#go go gadget lurk mode

[ofviolentdeath]

Internet came back on around the time I went to bed last night. I've spent the day doing work stuff and yelling at Kat over a book. Who knows when I'll even think about the mountain of drafts I am building because this book is destroying me lmfao

[yakuzacanons]

Hello, I hope you’ve been doing well and taking care ☺️! I’ve been lurking around your blog for the past month and I love your HCs so much but I always struggled with coming up with ideas of what to request, but I think I’ve finally got one: furniture shopping with their S/O!!! (I spent two hours on the sims on build/buy mode; I’m on an interior decorating mood rn)

What’s their favorite room to shop for? Who’s being extra particular over color schemes? Who prefers a big department store (like ikea), and who’s preferring going antique store hopping? Who ends up getting distracted/fixated upon random things (like curtains, kitchen appliances, linens)? Etc, etc… (please have fun with it!)

You can write this for ANYONE (literally, I enjoy reading your HCs for any character), but I would especially love it if you included Majima, Joon-Gi and Saeko 💕

Feel free to pass tho if the prompt just isn’t something you’re vibing with at the moment! Thank yoooou!!!

Teehee yes, forgive me for the long wait, I really tried to mull this one over. I'm only going to do the three characters your mentioned but please feel free to ask for more.

Majima Goro

Clueless and lost as all hell in the entire process. Fully understands that if the two of you are going to live together, you will have to furnish said living space but he knows nothing about furnishings.

It's not that he has bad taste or is stupid, he's just used to living an extremely bare bones lifestyle when it comes to home decor. His days working at the Grand were especially lean in regards to personal effects so it's highly likely that his house or apartment currently has the bare minimum requirements with little to no color or pizazz.

Tentative by excited to explore this new avenue with you, only because it's with YOU. Anyone else would've gotten the stink eye from him, probably.

Gets lost in large furniture stores, mostly because he gets distracted by some kitchen doohickey that he doesn't recognize and spends time trying to examine it and guess what it's used for. When he loses sight of you, he'll just wander the aisles yelling your name. It's easier if you just keep an eye on him.

Always a little surprised when you ask his opinion on things like colors and patterns. His style is a little chaotic overall but would it really be a home with Majima if it didn't have some chaos?

One thing you can bet on is the man is sitting in all the chairs and laying on matresses before buying em. Don't let him check out the cutlery sets, by the way. He'll want the pricey one.

Joon-Gi Han

Even though his current living space is pretty minimalistic, Joon-Gi has a pretty decent wealth of knowledge about various aspects of interior design. Blame it on him going down some YouTube rabbit hole in the middle of the night.

Isn't particular about what kind of store you go to, but if he happens to walk by an interesting looking home decor store, he will want to at least take a peak. Out of the three, he's the most likely to go to as many stores as possible rather than one.

Carefully examines every individual object, no matter the size or importance. Constantly weighing the differences between price, material, durability, etc.

Pretty good taste in things like bedspreads, towels, and curtains but isn't headstrong in his opinions. He's more like a "Oh, that towel would look with that floor mat..." type of guy.

His favorite room to shop for is the bathroom. Likes a nice set of towels in various sizes and a cute organization rack for things like skincare products.

Good at buying most electronics, like a television or computer. Unsure of what to buy for the kitchen when it comes to fancy things, like a stand mixer. Mostly just amazed at the amount of gadgets you can attach to it.

Saeko Mukoda

Very self sufficient and has a pretty nailed down personal aesthetic for herself and her house. Honestly, she could probably go furniture shopping by herself and get it all done in a weekend.

She's always keeping her budget in mind so she's the most likely of the 3 to go to a secondhand or antique store. Especially fond of going there for larger pieces of furniture, like a coffee table.

Her overall house aesthetic is clean but not minimalistic. Think warm but bright tones, not over saturated though. She doesn't mind adjusting this to accommodate your taste as long as her personal areas remain undisturbed, like the nightstand on her side of the bed or her makeup organizer.

Loves shopping for bedroom items. A good mattress and a fluffy pillow are a must for our working girl. Always buys two sets of matching bedspreads so that when one is dirty, the other can be used and still look cute while the other is in the wash.

Her secret weapon is that she knows the best way to organize items in the house. Great at getting useful organizers like baskets, holders, organizers, etc. Makes the most out of her space.

Do not ask her to buy electronics, she will just buy what's newest, which unfortunately means sometimes she will buy what's most expensive.

[mzminola]

Canon basis for Tim being worried that he can be booted from the Bats!

Post No Man’s Land, Jack is sending Tim to a boarding school, Brentwood. It’s still in the mainland suburbs that feed Gotham, and Tim could have been a day student, but Jack is making him board because of Tim’s repeated (Robin related) running away from home incidents. So Tim already has “if I screw up, my dad (figure) will reject me,” lurking in his brain.

Before the first day, Batman intercepts Robin coming home (from stopping a robbery with Spoiler), and we get this exchange in issue 74 of Robin 1993:

Tim: What’s wrong? Why are you here? Bruce: Dick told me about this private school problem. Tim: It’s a problem all right. Bruce: Will it be a problem for Robin? That’s my concern. Tim: Well, my movements will be more restricted. I’m not sure how I’m gonna slip out. And Dad took the Redbird* away. Have to see what it’s like when-- Hey.... You wouldn’t... fire me, would you?

Bruce: Do you really think I could replace you? I may have a few ideas that would help.

*Redbird is Tim’s car that converts between civilian and vigilante modes.

Okay, there we go, at least one canon instance of Tim being worried about this. But Bruce reassures him! So it’s fine, right?

Oh wait, this is Bruce Wayne, disaster mentor.

Several issues later, Tim gets dragged into an underwater cave by a sea monster and needs Lagoon Boy’s help to escape and rescue some civilians. While down there, his communicator is out of range or blocked, so Bruce can’t get in contact with him.

Alfred has been working at the boarding school to help Tim keep Robin’ing, but he and Bruce are on the outs, so Bruce doesn’t want to just fucking go talk to Alfred because he’s worried about not hearing from Tim.

So what does he do? Recruit Stephanie Brown, the Spoiler, another teen vigilante who he’s previously told to stop vigilanting (but not put any real effort into stopping her, and Tim freely shared Bat gadgets with her), who he knows is Tim’s girlfriend, though he may or may not be aware that Tim & Steph are currently on the outs.

What Bruce definitely knows is that Tim has been keeping his civilian identity a secret from Stephanie. For a multitude of reasons.

So this is where we get the infamous Bruce Outs Tim To Steph scene. When Steph doesn’t know where around town Tim might be, Batman tells her Tim’s  identity and has Spoiler sneak into Brentwood to find out what’s up with Tim dropping out of communication.

Tim blows up at both of them, and is incredibly upset.

Bruce now keeps training Stephanie, who he’d previously discouraged or ignored. Lets her train in the Batcave (though not let her know the route there), brings her on patrols for more training, etc. I’m still making my way through, so I don’t know how long that lasts, and I might do another post some time about how manipulative Bruce’s treatment of Stephanie feels here, but for this topic...

This kinda sums up to “Tim isn’t instantly available to talk to Bruce, Bruce tests out a new sidekick, Tim yells at Bruce for disrespecting his boundaries, Bruce immediately begins training a new sidekick.”

From Tim’s perspective? Already worried about being fired? Yeah, Bruce may have said “Do you really think I could replace you?” but his actions feel like, yes, yes he could and would replace Tim, in a heartbeat.

Fucking YIKES, Bruce.

Chalk up about another one for “Tim’s Anxieties Are Actually Canon.”

[canadian-buckbeaver]

In Thirium, I should Hate You

Gavin and RK900 (newly named Richard) are on the trail of a couple of noctious gangsters who have been distributing a new form of Red Ice. For months they have been tracking their every move, every communication.  Tonight their plan is foolproof... sort of.

For @nikki-on-edge!  Here is my form of our art trade!

The city was quiet and dark.  Clouds were on the horizon, the promise of rain high in the air.  Well, the weatherman had said that there was about an 85% chance of precipitation today.  But that didn’t matter.  Even that would work out in their favour.  See, he had learned that there were three main types of civilians.  During this time, the majority of the civilians would be home in their warm beds, sleeping and dreaming of the sun or of loved ones. Others may be still working during the night, searching for more time in a day, or for a better tomorrow.  And others yet may be predators lurking in the shadows, stalking the night, waiting for unlucky prey to fall into their traps. Yet, he and his partner were not like these three main groups.  They were part of a rare, fourth option.  One that took many characteristics of both these different groups and made it into their own.  Usually they were home, sleeping or listening to one of the many media outlets.  Other times they worked around the clock, trying to finish a little more work before the next sunrise.  And others, as was the case for tonight, tonight they hunted.  Hunting the hunters.

Tonight was the night that all their planning would come to fruition.  It was foolproof, down to the last detail.  They just had to follow their plan.  They had already parked their car about five blocks from the takedown site and were making their way to the designated meeting spot, at least thirty minutes before they were scheduled.  His partner and him made their way quickly and quietly through the night, avoiding the garbage that littered the area.  Avoiding giving away their positions.  Everything was going according to plan.

As he followed behind his partner, he allowed his gaze to look up at the sky, scanning, searching. He knew that humans once told of ancient myths of the stars and planets in the sky.  In particular, they told many stories of how the stars above were used by gods and angels to look down upon the earth that they loved.  It was a beautiful tale but…

His eyes narrowed slightly, searching the dark skies.  Despite it being the ideal time of night, stars never appeared in the city skyline. Earth’s atmosphere had long since succumbed to human’s constant poisoning of the environment, leaving the skyline cloaked in dust and pollutants, blocking their ancient light. The air was heavy and humid tonight, the forecast calling for rain and thundershowers but for now, now the sky was clear.  Bright blue lights scanned the horizon as he silently followed behind his partner.  He could almost imagine where the stars would be…

“For fuck’s sake, are you seriously gonna follow me absolutely everywhere I go?” the human growled in a low whisper.

“I’m sorry detective, but as per my programming and directions that were given to me…”

Gavin scoffed, interrupting the android.  “I’ve told you before where you can stuff your programming.”  The man increased the size of his stride, probably hoping to put more distance in between himself and the android.  RK900, or Richard as he had been ‘named’, said nothing but also increased his stride, easily keeping pace with his human partner.  Flashing yellow, his LED light sparked at his temple as he scanned Gavin quickly.  Aside from the slowly increasing heart rate from their near jog, the human seemed to have normal vital signs.  Oxygen was at 98%, his heart beating about 73 beats per minute.  He was exhaling more water, but Richard attributed it to the abnormally warm night…

Gavin ducked behind a corner, peeking out at the street, eyes narrowed.  Following behind him, Richard stood behind him, ready to fight or defend, whatever was necessary for the mission.  “Are you sure it was supposed to be tonight?” Gavin asked again, eyes slowly looking up and down the road, hand on his hidden carry.  The firearm was fully loaded, safety on.  Extra ammunition was hidden in the secret pocket of Gavin’s coat.

Though both he and Gavin hoped that they wouldn’t need any of those bullets.

“Yes.  My research intercepted their coded email with today’s date and this location.  Fred ‘the King’ should be meeting Billy Bully here in approximately thirty minutes…” Richard reminded him.  Humans seemed to need constant reassuring that he had done his job right. After all this time, the creators were wary of their creations it seemed.

“I didn’t need a fucking essay.  It was a yes or no question, but I suppose that you forgot to take that into your calculation.  I swear you chunks of plastics love to hear the sound of your own voices.” Gavin snapped at him.

Richard’s eyebrow rose slightly with mirth.  As much as Gavin wanted to pretend that he could work without assistance, he seemed to constantly need reminding of important information.  His hormone levels severely compromised the memory banks. Richard’s mind did not rely on chemicals that were finicky as the day was long, luckily.  His hardware really was much more superior than the organ that humans called a brain.  “I admit that it is a plus.” He said, quickly scanning up and down the street.  No sign of the dealers yet.

Eyes flashing, Gavin looked back to face him.  “Just what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he snapped.  

The android looked at him levelly.  “It means that it gives me the chance to recalculate my evidence, making sure that I have come to the right conclusion,” Richard explained.  “And, since we have come up with no clues to counteract with anything that I found this morning, we can conclude that…”

During his talk, Gavin had turned away from him, watching the road ahead of them.  The human wasn’t listening, he realized.  Probably had gotten ‘bored’ of him again, or he was speaking that sarcasm that he was so fond of.  Then again, Gavin was busy plotting their next move, or possibly the best way to try and escape him.  Gavin was one of a few humans that the android couldn’t get a proper read on. He was sarcastic, rude and obnoxious, his distrust and disgust for the androids open and honest.  yet he seemed to be hiding something from him, from the rest of the department.  Gavin could have rejected having the robot as his partner after all.  

Instead of asking more questions or continuing talking, Richard fell silent, deciding that he wouldn’t risk their mission for the sake of a few words.

Besides, he had more than made his point.

Time seemed to pass slowly for the two.  They stood there in the alleyway, waiting, not daring to move.  If they were spotted now, then all the progress that the department had made over the last three years would have been for nought.  They would have to start all over again, right from the beginning.  All while civilians and others lost their lives – overdosing on Red Ice, getting pulled in the middle by the warring street gangs. No, for the sake of the mission and the lives of others, failure was not an option.  If they were able to take out these officers and remove this Ice from the street… well, it would save countless lives.  Perhaps people would finally see what he, or his kind, could bring to society.  That they were useful, not just for accidentally replacing their human counterparts but also for….

“Someone is coming,” Gavin whispered, interrupting his thoughts.  Richard quickly pulled himself out of what Hank and Gavin called his screensaver mode.  The alley and street were still dark and quiet, nothing out of the order to be seen. He turned to face Gavin.  Gavin had done these tricks before, engaging his Combat Mode before it was necessary and wasting precious power and opportunities. This time he could see that Gavin was not joking around.  In Gavin’s hands was his department-issued cell phone, complete with all the bells and whistles installed.  A small flashing light was getting closer.  During their last mission, Richard had managed to install a tracking device on one of the cars, just above the tailpipe where no one could see.

And now… now another car was approaching from behind them.  Their lights and engine off as they silently coasted towards the meeting place.

He pulled Gavin back slightly, letting the alleyway shield the both them from immediate view.  The clouds still covered the moon, obscuring their shadows.  For once, Gavin let the android pull him back.  Protect him.  

Richard watched the cars’ approach carefully, his LED spinning with a soft yellow.  Both were typical trash cars.  Cars that were used for meetups like this and, if they were identified, were typically dumped, wiped and tossed with little expense to the drivers.  No care necessary, run them into the ground… much like how some viewed their androids.  Used them until they broke… lifeless toys…

His motherboard flashed with a quick warning before it self-repaired itself, causing him to once again focus on the mission.  He didn’t need to be distracted, he and Gavin couldn’t afford it.  Too much was at stake.  The cars were parked now, Gavin watching them carefully.

As the men stepped out of their respectful cars, Richard pressed the triangle on his jacket. His jacket wasn’t just part of his outer shell.  It was also full of hidden gadgets, ones that would help make the police’s jobs easier in the gathering of evidence.  The audio and camera hidden inside his zipper head came on silently, recording the men’s every move.  Of course, both himself and Gavin planned on arresting on them, but they would need as much evidence as possible for their case to hold up in court.  And according to recent statistics showed that the combination of audio and video was the second strongest form of evidence, second only to DNA.

Though, without much light, the video might as well just be moving audio.

“Do you have it?” one of the men asked the other.

The other man scoffed. “Of course I have it.  You better have my fucking money.”

“You watch your fucking tone with me.  Don’t you dare treat me with any disrespect.”  The other man stepped closer to the other’s car.

“Listen here close, asshole.  I have others who are wanting to get their hands on these pills.  You were the first one to connect with me, meaning you’re the first served.  So shut your fucking mouth, and give me my money, or I’ll move down to the next one on the list.  Got it?”  The man pulled a briefcase from the back of his car, opening it in a smooth move. The dim light from the car’s interior gave Richard just enough light to see it glint off hundreds of small baggies. Baggies that held little red pills.

There they were. The new, concentrated form of Red Ice that had been slowly hitting the market.  Richard could feel Gavin tense beside him, his heart rate increasing slightly. Growing excited or stressed, Richard couldn’t immediately tell.  Moving slightly, he gripped Gavin’s elbow, seeking to steady him.

This time, Gavin did not appreciate the comfort.

Jerking his hand away, he stepped to the side to get more distance in between him.

Bumping into an incorrectly placed garbage can.

Time seemed to pause for Richard.  Scanning the area he evaluated possible solutions:

1)       Grab Gavin and retreat for now – losing the men and the pills

2)      Put Gavin in harm’s way and allow the men to see him

3)      Shoot them, losing any other connections that they would have to this trafficking ring.

4)      ….

 Richard propelled Gavin behind him as the men turned towards the noise, both drawing their guns at the silhouette.  His LED flashed yellow as he activated his telecommunications. “This is RK-900, codename Richard working with the Detroit Police department.  I am at Newport Ave in view of a drug deal…” the men opened fire. Richard could smell the hot iron of the bullets. “Shots are fired.  Immediate backup is requested.” He closed off the communications, choosing instead to focus his attention on the two slowly retreating gang members.  They were trying to get to their cars he realized.

Trying to escape.

He felt one bullet go through his right arm, and then another go through his left leg, thirium spilling onto his clothing.  Neither of these were particularly vulnerable spots.  He could still function…

For now.

He had the mission to focus on.  Richard began to walk towards the cars and men, one hand guarding his core as the men shot on.  He had to immobilize the dealers before they returned to the cars, escaping with the pills and themselves.  They needed to get the drugs off of the street.  They needed to take down the ring…

One of the men readjusted his aim, firing just to the right of the android.  Why…

The answer was obvious.  Gavin had been spotted.

Without a second thought, Richard moved into the path of the bullet.  With a jerk, the bullet entered his chest, blue thirium spurting onto his jacket.  His shell was severely compromised.  If he took any more bullets in the same area, his electronic circuits would begin to be affected by the excess metal.  

There was the sound of a quick, professional reload.  And then the shooting continued.  Another bullet, lucky shot or not, found his hip joint.  Richard grit his teeth as the bullet jammed in the socket. No… if he couldn’t…

Red, white and blue lights lit up the small alleyway, cloaking everything in bright lights. Police officers, androids and humans together, surrounded the two gangsters.  Guns were drawn, orders snapped…

The two men, outnumbered and outgunned, surrounded.  Guns placed on the ground and kicked away.  Arms coming up to rest on their heads.

The ordeal over at last.

Mission Accomplished.

* * * * *

Gavin had disappeared amongst the lights and uniforms when the police had shown up.  Richard chose not to say anything at first.  The man was unpredictable at best and completely volatile at his worst.  For all he knew, Gavin was busy doing something else that Richard had overlooked, or perhaps even getting coffee.

It was when the repair android on sight had finished repairing him and Gavin still hadn’t reappeared was when Richard realized that there was something wrong.

Letting the other investigators take over the crime scene, Richard slowly walked down the alleyway, scanning for clues.  Behind a couple of cardboard boxes, he found him.

Gavin’s stats were completely out of line of what a human considered normal or good.  His heart rate was too fast and hard, elevating his blood pressure to dangerous levels.  His breathing was laboured and shallow, causing his oxygen levels to drop. The man was trembling and sweating, hunched in on himself like a broken child, head between his knees.

A small gasp escaped him.

Reacting instinctively, Richard came beside Gavin.  Wrapping an arm around Gavin, he pulled the smaller man into his lap, rocking softly.

“What the fuck?” Gavin demanded, trying to control his breathing and his heart rate.  Trying to control the situation.  “Where the fuck did you come from?  How…”

“Hush for now,” Richard said, rubbing the man’s back as a mother would a child.  “Do not think of that.  Deep breaths in.  Hold. Breathe Out.  Concentrate on me.”

Gavin tried to argue again, his eyes glaring at the android.  Richard held tight to the human, shielding him from the boxes, from the rising sun, from whatever demons were chasing him.

Slowly but surely, Gavin’s stats improved.  His oxygen increased, his heartbeat slowed, trembling disappeared.  Instead of continuing the struggle, Gavin sagged against the android, his eye fastened to the deep blue stains on Richard’s once white jacket. Thirium stained everything that it came into contact with.  Richard would need a new jacket.  “Sorry.” he croaked.  “I’m sorry.”

Richard’s LED whirled yellow as he took in his words.  “Sorry?  Whatever for?” he asked.

“You know what!” Gavin snapped quickly before looking away.  “I caused this… I shouldn’t have been a cop… this… this isn’t the first time… no… I just…” his heartbeat was rising again, his pupils dilating.  “I could have lost you…”  He began to tremble again.  “Tim… he… last time shots were fired…”

Richard briefly recalled seeing the picture of a Timothy MacDonald Jr. on the wall of heroes at the police department.  The man had been partnered with Gavin before the rise of the android cops…

And had been killed in a standoff.

“He… he shielded me from the gunman… just like you…. it was because of him…. because me… he…” Gavin stuttered.  “I’m supposed to be above this… put this guilt behind me…. but… seeing you… seeing you bleed…”

“My mission is to help protect Detroit in coordination with the Detroit Police Department.  That means I do what I can to protect you and the citizens, you first.  I cannot help you and the citizens if I am offline.”  Gavin slowly turned to look at him, the wild animal look slowly leaving his eyes.  “Besides, it takes a lot more than that to kill an android.” Richard told him, squeezing him tightly, “and you would have never lost me.  Even if they had managed to kill me, my memories would have been uploaded into the next robot and I would have returned.  Just like with Connor.”

Gavin looked at the android, eyes seemingly searching him for any mirth or sign of a lie. Richard met his gaze evenly. Everything he had said was true. He needed to do what he could to complete the mission and keep his partner safe.

“I suppose that means that I am stuck with you until I retire.”

Richard allowed a small smile to spread across his face.  “Well, since I was assigned to you personally, technically you would be stuck with me until I was deactivated or until you passed.”

A false look of horror flashed across Gavin’s face.  “Oh fuck no am I getting stuck with a fucking android for the rest of my life!”  He struggled against Richard’s grip, hands coming to push at his chest.  “LET ME GO, YOU TIN CAN!”

Chuckling, Richard held tight to the struggling human.  Gavin was back.

[veritascara]

Ghosts

Hera Syndulla & Sabine Wren

Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla

Teen/2.8k words

When the dust on Lothal has settled, Sabine returns to their ship to sleep. She finds Hera there already, who delivers some shocking news.

A/N: Many thanks to @anoray for being my excellent beta babe again! And @uhura-ismylastname for listening to my eternal griping.

Thank you to everyone who continues to follow along with this series. I love and appreciate all of you! Fair warning that this is one of the most painful of the series, but after the next story things will start looking up for Hera again.

All stories in this series can be read together or as stand-alones.

Read on AO3 | Part 4 of Ad Astra

*******

Slowly, Sabine climbed the ladder up to the Ghost’s main deck, her body and mind weary and ready to crash from the late hour and events of the day. The destruction of the Imperial dome had been followed by hours of planning and rallying the Lothalian people into some semblance of organization. She admired Ryder Azadi’s stamina, but building a government from scratch was not her forte, and all she really wanted right now was her own bed.

She pulled her helmet off and traced the few familiar steps through the corridor to her cabin in the darkness. This hall was always dimly lit during the Ghost’s night cycle, but tonight it felt especially gloomy—dark and full of ghosts, like all the stories her mother had told her as a small child of warriors from ages past hovering over the living to see that their legacies lived on and wills were carried out.

Sometimes she hated those stories. They felt too real in the silence, like if she were to just listen, she’d be able to hear their voices, spy their forms in the shadows. She strained her ears, but in the ship’s powered down mode all she could hear was her own breathing. It sounded too loud.

An odd sight in her peripheral vision caught Sabine’s attention just as she reached her room: the door to Kanan’s room across the hall was wide open, the entrance yawning and dark like a cave—or a sepulcher. She was sure that room hadn’t been opened in a couple weeks, not since before . . .

Her hand hovered over the controls to her door for a moment. She felt torn. Her fatigued limbs begged for sleep, but her curiosity won out, and she turned to step across the corridor and peer inside.

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the deeper darkness within his room, and she moved further in with careful, quiet steps, only the tiny red and white indicators set in the walls to light her way. Nothing seemed out of place on first glance, but then the sound of someone else’s rhythmic breathing caught her ears, and she squinted to look closer. There in the shadows, sitting against the wall on the lower bunk with her knees pulled up to her chest, was Hera. Her head rested on her knees, with her lekku hanging limp beside them.

Sabine’s heart fell. Hera had disappeared two hours ago, citing the need to check the ship’s systems—of course she’d be here.

Just Hera and the ghosts.

Cautiously, Sabine backed up a couple steps to the doorway to leave Hera to sleep in peace, when her helmet in her hand hit the door frame and clattered to the floor. “Kriff,” she muttered.

Hera’s head shot up. “Oh! Sabine.” She quickly shifted forward to sit up on the edge of the bed. “What do you need?”

“No, no. Sorry.” Sabine motioned with her hands for Hera to stay down as she bent to pick up her wayward helmet. “I just saw the door open and wondered why. Going to get some sleep now.”

“Yeah, another early morning tomorrow.” The forced cheerfulness in Hera’s voice melted away, leaving it flat, rough, betraying the depths of her exhaustion . . . and emotion. Hera must have been in Kanan’s cabin ever since she’d said she was going to the ship, Sabine thought. It certainly wasn’t a place she wanted to stay in.

“I’ll just–” Sabine stepped backwards, carefully centering herself in the doorway this time.

Hera didn’t move or respond. Her eyes remained fixed on an indeterminate point on the far wall, her face as blank as the gray metal surrounding them. Sabine imagined her own looked rather the same. She paused her steps.

“Hera,” she said, watching as the other woman lifted her head slowly to look at her. “Are you . . .” She paused for a moment, not knowing what to ask. Nothing felt adequate. At all. “Are you okay?”

Sabine winced. Could she have asked a stupider question?

Hera didn’t answer for a few moments and dropped her gaze. “Not really,” she said with a sigh.

Sabine let out a deep breath and looked down at the floor. “Me either, I guess,” she admitted, hugging her arms to her chest. It felt good to say that out loud—necessary.

Neither said anything for another minute, and Sabine felt frozen to her spot, hovering in the doorway between the worlds of the living and the dead and unsure which was which. She could hardly have moved if she’d tried.

“You can come in, if you want,” Hera offered.

“No, I–” Sabine began to protest, not wanting to bother Hera any more than she had to, but then stopped and bit her lip. If anything, it didn’t feel right to leave Hera alone like this. And if she were to admit it, she really didn’t want to be alone herself. Suddenly, the thought of being alone felt overwhelming, incomprehensible. “Yeah, okay.” She shuffled forward in the darkness towards the bunk. Hera scooted back and to the side to make room for her then resumed her curled up position against the back wall as before.

A couple minutes later, Sabine wondered if she had made a mistake. Hera said nothing further. The quiet grew between them until Sabine could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, and she strained her vision for something to see in the darkness to distract her. The tiny lights near the floor illuminated Hera’s face just enough to see the unblinking glassiness in the Twi’lek’s eyes as she stared at the wall again. Even awake, her lekku drooped as if they’d somehow deflated. Her passive stillness unnerved Sabine and made her guts churn. It felt wrong. Hera was motion. Hera was action, always forging on, even in the most dire moments, strong as durasteel.

And now she seemed as fragile as ancient glass—like she might shatter into a thousand shards with the slightest blow.

Sabine looked away.

The barren, gray panels around her stared back, and not for the first time, Sabine wished Kanan had let her paint his room with something, anything. The barrenness of the space grated on her senses. But neither Kanan nor Hera had ever let her touch their cabins, although at least Hera’s had her own handiwork to adorn it.

Maybe she should paint something in here now, for Kanan. But wouldn’t that would be weird if . . . if they . . .

No, she couldn’t picture anyone else in this room, nor someone else in Ezra’s bunk either. Even now, their presences lingered in these spaces. If she closed her eyes she might be able to hear their voices again, hear their steps coming around the corner. There were Kanan’s heavy boots, and there was Ezra’s laugh. Maybe today they’d do some saber practice, invite her to join them. Nothing crazy, just a little fun, maybe a round of sparring. She had to keep in shape to stay ahead of Tristan, after all.

A deep sigh from Hera next to her interrupted Sabine’s train of thought and startled her back to the present. She turned her gaze to see Hera sitting with her head tilted back and eyes fixed on the base of the bunk above them, her lips pursed together. Then she spoke, hardly more than a whisper.

“I’m pregnant.”

Those two simple words made no sense in Sabine’s mind, and she struggled to find any coherent reply. “W– what?” she asked, shaking her head. Surely, she must be falling asleep.

Hera didn’t say anything for another minute, and Sabine let herself breathe again, almost certain she must have misheard, but then Hera said softly, “You heard right.”

Sabine gaped at Hera. The bottom dropped out of her stomach, and a thousand jumbled thoughts flooded her mind, most of them fueled by confusion or just outright shock.

“Hera,” she blurted out the first one that came to mind, “How did that even happen?”

Oh, karabast, why did she have to ask that?

Hera flopped her head towards Sabine to stare at her, her eyebrows raised.

“I mean . . . not that,” Sabine protested, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I just thought . . . you two always seemed like the type to be careful.”

Hera let out a small snort that might have been a laugh, and Sabine’s tension eased a bit.

“We were.” Hera paused and Sabine felt Hera’s eyes meet hers, resignation lurking therein. “My implant died,” the other woman confessed.

“Oh.”

Hera didn’t volunteer any more information, and Sabine didn’t really know what else to say, despite feeling the weight of that last statement and all the things it implied like a loaded detonator waiting to explode in her hands. She reached up to her own arm to rub the similar gadget that resided there, wondering if there was any chance hers had suffered the same fate—not that she had ever needed it to perform that particular function—not really.

“What are you going to do?” she finally asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Hera said.

“Huh, that’s a new one, coming from you.”

“I know.” Hera paused, then added, “I mean—guess I’ll have a baby. Who would have thought?”

This time it was Sabine’s turn to force out a laugh. And really, who wouldn’t? The situation felt simultaneously so dire and so absurd that to laugh was the only appropriate response, otherwise she would probably find herself falling apart. Because, despite all the times she had prided herself on her imagination, she couldn’t have pictured this. Not even a little bit. Hera was the last person in the galaxy Sabine would have pictured popping out a kid in the middle of a war.

But she kept this to herself.

“How long have you known?” Sabine asked, even softer than before.

“Just since this afternoon,” Hera whispered.

“Oh.” Sabine’s eyebrows shot up in surprise that Hera would actually tell her something so new. Of course, there was no one else she could tell it to . . . not anymore.

Certainly not the person who really deserved to know, whose presence now loomed even larger in the room than before.

“I’d suspected for a couple days, but didn’t have the chance to take a test until today,” Hera continued on. “Now I just wish . . . I wish that I could tell him.”

Hera paused and took in a shuddering breath, while Sabine waited silently, sensing that Hera wanted to say more. Her behavior tonight continued to surprise Sabine—this openness perhaps most of all. Sabine feared that if she even made a sound, the spell would break, and Hera might never speak on a personal subject again.

“Although the way he was acting that night he probably already know—that idiot Jedi.”

Sabine couldn’t decide whether Hera’s words were laced more with fond remembrance or hidden bitterness—or perhaps a little of both. But the subject set her mind to spinning as Hera rambled on, “We’d never seriously talked about having a baby–”

How could Kanan have known? If Hera had only just found out, she couldn’t have been pregnant very long, and the fire was two weeks ago . . .

“–there was always the rebellion, and it was too dangerous–”

Ugh, her knowledge base of reproductive biology was severely lacking. And thinking about it in relation to Kanan and Hera was just . . . weird.

But she was fairly certain there was no way even the best technology could have told them something like that so soon. If Kanan had known, it really had to just be some Force thing, then. Idiot Jedi, indeed.

“–we had a family already. We had each other. We had you–”

But that would mean that Kanan knew exactly what he was leaving behind. Not just their family, as Sabine had understood it for the past four years, but his own biological child. Something inside of her blazed at that thought—Kanan abandoning his own flesh and blood. The way her family had her, a still-healing wound deep inside whispered.

No, not the same. Not the same, she tried to tell herself. It was to save us, to save Hera—and the baby—too.

But couldn’t there have been another way? There had to be? Why had it ended this way? With Hera left alone to raise a baby in the midst of fighting a war.

(“There’s always another way,” Hera had said earlier. But she’d been wrong then too.)

“–and we had Ezra.”

We had Ezra.

Sabine’s anger flared even hotter. Kanan had died saving them, and now Ezra had sacrificed himself as well. For the greater good, for his people. She of all people should be able to appreciate that, but just right at this moment she didn’t care.

Only Hod Har’an, may he be damned, might know where in the galaxy Ezra was at this moment—if he’d survived the jump into hyperspace or its aftermath. Angry tears threatened to escape her eyes, and she squeezed them shut tight, only to see the smoking hulk of the Chimaera playing behind her eyelids, its bridge and engines smashed by ravaging purrgil.

“–all we needed. I guess the Force thought I was wrong. About all of that.”

The Force. That was the crux of all of this, really. The Force had guided Kanan. The Force had guided Ezra. It had orchestrated everything. And just now she hated it alone more than anything else in the galaxy.

The Force should have shown them another way. It should have. It should.

Sabine realized that Hera had fallen silent beside her, and she turned her head and opened her eyes to find Hera gazing at her, her eyes solemn in the dim light.

“I’m sorry. I know this has been just as hard for you,” Hera said.

“No, it’s–” Sabine began to protest, but she couldn’t think of words to say, at least none that were honest. And she paused, gulping down deep breaths of air to fill her suddenly oxygen-starved lungs. She spent a couple minutes peering into the darkness, trying to reorient herself to the world around her and banish the evil specters that haunted her mind. The threatening tears abated slightly, and she compelled her thoughts away from her own grief back to Hera, who deserved them far more.

“I’ll be there for you, Hera. Always.”

“I can’t ask that of you, Sabine,” Hera said, but there was no conviction in her voice. Her words rang hollow.

“Hey.” Sabine plastered a small smile on her face, trying to appear as cheery as she could muster. She fidgeted with her hands in her lap, itching to reach out for Hera, but uncertain whether she could—whether she should. “We’re family, it’s what we do,” she finally said.

Hera let out a weary laugh, and Sabine joined in, but the relief only lasted a moment, and Hera quickly turned her focus away back to the bunk above her. Her chin quivered and voice shook as she whispered into the darkness, “I miss him, Sabine. I don’t know how I can do this without him.”

Sabine opened her mouth, wishing that words, meaningful, helpful ones, might come out, but none came. The only voice that might help Hera right now belonged to the Force. And though it was all around them, they could never truly touch it.

Hera’s eyes closed, and her jaw trembled more. Sabine watched as silent tears tracked down her cheeks, glittering like falling stars as they reflected the tiny lights around them. The sight startled Sabine, and it suddenly occurred to her, for the first time, just how young Hera looked—young and scared.

Because Hera was young. For all the storms Hera had mothered her through, Hera was still only twenty-eight years old, a mere eight years older than Sabine herself. In another life, they could have been sisters. And maybe that’s what they were now, or would be when the winds ceased blowing and shifting sands settled.

And they were still in this together.

Sabine’s anger melted away, leaving a gaping emptiness in its place, and the tears that continued to fall from Hera’s eyes began to fill her own as well. Tears for everything they’d lost—some that she’d held bottled up inside for weeks, some for what had taken place just today.

“Me too,” Sabine said. “I miss them too.” The confession made her feel small. And then the tears began falling, wave after wave punctuated by hiccuping sobs.

In the darkness, she felt Hera’s slender fingers wrap around her own, clasping their hands together, and she gasped in a deep breath, feeling the warmth of Hera’s gesture slowly threading its way through her being. Sabine squeezed back, hoping with all her being that her hand might tell Hera everything she couldn’t bring herself to say out loud.

Hera sighed. Neither woman spoke again nor released the other’s hand. Silence said more than enough. The ship creaked and groaned around them, likely in response to a gust of wind, but Sabine imagined she knew better. She was commiserating with them—with the grief of all those hidden in her belly.

Just Sabine and Hera. The baby.

And the ghosts.

[kidneyplate4]

Tips About How To Keep Tabs On Your Children's Cellular Phone And Keep Track Of

Several days ago I viewed a talk show where the guest was asked to guage the character of several people according to the looks of their cellphones. If you are searching at iphone4 4 situations, consider purchasing one which fits your way of life. The truth is, however, that many lifestyle streamers - those who create content around cooking food, music, or sharing magnificence hints - are thriving with just a smartphone. If you believe your kid should have a cellphone, the first choice you need to make is whether to get a smartphone or perhaps a basic mobile phone with out a data program or internet connectivity. Also, guarantee that the earbuds do not interfere with your cellphone features. After that came the Cellphones-. Whether that is your very first smartphone, or you've experienced a number of Android handsets, we've pulled mutually among the best Android guidelines to help you get the most from your new phone. I spent about 45 a few minutes with Luna on three units - Fire TV, Cellphones and back soreness are a lot more closely related than you might initially realize. The above tips can be utilized for Nexus cell phones running on Android 7.1. To check on the Android version on your Nexus phone - go to Settings, and then scroll down to underneath of the telephone and Tap About phone. Following I have discussed at length as a number of the Strategies for IOS developers to develop app like iMessage in Apple company IOS 10. The tips do not delay - on: how to pin an email in the Notes app, how exactly to delete boarding passes that seem to stick around in Wallet long after your airline flight and how exactly to reveal the trick redial key in the iPhone dialer. Make sure to keep your product from getting discoverable and always turn off Bluetooth when you are not deploying it. Despite what some cellular device safety hints suggest, a hacker is not lurking around every following that your device can be acquired on the network, nonetheless it pays to be cautious, nonetheless. To become true Pixel aficionado, browse the full document of Pixel camera suggestions Then watch how very well the device performs against the Apple iPhone 7 Plus ' camera. This article was previously available as PAY ATTENTION: Ideas to Help Avoid CELLULAR PHONE Radiation Scams. Often times when you purchase a cellphone, aka a good phone in the current era, the aspects which are very much taken into consideration will be the chipset, memory, battery power, and camera. Meanwhile, the screen is also a meaningful aspect to consider when investing in a cellphone. This page is a repository of guidelines which may be useful in dealing with Android devices. Try these tips to help your child or preteen learn about owning a cell phone - and be sure you set an example by using them yourself. The tips in the following paragraphs will help you if you're planning to develop a mobile app that will last prolonged and serve lots of people. Okay, so maybe a state has not passed any driving laws that forbid the application of cellphones while driving. Enhance your smartphone photography with one of these top iPhone camera guidelines that will have you taking better pictures in no time at all using attributes built-in to your gadget. After you perform iPhone 8 unboxing, you need to set it up. You might need to learn the iPhone 8 set up guide to get the most from your new handset. Iphone strategies for saving your battery also include setting up your iPhone on car lock mode. Beneath the old rules, if you used your cellphone less than 50 percent of that time period for business, In this post, we shall look into several handy tips that help improve your smartphone photography. The writer "Simon Nash" has had in close proximity associations with those helping out with cellular phone repairs near Geelong and writes this short article to greatly help people understand the need to care for the phone with special suggestions from experts for mobile repairs in Ballarat. However, there are some easy guidelines you can use to help boost your cellular phone strength. You would need the services of the greatest android development provider in Bangalore to create a market-centric Android os app- Here are some tips that may come helpful while recruiting a suitable team to attain the desired outcome. Follow these tips as well as your next smartphone won't be just smart - it'll be a genius. Guides covering some tips and approaches for providing remote help to learners, an increasingly important service in situations of social isolation. Many thanks for giving such helpful strategies for smartphone safety travel. Here's some great things to try with Google Assistant, but hit the link below for load more tips. Let's take a look at 25 iPhone Photography tips that can significantly enhance your mobile photos. To create smartphones more useful we have listed some of the best smartphones guidelines. Following the tips mentioned above, will assist in creating a secure mobile application. We've shared quite a few videos filled up with useful guidelines linked to the iPhone, which are really worth watching to get familiar with features you will possibly not know about or may have forgotten. There's no definite guide for fixing the Search engines Play Store, but we've put together a set of tips and tricks which will most likely get your important app store ready to go again.

[justjessame]

Babysitting Butcher Chapter 47

“What’re you watching?” Billy came up behind me in our home office, his voice breaking through my earbuds and making me jump an inch out of my chair.  “Sorry, didn’t mean to spook ya.”  His lips against my forehead made the tension ease from my body.

“I must have been more riveted than I thought.”  I hit pause on the video, and sat back.  “Just thought I’d prep for meeting  Ryan.”  I’d been watching one of the stop motion videos Ryan had made of one of Becca’s favorite movies.  “He’s talented,” I offered, smiling up at Billy, “I can’t think of many kids under ten who can use Legos to make a complete remake of ‘Dances with Wolves.’”  

“Becca always loved that stupid flick.”  He shook his head, a sad smile lurking on his lips.  “You were watching a movie he made?”  

I nodded, and pointed at the computer screen.  “Yeah, he made a bunch, all non-violent movies.  Clearly an outlet his mom wanted him to have.  A good one, a way for him to be creative without being-”

“Without him tapping into his powers?”  Another nod from me.  “What’re you worried about, Ronnie?  Really?”  

I considered how to explain without freaking out Billy Fucking Butcher to the point he’d go commando mode.  “Vought went completely opposite from where it went with Homelander with Ryan.”  I pointed out that they created an entirely false, safe community for him and Becca.  A cookie cutter, normal place with bland people, with a bland school, and with bland hobbies.  “Becca wanted so badly for her son to have a normal life, a safe and happy life, Billy.”  I rarely used her name and it felt strange on my tongue, but I wanted him to understand why I needed to see that Ryan was in a good place.  “I’d love to say that whomever Mallory was told would keep him safe is a good fit, but let’s be realistic, he’s being held by our government.  If Vought has some shady shit going on, do you honestly think that the US government is always on the up and up?”  

“You’re worried that he might be being what, Ronnie, what are you worried about?”  He wanted me to name it. To put it in exact words, but I wouldn’t, not only because I didn’t know for sure, but also because I didn’t want Billy to make a hasty decision that couldn’t be undone.  

“I just want to check on him, Billy, that’s all.”  I stood up and moved into his space, where he’d perched on the side of the desk, stepping between his legs and looking up into his face.  “I want to make sure that your promise to Becca is being kept, that’s all.”  And for the most part, that really was it.  I just worried, in the pit of my stomach, that it wasn’t.

I managed to watch three of Ryan’s Lego stop-motion film adaptations, getting Billy to watch “Terms of Endearment” with the promise that I’d reward him heavily.  I also was sworn to secrecy about the glassiness of his eyes at the end of it, because the pollen count was clearly high, it had nothing to do with the show, nothing at all.  I also went over some of the other videos from Becca and Ryan’s time before Homelander and Billy found them.  

I wanted to know what Ryan’s schedule with his mom had been like.  The day to day, their special rituals, how they interacted, how they communicated.  This was important because, even after Homelander unveiled the reality of the world at large to Ryan, Becca and Ryan were still a duo.  Even when he took Ryan away, even when Stormfront tried to weasel her way into his affection, Becca was still his foundation.  Knowing how Ryan was reared by Becca would help me when I met him because it would help me gauge how he was dealing with the changes in his situation and circumstances.  How was he handling it, how were his powers manifesting because of it?

I also had Frenchie get me a tiny gadget that I didn’t want traced through the office or the usual channels.  It had come to me while we were having our party and Annie sat across from me at dinner.  If Vought chipped The Seven, then why wouldn’t they do the same to Ryan- the FIRST known child born of a supe.  And if that chip had been removed by his new guardians, why wouldn’t our people put one in.  My own experience showed me that it was more than likely that he was wired to the gills, even if he had no clue, so I had a gizmo that was more or less like an app on my phone that would tell me if he was and would act as a jammer should that become necessary.  

I felt like a conspiracy theorist, but something about Ryan’s situation, the more I thought about it, the more it felt worrisome.  Billy, after careful consideration, was coming with me, but wanted to stay out of sight.  He promised me that he didn’t feel homicidal toward Ryan, but he wasn’t up to a face to face just yet.  Having him close by would be enough, for now.  And knowing that the rest of the supes were diverted with their own distractions kept my blood pressure down, for the most part.  

Nondescript.  That’s how I would describe the neighborhood and housing development that Ryan’s new guardians chose to take up residence in.  Every house seemed to be identical to the one next to it, and honestly, from what I’d seen of the fake Vought community that he’d been raised in, it had more character.  

“This is,” I sighed, as Billy grimaced while he drove down the boring street.  “Bland.”  Maybe they thought bland kept a supe calm?  Or maybe government guardians made shit wages and adopting Homelander’s offspring isn’t exactly lucrative, who knew?  

We pulled up to a house that was forgettable, and Billy sighed.  “So much for staying out of sight.” No trees, no bushes, this was the worst place I’d ever seen for recon.  Which made some sense, if you considered supes trying to sneak up to abduct a kid.   “I’ll wait here, Ronnie.”

“Alright,” I turned to see that he was staring at me like he was willing me to stay in the car.  “I’ll be fine, Billy.”  Leaning closer, like a magnet he met me halfway, our lips brushing.  “I love you, don’t go crazy.  Play a game on your phone or something.”  He snorted and I got out of the car.  

The sun beat down on the grass, which was surprisingly green, but there wasn’t any added color of flowers, nothing lined the walkway, there weren't any decorative touches added- no chairs on the porch, no flags, or wreaths.  Nothing that would mark this house from any of the others.  They didn’t even have a welcome mat.  Shrugging, I pressed the doorbell and waited.  And waited.  Finally I heard the muffled sounds of footfalls on the other side of the door, then the clicks and snaps of locks being turned, before the door opened a sliver and a bright blue eye blinked out at me.  

“Hello?” The voice was quiet, hoarse, as though it was rarely used, and I smiled benignly.  

“Hello, I’m Dr. Veronica Taylor,” let me in, I thought.  “I have an appointment to meet with Ryan.”  Open the damn door.  

“Right,” the door shut, but instead of reopening all the way, I heard muttering on the other side and then again the blue eye in a sliver reappeared.  “Do you have ID?”  Couldn’t fault that caution, but I did have to question why it took a second person reminding this one to issue it.  

Smile starting to twitch, I pulled my badge free, along with my office ID.  “Here,” I held it up for Blue Eye to see, along with whoever might be behind her, but out of reach so she couldn’t grab it.  “Now, may I come in for my appointment with Ryan?”  

Again the door started to shut, but again there was a whispered conversation and I was starting to lose my patience.  “Whose in the car?”  Damn it.  I sighed.  

“My driver, William Butcher.”  Blue Eye, who’d reopened her slat to ask blinked before her eye went wide.  “That’s right, same last name as Ryan.  Now may I enter?”  

The door opened only wide enough for me to slip inside, and on the other side was a slender woman, the owner of the blue eye- I was happy to see that she had two of them.  And a man who demanded I submit to a pat down.  Rolling my eyes, I sat my briefcase down, and stood with my arms out and my feet shoulder width apart.  Once he was convinced I wasn’t packing heat, I was led into a surprisingly bright and airy living area. 

In fact, aside from the blandness of the exterior, the entrance was beautifully laid out and decorated.  Large screen television, the art on the walls was both bright and yet also simple, the house was comfortable and lived in, but well appointed as well.  Told to make myself comfortable in the family room, Blue Eyes went to fetch Ryan, while her male companion stood watch over me.  

“I do hope you know that as a psychologist, I have to ask you to leave the room when Ryan and I sit down together,” I offered, as I took a seat where I could keep my eye on the guard.  “It’s a violation of doctor/patient privilege, you see.”  

“He’s a minor,” the man grunted, and I grinned.  

“Do you want me to throw my full weight around?”  My head was tilted in challenge as Ryan was led into the room.  The man huffed at me, but he led Blue out and I waited until I felt they were at least a reasonable distance out of eye sight.  “Hello, Ryan.”  He was staring at me like he wasn’t fully committed to trusting me, which was good.  Ryan needed to learn a healthy level of distrust in the real world.  “My name is Dr. Veronica Taylor.”  He stepped closer, but well out of reach and I wondered if he’d learned a new reason to distrust.

“I thought I heard you say Billy’s name.” I smiled and nodded.  “Is he here?”  He looked slightly hopeful and it broke my heart.  

“He’s outside, in the car.”  His eyes dropped to the carpet and I took a deep breath.  “Would you sit down with me, Ryan?”  He shrugged and I tried again.  “Billy and I want to make sure you’re doing well, that you’re-”

“If I’m not, would he-” he stopped, but I’d heard it, the slight break in his voice and I felt a clench in my heart.  “He wouldn’t want me to come live with him, would he?”

Shit, I thought, that wasn’t a question I’d prepared for.  “Come sit with me, Ryan, let’s talk about why you’d want to live with Billy instead of with Mr. and Mrs.-” Fuck, what was Blue Eyes and whatshisname?  

Leaving Ryan in the brightly decorated on the inside, but bland as vanilla pudding on the outside house was the hardest thing I’d done since I left the clinic after Homelander’s failed attempt to murder me.  Hearing that he wasn’t mistreated, necessarily, but that he also wasn’t being cared for so much as he was being lived with was bad enough.  Remembering the gadget I’d asked Frenchie for, I’d run a quick scan and felt bile rise up when I realized that not only did our government chip the kid, but they hadn’t removed Vought’s.  Why would they leave those trackers in?  

Saying goodbye to this little guy, a kid who idolized the man I love and who shared his last name, was harder than anything I’d ever thought possible.  Harder than walking into a clinic and having Homelander’s parasite removed.  Harder than slipping in and out of consciousness when the rejected Compound he’d had me injected with tried to self-destruct me.  Harder than when I thought Billy might one day see me as someone he would have to snuff out.  

Ryan wanted to know if I’d be back, and when, and if I’d know if he could leave with me?  And I wished like hell I could tell him something worthwhile.  I knew I had more research to do, more files to delve into, including who Blue Eyes and Mr. Personality was, not to mention just what this neighborhood really was and how Ryan’s life was outside of that house. 

As I slid into the car, before Billy could ask a single question, his thumb was brushing a tear away that I didn’t even realize was falling.  “Do I wanna know how fucked up it is?”  I shook my head, feeling like I couldn’t even start to put it into words and suddenly the sobbing that I hadn’t done for any of the shit that I’d had handed to me from supes came out in a rage and Billy pulled away from the curb, murmuring his love to me, as his hand held mine and he drove us home.  

[ofviolentdeath]

Will send memes when I get home tonight. Currently at a Boy Scouts Halloween party for the kids

[oceandetail06]

Where to find the Perfect Smartphone for your Young Adults

My toddler is going to be 2 years old, and his most liked plaything is undoubtedly my iPhone 10. I stash it almost everywhere: behind plush teddy bears, among books, inside boxes. He locates it each time and runs up to all of us, holding it in his very small fist and moans every time I said no, he falls onto the floor and cries. Maybe it's more serious, I believe. A few weeks back, was his turn to stash your cell phone. Right until somewhat recently, it was suggested that adults avoid showing children under 2 displays of any kind, including television, iPads, or phones. In 2017, it somewhat eased the guidelines. We violated this rule a long time ago. I do not keep in mind whenever we first cradled an iPhone before his face, but during the last couple of months, we've viewed in horror as my son has developed a full-blown dependence on phones, long before he's actually old enough to possess one. Over the last decade, very much continues to be written about the fantastic screen time debate: how often should our children come in contact with screens, and at what age? As recently as Oct 2016, a paper published an attribute that decorated a dark eyesight of children and screens, having a estimate from a Facebook professional assistant saying that only poor stuff lurks in our devices. Immediately after researching the story, we went into 100 % panic mode and implemented a rule inside our house where no one is allowed to give our boy a smartphone. For the time being, this has kept the devil at bay. Nonetheless, I understand there should come a period when I'll yield towards the inevitable and purchase my son his first mobile phone. The possibility already makes me stressed. Regarding to a 2014 record, 72 percent of children between the age groups of 13 and 16 possess their own phone, whilst a 2018 study signifies that nearly 44 percent of children get their own cell phone program between the ages of 10 and 12. In connected homes people with a lot more than 3 gadgets, kids get their first tablet if they are 6 years of age, and their first phone at age seven. Nowadays, many adults are having tech in youngsters' hands when they can hold them. But when it comes to what kinds of phones parents should actually buy their kids, the market offers hardly any options: There is no iPhone equal for children, and there by no means has been. Generally, kids are stuck with their parents' hand-me-down smartphones, as well as the responsability is definitely on the mother or father to install the required parental controls. Therefore, why hasn't the sector profitably produced a telephone for children? And if it did, what would such a device actually look like? Although couples tend to be shamed for utilizing monitors to amuse their little children or watch over them by proxy, many people will concur that giving their a child a mobile phone is also part and parcel of being a responsible parent in 2019. In a ideal world, a smart cell phone for young children ought to be mainly because strong as is possible, probably it would have some way to text when there is a school crisis or some other type of unexpected emergency, or not really allow them to carefully turn off their navigation or delete messages. Others claim that such a device should be social media-free. No photo no internet is the point we kept hearing from adults. Without a camera or connection, kids are unable to take selfies or engage with social networking, two activities parents are eager to control. Even though tablets have been effectively marketed to teens, efforts to develop cell phones for young kids have nearly universally failed. https://www.digit.in/top-products/best-nokia-phones-in-india-14.html We've seen a whole lot of mobile phones for children over the years and they're all junk. In 2014, one young kids' tech business unveiled the Kurio Android phone, that was designed to operate and appearance just like an adult cell phone, although with safety features and usage limitations to hide all scenarios. While pretty bland-looking, the telephone had almost everything an anxious mother or father would've dreamed of: it blacklisted 415 million internet sites, allowed parents to remotely view text messages and call logs, and provided period limits in apps long before Apple introduced similar features. It actually included a customizable in case there is emergency form, featuring the child's allergic reaction information and blood type. Later in 2017, VTech, a toy business, launched the KidiBuzz, a cellphone for kids between the age groups of 3 and 10 that allows kids to receive and send texts, photographs, and voice messages. The kids smartphone was a marvelous flop and it was forgotten the same year it was introduced. The machine was costly to manufacture, but as it was not top quality, it could not be marketed at an effective price, it was not Samsung or Apple, and the age group the cellphone was targeted at, pre-tweens/tweens, is very brand and look-self-conscious. In the mean time, the KidiBuzz provides 32 percent one-star reviews about Amazon, with 1 commenter noticing that it doesn't even make a fine paperweight. Area of the concern with child-focused phones is functionality: many of these devices occupy an amorphous grey space among a toy and tool. The KidiBuzz, for example, gives features like games and applications, but does not actually allow users place phone calls. Adults searching for wise smartphones for children on Amazon may also run into dozens upon dozens of nonfunctional play telephone items, gadgets that look like cell phones but are in fact toys that come equipped with different ringtones and blinking lights. One more added challenge is that products marketed mainly because kid-friendly, have an integral expiration time. There's not a lot of activity taking place in the child-specific space, because it simply doesn't scale well. You're discussing a very small segment from it: kids age range 5 to 10 or 7 to 14, etc. And it's really actually even smaller than that, simply because at a certain age I don't think children want the particular phone. They want the same gadget you are using. By and large, the truth is the devices people want to use are the devices from the big manufacturers. So why build some thing that is motive-built and a single model of these devices when you could fundamentally consider any manufacturer's design and work with a parental handles app to help control that? Still, there is true anxiousness around giving developing kids access to products that are nothing lacking addictive to grown adults. And even more research has surfaced linking unnecessary screen time for you to, among other things, depression, reduced sleep, and speech postpone in newborns. All which has pushed a small number of entrepreneurs to make option solutions for kids. The main issue with offering young adults phones, is that, for insufficient a better term, it's such an attractive, glossy device, you want to download games, open the web. That's almost natural to the telephone. I feel it even myself in my cellphone. It is a very powerful issue. https://www.zdnet.com/article/lenovo-rolls-out-new-ideapad-laptops-chromebooks-budget-android-tablets/ The first iteration of the Light Phone was designed to be used less than possible: it might place phone calls, and mainly nothing else. The impending Light Phone 2 will also allow users textual content. It is among a small number of entries in the minimalist, or dumb telephone movement, which was spurred by an evergrowing concern about cellphone dependency. Although not designed for kids, the Light Phone has gotten significant amounts of attention from couples with children. Couples with children struggle with this problem: they want a smart phone so their child can contact them within an crisis, but Snapchat really scares all of them. The Jitterbug, which features a good sized screen and larger type, is another dumb cellphone typically cited as a good option for young kids - though it was developed for elderly people. The Jitterbug can place telephone calls and receive and send texts; at significantly less than $50 for the flip smart phone version, it is also considerably cheaper than the Light Phone 2, which includes not delivered out however but happens to be priced at $290. Some producers are bypassing cell phones altogether by entering the wearables market. GizmoWatch, for example, enables couples to track their children' specific location and provides alerts if they enterprise outside a specific radius; in addition, it lets young children text and make calls to up to 10 friends on the preprogrammed contact list, permitting parents in which to stay touch using their kids while curbing their screen time. Without technically a wearable (though you can hook it to clothes using a carabiner-like accessory), the Relay, an identical to walkie-talkie gadget, is an additional entry in the kids' technology space. The device presents itself being a middle ground for much less tech-savvy parents who are concerned about display period, but don't desire to navigate the complicated world of parental control apps. There's no way to watch an undesirable YouTube video or search for something unacceptable using the smartphone, because there's no display. Though devices just like the Relay and the GizmoWatch also appear to be exactly what they are: products for children. And that could be a issue. There's always some chance with wearables, but I am just a little reluctant to say they're gonna be a big seller. The demand compared to alternate options is such that the effect is commonly fairly limited. I could get my child a kid smartwatch, that they may or may not wear, or I can provide them with a phone. Smart watches, are not gonna replace mobile phones for teens. Kids want more. They are inundated with messaging to stay connected frequently. This is the world children are growing up in. With out better answers, couples with children are largely trapped passing off their worn out iPhones or Androids or buying an old mobile phone, which in turn still costs you hundreds of dollars. There's only a certain comfort level there because that is what father and mother have always used. Handing down our previous smartphones is normally low-cost and the parental settings work fairly well. Kids aren't some particular animal that want special tools with regards to cell phones. They may be little human beings, and I prefer to respect them when it comes to tech. And rather than creating services, producers have begun adding features to create their adult-oriented items more kids-friendly. Apple's new iOS 12 parental adjustments include a Display Time feature, that allows you to create period limits for particular applications and monitor how much period they're shelling out for their mobile phones. Google has introduced Google Family Link, a free of charge app that allows parents to monitor their children' screen time as well while remotely lock their gadgets if they are spending a lot of time using them. All these application work-arounds aren't perfect - kids are apparently hacking Apple's Screen Time simply by changing the time setting on their device, but they're a recognition that kids of a certain age want to possess a similar thing everybody else has. And if everybody else has an iPhone or an Android, many will not accept anything less.

Yet ultimately the anxiety parents experience around what sorts of devices to buy their teens and when can also be a means of projecting worries about our own complicated romantic relationships with cellphones. The answer may possibly not be finding the right device for our kids, but wrangling our own impulses, especially because plenty of experts say that couples with children who are overly distracted by their devices are establishing behavioral issues in their young kids. Little Children can do what you carry out, not everything you tell them to do. You must model great digital habits. In fact, a 2016 study found that although 77 percent of couples with children thought they were modeling great screen behaviors for his or her kids, these were spending typically nine hours per day with their displays, far more time than their young kids were. When I noticed that I had been spending far more time scrolling through my e-mail and Twitter than I was playing on the floor with my child, I understood that the problem wasn't with screens warping his vulnerable brain. It had been that I'd currently allowed my phone to bend mine. So these days, we do not use our phones at all before our son. This is a habit that can be easily designed for later years and really depends on the couples with children to keep our teenagers away from mobile phones before they understand responsibility.

[evawinget1232]

How to Connect Apple AirPods with Apple Watch

AirPods, AirPod Pros, or any other Bluetooth headphones that are already connected to your other gadgets, connects automatically whenever you pair.

But if this isn’t happening, you need to get in some quick troubleshooting.

Headphones which have the H1 or W1 chip

Apple and Beats headphones which have the H1 or W1 chip can be connected to the Apple Watch. The steps which will be mentioned below are applied to all the headphones with the same chip to connect to an Apple Watch.

H1 and W1 chips do not have much of a difference between them. H1 chips are just a modified version that improves the wireless activity and supports ‘Hey Siri’ approach.

Pairing your AirPods with devices like iPhone or iPad

AirPods, AirPods Pro, or any other agreeable headphone that you connect to your iPhone or an iPad will automatically connect to the Apple Watch as well until or unless you use two different I-cloud accounts.

The steps to connect your AirPods to your iPhone or iPad are:

Unlock your iPhone and go to the home screen.

Headphones like AirPods or AirPod Pro has a charging case with it. If you have headphones that have a charging case, open it next to your device while keeping the headphones inside.

Also, there is a power button on your headphones; press it for a few seconds near your other connecting device.

Your home screen will show you an option to ‘Connect,’ tap on the same to connect your headphones to your device and Apple Watch.

Settings for you AirPods to directly connect to your Apple Watch

By default, when you play music or any other audio on your Apple Watch, it should play on your connecting Airpods. In case, this is not happening, you can manually connect your Airpods to your Apple Watch by following the steps below:

Keep your headphones turned on to connect them to your Apple Watch.

Swipe up on the ‘Home Screen’ of the Apple Watch to get to the ‘Control center.’

From the list of icons, select the ‘Audio Sources’ icon.

You’ll then see name of your headphones on the screen. Tap on it to connect and play the audio on your AirPods.

If you don’t see the name of your headphones in the ‘Audio Sources,’ you can do this with other methods mentioned below.

It happens very rarely that the name of the headphone doesn’t appear on the screen but F.Y.I., let’s discuss the steps:

Go to settings and then Bluetooth in your Apple Watch.

In the Bluetooth section, you may see the name of your headphones, which means they’re up to pair. Just turn the power button on and hold your headphones close to the Apple Watch.

If you don’t see your headphones in the Bluetooth section as well, do as follows:

Turn on the pairing mode of your headphones.

If you have a charging case, open the case near to the device while headphones still in it.

Hold the Sync button for few seconds.

If the headphones do not have a charging case, hold the power button for a few seconds.

Within seconds, your headphones must appear under the ‘Devices’ section. Tap to pair.

Eva Winget

is an avid technical blogger, a magazine, a publisher of guides at Blogs post, and a professional cyber security analyst.. Through her writing, she aims to educate people about the dangers and threats lurking in the digital worldSOURCE:

How to Connect Apple AirPods with Apple Watch

[rdxtango]

Fitbit Charge 3 Is a Good Deal If You Don’t Need GPS

Let us take you to 2018 when Fitbit introduced Charge 3 to the market. It is one of the gadgets with a sleeker design that can track your simple fitness and also monitor your heart rate, sleep time, and your calorie burn during exercise.

This year, the Fitbit comes with Charge 4 with some add-on features like in-built GPS. But in reality, you don’t need GPS as it is already available on your smartphone. And ordinary people will carry their smartphones with them. So, in that way, Charge 3 is still a better deal, if you need any Fitbit band. Even there are a lot of similar features in both the Fitbit.

Here in this blog, you will get to know the fundamental difference between Charge 3 and Charge 4. And you will also get your answer why Charge 3 is fine if you don’t need Charge 3.

Fitbit Charge 4: Released With Major Upgrades

When Charge 3 compared with Charge 4, you will find three major updates in Charge 4. The first one is the in-built GPS. With the enable of the GPS feature in the Fitbit, you can go for the morning walk or jogging without your phone and track the route and distance covered. You can enable seven modes of activities in GPS mode like running, hiking, walking, and many more. If you want to get the GPS, then you may need to sync your device in the Fitbit application, and from there, you can watch the workout intensity.

The second and crucial feature is the Active Zone Minutes. It may help you in setting the daily or monthly goal in achieving the heart rate during a workout, and it also set these goals concerning your age. For doing moderate exercise in a Fat burn Zone, you will get a credit, and you can double that credit in every minute if you do vigorous activity in the peak zone. The idea behind this zone activity is the recommendations coming from AHA or American Heart Association and WHO or world health organization. These recommendations will help anyone to accomplish their daily, weekly, or monthly goal.

It’s human psychology that when someone achieves something and finds it helpful, then they push harder to accomplish a new set of goals. Real-time alerts will give a buzz on your wrist that tells you that you have entered the new zone, so you can push yourselves to reach to the new zone. It also helps you with providing a detailed summary of your heartbeat in your application after the exercise. But there are more chances that this feature can also be available on other Fitbit bands too (including Charge 3).

The third major update is Charge 4 is the first fitness tracker that comes with the Spotify music application. It allows you to access and control the music from one of the popular streaming sites just from your wrist. You can play music, skip songs, and shuffle songs.

There are few other things that are worth this band. Charge 4 is available with the sleep mode that enables mute notification.

Why Charge 3 is An Ideal Deal?

There are tons of new and upgraded features in both Charge 4 and Charge 3, like heart rate zone, fat burn zone, workout intensity map, and many more. Through the application, you can also get a fitness score and also track your sleeping detail and optimize your workout. The application can also score your sleeping habits and can also help you in monitoring your heart rate (Even when you are in a resting position). Both are designed in such a way that anyone can wear them for all-day and available with e swim-proof design.

Both the bands have customized clock faces, selection of accessories, and greyscale touch screen. For females, both products have specific health tracking, and goal-based exercise always reminds you to stay active and hydrated most of the days. And if you see both the products based on battery life, then both offer 7-days tremendous battery life.

You know that GPS tracking is also available with Charge 3, but for accessing the GPS feature, you may need to connect your smartphone to the band, so track the place and distance covered. It means the GPS will work when you carry your mobile with you.

Yes, Charge 4 has the upper hand when talked about the application portion, but don’t need to be worried as Charge 3 will also have these too. It includes any new content, which is part of the paid and premium subscription. The application was launched with some tools from the brand like Physique 57, Down Dog, and barre3.

If you want additional features of Fitbit Charge 4, then you should go for the Charge 4. If you usually go for running, walking and hiking, then you can go for the Charge 4, But there are fewer chances that you will go for the vacation without your smartphone, so buying Charge 4 for the only GPS is not a brainer decision.

Yes, Charge 4 has an added benefit of being able to listen to the music on Spotify from your wristband. While the Active Zone minutes are one of the super cool features for anyone who loves workout and always ready to push themselves for keeping themselves healthy, the band will also help you in ensuring the work out with the daily activities. These all features will also be going to be a part of the Charge 3 in the near feature. So, if you wait for some time, then you will get the Charge 3 Fitbit upgraded version.

Right now, Charge 4 is $50-$70 more expensive than the Fitbit Charge 3. If you go for Charge 3, then it will be a good deal because it can do everything that Charge 4 can do. The application will also offer a view on the data consumed by your device, regardless of the device you used. Therefore, you will get all the features of Fitbit 4 in Charge 3, if you wait a bit. If you want to experience Active Zone Minutes on Charge 3, then the company will be going to launch this feature in this band Zone.

Charge 3 is the oldest brand, and it is prevailing in the market from the last two years. It is considered ancient in the world of technology.

Conclusion

Having Charge 3 is the worth investment for those who want a fitness tracker and want to track their health elements without paying an extra penny, and if you can wait a little bit more, then you will get all the features of the Charge 4 in the Fitbit of Charge 3.

Rdx Tango is an avid technical blogger, a magazine contributor, a publisher of guides at Blogs Hunt, and a professional cyber security analyst. Through her writing, she aims to educate people about the dangers and threats lurking in the digital world.

Source:- Fitbit Charge 3 Is a Good Deal If You Don’t Need GPS

[ofviolentdeath]

Bleaching hair. Brb

[bagelpyjama19]

Practical Strategies to Pick a Cellphone for your Students at Home

My son is going to be a couple of years old, and his most popular plaything is definitely my own iPhone X. I stash it all over the place: in back of fluffy teddy bears, among reference books, inside furniture. He locates it every time and runs up to all of us, holding it in his little fist and moans when I say no, he just crumples onto the ground and weeps. It could be worse, I believe. Last month, was his turn to tuck away the mobile phone. Right until pretty recently, the recommendation was that couples avoid showing children under two displays of any kind, including TV, iPads, or smartphones. In 2015, it somewhat eased the guidelines. My husband and I violated this guideline a long time ago. I don't keep in mind whenever we first cradled an Apple iPhone before his eyes, but during the last couple of months, we've viewed in horror as my child is rolling out a full-blown dependence on phones, a long time before he's even old enough to own one. During the last decade, very much continues to be written about the fantastic display time debate: how often should our children come in contact with screens, with what age? As lately as Oct 2017, a paper published an attribute that decorated a dark eyesight of children and screens, using a estimate from a Facebook professional assistant saying that only bad stuff lurks in our devices. Soon after researching the story, we went into total panic mode and implemented a rule inside our house where no one is allowed to give our kid a smart phone. For the time being, this has kept the devil away. However, I know there will come a period when I will give in towards the inevitable and buy my son his first phone. The potential already makes me stressed. Relating to a 2014 survey, 73 percent of children between the age range of 12 and 18 possess their own phone, while a 2017 study indicates that nearly 44 percent of kids get their own personal cell phone plan between the ages of 10 and 13. In connected households people with a lot more than 3 devices, kids obtain first tablet when they are 5 years old, and their first phone at the age of 6. These days, many couples with children are putting technology in youngsters' hands when they can hold them. However when it involves what kinds of cell phones parents should purchase their kids, the market offers hardly any options: There is no iPhone equivalent for kids, and there never has been. Generally, kids are stuck with their parents' hand-me-down smartphones, as well as the responsability is definitely on the parent to install the required parental adjustments. Therefore, why has not the industry effectively made a telephone for children? And if it do, what would such a device actually appear to be?

Although couples with children are often shamed for utilizing screens to entertain their teens or supervise them by default, many individuals will agree that presenting their a kid a cellphone can be part and parcel to be a accountable parent in 2019. Ultimately, a good mobile phone for teens ought to be simply because strong as is possible, probably it would possess a way to text if there is a school emergency or various other type of unforeseen emergency, or not allow them to turn away their navigation or delete texts. Others claim that such a tool should be public social media-free. No picture and no internet may be the factor we held hearing from adults. Without a video camera or connection, teenagers cannot take selfies or engage with social media, two activities parents are eager to control. Even though tablets have already been systematically publicized to little children, efforts to build up smart phones for little children have almost universally failed. We've seen a whole lot of cell phones for children over the years and they are all junk. In 2014, one teenagers' tech business unveiled the Kurio Google android mobile phone, that was made to operate and appearance just like a grown-up mobile phone, but with safety product features and usage limitations to hide all situations. While fairly bland-looking, the phone had almost everything an eager parent would've wanted: it blocked 415 million websites, allowed parents to remotely view text messages and call logs, and provided period limits in apps long before Apple introduced similar features. It actually included a customizable in case of emergency form, featuring the child's allergy information and blood type. And in 2017, VTech, a toy firm, presented the KidiBuzz, a mobile phone for children between the age groups of 5 and 11 which allows children to receive and send texts, photographs, and voice communications. The kids phone was a wonderful flop and it had been discontinued the same year it had been introduced. The unit was expensive to produce, but since it was not branded, it could not really be offered at an effective price, it had been not really Samsung or Apple, and this group the cell phone was targeted at, pre-tweens/tweens, is very brand and look-self-conscious. In the mean time, the KidiBuzz provides 34 % one-star reviews in Amazon, with a single commenter observing that it generally does not even make a decent paperweight. this hyperlink Part of the concern with child-focused smart phones is features: several products occupy an amorphous gray space among a toy and device. The KidiBuzz, for instance, gives features like video games and apps, but doesn't even allow users place telephone calls. Parents looking for wise cellphones for kids on Amazon may also run into dozens upon a large number of nonfunctional play phone items, products that look like phones but are actually toys that come equipped with various ringtones and blinking lights. Another added challenge is that products marketed as kid-friendly, have an integral expiration day. There's not a lot of activity taking place in the child-specific space, because it simply doesn't scale well. You're discussing a very little segment from it: kids age range 4 to 10 or 7 to 11, etc. And it's likely even smaller sized than that, because at a particular age I don't believe children want the special cellphone. They want the same device you're using. By and large, the truth is how the devices people wish to use are the devices from the big producers. So why build some thing that is purpose-built and an individual model of these devices when you could basically take any maker's style and use a parental settings app to help control this? However, there's real stress about giving developing children access to products that are absolutely nothing in short supply of addictive to grown adults. And even more research has surfaced linking excessive display time to, among other things, sadness, reduced sleep, and speech postpone in babies. All that has pushed a handful of entrepreneurs to produce alternate solutions for kids. The main concern with giving children cell phones, is that, for lack of an improved term, it's such a sexy, glossy device, you want to download games, open the web. Which is almost inherent to the telephone. Personally i think it also myself in my own mobile phone. It's a very effective issue. The first version of the Light Phone was designed to be used as little as possible: it might place telephone calls, and fundamentally nothing else. The impending Light Mobile phone 2 will also let users text. It's one of a small number of entries in the minimalist, or dumb telephone movement, which was spurred by a growing concern about cellphone addiction. While not designed for children, the Light Telephone has gotten significant amounts of attention from couples with children. Adults struggle with this dilemma: they want a phone therefore their child can contact them within an emergency, but Snapchat actually scares all of them. The Jitterbug, which features a larger display screen and larger type, is one more dumb cellphone routinely cited as a good option for young kids - though it was developed for seniors. The Jitterbug can make telephone calls and receive and send texts; at less than $50 for the turn smart phone version, it is also substantially cheaper than the Light Telephone 2, which has not shipped out yet but happens to be priced at $290. Some producers are bypassing phones altogether by entering the wearables market. GizmoWatch, for instance, enables couples to monitor their kids' precise location and provides alerts when they venture outside a particular radius; in addition, it lets young adults textual content and make calls to up to 10 people on the preprogrammed contact list, enabling parents to stay in touch with their kids while curbing their display screen time. Without technically a wearable (though you may hook it to clothes with a carabiner-like item), the Relay, a similar to walkie-talkie gadget, is an additional entry in the kids' technology space. The device presents itself as a middle surface for much less tech-savvy parents who are concerned about display screen time, but don't need to navigate the complicated globe of parental control apps. There's no way to watch an undesirable YouTube video or seek out something inappropriate using the mobile phone, because there is no display screen. But devices just like the Relay as well as the GizmoWatch also appear to be exactly what they may be: items for children. And that may be a issue. Almost always there is some chance with wearables, yet I am just a little reluctant to state they're gonna be a big vendor. The marketplace demand in comparison to alternative options is in a way that the impact tends to be fairly limited. I could get my kid a kid smartwatch, which they may or may not wear, or I could give them a phone. Smart watches, are not going to substitute cell phones for teenagers. Kids want even more. They are bombarded with messages to remain interconnected frequently. This is actually the world children are growing up in. Without better alternatives, couples with children are mainly trapped passing off their worn out iPhones or Androids or buying a vintage cellphone, which still costs you hundreds of dollars. There's only a certain comfort and ease there because that's what dad and mom have always utilized. Handing down our previous phones is normally low-cost as well as the parental controls work fairly well. Children aren't some particular animal that want special tools when it comes to cell phones. They are little humans, and I prefer to respect them when it comes to tech. And instead of creating new products, producers have begun developing product features to create their adult-focused products more youth-friendly. Apple's new iOS 12 parental settings include a Screen Time feature, which allows you to create period limits for particular applications and track how much time they're shelling out for their cell phones. Google has released Google Family members Link, a free app that allows couples with children to monitor their kids' screen time as well while remotely secure their gadgets if they are spending a lot of time using them. All these program work-arounds aren't perfect - kids are reportedly hacking Apple's Screen Time simply by changing enough time setting on their device, but they're a recognition that children of a certain age want to own a similar thing everybody else has. And if everybody else comes with an iPhone or an Android, many won't settle for anything less. However eventually the stress parents feel around what types of devices to buy their kids and when may also be a way of projecting anxieties about our own complicated relationships with mobile phones. The answer may not be discovering the right device for our children, but wrangling our very own impulses, especially because a few analysts say that adults who are exceedingly sidetracked by their devices are creating behavioral issues within their teenagers. Little Children will do what you carry out, not what you inform them to do. You have to model good digital habits. In fact, a 2017 research found that although 79 percent of parents thought these were modeling good screen behaviors for their kids, these were spending an average of nine hours each day with their displays, a lot more time than their teens were. When I pointed out that I was spending far more period scrolling through my e-mail and Twitter than I had been playing on the floor with my kid, I noticed that the challenge wasn't with displays warping his delicate mind. It had been that I'd already allowed my mobile phone to bend mine. So nowadays, we try not to use our phones at all in front of our son. This is a habit that can be easily shaped for later years and really depends upon the parents to maintain our little children from smartphones until these people grasp responsibility.

[quipperphilippines]

5 Parental Control Apps for Better Monitoring of Children’s Online Activities

               Our kids’ attention is captured by technology through the apps and gadgets that they bring around to entertain them. Technology consumes our lives with its convenience and not to mention that it now evolves faster more than ever. Even our kids get hooked to this, just look at how every app has its own kids version (Youtube Kids, Netflix kids option, Kids mode on some phones, etc.) This means that we also need to keep up with this fast-paced movement, as everyone adapts to this pacing. In this modern day, we need to align our parenting styles with what keeps our kids busy--gadgets and apps.  

     As much as technology is very useful, our kids' frequent usage of their devices makes them prey to different predators lurking around the web. Recently, Momo Challenge that allegedly hides under the guise of a Peppa Pig video went on viral last week and has made parents like us alarmed on our kids’ safety.

     At Quipper, we understand the need for parents to know the activities that our kids do on their devices. So we have come up with a list of helpful apps that parents can use to keep track of our kids’ online activities.

Here are our top five picks:

     1. Google Family Link

     Google Family Link provides security for kids using Android devices as their parents get looped on their activities and allow them to set rules for their kids' usage. It allows parents to see their activities, allow app downloads, set limits on kids’ screen time, remotely lock their kids’ devices, and even see their kids’ location. The downside of this though is only parent’s app is supported on IOS. The kids’ device should be Android for it to work.

     Why we love this? Its Google and it works seamlessly with any Android device, and it is downloadable for free.

     2. FamiSafe

     FamiSafe is a parental control app that allows parents to monitor their kids’ activities with their mobile devices including their text messages. FamiSafe sends out an automatic alert to parents once their kids reached a certain location that they have set or even potential risk for cyberbullying and malicious text messages. It gives parents access to their kids’ screen time and where each minute of it was spent through their Activity Report feature. Aside from these, FamiSafe allows parents to customize app usage rules and even allows them to enable a web filter to safeguard our kids from harmful content. Best of all, it works for both IOS and Android devices for a premium price.

     Why we love this? The automatic alert for cyberbullying and malicious text messages.

     3. Qustodio

     Qustodio has a real-time internet filter that blocks inappropriate content even in private browsing mode. It gives parents the ability to monitor their kids’ on social media and allows them to set a schedule on how much internet, games, and apps allowed for the kids each day.  Just like FamiSafe, it gives parents the visibility on who calls and texts our kids and even set a list of blocked contacts. Qustodio also allows parents to track their kids’ location and has and a Panic Button to call for help in case of emergency. This app works on both IOS and Android and is free for one kid with one device but for a fee on more devices.

     Why we love this? The consolidated report that parents can view through their Qustodio’s website or parent’s app.

     4. OurPact

     Next on the list is OurPact. Apart from the features carried by all other apps on the list, OurPact’s difference is that it gives parents the ability to block specific apps at a certain time through their App Rules feature. App Rules also gives parents to block texting and even create schedules for any SMS application on their kids’ devices. It also features site blocking permanently or through a schedule. OurPact is partnered with OurPact Jr. which functions as kids’ app which allows our kids to view their schedule, unlock their devices for an allocated period of time and even maximize their screen time usage through the pause button. The best feature they offer is that parents can easily download OurPact for free, though they also offer a premium app that can control up to 20 devices. The downside is that it only supports Android devices as of the moment.

     Why we love this? We can select specific apps that can be allowed for all time and apps that can be used at a certain time.

     5. FamilyTime

     Last but definitely not least is FamilyTime. FamilyTime allows parents to set a schedule for their kids. What sets FamilyTime apart from the others is that it focuses on allowing our kids to manage their time. The TimeBank feature allows kids to save minutes from their Daily Limit which they can use at a later time through the FunTime feature. It is like a reward system that teaches kids to manage their time. FamilyTime also has a Teen Safe Drive feature that notifies the parent of their driving teens whenever they went overspeeding. Its basic features are available on one device for free and different price ranges for more devices.

     Why we love this? It has a Bookmark feature that allows parents to see which sites are bookmarked on the kids’ device.

     Whether we like it or not, technology is our future. Sure, it can be abused by some. But when used properly, it can pave way for a lot of good things. Education for one can be facilitated by apps like Quipper which provides DepEd aligned content by partnering with schools and teachers and allows parents to participate more in our kids’ learning and progress. Maximizing Quipper and those apps we have listed above can provide a virtually safe environment for our kids and fewer worries for us parents. So go ahead and enjoy technology as much as our kids do.

[spicynbachili1]

Red Hydrogen One: The internet reacts to the 3D-enabled phone

Picture copyright Crimson

Picture caption Crimson’s promo movies exhibit folks’s reactions to the 3D show, but it surely can not replicate the impact itself on a traditional display

When Crimson revealed plans to provide a “holographic” smartphone 15 months in the past it caught the without warning.

The model will not be a family title, however over the previous twenty years its digital cameras have come to be revered amongst filmmakers.

They’ve been used to make high motion pictures together with Star Wars: The Pressure Awakens, Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2, and the newest Mission: Inconceivable.

Founder Jim Jannard was beforehand behind the Oakley sun shades model.

So many questioned whether or not handsets would possibly show to be the third sector he would disrupt.

On the idea of the primary opinions of the Crimson Hydrogen One, that appears uncertain.

The embargo on write-ups lifted earlier this Monday forward of the $1,300 (£1,000) aluminium model occurring sale in November.

A $1,600 titanium version is promised to comply with.

Picture copyright Crimson

Picture caption The handset can seize video and stills in each 2D and 3D modes

Testers appeared intrigued – if not overly impressed – by the 3D display, which simulates a way of depth relatively than produces pop-out photos.

However frustratingly it is not possible to seize the impact on a traditional digital camera – that means neither the opinions nor Crimson’s personal advertisements might present pictures or movies of what it seems like.

And whereas the system also can seize 3D imagery, the impact can solely be performed again on different Hydrogen Ones, limiting the enchantment.

Moreover, one other of the important thing promoting factors of the system – the power to snap extra modules on to rework it right into a higher-end video digital camera – will not be because of be launched till late 2019.

California-based Crimson is infamous for lacking its deadlines.

The Hydrogen One was presupposed to be launched months in the past and contains a last-generation processor as a consequence.

So cinematographers attracted by the thought of an Android cellphone doubling as a film digital camera would possibly need to wait to see how lengthy that takes to be achieved.

Crimson goals to ship about 16 million of the smartphones a 12 months. Apple sells extra iPhones in a month-and-a-half.

Picture copyright Crimson

Picture caption The handset has pogo-pins on its rear to permit modules to be added sooner or later to extend the system’s performance

However as Important and Google’s Pixel model have found, reaching annual gross sales of only a few million generally is a wrestle.

Beneath are a few of the highlights from the early experiences.

Digital Traits

The Crimson Hydrogen One is essentially the most attention-grabbing cellphone of the 12 months, but additionally essentially the most disappointing… Jim Jannard stated folks will need to purchase the cellphone after they see the display. We should disagree. That is clearly the primary effort of an organization that lacks smartphone expertise.

The Verge

Pictures of individuals typically find yourself wanting actually goofy, with the particular person showing as a paper cut-out on high of no matter was behind them… Movies are nonetheless a ache to look at. The impact tends to flicker out and in and have a lot of unusual artefacts. It might probably damage your eyes to look at, and it is a bit of dizzying any time there’s an excessive amount of movement.

Tom’s Information:

The Hydrogen One is an bold system that so desperately needs to vary your life. And from time to time, when the show strikes your eyes at simply the exact angle, you’re feeling fleeting glimmers of the magic. Nevertheless, Crimson is working with expertise that merely hasn’t been perfected but… there is no assure that Crimson’s specific model of 3D will probably be satisfying or stress-free on your eyes.

Gizmodo

Whereas in regular 2D mode, the Hydrogen One’s show is comparatively high-res… However if you flip 3D on, you possibly can instantly see that the display’s decision is considerably lowered to the purpose the place you possibly can see particular person pixels. On high of that, nothing ever seems that sharp, and there is at all times a faint rainbow color forged lurking within the background.

Cnet

It looks as if a 3D digital camera that doubles as a cellphone. And that is what really differentiates it from earlier 3D gadgets. The Hydrogen One is not nearly consuming 3D content material. It is about creating it. And if that appeals to you, then it is positively value testing… However for practically everybody else, it is arduous for me to suggest.

PC Magazine

I see a imaginative and prescient on this cellphone. It is the imaginative and prescient of a go-anywhere, pro-quality related film digital camera that effortlessly captures large recordsdata and uploads them simply, most likely utilizing 5G… [But future] content material goes to must be secure, vivid, and in an 8K industry-standard format, not in some proprietary 3D format.

BGR

The Hydrogen One is a reasonably run-of-the-mill digital camera cellphone, able to capturing strong pictures with good lighting, however struggling in less-than-ideal settings. It is not shocking that Crimson’s first-ever cellphone cannot compete with the likes of Apple or Google relating to capturing beautiful photos, however contemplating the pedigree and the worth of the cellphone, it is arduous to present Crimson any slack on this division.

Picture copyright Crimson

Picture caption Patent filings trace at how the cellphone could possibly be used to type a part of a extra superior modular digital camera

Android Central

I am craving for Crimson to disclose extra particulars on the cellphone’s modular attachments. There’s nonetheless a lot left to be accomplished with this cellphone, a lot bottled up potential. Till these attachments can be found, although, it is arduous to suggest the Hydrogen One to… properly, anyone.

Techcrunch

If the system does, certainly, flop, it’ll have accomplished so with the type of audacity not often seen in an area filled with me-too gadgets. If you are going to fail, fail massive. A minimum of that approach you will not be forgotten.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/red-hydrogen-one-the-internet-reacts-to-the-3d-enabled-phone/