inside the restaurant, he realized he had no clue what he was doing. The overall atmosphere was fine, pretty homey and cozy. But the people. God, where did all of these people even come from? Their town wasn’t even that big. The noise level was so different from the echoing hallways of Nico’s too-big-and-too-empty house (mansion, really, but he never liked that word). It was a little overwhelming, to say the least.

“You can sit wherever,” a boy with the biggest blonde curls Nico has ever seen speed walked past him, two menus and a plate with half-eaten pancakes clutched in his hands.

Nico had no idea how to respond, and when he tried to the only thing that came out was “uhhhh.”

The boy turned back around, grimacing with annoyance for a split second until his eyes met Nico’s. The Italian couldn’t help but to deeply inhale for a second in an attempt to remain calm. Was it even possible for eyes to be that blue? Holy granola, this guy is beautiful. His thoughts were interrupted by the blonde shaking his head like he was trying to clear his mind.

“Oh god, I’m sorry Nico,” he said with a softer smile. How does this kid know his name? “I haven’t had coffee yet. I’m a little out of it. Follow me.”

They walked behind the counter together, passing different areas dedicated to different necessities. Coffee, water, other drinks, and refills for salt and sugar. All while the blonde kid was gesturing wildly, giving brief explanations on the do’s and don’ts and sipping his sock monkey mug of freshly-made coffee. Nico groaned internally, thinking about how he’ll have to learn all these new rules. God knew he had the memory of a packing peanut. It’s so much easier to bullshit your way through life than to spend hours learning all the new ways of the world, but he had a feeling that wasn’t exactly the way it worked in a restaurant.

They approached an older-looking woman who seemed even more exhausted than the blonde. However, her smile was warm and welcoming as they approached closer.

“You must be Nico,” she said, amber eyes twinkling. Nico immediately noted she was probably Naomi. “You came at the perfect time.” The woman glanced out at the crowd of people. “Though, I assume Will still has much to teach you, so don’t let me stop you.” The blonde nodded accordingly. Nico added another mental note that this guy must be Will.

Without another word, Will started walking, Nico on his heels. They walked past the stove area (“Always say excuse me walking past here if a chef is at work. You do not want to make the same mistake I did”), the toast area (“That’s usually my job, but make a good impression and you might get your shot”), and where to get the ice (“The scooper is made of metal, so never leave it in with the ice or you will definitely regret it). He went pretty quickly past the dishwashing area, and explained later that “the dishwasher only speaks Spanish, and she can drive you crazy pretty quickly.” (It took Nico a few minutes to figure out that Will was referring to the woman who washes dishes, not the actual appliance itself).

Will lead him through western-style double doors and walked over to a large wooden cabinet. “This is the bus station,” Will explained. “As long as none of the waitresses need you to get water, or someone needs you to dry silverware, you’ll be spending most of your time back here.” He opened a few drawers, pointing to silverware and napkins and how to arrange them. There were some buckets on the side, which Will explained was where they would put dirty dishes after scraping them. Once it was pretty full, you were supposed to bring it back to be washed. (It was all going in one ear and out the other this point, which was, admittedly, not ideal). Will then opened another drawer for personal belonging for bussers. Nico shrugged off his jacket and stuffed it in.

As Will led them to a door, he talked about some of the other bussers that worked there. Octavian, who wasn’t kind in the slightest; however, he was a pretty good employee when it came to doing his job. He was the one who Nico would probably be working with most often, which was a little scary. The other one was named Kayla, who was a friend of Will’s and secondhand adopted by Naomi. However, she only ever worked Sunday’s, so unless they really needed Nico there, it was unlike he was ever going to meet her.

The door brought them outside. Cold air hit Nico like a wall, and he immediately missed the comfort of his jacket. “Unfortunately this is the only way back here,” Will was visibly shivering as he led them to a back room off of the building. It was lined with shelves, which had boxes of pancake, waffle, and oatmeal, as well as other breakfast food and supplies. There was a refrigerator full of milk and other dairy products, and another for fruits and vegetables.

“Pretty self-explanatory. You’ll only have to go back here if one of the servers or my mother asks you for something.”

Nico cocked his head. “Your mother?”

“Yeah… this is my family’s restaurant,” Will gave him a weird look. “You must be the only kid in the entire junior year who doesn’t know that.”

Now it was Nico’s turn to give him a weird look. Do they���

“Are you telling me you didn’t know we go to the same school?” Nico panicked for a second internally, thinking he had offended Will until laughter bubbled out of him.

“Geez, di Angelo. I heard rumors about you being in English IV as a junior, so I never would have assumed you were so dense,” he said between chuckles.

“I- How did you know I’m in English IV?”

Will shrugged. “Remember when everyone found out Drew was in AP bio in freshman year?” (He did not). “That’s not really a good example since people were surprised Drew even had a brain, though she’s actually pretty cool. Anyway, word gets around, y’know?”

Nico nodded despite the fact that he had no idea what they were talking about anymore. He was pretty fixed the dusting of freckles across Will’s nose. Eventually, his eyes wandered back up to Will’s, who was promptly staring at him. Both boys blushed. Will switched his gaze to a box full of syrup bottles.

“We should probably go help out. I’m sure my mom will find her way back here if we don’t go back soon,” Will said, still not looking at Nico. Before Nico could curse silently at himself for making it awkward, he gave the Italian a smile. “C’mon, I’ll go teach you how to set a table.”

(He already taught him that.) (It’s okay, Nico doesn’t mind learning again.)

II.

It was a few weeks after Nico’s first day. When he walked into Naomi’s that Saturday, it had been a clear morning. Almost warm, if mid-fifties was considered warm. Waitresses and customers were smiling and cheery, glad for the nice day in the midst of their December chill.

However, by the time 2:00 rolled around, the weather had changed drastically. The wind had seriously picked up, and the taps of rain were slowly drilling their way through Nico’s brain. Not to mention Octavian was getting on his nerves. He had an urge to lock him in one of the bathrooms.

Will was the only one keeping his sanity at bay. When Nico wasn’t clearing a table or Will wasn’t under too much toast-induced pressure, he usually found himself leaning against the counter. They tried to make up games to entertain each other without receiving a disapproving stare from Naomi. (Nico wasn’t really sure if she was capable of looking mean, but he trusted Will’s word. Mother-son relationships and all that). None of them lasted very long, but they were able to get a laugh out of it most of the time.

It was bizarre, actually, that this is the only time Nico can remember spending with Will. He doesn’t recall having any classes with him in the past (though the past two years were a blur of anxiety and hazy conversations). They never had colliding friend groups. It was sort of amazing how they were still able to meet through doing something Nico never would have considered doing, not to mention the fact it was prompted by an argument with his father.

Nico was putting up chairs while Will turned off the open signs when Naomi walked over to him with a stack of bills in her hand. “Thank you so much for your hard work today,” she said with that same warm smile. “I’m glad you and Will have been getting along.”

Nico nodded, smiling as well. “Thank you,” was all he said as he took the money. He felt bad taking it; he really didn’t need it. It was clear running a restaurant wasn’t easy, not to mention the other employees she had to pay. It was either have to hire and pay all these people or exhaust yourself trying to do it all. Even this minimum wage salary felt like he was taking a lot from her.

On his way out the door, Will stopped him. “Nico, it is 35 degrees and raining. Where is your jacket.”

Oh. He didn’t bring a jacket since the day started out so nicely. His work shirt was already long sleeve, so he didn’t think about it too much. He should be fine walking home. It wasn’t too far anyway. However, when he told him that, Will wasn’t settled.

“Do you have someone who can pick you up? I really don’t like the idea of you going out in the rain like that.” Nico could feel his cheeks heating up. He hoped he could blame it on the cold air that was seeping under the crack of the door. He’s only truly known Will for a few short weeks (though it’s felt like years), his little-but-growing crush on the teen seemed childish and honestly pathetic, at least to him. So he just shook his head at the question, not sure how to respond.

Will mumbled to himself about giving him a ride but still needing to mop the floors. He turned to Nico, caring eyes studying his face before he shrugged off his own jean jacket, then held it out.

Nico took it, staring confused at Will. “I just don’t watch you to catch a cold,” he said, tucking a curl behind his ear. “Can’t have my best employee dying of a disease.”

“I wouldn’t call getting a cold ‘dying of disease,’” Nico said, rolling his eyes before looking down at the jacket in his hands as he tried to ignore the skeletal butterflies in his stomach.  “But… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Will said with a grin.

On the walk home, Nico noticed all the little pins on his jacket. Some of them were references he didn’t understand, and others were just cool designs he’s pretty sure he’s seen at Hot Topic. And ah, there was a piece of ribbon safety pinned next to them all that just so happened to be the bi flag. There's no way that can be an accident. They were being handed out in various flag colors at the activities fair at the beginning of the year for their school’s GSA club. (Nico made Hazel grab him an ace one). And now that he knew Will went to their school...

Good to know.

III.

On the first Saturday of December, Nico walked in late. About a half hour, which usually was early for him if this was some sort of social event. Unfortunately, work was work, and you were expected to show up on time no matter what. Which explained why everyone was lined up behind the counter, watching him as he walked through. (Even though there were only two people there because who in their right mind gets up early on a Saturday?)

It was probably a coincidence. It was where all the stoves were, and all the waitresses spent free time behind there gossiping anyway. It didn’t make it any less intimidating though. One of the waitresses eyed him warily while the other just gave a sympathetic shrug. Maybe they could see the exhaustion in his face. Or maybe they just pitied him. Probably both.

Naomi was giving off the most mixed emotions of them all. She kept her voice level and usually-warm face clear of emotion when she said hello, but her eyes read like she either wanted to lecture him or hug him.

He took his walk of shame all the way to the bussers station. Immediately, Will stepped through the kitchen’s double doors, travel cups of coffee in each hand. He shoved one of them in Nico’s hands, who gratefully took a sip.

“What kind of coffee is this?” he asked, trying to ignore the fact that he just burned his tongue. It was sweeter compared to Nico’s usual black-with-an-unhealthy-amount-of-sugar cup, however, very enjoyable. “And what’s with the glasses?”

“Vanilla cappuccino. Snatched the last cup out from under Octavian’s nose. And shut up,” Will’s face heated up, reaching up to adjust the frames that rested on the bridge of his nose, and Nico cursed internally. They were flatter on the top, though round at the bottom with the glass exposed. They made him look like a Pinterest model. He was beautiful. “I didn’t have time to put in my contacts this morning.”

Nico just snorted, relieved that he refused to step foot out of the house in the case he was forced to wear his own glasses. He had gotten enough taunting from Jason and Leo that they made him look like an anime character; no way he was going to get Will in on that as well.

“I made you coffee even though you’re late. I don’t deserve this bullying,” Will was still muttering to himself. “Why were you late anyway?” he asked Nico.

Nico sighed. “Argument with my dad. He’s worried about my future or something. Says studying liberal arts won’t get me anywhere in life, which is just typical coming from the businessman in his soul.”

“Let me guess: he wants you to go into business and management so you can take over his company one day?”

“How did you guess?”

Will sighed, leaning on the counter. “My mom is the exact same way. She wants me to inherit this restaurant and keep the family line-thing going, but I don’t have the passion she does. Plus William’s doesn't exactly have the same ring to it.”

“Is there something else you want to do?”

Will smiled bashfully at the question, rubbing the back of his neck.“It’s dumb and I probably won’t get to because medical school is, like, hell or something, but I want to be a pediatric doctor. Or maybe a trauma surgeon, I dunno. I think the only reason she’d let me go for it is because I gave a woman here CPR once.”

“Wait, really?” Nico regarded him with wide eyes.

Will looked surprised at Nico’s sudden interest. “I mean, yeah, it was no big deal. She lived,” he said, cheeks flushing.

“No big deal? That’s way cool. Will, you saved someone’s life. And-” Nico continued hesitantly. “I think that sounds awesome. You would make an amazing doctor.”

Will smiled. “Y’think?”

“I know.”

IV.

“You are doing a terrible job.”

“Well, I’m going faster than you are.”

“At least mine are actually dry. Isn’t that the objective here?”

“Well, you're avoiding my question!”

Will rolled his eyes. “Nico, I am not having an argument with you about what the best One Direction song is.” He finished drying the spoon in his hand, placing it in his side of the carrier. It was a slow Saturday, and Naomi had put the two of them in charge of washing and drying silverware. Every time they seemed to be close to finishing, she would throw more into the bucket.

“It’s not an argument. It’s just…. Friendly debate.” Nico shrugged as he picked up another knife.

“Can you please actually dry this one?”

(Will’s side was looking dryer than Nico’s, but what was the point? By the time they finished, all the silverware would basically be dry anyway).

“I will if you answer my question.”

Will huffed. “Fine. But I only know the first three albums.”

“Great. Those are the only good ones anyway. Plus you can tell me your favorite from each.”

Will stared at the ceiling in thought for a second. “God, let me think. Uh, Up All Night was the first album, right.” Nico nodded. “Well, then it’s gotta be One Thing.”

Nico wrinkled his nose. “Too mainstream. Gotta Be You is the way to go.”

“You do realize that is more mainstream that One Thing.”

“Yeah, well, it’s catchier.”

Will just shook his head in defeat. “Well, then you have to at least admit that Kiss You is the best from their second album.”

Again, Nico contraindicated. “Geez, fake fan. I can name at least three others that are better.”

“Oh really? Go ahead.”

Nico decided to ignore the fact that Will’s face was inching closer to his. He away. willed the heat in his cheeks. “Rock Me, Over Again, and Nobody Compares.”

“Those are all incredibly cheesy.” Their noses nearly brushed, and Nico’s mind was going haywire with Will towering over him like this. He really hoped Naomi didn’t have any more silverware for them, because he really wants to kiss Will right now. (Yes, the timing would be horrible. But Nico wasn’t thinking about that right now. Not with Will’s blue eyes glancing from Nico’s lips back up to his eyes like that.)

“And you’re saying Kiss You isn’t?” He could count Will’s freckles from here.

“I’m just saying-”

But Nico didn’t hear the end of that sentence, because his ears picked up an all-too-familiar voice from the dining area. Immediately, whatever mood was between them was forgotten.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Nico mumbled.

“No, I really-”

“Not you!” Nico waved Will off. His hurt expression made Nico’s heart sink, but he really needed to make sure it wasn’t who he thought it was. The Italian raced through the western-style doors. Immediately, he cringed at the sight.

His father, looking like Death himself, chatting lightly with Naomi at the front of the diner. His face was unreadable like usual; when he caught sight of Nico, he merely blinked. No wave, not even a nod. Typical.

By this point, Will had caught up to Nico; the blonde followed his gaze to the front. “Who-?”

“That,” Nico inhaled deeply. “-Is my father.”

Before Will could respond, Nico walked over to him, now seated by himself at a table meant for four right next to the fireplace. Nico winced at how expensive his father looked compared to the diner. It was sorta embarrassing, and Nico was praying neither of the Solace’s would notice.

“Dad,” Nico started, trying to keep his cool. “What are you doing here?”

His father regarded him with a blank stare. “Supporting local business, I believe. I’ve heard the corned beef hash is amazing here.”

(Nico knew for a fact that his father would never order corned beef hash.)

Before he could contradict, he noticed one of the waitresses walked towards them, and quickly headed back to the busser station

***

“Nico, you’re father left the biggest tip I have ever seen a person leave here,” Will announced, following the Italian through the back door. Naomi had asked him to go grab another box of oatmeal, and he gladly agreed before his father could do something embarrassing. Unfortunately for him, it’s inescapable.

Nico felt his face flush as Will continued. “I mean, it was bigger than his actual meal. That’s insane, and, honestly I don’t even know if that’s legal.”

Nico could feel his ears burning. “God, I’m sorry, he’s so embarrassing,” he said more to the box of oatmeal in his hands rather than Will.

“Sorry? I was going to say thank you!” Will stared at him in bewilderment. “No offense to my mom, obviously, but I don’t even think the food is that good. Like, there are better places-”

“Lets just not talk about it, okay?” Nico cut him off.

Will looked confused. “Uh, okay…. But I do have one other thing to say.”

Nico braced for impact. “What?”

“Now I see where all the ‘edginess’ came from,” Will teased, failing to hide the shit-eating grin that crossed his face.

“Oh, shut up!”

V. 

Nico was taking a much-needed, well-deserved, nice, long lunch break.

Will, however, was not.

Didn’t stop him.

The two sat at the counter. Once again it was a slow Saturday; only a few people sat scattered around the vicinity. After four long, agonizing hours, Nico decided to just suck it up and eat lunch already. (Even if it meant waiting ANOTHER three hours to go home. God, this shift was so long.)

Will, who had long since abandoned prepping coffee filters, rambled aimlessly next to him. Nico had stopped listening to him a while ago. Instead, he counted the freckles on Will’s face. Every time he lost count, he started over.

He felt weird, how much he wanted to be with Will. Like, they were coworkers. But they also saw each other at school. And they were friends? It was all too confusing.

He imagined kissing Will would be like eating a spoonful of sugar. Not saying he tasted like one (he probably did, honestly) but more in a metaphorical way. Amazing in the moment, but consequential later.

Part of him knew Will probably wanted to kiss him too. The way they talked to each other now, it was like they weren’t just coworkers, weren’t just schoolmates, weren’t just friends. And even though they barely knew each other, it felt like Will has been in his life forever, Hell, he wanted Will to be in his life forever, relationship or not.

Maybe that’s what he was afraid of. Losing Will.

“Y’know, have you ever thought about wearing something other than black jeans?” Will asked him, interrupting his thoughts.

Nico swallowed the fry he had been chewing.“What?”

“Like, I know you have the whole all-black ‘I’m emo’ thing going on, but have you ever considered, I dunno, blue jeans? Or khakis?”

Nico snorted. “Aren’t you supposed to be clearing tables.”

Will shrugged; he stole Nico’s Coke and took a sip. The smile he gave Nico melted his heart

***

“I heard somewhere that you aren't supposed to wear black with blue denim.”

Nico’s face flushed. ��Shut up, Solace.”

“I mean it! Apparently, it makes you look like a bruise or something,” Will shrugged innocently from where he was filling his water cup.

Nico shoved the extra straws into the back pocket of his jeans. Blue jeans. “Don’t act like this wasn’t your doing,” he glared at Will.

Before he would turn away, he felt something slide out from his behind. When he turned around, Will had stolen one of the straws, which he had already plunged into his drink.

Nico could feel his entire face heat up. “You just killed a turtle,” he informed him, failing to let his voice stay level.

Will just shot him a wink; a light blush was already spilling across his freckled cheeks as he took a sip.

This boy was going to be the death of him.

+I

“This is exactly why I don’t tell people it’s my birthday.” Nico was going to kill Jason for telling Will.

“Technically it’s not your birthday yet. Now just take the gift.”

Will’s arm was still extended, holding out a tiny blue box. It was clearly already used for something, but Will just scribbled out whatever logo was there before and replaced it with “To: Nico” with a Sharpie-smiley face.

Nico huffed, snatching the box. He really did hate when people got him gifts. It was just more unnecessary money spent on him.

Underneath the lid was a simple pin; one of the ones that had noticed was on Will’s jean jacket when he had leant it to him. It was a simple skull surrounded by flowers.

“It was one of my favorites,” Will admitted. “But I think it’s more your style than it is mine.” Before Nico could thank him, he continued. “That actually wasn’t the gift I wanted to get you, though,” he said, immediately flushing.

Before Nico could speak, could move, could react in any way, Will was kissing him. It took him a minute to realize that Will had pulled him in by his shirt and was kissing him.

After that, he melted into it. His hands went up to Will’s hair, tangling his fingers deep into the blonde curls like he’s wanted to do for months. Will’s arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them.

Unfortunately, it ended as soon as it started. The door to the back room where they currently were residing was pulled open, and the two boys jumped apart as Naomi stepped in.

“Oh,” she said, glancing at both of their flushed faces. “I just came to get some milk, but I guess you two can bring it back for me.” Before she could close the door, she turned back around to face Nico. “Oh, and happy birthday Nico. I hope my son is treating you well.” She winked at him, and then she was gone.

Will, who had already made his way back over to Nico, started to giggle. “I’m gonna admit, I totally forgot we were at work.”

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[armsdealing]

MYTHS FROM THE OTHERWORLD: THE WEREPUMA, a comprenhensive text.

I. the how.

magic came from the soil. it came from the earth. it came from the trees and the rivers and the sunlight, and we came from the magic. these words, and variants of it, were the words hernando sain reyes would give his children when questions about their origins bubbled up in their young minds. with those words, he would hint to his parents’ beliefs, and their parents’ beliefs regarding the first appearance of the people with gifted-blood -- los hombres con sangre dotada, they’d say to him, when not using the local phrase: pquyquy chie, bright hearts.

the details would be muddled up with time, not only in hernando reyes’ mind but in the minds of his progenitors and their peers. there’s no certain recorded origin for the werepumas and there probably never was, since pumas are ubiquitous to the americas and there’s no shortage of myths surrounding them. this is best exemplified with the name -- it might be one of the felines, of not one of the animals, with most number of names, puma being a quechua word integrated into the spanish language, and cougar being a word bastardized into the english language, through the french language, from the portuguese, who call pumas suçuarana, a borrowed word from the tupi people. other words include: miztli (náhuatl); koj (mayan); chihisaba (muisca), pangi/trapial (mapudungun); Jagua pytã (guaraní) and onça-parda or leão-da-montanha in portuguese. in english, they’re called panthers and/or mountain lions. naturally, the diversity in names hints at the diversity in the origin stories, 

the most popular theories tend to revolve around the chichí plant, a plant just as ubiquitous as the felines themselves, and how only a few chosen individuals would be able to handle it properly. those able to do it, became the werepumas. some groups went as far as to say it was direct consumption of the flowers what gave these people their gift, when the flower’s toxins didn’t cause them to die (as it normally would on a regular person). the flower did not discriminate on who it deemed “worthy” enough to receive its gift, though it would eventually prevail the theory that it favored “people of pure character”. hence, the muisca would refer to their chosen few as bright hearts. many of them would go on to become warriors and protectors. the incas, who consider the puma a sacred animal valued for its might and strength (as well as the symbol of life on earth, kay pacha), held the werepumas of their communities in high regard.

just like it’s hard to peg down a how, it’s hard to peg down a when. it’s believed that werepumas have been around for at least a thousand years, or for however long pumas have existed (which would put them at 8000 BC, minimum). it’s generally agreed, however, that as far as supernaturals go, they’re a pretty young species.

ii. numbers.

historically, in south america, werepumas were killed routinely by monteros, the colonial equivalent of today’s hunters (up north they were hunted down by the same people that went after witches). even previous to the spaniards’ invasion it was known that pumas could hold very erratic temperaments that would make them conflict with other authorities in their communities, and it could actually result in exiles or executions. despite their high status, they often eventually would fight amongst themselves for territorial reasons and wind up isolating themselves from their human peers and leaving for nature. this amped up the myth and mystery surrounding them, and started some strings of lore that actually referred to their qualities as the curse of solitude. pumas are not a pack-minded species, and their growth for much of their history was through consumption of the plant (which would turn only one of the two hundred men it was fed to and kill the remaining one hundred and ninety-nine) and slow paced reproduction. the last one turned out more successful since they could reliably reproduce with humans. still, it should be noted that for the billion humans living in the americas there’s only around 4 million werepumas peppered throughout the continent, and that’s for several reasons: 

they are exclusively a species found in the americas. nowadays, of course it would be easier to find werepumas in other parts of the world, but it would not be common at all (local magic feeds best on local soil, after all). other supernaturals would find them to be an oddity (just like werecats are in general).

pumas are practically unable to change human beings by bite. the same can be said about any other werefeline. such events are few and extremely far between, since a werepuma biting someone with the intention of turning them usually leads to the person’s death. even then, if it does get accomplished, bitten pumas present no advantage over blood ones, and can even present themselves as a little less powerful compared to them. unlike werewolves, they can only grow through reproduction. as it’s been explained, this greatly diminishes their spread.

werepumas do not naturally form “prides” or colonies. once a were has grown the appropiate amount, they will usually try to become independent and establish their own territory. this is, of course, affected by human bonds and culture (which is a key defining factor), so they may stay close to their parents and siblings and instead expand the territory – turning into a small community.

werepumas are instinctively aggressive to each other, a mirror to the animal’s intraespecific competition. pumas are not social creatures. when a puma enters another’s territory, if they are not blood related (or even if they are, and aren’t familiar with each other) the most likely reaction will be an attack, and promptly an altercation that can turn deadly. in order to avoid this, the intruder would have to yield and show deference. alternatively (but more rarely, as they tend to feel slighted), the invaded party would have to stop aggression. this is not an easy task at all (even for very friendly pumas, like marcelo), and in special cases (like when the invaded puma has children), it is close to impossible.

pumas unrelated to one another that meet in territory not firmly established by either as theirs still can very easily get into altercations, but it is also easier to snap out of them – as long as both are willing to drop it. it helps that, in any case, pumas tend to avoid each other before it can get vicious.

although pumas can live up to hundreds (maybe even thousands) of years, they have a pretty human average lifespan, overall. pumas most commonly mate with humans, less so with other pumas, and they will normally mate for life. the toll of losing their mate will affect pumas, sometimes so intensely that they will become unhinged. in cases were this doesn’t happen (or the puma just doesn’t mate), then the older the puma becomes, the more reclusive and aggressive they might grow to be. because of this, the primary reasons for older pumas dying stems from violence and recklessness – either through contact with other pumas, or other creatures, like werewolves and vampires. the more social weres can avoid this, but they are a rarity.

because of the hundreds of years of persecution, pumas are incredibly secretive, having even built-in magic that protects them from the human eye. even if you’ve met one, they might not disclose their status to you. exceptions being if you too are a supernatural being.

iii. behaviorisms

the werepuma's habits greatly resemble those of the fully animal counterpart. it’s a solitary creature that will usually only form a unit with their mate and young, until they too are old enough to become independent. there have been instances of “puma prides”, but even then they are small, and usually bound together by consanguinity. the same can be said about other werefelines, with the exception of lions and domestic cats, who naturally form prides or colonies respectively. 

as far as temperament goes, the werepuma is guarded, which can be misinterpreted as shy. they’ll conceal their status as much as possible, but they will retaliate viciously when threatened. as mentioned, they staunchly defend their territory from outsiders, and they have been known to kill without hesitation when their young are seemingly threatened. outside of perceived threats to their lives or authority, the puma tends to be agreeable and even affable as long as you’ve made it clear you mean no harm. in which case, they are not big on starting disputes and are, in fact, quite clever when it comes to avoiding direct conflict with humans or other species. 

on the other hand, fights between pumas are a little more common because of their possessive natures. in fact, they often instinctually dislike one another, and the fight instinct will usually override them if one doesn’t back down first.

common puma body language involves eye contact. dominance challenges usually can take the form of staring contests before they devolve into blows. they can purr when content, and growl in warning. grooming and playing, as well as soft nips are known bonding/affectionate activities. 

as nocturnal creatures, they’re made more powerful by the night time, though they are not moon called. full moons enhance their abilities, but they are not forced to change. only stress or the influence of a blood bind can forcefully induce the change.

iv. anatomy and appearance

werepumas count with three forms: the human form, the animal form, and the bipedal or humanoid form, which is a mixed state of the former two, or a half-beast shape product of morphing halfway through. 

in the animal form, they are bigger than normal pumas, but the sizes overall can vary from just mildly bigger than the real animal to being slightly bigger than a horse, and their weights can vary from 900 lbs to 2000 lbs. they’re quite muscular, though less study than jaguars since they are built for dexterity, with powerful forequarters, necks, and jaws as well as four retractable claws on their fore paws, and also their hind paws. their hind legs are slightly longer and stronger than the front legs to enable for great leaps. 

werepumas can be in a variety of climates, and in cases of living in mountainous regions they count with thick fur coats. the coat color can change depending on their environment as well, tending to be lighter in cold climates and redder in warmer temperatures. eye color similarly can range from light gray to amber, or a grayish green.

in their humanoid form, they also turn bigger and heavier, easily going over seven foot in most cases. their teeth and shape, which can be selectively grown from the human shape, are much less elegant looking than vampires’, and not designed to delicately pierce through flesh, but to cut through meat and tendons. the top and bottom canines are quite long and impossible to hide, since they will force the jaw to stay loose in a snarl. size wise, they’re bulky and covered completely in fur. their eyes will usually glow in an amber hue. 

v. physiology

werepumas are born blind, and usually gain sight gradually between the first 12 and 24 four months of living. they’re expected to grow a little before shifting into their puma shapes (they need to do so consciously), but they don’t have to wait until puberty. they start changing at will at around 4 years old. at these ages they can’t fully control themselves and their strength, so they may be especially impulsive and feisty. it’s important to work patiently on their self-control.

they will age up normally until they reach their mid to late thirties, in which they get stuck physically for most of their life cycles, progressing very slowly from them on. there’s been records of pumas living hundreds of years, but the average puma usually has a very “human” lifespan of 70-140 years, usually dying in altercations. this being because the older a puma gets, the more primal they tend to become, usually wearing off their more human instincts as they turn more reclusive and reach a hundred years in age. a puma who constantly socializes could avoid this.

other qualities involve: 

enhanced strength. werepumas count with enhanced physiology in all aspects. they’re stronger than humanly possible, capable of deadlifting 4000 lbs minimum, enough for a sizable SUV. it’s important to note that the strength does not equal to higher density/weight, unless he’s in his humanoid or animal shape, so there’s some feats they could not reasonably do as humans even if they’re quite strong. 

particularly strong pumas have been able to fight up to three werewolves simultaneously and win, though they usually lose to more numerous groups. on the other hand, it’s widely believed that a “pack” of five well-trained, well-socialized pumas could take down a wolf pack three times its size.

enhanced condition: reflexes, speed, dexterity, balance, stamina. werepumas inherently counts with all the feline physically aptitudes that characterize their animal form: sharp reflexes, unmatched balance, and peak dexterity. they can run much faster than the average human and maintain that speed for far longer, and it takes a lot of effort for him to tire. he can jump incredibly tall heights, as well, close wide distances with a single leap or sprint.

enhanced senses: hearing, sight, smell. things that most wouldn’t be able to see, hear, or smell, werepumas can. Perhaps a little less so than the wolf counterparts, but still strongly enough for him to easily tell when a foreign party has stumbled nearby, even if said foreign party has tried to be quiet. you can’t whisper in someone’s ear around them and trust that they won’t hear it, either. can’t carry a concealed gun and expect that he won’t smell the powder. just a little fine tuning and focus is all it takes for them to detect what is usually undetectable.

enhanced healing and durability. though not anywhere close to a vampire’s, werepumas’ regenerative ability is right on part with the werewolves’, if not in speed, then in reach and intensity. they can walk off lethal injuries just fine and even overcome dismemberment (so long as the lost limb is retrieved), and they won’t bleed out no matter how much blood they lose. since they’re durable, it’s also pretty difficult for something to truly hurt them in first place. his healing speed is directly proportional to the size and level of injury sustained — in other words, the bigger and more gruesome the wounds, the longer they take to heal. third degree burns take hours, days if they occupy over 50% of his body, stab wounds take everything from 5 minutes to an hour depending on placement and depth (and quantity), bullet wounds on the body take about the same, bullets fired at the head are trickier, but they can survive them.

it’s a lot faster to heal in the feline form, and what takes days can take hours in it, what takes hours minutes; the change is often forced onto them in cases of great injuries in order to allow their bodies to recover, even though the change in itself, while the body is in tough conditions, can be insanely painful. however, not only do they heal faster, it’s even tougher to hurt them in in the first place, rendering conventional weapons (like guns) useless to combat them in this form. as it stands, the only ways to kill a werepuma are decapitation or sustained fire. they are also vulnerable to high level magic. 

tldr; he’s sturdier than werewolves, in any given shape, period. it takes a lot more to injure them, and similarly, it takes a little more time to heal when they’re actually hurt.

night vision. in dim lightning, they have no problem making out outlines, colors, movement, and their vision in pitch blackness, the one that involves his puma eyes, is not unlike those of specialized cameras — without the presence of any light whatsoever, he sees the world in a washed out monochrome, a misty light grayish blue.

efficient thermoregulation. werepumas are comfortable in both warmer and cooler temperatures with perfect ease. while humans have a narrow window wherein they control their body temperature, the pumas’ window is a lot wider and a lot more effective. they’re not hotter or colder than normal, either -- as a rule, they’re pretty warm, but in hotter temperatures they may be fresh to the touch (they never quite reach ‘cool’ though). 

vi. magic

werebeasts are magical creatures, with their magic usually limiting to themselves (like the change) and members of their same species (the ones that affect a pack’s dynamic, for example). in the puma’s case, magic takes the shape of:

charm: pumas have a natural charisma that draws people to them, or makes them more responsive to their words. it’s nowhere near as strong as a compulsion or mind control, and they can’t bend people’s will, but they are inherently more skillful at persuasion, people inherently want to listen to them. the charm can take the form of friendliness or assertiveness/dominance. it can lure people or it can drive them away.

blood binding: pumas don’t form group units, but they can still establish strong social bonds. in the case that they do, they will enact a blood bind with the object of their care. it entails drinking their blood and them drinking the puma’s. thereon, a special connection will exist between them not unlike the one naturally found in packs — the puma will be able to sense when the other person is in danger and vaguely where they might be, and they will be able to elicit responses in each other. the other person will be able, for example, of snapping the puma out of a primal state, and in select cases (where the bond is strong), push or force changes. 

glamour: not exactly a glamour, but a magic that helps pumas be more easily overlooked in urban settings. when the ordinary person sees a werepuma, they will usually not believe what they see, and their brain will happily rationalize the sight, usually into a very large dog or trick of light. of course, this works mostly with glimpses or brief sightings, and continuous interaction will break the spell.

psychic immunity. it doesn’t work with all psychic attacks, but werepumas’ minds can’t be persuaded or altered in any form (it’s suspected that since they’re immune to chichí, a powerful hallucinogen that can be used as a tool for mind control, they’re also immune to mind control attempts from other magical creatures). it’s important to note that they can be persuaded through chemicals, particuarly phermones, to feel certain things, but they can’t be made to think certain things.

vii. interactions with other magical creatures

as a rule, pumas don’t get along well with other werebeasts without some effort. it’s easier with other werefelines, specially the similarly-made werejaguars, but it can’t be immediately guaranteed. for the longest time they also represented many human communities’ first line of defense from everything they considered dangerous, including other, more malignant creatures. in other cultures, they were considered harbingers of death because of the ease with which they killed. 

they can get along well with witches and fae, to an extent and as long as they’re somewhat benevolent. nature spirits, mermaids, and sirens, may have positive relationships with pumas either because of their high sensitivity to pheromones or because of shared respect towards their environments. 

they don’t usually get along well with vampires and werewolves, and they hold a natural rivalry with werewolves not unlike their animal counterparts. werepumas dislike werewolves and will frequently clash with them for territorial reasons and an inherent distaste for each other. there’s stories upon stories of werepumas killing werewolves, and werewolf packs killing werepumas, especially when european werewolves became more common (considerably so, in north america). 

[acidwaste]

hey so it seems i’ve forgot to do a l o t of tag memes, and i’m lucky i drafted a big bunch of them! lots of questions overlapped so i did my best to answer in different ways, sorry for the lateness! also @ the people that tagged me here, i wouldn't hesitate to kill for you

@natcaptor / @gayspaced

name: leon or lionel!

nicknames: literally the only nickname I’ve been referred to is “big gay” and like. word!

gender: im pretty sure im a guy, i have been kinda 🤔🤔🤔 abt my gender identity since around november-ish though

star sign: sagittarius!

height: 6’1! i’m told that I’m tall but my uncle is 6’7 so...

time: 3:36pm rn! ive been watching video essays and binging music all afternoon

birthday: december 9th!

favourite bands: animal collective, beach house, camp cope, car seat headrest, death grips, fleet foxes, florence + the machine, gang of youths, glass animals, gorillaz, hop along, iceage, idles, kero kero bonito, mgmt, miike snow, modest mouse, run the jewels, superorganism, the avalanches, the cat empire, the go! team, the mountain goats, the wombats, xiu xiu

favourite solo artists: alex lahey, anderson .paak, ariana grande, billie eilish, bjork, cashmere cat, charli xcx, courtney barnett, cupcakke, d.r.a.m, eric taxxon, frank ocean, gfoty, hatchie, janelle monae, jeff rosenstock, joanna newsom, jorja smith, jpegmafia, kacey musgraves, kali uchis, kendrick lamar, khalid, kimbra, lorde, mac demarco, madeon, mick jenkins, mitski, oneohtrix point never, perfume genius, ravyn lenae, rina sawayama, serpentwithfeet, sophie, st. vincent, sza, vince staples

song stuck in my head: caramelo duro | miguel // kali uchis! its a bop, miguel is one of the few singers that can convincingly make sex jams

last movie i watched: deadpool 2! it was even better than the first, which is a feat in itself ngl

when did i create my blog: december 2016??? i only started using it properly in february last year tho

last thing i googled: “im in my mums car broom broom.” dont @ me

do i have any other blogs: yeah, plenty actually!! i have blogs for aesthetic (@moltenstar), general inspo (@wverns), flight rising (@szarising, kinda inactive?), and overwatch (@blackhardts) tbh the vast majority of my ‘sideblogs’ are just saved urls H

do i get asks: when i say stupid shit like “rung has the ass of a dilf but the dick of a cockroach”

why i chose my url: that one panel where kobd have a vacation at the acid wastes because fuck its finally canon babey!

following: 1,767, which is kinda horrifying!!

followers: 890?? somehow??? thats almost One Whole Thousand and i don't even make content

average hours of sleep: around 6 or 7!! n e v e r more though

lucky number: 43 and 64!!

instruments: i'm too poor to afford music lessons or instruments jsbddsjknfs

what am i wearing: a grey shirt and nothing on my bottom half so my [redacted] is hanging tf out, i should put on some damn clothes

dream job:  oooo uhhh, i’m studying to get an education degree rn because i’d love to teach children (around grade 3-4s preferably because i'm too jittery to handle anyone younger and older kids probs won't listen to me as much as i lack plenty of assertiveness), but!! i’d honestly love to be a musician, one of those underground ones that get lots of critical acclaim

dream trip: one day i wanna gather up some friends and just go on a road trip! idm where we go to, as long as we just have fun and just! adventure!

favourite foods: rare steak, mashed potatoes, eggs, and energy shakes made with like. fruit / cheese / yoghurt / oats / chia seeds ! protein is a large part of my diet

nationality: new zealand, but living in australia

favourite song right now: best part | daniel caesar // h.e.r - gosh i need to re-listen to daniel’s album again, i don’t remember this beautiful song being there and that’s a crime

@damndesi / @novarebel / @luciform-philogynist

APPEARANCE - I am 5'7 or taller - I wear glasses - I have at least one tattoo (but I am getting a tā moko in December, I believe) - I have at least one piercing (planning to get a nose ring, like a bull!) - I have blonde hair - I have brown eyes - I have short hair - My abs are at least somewhat defined (b a r e l y) - I have or had braces

PERSONALITY - I love meeting new people - People tell me I am funny - Helping others with their problems is a big priority of mine - I enjoy physical challenges - I enjoy mental challenges - I am playfully rude to people I know - I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it - There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY - I can sing well - I can play an instrument - I can do over 30 pushups without stopping (barely) - I am a fast runner - I can draw well - I have a good memory - I am good at doing math in my head - I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute - I have beaten at least 2 people arm wrestling - I can make at least 3 recipes from scratch - I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES - I enjoy sports - I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else - I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else - I have learned a new song in the past week - I exercise at least once a week - I have gone for runs at least once a week in warmer months - I have drawn something in the past month - I enjoy writing - Fandoms are my #1 priority - I do some form of Martial arts

EXPERIENCES - I have had my first kiss - I have had alcohol (tastes like shit) - I have scored a winning point in a sport - I have watched an entire TV series in one sitting - I have been at an overnight event - I have been in a taxi - I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year - I have beaten a video game in one day - I have visited another country - I have been to one of my favorite bands concerts

MY LIFE - I have one person that I consider to be my Best Friend - I live relatively close to my school/work - My parents are still together - I have at least one sibling - I live in the United States - There is snow where I live right now - I have hung out with a friend in the past month - I have a smart phone - I own at least 15 CDs - I share my room with someone

RELATIONSHIPS - I am in a Relationship - I have a crush on a celebrity - I have a crush on someone I know - I’ve been in at least 3 relationships - I have never been in a Relationship - I have admitted my feelings to a crush - I get crushes easily - I have had a crush for over a year - I have been in a relationship for over a year - I have had feelings for a friend

RANDOM - I have break-danced - I know a person named Jamie - I have had a teacher that has a name that is hard to pronounce - I have dyed my hair - I’m listening to a song on repeat right now - I have punched someone in the past week - I know someone who has gone to jail - I have broken a bone (do fractures count?) - I have eaten a waffle today - I know what I want to do in life - I speak at least two languages (not fluently) - I have made a new friend in the past year

@smstransformers

age: 16

birthplace: auckland, nz

current time: 4:19 pm rn!!!

drink you last had: i just skulled half a liter of water whoops

favourite song: jesus etc. | wilco if we're talking abt an all-time favourite

grossest memory: accidentally swallowing a bee when i was seven years old (somehow nothing bad happened?)

horror, yes or no: not unless it’s an incredibly tame horror t b h, my threshold for scariness is very low

in love: i believe so!

jealous of people: lots of times, over really dumb things

love by first sight or should I walk by again: i believe that infatuation can exist at first sight but true love not so much. wish that could happen tho :C

middle name: shane!

siblings: my sister is eight years old, and my brother is seven!

one wish: EZ, make my anxiety disappear, i’d have a much more productive life

song i last sang: jupiter | haiku hands

time i woke up: 7:13, woke up immediately because i usually like to wake at 6:30

underwear colour: blue + purble

vacation destination: auckland / kingston / sydney!

worst habit: not remembering to make my goddamn bed, it looks like garbage

favourite food: mashed potatoes….

zodiac sign: sagittarius !!!

@alyonian

relationship status:

at the moment i’m single! and while being in a relationship sounds brilliant, the last two relationships i was involved in? didn’t work out to say the least, lucky i’m still young

favourite colour:

it’s been emerald green for the longest time but orange seems to be dethroning it at a steady pace

lipstick or chapstick:

i haven’t used chapstick since i was six but i probably should use it again, water is my substitute rn fdghdgh - and i haven’t ever used lipstick in any capacity? so i’d have to go with the former

last song i listened to:

the space traveller’s lullaby | kamasi washington - i’m trying to get through his second album rn (i left off on the second disk yesterday) and while everything he makes is undeniably amazing, it’s? a three hour album? i don’t have the attention span for his spiritual jazz, as great as it is

last movie:

monsters inc is playing on the television right now, i’ll go with that! the animation aged kinda badly but it’s still such a fun movie! sidenote: james p. sullivan? a childhood crush, so this gives me memories

top 3 tv shows/podcasts/comics:

i rarely, if ever, venture into these forms of media but! if i had to answer, i’d say;

unbreakable kimmy schmidt / parks & recreation / luke cage

taz / mbmbam (i havent like. watched a full episode of either but they seem cool,)

tf idw / …………. yeah that’s it, i’ve never read anything else. probably should!

additional favs:

my friends, writing (in theory), listening to video essays, learning music theory + instruments and understanding audio production software

top 3 bands / artists:

HHH okay if i had to limit my choices to just three artists, uh. lorde, the mountain goats, and sophie. i couldnt even fit janelle in i hate th is

----------------------------------

@alyonian

color(s): light colors are always nice and pleasant, though anything peachy and sandy are the best! orange (specially pastel orange) is like. the best thing

last band t-shirt i bought: usually merchandising is very expensive and i dont have the money to accommodate that, but like. i do recall having a wiggles shirt when i was five. i wore it all the time, shjdjgsksd im sure that counts

last band i saw live: i almost went to splendor in the grass last year with family, which wasn't only cool since i’ve never been out of the state since i immigrated - the festival was in queensland, which is around a two hour flight from victoria - but the lineup was pretty fuckin lit too! the xx, haim, peking duk, tash sultana, future islands, vallis alps, a.b original,, i was p excited! unfortunately my uncle fell ill and so they had to give the tickets to extended family :( otherwise, i haven't been to a single concert in my life

last song i listened to: street fighter mas | kamasi washington - up to this song on the album and i really fuckin dig this! also the video is hypnotizing

last movie i watched: monsters inc is about to finish and up next is monsters university! which like…. honestly, this is an extremely unpopular opinion but, i like it just as much as the original? my opinion might be skewed because i’m a monster [hugger], but i like everything abt the movie! except for the finale of the scare games and the last five minutes of the movie, both were just. dreadful.

last three tv shows i watched: if aggretsuko counts that’s the last series i watched of my own volition, which is a miracle in itself considering that’s legit only the second anime i’ve watched to completion (the first being shirokuma cafe, which i probably need to re-watch). otherwise, the last two shows i had beared witness to were thirteen reasons why and queer eye bc my cousin put them on! that first show i could completely do without but queer eye is iconique

last 3 characters i identified with: grimlock (legit. all of them), urdnot grunt (mass effect) and vector the crocodile (sth), i’m not sure what this says about me other than Big

book(s) i’m currently reading: i’m reading ‘maus’ by art spiegelman at the moment, for the third time i believe? i believe my classmates are supposed to be writing an essay on this next term and shit, this novel is heartbreaking, i haven't been this emotional when reading a book than… ever, really. it’s a recommendation of the highest caliber

@victorion

name: leon / lionel, i picked up the second name because i was in a server with an admin that was also a Leon™

nickname: besides ‘Big Gay’ i also have the nickname ‘lemon lion’ which is! nice!!

zodiac sign: archer man

height: Tall™

language(s) spoken: english / some maori + italian

fav fruit: watermelons (only when in season)

fav scent: the smell of a freezer tbh? it just smells Nice i don’t know how to properly explain it

fav season: spring! the breezes are welcoming without being overbearingly freezing

fav color: ornge,,,,

fav animal: SHARKS + CROCS + FERRETS

coffee, tea or hot chocolate: tea! with some milk tho

average hrs of sleep: too little

fav fictional character: One character?????? uhhhhhhh……. like. biggest cc right now is either idw skids or oz from monster prom

no. of blankets you sleep with: depending on my mood but i’d say the average is like, 3??

fav songs: i quickly whipped up some songs i listen to

fav artists: i came to the realization that i like acts that are considered ‘bad’ like maroon 5/drake/lil yachty etc in specific doses… i wouldn't call them good yet, but! i have no beef and thats good

fav books: remember ‘where the wild things are’??? that shit was like. literal childhood, man.. :happytears: i really need to look for a copy again

@thonany-klieme

name: leon / lionel, interchangeable really

gender: male, im probs an nb guy

star sign: sagittarius!

height: 6’1

sexuality: gay??? im not sure, im mostly attracted to other guys but i have had very brief crushes on girls + nb people? sexuality’s confusing so im gonna just latch to the gaybel (gay label) for now

lock screen image: its the album cover of 1992 deluxe by princess nokia, tho it was “T Hanos” a few days ago since i change it often - my home screen is venom but his torso says ‘fuck machine’

ever had a crush on a teacher: no??

where do you see yourself in ten years: ideally i’m teaching kids math n english, realistically i’m probably going down with the political climate

if you could go anywhere, where would you go: new zealand!! or the netherlands

what was your favorite halloween costume: halloween is not big at all where i live, the only time i tried trick or treating was when i was like 7?? i threw a bedsheet on myself and pretended to be a ghost, though since there were no eyeholes + the sheet was blue, it looked more like i was just a moving lump

last kiss: never had one

have you ever been to las vegas: nah and i dont plan to?? how do you handle regular days of 40C wtf

favorite pair of shoes: i have this pair of jandals that ive worn for a fair bit longer than my other pair of shoes, tho i only wear them in summer + very warm nights

favorite book: ngl its. ��the very hungry caterpillar’ by eric carle. i just, love it alot and i cant explain w h y

[thejaguarwrites]

daisy x dean - betrayal

CW: death mention, hospitals, slut shaming kind of

they were really over.

daisy had, in theory, known that there was very little chance she could salvage her marriage. she can’t recall the exact moment, couldn’t even begin to tell you when she herself had noticed it, but dean had fallen out of love with her years ago. and she’d be a liar if she implied that she hadn’t followed suit, sneering at the sheer thought of her husband these days. their relationship careened off track early on, the pair hating each other vehemently and for far longer than they’d been in love. she imagines that’s what they deserved for rushing into things like a couple of lovestruck fools, for thinking a handful of months together could build a solid enough foundation for two strangers so inherently different from each other. but, surprisingly, it’s not their differences that tore them apart. it’s the things they found common ground on that really did them in; their shared greed and arrogance, a frightening tunnel vision that made them act only within their own self interest. that’s truly what killed them, she knows. well disguised selfishness. but no matter how selfish she knew she could be, she’d never gone as low as him. well not until today that is.

walking through the halls of the hospital, daisy makes sure to keep her eyes trained ahead of her, careful not to make eye contact with any of the people watching her. she supposed it’s fair they gawk and whisper as she passes, not every day a supernova struts into a small town hospital. not every day they see a fury unleashed before their eyes. not every day many of them could admit they were acutely aware of why she was so upset in the first place.

dean’s affair was a pretty poorly kept secret — daisy had known for months, and the bulk of the cast and crew seemed to at least be vaguely aware that there was a weird energy between dean and selena. people had whispered about it for months as filming for this stupid fucking movie went on, the air of tension between the two so thick you could cut it with a knife. production assistants whispered that they’ve seen the pair sneaking around on set, cameramen claiming they’ve seen dean sneak out of selena’s trailer a few times before. but, nothing confirmed everyone’s suspicions quite like the unfortunate series of events that took place after the slaughter beach curse tried to claim another victim.

dean was a fucking wreck when they tried to pry selena’s slowly dying body out of his hands, protectively insisting he ride with her to the ER. that was four days ago, and dean had only left her side twice. it was almost pathetic really, the way he was so publicly on the verge of breaking. like any one thing could push him towards collapse. and who was daisy if not that final gentle push?

she knows this is particularly cruel, confronting him as he mourns his nearly dead girlfriend and all the ways he failed to help her. but cruelty was what she specialized in. “i come baring gifts,” daisy comes into selena’s hospital room, offering the nurses in the room small sad smiles as they leave. she leaves the door open though, knowing full and well she wants everyone in the hallway to hear. seeing her laying there, attached to heart monitors and multiple IVs hooked up to her, it only furthered daisy’s annoyance. the stupid slut couldn’t even die properly. “everyone pitched in and got teddy bears and stuff. we all even signed this get well soon card.” daisy sets the other gifts down, reaching into her purse to retrieve the card in question. “all that’s missing is you dean. why don’t you sign your girlfriend’s card?” she tosses it at him, polite smile falling as her words grow loud (loud enough for the women congregating outside to hear, she makes sure of it.) and her voice fills with venom. @brookepenelopedavis

[bestylist]

It's Not A Resting Witch Face It's Just A Witch That Needs Rest Halloween T-Shirt

Face narsskin luminous a It's Not A Resting Witch Face It's Just A Witch That Needs Rest Halloween T-Shirt isture cream eyes dark angel velvet shadow stick for darker skin tones use flibuste velvet shadow stick solomon islands eye paint outremer single eyeshadow audacious mascara lips mambo eyeliner pencil damned velvet matte lip pencil 413 blkr lipstick. So this is going to be a bit long but bear with me I had what I believe to be a pointless and incredibly frustrating experience with the assistant manager jamie at your auburn hills great lakes crossing location today I have been coming here for three years I frequent your orlando san marcos and new jersey locations as well at least once a year when we stop we usually spend 5 to 10 thousand dollars on your products the system is simple I go in park in a corner and bring bins to my corner sort them bag them move them to the front register and repeat today I brought a personal duffel bag as it holds about 8 to 12 of your bags worth of stuff I get told that i’m not allowed to use it because it’s policy not a big deal at all I say okay i’ll do that for the rest rather than rebag all of this i’ll just go up in line and pay for it and it can sit behind the counter seems pretty reasonable to me nope I got obstructed suggested that I might be stealing something and not allowed to pass stating if I don’t want to follow the system I can leave he then takes my entire duffel dumps it onto the floor and then rebags it into victoria secret bags then moves it to the front counter so it can be rang in I thought this was a little odd but hey he was doing all the work rebagging it so whatever i’m like dude i’m going to be spending about 8k today all I want to do is come in spend some money get out without any drama what’s the problem whoevers in charge should be thrilled with a sale like this we’re spending 8k keep in mind that I told him that I would do what he wanted and it wasnt’ a big deal and the response was to the effect of stop being lippy and just listen I told him what do you want from me I just agreed with you and said I would use your bags i’m not being lippy at all I know this because I said okay dude not a problem i’ll use your bags his response was maybe if you get to buy it i’m like what are you suggesting that an 8 000 order is something you guys don’t want he’s like yeah if you buy it i’m like dude we are spending 8k today why would I bag up a bunch of stuff and spend 2 3 hours picking our your fabulous product to not buy it anyway so I had 4 credit cards one card had 2 000 one had 3500 one had 2000 and one had 1000 because I am buying for multiple people I had 4 different cards all in my name I wanted one receipt for each card not a big deal to me right wrong again he cited some policy and said if the order is more than 750 items that they aren’t allowed to ring in under 750 items on any one receipt id like to point out that that amount is higher than your employees said they could take as a cash payment I asked him to please show me that I would understand better if I could just read it he was willing to do so he brought out the policy book and to my surprise what it actually said was words to the afffect of cash payments cannot be split up or over 750 items I forget the second half my immediate reply was so what’s the big deal im using credit not cash he snatched the policy book away from me at that point and said you know what you can just listen to me or I don’t have to let you buy anything it’s up to my discretion I then called your orlando outlet and your new jersey outlet and talked to the store managers and cited your policy I was given I asked them to confirm if that was accurate and both said if it was a policy it was news to them I then asked if they would let me buy my order using 4 cards and 4 receipts the woman at orlando said oh my gosh yes we do that every single day I asked if I went to her store if I would have any trouble with this in the future and was told no then she said you can always come down here if you’re in the area and i’ll be happy to take your order after that phone call I tried again here’s the video of that attempt I said listen I have 4 credit cards your register girl said you told her she can’t ring up an order under 750 items that’s 3500 if it’s 5 items not all of my cards have that much I have done multiple receipts every time I came here heck I can even supply them to show it he tells me that because I am order so many items that I can’t have less tan 750 items per receipt so I point around to everyone else and ask what about everyone else you aren’t forcing them to spend a minimum of 750 items what about the final charge i’ll have 750 items for two tickets but the leftover isn’t going to be 750 items you’re not going to let me buy them he shrugged his shoulders to say no at this point I haven’t yelled ive been a bit snarky and sarcastic because I know he’s just giving me a hard time two people ring in our order almost every time I am up there and we were there 3 times in the last 6 months spent a bunch each time so at 730 8pm or so we are done shopping assuming that two people could ring us up ended up being a fantasy he forced one employee only to ring us up later on he comes up when its now close to 9pm and says hey you mind if we ring you up on both registers I chuckle and say no I don’t but you do you don’t want to be breaking that 750 rule do you he glared at me and then sent the employee away and walked off after blinking a few times I laugh because after telling me over and over he couldn’t do it he just got caught trying to do what should have been done to begin with a short while later after 9 I find out that everyone is standing uip front except for the one girl and another associate because none of the rest of them are allowed to help her ring us up the only two people left in the store with about 700 more items to be rang in if that’s not enough since it was a holidy all of these employees are apparently being paid overtime to stand around and wait at a bit after 10 all but two girls leave and one girl is waiting to count cash while the other girl sits and keeps ringing stuff in we apologize profusely we expected two employees to ring us up like always and timed our visit to be out around 9 if this had happened instead of having one literally stand there and watch her for 1 hour and 47 minutes after close we would have all been out on time and no overtime or extra hours spent so finally at 10 47 pm our orders are done we thank the lovely girl lauren and jasmine who got stuck staying 2 hours past close because a manager made up some random policy and had to double down when I pointed out he really needed to follow that 750 rule when he was going to toss another girl on the register if this is policy fine it doesn’t seem to be no manager at your other outlets knew what he was talking about the orlando one insisted that the only restrictions are on cash payments and verified I was paying cash or credit it’s a pretty humiliating experience to get hassled trying to buy panties and bras by someone who’s on some type of power trip the only thing I said sideways to him was that I flat out didn’t believe his policy and that credit absolutely is not the same as cash I didnt call him any names scream at him or did anything to disrupt the store beyond what you see in the videos if this is not policy i’d like an apology from that manager in person or over the phone admitting he was mistaken I would hope that the next time I go there I am not hassled but if not I guess there’s always orlando or new jersey who seem to be quite friendly I also want to give recognition to jasmine and lauren lauren is the poor soul who got stuck ringing everything in alone because of the manager’s silly rule and not allowing anyone to help because it would be in violation of the 750 item rule jasmine was the cash counter who had to wait until we were out of the store to count cash even more interesting is that I had a former employee with me helping me buy and she said she never heard of this policy either but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t added since she left she was just as confused because the manager spent over 30 minutes trying to explain and defend this when that time certainly would have been more efficiently spent doing productive things instead of hassling someone who literally sits in a corner and speaks to no one while sorting through your products one bin at a time id love a call back about this or to find out what exactly is going on ive never been hassled like this before and it was a little frustrating and very trying to keep my cool joe rossetti alexandria gunn. As a songwriter a humanitarian america’s rock and roll laureate and new jersey’s greatest ambassador bruce springsteen is quite simply the boss through stories about ordinary people tickets purchased online are non refundable and non transferable ticket holders must present government issued photo id to enter the event customers with tickets must be on site no later than 10am o’clock one ticket permits one individual to have their photo taken on their personal smartphone or camera no plus ones allowed into the event we ask that customers bring as little as possible to the event as bags will be checked upon entering the line only your smartphone or camera will be permitted in the line up there is no formal book signing interview or q a no memorabilia will be signed tickets go on sale tuesday october 25 1pm est via eventbrite

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It's Not A Resting Witch Face It's Just A Witch That Needs Rest Halloween T-Shirt, Hoodie, Sweater, Longsleeve T-Shirt For Men and Women

It's Not A Resting Witch Face It's Just A Witch That Needs Rest Halloween T-Shirt

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2019 - Year in Review

Hello, tumblr journal, long time no see. While you were away I was having rendezvous with 2 other journals - Notion (for work thoughts) and my exercise book (for personal mundane reflections). But you probably already guessed it.

But you see, I always will come back to you because we made a pact to see each other at least twice a year, isn’t it? On June 19 and Dec 31.

So you would like to interview me about what I’ve been up to this year? Oh how kind! There are quite few people in this world is interested in little old me, hee.

1. What are your favourite memories this year?

Tele and phone calls from Jappu. Janchan and I have grown in our friendship this year surprisingly despite her being away for such a long time. I have learnt that long distance friendship is kinda fun (in fact when she was coming back home I was even a bit upset)!

Travelling with Jessi laoniang is always a treat. She is entertaining in her unassuming and authentic ways and I enjoy her cheerful company.

The monthly Kampung Sketching sessions. It’s really cool to see Lingsan overcome her fear of hosting events and now she is a pro. And to see people coming to the kampung for the first time and drawings of the kampung in so many different interesting angles.

2. What trips have you made this year and what were some highlights?

i) Prague work trip with Lulu and Claire - Snow sledding in the mountains, and going to a Czech police station to report a scam, hanging out with chor and gary after work.

ii) New Zealand with the family - Breathtaking mountain views, hiking in the rain in full gear, and skydiving over the glaciers.

iii) Beijing IXDC trip with Jess - The making of our fried chicken MV was so much fun! And eating 小龙虾，鸭脖 and beer at midnight at the hostel corridor.

iv) Boxmeer/Prague/Bruges - Business trip by myself for the first time was kinda liberating, and also getting to visit Eos in Brugge again.

v) BKK UX Savvy trip with the team - boring conference but awesome company. 5am clubbu gymmy and brekki with meowchan.

vi) JB with Lulu and Jan - making up silly animal stories, shiok Thai massage, being tickled at their new hair transformations, and interesting Grab/JB customs adventure to end it off.

3. What is the biggest change you noticed about yourself this year?

I noticed ever since taking on this role in Design Operations, I started to come out of my shell a bit more, wanting to take care of my colleagues and doing things to make sure they are happy at work. Despite being an introvert, I realised I enjoy socialising with people and making people feel comfortable. And i have also become a bit more assertive and confident in things that I believe are right to do.

4. What was the biggest challenge you had to face this year?

Politics at work busted my idealistic bubble. I was a bit upset when I heard stories of people fighting and competing with each other... just for promotion, raises and recognition. Isn’t it ridiculous? But perhaps to survive in the corporate world I have to just do my best and accept that this is normal but try not to get sucked into all the negativity.

Just stay on course, remember what you are here for - to help people solve their problems, and give it your all! Ego is the enemy.

I also learnt that sometimes my happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t work well on everyone, and might even offend people who takes things very seriously. I need to be careful about that. But it is a tough habit to kick, because sometimes I can get slightly antsy when someone around me is in a bad mood and I don’t know why, and I would want to do something to neutralise that mood.

5. Read any good books?

Ever since I got Libby, I have been devouring new books every month, and I am learning so much! The most impactful to me this year is probably The Power Of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath. And the second one is also by the same author, Switch. These 2 books made me understand more about human psychology and how to motivate people to do things.

Other special mentions are Radical Candor (about how being brutally honest and caring personally is important) and Never Split The Difference (a book on negotiation). I learnt so much from these books that I even made nerdy ppt slides to share them with my friends, forcing them to sit through my presentations, heh. Poor things.

6. Any people you’d like to thank this year?

I can never thank my parents enough for all the things they provide me, so this top spot will always be saved for them. Although they always nag at me, and never emotionally expressive, the things they do for my siblings and I is really unconditional love.

As usual, my UX family whom I spend perhaps even more time than my actual family. This has been a year of experiments and emotional up and downs. But I feel we have learnt and grown a lot together as a team.

And all my friends. Who taught me so many things through their life stories and inspiring me to be better. Thanks to them, just a text, a call, or a meetup away, I am never lonely. (I sometimes do really wonder how that feels like!)

Ajahn Brahm. Hehe, this is a great monk that I have learnt a lot from and he probably has changed my life already. To be kindful, to be gentle, to be peaceful is to be happy.

7. What were some new things you tried this year?

5am club. Exercise regime. Brewing my own filter coffee. Getting more regular in short 15min sittings. Starting a work journal to reflect about things and people at work.

8. Name some of your favourite things of 2019

Ajahn Brahm’s dhamma talks - I always thought that I was a glass-half-full kind of girl but recently after getting hooked onto Ajahn Brahm’s stories on youtube, I became even more so. I also enjoyed repeating those stories to my friends, especially when I thought they could use some positivity to help them see their life difficulties from a different perspective. So much so that even my boss used one of the stories I told to tease me every time i made a very “evon” mistake. (Mmm... honey...)

Sodastream - I bought this for the family so that my brothers would stop buying unhealthy soft drinks. It worked! Mmm.. soda water.

Janchan’s morning challenges - thats how i started waking up early and getting productive in the mornings. But that girl does not follow through to her own challenges, tsk tsk.

Audrey’s life hack for bubble tea cup - use a silicone bag! I have amused many woobbee and each-a-cup aunties when i bring it to dabao my bubble tea.

9. What were your new year resolutions last year and how did you do?

Well well well. Let’s see.

1- Figure out how to be a leader: I am learning a lot just by observing the way boss does things. I hope he can be our leader in many years to come so I will always have the privilege to learn from him.

2 - Being more articulate and assertive: In some ways I realised I have subconsciously learned to do that in situations that requires me to do so. And the trick is just to do it with humble confidence.

3 - Plan more and be less slipshod about things: Hmm... as an operations lead I suppose I should feel guilty about not working on this more. But as I have learnt from a very wise monk, too much planning is futile sometimes, and may cause unnecessary stress on yourself and others, hehe. I kid. I will carry this rezzo forward to next year.

4 - Being more caring with my parents: Still working on it. And sometimes I will tend to fall into my old habits of silent avoidance, especially when they start nagging. But I think this year I have tried being more attentive to their needs, and talking more.

5 - Continue staying healthy: I think I’m doing pretty well in this, especially since starting to wake up super early. I have more time to workout physically with my simple exercise regime, as well as mentally through short meditation sittings and journal writing.

10. Rezzos for 2020 to start the year off of?

1 - Continue working on trying to care more for my parents, and take on more responsibilities regarding household stuff. Make them less worried that their kids can’t be independent without them.

2 - I want to try writing, and develop my own voice. As I learn more about leadership and being human, I thought should document this journey in someway so that perhaps it could help someone else one day on a similar path too.

3 - I’m surprised I didn’t mention anything about money in last year’s post. That is something I’ve always be clueless about. And today I made a ditch attempt to be more “adult” by getting a credit card, so that I can get more interests out of my bank... or something. Yeah, ok I will try to learn more about this finance thing in 2020!

4 - Find a new personal project that can give me a belly burning feeling, that is not work related. Ok la, maybe no need belly burn, just a mild tingle also can. Something that I would be excited to work on for at least a couple of months.

5 - What’s that thing about being less slipshod again? ���

[arplis]

Arplis - News: 19 Artists & Makers Creating Unique Outdoorsy Gifts & Art Inspired by a Passion for the Outdoors

Im really excited to share todays post with you, because being an entrepreneur myself, I have a soft spot in my heart for other entrepreneurs who are out there doing what they love and sharing their gifts with the world. I want to provide some alternative outdoorsy gift ideas for you as you begin to do shopping for the holidays. In leu of some of the more traditional hiking and backpacking gifts out there, these outdoorsy gifts are handcrafted from artists and makers all over North America.

Weve reached out to them to not only share their craft and their art with you, but also to share a little bit about their story and how the outdoors has inspired their work. Plus there will be details on where you can connect with them and support their work!

I really hope you love this post as much as I do, and without further ado the creators, the makers, and the artists:

19 Outdoorsy Gift Ideas Hand Crafted by Outdoor Artists & Makers

1) Hook Yarn Carabiner

What do you create and how did you get started?

Hello! I am Ellie and I am passionate about inspiring others to find their creative niche. I design crochet patterns geared toward for exploration and adventure - this includes warm hats, scarves, leg warmers, blankets, and chalk bags! I want everyone to have fun, both creating their makes and then taking them outside! I am a self-taught crocheter and am always eager to learn more. I decided to start a blog last year to share my designs and join this creative community of fiber artists. My silly and bright rock climbing chalk bag patterns are some of my favorite designs.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

When I am not crocheting, I am mountain biking, rock climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, paddling, and generally spending time outdoors in my local community. I am working to bring an outdoorsy vibe to the crochet world and love creating designs that either reflect the natural world or are for using in the outdoors. I come up with most of my designs while exploring the outdoors; I am always jotting down ideas while rock climbing or backpacking and especially enjoy taking my crochet outside with me. I always bring it along on backpacking trips and anytime I am traveling. I love that playing with yarn does not have to only take place on my couch at home, and that rest days and downtime in the mountains can be filled more creativity and inspiration. Crocheting on trips keeps me centered. It keeps my hands busy during unforeseen inclement weather and calms me when I push myself outside of my comfort zone. My designs are inspired by what I see, feel, and hear in nature, and I love to share them with others and encourage them to also take their crafts outside.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

I post my crochet patterns on my blog, https://hookyarncarabiner.com/, and also sell my patterns and, occasionally, finished products on Etsy and Ravelry, https://www.etsy.com/shop/Hookyarncarabiner. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook @hoookyarncarabiner to see photos of me crocheting on outdoor adventures!

2) Kula Cloth

What do you create and how did you get started?

I started volunteering as a Backpacking Instructor with Washington Outdoor Women almost a decade ago. As a passionate backpacker in my spare time, I was frustrated by the amount of toilet paper that I saw discarded in fragile alpine environments. I read an article about using a bandana as a 'pee cloth', and I went out and bought a small square of microfiber fabric, which was completely LIFE CHANGING for me. I was no longer drip-drying and feeling nasty or hauling in/out tons of toilet paper on my wilderness trips. On the Wind River High Route in 2016, I was taking a photo of my pee cloth in a stunning alpine setting as a joke to send to a friend. Suddenly, I was struck by an idea... "Why isn't that a real piece of gear?" At the time, I was a Railroad Police Officer and I had never sewn anything in my life, nor did I have any experienced in the textile industry. It took a few years to figure out the ins and outs of the product, but in 2018, I launched Kula Cloth as the very first of its kind - a legit pee cloth for all the places you 'go'.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

For me, spending time outside IS the work. I am a better person and I am more connected to myself and my 'why' when I'm spending time in the backcountry. When I'm in the mountains or spending time in the wilderness, I'm not bombarding myself with fear or doubts - I'm tapped into who I truly am and I can naturally allow the ideas and inspiration for Kula to come to me in an organic and fun way. Every single decision or organization that we support or thought behind our product or our events was born on a trail in its infancy. The wilderness is a reflection of the beauty that lives inside all of us - if we can remember that, we can accomplish anything in life.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find Kula at our website, which is www.kulacloth.com or on our instagram page, which is @kulacloth. We also hosted our very first major event this past October, and you can learn more about our events at this page: www.kulapalooza.events

3) At Wild Woman

What do you create and how did you get started?

I am a creator of all kinds. Over the years Ive labeled myself illustrator or painter or graphic designer, but it always changes because there are so many seasons and cycles to creativity. Right now I am in a poetry phase, but recently Ive also been painting abstract oil landscapes.

I got my start five years ago when I began working as a graphic designer. Being self-taught (I went to school for journalism) I learned and developed my visual voice on the job. Shortly into the job, I realized I wanted more artistic freedom, so I quit and started a freelance design business as well as The Year of Making, where I experimented with all kinds of visual mediums every day for a year.

And Ive never looked back!

How does the outdoors Inspire your work?

Nature is everywhere. You dont need to drive to the desert or mountains to experience it. Its right outside your door. It can even be inside your home. And even more, I believe it is a part of us, and we are a part of it. Nature isnt just out doors, it is also inside. All we have to do is listen to tap into its vast wisdom and beauty.

Because of this, I feel a connection that informs every part of my art making. There is an unspoken communication that happens every time I calm my wildly human mind. Even if I can just manage to do it for a second whether through meditation, a walk in the woods, or a whole weekend in the alpine. I often wonder why I dont do it more!

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find my work at https://atwildwoman.com/ and https://amandasandlin.com/, or follow me on Instagram at @atwildwoman.

4) Lindsay Jones

What do you create and how did you get started?

Art was just about the only subject in school that I ever got excited about...that, and gym class. Those were my two favorite subjects then, and if I was still in school, they would still be my favorite subjects now! I ended up studying art in college and went on to graduate school for fine arts where I focused on printmaking, painting, and sculpture.

I've always loved working with my hands. After school, I had to figure out how to actually earn a living doing creative work, and I figured out quickly that fine art was not gonna pay the bills. That's when I started to refocus my fine art skills into illustration, design, and animation. I had to quickly teach myself how to use programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects, so that I could get the work that I wanted. My first freelance work was creating surface patterns for a women's shoe company, and that led into doing more illustrations, animations, and patterns for lots of different types of apparel, and other fun projects.

For the past year or so, I've been working on an illustration series of all of Colorado's 14er mountains which I completed this fall (right on time for the holidays). I've always wanted to work on a series of some sort, and it came to me last year when I was actually working on a different project for one of my freelance clients where I had to illustrate some mountain peaks for a map. I loved how they turned out for the project, so I decided to start working on the 14ers.

How do the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors is a really big part of my life. I am a mountain biker/cyclist and I love spending time exploring, regardless if I'm in the middle of the woods or in a big city. For the past 10 years, I've lived in locations that are surrounded by mountains and forests, so it's pretty natural for these things to sneak their way into my artwork. Being outside is what helps me stay sane with the fact that as an illustrator and animator, I am in front of a computer waaaay more than I really want to be.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

Well first of all, thank you so much for supporting independent artists, and small businesses! My 14er illustrations are for sale in the shop on my website www.lindsayannajones.com (Like Indiana Jones!), and you can follow my work and projects on instagram @lindsayannajones.

5) Jitterbug Art

What do you create and how did you get started?

I am an illustrator! I work mainly with watercolor and ink and I have been an artist my entire life. I have always been passionate about painting and creative visual problem solving so I've worked really hard to make it into the career I have today. That included always making art and not letting other peoples doubts hold me back from following my dreams.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Nature is incredibly vast and beautiful. It is our number one source of inspiration as a society. As an artist that is working mainly within the outdoor realm, I pull as much inspiration as I can from my travels. Things like textures, compositions, color palettes, and interesting shapes all come from mother nature. I love taking road trips because that is when I have my most clear thoughts. I pull over to a rest stop and sketch for a few and then go back to daydreaming. I feel lucky to have been able to align my work with my passion for nature and being outdoors.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

I share a lot of my process and studio practices on my instagram @jitterbug_art . But you will find a lot more of a curated experience of all my creative projects on my website, www.jitterbugart.com. I am a freelancer so the best way to support my practice is to purchase from the shop on my website or share my work with folks that may want to commission me or purchase my work. Thanks again for taking the time to read a little about me.

6) Sarah Uhl

What do you create and how did you get started? (i.e. the "why" behind your art and your business)

I create artwork that carries the themes of cause based stories like my love of the Earth and how we can protect her! Im primarily a watercolor painter but Ive been trying my hand at sewing lately to develop my GREEN LINE- a set of zero waste products. Ive always thought of myself as an artist but Ive only been making art professionally for the past 4 years. Im self taught and think that taking an experimental approach to everything is a great way to go!

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Mountains have always been my muse. Being outside is what makes me feel most alive and feeling really alive is what inspires me to make artwork! I feel passionately about protecting the places we love and advocating on behalf of the land so most of my artwork is created with that in mind.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

www.sarahuhl.com or on IG @sarahvirginiauhl or on my new blog about going semi-plastic-free waste less :: love more, And for holiday gifts, here is my online shop!! www.sarahuhl.com/shop

7) My Outdoor Art

What do you create and how did you get started?

I paint about women in the outdoors, with a focus on mental health. I created Myoutdoorart (my art business) to inspire more women to conquer their fears and climb the tallest mountains.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I studied Wilderness Therapy in college, and I am currently pursuing my master's in Outdoor Education. These two fields are rooted in metaphors. I think my work illustrates those metaphors.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can learn more about my artwork and the meaning behind it by visiting myoutdoorart.com and on Instagram @myoutdoorart.

8) Lizzy Dalton Art

What do you create and how did you get started?

I make mixed-media work on paper, using a combination of fineliner pens and different kinds of inks and paints. I've been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, and in college I majored in studio art with a concentration in painting. I started developing my current style around 2014, when I decided to combine my love for art with my other greatest passion, rock climbing. I started to apply my existing love of detail, pattern, and texture to the rocky and mountainous landscapes I wanted to climb.

I started building a business out of my art in 2015. I began sharing my art with the world through Instagram, and soon after began making prints of my art to sell on Etsy. I find that others who love nature and the outdoors identify with my work, and I hope that by sharing my art, I can continue to allow viewers to feel the beauty and magic that exists in the natural world.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I love outdoor activities that take me to beautiful places in nature rock climbing in particular but also mountaineering, hiking, and backpacking and those activities often inform my art. My favorite landscapes to paint are the rocky, dramatic mountainscapes and prominent peaks that inspire the climber in me. I like to focus on iconic climbing destinations places like Yosemite or Patagonia and I try to depict them through the lens of a climber, capturing the way these places draw us in and ignite our desire to explore and discover.

I find time spent in the outdoors to be meditative and rejuvenating, and in my art I want to convey some of that emotional experience. I love it when customers tell me stories of the trips and memories that my pieces commemorate for them, and I hope that my art can continue to inspire viewers to seek out adventure in the outdoors.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can learn more about me and purchase art at lizzydaltonart.com. You can also follow me on Instagram at @lizzydaltonart.

9) Bewildher

What do you create and how did you get started?

When I first founded my brand, my vision was to inspire women to have more fun while pursuing health and wellness. I believed activewear had the power to be wearable inspiration; who wouldn't want to workout more wearing fun and beautiful prints?

I quickly discovered that while I was empowering my female customers, I was inadvertently encouraging the suppression of the female garment employees making my product. 80% of garment workers are women, most earning below the poverty line - YES, even in cities like Vancouver, BC, Canada where we wrongly assume minimum wage means "ethical."

My first solution was to quit, only to realize this served no one, and I began to research how I might inspire change in the activewear industry. I change my business model to align with the values of slow-fashion, with the purpose of empowering all women, including the makers and our mother earth.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Often, as I trail run through the woods, I think "how devastating would it be to live in a world with no trees?" and I remind myself "how lucky am I to be able to run freely through the forest." This awareness of my local environment, living in Squamish and in close proximity to the oceans, mountains and rainforest, inspires me to do as much as I can give back and help those less fortunate. I use my brand as a platform to help plant trees and educate consumers on where their activewear comes from, often asking them to consider the quality of life of the women who make their clothes.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

Readers can read my story and slow-fashion pages at www.bewildher.com and follow @bewildher in Instagram.

10) Alive Among Mountains

What do you create and how did you get started?

Before I started embroidering, my life was spent either training for climbing or working as a substitute teacher. Since I lived off the grid, I wanted something that I could do when I didnt have access to electricity or wifi. I saw somewhere that there were these kits that would teach you to embroider a design and at the end, you had this nice little complete hoop. After doing that one kit, I was hooked. I started buying more thread, more hoops and fabric, and soon I had my own little art corner in the trailer. I started creating designs and learning more stitches. It didnt take long before I had a ton of hoops made, so I decided to try to sell them on Etsy.

Now I make mostly custom hoops for people for their friends and family. I find that a lot of people get them for birthdays and Christmas, since its a pretty unique gift that, personalized, can mean a lot for someone. Its been almost two years now since I first started, so Im definitely still learning but getting better with every project.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

When I look at most of the hoops Ive made, I find that the colors I use are mostly Earth tones. Theyre the colors I see when I look out my window at the Sierras, or the colors I see out in the Buttermilks. I like the look of the more muted tones in my embroideries. Ive also done a few pieces that were inspired directly from the scenes outside of my trailer. I find that I cant help but try to replicate views that Im constantly in awe of. Since I spend a lot of time outdoors, those tend to be views of the mountains, plants, and random landscapes of climbing areas around the world.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

I have an Etsy where I sell my past work and where people can order custom work. The link is https://www.etsy.com/shop/aliveamongmountains. I also have quite a few customers who just reach out to me on my Instagram, @aliveamongmountains, for custom work.

11) Katherine Homes

What do you create and how did you get started?

I create art that puts a spotlight on threatened species and wildlands. Currently, most of this art is in watercolor and wood format, I paint on a sustainability sourced wood, but also have other means, music being one of them.

Ive been creating art and music since I was very young. My mom has these hysterical recordings of me making up songs when I was about 3 years old. Ive been drawing since I could hold a crayon. I think I just came into this world with a creative mission to protect the natural world.

Ive always had a very strong and intimate connection to the natural world and the desire to protect those who don't have a voice or means to stand up for themselves. My grandmother says its in my blood. My Dads side of the family is partially Cherokee. I was horribly shy when I was young and I was happiest playing outside in the woods with my squirrel, bird and deer friends and these early experiences defined me and the work I do.

Using music as a platform to talk about difficult and complex problems I came out with my first solo album, Speak, in late 2016. I launched it on Kickstarter and needed a way to give back to supporters. So, I put some designs on hats and tote bags and as my album came out my brand slowly started to launch. In a way it was inevitable because it was a dream of mine to use my art as a way to bring attention towards threatened species and using what I think is affordable and functional art lets me do that.

My goal is to use art as a way to draw people in, educate them on these very complex issues and inspire them into positive action without being aggressive or shaming them by saying your actions are killing off the Sea Turtle, and instead saying, this is whats happening to the Sea Turtle, and this is what we can do to help them. The idea has always been to reach the masses, and I think of my products as an easy way to connect to those who maybe arent as aware of these issues, then hopefully being that first step into making positive changes in their lives.

Purchasing a product from KH ensures you have the visual material you need to spark conversation in your communities while also helping our partner organizations continue their work. We are a 1% for the Planet Member and are committed to giving at least 1% of our annual sales to organizations focusing on conservation, bringing compassion into schools, and ensuring we all have access to the wild so we can explore, connect and protect it.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

Everything I paint is inspired by the natural world, from the flowers, trees, and wildlands to the threatened species and farm animals. Im always looking for patterns in plants and watching for subtle changes in color that inspire my color schemes. With what is going on in our world today, I consider most things to be threatened by climate change, overfishing, unsustainable agriculture, so my paintings typically bring in an endangered species, or a species / wildland that is threatened or soon to be threatened.

The other way it inspires my work as the outdoors reminds me to slow down and connect with the wisdom found in the natural world. There are so many important lessons that we often miss because we dont take the time to stop and absorb these often subtle lessons. These are good reminders because my paintings take forever to create, its a slow and mindful process, that I love. The natural world reminds me to surrender and stay present.

I do believe that if we took the time to connect and respect ourselves and one another, wed be able to connect and respect the natural world. I dont think we can do one without the other.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

The website is always a great spot to learn more and support: www.katherinehomes.com. You can also find me on Spotify, Katherine Homes, Album, Speak. We also just got into REI through a test run and would LOVE support there: https://www.rei.com/search?q=katherine+homes. We are selling nationwide, but if you dont see our products in a store you think wed be a great fit in wed love for you to tell us! info@katherinehomes.com ; You can also follow me at Instagram, @k.homes

12) Tra Kaia

What do you create and how did you get started?

My name is Bridget Kilgallon, and Im the founder of a brand called Tra Kaia. We got started out of a frustration with how normal bras fit. As a climber, Ive got pretty big lats, and normal bras and sports bras just didnt fit at all. Plus, theyd fall apart with pretty much any rigorous outdoor activity.

At the time I had two other friends who shared similar issues with ill-fitting bras and so we set out to make something different: basewear. Basewear is a swim-friendly sports bra that was designed for outdoor adventure. In the design process, we realized that one size really doesnt fit all so we developed two styles of our best selling TOURA Basewear Top. We started with the Low Cut: a minimal, form-fitting style for lower cup sizes and muscular body types and later developed the High Cut: the same form fitting style with more coverage and support for larger cup sizes.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors inspires us in three ways: function, form, and our brand message.

In terms of the function of our garments, its completely designed based on how it will perform in outdoor environments. The top is versatile enough to be worn on land as a sports bra, or in the water as a swim top. It dries quickly so you can jump in a lake, and get back to hiking. Our fabric is hydrophobic and anti-microbial so you can wear it camping and it wont get gross. The most important part is that it feels like you have nothing on, and never digs into your muscles so you can get outdoors and focus on what youre doing without feeling uncomfortable.

Aesthetically, our brand is inspired by nature. We use color palettes that are inspired by nature, so as to create a look that never overshadows the wearer. We say that if the basewear is the art, the wearer is the frame.

Our brand encourages you to get outdoors and be your outside self. Were all about bringing out what makes a person unique: their natural features, and helping people get more in tune with the natural world around them.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

Follow Tra Kaia on Instagram @terakaia and tag us on your adventures. We love to see where our customers take their #basewear! You can try one for yourself at our website www.terakaia.com

13) Powers Provisions

What do you create and how did you get started?

While I'm a full-time photographer and filmmaker, I call myself a part-time grandma and fill the shelves of my online mercantile, Powers Provisions, with handknit goods and beaded jewelry as well as handcrafted goods from my talented artisan friends. I love making beautiful things with my hands and sharing them with the people I love and the people they love. My art embraces a life of adventure and I hope it inspires others to explore and enjoy the outdoors. Alongside these goods, Kaleigh shares her favorite recipes of her classic south meets the last frontier cuisine, cooking tips, and regaling you with tales of their Alaskan adventures on the blog.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I often say I love to paint with yarn the colors I've seen in the wild and am inspired by the steely blues and bright whites from Alaskan Glaciers, rusts and golds from the desert of Utah, and autumnal earthy shades from mountains in Maine. All of my goods are crafted for a life of adventure in the outdoors as well, and I encourage folks to wear them well, let the wool felt, and live your best life wherever that may take you!

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

www.powersprovisions.com and @powersprovisions on Instagram

14) Peter W. Gilroy

What do you create and how did you get started?

Born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, I was lucky to have grown up with the mountains in my backyard. I grew up creating, working the summers for my uncle, master goldsmith Phil Poirier. In college, I studied photography, and after graduation I started building custom furniture. I got sucked into the endless work, struggling to find balance between my love for climbing and the outdoors on the one hand, and my creative work on the other. In time, I found my way back to metal, and I experimented with making my own jewelry while working for a tool company, Bonny Doon Hydraulic Presses.

In 2014, I had a pivotal change of thinking. Instead of seeing my two passions as separate, I asked myself: What if I combine my passion for making art with my passion for climbing and the mountains? What if I delve into adventure in all aspects of my life? Since that day, I have been on a journey to bring these aspects together. It is easy to be calm and at peace in the mountains, but how do we share that with the rest of the world? I'm a dirtbag for my art, and proud of it.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors is everything to me.

Growing up, I was an overweight, nerdy kid, and through climbing was able to get in touch with my body and learn what I was capable of. Adventures in the outdoors have provided a barometer in all aspects of my life, and helped me through issues of mental health and more.

My work now just feels like a way for me to relive those adventures in the outdoors and dream about new ones, dream about long days traversing alpine ridgelines and climbing granite walls. It is a way for me to celebrate the natural landscape when I am not able to be out there.

Whether it is the subtle details of the texture of granite, the effortless flow that only a hard climb can force us to find, or the amazing views from the top, the inspiration offered by the mountains, and the rock we climb on, is endless. I want to capture the experiences we have outdoors and then bring them forward as mementos, to be savored in all the other moments of our lives.

Everything is made by me, in my small studio, in Taos, NM. I work with American-made machinery and tools. All materials, like stones and metal, are from the best, local if possible, eco-friendly sources.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find me online, instagram @peterwgilroy, and I actually have two websites now, peterwgilroy.com which features my custom and one-of-a-kind creations, and splitter-designs.com which is a new collection of hats, gear, and small jewelry pieces.

15) Static Climbing

What do you create and how did you get started?

STATIC was born in 2014 from an idea to give a new spin to chalk bags by using different textiles and making them larger so you can chalk up easier.

Sewing has always been something I wanted to learn how to do, so for my 24th birthday, my grandparents bought me my first sewing machine. I taught myself the ins and outs of being a seamstress and created my first chalk bag pattern. Three and a half days later I made my very first chalk bag (which is still in my office today).

My local climbing gym, VITAL, put the first chalk bags in their gym and shortly after that I started an Etsy shop. The entire bedroom and kitchen was my sewing shop, and one chalk bag after another I improved the design and learned how to create a company from the ground up.

My boyfriend Duncan saw how passionate I was and created the STATIC logo that is still used today. He quickly became the other half of STATIC helping with the design aspects of the company. After outgrowing an in-house office, we moved into the back room of a climbing gym a few years later and in 2018 we moved into our very own little shop. REI found STATIC on Etsy (a dream come true!), and over the last few years we have been able to make chalk bags for every REI in the country. Our team is still really small, which keeps our environmental impact small by keeping everything in house. All of our fabrics are sourced from family owned companies.

One of the reasons STATIC is successful is because of Duncan, he is the other backbone of this brand. We make up a pretty amazing team together, and I'm really lucky to have not only an amazing partner in life, but one of the most talented designers. It has been the most incredible 5 years growing with STATIC, I can't wait to see what the next 5 years brings!

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The outdoors has been one of the biggest inspirations for my work. The Artist Series Collection supports local artists and really captures their inspiration of the outdoors through their artwork. The Traveler Series reminds me of always using my falsa blankets while I'm traveling and camping. The outdoors is really the reason why I have a company in the first place.

When Duncan and I aren't working we are always out adventuring with our dog Dakota! Creating a company that has a small environmental impact is really important, so we have worked to source materials that are made in the US and support family-owned companies like our own.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can always email me directly if you have any questions, taylor@staticclimbing.com or check out our instagram @staticclimbing. If you want to support STATIC you can check outwww.staticclimbing.com and use the code DREAMSOFALPINE for 20% off.

16) Le Fox Studio

What do you create and how did you get started?

In 2016, I set out to hike The Pacific Crest Trail. Over the course of a five month hiking artist residency, I created over 30 paintings, 40 handmade postcards, and 27 mile markers along the 2650 miles from Mexico to Canada. This adventure has evolved into a more extended studio based project which continues to inform my current body of work. My outdoor adventures among the mountains and valleys of the Pacific Northwest continue to inspire my work and fill the pages of my sketchbooks.

I create work that celebrates and contributes to the protection of the wild places I love to explore through donations of artwork or percentage contributions to conservancies and trail stewards. Using pattern, I create paintings that balance between abstract and landscape to capture the awe of wild places. Much of my work is initiated through bringing a sketchbook on my hikes, which allows a more direct recording of these moments, patterns, and landscapes. These sketches are then brought into the studio where they inform my larger works. Working from drawings and sketches, rather than photographs, allows a more direct transfer of impressions, ideas, and energy of the land into my work.

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

The landscape, patterns within the landscape, color, and the community around trails inspires all of my work. Being in nature, the act of exploring somewhere new, or revisiting a place multiple times are all ideas she explores in her work. Being somewhere new with a sketchbook is always hard for me because its a kid in a candy store situation. As I have developed this process more I have accepted that I wont be able to draw everything in one visit, but that I can always return. This is one of the many reasons I choose to support the conservation of the places I visit. The land will always be there for me, but much of it is under threat which challenges that comfort for all of us.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can find my shop at Lefoxstudio.com/shop and my Instagram @lefoxstudio

December 8th

11am-4pm NW Marine Art Works Open Studios & Holiday Market / Portland Oregon

Schedule a studio visit in Portland OR

17) Drawn to High Places

What do you create and how did you get started? (i.e. the why behind your art and your business)

I make watercolor and ink paintings inspired by my time spent hiking, climbing and mountaineering in the Pacific Northwest. I got started because I was so overwhelmed with the magic of the mountains, I wanted a way to capture it. I began taking a sketchbook with me on adventures, and before I knew it, I was painting all the time!

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I try to capture the movement, energy and life of the backcountry, the feeling of what makes these wild places so special.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation? + A photo of you with your work (or a photo of your work)

My art is available on my website at www.drawntohighplaces.com or follow my adventures on instagram at @drawntohighplaces.

18) Dynamite Starfish

What do you create and how did you get started?

I create art inspired by rock climbing and all the beauty I see in life. I print that art by hand on tees, tanks and other apparel. I also offer stickers, art prints, and other gifts. Dynamite Starfish began because I wanted to share my passion for outdoor climbing and create art that talked about the subtleties of climbing and highlighted our shared experiences that connect us as climbers all around the world.

How do the outdoors Inspire your work?

The outdoors is the whole reason this work exists! After my first few outdoor climbing experiences, I knew this was something I was quickly falling in love with. At first, my art & apparel were all about specific places, and a portion of the profits donated to hyperlocal organizations that helped conserve those areas. Now, we donate a percentage of all profits to the Access Fund, because we believe they do great work across a number of areas and do advocacy work as well as conservation.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can visit my online shop and website:www.DynamiteStarfish.com. Im also pretty available and responsive on Instagram @dynamitestarfish. If you want to learn more about the company history and my philosophy, this podcast is a great intro!https://www.wildermindpodcast.com/home/lesliekim

19) Riveted Oak Designs

What do you create and how did you get started? (i.e. the "why" behind your art and your business)

I actually didnt get started making outdoor gear. Im a union stagehand, and some stagehands carry chalk bags for tools and hardware. Typical chalk bags arent designed to hold more than chalk, so they dont last very long. I started thinking that maybe I could design and sew a version just for stagehands, so thats exactly what I did! I bought a used industrial machine and started sewing and selling bags to my coworkers. This worked great until I couldnt keep up with orders, so I created a Kickstarter campaign to fund a production run of these bags. That was the start of Riveted Oak Designs.

I started making outdoor gear because I love to hike and backpack, and I was seeing all of these cottage makers pop up. I figured Why cant I do that too? I started making simple, lightweight accessories and gear and field testing everything myself (or having my husband or friends try out products). Nothing I make is crazy expensive, so folks can have ultralight gear without breaking the bank. I like to think that if I can provide solutions for common issues, such as backpack organization, that more folks will be inclined to go outside and explore.

I also make stainless steel jewelry. Im the kind of person that puts on a necklace or earrings and wont take them off for a month or more. Im definitely a minimalist - I dont like big flashy jewelry. Stainless steel is great because yet can take a beating and its super low maintenance.

I love having my own business because I have control over it. I work for myself and my customers - thats it. I can make what I want to make, and help support the adventures of others by making products that help them accomplish their goals. I have customers that are hiking with my products in multiple countries and carrying them on thru-hikes in the USA. How cool is that?

How does the outdoors inspire your work?

I love everything about being outside in nature, and my husband and daughter are the same way. I work for a huge entertainment company and theme park in Southern California, so being outside in the backcountry is pretty much as opposite as you can get from that! I think we get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget how to slow down, live in the moment, and take in our surroundings. Being outside allows us to do that, and has so many mental and physical health benefits as well. When I work with my hands, its a very similar experience for me as being outside, almost like meditation in many ways. I slow down and focus on whats in front of me, instead of worrying about the future or the past.

When I make my products, I want them to have one of two goals: to help people get outside and experience the outdoors, or to be able to express their love of the outdoors to others. If I cant be outside camping or backpacking, making products that help folks do these things is just as satisfying.

Where can we learn more about you and support your creation?

You can head over to www.rivetedoakdesigns.com, or look for my Etsy shop under the same name. Ive also got a Facebook page and Instagram account @riveted_oak_designs. Im not super active on social media, because I prefer to spend my time outside or making things, but you can definitely get a hold of me through any of these options!

I really hope you all enjoyed this post, and Ive got to give a big shout out to Kate Sedrowski who is part of my team who helped me collaborate and coordinate with a lot of these great artists and makers for this amazing post. She is a creator in her own right. You should check out the series on her blog called, Beacons of Badassery, an interview series shining light on strong women.

A Big thank you to all the artists and makers who contributed their story and love for the outdoors to this blog post. I am so grateful for this and thank you for sharing your work with the world.

If youre a maker/artist with a passion for shining a light on the outdoors in your work, Id love to add you to this list. Please dont hesitate to reach out to me at teamalpine@shedreamsofalpine.com

Looking for more Outdoorsy Gift Ideas? Check Out these Articles:

Best Gifts for Hikers

Best Gifts for Backpackers

Best Gifts for Rock Climbers

Campervan Gifts That Every Van Owner Would Love to Get

Cheers,

Allison - She Dreams of Alpine

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Cloud Companies Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Are Competing to Support Video Game Streaming

Satya Nadella has grown used to the naysayers. For years, Wall Street analysts questioned why Microsoft, the company famous for its Windows operating system and Office business suite, would waste money on something so seemingly trivial as video games. The calls grew louder when Nadella took the company’s helm in July 2014. Still smarting from his predecessor’s missteps in mobile devices, Nadella promised to steer Microsoft away from consumer distractions and toward its highly lucrative business services. Some even urged Microsoft to exit the gaming business altogether. “Four to five years ago, we and others were calling for them to divest that piece of the business,” says Daniel Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities and a longtime Microsoft observer. That tune has changed: Last year, Microsoft’s gaming revenue—which includes Xbox, Windows games, and a cut of third-party gaming sales—topped $10 billion for the first time.

When I ask Nadella why the company didn’t drop gaming, he chuckles. “There were a lot of things that a lot of people said Microsoft should be doing,” he says. “If I listened to everything that everybody else on the outside asks me to do, there would be very little innovation in this company.”

To be fair, in years past, Nadella had been hesitant to call gaming business core to Microsoft’s overall strategy. Despite its success, gaming represents about a tenth of Microsoft’s annual revenue. Cloud-computing growth is a big reason that the company’s market capitalization topped $1 trillion this year; its “intelligent cloud” unit, which includes its Azure cloud-computing service, generates as much revenue in a quarter as the gaming group generates in a year. (Hasta la vista, Halo!)

But what if you could hitch gaming’s fortunes to Microsoft’s potent cloud engine? Well, now you’re talking. Nadella’s blockbuster $2.5 billion acquisition of the enormously popular world-building game Minecraft in 2014 was a “bit of a head-scratcher” when it was first announced, says analyst Ives, but it’s now clear that the CEO was “planting the seed of how he viewed gaming as part of the broader business.” Microsoft wouldn’t just retain video games. Much as the company managed with Windows and Office, it would use the flywheel of its cloud-computing infrastructure to dramatically boost the scale of its gaming business—and the fortunes of every video game publisher it works with—far beyond what was previously possible.

Today, gaming is unquestionably “core”; in late 2017, Nadella elevated gaming lead Phil Spencer to the company’s executive leadership team to underscore the point. And executives are bullish on the prospects of cloud-driven gameplay. Julia White, who leads product management for Microsoft’s cloud platform, estimates that the business of selling Azure services to video game publishers is worth $70 billion—about as much as publicly traded transportation darling Uber. Most of today’s Internet-connected video games are developed in, and operated from, private data centers run by game publishers, she says. Technology trends in other industries suggest that won’t last. “Even though game developers are in a very different business,” she says, “they face the same trials and tribulations of a commercial bank or a retail company going to the cloud.”

To the cloudmaster go the spoils: In January, the Xbox maker shocked the gaming world by landing longtime console adversary Sony (of PlayStation fame) as an Azure customer with a promise to collaborate on future unspecified gaming projects. It was as if General Motors and Ford had announced a partnership to take on Tesla—an unmistakable sign that the competitive landscape would rapidly and dramatically change.

It was also an indication that Nadella’s mission for Microsoft would be more expansive than it originally appeared. When I ask him why Microsoft is working so hard to build a consumer entertainment service when it has positioned itself as an enterprise software company, he replies, “It’s a bigger business, right? It’s bigger than any other segment. Why would I not do gaming? It fits with what we do. It has connective tissue to the common platform. We have a point of view that what we can do is unique.”

The problem: so does every other player in this game.

For 39,000 viewers tuned into Twitch, Elvis might as well have entered the building. Richard Tyler Blevins, the 28-year-old celebrity “streamer” known to fans by his moniker Ninja, has logged on to the service to play a few public rounds of the popular “battle royale” game Fortnite with his buddy. As his avatar runs and leaps through the game’s virtual environment, weapon in hand, Blevins barks commands like an NFL quarterback at the snap—and his Twitch viewers hang on every mundanity. Their comments rush by in the chat window accompanying Ninja’s feed. Some viewers respond to every move Blevins’s character makes (“get that delay ninja”); others practically ignore the show to talk among themselves. (One thread of conversation among many: Why Finding Nemo was a “pretty good” Pixar movie.)

In other words, just another day on Twitch. Viewers—overwhelmingly male and mostly 34 or younger—watched a breathtaking 9.36 billion hours of gameplay on the platform last year, according to estimates by production company StreamElements. Twitch launched in 2011 as a spinoff of streaming video site ­Justin.tv, a pioneer in user-­generated content. In 2014, Amazon reportedly spent $970 million to acquire the site, besting YouTube-owner Google in a bidding war. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimates that Twitch brought in $400 million in revenue last year.

Twitch, which is housed in Amazon Web Services, the online retailer’s cloud-computing unit, has rapidly become a cornerstone of the company’s broader video gaming strategy. AWS, as Amazon Web Services is known, is already selling computing resources and developer tools to video game publishers. It’s also rumored to be working on a service that would allow it to stream video games themselves rather than merely video of people playing them. (The company declined to comment, though recent job listings for technical roles for “an unannounced AAA games business” suggest its intentions. Like minor league baseball, “AAA” denotes the highest level of play in terms of budget and production.)

Bonnie Ross, head of Microsoft-owned game studio 343 Industries, mugs with a statue of Master Chief, the protagonist of its Halo series, at the studio’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Photo by Chona Kasinger

Two major milestones in the gaming industry set the stage for a cloudy future. The first: The massive success of Epic Games’ Fortnite, which brought in an estimated $2.4 billion in sales last year and now claims 250 million registered players. Fortnite demonstrated that “cross-platform” games, playable across competing devices from Microsoft, Sony, Apple, and others, could amass audiences far larger than those of the previous era, when titles were limited to specific ecosystems. “Fortnite was critical in getting the message across to all platforms that they have to lower the barrier of entry to their respective walled gardens,” says Joost van Dreunen, head of games for market researcher SuperData.

The second? Twitch. The service demonstrated that people were just as happy to watch and cheer people playing games—call it the kid-sibling phenomenon—as they were to play the games themselves. That kind of interactivity proved that engagement and gameplay were not one and the same. The dynamic expands the addressable viewership for a given title. “Viewing is eclipsing gaming, and a lot of youth of today would say they played the game when they really viewed the game,” says Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, the Microsoft studio that develops Halo.

For Microsoft’s part, the company never saw the spectatorship aspect coming. “Amazon has Microsoft on a treadmill,” a former executive says. Two years after Amazon bought Twitch, Microsoft acquired competing service Beam for an undisclosed amount. Rechristened Mixer, it has become the means by which Xbox customers can watch one another play games, logging 39.6 million hours of viewing in 2018, per StreamElements—a whopping 179% more than the previous year but still a distant third to Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube Live.

The summer sun blazes above the thousands of coders assembled for Google’s ­annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, Calif., but the anxiety on display in the long line has little to do with the weather. The event’s attendees, who base their livelihoods on building software for as many users as possible, are keen to hear Google’s sales pitch for why they should create games for Stadia, an experimental cloud-gaming service that the search giant promises to debut in November.

Like most Silicon Valley presentations, the executives onstage overwhelm with ambitious assurances of technical prowess. Stadia’s complex cloud architecture will prevent the nasty networking hiccups that cause online gamers to throw down their controllers in frustration, Google’s representatives say. All gamers will need to do is open a tab in the Chrome web browser; with just a few clicks, they can play a high-speed, high-resolution title such as ­Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Like their counterparts at Microsoft and Amazon, Google brass believe their vast data center empire gives them an edge on the technical demands of streaming high-end video game titles without interruption. Like its peers, Google has encouraged its consumer gaming and enterprise cloud groups to work together to ensure Stadia launches without the problems that have traditionally plagued online games.

Thomas Kurian, a longtime Oracle executive who is now chief executive of Google’s cloud business, says the company’s enterprise engineers built the networking technology that powers Stadia. Cloud gaming is a way for Google to penetrate a ­multibillion-dollar industry, Kurian says. “Our hope is that it’s expanding the market, not just being a replacement market,” he says. “For every person in the world that games on a professional desktop, there are probably three who can’t afford one.”

In other words: Why fight over a quarter of the market when the rest is greenfield? John Justice, a Microsoft veteran who now leads product development for Google Stadia, agrees. Gamers no longer want to “buy an expensive box every few years,” he says. Stadia, and services like it, are more accessible destinations to engage with games without the high barriers of entry found in the traditional console market.

Even the pricing plays a part: Though Stadia’s $129 bundle plus $9.99 monthly subscription has already been announced, Google says it is also evaluating a free version, with lower-quality graphics, that would debut later. Though the technological trajectory is clear, it’s still “early days” for the business model behind cloud gaming, Justice says. “Some people really do want transaction models, and some people want subscription models,” he says. “I don’t think we will say we will only go with one.”

It could take years to iron out the details. Though consumers would love a gaming model akin to Netflix or Spotify—pay a monthly fee, play titles to your heart’s content—it’s not yet clear that cloud providers have the leverage over game publishers to make that happen. Publishers have seen how platform pressures have changed the business of movies, music, magazines, and more. They don’t want to give up a share of their sales unless they’re certain that there are many more to be had in the long run.

Ubisoft, the French publisher best known for the Assassin’s Creed series, isn’t terribly concerned. “That’s less interesting to us,” says Chris Early, an Ubisoft executive who manages partnerships and revenue. The company in June revealed its own subscription service, called Uplay+, that is playable on personal computers and spans more than 100 titles in its own catalog, including Far Cry and Prince of Persia. It costs $14.99 a month and will also be available on Stadia next year. At this moment, “it makes less sense for a publisher to be part of an aggregated subscription model,” says Early. There are many proposals for how to sustainably monetize cloud gaming, he adds, but it remains unclear “who is going to pay whom.”

For now, publishers are focused on figuring out whether today’s successful titles make sense in the cloud—or whether all-new titles, native to the format, will replace familiar franchises. The interactivity of Twitch and the novelty of so-called freemium mobile games, like Candy Crush, showed that technological leaps could open new paths to gaming engagement. The possibilities that could emerge from running games on the same infrastructure that supports today’s artificial intelligence are something that technologists can only fathom.

“There will probably be evolutions of game design that we can’t even imagine yet,” says Early, “and they’re going to take advantage of the increase of cloud compute.”

Back in Redmond, I stop by Microsoft’s 343 Industries game studio, where employees welcome me to a visitor center—a shrine, really—celebrating the company’s Halo franchise, which has racked up $6 billion in sales since its debut. Statues depicting its heroes and villains tower over my head—a gallery of Greek gods, so to speak, for the gaming set. There are glass museum cases everywhere packed with memorabilia. On one wall is a rack of replicas of the virtual weaponry from the game, as intimidating in person as they appear on the screen. Bright orange tags with the word “prop” hang from their triggers in case someone takes the “incineration cannon” a little too seriously.

Founded in 2007 and named after a Halo character, 343 Industries is one of the older members of the Microsoft game portfolio. Last year alone, Microsoft acquired six game studios; at this year’s E3 industry confab, the company announced that it had picked up one more. Today, its Xbox Game Studios division is a federation of 15 semiautonomous studios that the company believes will be a key asset in the cloud-gaming wars—particularly against Amazon and Google, which lack strong titles of their own.

Not everyone sees it that way. Though Microsoft has won plaudits for successive editions of Halo and the Forza car-racing series, analysts have pointed to the titles’ relative age—Halo debuted in 2001; Forza first appeared four years later—as evidence that Microsoft’s homegrown studios have run out of ideas. “We have work to do there,” acknowledged Spencer, the Microsoft gaming chief. “We haven’t done our best work over the last few years with our first-party output.”

Frames from Halo Infinite, the forthcoming edition of the sci-fi game series, and Forza Horizon 4, a popular car-racing series. Both are published by Microsoft. Courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

That must change if Microsoft, the only video game veteran among the Big Three consumer cloud companies, hopes to maintain its natural advantage against Amazon and Google. After all, in video games, as in other parts of the media industry, content is king—which is why Microsoft’s rivals have moved to hire gaming veterans from top shops such as Electronic Arts (Madden NFL, Need for Speed) and 2K Games (Civilization, NBA 2K20) in an effort to build their own franchises. It is an uncanny echo of the moves by Amazon and Google to build their own premium programming, for Prime and YouTube, respectively, to compete with Netflix.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day. Seven years after establishing a gaming group in 2012, Amazon laid off dozens of game developers as it reorganized itself for a cloud-based future. (Amazon downplayed the news. “Amazon is deeply committed to games and continues to invest heavily in Amazon Game Studios, Twitch, Twitch Prime, AWS, our retail businesses, and other areas within Amazon,” a spokesperson tells Fortune.)

Van Dreunen, the SuperData analyst, believes it will take up to five years before cloud-driven efforts by the Big Three will significantly affect the traditional gaming industry. Until then, look for cloud computing’s leaders to continue investing in their data center infrastructure to support the “gradual rollout” of cloud-gaming services, he says.

Why would Amazon, Google, and Microsoft make so much noise about a future that’s so far away? It’s all a part of the “land and expand” business model familiar to the technology industry, says analyst Pachter: Give a speech, plant a flag, hope that early momentum snowballs into an insurmountable competitive advantage. After all, “Facebook wasn’t a billion-dollar idea until it was,” he says. “Uber wasn’t a billion-dollar idea until it was.”

Microsoft, in particular, has no intention of missing out. The company still regrets losing the mobile war to Google and its Android operating system. (Microsoft “missed being the dominant mobile operating system by a very tiny amount,” cofounder Bill Gates lamented earlier this year.) To underperform in an area where it has a head start of almost two decades would be, in a word, unconscionable.

Time to suit up, then. “We’re in gaming for gaming’s sake,” Nadella says. “It’s not a means to some other end.”

A version of this article appears in the August 2019 issue of Fortune with the headline “Big Tech’s New Street Fight.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Netflix isn’t in trouble without Friends. It just needs to work harder

—Could A24’s The Farewell be this summer’s biggest indie success story?

—Classic rock is reanimating Summer 2019’s movies

—How Marvel pictures the future post Spider-Man and Endgame

—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily

Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.

Credit: Source link

The post Cloud Companies Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Are Competing to Support Video Game Streaming appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/cloud-companies-microsoft-amazon-and-google-are-competing-to-support-video-game-streaming/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cloud-companies-microsoft-amazon-and-google-are-competing-to-support-video-game-streaming from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.tumblr.com/post/186397035327

[reneeacaseyfl]

Cloud Companies Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Are Competing to Support Video Game Streaming

Satya Nadella has grown used to the naysayers. For years, Wall Street analysts questioned why Microsoft, the company famous for its Windows operating system and Office business suite, would waste money on something so seemingly trivial as video games. The calls grew louder when Nadella took the company’s helm in July 2014. Still smarting from his predecessor’s missteps in mobile devices, Nadella promised to steer Microsoft away from consumer distractions and toward its highly lucrative business services. Some even urged Microsoft to exit the gaming business altogether. “Four to five years ago, we and others were calling for them to divest that piece of the business,” says Daniel Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities and a longtime Microsoft observer. That tune has changed: Last year, Microsoft’s gaming revenue—which includes Xbox, Windows games, and a cut of third-party gaming sales—topped $10 billion for the first time.

When I ask Nadella why the company didn’t drop gaming, he chuckles. “There were a lot of things that a lot of people said Microsoft should be doing,” he says. “If I listened to everything that everybody else on the outside asks me to do, there would be very little innovation in this company.”

To be fair, in years past, Nadella had been hesitant to call gaming business core to Microsoft’s overall strategy. Despite its success, gaming represents about a tenth of Microsoft’s annual revenue. Cloud-computing growth is a big reason that the company’s market capitalization topped $1 trillion this year; its “intelligent cloud” unit, which includes its Azure cloud-computing service, generates as much revenue in a quarter as the gaming group generates in a year. (Hasta la vista, Halo!)

But what if you could hitch gaming’s fortunes to Microsoft’s potent cloud engine? Well, now you’re talking. Nadella’s blockbuster $2.5 billion acquisition of the enormously popular world-building game Minecraft in 2014 was a “bit of a head-scratcher” when it was first announced, says analyst Ives, but it’s now clear that the CEO was “planting the seed of how he viewed gaming as part of the broader business.” Microsoft wouldn’t just retain video games. Much as the company managed with Windows and Office, it would use the flywheel of its cloud-computing infrastructure to dramatically boost the scale of its gaming business—and the fortunes of every video game publisher it works with—far beyond what was previously possible.

Today, gaming is unquestionably “core”; in late 2017, Nadella elevated gaming lead Phil Spencer to the company’s executive leadership team to underscore the point. And executives are bullish on the prospects of cloud-driven gameplay. Julia White, who leads product management for Microsoft’s cloud platform, estimates that the business of selling Azure services to video game publishers is worth $70 billion—about as much as publicly traded transportation darling Uber. Most of today’s Internet-connected video games are developed in, and operated from, private data centers run by game publishers, she says. Technology trends in other industries suggest that won’t last. “Even though game developers are in a very different business,” she says, “they face the same trials and tribulations of a commercial bank or a retail company going to the cloud.”

To the cloudmaster go the spoils: In January, the Xbox maker shocked the gaming world by landing longtime console adversary Sony (of PlayStation fame) as an Azure customer with a promise to collaborate on future unspecified gaming projects. It was as if General Motors and Ford had announced a partnership to take on Tesla—an unmistakable sign that the competitive landscape would rapidly and dramatically change.

It was also an indication that Nadella’s mission for Microsoft would be more expansive than it originally appeared. When I ask him why Microsoft is working so hard to build a consumer entertainment service when it has positioned itself as an enterprise software company, he replies, “It’s a bigger business, right? It’s bigger than any other segment. Why would I not do gaming? It fits with what we do. It has connective tissue to the common platform. We have a point of view that what we can do is unique.”

The problem: so does every other player in this game.

For 39,000 viewers tuned into Twitch, Elvis might as well have entered the building. Richard Tyler Blevins, the 28-year-old celebrity “streamer” known to fans by his moniker Ninja, has logged on to the service to play a few public rounds of the popular “battle royale” game Fortnite with his buddy. As his avatar runs and leaps through the game’s virtual environment, weapon in hand, Blevins barks commands like an NFL quarterback at the snap—and his Twitch viewers hang on every mundanity. Their comments rush by in the chat window accompanying Ninja’s feed. Some viewers respond to every move Blevins’s character makes (“get that delay ninja”); others practically ignore the show to talk among themselves. (One thread of conversation among many: Why Finding Nemo was a “pretty good” Pixar movie.)

In other words, just another day on Twitch. Viewers—overwhelmingly male and mostly 34 or younger—watched a breathtaking 9.36 billion hours of gameplay on the platform last year, according to estimates by production company StreamElements. Twitch launched in 2011 as a spinoff of streaming video site ­Justin.tv, a pioneer in user-­generated content. In 2014, Amazon reportedly spent $970 million to acquire the site, besting YouTube-owner Google in a bidding war. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimates that Twitch brought in $400 million in revenue last year.

Twitch, which is housed in Amazon Web Services, the online retailer’s cloud-computing unit, has rapidly become a cornerstone of the company’s broader video gaming strategy. AWS, as Amazon Web Services is known, is already selling computing resources and developer tools to video game publishers. It’s also rumored to be working on a service that would allow it to stream video games themselves rather than merely video of people playing them. (The company declined to comment, though recent job listings for technical roles for “an unannounced AAA games business” suggest its intentions. Like minor league baseball, “AAA” denotes the highest level of play in terms of budget and production.)

Bonnie Ross, head of Microsoft-owned game studio 343 Industries, mugs with a statue of Master Chief, the protagonist of its Halo series, at the studio’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Photo by Chona Kasinger

Two major milestones in the gaming industry set the stage for a cloudy future. The first: The massive success of Epic Games’ Fortnite, which brought in an estimated $2.4 billion in sales last year and now claims 250 million registered players. Fortnite demonstrated that “cross-platform” games, playable across competing devices from Microsoft, Sony, Apple, and others, could amass audiences far larger than those of the previous era, when titles were limited to specific ecosystems. “Fortnite was critical in getting the message across to all platforms that they have to lower the barrier of entry to their respective walled gardens,” says Joost van Dreunen, head of games for market researcher SuperData.

The second? Twitch. The service demonstrated that people were just as happy to watch and cheer people playing games—call it the kid-sibling phenomenon—as they were to play the games themselves. That kind of interactivity proved that engagement and gameplay were not one and the same. The dynamic expands the addressable viewership for a given title. “Viewing is eclipsing gaming, and a lot of youth of today would say they played the game when they really viewed the game,” says Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, the Microsoft studio that develops Halo.

For Microsoft’s part, the company never saw the spectatorship aspect coming. “Amazon has Microsoft on a treadmill,” a former executive says. Two years after Amazon bought Twitch, Microsoft acquired competing service Beam for an undisclosed amount. Rechristened Mixer, it has become the means by which Xbox customers can watch one another play games, logging 39.6 million hours of viewing in 2018, per StreamElements—a whopping 179% more than the previous year but still a distant third to Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube Live.

The summer sun blazes above the thousands of coders assembled for Google’s ­annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, Calif., but the anxiety on display in the long line has little to do with the weather. The event’s attendees, who base their livelihoods on building software for as many users as possible, are keen to hear Google’s sales pitch for why they should create games for Stadia, an experimental cloud-gaming service that the search giant promises to debut in November.

Like most Silicon Valley presentations, the executives onstage overwhelm with ambitious assurances of technical prowess. Stadia’s complex cloud architecture will prevent the nasty networking hiccups that cause online gamers to throw down their controllers in frustration, Google’s representatives say. All gamers will need to do is open a tab in the Chrome web browser; with just a few clicks, they can play a high-speed, high-resolution title such as ­Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Like their counterparts at Microsoft and Amazon, Google brass believe their vast data center empire gives them an edge on the technical demands of streaming high-end video game titles without interruption. Like its peers, Google has encouraged its consumer gaming and enterprise cloud groups to work together to ensure Stadia launches without the problems that have traditionally plagued online games.

Thomas Kurian, a longtime Oracle executive who is now chief executive of Google’s cloud business, says the company’s enterprise engineers built the networking technology that powers Stadia. Cloud gaming is a way for Google to penetrate a ­multibillion-dollar industry, Kurian says. “Our hope is that it’s expanding the market, not just being a replacement market,” he says. “For every person in the world that games on a professional desktop, there are probably three who can’t afford one.”

In other words: Why fight over a quarter of the market when the rest is greenfield? John Justice, a Microsoft veteran who now leads product development for Google Stadia, agrees. Gamers no longer want to “buy an expensive box every few years,” he says. Stadia, and services like it, are more accessible destinations to engage with games without the high barriers of entry found in the traditional console market.

Even the pricing plays a part: Though Stadia’s $129 bundle plus $9.99 monthly subscription has already been announced, Google says it is also evaluating a free version, with lower-quality graphics, that would debut later. Though the technological trajectory is clear, it’s still “early days” for the business model behind cloud gaming, Justice says. “Some people really do want transaction models, and some people want subscription models,” he says. “I don’t think we will say we will only go with one.”

It could take years to iron out the details. Though consumers would love a gaming model akin to Netflix or Spotify—pay a monthly fee, play titles to your heart’s content—it’s not yet clear that cloud providers have the leverage over game publishers to make that happen. Publishers have seen how platform pressures have changed the business of movies, music, magazines, and more. They don’t want to give up a share of their sales unless they’re certain that there are many more to be had in the long run.

Ubisoft, the French publisher best known for the Assassin’s Creed series, isn’t terribly concerned. “That’s less interesting to us,” says Chris Early, an Ubisoft executive who manages partnerships and revenue. The company in June revealed its own subscription service, called Uplay+, that is playable on personal computers and spans more than 100 titles in its own catalog, including Far Cry and Prince of Persia. It costs $14.99 a month and will also be available on Stadia next year. At this moment, “it makes less sense for a publisher to be part of an aggregated subscription model,” says Early. There are many proposals for how to sustainably monetize cloud gaming, he adds, but it remains unclear “who is going to pay whom.”

For now, publishers are focused on figuring out whether today’s successful titles make sense in the cloud—or whether all-new titles, native to the format, will replace familiar franchises. The interactivity of Twitch and the novelty of so-called freemium mobile games, like Candy Crush, showed that technological leaps could open new paths to gaming engagement. The possibilities that could emerge from running games on the same infrastructure that supports today’s artificial intelligence are something that technologists can only fathom.

“There will probably be evolutions of game design that we can’t even imagine yet,” says Early, “and they’re going to take advantage of the increase of cloud compute.”

Back in Redmond, I stop by Microsoft’s 343 Industries game studio, where employees welcome me to a visitor center—a shrine, really—celebrating the company’s Halo franchise, which has racked up $6 billion in sales since its debut. Statues depicting its heroes and villains tower over my head—a gallery of Greek gods, so to speak, for the gaming set. There are glass museum cases everywhere packed with memorabilia. On one wall is a rack of replicas of the virtual weaponry from the game, as intimidating in person as they appear on the screen. Bright orange tags with the word “prop” hang from their triggers in case someone takes the “incineration cannon” a little too seriously.

Founded in 2007 and named after a Halo character, 343 Industries is one of the older members of the Microsoft game portfolio. Last year alone, Microsoft acquired six game studios; at this year’s E3 industry confab, the company announced that it had picked up one more. Today, its Xbox Game Studios division is a federation of 15 semiautonomous studios that the company believes will be a key asset in the cloud-gaming wars—particularly against Amazon and Google, which lack strong titles of their own.

Not everyone sees it that way. Though Microsoft has won plaudits for successive editions of Halo and the Forza car-racing series, analysts have pointed to the titles’ relative age—Halo debuted in 2001; Forza first appeared four years later—as evidence that Microsoft’s homegrown studios have run out of ideas. “We have work to do there,” acknowledged Spencer, the Microsoft gaming chief. “We haven’t done our best work over the last few years with our first-party output.”

Frames from Halo Infinite, the forthcoming edition of the sci-fi game series, and Forza Horizon 4, a popular car-racing series. Both are published by Microsoft. Courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

That must change if Microsoft, the only video game veteran among the Big Three consumer cloud companies, hopes to maintain its natural advantage against Amazon and Google. After all, in video games, as in other parts of the media industry, content is king—which is why Microsoft’s rivals have moved to hire gaming veterans from top shops such as Electronic Arts (Madden NFL, Need for Speed) and 2K Games (Civilization, NBA 2K20) in an effort to build their own franchises. It is an uncanny echo of the moves by Amazon and Google to build their own premium programming, for Prime and YouTube, respectively, to compete with Netflix.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day. Seven years after establishing a gaming group in 2012, Amazon laid off dozens of game developers as it reorganized itself for a cloud-based future. (Amazon downplayed the news. “Amazon is deeply committed to games and continues to invest heavily in Amazon Game Studios, Twitch, Twitch Prime, AWS, our retail businesses, and other areas within Amazon,” a spokesperson tells Fortune.)

Van Dreunen, the SuperData analyst, believes it will take up to five years before cloud-driven efforts by the Big Three will significantly affect the traditional gaming industry. Until then, look for cloud computing’s leaders to continue investing in their data center infrastructure to support the “gradual rollout” of cloud-gaming services, he says.

Why would Amazon, Google, and Microsoft make so much noise about a future that’s so far away? It’s all a part of the “land and expand” business model familiar to the technology industry, says analyst Pachter: Give a speech, plant a flag, hope that early momentum snowballs into an insurmountable competitive advantage. After all, “Facebook wasn’t a billion-dollar idea until it was,” he says. “Uber wasn’t a billion-dollar idea until it was.”

Microsoft, in particular, has no intention of missing out. The company still regrets losing the mobile war to Google and its Android operating system. (Microsoft “missed being the dominant mobile operating system by a very tiny amount,” cofounder Bill Gates lamented earlier this year.) To underperform in an area where it has a head start of almost two decades would be, in a word, unconscionable.

Time to suit up, then. “We’re in gaming for gaming’s sake,” Nadella says. “It’s not a means to some other end.”

A version of this article appears in the August 2019 issue of Fortune with the headline “Big Tech’s New Street Fight.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Netflix isn’t in trouble without Friends. It just needs to work harder

—Could A24’s The Farewell be this summer’s biggest indie success story?

—Classic rock is reanimating Summer 2019’s movies

—How Marvel pictures the future post Spider-Man and Endgame

—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily

Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.

Credit: Source link

The post Cloud Companies Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Are Competing to Support Video Game Streaming appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/cloud-companies-microsoft-amazon-and-google-are-competing-to-support-video-game-streaming/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cloud-companies-microsoft-amazon-and-google-are-competing-to-support-video-game-streaming from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.tumblr.com/post/186397035327

[weeklyreviewer]

Cloud Companies Microsoft, Amazon, and Google Are Competing to Support Video Game Streaming

Satya Nadella has grown used to the naysayers. For years, Wall Street analysts questioned why Microsoft, the company famous for its Windows operating system and Office business suite, would waste money on something so seemingly trivial as video games. The calls grew louder when Nadella took the company’s helm in July 2014. Still smarting from his predecessor’s missteps in mobile devices, Nadella promised to steer Microsoft away from consumer distractions and toward its highly lucrative business services. Some even urged Microsoft to exit the gaming business altogether. “Four to five years ago, we and others were calling for them to divest that piece of the business,” says Daniel Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities and a longtime Microsoft observer. That tune has changed: Last year, Microsoft’s gaming revenue—which includes Xbox, Windows games, and a cut of third-party gaming sales—topped $10 billion for the first time.

When I ask Nadella why the company didn’t drop gaming, he chuckles. “There were a lot of things that a lot of people said Microsoft should be doing,” he says. “If I listened to everything that everybody else on the outside asks me to do, there would be very little innovation in this company.”

To be fair, in years past, Nadella had been hesitant to call gaming business core to Microsoft’s overall strategy. Despite its success, gaming represents about a tenth of Microsoft’s annual revenue. Cloud-computing growth is a big reason that the company’s market capitalization topped $1 trillion this year; its “intelligent cloud” unit, which includes its Azure cloud-computing service, generates as much revenue in a quarter as the gaming group generates in a year. (Hasta la vista, Halo!)

But what if you could hitch gaming’s fortunes to Microsoft’s potent cloud engine? Well, now you’re talking. Nadella’s blockbuster $2.5 billion acquisition of the enormously popular world-building game Minecraft in 2014 was a “bit of a head-scratcher” when it was first announced, says analyst Ives, but it’s now clear that the CEO was “planting the seed of how he viewed gaming as part of the broader business.” Microsoft wouldn’t just retain video games. Much as the company managed with Windows and Office, it would use the flywheel of its cloud-computing infrastructure to dramatically boost the scale of its gaming business—and the fortunes of every video game publisher it works with—far beyond what was previously possible.

Today, gaming is unquestionably “core”; in late 2017, Nadella elevated gaming lead Phil Spencer to the company’s executive leadership team to underscore the point. And executives are bullish on the prospects of cloud-driven gameplay. Julia White, who leads product management for Microsoft’s cloud platform, estimates that the business of selling Azure services to video game publishers is worth $70 billion—about as much as publicly traded transportation darling Uber. Most of today’s Internet-connected video games are developed in, and operated from, private data centers run by game publishers, she says. Technology trends in other industries suggest that won’t last. “Even though game developers are in a very different business,” she says, “they face the same trials and tribulations of a commercial bank or a retail company going to the cloud.”

To the cloudmaster go the spoils: In January, the Xbox maker shocked the gaming world by landing longtime console adversary Sony (of PlayStation fame) as an Azure customer with a promise to collaborate on future unspecified gaming projects. It was as if General Motors and Ford had announced a partnership to take on Tesla—an unmistakable sign that the competitive landscape would rapidly and dramatically change.

It was also an indication that Nadella’s mission for Microsoft would be more expansive than it originally appeared. When I ask him why Microsoft is working so hard to build a consumer entertainment service when it has positioned itself as an enterprise software company, he replies, “It’s a bigger business, right? It’s bigger than any other segment. Why would I not do gaming? It fits with what we do. It has connective tissue to the common platform. We have a point of view that what we can do is unique.”

The problem: so does every other player in this game.

For 39,000 viewers tuned into Twitch, Elvis might as well have entered the building. Richard Tyler Blevins, the 28-year-old celebrity “streamer” known to fans by his moniker Ninja, has logged on to the service to play a few public rounds of the popular “battle royale” game Fortnite with his buddy. As his avatar runs and leaps through the game’s virtual environment, weapon in hand, Blevins barks commands like an NFL quarterback at the snap—and his Twitch viewers hang on every mundanity. Their comments rush by in the chat window accompanying Ninja’s feed. Some viewers respond to every move Blevins’s character makes (“get that delay ninja”); others practically ignore the show to talk among themselves. (One thread of conversation among many: Why Finding Nemo was a “pretty good” Pixar movie.)

In other words, just another day on Twitch. Viewers—overwhelmingly male and mostly 34 or younger—watched a breathtaking 9.36 billion hours of gameplay on the platform last year, according to estimates by production company StreamElements. Twitch launched in 2011 as a spinoff of streaming video site ­Justin.tv, a pioneer in user-­generated content. In 2014, Amazon reportedly spent $970 million to acquire the site, besting YouTube-owner Google in a bidding war. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimates that Twitch brought in $400 million in revenue last year.

Twitch, which is housed in Amazon Web Services, the online retailer’s cloud-computing unit, has rapidly become a cornerstone of the company’s broader video gaming strategy. AWS, as Amazon Web Services is known, is already selling computing resources and developer tools to video game publishers. It’s also rumored to be working on a service that would allow it to stream video games themselves rather than merely video of people playing them. (The company declined to comment, though recent job listings for technical roles for “an unannounced AAA games business” suggest its intentions. Like minor league baseball, “AAA” denotes the highest level of play in terms of budget and production.)

Bonnie Ross, head of Microsoft-owned game studio 343 Industries, mugs with a statue of Master Chief, the protagonist of its Halo series, at the studio’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash. Photo by Chona Kasinger

Two major milestones in the gaming industry set the stage for a cloudy future. The first: The massive success of Epic Games’ Fortnite, which brought in an estimated $2.4 billion in sales last year and now claims 250 million registered players. Fortnite demonstrated that “cross-platform” games, playable across competing devices from Microsoft, Sony, Apple, and others, could amass audiences far larger than those of the previous era, when titles were limited to specific ecosystems. “Fortnite was critical in getting the message across to all platforms that they have to lower the barrier of entry to their respective walled gardens,” says Joost van Dreunen, head of games for market researcher SuperData.

The second? Twitch. The service demonstrated that people were just as happy to watch and cheer people playing games—call it the kid-sibling phenomenon—as they were to play the games themselves. That kind of interactivity proved that engagement and gameplay were not one and the same. The dynamic expands the addressable viewership for a given title. “Viewing is eclipsing gaming, and a lot of youth of today would say they played the game when they really viewed the game,” says Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries, the Microsoft studio that develops Halo.

For Microsoft’s part, the company never saw the spectatorship aspect coming. “Amazon has Microsoft on a treadmill,” a former executive says. Two years after Amazon bought Twitch, Microsoft acquired competing service Beam for an undisclosed amount. Rechristened Mixer, it has become the means by which Xbox customers can watch one another play games, logging 39.6 million hours of viewing in 2018, per StreamElements—a whopping 179% more than the previous year but still a distant third to Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube Live.

The summer sun blazes above the thousands of coders assembled for Google’s ­annual I/O developer conference in Mountain View, Calif., but the anxiety on display in the long line has little to do with the weather. The event’s attendees, who base their livelihoods on building software for as many users as possible, are keen to hear Google’s sales pitch for why they should create games for Stadia, an experimental cloud-gaming service that the search giant promises to debut in November.

Like most Silicon Valley presentations, the executives onstage overwhelm with ambitious assurances of technical prowess. Stadia’s complex cloud architecture will prevent the nasty networking hiccups that cause online gamers to throw down their controllers in frustration, Google’s representatives say. All gamers will need to do is open a tab in the Chrome web browser; with just a few clicks, they can play a high-speed, high-resolution title such as ­Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Like their counterparts at Microsoft and Amazon, Google brass believe their vast data center empire gives them an edge on the technical demands of streaming high-end video game titles without interruption. Like its peers, Google has encouraged its consumer gaming and enterprise cloud groups to work together to ensure Stadia launches without the problems that have traditionally plagued online games.

Thomas Kurian, a longtime Oracle executive who is now chief executive of Google’s cloud business, says the company’s enterprise engineers built the networking technology that powers Stadia. Cloud gaming is a way for Google to penetrate a ­multibillion-dollar industry, Kurian says. “Our hope is that it’s expanding the market, not just being a replacement market,” he says. “For every person in the world that games on a professional desktop, there are probably three who can’t afford one.”

In other words: Why fight over a quarter of the market when the rest is greenfield? John Justice, a Microsoft veteran who now leads product development for Google Stadia, agrees. Gamers no longer want to “buy an expensive box every few years,” he says. Stadia, and services like it, are more accessible destinations to engage with games without the high barriers of entry found in the traditional console market.

Even the pricing plays a part: Though Stadia’s $129 bundle plus $9.99 monthly subscription has already been announced, Google says it is also evaluating a free version, with lower-quality graphics, that would debut later. Though the technological trajectory is clear, it’s still “early days” for the business model behind cloud gaming, Justice says. “Some people really do want transaction models, and some people want subscription models,” he says. “I don’t think we will say we will only go with one.”

It could take years to iron out the details. Though consumers would love a gaming model akin to Netflix or Spotify—pay a monthly fee, play titles to your heart’s content—it’s not yet clear that cloud providers have the leverage over game publishers to make that happen. Publishers have seen how platform pressures have changed the business of movies, music, magazines, and more. They don’t want to give up a share of their sales unless they’re certain that there are many more to be had in the long run.

Ubisoft, the French publisher best known for the Assassin’s Creed series, isn’t terribly concerned. “That’s less interesting to us,” says Chris Early, an Ubisoft executive who manages partnerships and revenue. The company in June revealed its own subscription service, called Uplay+, that is playable on personal computers and spans more than 100 titles in its own catalog, including Far Cry and Prince of Persia. It costs $14.99 a month and will also be available on Stadia next year. At this moment, “it makes less sense for a publisher to be part of an aggregated subscription model,” says Early. There are many proposals for how to sustainably monetize cloud gaming, he adds, but it remains unclear “who is going to pay whom.”

For now, publishers are focused on figuring out whether today’s successful titles make sense in the cloud—or whether all-new titles, native to the format, will replace familiar franchises. The interactivity of Twitch and the novelty of so-called freemium mobile games, like Candy Crush, showed that technological leaps could open new paths to gaming engagement. The possibilities that could emerge from running games on the same infrastructure that supports today’s artificial intelligence are something that technologists can only fathom.

“There will probably be evolutions of game design that we can’t even imagine yet,” says Early, “and they’re going to take advantage of the increase of cloud compute.”

Back in Redmond, I stop by Microsoft’s 343 Industries game studio, where employees welcome me to a visitor center—a shrine, really—celebrating the company’s Halo franchise, which has racked up $6 billion in sales since its debut. Statues depicting its heroes and villains tower over my head—a gallery of Greek gods, so to speak, for the gaming set. There are glass museum cases everywhere packed with memorabilia. On one wall is a rack of replicas of the virtual weaponry from the game, as intimidating in person as they appear on the screen. Bright orange tags with the word “prop” hang from their triggers in case someone takes the “incineration cannon” a little too seriously.

Founded in 2007 and named after a Halo character, 343 Industries is one of the older members of the Microsoft game portfolio. Last year alone, Microsoft acquired six game studios; at this year’s E3 industry confab, the company announced that it had picked up one more. Today, its Xbox Game Studios division is a federation of 15 semiautonomous studios that the company believes will be a key asset in the cloud-gaming wars—particularly against Amazon and Google, which lack strong titles of their own.

Not everyone sees it that way. Though Microsoft has won plaudits for successive editions of Halo and the Forza car-racing series, analysts have pointed to the titles’ relative age—Halo debuted in 2001; Forza first appeared four years later—as evidence that Microsoft’s homegrown studios have run out of ideas. “We have work to do there,” acknowledged Spencer, the Microsoft gaming chief. “We haven’t done our best work over the last few years with our first-party output.”

Frames from Halo Infinite, the forthcoming edition of the sci-fi game series, and Forza Horizon 4, a popular car-racing series. Both are published by Microsoft. Courtesy of Xbox Game Studios

That must change if Microsoft, the only video game veteran among the Big Three consumer cloud companies, hopes to maintain its natural advantage against Amazon and Google. After all, in video games, as in other parts of the media industry, content is king—which is why Microsoft’s rivals have moved to hire gaming veterans from top shops such as Electronic Arts (Madden NFL, Need for Speed) and 2K Games (Civilization, NBA 2K20) in an effort to build their own franchises. It is an uncanny echo of the moves by Amazon and Google to build their own premium programming, for Prime and YouTube, respectively, to compete with Netflix.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day. Seven years after establishing a gaming group in 2012, Amazon laid off dozens of game developers as it reorganized itself for a cloud-based future. (Amazon downplayed the news. “Amazon is deeply committed to games and continues to invest heavily in Amazon Game Studios, Twitch, Twitch Prime, AWS, our retail businesses, and other areas within Amazon,” a spokesperson tells Fortune.)

Van Dreunen, the SuperData analyst, believes it will take up to five years before cloud-driven efforts by the Big Three will significantly affect the traditional gaming industry. Until then, look for cloud computing’s leaders to continue investing in their data center infrastructure to support the “gradual rollout” of cloud-gaming services, he says.

Why would Amazon, Google, and Microsoft make so much noise about a future that’s so far away? It’s all a part of the “land and expand” business model familiar to the technology industry, says analyst Pachter: Give a speech, plant a flag, hope that early momentum snowballs into an insurmountable competitive advantage. After all, “Facebook wasn’t a billion-dollar idea until it was,” he says. “Uber wasn’t a billion-dollar idea until it was.”

Microsoft, in particular, has no intention of missing out. The company still regrets losing the mobile war to Google and its Android operating system. (Microsoft “missed being the dominant mobile operating system by a very tiny amount,” cofounder Bill Gates lamented earlier this year.) To underperform in an area where it has a head start of almost two decades would be, in a word, unconscionable.

Time to suit up, then. “We’re in gaming for gaming’s sake,” Nadella says. “It’s not a means to some other end.”

A version of this article appears in the August 2019 issue of Fortune with the headline “Big Tech’s New Street Fight.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Netflix isn’t in trouble without Friends. It just needs to work harder

—Could A24’s The Farewell be this summer’s biggest indie success story?

—Classic rock is reanimating Summer 2019’s movies

—How Marvel pictures the future post Spider-Man and Endgame

—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily

Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.

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[therealestatesparkblog]

No, You Are NOT Going Too Far in Pursuit of Financial Independence

I was talking to my buddy and co-worker Craig Curelop recently. It was about 7:00 p.m., and we were having one of our not-infrequent discussions about financial freedom late after work. As usual, Craig was cooking dinner at the office after his workout. I suspect that he was cooking here in an effort to save money on electricity that hed otherwise have to use to cook at home (I cant even tell if Im joking about that or not). I was just here late, trying to catch up on emails. For some time, wed been having a debate about his approach to attaining early financial freedom. I was claiming that Craig goes too far in his pursuit of financial freedom. Craig was politely dismissing my claim and insisting that he was perfectly happy with his situation. Craigs Obsession with Financial Freedom Now, I think I have some good reasons to think that Craig is going pretty hardcore in pursuit of early financial freedom. He does a LOT. Craig house hacksin a house that is eerily similar to the property I first bought back in 2014my first house hack. His home is just a few blocks away from my property, but a bit newer and nicer. Craig, however, gets a far better financial return from his investment than I did and will likely do better with his investment than me over time, even though I bought an investment that has better numbers as a traditional rental property. How does he do this? Simplehe rents out his bedroom on Airbnb and sleeps on the futon in the living room! Craig bikes to workevery day. Thirty degrees and snowing like it is on the day I write this? Craig is still on his bike. Craig rents out his car on Turo, netting positive every month on vehicle expenses. Craig does not eat sugar. Craig does not consume alcohol. Craig is involved in extra-curriculars like Toastmasters in an effort to constantly improve himself. Craig reads incessantly. Craig hang-dries his clothes to save money on electricity. Craig gets up at 5:30 a.m. each morning to pursue his goals. Craig meets investors and potential contacts multiple times per week. Craig has literally optimized almost every part of his life in pursuit of early financial freedom. Is this too much? I certainly thought so at firstand I told him so. I thought so until our conversation the other night, when I suddenly remembered what I did to jumpstart my journey to financial freedom.

Related: 7 Daily Habits of Real Estate Investors Who Seek Financial Freedom My Obsession with Financial Freedom See, when I got started on this journey, the term house hacking (but certainly not the concept, which has been around forever) had just been invented by Brandon Turner in this article. The concept of biking to work was completely foreign to me. In fact, every single person I had ever even heard of (excluding the 40-year-old virgin) drove to work or took public transit. Riding a bike had just had not presented itself as an option until I began reading a blog called Mr. Money Mustache (one of my favorite blogs of all time). In spite of friends and family who thought I was crazy, I bought a house hack. I took this Mr. Money Mustache guys advice and biked to work. I read over 100 personal finance, business, psychology, and career-related books. I quit a stable, hard-earned job with middling corporate opportunity to pursue a highly risky job at a startup. I networked with investors all over the city. I tried to get up early to pursue a version of the Miracle Morning even though I hated it and am a night owl. I cooked all of my own meals and almost never consumed anything that even approached unhealthy. I kept a daily log. I even hung dry my laundry instead of installing a dryer. I did this for years. I still do much of this. I dont regret it one bit. In fact, looking back, I wish Id been more like Craigmore obsessed, more (not less) productive. You Dont Have to Be Perfect Forever! The reason I initially thought that Craig was doing too much was that I am currently growing soft. Nowadays, I still house hack. I bike to work, but much less frequently, and often on a custom built e-bike that I put together over the summer that is pretty awesome. This is partly due to a nasty foot injuryI suspect I will resume with biking more regularly on the road bike as the foot continues to improve and the weather gets nicer in the spring of 2018. I cook less and eat out a few times per month. I love Chinese food and am willing to splurge on it now a bit. I enjoy dates at casual restaurants with my girlfriend. I have a dryer. I still spend very little compared with your average American, but its creeping up a bit. I sometimes forget that Ineeded to do the hardcore things that Craig is currently doing to get where I am. Are they things that I want to do for the next 50 years? Are they things that Im even still doing today? No, not all of them. Am I proud that I did them and happy that they contributed to my current position? Absolutely. But the point of all of this is that I can afford to bring some luxuries back into my life now. I have enough passive income to purchase some of these things and still get ahead. And while my passive income more than pays for my lifestyle as things stand, it is not yet enough to comfortably fund the life I could see myself wanting in the futurea life that will involve fewer still of these optimizations. As my portfolio continues to grow over the next few years, I see a more permanent house in my future. I see potential pets. I see a very nice, large kitchen and a significantly improved bathroom in a future residence compared to my present situation. I see some luxuries that Id truly enjoy, like maybe a backyard or garage filled with home gym equipment (purchased second-hand via Craigslist, of course). I see myself gradually approaching a lifestyle that anyone would call middle or upper-middle class. But Ill be able to live that lifestyle at extremely low cost, with minimal waste, and fund it entirely with a surplus from real estate cash flow. This result will unfold gradually, as I consistently increase my passive income in the coming years. And this is possible solely because of the optimization that I implemented in the past and am continuing to ride in the present. Im starting to get soft, and I may well continue to soften in the future. To plan on living an entire life of perfect optimization would defeat the purpose of pursuing financial freedom. I seek bit by bit to build the exact life I wantand to only increase my standard of living in proportion to my passive incomeand never in excess to the point where I will grow fat and lazy. Im willing to go without some of the things I eventually aspire to in order to make that dream a reality. Craig has a similar vision. Craig will not be living on a futon forever. As his wealth grows, as he eliminates his student loans, and as these choices become less and less meaningful to his financial position, I am certain that Craig will cool it a bit. Related: The Surprisingly Simple Secret to Financial Freedom Most 9 to 5-ers Overlook Once you are at a point where you feel that you can ease off the gas pedal, do it. Do it in certain areas that are most meaningful to you. As your passive income increases and covers your living expenses you can stop making the sacrifices that everyone thinks Craig and I are making! But What About Living in the Present? Notice, however, that neither Craig nor I give up or gave up certain things that are universally accepted as important to a well-lived life. Like travel. Like nights out with friends. Like attending sporting events. Like visiting family. Like attending life events of those we are close with. Like volunteering in the community. Those are the things we associate with living. Craig does not go too far in his pursuit of early financial freedom. Craig is one of the healthiest, most well-adjusted folks I know. In spite of his unforgivable love of Boston sports teams, including the New England Patriots, he is a genuinely funny guy, a hard worker, and has friends who come to visit him from all over the country. Craig is doing this whole thing exactly right and will enjoy experiences comparable to every other 20-something in Denver over the next few years, based on his interests. The only real differences between him and the rest of the pack are that he will arrive where he is going on his bicycle, and he will rest his head at night on a futon instead of in a bedroom. He says these things do not affect his happiness. And I believe him. How could they? I believe that Craig has some of the highest odds of anyone I know of achieving a $1,000,000 net worth by the age of 30. You might look at Craig and think, Thats crazy I could never do what he does and sleep on the couch while renting out my bed! But I challenge you to see things from the other perspectivefrom Craigs perspective and mine. Is it crazy to build that much wealth that early in life? Is it crazy to enjoy the same recreational activities as your peers, yet come out way ahead financially? Is it crazy to create a life that is healthier, more fun, costs less, and sets you up for greater career success or income generation? Is Craig crazy? Am I crazy? Or is everyone else crazy?

You Need to Get Obsessed with Optimizing Your Life, Too! Almost every day since I started optimizing my life, my life has gotten better. Ive become healthier, wealthier, stronger, happier, a better skier, a better rugby player, and more in tune with my family. Ive experienced career accomplishments. Ive since met a wonderful girl who Ive dated for a year and half and love very much, and I have what I consider to be a pretty good, fun-filled life. I believe that this progression of events is not unique to Craig and me. Almost everyone I know who has gone on to achieve financial freedom at an extremely early age, who has accumulated a large amount of wealth in a short period of time, or who has started a successful business has done some version of aggressive, all-out optimization in pursuit of their goals. Maybe successful folks didnt sleep on a futon or even house hack. But you can be sure that they devote outsized time, in the beginning, to getting some kind of venture off the ground. You can be sure that they earn more than they spendby a lot. You can be sure that they become obsessed with the success of the venture theyre involved in. Every blogger on this site is obsessed with their craft. They study it relentlessly for years. You need to develop the same healthy obsession with your goals as well. No one has come to me and said they regret these types of choices. No one regrets giving a worthy goal their best efforts. And even if they do, in most cases, choices like these are easily reversible. You can always stop reading, stop networking, stop biking, and stop house hacking if you decide its not for you. Craig can simply stop listing his room on Airbnb tomorrow if he wants and live at a lower cost than almost every American, in the heart of an expensive city at that! Yes, folks can build a million-dollar net worth as middle-class wage earners over a period of decades. Thats not hard and can be achieved automatically, with merely sane spending habits, buying a reasonable home, and contributing to a 401(k). Im not talking about achieving this result. I dont write for folks looking to achieve this result. I seek to help people trying to achieve early financial freedom in a fraction of that time. And to do that, you need to become obsessed. And if you truly want to give yourself the best chance at achieving this goal rapidly, you need to optimize with a passion and zeal. The part of the journey that Craig is currently in is the part that so many more of you readers need to undergo to truly jumpstart your journey to financial freedom. This should be the fun part. Its where you really make the changes necessary to become successful. Ive met dozens of people who are undertaking this journey and house hacking (yes, with kids) in the bottom units of up/down duplexes. Ive met people who have begun biking to work. Ive met people who read relentlessly or who take action day after day in pursuit of success with their career or side hustle. For the first time in years, many of them are excited to take on life. They identify the correct opportunity, the opportunity that offers them a real shot at achieving their goals, and they pursue it 100 percent, with their best efforts, for years. Dont mistake these folks for the outliers. The folks who achieve financial freedom rapidly without making optimized choices in almost every area of lifechoices that increase their wealth, productivity, and happinessare the exception, not the rule. Conclusion Look, I totally understand that Craigs approachor even my approachmay not be something that you want for your entire life. Frankly, I DO NOT plan to house hack in perpetuity, and I am reasonably sure that at some point Craig will move on from his futon to a bed, then a house that he eventually wants to reside in semi-permanently. The whole point of this is not to live like this forever. It is to do it as long as necessary to achieve your goals. The point is to create and execute a plan to create the life you want and then live that life exactly as you want, as the person in nearly complete control, forever after. And along the way, youll probably find that many of these sacrifices are actually all-around improvements in your day and lifestyle! Im not trying to convince you to live on a futon. Im trying to tell you that doing so will not impact your happiness if you go in with the right mindset. And that it is not and should not be a permanent state of affairs. Im trying to tell you that choices like that are the ones that increase your odds of accumulating money and freeing up time with which to pursue big income and investment opportunities unavailable to folks with tiny savings rates and no free time. You may think that Im strange for biking to work, making my own meals, and living in a house hack. You may think Craig is strange for renting out his bed and car, sleeping on a futon, and biking to work. But to us, this life is better than an alternative that involves long commutes, being handcuffed to a mortgage, and engaging in unhealthy or unproductive behaviors that dont produce results or fond memories! And in five, 10, or 20 years, the folks who make choices like this are more likely than not to be multimillionaires with multiple properties and multiple sources of income. Dave Ramsey famously says, Live like no else now so later you can live like no one else. The implication of this is that you have to give up happiness and sacrifice now to live the life of your dreams later. This is not how I have experienced things. Life was better immediately after making the choice to optimize my lifestyle around my goals, AND it continually improves as I reap the financial, career, health, and relationship results of those choices. I feel good about where Ive been, where I am, and where Im going. You can live better than everyone else now, in an extraordinarily low-cost, productive, and impactful manner, AND live like no one else later. I made the mistake of thinking that Craig was going too far in pursuit of financial freedom. But he can and should go farther and faster if he can and will continue to love his life. Let me state it all again: He enjoys it. And he should enjoy it. He is becoming healthier, wealthier, happier, and more self-confident with each passing day, week, month, and year. I too have enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it. You should enjoy it, too. I honestly believe that those of us who pursue early financial freedom and make the optimizations necessary to make that a reality experience a better life in the interim while pursuing it, a better life approaching Financial Freedom, and a better life after achieving financial freedom. There is no sacrifice in this way of life. The improvements you make to your life may have positive effects immediately and will likely only continue to grow. I give you permission to choose the healthy, wealthy, happy path that you know will leave you better off when its all said and done. And once you decide to go for it, optimize for happiness, health, and wealth without apology. Were republishing this article to help out our newer readers.

What lengths do you go to in your pursuit of financial freedom? Have you ever encountered criticism for living the way you do? Share below! https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/pursue-financial-freedom-unapologetically

[tallmansions]

A Fallen London Story in Four Parts

This was originally a Christmas present for @anakronisma, but as my “Inspired...” quality is always reset every time I sleep, I only just got around to finishing it. Hope you like it, dearest. I tried to do your character and the world justice, but I probably didn’t lmao.

Doctor Kohri is anakronisma’s, and Fallen London is © 2015 and ™ Failbetter Games Limited: www.fallenlondon.com.  This is an unofficial fan work..

Part I: The Sociable Clockmaker, Veilgarden

A flurry of unfortunate circumstances brought Doctor Kohri to me that afternoon, three o’clock on a particularly brisk winter day. From what I understand—and I can guarantee I understand most of it—she was in hot pursuit of a suitable gift for her friend, subsequently settling on scouring the streets around Veilgarden for something marvelous, something quite unlike anything else in the window displays. She had tried the Bazaar, and while its many splendors and varied specialty shops had drawn her eye, her friend had access to the same mannequins and arrangements in addition to her more esoteric selections—selections that Doctor Kohri would not think to peruse even had she the contacts, which she did not.

I had learned of these events not because Doctor Kohri had any desire to tell me, but because the friend in question had cautioned me that the good doctor might come looking my way. How this suspicion came sneaking to this friend is not, in good manners, mine to say, but it would have been even poorer manners not to take such a suspicion into consideration. I was polishing the counter when Doctor Kohri entered. The bells in my shop chimed the time as the door jangled shut behind her.

She didn’t introduce herself, but as no one had come into my shop at all until that point and she fit the description given exactly, I knew it was her. No one else in Veilgarden, wearing such a sober grey dress, would walk with such a straight back. She asked me if I sold baubles, to which I replied that I sold only what interested me and so should be more appropriately termed curiosities. I don’t think she saw the humor in it, but I don’t take my stock humorously, and so I appreciated her reserve.

Doctor Kohri took her time in browsing, asking questions about my products when one struck her fancy. I remember she paid careful attention to the small silver clock with the brass doors above the clock face. I explained to her that the doors would open on the hour, and out would pop the tiniest of bejeweled owls—right on the hour, like I said. She had just missed the three o’clock mark and looked rather interested in seeing the spectacle unfold, for it really is not a sight to be missed. One can get so lost in my shop when the clock strikes the hour. The place erupts into chaos. All the clocks show off each of their tricks—all at once, mind you—and a small bejeweled owl behind brass doors set in a small silver clock can go quite unnoticed in the bedlam. One gets accustomed to it, after all these years, but for the first-time customer, it can be jarring. I’m surprised Doctor Kohri didn’t startle when she first entered the shop.

I could tell she wanted to see the thing in action, but she hadn’t quite persuaded me to deconstruct my piece on display. I asked her to wait one moment while I fetched the extra owl from the back of the shop, and so I can’t say for certain what transpired in the minutes I was indisposed. I do know that I heard the door jangle open and shut once more, then a bit of a scuffle, but as several boxes had toppled out of their proper places in my storeroom, I found myself in a scuffle of my own, trying to make sure no parts had got mixed up.

Once I emerged from the back, with apologies for my age and slow movements on my lips, I found Doctor Kohri bent over a fallen figure, utterly ignoring my excuses. She seemed to be trying to revive the person, pressing her fingers here and there along the body in what I can assume was in a medically sound fashion. I tried to assure her that the person would be quite fine, but she told me she had taken a very chancy risk in fighting her assailant off and hoped to extract some information. Alas, it seemed the person was dead for the time being.

The good doctor was rather put out about that, I can tell you, but there was nothing to be done, and she said she was rather in a hurry and couldn’t stand around waiting. This moment did not appear to be the time to be polite and ask to where she was off or why she had stopped in my shop at random if she were so desperate to secure a gift in a timely fashion, and so I opted for understanding silence. Well, said she, I must be off. And so she was. I admit to some disappointment at not being able to show her my owl, but I remained composed and soon the door closed behind her.

As for the cadaver, the constables made quick work of it and I soon returned to my usual puttering about the store. The lady did not come by to inquire about the doctor until later.

Part II: The Scattered Zailor, Wolfstack Docks

Well, it was ‘round four o’clock, and I’d got my pay, see, so me and the crew was doing some comparisons and gaming, for you best be careful with some of them harbormasters before you get to the gaming part. Glim’s not the quality it used to be when you have pirates from here ‘til the Principles of Coral raiding honest ships for their cargo, so sometimes when the pirates’ve been fiercer, that harbormaster you see there sometimes gets the plaster.

That doctor, she looked Tengrist to me, I don’t know about you. I’ve never gone as far as the Khanate—pirates about, y’see—but ever so often you get some from the Khan’s Shadow who’re even sick of that life, you get ‘em over here as stowaways or passengers. She looked like she had some of that blood in her. Came up to me and the crew like she were ready to push off port, only she asked if we had any trinkets to sell. Trinkets! Like talismans and the ink on my chest are trinkets! This one here, it ain’t any of that Salt creepy-like get-up some of them other zailors got. It keeps the zee-bats away like no one’s the wiser. And it ain’t for sale.

Stone, did that make her skin go pale! Anger, I’d wager. Didn’t look like she’d heard the word “yes” today. Kept trying to barter with me and the crew, kept saying she needed a gift for her friend. I said Lady—and she says It’s Doctor—so I says Doctor, you’re asking the wrong crew and you’re in the wrong part of London.

So the other zailors lurking about have a good chuckle at that, let me tell you! But that dress keeps her ramrod straight like, and she says something about getting jumped in Veilgarden and the foolish sod was dead for now and anyone who’d like could find out how he died. Doc didn’t have a weapon to grab and looked pretty stick-like to my eye, but the laughing sort seemed to take her seriously enough, don’t know why.  Something about her eyes.

Now some right idiot says something about how she knew who’d jumped this doctor—probably hoping for some more glim, greedy thing that she is, I know her. Well, Kohri—because the lady told me later that was the doc’s name, it’s Kohri—looked snap up at that, started edging towards the zailor who’d gabbed, but then every son of a b— on the docks started saying they knew something, and then even I couldn’t tell who’d spoke up first, much less figure if anyone had the truth.

Kohri went somewhere during all this, I don’t know. Saw a group of zailors shouting and heading all in a pack towards some building, but since it was pay and all, I expect they were headed for a mushroom wine or for honey or anything other than some good glim gaming, hey, nice and legal.

Now that I scrub my brains a bit, the lady came by just not too long after that. She plays a good game herself, but don’t you mention that to her.

Part III: The Voracious Lurker, Spite—perhaps

I send people out, I send people to hunt, to find, to feed me

They scribble and wriggle into every little corner of every little shop of every little house

I don’t like scraps. I demand decadence.

My little ratlings, my scrabbling people

And she hurt them the doctor Kohri she hurt them she hurt them and didn’t bring me

something to eat.

 She can kill my ratlings, they’ll be fine, I always have more, I always want more, but she has to replenish

which she didn’t.

She was like a ratling herself, scurrying to search for something to send her friend

She found me instead.

 Followed a tip, the tip of a zailor off the tip of her tongue, wondered why a ratling would cause her harm

None of my people cause harm

They feed me

Spices and salamanders and zee-bats and soft skin and syrups and

I’m hungry again. What have you brought me?

 Ah, yes

Of course

Doctor Kohri.

 It wasn’t the ratling’s fault

It wasn’t personal

I was just hungry

And oh

Kohri stumbled her way to me

 I used to be like her

Inquisitive

Daring

Watchful

Reserved

No.

I was never reserved

I liked to eat.

 Spite is good to me

This place gives me lost ratlings

I feed them—for a time, I give them someplace to stay, I set them free again to bring me my dessert

Give me give me give me give me Kohri’s head on a platter.

Let me eat.

She killed my ratling.

She came in here and I was ready to eat.

But the lady followed her in and swept her away.

Part IV: The Irresistible Lady, The Shuttered Palace

Kohri? She’s safe at home, I’d assume. She finds herself in the strangest situations, did you know? I had a feeling she’d contort herself into all sorts of delightful and embarrassing positions the moment I told her I had a gift for her. I knew she’d go running all over London and perhaps even beyond trying to return the favor. Can you imagine having a friend like that? I can, and it’s tiring, let me tell you!

I mean that in the best possible way, of course. “Tiring” means you’ve done something exciting enough to wear you out.

Well, I don’t like to spy on my friends, if that’s what this is all about. I keep an eye out. They can handle themselves, certainly, but some of them are newer to London than others. Some are newer still to the Unterzee itself. So I keep a close watch without interfering too much—just the right amount. Enough to excite me, to tire me out.

Now, I happen to know a little shop in one of the cozier corners of Veilgarden, and one of my friends—I do have many friends, you know; being the poetess-in-residence gives me many friends—this friend told me of another friend headed to that shop. Friends everywhere, you see! I thought I could catch up with her, but by the time I arrived, I could see the constables clearing out. I pay my dues as rightly I should, but that isn’t to say I like hanging about a constable when I see one, and so by the time I was able to pop my head in, Kohri was already gone.

I heard she had a scuffle on the docks, if that’s why you’re so concerned about her wellbeing. I most certainly would not have had anything to do with that. One of my friends might have done, however.

But Kohri does have the habit of watching for things beyond her, and then following them into the twisting shadows and searing secrets they spin for her. Someone has to have friends enough to protect other friends. Perhaps she thought to find me something in that hoard of luxury hidden under cobwebs and rust and bones and spilled wine. Perhaps she thought to seek answers for a day spent fruitlessly wandering, wandering, wandering. Perhaps she was not as familiar with London’s more reclusive and interesting denizens as she believed. Perhaps she thought she could handle herself when faced with ancient horror.

Or perhaps I’m making all this up! Kohri is asleep at home, that I can tell you. If you ask her anything about the matter, I assure you she won’t have any answers for you. She will most likely have fewer, in fact. I highly doubt she remembers anything of today at all! Silly doctor doesn’t even know her own health. Tomorrow she will awaken with a signed copy of my latest verses by her bedside table, and I will tell her how I delivered it during her most delirious moments, and she will not question me. I recommend you do the same.

I suppose this means I won’t be getting my gift from her, but don’t you go telling her that.

[vice-s-assistant]

Voices of the FGC: Andre/Dream Boy Purple of Skullgirls Latin American (SG LATAM)

Over the last five years, Skullgirls has been the “Lil’ Darling” of the Indie movement in Fighting Games. It the game that’s thrived when people said it was “dead”, multiple setbacks, from its former publisher, and various other hay-makers that come with its game development. Through all of that though, it has not only survived, but grown. Now as the actual final patch for the game comes out, the current call for the game, it’s a good time to look back and see it lasting effect on the fighting game landscape. I sat down with a friend of mine, Andre/Dream Boy Purple, who was the lead organizer for SG LATAM, a Skullgirls Latin American group, for his thoughts on Skullgirls, its effect on him, and his organization.

Vice’s Assistant: Alright let's start off with your name for the folks who don't know and what you do with Skullgirls?

Andre/Dream Boy Purple: Name is André, well basically I created and have been running SG LATAM a Latin American focused community for Skullgirls, as well as trying to use the group itself as a medium to spread the word of SG on other LATAM communities.

Banner from SG LATAM Facebook page

VA: How did you find out about Skullgirls?

Andre: Well, back in the day of 2011, I happened to stumble upon a trailer for Double, a character in the game before the game came out. It honestly left me pretty surprised: just the sight of the animation was pretty cool on itself, but it also looked like a really fun fighting game, especially considering I was into Marvel at the time. It was a no brainer (sic) that I soon got it for the 360 when it released.

VA: And when you first got the game, did it just "click" with you, or did that just come on later down the line?

Andre: Ha ha, that's actually a curious question. When I first got the game, I had my fun with it, but I guess there were a bunch of things that I didn't really enjoy with it. Things like the speed, the constant touch of death combos, the animation having to display the hitboxes for it to run smoothly, and even the netcode even though it was still rollback. It was in a rougher state than the one we have now, I endend (sic) up playing it casually during that time and no thinking much about it.

VA: After you spent time with it though, when did things start to feel like "I really dig this game"?

Andre: That was way down the line, after the whole fiasco with Reverge Labs having to dismantle and reform into Lab Zero, and the launching of their crowdfunding campaign. I started to take interest in the game again after all there were a lot of things that were issues of mine adressed (sic) on the game since then like the speed or balance patches (we didn't get those on the 360 at the time sadly), plus new characters and a PC port after hearing that I made up my mind of giving the game a second chance and ended up falling in love with it then.

VA: Nice. I kind of started to dig the game after I've spent time with a few months later. Skullgirls was my "burnout" game after I would do long sets in SSF IV AE. After a while started fooling around with Fortune and started to realized I like her rush down stuff...even though I was probably abusing some of her nasty damage stuff she had in Vanilla Skullgirls.

Andre: Yeah, damage was kinda ridiculous in vainilla (sic) I remember seeing some videos of Severin back in the day of him killing characters anywhere on the screen with just one bar.

Couldn’t find a combo of Severine killing with one bar but here’s a 100% combo. These were common (and annoying) in Vanilla Skullgirls.

VA: I couldn't do that kind of stuff, and still can't, but I remember basically using the head to trip someone, going to rekkas, blockbuster. It was super easy to do and boy howdy you could get some nice chunks of damage off.

Moving forward, what in you decided that you wanted to foster your local community to get more people into the game?

Andre: Well when I really started to get into the game once again I started wanting to play more against people and Quick Match did only so much. So I searched around forums and Facebook groups for a LATAM community only to find out there were really none. I found a couple that talked about the game, it's (sic) lore, and played casually but not really one focused to compete with each other. So I quickly took action into it. After all if you want something done you should do it yourself. I created a very basic logo in PS and started a FB group which I tried to promote constantly to friends and in FGC groups. Thinking back to it, it was probably annoying for them to see me do that but I was determined. Ha ha.

VA: Since starting it, how has thing’s gone?

Andre: Well it has been growing pretty nicely and steadily. We're around 600-700 unique members between the FB, Discord, and Steam groups. The Discord is pretty active every day and people are constantly talking and playing on it. We got an actual logo for our group and not just a photoshopped SG logo. We have done plenty of tournaments now under the name "Trifulca en el Ring" with custom flyers for each edition. We've also since have partnered up with Arcade Rumble (a FGC Latin American group) and they have helped us do things like have better production streams, bigger audience to announce our stuff, and in ocassions (sic) even give out money prizes for our tournaments.

Poster done by Abraham Rodriguez

VA: Beyond just the SG LA community, how do you think Skullgirls has grown within the last 5 years? The prevailing joke is "Skullgirls is dead," but the truth is the opposite: Skullgirls is one of Steam's best selling fighting games (CORRECTION: Skullgirl is not one Steam’s best selling fighting games, far from it, but there are a lot more people who have then you think) , showings a plenty tournies, and even a "mini" convention at AX in Phoenix, AZ  (Correction AX is in Los Angeles, California, not Phoenix, AZ).

Andre: The SGC (Skullgirls Community) has grown a lot, right now we have things like the Skullgirls Tour which is basically or own version of CPT or KI's world cup with 12 tournaments both offline and online. A lot of people have also joined through the PC community, thanks to it being a complete steal at just 15 bucks for the game, having one of the if not the smoothest online in a fighting game beautiful animation, great gameplay, and the low specs it has. You see new people trying out the game constantly, be it the Skullheart* or Steam forums, as well as in the SG LATAM community. We get people who are new all the time and it also helps the abundance of helpful people and events that are run online by the community. Things like Skullbats, Monday Night Blockbusters, SG Brazil weeklies, and even our own "Trifulca en el Ring" series just goes to show that SG was never or ever will be dead. You'll always have people to play with, you just gotta look for them.

VA: With the last patch finally out, do you feel the game has finally reached its ideal state? Or are there things to feel still need worked on?

Andre: Well considering how Mike Z is, he will always find something to work on, but as it stands, the game is really balanced to the point where tier list are pretty universaly (sic) thought as a matter of opinion, and even then there isn't that much of a diff (sic) from the bottom to the top. Considering SG is pretty unique with it's (sic) focus on resets, I think in it's (sic) current state it will pass the test of time just fine.

VA: What do you think Skullgirls' lasting legacy will be?

Andre: That a community and it's game can last and grow as long as they keep pouring love into it. There's only so many big tournaments for SG (biggest being Combo Breaker) since the whole EVO ordeal of 2013, and barely losing to Smash SG hasn't really been a mainstream fighting game at all. Which to my eyes only makes more impressive what it has been able to acomplish (sic) thanks to the developer support and the constant effort by the community to run events; making tech, helping the devs find bugs, the community being so inclusive. I think SG will still be played many years from now, and until the eventual SG 2, I doubt the constant income of players will slow down anytime soon.

VA: Finally, do you have any advice for people still timid about getting into Skullgirls?

Andre: Well SG is a fighting game, and like any of them, it's not easy to get to certain competitive level. That's the first fact that you have to accept but there's so many resources and people willing to help: on Discord and the Skullheart forums as well as groups targeted towards new players that you'll have people around your level to play against. A lot of people get discouraged because they jump online first thing, and they get massacred since SG is a fast game, and also focused heavily on resets. Even people with past fighting game experience have a hard time when they first play against experienced people, but it really doesn't take that long to get the hang of it, and SG having such an amazing training mode also helps. To sum it up, I know it may seem overwhelming now, but there's so many people willing to help you, and it really is worth it to form (sic) part of such an amazing community.

VA: One last thing: Where can people reach you and be a part of SG LATAM?

Andre: People can reach me personally through my Tumblr or Twitter

http://dreamboypurple.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/DreamBoyPurple

For SG LATAM they can reach either through our (sic) FB group or Discord, Discord being the more active one of the 2

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SGLATAM

To both Andre for the interview and Yahoo’s E-sports’ Michael Martin (https://twitter.com/Bizarro_Mike) for advice with interviews

You can also watch Andre attempt to go against the world in a 100-man quick match kumite in Skullgirls today at 6 CDT on his Twitch channel:

https://www.twitch.tv/dreamboypurple

[mommaambzz-blog]

Protect The Pretty Piggiess !!!

As females, we care a lot about our appearance. We try to keep up appearances by changing our hair, the things we wear, and getting our nails and toes done! Fake nails in my opinion, are a protective type of nail style. Not only is it protective but its cute!!! See here’s where it all started. In 1954 a dentist named Fred Slack broke his nail on the job and used dental acrylic from the office to help recreate a nail. From this, he and his brother created a business and called it Patti Nails.

As stated in a previous post, appearances for women is very important. Even the smallest details matter. Every stray hair, mismatched sock, and nail color matters. When getting your nails done they must have the perfect color to shape ratio. Yes, there are rules. Although they vary from person to person to person because different people like different things, there are standards that most people follow.

The most protective nail style is gel. Gel nails for years have been done incorrectly. Gel nails are indeed supposed to be gel acrylic NOT powder based. The powder is regular acrylic and although it keeps your nail from breaking due to everyday activities, it is more likely to break than gel.

When In the process of getting your nails done you will notice that the nail technician puts a coat of clear liquid on the nail. This helps protect the nail. It keeps the nail from growing mold and other fungi under the fake. It also helps the acrylic stay attached to your nail.

Many people have said that fake nails are bad for your real nail and fake nails are a waste of money because all they do is break. If you take care of your nails properly and treat them with care they should not break. Ive seen a lot of people who have had fake nails end up with no nail at all because they were not treating there nails well but a broken nail does not ruin your nail but it may make your hand go from royalty to peasantry.

You Might even make you think your hand is disgusting but this is all fine because we have fill- ins!!!! Some women who opt for nail extensions want a more natural look. Between all the materials used for artificial nail enhancements, acrylics and gel nails provide the most natural look. Additionally, they can be filled in as the natural nail grows without looking artificial.

A new trend that people have started is they do their own gel and acrylic nails. Doing your own nails can be less costly and could be a better choice if you are picky about your nails. Also, it makes for great business plus if the quality of your nail production is great you will have good business and make a LOT of money. One thing that new businesses forget about when it comes to doing fake nails is that it is a very tedious task and if done poorly you may lose out on customers, tips, and even payment for a job you’ve already done !!

When talking about nails you’re unleashing a child-like world of colors and shapes but for women. As I stated before, there are soooooo many different shapes of nail and I previously posted a picture of a couple. Some of them look pretty outrages I must agree, but as we know not everyone has the same likes and dislikes. The most popular nail shape today are square. Square nails will NEVER go out of style. They’ve been here since the very beginning and have stayed strong for decades. Also, they are the easiest to do because the base nail is square. The second most popular is coffin shape. Coffin nails aren’t nearly as old a square but they are currently hand and hand on the nail scale. As a nail connoisseur, I believe you can go wrong with either. Square is a classic and they look great regardless. Coffin, on the other hand, is a more classy look. Coffin is the type of shape you should get before an important dinner or a big event of some sort. (Coffin on top, square on bottom)

 Now that I’ve broken down the shapes a little further, let’s talk about the types of colors and which are in now! Choosing a color is probably the hardest part of getting your nails done. There’s so many colors from reds to pinks to blues, purples, greens, yellows ohhh myy!! You also got the sparkly and the metallic and iridescent. The list goes on and on. The most popular right now is sparkly nails. You can’t go wrong with sparkles! There’s even color variation in sparkles. You have pink, blue, purple, gold, silver, white and so on. During the warmer months of the year we tend to wear brighter colors and that goes for nail polish too. It is more common to see bright pinks and yellows during July than it is to see a brown or black.

With all this being said, there are still some people who believe that nails are damaging, pointless, and ugly. If you know how to take care of your nails then they should not damage your nail bed. It is not that hard to care for nail extensions. Also, men, who know nothing about nails, prefer a woman to have her hands groomed so for women to shame them is actually hurting they’re relationships with men. So are fake nails really that pointless and ugly?

[ciathyzareposts]

Infocom Marathon: Leather Goddesses of Phobos (1986) – Part One

Written by Joe Pranevich

Sex sells, but few things market a product better than controversy. Throughout much of the 20th century, it was an adage that a book or a play “Banned in Boston” was guaranteed to sell well elsewhere. Oscar Wilde once said that, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” Barbara Streisand discovered that the fastest way to get a lot of people interested in taking photos of her house was telling them that they could not. So it was in that spirit that Steve Meretzky penned A Mind Forever Voyaging as a controversy-magnet, guaranteed to get the conservative pundits wagging their tongues about his leftist pollution of young minds. The controversy never materialized and that game flopped. Unperturbed, he pushed for yet another game that could “go viral”, but this time he aimed to incite the ire of the pundits (and the libido of the players) by embracing sex. Could an assault on decency succeed where AMFV failed?

Whether it was the sex, the return to traditional puzzle-based gameplay, or something else, Leather Goddesses of Phobos garnered enough attention that it became Infocom’s final true “hit”. TBD reviewed the game in 2017 and so I will look at this game through a different lens. Instead of a sequential playthrough and review, I am going to focus on the game’s puzzles. This game is rightly credited as having some of Meretzky’s most clever mind-benders, but does he put them together in a satisfying way? I will also place LGoP in the context of Infocom’s broader story as we progress towards the end of 1986.

My original plan had been for this to come out as a single post, but it turns out that I have more to say about his puzzles than I thought. Rather than cut it down, I’ve decided to split the work into two. Today, we’ll cover the introduction and collect the first four key items. Next week, we’ll conclude with the final puzzles and some thoughts on how the game comes together as a whole.

Another in-joke that got out of hand?

Leather Goddesses of Phobos began as an office in-joke that got out of hand. As early as 1982, Steve Meretzky, still only a game tester rather than designer, scrawled the name onto a whiteboard with a list of upcoming titles before a press event. It was erased quickly, but it became a bit of a catch phrase around the office and would be mentioned whenever a hypothetical game was needed. This repeated meme wound its way into an official Infocom product in 1984 with the re-release of Starcross. As previously discussed, the shift to standard packaging as part of the “corporatization” of Infocom led to changes in all of the earlier titles’ game documentation. The earliest titles, such as Zork and Starcross, received expanded backstories although even later games saw changes. For Starcross, this backstory included a set of the player character’s diary entries that highlighted his boredom before his date with destiny. Tucked away in one such entry is the first public mention of the Leather Goddesses:

M.C.S. STARCROSS 03-28-2186 

Underway less than four weeks and I’m about to go crazy! First, the entertainment tapes were mislabelled. It’s all highbrow stuff like operas and lectures. Leather Goddesses of Phobos was really something about the history of the Terran Union. What a rip-off! I suppose I can always talk to the computer. I can’t stand those tapes. I’ll save them for later in the voyage when I’m really desperate. I’ll play games with the computer to keep amused that way.

Although this furthers my suspicion that Meretzky was the uncredited author of some of these new materials, it wasn’t long before Brian Moriarty got into the swing of things as well. The pleasure arcade in Wishbringer featured a Leather Goddesses of Phobos arcade game. While we never got more than that title tease, the idea spread around the office enough that when Meretzky– just off of his failure of A Mind Forever Voyaging— suggested making the game “for real” that it may have felt fait accompli. Their soon-to-be corporate overlords didn’t object and before long Infocom had its official twenty-first adventure game!

Infocom struggled to find consistent sales from the earliest days.

The mass protests never manifested, but Meretzky still managed to garner a few complaints and a computer store or two that refused to sell the title. Still others were unhappy that a game sold based on sexual content wasn’t pornographic enough. Whether or not the controversy helped, Leather Goddesses sold more than 50,000 copies in the first year and ended its run at 130,000 units total, making it Infocom’s sixth most popular title ever. Not bad for a game released so late in the company’s history! This success guaranteed that it would receive a spinoff, the Infocomic Lane Mastodon vs. the Blubbermen in 1988, plus a proper sequel in 1992. Sierra would even parody the title in Space Quest IV.

Activision may have eventually become a bit squeamish about the title. Inexplicably, they did not include it in either of the two Lost Treasures of Infocom sets from 1991 and 1992. Purchasers of the second set could order the game via a special coupon, but at $9.95 (roughly $19 today), that was no small sum for a six-year old text adventure. It was also not included in any of the 1995 compilation box sets, but would finally be included in the Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom (1996). That box set was also the first to include non-Infocom games released alongside Infocom ones, but that will be a conversation for another day. It was not until 2012 when Leather Goddesses was finally included in an official Lost Treasures set, the much-loved but now dead release for iOS. I am still angry at Activision for refusing to update that app for 64-bit devices.

Also note the first appearance of the “Infocomix” branding!

Much like their other titles, Leather Goddesses included “feelies” including a Lane Mastodon comic, a scratch-and-sniff pad, and even a map of one of the game’s dungeons. As usual for this period, the comic is required reading as it includes copy protection solutions for several of the game’s puzzles. The comic was drawn by Richard Howell, known for stints at both Marvel and DC as well as helming his own independent comics company. He may be best known for his work on Vision & Scarlet Witch, a series that serves as one of the inspirations for the upcoming WandaVision TV show. The comic was converted to 3-D by Ray Zone, a pioneer in commercializing red-blue 3-D art and who produced many such works during the 80s and 90s. Howell also produced illustrations for the hint book.

The manual tries to place the game in the Zork universe, at least in a tongue-in-cheek way. There are references to Zorkmids and even Dimwit Flathead. While the two previous games that mentioned the Leather Goddesses (Starcross and Wishbringer) were “Zork universe” games, I just cannot buy the technology in this game making sense in the sci-fi worlds of Starcross or Planetfall. I’m going to hold my personal head-canon that Leather Goddesses is popular fiction in the Zork universe and you can all snicker at me that I would even think about this enough to care. There is also a mail-away coupon in the manual for self-help books like you would find advertised in old comics. The address on the coupon is in Somerville, Massachusetts (the next town over from Infocom’s offices near Boston), but the street name doesn’t appear to exist. I’m at a loss to explain what they were doing here as they should either have gone with a very fictional address (so that it was obviously fake) or a real one (so that they could sell some unexpected “feelies”); an address that looks mostly real but doesn’t lead anywhere is very strange. It is also possible that Somerville renamed that street in the last three decades.

Downtown Upper Sandusky, circa 2009.

Our game begins– after a warning that the software we are about to play should not be played by the prudish– outside of Joe’s Bar in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. If you are a child, as I am, of that part of the midwest then your mind immediately went to just how awesome a place Sandusky, Ohio always seemed. On the shores of Lake Erie, Sandusky is the home of Cedar Point, one of the oldest and greatest amusement parks in the United States. Pittsburghers know that Kennywood is even better, but Cedar Point was still a pretty cool place. However, Meretsky fooled us: the game takes place in Upper Sandusky, a town along the Sandusky River a bit more than an hour south and completely devoid of amusement parks.

The primary purpose of the bar is to give us a chance to customize our Leather Goddesses experience. After a night of drinking, we have to relieve ourselves and to do so we have to select whether we are going into the Ladies’ room or the Men’s room. Inside we find a stool which we’d better grab and then do our business. That will set our gender for the remainder of the game. I’ve played through as both male and female, but other than swapping the genders of our comrade-in-arms (either Trent or Tiffany, always the same gender as you) and a few other (ahem) partners along the way, it doesn’t change much. A few turns later, the Leather Goddesses abduct us and lock us in a cell on their spaceship.

Escaping the cell is simplistic as the Goddesses simply left the door unlocked. They also left behind a surprising number of adventure game provisions (including a painting of a cat, flashlight, blanket, metal tray, and piece of chocolate). From there, we can explore their ship, easily rescue a ditsy-but-genius new friend from the cell across the hall, and teleport ourselves towards adventure. A couple of  seconds after rescuing her/him, Tiffany/Trent will have an eureka moment and work out a plan to build a device that can defeat the Leather Goddesses and save the Earth, but we’ll need to find eight surprisingly mundane objects to complete the task. These consist of: a common household blender, six-feet of rubber hose, a pair of cotton balls, an eighty-two degree angle, a headlight from a 1933 Ford, a white mouse, a photo of Douglas Fairbanks, and a copy of the Cleveland phone book. Why these items? We have to play the game to find out.

The primary thrust of the game will be to explore Mars and Venus, as well as a bit of Earth and other locations, as we track down the key items. The design of the planets are heavily influenced by the work of astronomer Percival Lowell who, in the 19th century, popularized the idea that Mars may have been an arid landscape cross-crossed by canals. This was then used and reused, perhaps most famously by Edgar Rice Burroughs in his John Carpenter series of books. This game’s depiction of nations on Mars in a state of decay may also have been inspired by Burroughs. Most of this exploration is done by locating and using “black circles” which are scattered literally everywhere; entering one will take you to some other location, usually with no immediate way back. In this way, the game keeps up tension and you are forced into situations where the only way out is to progress forward until you can locate the next circle. Gradually, we develop a network of such portals that allow us to explore at will. Once on Mars, we will eventually discover a royal barge that can be used on the still-intact canals to float downstream. Passing by each canal dock only once (until an alternate method of transportation is discovered near the end of the game), we again feel the tension of needing to do everything and explore everything carefully because there is no way back once we leave. While I may not love the setting, we have to give Meretzky credit for building a not-quite-open world in a new and interesting way and unlocking new areas to explore incrementally. It’s well done. Let’s dig into the puzzles.

Second game in a row with a killer Venus Flytrap!

Puzzle #1 – Venus Fly Trap One of the two black circles that we can discover on the Leather Goddesses’ ship leads to a jungle on Venus and our first real puzzle. It also happens to be one of my least favorite, an example both of how clever Meretzky can be and also how he can overdo it. I suspect that playtesters had difficulty with this one because they added a second solution that is at least more straight-forward than the first.

Immediately after we arrive, a Venus flytrap approaches. It blocks a path to the west, so you know going west must be important. As it chases us east, we quickly reach a fork in the road where the path circles around a pit in the ground. My immediate thought is that we are supposed to get the pit between us and the flytrap, perhaps lure it to the other side then sidle around so that we can go west without it catching us. That idea was completely wrong. If we hide in the pit, the plant will go away, but she comes back when we emerge. How are we to get past her?

At the beginning of the game, we found a piece of paper with a grid of letters on it in Tiffany’s cell. She claimed to not know what it was and that she wrote it in her sleep. Converted to a spreadsheet for easy editing, the grid looks like this:

  My first guess was that it was a code, especially as a code is mentioned in the Lane Mastodon comic. Unfortunately, that is a dead end. My break came when I noticed the word “HEADLIGHT” in the second row from the bottom. When we first discovered the paper, Tiffany had not yet had her “eureka!” moment, but by now we know that a headlight (from a 1933 Ford) is one of the key items that we have to find. Searching carefully, we realize that this matrix is a word search puzzle and some variant on the names of each of the eight objects can be found inside. If we find and remove them all, a secret message is revealed:

The message reads: “HISSING FRIGHTENS FLY TRAPS”. I follow its instructions to hiss at the flytrap chasing us and it is destroyed, allowing me to reach the western edge of the jungle. There, we find a can of “untangling cream” and a circle leading to the hold of a mysterious spaceship. More on those later. If we had not worked out the word search, we could eventually discover a wooden trellis and a bag of leaves. By combining those over the put, we create a flytrap trap that has the same effect.

I wish I loved this puzzle because the idea of a word search isn’t terrible, but it doesn’t make any sense in context. Tiffany wrote it before she designed the anti-Leather Goddesses weapon and it’s strange that she would have embedded a solution to a completely unrelated puzzle inside. Tiffany’s subconscious may be clever, but this feels a bit too clever. If there had been a hint somewhere– perhaps Tiffany remarking about a dream that she had while we were running away from the flytrap– it would have worked better for me. As it is, I solved it on my own but it wasn’t as easy as it looks.

Science!

Puzzle #2 – Weird Science

The second major puzzle on Venus is easier but requires trial and error as we navigate a tricky scripted event. We stumble on a mad scientist’s lab in the jungle and are led inside and forced to participate in one of his experiments. We are taken down to the basement where we discover a cage with two gorillas inside (one male and one female), next to a slab covered in strange equipment. We also immediately notice that the cage contains a six-foot length of rubber hose, the first of our key items. We are quickly strapped to the slab and the scientist presses a button. We immediately discover ourselves in the cage, in a gorilla’s body, with an amorous gorilla of the opposite sex nearby.

While the scientist watches carefully, we are given the choice whether or not we want to “frolic” with our gorilla counterpart. Is it bestiality to have sex with a gorilla while you are a gorilla? I have no idea. Regardless of how we choose, the scientist notes our response with excitement and leaves us in the cage.

Escaping is the most difficult part. We do not have the strength to bend the bars, but the game implies that we almost do. How can we get a little more strength? The answer relies on us figuring out the properties of one of the items we found earlier: the chocolate bar delivered with our food way back when we arrived in the Leather Goddesses’ cell. If we had eaten it at any point, we would have received a bit of a “buzz” thanks to the sugar. If we eat it right now, the added sugar and energy it provides is enough to allow our gorilla-self to bend the bars. Unfortunately, the bar is being held by our human-self so that means that we need to quickly put it in the cage during a brief window (1-2 turns) after we are brought downstairs but before we are strapped to the table. Once we are free, we can push the red button to return to our own body, but we should not do so until we (as a gorilla) take the hose out of the cage and untie our human-self. Otherwise, we just wasted time and the game is unwinnable.

This is a fun “on rails” puzzle to solve, but it’s all trial and error and passing items into the cage during that brief window. I worked it out but honestly thought that gorillas (like many other animals) were unable to eat chocolate. Once we get the timing down and do everything we need to do, it’s a fun sequence.

Before we leave Venus, we’ll need to finish exploring the jungle. There’s a coin hidden in an old phone booth, a “Tee Remover” that can be bought off of a traveling salesman, as well as a black circle that gets us back to the main ship. Experienced players may have more difficulty with the traveling salesman than it would appear since he will only accept the flashlight as trade; I was very reluctant to trade my only light source in fear that there would be other dark areas to explore and so only did this when I was stuck elsewhere.

Poor King Midas!

Puzzle #3 – King Mitre Mars is the largest explorable area of the game, although we will have to navigate some puzzles to get to much of it. The area that we are dropped into initially consists of several ruined castles and deserts, surrounded on three sides by a martian canal system. There’s a canal boat north of King Mitre’s castle– more on him in a moment– but the canal is a one-way trip and can land us in an unwinnable state. The first puzzle we find is perhaps the most famous puzzle of the game: King Mitre.

When we arrive in Mitre’s throne room, we get a long infodump where we learn that the Earth legend of King Midas who turned all that he touched into gold is just a corrupted form of the story of King Mitre who turned everything he touched into forty-five degree angles. The game itself admits that this makes no sense, but we go with it for the sake of the puzzle. Much like in the legend, the now depressed king has turned nearly everything, including his daughter, into a forty-five degree angle. He needs some help. What are we to do?

The answer lies in the odd machine that we bought off the salesman on Venus, the “Tee Remover”:

‘It’s a TEE remover,’ he explains. You ponder what it removes — tea stains, hall T-intersections — even TV star Mr. T crosses your mind, until you recall that it’s only 1936.

The “Tee Remover” is a small device with a door and a button. You place something inside, shut the door, push the button, and it will have all of it’s “T’s” removed. It’s quite clever. Later on, we’ll be able to turn a rabbit into a rabbi and many other fun jokes, but for now the key thing is to realize that the “untangling cream” that we discovered in the Venusian jungle can quickly become “unangling cream” when we remove its t’s. If we apply that to King Mitre’s daughter, she reverts to normal. The king becomes so overjoyed that he provides us with an eighty-two degree angle in reward. How he did this when he can only create 45-degree angles is left as an exercise for the reader. We take it and continue on our quest.

As you leave, you hear behind you the sound like a forty-five degree angle landing on a pile of forty-five degree angles. “Oh shit! Not again!”, you hear Mitre moan.

The joy in this puzzle comes from working out what the “Tee Remover” does and how we can apply it to the situation. Depending on whether the player went to Mars or Venus first, it’s possible that this puzzle could have remained a mystery for a while. Unfortunately, this is the only case where the Tee Remover comes in useful; while there are other t’s to remove for added humor (“rabbit” into “rabbi” is my favorite), there are no more where we need it to solve a puzzle. Overall, this deserves its reputation of being the most “fun” puzzle in the game, but it still doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Elsewhere on Mars, we can discover a marsmouse on “Hickory-Dickory Dock”. As a mouse is one of the key items, we try to pick it up and fail. Despite the name suggesting that this puzzle would have something to do with a clock, the actual solution is trivial: show the mouse the picture of a cat and it will become stunned enough to pick up. It’s a bit of a letdown really, but that is two key objects in just a few minutes!

Pittsburgers call Cleveland “The Mistake on the Lake”

Puzzle #4 – Cleveland Rocks!

In a desert east of Mitre’s castle, we discover a fountain and a black circle that has been drained of color. If we use the black stain that we discovered on Venus, we can re-power the circle and are transported to the mythical land of… Cleveland!

Cleveland is, literally, a joke. After the sprawling expanses of Venus and Mars, we suddenly find ourselves cramped in a tiny suburban area that is somehow cut off from the rest of the world. Meretzky pokes fun at this, but the minimalism of this area feels jarring compared to the dynamic environments elsewhere. I’m sure that was deliberate:

You suddenly find yourself longing for the slime pits of Venus or the sandstorms of Mars. This particular section of Cleveland has exits to the northeast and south.

We can explore two backyards and enter one tiny house. The yards have a bag of leaves and a wooden trellis that we can take, both of which could be used in the alternate Venus Flytrap solution. As it is, the sack is only useful for me as a way to ease the inventory limit.

Inside the house, we find a bedroom with a window open to a neighboring street. Just outside is a 1933 Ford with an intact headlight– one of our key items! If this had been a real location, it would be simple to just go around to the public street where the Ford is parked and pick up the headlight. Instead, we can only get there by climbing out a second-story window. How can we do that? Searching the room, we discover a sheet on the nearby bed. We can tie it to the bedpost, but it’s not long enough to reach the window. We cannot move the bed or tie the sheet to anything closer. The solution is to make the sheet longer by ripping it into strips and then tying them together to create a makeshift rope, then tie the assembled rope to the bed. We are too heavy for the rope, but Tiffany will agree to go down instead. Doing so seems like a mistake:

Tiffany climbs down the rope and unscrews the headlight. Suddenly, a truck barrels down the road and hits Tiffany, carrying her out of sight. Moments later, you hear an explosion. As the smoke drifts past the window, your eyes fill with tears. You hang your head in sorrow for a moment to honor your brave, loyal companion who gave her life that humanity might be safe from the terrible scourge of the Leather Goddesses of Phobos.

Of course, she is revealed to have survived the blast a turn or two later after a misadventure with miners on Pluto or something similarly nonsensical. I could not solve this puzzle on my own and had to take a hint. I worked out that I could tie things to the bed and I was trying to use the sheet as a rope, but I never thought to rip the sheet into strips and assemble them that way. I suspect that I have not watched enough jailbreak movies. Tiffany also usually ignores you when you ask for help, but she leaps to it this time.

My biggest issue with this puzzle is how unnecessary it seems. We’re in Cleveland. The car is parked on a public street. It breaks my sense of immersion in the game to have such a clearly constructed puzzle only make sense within the realm of a game. Had Meretzky had duplicated the exact same puzzle in a motel on Ganymede, I am certain I would have enjoyed it more. Either way, we have picked up our fourth key item. Only four more to go!

But… we’ll just have to wait until next week for our shocking conclusion.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/infocom-marathon-leather-goddesses-of-phobos-1986-part-one/