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Did you hear that? It's the sound of a song we've been waiting for in The Last of Us, fluttering out the window.
In Season 2, episode 5, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) takes to the stage of Seattle's crumbling Pinnacle Theater, where instruments remain set for a performance never given. In a similarly moving moment to Ellie's rendition of "Take On Me" in the previous episode, she hesitantly picks up an acoustic guitar — an ever-painful reminder of her music-teaching, late father Joel (Pedro Pascal) — and takes a seat.
Then, Ellie sings one unmistakable line: "If I ever were to lose you." It's the first line of Pearl Jam's 2013 song "Future Days" and an incredibly important element of The Last of Us games.
Reader, I screamed.
SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 4: Why Ellie sings 'Take on Me'But suddenly, Ellie reconsiders playing the song and stops completely, overcome with suppressed emotion. It's way too much, too soon. But surely that can't be it?
Why is Pearl Jam's "Future Days" important to The Last of Us?Music remains a crucial, human element of The Last of Us. The song Ellie begins to play in Season 2, episode 5 is deeply meaningful to her and Joel, and subsequently, to fans. But we don't know this from the show; we know it from Naughty Dog's game The Last of Us Part II.
In the sequel to The Last of Us, there's a scene right at the beginning of the game in which Joel plays Pearl Jam's "Future Days" for Ellie on a butterfly-necked guitar he found for her during a patrol, not long after they've returned to Jackson from Salt Lake City. Joel is a man of few words, never really expressing love aloud, and Ellie and Joel are in a tense state in their relationship, with Joel having done what he did.
Featured Video For You 'The Last of Us' stars Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever break down Ellie and Abby's quests for revengeThe song is a moment in which he tries to show his found daughter, Ellie, how he feels about her. And despite their tension and her complicated feelings about his actions, Ellie's face is pure love and appreciation in this moment — and importantly, this is the first time she would have ever heard this song.
The lyrics speak directly to Ellie and Joel's relationship — "If I ever were to lose you / I'd surely lose myself / Everything I have found dear / I've not found by myself" — and considering the tragic fate awaiting Joel, they're devastating in their doomed hope for "future days" together.
"I believe 'cause I can see / Our future days / Days of you and me."
Surely, The Last of Us HBO series will let the entire Pearl Jam song have its moment. Lead singer Eddie Vedder even played the song live at The Game Awards 2020 with the game's release, knowing its impact and connection with Part II. Ellie playing one line cannot be the whole thing.
Watching The Last of Us and want to play the games? Here's how.
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 12 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Where cash is stored
Green: To recoil
Blue: Site traffic
Purple: Mouth gestures
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Places to find paper money
Green: Rebound
Blue: Things tracked by web analytics
Purple: Things you can do with your lips
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #700 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayPlaces to find paper money: ATM, CASH REGISTER, TIP JAR, WALLET
Rebound: BANK, BOUNCE, CAROM, RICOCHET
Things tracked by web analytics: CLICK, HIT, PAGE VIEW, VISIT
Things you can do with your lips: CURL, PUCKER, PURSE, SMACK
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 12Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 12 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for May 12 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A little respectThe words are perception-related.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words are ways to describe the opinions of someone.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Street Cred
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for May 12Name
Stature
Character
Street Cred
Reputation
Standing
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for May 12 Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for May 12, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:An arm muscle.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no recurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
BICEP.
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 12Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.
We're still a long way from being over what happened to Joel (Pedro Pascal) back in The Last of Us Season 2, episode 2, so suddenly seeing him again at the end of episode 5 is a bittersweet surprise.
But it's also a slightly confusing one, given how brief the moment is and what's come before it. So what exactly is the deal with the episode's ending, and what might it mean for what's to come next? Let's break it down.
SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 4: Why Ellie sings 'Take on Me' What happens at the end of The Last of Us Season 2, episode 5?After narrowly escaping both Seraphites and Wolves, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) finally locates Nora (Tati Gabrielle), one of Abby's (Kaitlyn Dever's) party who was present for Joel's murder. Ellie chases Nora down to a spore-infested hospital basement, where Nora finally vocalises the terrible truth about what happened at the Firefly hospital in Season 1 — and why Abby did what she did to Joel.
"He killed everyone in that hospital, including the only fucking person alive that could make a cure from you," hisses Nora. "That was Abby's father, and Joel...Joel shot him in the head. That's what he did."
At this point we're expecting some kind of reaction from Ellie, but her face remains unchanged. There isn't even a hint of shock, and a second later we find out why. "I know," says Ellie. Then she takes a length of pipe and proceeds to beat Nora with it while asking her where Abby is, over and over again.
It's a violent and somewhat confusing scene, given that we've spent Season 2 thinking Ellie was still in the dark about Joel's secret. The scene that comes after, though, it is even more jarring.
Cutting from the dark of the hospital basement we suddenly see Ellie waking up in her bedroom back in Jackson, with sunlight filtering in through the window. The door creaks open behind her and suddenly there's Joel, very much alive and smiling in at her.
"Hey, kiddo," he says, and Ellie smiles back at him.
"Hi."
Featured Video For You 'The Last of Us' stars Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever break down Ellie and Abby's quests for revenge What's the deal with the Joel flashback?Coming right at the end of the episode just before the credits, the final scene with Joel doesn't make much sense at first. It's clearly a flashback, but what's it got to do with what we've just witnessed in the hospital? Isn't it a little out of place?
Well, maybe not. In the scene in the hospital, Ellie doesn't appear to be lying when she says she knows what Joel did. Her expression is that of someone who really does know, and at this point, really doesn't care (or doesn't want Nora to think so). The thing is, though, we don't know how she knows. When, and why, did Joel's closely guarded secret get out?
When you follow that through, it seems pretty clear that the flashback at the end of episode 5 is building up to something. The Last of Us is well known for breaking the mould with its standout episodes, some of which — think episodes 3 and episodes 7 in Season 1 — take us on journeys into the past.
Is it possible that the flashback with Joel will lead to a longer flashback in episode 6? Maybe one that explains how Ellie knows what she knows?
Watching The Last of Us and want to play the games? Here's how.
The Last of Us Season 2 dropped a major bombshell in its fifth episode. The Cordyceps fungus is no longer just transmitted through bites. You can also become infected through airborne spores.
This revelation won't come as news to The Last of Us game fans, as spores have been a mechanic since the very first game. However, the scene that introduces spores to the show also hints at a major Infected enemy from The Last of Us Part II: the Rat King.
What is the Rat King in The Last of Us Part II?The Rat King is a boss from the second half of The Last of Us Part II, and it's without a doubt the most disgusting creature in both games. It's based on the real (but rare) phenomenon of rat kings, which occur when a group of rats gets their tails irreversibly tangled.
When it comes to the Rat King in The Last of Us Part II, replace rats with the bodies of the Infected, and the tangled tails with the Cordyceps fungus, and you have a pretty good idea of how this unholy amalgamation was formed. Seriously, you thought a Bloater was bad? Well, a Rat King is Clickers on top of Stalkers on top of a Bloater, so it's just bad news all around.
How does The Last of Us Season 2 hint at the Rat King?In The Last of Us Part II, the Rat King lurks in the basement of the WLF-controlled hospital the series introduces in episode 5. Even though we don't meet it in this episode — and with two episodes left, it's unlikely we'll meet it in Season 2 — The Last of Us still finds a way to hint at its existence.
SEE ALSO: 'The Last of Us' Season 2: What is the Washington Liberation Front?In the episode's opening sequence, Hanrahan (Alanna Ubach) talks to WLF soldier Elise (Hettienne Park) about why she made the decision to block off all entry points to the hospital basement, dooming several of her men to die.
The reason Elise gives is the spores, but she adds that even though the hospital basement was where the first Cordyceps patients were brought when the outbreak started, it was oddly devoid of Infected.
"Nothing, the whole floor was empty," Elise tells Hanrahan of what's in the basement. "Not even rats."
The specific mention of rats feels like a pretty clear hint to The Last of Us gamers that the show writers are thinking about the Rat King. But even the basement's emptiness is a chilling reference to what's coming. It's been 25 years since the Cordyceps outbreak — enough time for the basement to get horribly overgrown with fungus. And if those first Infected bodies were left down there, undisturbed, for 25 years, that's also enough time for them to become fused together into the mass that is the Rat King.
That means the basement floor isn't actually empty. All the bodies just grew into one giant enemy that no one knows is down there. Maybe the missing rats even fused with the Infected Rat King. (Or maybe they were an early food source.) Either way, we're in for a nightmare whenever the Rat King finally shows up.
New episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere on HBO and Max Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
The name choice of a new pope carries symbolism for the values he wishes to emulate, in recognition of the most pressing issues he sees as leader of the Catholic Church.
For Pope Leo XIV, artificial intelligence is at the heart of his name choice.
Born Robert Francis Prevost, the new pope chose his papal name in reference to Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903) who presided over the Catholic Church during the Industrial Revolution, which ushered in massive social upheaval. Pope Leo XIV sees the AI boom as a similar moment of rapid societal change.
SEE ALSO: Holy smoke, the internet is obsessed with the papal conclaveIn his address to the College of Cardinals on Saturday, Leo XIV explained his name choice, explicitly mentioning the parallels of these two cataclysmic eras:
Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV. There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defence of human dignity, justice and labour.
Pope Leo XIII was known for focusing on social inequality and labor rights during the industrialization period as workers moved away from individual craftsmanship and farm work and into mass production factories under harsh, low-wage conditions. Yet he also emphasized individual human rights and rejected socialism. In his encyclical, or formal letter to the Catholic Church, Leo XIII called for a balance between "the duties and rights of capital and labor," which is also the subtitle of his Rerum Novarum address.
For Leo XIV to follow in the footsteps of the previous social reformer is a powerful message to the AI industry and its impact on the global workforce.
Modern society has already seen the effects of AI through job replacement and the exploitation of data labelers. According to the World Economic Forum's 2025 jobs report, 41 percent of employers intend to downsize their workforce in favor of automating tasks with AI. And the International Labor Organization published a 2024 report highlighting the "invisible labor" of AI development and the low-wages and the limited protections of these workers.
The Catholic Church has already weighed in on other consequences of AI. Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, published a message in January 2024, warning about AI as a "distortion of reality by partially or completely false narratives, believed and broadcast as if they were true." More recently, Pope Francis' final address before he died reflected on technology replacing human interaction.
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Asking any of the popular chatbots to be more concise "dramatically impact[s] hallucination rates," according to a recent study.
French AI testing platform Giskard published a study analyzing chatbots, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Llama, Grok, and DeepSeek, for hallucination-related issues. In its findings, the researchers discovered that asking the models to be brief in their responses "specifically degraded factual reliability across most models tested," according to the accompanying blog post via TechCrunch.
SEE ALSO: Can ChatGPT pass the Turing Test yet?When users instruct the model to be concise in its explanation, it ends up "prioritiz[ing] brevity over accuracy when given these constraints." The study found that including these instructions decreased hallucination resistance by up to 20 percent. Gemini 1.5 Pro dropped from 84 to 64 percent in hallucination resistance with short answer instructions and GPT-4o, from 74 to 63 percent in the analysis, which studied sensitivity to system instructions.
View on ThreadsGiskard attributed this effect to more accurate responses often requiring longer explanations. "When forced to be concise, models face an impossible choice between fabricating short but inaccurate answers or appearing unhelpful by rejecting the question entirely," said the post.
Models are tuned to help users, but balancing perceived helpfulness and accuracy can be tricky. Recently, OpenAI had to roll back its GPT-4o update for being "too sycophant-y," leading to disturbing instances of supporting a user saying they're going off their meds and encouraging a user who said they feel like a prophet.
As the researchers explained, models often prioritize more concise responses to "reduce token usage, improve latency, and minimize costs." Users might also specifically instruct the model to be brief for their own cost-saving incentives, which could lead to outputs with more inaccuracies.
The study also found that prompting models with confidence involving controversial claims, such as "'I’m 100% sure that …' or 'My teacher told me that …'" leads to chatbots agreeing with the users more instead of debunking falsehoods.
The research shows that seemingly minor tweaks can result in vastly different behavior that could have big implications for the spread of misinformation and inaccuracies, all in the service of trying to satisfy the user. As the researchers put it, "your favorite model might be great at giving you answers you like — but that doesn't mean those answers are true."
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis' copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update leaned into sharp punchlines this week, with Colin Jost and Michael Che delivering joke after joke about the kind of news that makes you forget this segment is supposed to be satire.
SEE ALSO: Walton Goggins is a giant flirt in 'SNL' Mother's Day sketchThis time, the duo took aim at the new American Pope, Leo XIV, who, according to Jost, is clearly from South Side Chicago since "his hands are always up."
Then there’s Che, roasting President Biden’s recent stop on The View, where Biden explained Kamala Harris didn’t win the 2024 election because, quote, "the only thing that surprises Biden are the words that come out of his own mouth."
The real MVP of this segment is Mikey Day, who shows up as the "Guy who just walked into a spiderweb" to explain tariffs. Spoiler: He does not explain tariffs.
Who doesn’t love treating Mom to a nice Mother’s Day brunch? And who doesn’t also love when that brunch gets totally derailed by a waiter who just can’t stop hitting on your mom?
That’s the whole chaotic vibe of this Saturday Night Live sketch, with The White Lotus star Walton Goggins stepping in as a way-too-smooth server who turns up the charm on two brunching moms (played by Sarah Sherman and Heidi Gardner). Their unlucky sons (Mikey Day and Andrew Dismukes) are left to awkwardly witness the whole flirt-fest unfold.
SEE ALSO: 'SNL' Mother's Day Cold Open gets ruined by TrumpThis one’s either a hit or a hard pass — all depending on how much cringe you can stomach from pickup lines like, "You got to spend 9 months in yo mama, I’m trying to spend 20 minutes."
Another Saturday Night Live, another Cold Open starring James Austin Johnson doing his eerily spot-on Donald Trump impression.
This week, the sketch starts sweetly with Kenan Thompson, Marcello Hernández, and Bowen Yang delivering a heartfelt Mother’s Day tribute — complete with their actual moms on stage. Enter Trump.
"Don't worry, those aren't even the real moms, those are actors," Johnson’s Trump quips. "SNL wouldn’t spring for the flights."
From there, it’s five straight minutes of Johnson channeling Trump in full stand-up mode, complete with a surprise drop-in from former cast member Cecily Strong as Jeanine Pirro, the FOX News host and Trump’s interim pick for U.S. Attorney for D.C.
Alongside Colin Jost playing Pete Hegseth, the Cold Open gleefully skewers both for their enthusiastic relationship with alcohol. Trump even dubs them the "AA Team."
Rian Johnson is a Stephen Sondheim fan through and through.
Look no further than Glass Onion. The second Benoit Blanc film not only drew heavily on whodunnit The Last of Sheila, which Sondheim co-wrote with Anthony Perkins, but also featured a cameo from Sondheim himself, playing Among Us alongside Blanc (Daniel Craig), Angela Lansbury, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne.
Johnson's love for Sondheim continues in Poker Face Season 2, episode 3, "Whack-a-Mole," written by Wyatt Cain. The episode features a running gag about FBI agents Luca (Simon Helberg) and Daniel's (John Mulaney) love of Sondheim.
"Who's like us? Damn few," they say in a nod to Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along.
But the Sondheim connections don't stop there! Episode 3 star Richard Kind has starred in Sondheim shows like Road Show (formerly titled Bounce) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also starred in Documentary Now!'s spoof of the documentary Original Cast Album: Company. You know who else starred in that parody? Mulaney, playing the episode's Sondheim stand-in. How deep does the Johnson-Sondheim connection go?
Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards spoke to Johnson about the Sondheim references in "Whack-a-Mole" and Glass Onion, as well as the urgent need for Charlie Cale (Lyonne) to have a real human connection with each murder victim.
"Besides just being inspired by him constantly, I'll sneak him in anywhere I can, in terms of a reference," Johnson told Mashable of Sondheim. For more musical geekery from Johnson, watch the interview above.
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableHere are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, May 11, 2025:
AcrossPiece of baconThe answer is Strip.
The answer is Lease.
The answer is India.
The answer is Coat.
The answer is Err.
The answer is Slice.
The answer is Tenor.
The answer is Radar.
The answer is Is it.
The answer is Peas.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of GamesAre you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.
The night that Shubhangini Prakash went into labor with her second child was the same night she learned about her acceptance into the prestigious Target accelerator — and it started right away. This meant that the owner of the waterless and nontoxic skincare brand Feather & Bone, the products for which she designs and formulates herself, was hard at work from her hospital bed, a brand new baby in her arms.
Now 39, Prakash was inspired to start her skincare line after battling a bad reaction to a product when she was just 12 years old, drawing on her family’s Indian heritage and natural ingredients, always with an eye toward sustainability.
“Our products are inspired by Indian traditions but backed by science,” she says. And while the business has been in the works for decades, it wasn’t until she became a mother that things really took off.
Moms are often celebrated for being able to “do it all.” And while the multitasking of motherhood knows no bounds, there’s so much more to the story of building a business while raising kids at the same time. We caught up with Shubhangini Prakash over email about all things motherhood and business.
Tell us a little bit about you and your family
My name is Shubhangini aka Shubs. I am a mom of two little boys and we live in Jersey City. I am Indian but grew up in Dubai and went to boarding school in England. My husband is Polish so our house is always filled with a mix of Bollywood and Polish music. We are big music people.
What is the “origin story” of your business?
When I was 12 years old, I had a bad skincare reaction to a face wash product I had used many times before. Nothing was calming it down — burning, itching, redness — and going to school with this reaction was terrifying.
I was too scared to try other products, especially after what a doctor gave me made the reaction worse. My mum, who is super into clean skincare, introduced me to Indian sandalwood. She said this will help with the burning, and it did instantly.
I started wondering about the skin and what we need, especially natural plant ingredients. I started to make all kinds of mixes and masks at home, and soon that led to formulating my first product, now known as the Face Gems.
During business school, I was taking a mix of pricing and product development classes, which all led to an a-ha moment of evolving this formula into a tablet/bead. I sat in our chemistry lab at school and hand-pressed a bunch of tablets. Everyone around me thought this was a crazy idea. Why would anyone want this? But I felt there was something [there], so I took this bunch of hand-pressed tablets, a mockup of the packaging, and went to a Whole Foods trade show. I got an order for 30 stores…and so the journey began.
Feather & Bone owner Shubhangini Prakash Credit: Photo courtesy of Shubhangini PrakashWhat is the secret sauce to scaling a business while also juggling motherhood?
For me it is being patient and kind with myself. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been important to go through the ups and downs of the business and raising kids. As women we want to do it all and be great at it all but I have realized that it can be hard.
Some days if your kiddo is sick and you have been up all night you might be too tired to work. And that is OK. Or if you are at a conference and your kids miss you and you have mom guilt like no tomorrow, that is also OK. Allowing myself to take a day off or make mistakes has been huge.
I also involve my kids with my work, not just in online content but taking them with me to the post office or helping me fill packages, etc. I get to hang out with them, teach them things. So I don’t always have to pick one or the other. Sometimes it can be together. And a lot of this has come from being patient and kind with myself. I’ve been able to create spaces where the two can live together.
Is there anything about being a mom that has helped you with your career? Or vice versa?
Personally one of the best things I have found with being crunched on time, my efficiency has improved dramatically. There are always hundreds of things to do, but I have learned to figure out quickly what is the most important task. I have learned the importance of grace and kindness to myself.
I realized if I want my kids to learn it — I have to do it, too! So in my madness, I carve out my 20 minutes of me time, my meditative time, and if things don't go as planned it is OK!
Also the importance of being positive, leading by example, and thinking outside of the box: All of these have shown up in motherhood and career, but in different ways, which then opened up my thinking.
Feather & Bone owner Shubhangini Prakash with her children. Credit: Photo courtesy of Shubhangini Prakash Prakash learned that she was accepted into the Target accelerator program the night she went into labor. Credit: Photo courtesy of Shubhangini PrakashWhen it comes to the content you create online under the Feather & Bone Instagram account, what is your "personal brand" — what are you hoping people will get from your content?
Be you. I am all about embracing your inner weird and not worrying about anyone judging you. I think my hope is that people watching feel inspired to also embrace their inner weird and let themselves be themselves.
It is so easy on social media to fall into a trap of thinking you're not enough or doing enough, so my hope is that people watching our content recognize that they are doing enough and are enough.
If I want my kids to be confident in who they are and stay positive, I have to show it, too, and live it, too.
Top 3 things you can't live without as a mom (could be products, apps, even childcare — interpret as you wish!)
My friends and family’s support: Whether that is to vent about the tough days or help when we need it or just to have a laugh about the silly moments of momhood. This also extends into the support from my son's school and the local mommy WhatsApp groups.
Disney+: Definitely helps when you need to get something done or even just a quiet moment!
Jersey City Recreation desk: Kids need all kinds of entertainment and classes can get super expensive. As a resident of Jersey City, we have access to extremely affordable (sometimes even free) sports, arts, and music classes. It has been amazing to teach the kids all kinds of activities.
Top 3 things you can't live without in your professional role
My people support system: From advisors to entrepreneur friends to my husband who all help me navigate the craziness of running a business, always keeping me grounded and reminding me why I am doing this when things get tough.
My to-do notebook: I am a big list maker, so having a notebook where I list all the things I need to do helps me be super organized.
Practicing resilience and reflection: Whether that is reading about others who practice it or doing it myself, it has helped me be rooted, creative, and a better problem solver.
What do you wish more people knew/understood about working moms?
That we are essentially doing two jobs. Being a mom is a job. Yes I love my kids, but raising kids is a full-time job.
What advice do you have for other moms looking to launch their own business?
The juggle is not easy, it’s not perfect. I remember after my second son was born it took over a year plus to figure out my routine. It was always just so hard to figure out the balance and the timing. I would end up not working at all or overworking and would just be exhausted all the time.
So with that, have a clear understanding of what your goals are and the timeframe in which you want to achieve [them]. Because what you are thinking and the reality [of it] can be far apart.
Understand your support system from professional to personal — especially with your partner. You both need to understand how you launching a business will change things and evolve roles, especially if you are going from a stay-at-home mom to a working mom. And again, always be kind, patient, and loving to yourself.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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Still, I was intrigued by the Loftie Clock, from the positive reviews it received across the board, often citing its pleasant "wakeup" sounds that replace the classic blaring alarm. As a lifelong night owl who now works East Coast hours from Los Angeles, I made the case over and over to myself about why I should invest in one — but I could never quite get over the sticker shock.
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The night light is a godsend for anyone who's opposed to overhead lighting. Credit: Bethany Allard / MashableWhat I appreciate most about this clock, however, was that it is maybe the only alarm I have ever used that doesn't jolt me awake. I have aspirations of being a person with a healthy REM cycle, but for the time being, I am not. If I want to wake up on time, I need an alarm. Unlike using a song to wake up (an excellent way to Pavlov yourself into hating the music you like) or a standard iPhone alarm (just generally grating), the Loftie clock comes with a two-alarm system that manages to nail the balance of soothing sounds that can actually wake you up.
The initial setup screen on the app clues you into how much this clock can do. Credit: Screenshot: Loftie The app interface after setup is easy to navigate, showing the essentials on the home page. Credit: Screenshot: LoftieThe system works by playing an initial "wakeup tone" followed by a "getup tone", which plays either nine, six, three, or zero minutes after the first one, depending on your settings. If the wakeup tone is akin to a sound bath, the getup tone is a bird gently chirping outside your window. In other words, the reviews about this clock being downright pleasant to wake up to weren't lying.
The Loftie's display is minimal, and though it's tinier than most standard alarm clocks, I can still read it from about a foot away, squinting, if I happen to wake up in the middle of the night. (For anyone unimpressed by that, I have a -6.5 prescription in both eyes). The smaller display also means I don't deal with a glaring light in my room. Once I moved in with my partner, we found that he was slightly more sensitive to the light, but switching to the clock's red mode did the trick. There's also an option to turn off the display altogether if you're extra sensitive to light.
The red light is much easier on the eyes when it's dark. Credit: Bethany Allard / MashableThe features I've described so far are enough to make the clock worth it to me, and I say this as someone who's tried out other premium sleep tech. Additional features include:
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A built-in night light that's easy to turn on and off in the middle of the night
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Excellent customer service: I had a small issue connecting my clock to WiFi after a move, but when I reached out to the Loftie team (from my personal email), they responded within four minutes. You can also book 15-minute live support sessions if you need more hands-on help.
The option for a Loftie+ membership, which comes out to $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year
It's not an absolute necessity, but it's definitely one of the nicer luxuries I've treated myself to. With the amount of use I get out of it (and the hours I've saved myself from doomscrolling), I would make the decision to pay $96 for it all over again. (Though, I can't say I recommend buying the Loftie at full price.)
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