#can i travel with hearing aid batteries

[punkshort]

Chapter warnings: language, violence, m masturbation, smut

Chapter Eight

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, pre-outbreak and post outbreak

AU (the only thing I kept was the outbreak, Joel, and Tommy's characters. Joel's backstory is different, and the way he finds Jackson is different. I may include Ellie one day, I just haven't planned that far)

Fic Summary: You worked for Joel and Tommy a few months before the outbreak. The outbreak happens, and you and Joel get stuck traveling the country and keeping each other safe. Neither of you spoke about the feelings you had for one another pre-outbreak, and in a post-apocalyptic world, it seems like survival should be your only focus. But feelings can't be ignored forever.

Fic tags: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI), Smut, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, Age Difference (Reader is 10 years younger than Joel), slow burn, mutual pining, angst, trauma, SA referencing later but I will put a big warning on those chapters

Back in your apartment, the two of you set to work quietly organizing everything spread out on the living room floor that you could think of to pack. The biggest section was food. Luckily you were still used to a dorm room diet, so you had tons of useful items to take on the go. You had focused on the cans with protein like tuna, chicken and beans, then moved on to granola and protein bars, nuts, dried fruit, ramen noodles, cereal, instant rice and easy mac. Joel packed each of you a flashlight with extra batteries, and handfuls of matches and lighters he had found rummaging through your floor. Justin's camping equipment came with a canteen, plate, bowl, and foldable silverware for each, and a small first aid kit, which Joel significantly bolstered after raiding all the bathrooms on the floor.

He told you to only pack one or two extra sets of clothes, that you would have to break into houses or stores along the way if you needed more. He didn't want to waste the space in your packs that could be used for food and medicine.

You both set to work filling your bags with as much stuff as you could. Joel slipped a map into his pack that he had picked up from a kitchen drawer down the hall, and you had snuck in an unopened box of tampons and a folded up picture of your parents in yours when he wasn't looking.

It was around midday when you were all set to go, making sure to eat something left behind in your cupboards one last time.

You closed the door behind you, but you didn't lock it in case someone came along and needed something. Then sadly, you turned and gripped your baseball bat, following Joel down the long hallway, down the stairs and to the lobby.

Before Joel pushed the lobby door open to the outside, he turned to you.

"Which way's the subway?"

You pointed down the street to the right.

"It's about 3 blocks that way, not far. It's mostly all apartment buildings and a few stores on the corners."

Joel nodded, cracking the door open to listen for any sign of trouble. It sounded clear, so he ventured out to confirm before pulling you out behind him.

"We gotta be quick, but not too quick. Don't want to accidentally sneak up on somethin' out here," Joel explained in a hushed tone. "If you hear anythin', stop and don't make a sound. And you tell me if you see anythin' at all, understand?" You walked closely next to him as he was speaking, the whole time looking all around you frantically, your senses in overdrive, and your heart hammering in your chest. All you did was nod, not wanting to risk making too much noise.

The streets were quiet. Joel peeked around the corner and made sure no soldiers or infected were nearby before ushering you across the open street and back behind the safety of a building. One block down.

The two of you trotted down the sidewalk, swiveling your head around every few feet to see if there was anyone behind you. You almost made it to the next corner when Joel swung out his arm to stop you. You held your breath, heart racing as you focused on the noise he heard. It was the slow rumbling of an engine that reminded you of the FEDRA truck you heard patrolling outside your apartment last night. Joel must have figured that out, too, because he grabbed your arm and pulled you over to hide behind a dumpster that was sticking out of a narrow alley. You both crouched down and waited for the truck to pass. Fortunately, it didn't turn down the street you were on, where you would have been exposed.

Once the noise faded, Joel stood up slowly before motioning for you to follow. Again, he poked his head around the corner and took extra time to make sure no one was around before dragging you across the street once more. One more block to go.

You were halfway down the block as you passed a pawn shop, windows smashed in and the place ransacked. You grabbed Joel's arm and his head whipped around in a panic. You shook your head to tell him nothing was wrong and pointed into the pawn shop.

"Weapons?" you mouthed.

He hesitated a moment, trying to decide if you should press on or see if there was something useful in there before ultimately deciding to check it out. If the subway had infected in it, it would be better if there was more than just one knife between you. Joel stepped through the broken glass door carefully, glancing around at the small shop before holding his hand out to guide you through the opening. You both took a quick look around, noticing anything valuable was long gone, and most of the knives were picked over, but you did find a decent sized switchblade for yourself. You tucked it into your jeans pocket, and you carried on down the street towards the subway entrance.

You had a long way to go down the dark tunnel, but so far it had been quiet and uneventful. Your flashlight beams bounced off the brick walls as you walked in silence, trying to stay focused on your surroundings. Your anxiety spiked with every new subway station you passed, reminding you of just how much deeper into the city you were getting. From what the soldiers had said, more densely populated areas were worse off, and so far in your limited experience that had proven to be true.

You were two stations away from the one you stopped at for work when you first saw people. It was just two families, huddled together on the platform. They had seen your flashlights long before you saw them, so trying to sneak by was useless. They seemed like they were just innocent survivors, so Joel kept walking, holding his head up. He made eye contact with two of the men in the group and gave them each a firm nod, hoping to convey you were just passing through and not looking for trouble. They nodded back wordlessly, and you carried on your way.

The next station had more people who had sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, and lanterns. It looked like they were trying to wait it out underground long-term. A few of the men approached the end of the platform to address Joel.

"You soldiers?" one of them asked.

"No, just passin' through, tryin' to stay off the streets, sorry to disturb you all," Joel replied. He paused for a moment, and looked back at the men who were still watching you carefully. "Any of you see any infected down here?"

One of the men shook his head. "Nah, man, that's why we're sitting tight down here. Soldiers must be keeping them busy up top."

Joel nodded. "Thanks... good luck to you."

Finally, you approached your stop for work and found the platform to be filled with people, just like the previous one. They were kind and immediately helped you both up off the tracks. You introduced yourselves and explained you were headed to Joel's apartment not too far from there. One of the women, Josie, warned you the closer you got to the heart of the city, the worse it was.

"We heard, thank you. Once we get up top it won't be a long walk," you said, swiping the back of your hand across your forehead to clear the sweat collecting there. "We've been walking for hours. Joel?" You turned to him, interrupting a conversation he was having with Josie's husband, Peter. "Can we rest here for a bit?" Joel turned back to Peter.

"That ok with you folks?" he asked. Peter and Josie nodded, seemingly the leaders of the small group of strangers huddled on the platform.

The two of you slunk down against the tiled wall, pulling out protein bars and your canteens after sitting down. You shut your eyes for a few minutes, leaning the back of your head against the wall, chewing and grateful to be taking a break.

"You holdin' up alright?" Joel asked softly beside you. You nodded, keeping your eyes closed.

"I'm just tired," you replied, taking another bite of your protein bar without looking.

"It ain't much further, once we get on the street it's another few blocks. We should be able to get there before - "

Joel's sentence was cut short by screaming, and your eyes flew open in surprise as you dropped your protein bar and grabbed your bat while fumbling around in your pocket for the switchblade. Joel was already standing, gripping his bat and trying to locate the source of the scream in the group. One of the men, who looked asleep when you arrived, was snarling and had his teeth clamped down into the shoulder of an older man, blood pouring down his arm and soaking both of their shirts. Peter and another man jumped into action to pull the infected off the poor man screaming in agony, struggling to pin it to the ground.

Joel charged forward before you could stop him, your hands desperately clawing at his t-shirt, but he was already throwing himself into the group to help. You watched in horror as the three men struggled to hold it down, and just as Joel was getting ready to bash its skull in with the baseball bat, it lunged forward, knocking Peter and the other man off to the side and pushing Joel onto his back.

Joel held the infected up by its shoulders as it pinned him down, snapping and growling inches from his face. Joel's jaw was clenched tight, his eyes flashed with rage as he summoned all the strength he could manage and pushed it off him, making it stumble backwards. It was just enough time for Joel to reach to his side for his hunting knife and plunged it into the infected’s skull with a guttural yell.

The infected went limp immediately and fell to the floor. Joel stood over the body, tense, covered in blood, and panting heavily with the knife still clutched in his hand. Peter and the other man rushed to join the rest of the group helping the one who was bit in the shoulder, but you raced straight to Joel, wrapping your arms around him tightly. Surprised, he lifted one arm to place it reassuringly on your back, the other still clutching his knife.

You let him go, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks as you frowned at him angrily. He looked down at you, the adrenaline wearing off, and saw the anguish on your face. He reached his hand out to you, but you slapped it away and instead shoved his chest heatedly, making him stumble just a bit in surprise.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" you seethed, narrowing your eyes at him and fighting to keep the tears from falling. "You could have gotten killed!"

Joel stared at you, still panting slightly, then put the knife back in its holder. He couldn't gauge your reaction. Were you upset he would be killed because then you would be alone, or upset because of something else? He sighed and reached out to you again. This time, you didn't shove him, but you didn't go to him, either.

Josie approached you, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Thank you, Joel, for saving my husband," she said, clutching his outstretched hand in her own, then turned to you. "Don't be mad at your boyfriend, dear, he just saved us all."

Your mouth fell open, and before you could correct her, she went back to Peter and hugged him tightly. Joel cleared his throat beside you, seemingly pleased with himself.

"You heard her," he winked at you. "Can't stay mad at me." You scowled back at him, and with a more serious tone, he added, "us or them, remember?"

You sighed, relaxing your brow. You knew he was right, but you were still pissed off. You turned on your heel and headed back to your abandoned protein bar, effectively ending the conversation.

Joel joined you and watched as the group deliberated quietly on how to deal with the man who was bit. You had learned he likely only had a few hours before he turned, based on the location of his bite. Ultimately, Peter volunteered, and he quickly and privately put the man out of his misery with a kitchen knife. You winced when you heard the squelch of blood from across the platform, burying your face in your shoulder.

You didn't stay much longer after that. Once Joel had gotten his strength back, you picked up your belongings and gave your farewells. Josie and Peter thanked Joel again, and you headed up to the familiar street corner, dusk fast approaching.

It took you both an hour to walk to Joel's apartment, which normally would have taken ten minutes, but he insisted on going slow and being careful at every turn. When you approached his building, you had to crane your neck all the way back to take in the full height. His building definitely used to have a doorman: it was fancy. You walked into the ornate lobby and turned around in a slow circle, taking in everything from the detailed crown molding to the beautiful, tiled floor that looked more like a piece of art. You almost felt bad for stepping on it. Even the ceiling was vaulted and decorated in tiny, intricate squares with gilded chandeliers hanging from it. Finally, you looked straight ahead and saw an arched window that overlooked a private garden.

"Shit," you whispered, "I almost got an apartment in this building."

Joel turned back to you, surprised, then realized you were being sarcastic when he saw your grin. He smiled to himself and shook his head, leading you down the hallway towards the stairwell door.

"I take it you're not on the second floor?" you asked him quietly as you began to climb the stairs.

"No, little higher than that," he replied. "30th floor."

You stopped dead in your tracks, which made him stop and turn back to you questioningly. He could tell what the problem was when he saw the pained expression on your face without you even having to speak.

"I know, it's gonna take us a while, but we can stop and rest whenever you need to." You sighed and hung your head, continuing your journey up the stairs.

You made it to the halfway point before you had to take a break, sitting on a step, panting and chugging water from your canteen while Joel leaned against the wall across from you, sipping his own water. The sun was going down, so you each dug your flashlights out of your packs before continuing.

"Not much further," Joel panted, turning the corner of another staircase, "then we can rest. No point in diggin' around in the dark, it's been a long day." You nodded, choosing not to speak to conserve your energy, and focused on the flashlight beam ahead of you.

You weren't sure how long it took, but finally you climbed the last step to face the door marked with a big, red "30". That's when you looked up and noticed you were on the top floor. Of course he lives on the top floor.

Joel pushed the door open a crack and peeked down the hall, which was very short and only had two doors and an elevator at the other end. He held the door open for you to walk through, then gently closed it. You frowned, looking back and forth at the two doors, puzzled.

Joel looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight when he saw your confusion, before mumbling, "It's a penthouse," and brushed past you to unlock his door.

You had never seen a penthouse before, but you knew they were for people who were really rich, especially in New York City. He opened the door, locking it behind you. You couldn't really see much other than what your flashlight exposed, but you could tell the room you were standing in was massive. You briefly flicked your light around, taking in some couches, bookcases, a fireplace and some other furniture. You stopped when you noticed the entire wall was top to bottom windows with a balcony attached, and covered your flashlight quickly. Joel kicked off his sneakers, and noticing the dimmer light, turned his flashlight to shine on you questioningly.

"Can't people see in? Like, the lights moving?" you asked. He shook his head.

"Privacy windows," he explained, then turned and headed towards another room. You quickly kicked your own shoes off, skittering after him, sticking close. The place was so huge you were afraid you'd get lost, and the darkness mixed with the eerie silence from lack of power and road noise made the hairs on your arm stand up. As you walked, you shined your flashlight on everything around you, baffled by how far the apartment seemed to stretch. You were so engrossed in your surroundings that you bumped into him when he had stopped walking.

"Oops, sorry," you whispered.

"Why are you whispering? We're safe here," he replied at full volume. You shrugged.

"I don't know, this place is huge, Joel, give me a minute - oh my god, is this your kitchen?!" you exclaimed as your jaw dropped, noticing the kitchen island in front of you that must have seated ten people. On one side. Easily. The island, made of marble or quartz, was white with silver and black specks. You noticed the counter was the same all over the kitchen, even on the built in bar in the corner. The cupboards were a light oak that was soft against your fingertips as you gently trailed them against the wood, wandering around his kitchen in amazement.

Joel watched you as you walked around his kitchen, gently touching the handles of the knives in the block and running your fingers along the countertop. You looked like you had never seen anything like this before, and his chest ached when he wondered what would have happened that night if you agreed to come home with him. You could have seen this place in a whole different light. He could have made you a drink from the bar and played you some music over the sound system. If he was lucky, he could have laid you down on the kitchen island you were so currently fascinated with, your fingers gripping the edges as he slipped his fingers inside your underwear to explore your soaking wet folds, pushing one finger inside you, and then another, slowly teasing you until you begged him for more.

Having you in his place was clouding his mind, he needed to focus. He cleared his throat before heading towards the pantry door. You eagerly followed closely behind and when you realized the pantry was a room as big as your own kitchen, you moaned with envy, causing his eyes to flutter shut momentarily.

"This place is amazing," you told him, sifting through the food on his shelves. You grabbed some peanut butter and crackers, turned and headed back to the kitchen.

"Where's the silverware?" you asked over your shoulder.

"Drawer next to the sink," he replied, and watched as you grabbed a butter knife. He picked up a can of Beefaroni off the shelf and opened the drawer in the kitchen with the can opener after picking a fork out from the silverware drawer you left open in your haste to eat.

He sat across from you at the island, eating his cold Beefaroni out of the can while you slathered crackers with peanut butter and popped them in your mouth. You smirked at his choice of food.

"Chef Boyardee?" you asked curiously, eyebrows raised. "I'm sure your private chef could have made you the real thing from scratch." Joel chuckled.

"Alright, I ain't got a private chef. Besides, this is the real thing. Nothin' beats it."

You smiled, fascinated that a man who lived in such a lavish apartment would have Beefaroni as his guilty pleasure. Feeling full and sleepy, you twisted the top of the peanut butter jar closed, and out of habit ran your tongue along the butter knife to clean it. You didn't even realize how that looked until you heard Joel's breath hitch and he looked down to study the empty can in front of him. Your cheeks felt warm from embarrassment, but luckily, he couldn't see it under the cover of darkness. You cleaned the knife (with a sponge, this time) and Joel's fork, putting them back in the drawer.

"Alright, let's get some shut eye. We should try to get an early start tomorrow, I want to get out of this city as soon as we can," Joel said, grabbing his pack he had set down when you walked in, and headed further down the hallway.

You followed him nervously, looking at the expensive-looking art on the walls and even a few statues on pedestals before reaching his bedroom. He pushed the door open, and your flashlights bounced around the room to illuminate the corners the moonlight hid from view. As expected, his bedroom was spacious with a bathroom and two walk-in closets attached. You noticed one of the closets was void of any clothes, and the other was packed to the brim. You poked your head in his bathroom, sighing enviously when you saw the huge, glass walk-in shower and built in vanity. You turned around to find Joel had dug out a couple lanterns from his closet and placed one on each end table so you could conserve your flashlight batteries. You clicked it off and walked over awkwardly, not sure what the sleeping arrangements should be. Unlike you, he has couches more than big enough to accommodate a grown adult, but the thought of being alone in the living room of this huge apartment made you nervous.

It hadn't even been a question in Joel's mind.

"Hop in and make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back," and he left the bedroom, back down the hallway to double check the locks. You rummaged in your pack for some more comfortable clothes to sleep in, and quickly changed before he returned, nestled under the covers on the most comfortable mattress you had ever been on in your life.

When Joel reentered the bedroom, his thoughts didn't even have time to catch up with how fast he felt the blood rushing to his cock. He squeezed his eyes shut as he blindly walked right to his closet and shut the door so he could change into his pajamas, willing his erection away. He groaned quietly, leaning his head against the wall of the closet, frustrated with how distracted he's been. If he doesn't stop, it could get you or him killed. He would have to do something about it before heading out tomorrow. He was lucky so far, you've had relatively safe places to hole up in, but that was going to end.

When he finally got himself under control, he exited the closet and got into the other side of the bed. You already had your lantern off and you were laying on your side with your eyes closed, exhausted from all the walking and events of the day. His bed was much larger than yours, and he hoped the extra space would help him get his mind out of the gutter. He turned his lantern off, and leaned back into the familiar pillow and sheets, closing his eyes. It was silent for a few minutes before you spoke.

"Joel?" you squeaked.

"Hm?" he replied, keeping his eyes closed.

"This is the nicest apartment I've ever seen, how long have you lived here?"

"About six years or so," he said, shifting a little under the covers. "But I like your place more," he admitted.

"My place?!" you said, outraged. "You could fit my entire apartment into this bedroom, you're crazy."

"Yeah, well, your place felt more..." he trailed off, trying to find the right word. "Like a home. This place feels like a museum."

"I'm sure you could make this place feel just as cozy," you yawned before adding, "this bed, for instance, is the most comfortable thing I've ever laid on." Joel smiled.

"Glad you like it." Sweetheart.

He waited until he was sure you were sleeping deeply enough before he locked himself into his bathroom and pulled his sweatpants down just far enough to free his throbbing cock, stroking it steadily with one hand while the other propped him up against the wall, eyes screwed shut. His thoughts picked up where he left off in the kitchen, his fingers deep in your pussy, but then he would add his thumb to your swollen clit, making your back arch off the cold counter and gasp his name. His thumb would pick up the pace, keeping up with your moans, rubbing tight circles and flexing and thrusting his fingers inside of you until your body finally stilled under him, whimpering his name as you came.

He imagined you gazing up at him hazily, the same way you looked at him last week outside the bar, but now you would reach out and grab the waist of his jeans, pulling him closer and whisper hoarsely to him, "Please, Joel, I need you, I need more..."

He imagined what it would feel like to slide inside you, your cunt soft and warm, so welcoming and taking him inch by inch. He would grasp your hips, his feet firmly on the ground and your legs wrapped tightly around his waist, one of your hands lost in your own hair and the other firmly holding onto his wrist, eyes rolled towards the back of your head, moaning, as he stretched you out. When he would start moving, he would go slow at first and enjoy the way your tits bounced gently along with his movements. He would do his best to take his time, but he imagined you asking him - begging him - to fuck you harder. Of course, he would give you what you wanted. He would slam into you, over and over, groaning as he would feel your cunt squeezing around him, warning him you were close. His thumb would travel down to your clit once again, pressing firmly from side to side until you were screaming his name and he felt your warm release spill over his cock.

"Fuck!" Joel grunted out into the darkness, as he shot thick ropes of cum over his hand and onto the tile floor, completely losing himself and forgetting to grab a tissue.  He stood there a few minutes, catching his breath, his forehead pressed against the bathroom wall. Finally, he pushed himself away and cleaned up his mess carefully, using his flashlight to make sure he didn't miss anything. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He hoped that would help keep him sharp and focused for tomorrow.

He opened the bathroom door quietly, relieved to see you hadn't moved a muscle since he left. You were still sleeping peacefully, facing his side of the bed with your lips slightly parted. He smiled at the sight, setting his flashlight down and about to slide back into bed when he heard a noise coming from down the hall. He froze, listening intently, trying to figure out the source. He glanced down at you once more to confirm you were still asleep and headed quietly out the bedroom door, carefully closing it behind him.

He walked down the hallway, now on high alert, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He walked by a statue, grabbing it and turning it upside down so the square base was upright in his hand. He gripped it tightly as he neared the kitchen, now hearing rustling and seeing a beam of light coming from the pantry. He glanced around the room before peering around the open pantry door, seeing someone crouched on the floor and rifling through his food, but all Joel could focus on was the revolver on the floor next to him, shining in the moonlight. Shooting one more glance over his shoulder, Joel stepped inside, silently placing the statue down on the floor, and then lunged forward, quickly wrapping his arm around the intruder’s neck, and using his other hand to lock his arm in place. Joel yanked them both up to a standing position, putting his foot over the revolver and shoving it under the shelves in the pantry, out of arms reach. The intruder slapped wildly at Joel's arms, then tried clawing at his face, desperate to loosen his grip so he could breathe, but Joel didn't budge, his grip strong and unmoving, his face contorted in a fury and a heat he never felt before. It didn't take long before the man passed out, but Joel held on a few minutes longer to make sure the air didn't revive him.

Once he was satisfied he was dead, Joel laid him gently on the pantry floor, frantically trying to catch his breath. He slowly picked the statue back up, temporarily forgetting about the gun, and then closed his eyes a moment as his breathing began to stabilize. He reopened them, nostrils flared, and jaw clenched. He needed to make sure the man was alone, and you were safe.

He left the pantry, glancing around the room once again before stepping forward. He was about to enter the hallway to head back towards the living room when something hard hit him across the chest, sending him crashing loudly back into the kitchen, dropping the statue. Joel gasped for air in the darkness, scrambling backwards and reaching around blindly to try to find his statue, but the other intruder kicked it away and pinned Joel down with his own baseball bat. The bat was being pressed to his throat, and Joel struggled to push against the man's weight.

"Who else is here with you?" the intruder sneered. Joel was barely able to make out his face in the darkness.

"No one," he gasped and shook his head, pushing back harder now that he was reminded of you sleeping sweetly in his bed, hoping and praying you stayed in there.

"Bullshit," the man spit. "I saw the shoes by the door. Maybe I'll have a little fun with her after I kill - "

Suddenly, the pressure was gone, and Joel coughed, holding his throat. He whipped around frantically, trying to find anything to use as a weapon, when he heard wet thumping over and over. He stood up, desperately trying to make his eyes adjust to the shadows. Remembering the flashlight, he scrambled back in the pantry and snatched it up, casting the beam of light over the scuffle.

You were bent over and brutally caving in the skull of the man who almost killed him.

Over and over, you aimed the corner of the statue at the man's disfigured face, beating him to a bloody pulp, the squishing sound of blood echoing in your ears. Joel calling your name and grabbing you around the waist was the only thing that stopped you. You dropped the statue and looked him in the eye, like a wild animal cornered and ready to strike. He grabbed your face, repeating your name until your eyes focused back on him. The enormity of what you did hit you in an instant: you just killed a man.

Tears welled up in your eyes and your lips trembled as you continued to stare into Joel’s eyes. He shook his head when he saw the emotion on your face.

“No. No, no, no, no. C’mere,” he said, pulling you into his embrace, and it was then you let the tears flow as you sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, gripping his t-shirt in your fist like a lifeline. He snaked his arm up your back, so his hand rested at the crown of your head, and his other arm tightly squeezed you around the ribs. You both slunk to the floor of his kitchen, holding onto each other for dear life, the horror of the world around you finally making its mark on you both.  

Chapter Nine

[sweet7simple]

A dratchrod mechpreg headcanon or thought you have?

🥹 My first Transformers prompt. Thank you.

My ideas of mechpreg are heavily inspired by other writers, especially Exdraghunt's "Baby Blues" (https://archiveofourown.org/works/51292837/chapters/129600418), which gave me the idea that a developing bitlet constantly needs resources (like building materials, circuitry, fuel, etc...) while forged, and those resources are, to some extent, supplied by transfluid. So a healthy carrier is a carrier receiving lots of transfluid from their partner(s).

(Fun fact! This isn't that unusual. In nature, we have insects that provide nutritious nuptial gifts (food) to their ladies before, during, or after mating - and sometimes the nuptial gift is a whole wad of spermatophore. That's the sperm plus a protein-rich structure to help the sperm travel. While the sperm is traveling through the lady, she is munching down on the rest of the spermatophore and getting all those tasty healthy benefits. Remember, kids, when the male puts the gift straight in the lady's reproductive tract, that is called a seminal gift.)

This is a lot of backstory, but I really love reproductive biology. What I am getting at here is that a carrier having more than one mate is very healthy and doctor-recommended (and by doctor, I don't mean JUST Ratchet. Other doctors also recommend it).

Now, personal headcanons: Rodimus would absolutely give his life to protect his bytes and he is absolutely the fun creator. He would love his bitlets with all his spark, he would face the DJD all over again for them. But he's not the carrier (I go feral for carrier Rodimus, but hear me out). He has this idea that to be a carrier is to sacrifice, and he's willing to sacrifice, but it's not in a cute, "I'm willing to constantly overheat, lag, upset my center of gravity and put untold strain on my strut frame because it's going to be worth it for that special carrier-sparkling connection!"

No, he means sacrifice in the sense that, "No one ACTUALLY wants to be a carrier, someone just has to do it and it might as well be me so that you two don't have to deal with it."

To which Ratchet responds, "Is that what your carrier told you?"

"Yeah?"

And Ratchet says, "Good to know, we're gonna have to talk about that."

So Rodimus isn't the carrier - not the first time around. The second time around is a different story once he sees what a healthy carrier-sparkling connection is really like.

Ratchet is also not the carrier. He did have a healthy relationship with his carrier, and he does want to carry, but he's also suffering from frame fatigue and joint pain. He's stubborn and saying he can handle it, but a second opinion from First Aid reveals that Ratchet is at high risk of carrier-related brittle strut disease - if he carries, the struts of his pelvic girdle and lower spinal column could become very weak and even break. Not only that, but he is very likely to develop high fuel pressure, which can lead to clogs and then tank damage, which can lead to burning out his batteries and then we're talking spark issues...

So Ratchet loses that argument rather grumpily.

Which makes Drift the carrier. He's terrified, mind you. Last he saw his own carrier and sires, they were being arrested and carted off. Drift doesn't even remember what they were arrested for. As an assassin, he went looking for them. He found two death records for one sire and his carrier, a warrant for another sire that went missing from the mining colony he had been assigned to, and the third sire was trapped in a prison cell, barely functioning and unable to recognize his own sparkling.

Growing up on the streets of Polyhex, losing himself to drug addiction in Dead End, being an assassin, rising through the ranks of the Deception faction, constantly fighting for his life - Drift doesn't feel prepared to be a carrier. He barely feels worthy of it. But he wants it so damn bad that when Ratchet and Rodimus ask if he's sure, what comes out is a small, desperate, "Please."

It's a mix of his faith and his mates that get him through the forging. He is just so anxious every step of the way.

First, he is scared that he won't get sparked. Well, Primus, the first Carrier, the Life Bringer, their Creator, must be smiling down upon him (hah), because he's sparked within the first three cycles of having his crucible uncapped. It's practically instantaneous. It helps that his mates are eager to see him carry.

Then he is scared that something will go wrong. There will be a glitch in the forging programs, there will be a malfunction with his equipment, the sparkling will go cold inside of him - somehow, he is going to lose this bitlet.

He doesn't, though. He meditates a lot and fuels constantly and charges often. He receives plenty of transfluid loads from his mates. Every checkup with First Aid ends well - his bitlet is doing great and so is he. Everything's wonderful.

He is overheating constantly, sometimes loses track of conversations due to lagging (the forging programs take up a lot of processing space, okay?), and also loses his balance if he moves too fast due to his unstable center of gravity. He gets dizzy from increased fuel flow, is constantly hungry, and also constant tired because his bitlet is practically sucking his batteries dry. His spark is engorged, which is the strangest feeling he has ever experienced - like it is swollen and also somehow sweating boiling-hot perspiration.

But not for a single moment does he wish he wasn't forged. Not for a single moment does he regret getting sparked by his mates. He could do without the uncomfortable parts of carrying, but there is something so beautiful about knowing that a new life is being constructed inside of him, that this new life is a part of him and Ratchet and Rodimus. He feels like he's part of something truly sacred, it's the closest he has ever been to the First Carrier, the Creator of Life.

It doesn't hurt that he's receiving transfluid from his mates almost every cycle, which feels a lot like worship when Ratchet and Rodimus look at him like that (like he is the miracle, like what he is doing is a miracle, like he's beautiful, like he is unbelievably desirable).

Around the 2nd construction quarter (of 4), his sparkling sends it's first ping.

Drift is shocked. He's walking through the cafeteria one klik and, the next, someone is helping him sit down after he practically crashes into a table.

He's barley aware of the mechs around him as he cautiously pings back. His sparkling pings back again!

"Oh, Primus," he says, and pings back.

This is the fabled carrier-sparkling connection he keeps getting told about. It's a direct comm line between him and the bitlet inside of him, but his bitlet is extremely limited on the information they can send. They don't understand language yet and have no concept of images, or the ability to process them.

So his byte pings constantly. Drift pings back almost every time unless he's recharging. Rodimus is amazed at his patience.

"I want it to know that I'm here and I'm listening. Always. Even if it has nothing to say yet."

There is something raw and hurt and needy in Rodimus's expression.

Drift tilts his helm. "That isn't what your carrier did for you, was it?"

Rodimus ducs his helm. Instead of speaking to Drift, he gets on his knees, presses his face against his torso plates, and speaks to the bitty inside of him about how much Rodimus loves it and all the fun adventures they're going to have.

Drift strokes Rodimus's helm and his spoiler, leaning back against the nearest wall. It's a good cycle. A healing cycle.

Rodimus even starts getting a little jealous that Drift can "talk" to their bitty and he can't (but it's in a funny, pouty way).

As his bit develops, Drift gets little pings and bursts of color and sometimes an emotion. He gets garbled recordings of voices around the third construction quarter and he starts keening.

"What? What's wrong?" Rodimus is full-on panicking.

Ratchet is already manually pulling open his port panel so he can connect in and run diagnostics.

But then Drift is laughing, shooing his mates away. "Our byte knows what you both sound like." He is keen-laughing somehow. "You sound ridiculous."

They all sound ridiculous to his bitlet, he learns, garbled and unclear. But his bitlet loves being talked to, even if it doesn't understand what they're saying. It's scared whenever Ratchet bark-laughs (which Drift and Rodimus find hilarious), but it falls asleep to the sound of Ratchet reading. It gets all excited whenever Rodimus tells stories and thinks it's funny whenever Rodimus makes silly noises at him. It pings waves of peace when Drift sings to it.

At the end of the fourth quarter plus some cycles, Drift ejects a healthy, pill-shaped silver protoform. The birth metal is hot and the protoform slowly unfolds its arms, legs, helm, and spoiler to reveal a tiny, gorgeous byte. It takes cycles for pigment to develop and no one is surprised to see a bright red coat with white and gold accents.

The byte's armor plates are soft and malleable for most of his development and his diet is rich in liquid or sprinkled Cybertronian metal so that his armor will grow thick and strong.

He's a rambunctious, somewhat feral byte that is driving Ratchet up a wall with his antics and who is making Rodimus so proud he can barely contain himself, and he is so, so loved.

Their byte is still soft-shelled, not having reached full maturity, when Rodimus suggests one night in the berth, "Sooo... Thoughts on having another one?"

Ratchet grunts, already halfway to recharge. "Drift needs to recover before we pop another bitlet in his crucible."

"First Aid told me I shouldn't carry again for at least another or" Drift agreed sadly. He loved carrying.

"Actually, I was thinking... Maybe it could be my turn? To carry, that is. I don't know, Drift made it look fun."

Ratchet is suddenly fully awake and staring straight at Rodimus, who is trying to stare back in a way that shows this isn't a big deal and it's not a weird or out of character request, really.

"Do you really want to?" Ratchet asks, gaze piercing. "You have to be honest with us."

"Would you, Roddy?" Drift asks, servo stroking over Rodimus's torso plates. "Would you carry our bitlet for us?"

Rodimus looks back at them and says softly, desperately, "Please."

[robobirdie]

Arts for my Ninjago short

I made some illustrations for my story Anatomy of a Droid.

This illustration goes with this part of the story:

As Pixal had stated most of his systems had been shut down so were not making noise but it wasn’t quiet in his body. To indicate its healthy alive state Zanes power source not only gave off a quite low hum but a slightly electric toned sound that mimicked a normal hearts beats. Outside his body the sound along with the many other sounds his body made when active and functioning normally generally couldn’t be heard unless you pressed your ear against his body near the sounds source. His synthetic muscles and skin helped dampen the sounds to keep his functioning quiet both for his hearing and others. The sound from his heart had Jay and Kai unsettled. The others found it a bit unnerving but were pleased to hear it. The sound meant he was still alive and that his heart was okay. Zane’s power source was unique; none of them had a clue what exactly it was though in their investigations of it Jay and Nya found several very rare materials it could be but they weren’t sure which it best matched with. All they knew was outside Zane, Pixal who shared half the material from Zanes heart and a few other droids they had come across through their travels were the only ones to have and use this substance and Zanes father had never told them what it was or how he came to get it. They were guessing he wanted to keep the source secret and they felt that was probably a good thing. Whatever it was this material was very powerful able to not only give life to those of artificial make functioning like a battery for the energy that gave them life but had the potential to give great power under the right circumstances. When used as the power source for a droid it could give a long lifespan as long of course if it was taken care of properly such as not letting energy outputs get too low which was why Zane and others who shared his style of power source had a specially designed digestive system which could convert matter into an energy format their hearts could use and store. While this power source didn’t have the dangers of highly corrosive acid like a typical battery it had the great risk of exploding if overworked or overloaded by something like Jays powers. Because of this and not wanting to get electrocuted as well as Zanes body was very conductive they all agreed that Jay should refrain from using his powers while they were inside Zane. They didn’t want to do anything that could hurt his power source; while not entirely sure both Nya and Jay who understood Zanes anatomy best as they frequently worked on him and Pixal in order to keep them healthy were pretty sure if his power source stopped working for whatever reason it would not start again and without it they would lose Zane. They defiantly didn’t want that. 

When they got to the area of his left shoulder they could see some of the damages Pixal talked about but none of them could see one of these worms. The synthetic muscle that attached from the replica collarbone to a prong on the replica of an upper arm bone to help pull his arm up had been de-attached from the upper arm. They inspected the site.

“This doesn’t look too badly damaged. Some minor cuts to the synthetic fibres but some synthetic re-grow should fix it,” Nya noted and Kai wondered, “is that what that weird sickly yellow green liquid stuff I’ve seen you and Jay use while working on him is?”

“Yha, you should always use gloves when working with it cause if you get it on your skin it really burns; it makes synthetics re-grow while it de-grows organics,” Jay noted and Cole commented, “yha I can attest to that. I mistook it for peroxide once and boy was that a mistake. Made the cut worse and gave me blood poisoning. That was an unpleasant week. To be fare it was in the same bottle as the peroxide… I guess I should have read the label though before using it.”

“And that’s why we now keep the first aid equipment for Zane and Pixal in separate different looking containers and we don’t keep them in the bathroom with our first aid supplies,” Nya commented before Lloyd wondered, “what does that stuff do exactly?”

“Basically it makes synthetics re-grow and repair themselves. Unlike our fleshy makes the materials that make up Zane and Pixals make generally cannot repair themselves without an external aid. Only components of their digestive tracts can do that but that’s because those parts are made from tougher more complex self repairing synthetics unlike everything else which lack that ability. That’s where that stuff comes in. It’s a bit dangerous to work with and takes a few hours to complete its work but is much cheaper, just as efficient and I’m pretty sure Pixal and Zane prefer that method over other methods especially just removing and replacing parts. Unless something gets too badly damaged we use that method to fix things for them,” Nya explained and Cole commented while they continued to inspect the site, “yha I’m probably with them. I don’t know about you but it probably isn’t a nice feeling to just have a part of your body removed and thrown away if some things wrong with it. Like that was a part of you, part of your being and it just gets thrown away like some piece of trash. Sure it was damaged but it was still part of you part of what made you well you. Having that done probably would make you feel disposable; like your being means nothing like your life is almost meaningless and fake if someone does that. I know that’s how I would feel having something like that done.” They all looked at Cole a little taken back by his rather morbid comment.

“Yha I could see how that would really bother them; that’s not something pleasant to think about,” Kai agreed and Jay stated, “by the looks the only damage done here is to the fibres. Everything else is fine.”...

This one is for this part:

“You should recognise these structures brother, you had to help replace parts from them remember that?” Nya regaled and Kai stated, “yha don’t remind me; it was uncomfortable seeing and working on his insides. I never meant to hurt him, it was an accident. I didn’t realise he was there when I made that fire storm. I was just cutting off the bad guys so they couldn’t escape I didn’t mean for him to end up breathing in incredibly hot burning embers. To be fair Zanes disguise was really good, a little too good I didn’t know he was there.”

“How hot did you make that fire? It melted many of the sensors in his lungs and damaged most of the rest plus some of its tissues. We had to replace the whole things! Zane just wanted to repair what was there but it was all too badly damaged,” Jay explained and Kai noted, “I helped out with the cost and work in the repairs to show I was sorry. I prefer not knowing what his insides are like but I felt so bad especially since he spent a week in pain, with off sounding and weird breathing and frequently coughing from what I did. It was so sad, like seeing a sick kitten or puppy. He can shut off systems so why did he keep his breathing going if it was causing him such problems? It was to make me feel bad wasn’t it?”

“No more like the opposite. He didn’t want to unnerve anyone. He knows when he doesn’t breathe it unsettles some of us especially you and Jay…” Nya began and Kai commented, “there is just something unsettling seeing someone who’s living and so human like not breathing…” Nya continued, “yha that plus when he had his breathing off so he could get some sleep Lloyd had a bit of a panic thinking he was dead when he went to check on him so Zane kept them active to not scare or worry anyone despite the problems they were giving him.”

“Hey he was unnervingly still, he’s normally a restless sleeper so that wasn’t normal plus he wasn’t responding to me when I tried to wake him, that’s usually not a good sign. I was worried,” Lloyd commented as they inspected the area for the worm or signs of where it had gone. The only thing they could see was a rip in the side of his synthetic lung just large enough for one of these worms to pass through.

“He wasn’t responding because he was in a deep sleep being very tired from the days events and from having trouble getting to sleep because of the damages to his lungs. He didn’t want to be disturbed so set his body to basically a sort of do not disturb mode so he could get some sleep,” Nya regaled and Cole commented, “Yha cause Jay has a rude habit of disturbing others while they’re trying to sleep.” Jay added while they inspected the tear in Zanes lung, “I’d say sorry but there is no need for anyone to be sleeping till noon; sure I sleep in late but I’ve rarely gone that late besides it’s not fun having to wake any of the rest of you up. You can all be rather rude. You’ve punched me, thrown me across the room, thrown stuff at me, hit me with blasts of fire ice dirt water or energy not to mention set my clothes on fire, freeze me from the waist down to the floor, sent the chicken after me do I need to go on?” 

“I think I’m with everyone when I say when you’re sleeping it’s not pleasant to be awoken especially by your loud babbling and frantic shaking when you do it. Maybe we should wake you up in the same way,” Cole expressed and Jay commented, “hey what I do is not as annoying as some of you. Flipping my bed on its side, dragging me out of bed, making an earthquake, freezing my room, playing pranks on me like lighting off those little loud firecrackers in a metal bucket oh and how could I forget the time you dragged my bed outside and left me in the courtyard… during a rain storm! Again do I need to go on?”

“Hey sometimes you deserve it besides your reaction to some of those methods is hilarious anyway change of subject why is his lungs different colored from his synthetic muscles?” Cole wondered and Jay noted, “really you can tell it’s a different color.”

“What do you mean by that?” Cole wondered and Lloyd noted, “you have a tendency to mis-describe colors or not recognise them properly.” Jay added, “yha did you ever take that test we suggested you to?”

“I did,” Cole commented uneasy about talking about this and Jay wondered, “and what answer did you get?” Cole took a moment to respond.

“I have something called due-ter something. I forget the name it just means I can’t really tell the difference between red and green very well,” Cole noted and Jay commented while Lloyd cautiously approached the tear to look into it, “that explains some things like often mixing up Lloyd and Kais clothes or not following our instructions in video games like hit the red button and not the green.”

“Can we not make fun of my problems,” Cole commented annoyed by Jay who replied while Lloyd looked into the tear, “I’m not making fun just surprised you could tell his lung is a different color. As for why it is like that it’s to help differentiate the various components of his anatomy that way when you’re working on him you know which parts are for what system. You don’t want to accidently hook the wrong things up to each other. That really won’t help him and could cause problems.” Lloyd couldn’t see anything; it was too dark. He wasn’t wanting to venture deeper to get a better look unnerved by the dark and the fact the tear led to inside one of Zanes organs but as he tried to back up so someone else could take a more thorough look into the structure he was knocked off balance by Kai who unnerved by where he was wasn’t watching where he was going bumped into him. Lloyd tried to catch his balance but fell through the tear. The next thing he knew he fell a few steps down landing face down on a slightly elastic surface. The others quickly rushed over to the tear to get a look at what happened.

“I’m fine just watch your step,” Lloyd commented as he got on his knees and looked around. The others cautiously made their way to him Kai commenting nervous and trying to hide his feelings, “great we’re in his lung aren’t we? I was really hoping we wouldn’t end up in any of his organs.”

“Trust me this is probably the nicest and safest place you could end up in his body. Not much can hurt us in here. Trust me there is way worse places in Zanes body to end up in,” Jay commented and Kai quickly noted, “please don’t tell me I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know about them.” Compared to what they had been dealing with so far with relatively cramped conditions Zanes lungs were quite spacious and they were able to fully stand up. The place looked to be no more than an elastic synthetic made sack that in its resting state as it currently was it was only about a half its potential volume but it was still more spacious than what they had been dealing with...

Finally for this part:

“No no this is real bad! We’re in Zanes stomach! We’re going to get digested! There’s no way out we’re doomed! This can’t be happening it can’t be!” Kai was panicking causing Lloyd to give him a smack to knock some sense into him. It snapped some sense into him silencing him but he was still on edge and freaked out.

“Of all the places we could end up in this is the worst! There are only two directions we can get out of here and I’m not wanting to get out through the other direction especially if it involves having to go through the rest of his system!” Jay began to panic and Nya stated, “Jay chill Pixal will help us out of here. We’re not going to have to go through the rest of his system… I hope.”

“There are ways of getting out of here without having to go through his entire system right?” Lloyd worried and Nya explained, “yha. To make it easier to work on his digestive system is split into four main parts which can each be separated separately for work; his throat, stomach, small intestines and large intestines. Unfortunately though the worm could lock them preventing Pixal from operating them or if the worm went further in his system we might have to go down there to get it.”

“Let’s hope we don’t have to do that,” Cole commented. They took a moment to look at their surroundings as they all cleaned themselves off a bit having the slimy substance which was Zanes equivalent to mucus, some of his digestive fluids and some matter that was in it on them. It was grossing all of them out. The synthetic material that made up Zanes stomach was the same color as his throat a green tinted dark purple color. It was dark and would have been pitch black in there if it wasn’t for the lights on their attire. Since he was laying on his back everything in Zanes stomach was orientated so everything in it was lying on the back of the organ. They were situated by the top of his stomach by the entrance and their lights didn’t reach very far preventing them from seeing much in there. They took that as something relatively good as they were pretty sure they didn’t want to see what else was in there or the other end. What they were already seeing was gross and unnerving enough for them. Further hindering their lights and visibility was a slight haze in the air which they were guessing came from some of the gasses being produced by his digestive process. They were also guessing these gasses were partially responsible for the strong, unpleasant and chemically tainted smell that burned their noses a bit. Unfortunately their masks were only partially blocking the smell. While not too bad none of them found the smell very pleasant. Along with making their noses burn they felt a bit sick from it.

“This is the worst place we could have found ourselves in! So gross and dangerous! Very dangerous! At least it doesn’t smell too bad rate now,” Jay complained trying to calm down and not lose it making Lloyd who was unsettled wonder, “What do you mean not too bad, it can smell worse in here?”

“Yha, Cole and Kais cooking can make it way worse like that time Cole made that stuff before Wu got lost after battling the time twins that made us all super sick…” Jay began and Kai commented looking around terrified at where he found himself, “how could any of us forget that. It was nasty. All of us except for Zane and Wu spent the night in the bathroom so we didn’t have to rush to the toilets every time we had to throw up. You spent most of the night thinking we were dying. Wu was smart not to have some of that stuff.”

“Hey it felt like we were dying didn’t it! Anyway Zane didn’t escape from that stuff either. Pixal warned him it was dangerous but he didn’t listen not wanting to be rude. What it did to him was nasty! Zanes system made the stuff into this very sticky dough looking stuff that got stuck and clogged up his stomach and like the first 20 centimetres of his intestines. It was not only disrupting and obstructing his system but causing him quite a bit of pain. It smelt horrid, one of the worst things I’ve ever smelt. To make it worse we had to use our hands to clean a good deal of it out of his guts…” Jay regaled and Cole expressed, “please don’t remind me of that. If the smell hadn’t been bad enough you making me clean the stuff out with my bare hands just made it worse… just remembering it makes me want to throw up.”

“I considered that your punishment for making us all sick and having caused Zane such a problem. That stuff was nasty to clean up and it took over four hours to clean it all out. Luckily we put Zane offline so he wouldn’t feel anything. The whole thing would probably have been more unpleasant not to mention painful for him than us especially since we had to use some non conventional tools to clean it out like one of the bottle cleaners from the kitchen. That probably would not have felt good having that used to scrub your insides. Luckily the sensors in his digestive system have a thin coating of the systems synthetic tissues coating them so the stuff didn’t get into the structures to cause damages or clog them but the stuff was defiantly interfering with their proper functioning and irritating them. That whole ordeal is why you started taking cooking lessons isn’t it?” Nya expressed and Cole stated, “yha that and some other things. You guys always making fun of or complaining of my cooking is another.”

“You know sure it normally is not nice smelling in here it’s not supposed to but I think the smell is stronger and fouler than it should be. I also don’t recall a haze in here. I think because his systems have been off for a few hours but there is still stuff being broken down in here the gasses made by the process have built up a bit instead of being emptied or moving on in his system to then be emptied like they normally would making the smell worse than it should be,” Nya noted. Despite Zane not having anything for breakfast there was still some stuff in his stomach. Most of what was in his stomach was the leftover scraps from the previous night’s dinner that hadn’t moved on yet in his system with tougher materials like bones that were still getting broken down being the only things still relatively intact. Most of the bones which looked to have been from two or three bones had been broken bitten into various sized chunks with one that looked like it had just been swallowed partially whole probably by accident. All were scattered about the place floating or sitting in the acid and all showed heavy signs of acid damage and had bits and chunks dissolved from them. Most of the softer matter was largely to fully dissolved making it hard to really identify what they had been and was just stuck in there because his system wasn’t active preventing it from being able to move into the rest of his system. The peach pit was from a peach Zane had been given for lunch two days earlier and was half broken down. Whereas the others not even Cole would eat a peach pit Zane wasn’t bothered by eating it sometimes swallowing a peach whole. It wasn’t healthy for him to eat the pit and even though he could break it down he was unable to convert most of the matter from it into energy so they were not entirely sure why he had a bad habit of eating them.

“Why are there bones in here? Feels like I’m in a gator with them here. I made enough for everyone to have their fill last night he didn’t have to eat the bones as well,” Cole commented looking around at their surroundings and Lloyd agreed unsettled, “why are there bones in here?”

“I’m not sure; I can’t see how Zane would enjoy them so I think he does it by accident or maybe he doesn’t understand he’s not supposed to eat them or that he doesn’t need to eat them. He also tends to eat other things that you’re not supposed to like peach pits, the skin to melons and pumpkins and the whole of a corn cob though he can’t turn most of the matter from those to energy even though he can break them down. I know he can not only break down bones but is capable of converting some of the materials from them like the marrow into energy unlike the other things he eats that he’s not supposed to so it’s not bad for him to eat them. He’s just not supposed to purposely eat them. His ability to digest bones is meant to be a safety precaution to prevent damages if he was to accidently swallow some after all with his jaw strength and metal made teeth and bones it’s very easy for him to accidently eat bits of bone every now and then and when broken bones often develop sharp edges which could cut up and damage his system so his system dissolves them so they can’t hurt him. Eating them on purpose isn’t going to hurt him but it’s not the healthiest nor is necessary. Pixal doesn’t do it very often nor does she ever do it on purpose but then again she better understands what it means to be a nindroid and understands human ways much better than Zane does. If he is doing it on purpose then all I can think of as a reason behind it is maybe he doesn’t want to waste any of his food or maybe he doesn’t realise he isn’t supposed to eat them on purpose,” Nya noted and Lloyd noted, “I could see him not wanting to let them go to waste. He doesn’t eat everything like Cole but unless he doesn’t like it or it makes him sick or from what he says it has no use for him or is dangerous or causes him problems he’ll eat most things including things people can’t eat or drink like motor oil and unlike some of us he always tries to eat all of his meal especially if it’s something someone else made and gave him; he thinks its rude to refuse it. He might not eat it all at once like Cole will but will save it and finish it later. He also has a habit that when someone gives him something to eat or drink as a gift he'll have it even if he doesn’t like it, it hurts him or makes him sick; he thinks it’s really rude to not have it even if he doesn’t like it or it hurts him. Remember that fermented fish stuff someone gave us once?”

“Dude how could we, that smell was horrid!” Cole commented and Kai regaled, “that was one of the worst things I’ve ever smelt! Just the smell made us all nearly barf! Pix and Zane were lucky they could turn off their sense of smell around that stuff.”

“How could we not forget that stuff!” Jay agreed and Lloyd regaled, “yha, none of us were going to have the stuff but not wanting to let it go to waste Zane had it… well him and Cole after we dared him to have some.”

“Yha the taste was slimy and gross even after rinsing them and it did not make me feel very good after that. I am never having that stuff again. We should have just taken the stuff to a zoo or park and fed some gators the stuff,” Cole regaled and Nya added, “yha Zane didn’t feel too good from it either. The chemicals and bacteria from the fermenting of those things upset his system. A droids system doesn’t handle fermented matter very well; the chemicals and bacteria from it upsets and irritates their systems and they can’t process the stuff very well.”...

To read the full story you can go here: archiveofourown.org/works/4469…

You can also view the images here: https://www.deviantart.com/robo-birdie/gallery/90881021/anatomy-of-a-droid-works Story synopsis: Something is attacking Zane from the inside. To save him the ninja are shrunk and sent inside him to find the culprits who are scattered throughout his insides and stop them before they can destroy him for good. Will they be able to save him in time and who is responsible for this attack? Along the way the others learn about the anatomy of droids like Zane and a bit of how he sees the world. You also get some tales of daily shenanigans from everyone.

[solacescastleglow]

My Journey Bag

What is a journey bag?

It's a term I made up to describe something I've seen a lot throughout my life. Basically, you know those little bags that are filled with everyday objects, but each of those objects symbolise something the person wants to attract? That's what I call a journey bag, because it's to help you on your journey. They're similar to spell bags, but there's no ritual behind them and usually spell bags have herbs and crystals to represent things rather than everyday objects, like a journey bag has. Mine is a little Harris tweed pouch I got from my auntie, about 10x10 cm.

How do journey bags work?

When you decide that an object means something to you, it takes on that meaning as a property. That little hourglass is no longer just an egg timer, it's a representation of your finite time on this earth and your desire to make the most of that time. A journey bag is just one way to store your goals and values, and as a bonus it lumps them all together so you're manifesting all of them at once.

What can you manifest with a journey bag?

Anything you want! Wealth, health, connection with people, protection, knowledge, security, anything. As long as you can think of a symbolic item that fits in your bag, you can attract it.

What's in my journey bag?

a candle, for clarity and warmth

a decorative key given to me by my therapist, for autonomy in healing

a red string, for neutralising the evil eye

a magen david, to connect me to my community even when apart

a rock, for grounding

a coin, for wealth and prosperity

a sunflower seed, for growth

a battery, for energy

a homemade worry doll, so I always have a friend with me

a little booklet I made full of quotes and concepts, for wisdom and memory

a hard caramel candy, symbolising the good things in life

a piece of chalk, for drawing boundaries

a dip pen nib, for writing my future

a band aid, for healing and resilience

a paperclip, for focus and academic success

a tiny scrap of transtape, for transition and fluidity

a nail, for protection while travelling

a button, for luck and opening up opportunities

thread scissors, for freeing myself from the past

a twig from my garden, so I'm always carrying my home with me

If you make one yourself, I'd love to hear about it!

[lastintheserverbox]

I can handle it! Really, I've done more in worse condition!

[Mushroom tried her best to fortify her case, not realizing that wasn't exactly something to be proud of.]

It's... It's the least I could do for you since you've left everything behind just to come here... for someone like me...

[Mushroom grew more hesitant as she continued, an all-too-familiar dark pressure pulsing in the back of her mind. She needed to think of something else, anything else-]

Smoke!! You'll need a smoke signal to find me, I'm nowhere near the trails... Shoot, I should be heading out now so I have time to set up camp...

[They broke away from their keyboard for a stint, locating their travel gear. Firestarters, homemade MREs, first aid supplies, a compass... Basically everything that you could need for a long hike in the forest. They shrugged on the bulky backpack - minding their injured wrist - before returning to the computer. That simple activity alone seemed to clear her mind enough for some optimism to return.]

When we get back, I can make us all a dinner! And dad, I found that old iphone I told you about and managed to get it to power on! The battery's busted though, so it needs to stay hooked to a power bank, but it works! I'll take it with me just in case there's spots of signal at the halfway point, seeing as it'll be closer to the official trails.

Snail - just head to roughly where those coordinates are that I sent you, and look out for rising smoke. I'll try and make shapes so you know it's me... I think there's a section on those in my wilderness survival guide...

-🍄

[Bo seems worried for a slight moment. Doing all this with an injury seems far too dangerous. But then he hears the word 'dad' and his gills raise, heart swelling. Dad...]

"A'ight kiddo..jus' keep in contact! Don't take any unneeded stops or risks or...or any o' that..."

[practically-an-x-man]

Gazooks! There's been a lab breach, and the zombie apocalypse is upon us! Which of your OCs are surviving?

Oooooh fantastic question!

(fun fact one of my little brain games when I'm bored and waiting somewhere is to imagine how good the building I'm currently in would be as a bunker in the zombie apocalypse. I've concluded that a movie theatre would make a fantastic home base and I could tell you why but that's a separate post)

Rae: Oh she's making it through. She's smart, well-versed in multiple languages and travel (i.e. less language barrier with other survivors and she won't get stuck to a place bc of sentimental value), and she has her shields to protect her from the zombies themselves. She's golden.

Robin: Would last a good long while, she's smart and resourceful, but sound-based powers aren't as useful against the undead. Breaking their eardrums with a sonic shriek deafens them, but it's not painful like it would be to a human. Not to mention, she's still got the handicap of being deaf. She can use her ability as a hearing aid, but she's still more likely to be snuck up on. My verdict? She'll survive just fine in a group, but wouldn't do as well alone since inevitably there'd be a rogue zombie that sneaks up on her.

Madison: Disappears into the wilderness and only emerges once the apocalypse is over (or... as over as it can be). She's just fine. Her one concern would be if Alex or someone close to her got bitten, since that would hit her hard, but from a pure survival aspect she'd do just fine.

Ophelia: Would struggle with the fact that her technology's shot (either by a classic apocalypse EMP or simply because the people running the cell towers and power stations are now zombified), but would make herself a bunker with all kinds of MacGyvered traps to protect her from the outside world. She'd be your stereotypical "antisocial but wickedly clever hermit scientist" character

Jasper: Look, I'm sorry, Jasper's so done. For one thing, they live in a very crowded city (New Orleans). For another, they'd get incapacitated by their empathic abilities so fast. Imagine it: the already-overwhelming battery of emotions suddenly becoming mangled and warped by the undead, the emotions too sharp and too angry and just not right all around them? Maybe they could survive if Kyle takes the lead (he already got brought back to life once, he can't exactly be turned into a zombie) but other than that they're sunk.

Quinn: I love Quinn very much, but she's very very dead. Her skillset is brilliant in the living world. She's clever, quick-witted, and can disappear into a crowd like it's nothing. But she can't run, and she's used to living in cities (crowded places, with few survival skills needed). If she finds a colony, she could maybe get by as a medic, since she's stitched so many wounds back in their old crew, but that implies she's got the good fortune to escape the immediate horde.

Kestrel: Very much depends. On the one hand, their shapeshifting means they can fly over battles as they crop up, and largely avoid the worst of the fighting. But on the other hand, their main defenses come from shapeshifting into a more powerful animal... and powerful animals can still get bitten. If any one of those zombies manages to nick an elephant's hide, or draw a bit of blood when Kestrel's fighting them off as a bear... they're done for.

Katherine: Dead. Sorry. She's got magic and that's great, but she just doesn't have enough hard survival skills to make it through. She's an artist, for crying out loud.

Eris: Would slaughter hordes of zombies and grin while they did it. He'd probably bring about the end of the apocalypse single-handedly, just because they're such perfect fodder for a good fight. The only problem would be if something happened to Rick - Eris can't get zombified since they're a metahuman, but he's always been the chink in their armor.

Nikoletta: Is more accustomed to social survival than true survival, and would probably struggle a bit in the early days. The good news is that she knows how to scrounge for food and shelter, and she can disappear into the shadows to avoid a zombie fight. But once she made it into that first rough patch, she'd come into her stride and end up not only surviving, but becoming the lead of her own survivalist colony.

[steeltraptrainer]

I have decided to document my journey so far. So, I shall hereby start the Travel Journal! Gotta catch up a bit to get to where I am now, so: bullet points!!

- I found Arven and Lizard on my first day at Naranja. Lizard was kind of weirdly powered up, Nemona took a picture then. I saved Lizard from two houndour, gave them a sandwich, and then they saved ME from a Houndoom. Nice start for a friendship. Lizard never managed to change forme again after, and is kind of slumpy and in mediocre health. She forgot how to run, swim, climb, etc.

- first day at Naranja, help out this honestly lit girl named Penny who got kind of hassled by Team Star. They're kind of a gang, but also, they bring their own music and I respect them for that.

- had the realization that Terastal energy fucks up my hearing aids. It makes them stop working for AT LEAST a minute, and be on the fritz for a good hour after. I don't like to terastalize my mons despite having a Tera orb. No thanks.

- treasure hunt start, I got low key recruited by Arven to help him find Herba Mystica, promised Nemona to spend some time with her, and someone who called themself Cassiopeia to help attack and disband Team Star. Sounds like a busy treasure hunt.

- catch Ratchet and Scraplet, and ask at Cortondo gym for accommodations. Katy gladly gives them, Ratchet rages at the poor bug types. I won that gym badge. And got cupcakes.

- next up, the biggest Klawf to ever grace the earth. That fucker was huge, scuttled up the wall, and nearly messed Purrlet up. El Woowoo finished it off and promptly evolved.

Here his last moments as a wooper

- Arven is a kickass cook, actually, his sandwiches FUCK. Can endorse. Turns out, Klawf got that big because of sweet herba mystica. I got a picture of that too, but arven is in there and didn't give me permission to share.

- back to the academy, it's late. I forget to charge my hearing aids. This will come back, trust me.

- next day, up to go and battle the next Titan. Halfway up the fucking mountain where the biggest bombirdier ever lives, my hearing aids beep. I got half an hour charge left. Ohfuck.jpg

- it's fine, absolutely fine. Up the mountain we hurry. Lizard beloved doesn't care about boulders being dropped by the biggest bird alive.

- bird squares up with Scraplet. Scraplet wins, bird goes off to recuperate, I swap Ratchet in just in case. Bird comes back. So comes Arven. He has a Nacli. Ratchet evolves in a display of sheer avian rage and gets taken out by the Bombirdier. Nacli breaks the Bombirdier's wing. Its pissed. And attacks ARVEN.

- OHFUCK.JPG

- I push him out of the way and nearly get skewered. Scraplet frees herself, and Arven gets her to fuck that bird up.

- sandwich time. Turns out, Arven's dog is sick. Herba Mystica can apparently heal everything if you eat all five. Lizard has stolen my first sandwich. Fey can have the rest. I want to keep being deaf. I like being able to shut others up.

- still gonna help arven tho. His Mabosstiff needs the help.

- arven's mom calls, and yikes, the woman is a piece of work. She's the professor. She only cares about the fact Lizard remembered how to swim. Not her fucking kid. Yikes.

- down the mountain to the Pokémon Center. My aids can charge a bit there. A Star Base is near. I decide to go there.

- Director Clavell in the shittiest disguise ever shows up. He wants to join. Why the fuck not.

- love the whole idea of bringing your own battle music. Team Star knows what's up.

- Star Barrages are wild. You, three mons, and a time limit, all against 30 others.

- time to face the boss. Giacomo.

- Have your Gay Awakening and almost lose the fight because you can't stop staring while sacrificing your last hearing aid batteries to catch the sick music

- SOMEHOW get his number (fucking SCORE)

- batteries die, gotta text Penny on the way home

- time to face Brassius, I need another badge to be able to catch a Revavroom.

- dude is chronically ill but refuses to accommodate for my hearing aid-terastal problem. Time to be deaf on purpose and teach sign attacks to my mons.

- kick his ass via Ratchet. Why is this bird so angry?

- get an apology fuck yeah

- pass all the way through Levincia, pick up gloves so my fingers won't freeze off when I ride on Lizard

- find the biggest Orthworm in the ground. That's Sir Lampton. He low key kicks my ass. Temporarily acquire a Hariyama to kick ass. Hariyama is released afterwards, it liked the small diversion.

- Dog manages a small bark. Hell yeah, you go Mabosstiff

- Sada still doesn't care about her son. Why. Ma'am I want to throttle you.

-Star base? Star Base. They're fire type.

- Mela has kickass boots. She also kicks my ass and if not for Sir Lampton we would have had to retreat.

- walk off with a new TM, ask for number to add to group chat. Somehow get it? Nice. My contact list grows. Is this how you make friends? I think it is.

That's it for now. I got two options on what to do next, because I don't want to do the gyms. I'll make a small poll on that later.

[amirthefashion]

Stranded cruise passengers in Spain race to catch up with their ship

The Norwegian Viva cruise ship is seen in a November 2023 file photo in The Bahamas. Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/Getty ImagesCNN — 

A month after eight Norwegian Cruise Line passengers were stranded in Africa when their ship left without them because they were late getting back, a US couple – ages 84 and 81 – were also left behind by the cruise line in Spain.

Richard and Claudene Gordon of Salt Lake City, Utah, were on a Mediterranean cruise aboard Norwegian Viva with family and friends and looking forward to celebrating Richard’s 85th birthday later this week.

While the ship was docked in Motril, Spain, on Monday, the pair took an independent excursion by themselves to the historic city of Granada, not organized by the cruise line. On their return, their bus was delayed for an hour by a rain storm, Richard Gordon told CNN by phone.

“I am a very experienced traveler and have probably been on as many as 30 cruises during my lifetime,” Gordon said. “Never before have we ever missed catching a ship on time at a port. So we are not someone who abuses the system.”

The pair missed the ship’s all-aboard time of 5.30 p.m. local time, for a sail away at approximately 6 p.m. Gordon said that at around 5.45 p.m. he spoke to a relative on board who raised the alarm that they were nearby and running late, but the relative was told by Norwegian Cruise Line staff that as the ship needed to sail on time, nothing could be done.

According to the Gordons, they arrived at the dock by taxi at 6.10 p.m., while the ship sailed away with Claudene’s medication, Richard’s eyeglasses and both their spare hearing aid batteries and phone chargers on board.

“Our cruise began in Lisbon and we departed from Lisbon about one and a half hours after the scheduled departure at 4:00 p.m.,” Gordon told CNN. “Then the next night or two, at least a half-hour late from the dock, so it is clear that they do not always leave on the exact moment scheduled.”

“They looked around and they looked around and no one was there,” Marilee Barker, the couple’s Utah-based daughter, told CNN by phone. They got a taxi to the police station where “the policeman helped them call back to the dock. And they said, ‘there’s nothing we can do.’ ”

The couple says they received no further assistance from Norwegian Cruise Line at that point, from the ship or on land.

No medication, no hearing aid batteries

“Luckily my dad has traveled, but he’s still 85,” Barker said. As the Norwegian Viva wouldn’t be docking again until Tuesday on the island of Ibiza, “they took a bus up to Granada and found a cute, cheap little B&B.”

Meanwhile, Barker says she and her husband were up to 3 a.m. finding flights and a hotel, eventually getting them on a plane to Palma de Mallorca, where their ship would be docking at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday May 1.

Claudene Gordon texted her daughter late Tuesday afternoon Spanish time to say that Norwegian Cruise Line had made contact with them for the first time since the incident and had offered them a taxi from their Palma hotel in the morning to reunite them with their boat.

“We really received the royal treatment today,” Gordon told CNN after being reunited with the ship on Wednesday morning, two days they disembarked at Montril.

“They picked us up at the hotel in a beautiful black BMW limousine to take us to the ship. There we were met by the head of ship services who escorted us inside the ship to meet the general manager of the ship, then they escorted us to breakfast, then they escorted us to our cabin.

“We simply told them that we were abandoned at the dock with no one to meet us or tell us where to go, and they said they have already complained about the harbor master who was supposed to take care of things for them. But of course the ship had not contacted us directly for two days so that doesn’t speak so well for them.”

RELATED ARTICLE‘The Love Boat’: How a TV show transformed the cruise industry

Norwegian Cruise Line said it disputed the time of the couple’s arrival at the pier. “The two guests who went ashore independently arrived at the pier approximately an hour late and missed the all-aboard time of 5:30 p.m. local time, for a sail away at approximately 6:00 p.m.,” a spokesperson said via email.

“A cruise ship follows a set itinerary with designated arrival and departure times. Itineraries are carefully coordinated and planned out well in advance of each voyage to ensure that all of our guests have the experience they are expecting,” they said. While there is a small window of time where late guests can be accommodated, they added, the Gordons arrived outside of this.

“After several attempts to contact these guests with the phone numbers provided, as well as trying to phone their emergency contact, we were unable to speak to them directly. However, we worked closely with the local port agents to make arrangements for the guests to rejoin the vessel.”

The spokesperson said that, prior to the hotel pickup on Wednesday morning, the cruise line had coordinated an airport pick-up for the Gordons at Palma de Mallorca the evening before but were still unable to contact the couple by phone.

In the similar incident last month, eight passengers were late getting back to their Norwegian Cruise Line ship on the African island nation of São Tomé on March 27. They then struggled for days to catch up with their ship as it made its way up the western coast of Africa.

In that case, Norwegian emphasized that the delayed guests were on a private tour that was not organized by the cruise line.

CNN’s Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.

[gloriousfartzombie]

Are you looking for Chennai Hearing aids?

Welcome to Hearing Care Center - Micro listening to aids, additionally recognised as miniaturized or tiny listening to aids, provide numerous advantages for people with listening to loss. These units are designed to be discreet and unobtrusive whilst presenting wonderful sound amplification and enhancement. Chennai Hearing aids, Here are some of the advantages of micro listening to aids:

 Discreet Appearance: One of the essential benefits of micro listening to aids is their small size, which makes them much less substantive when worn in or in the back of the ear. This can be especially essential for humans who are involved about the stigma regularly related with carrying listening to aids. Comfortable Fit: Micro listening to aids is usually designed to be light-weight and ergonomically shaped, Siemens hearing aid dealers in Chennai. Offering a satisfied healthy for prolonged durations of wear. This is essential for people who put on their listening to aids during the day. Improved Aesthetics: Due to their small measurement and superior design, micro listening to aids is much less probably to protrude from the ear or be without problems visible. This canassist men and women sense greater assured and much less self-conscious about their listening to loss.

 Advanced Technology: Despite their size, micro listening to aids frequentlycontain superior digital sign processing technology. This technological know-how can grant choicest sound quality, noise reduction, remarks cancellation, and customizable settings to healthy the user's listening to needs.  Long Battery Life: Advances in battery technological know-how have allowed micro listening to aids to hold a longer battery lifestyle no matter their small size. Hearing aid suppliers in chennai. Some fashions even come with rechargeable options, doing away with the want for widespread battery changes.

 Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a neurodiagnostic check used to consider the electrical pastime in the auditory pathway as sound travels from the ear to the brainstem. It is often used to check listening to function, Hearing aids Indiain particular instances the place common behavioural listening to assessments (like pure-tone audiometry) may additionally no longer be viable or accurate, such as in infants, people with developmental disabilities, or sufferers who are unable to grant dependable responses.

 Speech audiometry is a precious device used in audiology to verify an individual's capability to hear and apprehend speech. It entails providing spoken phrases or sentences at exclusive extent tiers to decide the patient's speech focus thresholds and phrase consciousness scores. Here are some advantages of speech audiometry: Speech Therapist in chennai - Assessment of Functional Hearing Ability: Speech audiometry gives insights into how nicely an person can apprehend speech in daily situations. It goes past easy detection of sound (as in pure-tone audiometry) and focuses on the capacity to understand and method speech.

 Measurement of Speech Recognition Thresholds: Speech attention threshold (SRT) is the degree at which a man or woman can simply barely hear and discover speech. This threshold helps audiologists decide the softest speech sounds a man or woman can hear, which is essential for putting fantastic amplification stages in listening to aids. specific franchise possibilities reachable in Chennai for listening to aids. However, Audiologist in Chennai, I can information you on how to discover franchise possibilities in the listening to useful resource industry: Research and Market Analysis: Begin with the aid of getting to know the listening to useful resource market in Chennai. Understand the demand for listening to aids, the goal target market (e.g., aged population, men and women with listening to loss), and the competition.

Contact Hearing Aid Brands: Reach out to installed listening to resource producers and retailers. Many of them provide franchise possibilities for folks fascinated in beginning their personal hearing resource clinics or centres. Hearing aid centre chennai, Inquire about their franchise programs, requirements, and aid supplied Attend Industry Events: Attend applicable alternate shows, conferences, and expos associated to audiology and listening to healthcare. These activities frequently supply networking possibilities and a threat to meet possible franchisors.  Consult Franchise Directories: Explore on-line franchise directories that list possibilities in a number of industries. While no longer precise to Chennai, these directories can provide you a notion of brands that provide listening to useful resource franchise opportunities.

[users345]

Are you looking for best Hearing aid centre in Chennai?

Welcome to Hearing Care Centre - Micro listening to aids, additionally recognised as miniaturized or tiny listening to aids, provide numerous advantages for people with listening to loss. These units are designed to be discreet and unobtrusive whilst presenting wonderful sound amplification and enhancement. Chennai Hearing aids, Here are some of the advantages of micro listening to aids:

 Discreet Appearance: One of the essential benefits of micro listening to aids is their small size, which makes them much less substantive when worn in or in the back of the ear. This can be especially essential for humans who are involved about the stigma regularly related with carrying listening to aids. Comfortable Fit: Micro listening to aids is usually designed to be light-weight and ergonomically shaped, Siemens hearing aid dealers in Chennai. Offering a satisfied healthy for prolonged durations of wear.

This is essential for people who put on their listening to aids during the day. Improved Aesthetics: Due to their small measurement and superior design, micro listening to aids is much less probably to protrude from the ear or be without problems visible. This can assist men and women sense greater assured and much less self-conscious about their listening to loss.

 Advanced Technology: Despite their size, micro listening to aids frequently contains superior digital sign processing technology. This technological know-how can grant choicest sound quality, noise reduction, remarks cancellation, and customizable settings to healthy the user's listening to needs.  Long Battery Life: Advances in battery technological know-how have allowed micro listening to aids to hold a longer battery lifestyle no matter their small size. Hearing aid suppliers in Chennai. Some fashions even come with rechargeable options, doing away with the want for widespread battery changes.

 Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a neurodiagnostic check used to consider the electrical pastime in the auditory pathway as sound travels from the ear to the brainstem. It is often used to check listening to function, Hearing aids India in particular instances the place common behavioural listening to assessments (like pure-tone audiometric) may additionally no longer be viable or accurate, such as in infants, people with developmental disabilities, or sufferers who are unable to grant dependable responses.

 Speech audiometric is a precious device used in audiology to verify an individual's capability to hear and apprehend speech. It entails providing spoken phrases or sentences at exclusive extent tiers to decide the patient's speech focus thresholds and phrase consciousness scores. Here are some advantages of speech audiometric: Speech Therapist in Chennai - Assessment of Functional Hearing Ability: Speech audiometric gives insights into how nicely an person can apprehend speech in daily situations. It goes past easy detection of sound (as in pure-tone audiometric) and focuses on the capacity to understand and method speech.

 Measurement of Speech Recognition Thresholds: Speech attention threshold (SRT) is the degree at which a man or woman can simply barely hear and discover speech. This threshold helps audiologists decide the softest speech sounds a man or woman can hear which is essential for putting fantastic amplification stages in listening to aids. Specific franchise possibilities reachable in Chennai for listening to aids. However, Audiologist in Chennai, I can information you on how to discover franchise possibilities in the listening to useful resource industry: Research and Market Analysis: Begin with the aid of getting to know the listening to useful resource market in Chennai. Understand the demand for listening to aids, the goal target market (e.g., aged population, men and women with listening to loss), and the competition.

Contact Hearing Aid Brands: Reach out to installed listening to resource producers and retailers. Many of them provide franchise possibilities for folks fascinated in beginning their personal hearing resource clinics or centres. Hearing aid centre chennai, Inquire about their franchise programs, requirements, and aid supplied Attend Industry Events: Attend applicable alternate shows, conferences, and expos associated to audiology and listening to healthcare. These activities frequently supply networking possibilities and a threat to meet possible franchisors.  Consult Franchise Directories: Explore on-line franchise directories that list possibilities in a number of industries. While no longer precise to Chennai, these directories can provide you a notion of brands that provide listening to useful resource franchise opportunities.

[october363]

Are you looking for best Hearing aid centre in Chennai?

Welcome to Hearing Care Centre - Micro listening to aids, additionally recognised as miniaturized or tiny listening to aids, provide numerous advantages for people with listening to loss. These units are designed to be discreet and unobtrusive whilst presenting wonderful sound amplification and enhancement. Chennai Hearing aids, Here are some of the advantages of micro listening to aids:

 Discreet Appearance: One of the essential benefits of micro listening to aids is their small size, which makes them much less substantive when worn in or in the back of the ear. This can be especially essential for humans who are involved about the stigma regularly related with carrying listening to aids. Comfortable Fit: Micro listening to aids is usually designed to be light-weight and ergonomically shaped, Siemens hearing aid dealers in Chennai. Offering a satisfied healthy for prolonged durations of wear.

This is essential for people who put on their listening to aids during the day. Improved Aesthetics: Due to their small measurement and superior design, micro listening to aids is much less probably to protrude from the ear or be without problems visible. This can assist men and women sense greater assured and much less self-conscious about their listening to loss.

 Advanced Technology: Despite their size, micro listening to aids frequently contains superior digital sign processing technology. This technological know-how can grant choicest sound quality, noise reduction, remarks cancellation, and customizable settings to healthy the user's listening to needs.  Long Battery Life: Advances in battery technological know-how have allowed micro listening to aids to hold a longer battery lifestyle no matter their small size. Hearing aid suppliers in Chennai. Some fashions even come with rechargeable options, doing away with the want for widespread battery changes.

 Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a neurodiagnostic check used to consider the electrical pastime in the auditory pathway as sound travels from the ear to the brainstem. It is often used to check listening to function, Hearing aids India in particular instances the place common behavioural listening to assessments (like pure-tone audiometric) may additionally no longer be viable or accurate, such as in infants, people with developmental disabilities, or sufferers who are unable to grant dependable responses.

 Speech audiometric is a precious device used in audiology to verify an individual's capability to hear and apprehend speech. It entails providing spoken phrases or sentences at exclusive extent tiers to decide the patient's speech focus thresholds and phrase consciousness scores. Here are some advantages of speech audiometric: Speech Therapist in Chennai - Assessment of Functional Hearing Ability: Speech audiometric gives insights into how nicely a person can apprehend speech in daily situations. It goes past easy detection of sound (as in pure-tone audiometric) and focuses on the capacity to understand and method speech.

 Measurement of Speech Recognition Thresholds: Speech attention threshold (SRT) is the degree at which a man or woman can simply barely hear and discover speech. This threshold helps audiologists decide the softest speech sounds a man or woman can hear which is essential for putting fantastic amplification stages in listening to aids. Specific franchise possibilities reachable in Chennai for listening to aids. However, Audiologist in Chennai, I can information you on how to discover franchise possibilities in the listening to useful resource industry: Research and Market Analysis: Begin with the aid of getting to know the listening to useful resource market in Chennai. Understand the demand for listening to aids, the goal target market (e.g., aged population, men and women with listening to loss), and the competition.

Contact Hearing Aid Brands: Reach out to install listening to resource producers and retailers. Many of them provide franchise possibilities for folks fascinated in beginning their personal hearing resource clinics or centres. Hearing aid centre Chennai, Inquire about their franchise programs, requirements, and aid supplied Attend Industry Events: Attend applicable alternate shows, conferences, and expos associated to audiology and listening to healthcare. These activities frequently supply networking possibilities and a threat to meet possible franchisors.  Consult Franchise Directories: Explore on-line franchise directories that list possibilities in a number of industries. While no longer precise to Chennai, these directories can provide you a notion of brands that provide listening to useful resource franchise opportunities.

[rosebud1985love]

Hi Family and Friends:

We hope all is well with you and that you had a great holiday season with your family and friends.

Oksana gave birth to our daughter, Emma, on December 16 th , 2022! Oksana had a C-section, and we were in the hospital together for 5 days. We came home from the hospital and then stayed with Oksana’s parents for 3 nights to recover. We didn't celebrate Christmas because we were adjusting to having Emma and figuring things out as parents. We are doing well and staying busy as parents.

Ministry for Oksana looks a little different now. She is home with the baby, but we often have guests from other countries who have brought humanitarian aid to Ukraine and need a nice warm meal and rest from all the driving, and Oksana provides that as well as a good listening ear and our YWAM staff that need encouragement.

As for me, every Tuesday and Thursday I help refugees who have moved to our city (Ternopil). Every Wednesday I help at the YWAM container we have set up for helping refugees with food. We pack bags of food and other items and hand them out to them based on a list they prepare; such items include things like macaroni, tooth paste, washing detergent, soap, shampoo, shower gel, tooth brushes, canned meat, and other items.

My intention is to continue traveling to the east of Ukraine to Chernihiv and Kharkiv. We preach the gospel, hand out food bags, and go to people’s houses to pray and listening to them. We have never seen the Ukrainian people so open and ready to hear the gospel. In the last year since the war started, we have seen over 2,000 people saved. These people are hurting, and they realize they need Jesus and hope and love. Ukraine is very open to the gospel.

1 As far as day-to-day life in our part of Ukraine, food and gasoline are plentiful. We have had no power outages for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Ukraine has stabilized the energy plants for now, and we are ready in case Russia hits the electrical grid. A church from Holland brought us an inverter and batteries for charging some lamps and a heating unit, which was a blessing because we had power on a sporadic basis – 3 hours on and 6 hours off – for three months. During that time Oksana was pregnant; we lived on the 8th floor of our building, the elevator was turned off to save electricity while we had power, and it was so hard for her to go out with no elevator. This was a problem also after Emma came – moving the stroller and baby up and down all of those flights of stairs! We have since moved, as our landlord will not allow children in any apartment. And we are on the first floor, so no more elevator issues.

Life here is always living in the unknown. We hear air raid sirens at least once a day; today we heard them 5 times. Russia has hit cities around us but not our city. We are safe and well for now and are trusting God for his safety over our family.

We feel we need to stay and continue the work here, and there is so much to do. People need to rebuild and heal from all the loss and brokenness. The harvest is here, the workers are few, and people are getting saved by the thousands.

Our expenses have increased. The travel to Eastern Ukraine is also expensive. Twice a month or so I spend over $150 on gasoline. Our rent is higher in the new apartment, and having a baby is expensive, as many of you know. We need to increase our support, and we would like to ask each of you to prayerfully consider increasing your support for us. If you can do that, please write checks to: YWAM Accounting and, on a separate note, please specify that the funds should be designated to: Rosen Klepel. The address for YWAM is: YWAM Accounting/PO Box 3000/Garden Valley, TX 75771. You may also make a donation at: https://www.ywamtyler.org/funddonation? uid=a7de3972-356d-415a-99ee-6b73a3eb1fa9. You can donate also through our website rosenandoksanaklepel.com. All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you for your prayers, support, love, and care.

In Christ,

Rosen, Oksana and Emma

[iiowaw]

For anyone who may be living on their own for the first time, here’s a list of things that I wish I had purchased/was glad I purchased for my apartment before I needed them:

A basic toolkit (you can get a decent one for $10 from IKEA)

A plunger (seriously…buy one before you need one)

A first-aid kit

A drain snake (if you don’t know what this is, it’s a long, thin piece of plastic with little plastic thorns that you slide down the drain to help clear clogged drains)

A thermometer

Tape

Wet wipes

An umbrella

Rain boots

Nail clippers

Scissors

Aloe or some form of sunburn relief

Sunblock

Insect repellent

An ice pack or two

A heating pad

A travel mug

An extra pillow/blanket (not just for guests…stuff happens, don’t find yourself sleeping on a bare bed because you spilled something or the dryer broke unexpectedly)

Extra chargers!! Nothing is worse than realizing your phone charger doesn’t work when you really need it to. Buy an extra and just stick it in a drawer until you need it.

Printer paper

An electric kettle

Lightbulbs

Batteries

Some type of water filter (to people like me, who have lived somewhere with good well water for most of their lives…just because you CAN drink the unfiltered tap water, does not mean you’ll WANT TO drink the unfiltered tap water)

Ice cube trays

A tire gauge!! You do not have to know a thing about cars to figure out a tire gauge, and EVERYONE should be able to read their tire pressure. If you struggle with using them, buy one of the electric ones. The recommended tire pressure is on the inside of your door, just unscrew the cap on the tire and press the nozzle into place. You shouldn’t hear air escaping if you want a good reading!

For anyone moving internationally, please make sure you check to see if you’ll need to buy plug adapters before you move!

For anyone living alone, add-a-locks are great to make your front door more secure. It’s a piece of metal that fits around the bolt, and then a piece of plastic-coated metal that locks into it at an angle to make it so that, even if the lock is picked, the door does not open. Make sure you get one that is the correct size for your door.

I’ll add more items as I think of them; I’m still learning what belongs on this list myself, and I moved out four years ago. Good luck!

[ladywaffles]

hello fellow hearing aid wearer! any tips for me? this is my first time having an aid and it's getting a little overwhelming, ive never been able to hear properly so its a shock for sure! any tips on maintenance, cleaning, using it etc? 💘

omg yes hello! i am so happy for you, i remember when i first got mine. the world seemed so much brighter somehow! that being said, here are my tips from ~7 years of hearing aid use. i wear a starkey in-ear model, so some of these might not necessarily apply to you, but i hope you find them helpful!

1) don’t sleep with it on

seems like a gimme, right? i don’t know about you, but i am a very lazy person, and i’m prone to being lazy especially when it’s time for bed or if i’m just chilling in my room and getting ready for a cat nap. i can’t tell you how many times i’ve had to shake out my duvet in a panic because it slipped out while i was sleeping. to get around this: keep a little space on your dresser/nightstand clean, right next to your bed. close enough that you don’t have to get up to put your hearing aid there, but far away enough that it won’t get knocked off if you throw a pillow off your bed. i have a little jewelry dish on my nightstand for this purpose. you can also use a little bowl or box!

2) sewing pins are your friends

one of the best ways to make sure you don’t have itchy ears all the time is to make sure the airways they build into the hearing aid stay free of debris (earwax). this allows for some air to get in, so your ear doesn’t tell your body, “hey, there’s something in my canal, please produce more wax to push it out.” (this is inevitable if you have an in-ear hearing aid like i do.) your defender? sewing pins. these guys have a longer reach than some of the cleaning tools that you are given when you first get your hearing aid, and they’re skinnier so they can get at more of the tiny debris in the airway. be careful not to use too much pressure so as to not break either the needle or the hearing aid itself. never put the needle inside the mechanism itself. only use it on the parts that are meant to provide air flow.

3) it’s not safe to go alone; never go questing without it

always try to have an emergency kit of necessities with you. i always had a spare battery and a spare wax guard in my travel hearing aid case. i was really lucky in that my doctor was able to provide me with one case for home and one case for my bag, since i live in a humid place and humidity and hearing aids are mortal enemies. (i tend not to wear it outside so as to prolong its life; i only put it in once i’m indoors.) i always kept a spare battery in it and one of those little wax guard sticks, since you never know. the second week i had my hearing aid, the battery died on me in the middle of a movie, and i was fumbling to replace it in the dark theater while my friend laughed at me. twas bad timing overall, since the main character’s father had just died on screen and everyone in the theater was silent. oops! i would also think about getting one of those travel cases of q-tips. you can get them in a pack of 30 at target, walmart, or a drugstore of your choice. this can also function as an emergency case if it starts pouring outside and you don’t have a case with you, and it can hold a battery wheel and a few wax guards too. (ik you’re not supposed to stick q-tips in your ears but once you’ve been wearing your aid for a few hours, it Does get itchy and waxy and sometimes you just gotta get that ish outta there, ya know?) q-tips can also be used to scrub the outside of your hearing aid if there is debris (wax) stuck to them. a clean hearing aid will make for a less itchy wearing experience.

4) humidity is your mortal enemy

i mean, obviously right? aside from the fact humidity makes it feel like soup outside (blech), hearing aids hate being wet and they don’t take to functioning in the humidity well. i have to regularly put mine in a dehumidifier to make sure it works. if your hearing aid suddenly stops working, don’t panic immediately. if it’s been raining or it’s spring or summer, it probably just needs to be dehumidified. put it in for a few hours/overnight, and try again. if it still doesn’t function, then tell someone. there have been so many times when my hearing aid just quit on me in the middle of a lecture, and it was always because it had stormed right before or right after. look for a dehumidifier that’s a one-time purchase; some of them contain beads that can be reactivated by simply baking them or putting them in the microwave. never leave your battery in your hearing aid when you put it in the dehumidifier.

5) be an ambassador!

one of my favorite things about wearing my hearing aid is talking about it. i’m in my twenties, and most people don’t think about people who are “young” needing/wearing hearing aids. i get to explain about hearing loss, the different types of it, and why i wear a hearing aid even though it doesn’t fully restore me to 100% hearing (because tinnitus). never be ashamed of it, and only answer questions you feel comfortable with. kids who wear hearing aids are usually the most fun, because you can show them you match and make their day. don’t forget to have fun with it! one time this person was being kind of a bag of dicks to me, and when i asked them to repeat something because i didn’t hear it the first time because i was deaf, they went, “oh, yeah i totally get it. i’m deaf and i always miss things ha ha ha,” and i said, “no, i’m really deaf.” and then i pulled out my hearing aid and they looked like they sucked on a sour lemon because they were like oh CRAP she’s actually deaf abort abort ABORT. it’s the little things in life, ya know?

i hope you find these tips helpful on your journey! if you ever need any more help, i’m always just an ask away.