#one charger for most of my electronics these days

[yekokataa]

do you like your steam deck? i have a macbook and have been thinking about getting one ^_^

yeah, i like it a lot! i’ve never owned a pc, but now i’ve got the whole world of pc gaming available to me which felt kind of amazing tbh. i mostly use it docked to my tv with a controller, or to my monitor with a keyboard and mouse, i pretty much never use it in handheld mode unless i’m going somewhere by plane. you don’t actually need to buy steam’s dock, you can use any usb-c hub which you might already have for your macbook.

[fiveht]

Proof of life (Adore pt 3)

Hello my sweet angel babies ♥️

I'm not going to be able to adequately express my gratitude for the steady stream of love (and concern, sorry) I've been receiving over the past couple of months. I'm so sorry I've been AWOL, it will definitely happen again. Because see, for me, I usually have to make a choice between social and creative fandom participation. My battery is small, and takes a long time to charge.

Thank you to everyone who's left comments and asks and DMs since I've been gone. I don't think I can respond to all of it, but rest assured those messages ping my cold, dead heart every time I see them.

So I'm gonna go out on a limb here. I did this same thing months and months ago, when I was working on Head Over Feet, and let me be clear: posting even a single word of a WIP goes against my every instinct and principle as an author. I am someone who likes to finish an entire story before I post any of it, and on top of that, I am NOT a fast writer, so the expectations that I'm setting up here might not be advisable. But I did it before and managed to finish the thing, and I want to give you guys something in exchange for being so unbelievably awesome, so here I am again.

This will probably be the only time I mention this story in public until it's finished and posted, and inquiries about my progress are unlikely to help with the writing process, I'm just saying. I reserve the right to change every last word of this before the final draft, and I also reserve the right to fall off the face of the planet and simply never finish it, as much as I will strive to prevent that from happening. Please be patient with me.

Anyway, here is my paltry offering to say thanks for the love: the (VERY rough) first ~1300 words of the third instalment of The Adventures of Soft Daddy and Danger Twink.

Sirius secures his handheld shower head to its holder at the edge of his clawfoot tub, and steps out carefully onto the bathmat. He shivers in the cool air outside the shower curtain; it's about twenty degrees below zero outside, so even if he could afford to run his ancient radiator at full blast, it probably wouldn't help much.

He dries himself off and checks his reflection in the mirror, turning his face this way and that as he tugs his hair out of the bun he'd piled it into to keep it dry during his shower. There's no need for makeup tonight, not when he's not even planning to put on clothes.

It's incrementally warmer when he steps out into the main room of his apartment. He gathers an array of splayed text books and notes from his bed and dumps them carelessly onto the couch, then closes his new laptop and places it delicately on the coffee table. It's the most expensive thing he owns, save for the Gucci backpack currently sitting in his wardrobe with a three-inch berth around it like his shoes and other bags might somehow contaminate it. It's weird owning rich-people stuff when you are still, objectively, broke as fuck.

He perches on the edge of his bed and sets his phone to charge, because his battery doesn't even last a day anymore, and he's going to need it this evening. He tucks it in next to his pillow and picks up his new toy.

The plug isn't much larger than the one he already has. A little longer, which is appealing, but no wider, so it shouldn't be a challenge to get it in comfortably. He disconnects it from its charger and hefts it in his hand, feeling the added weight from the electronics inside.

He picks up his phone, and hesitates when he sees the notification waiting for him.

Rieka: let's go out tomorrow

Rieka: the fact that we haven't been drunk since the term started is criminal

Rieka: we've had two chem labs and zero drinks

Sirius purses his lips, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. There's a fine line here, and he hasn't quite found it yet.

Me: got plans

Me: raincheck?

So complete avoidance is the best strategy, right?

Rieka: booooo 👎

He sighs, but at least she's not asking for an explanation. He opens a different conversation then, pushing all thoughts of Rieka Lupin into a tidy, sealed compartment, not to be opened during certain activities with a certain relative of hers.

Me: i'm ready

Me: are you in your office?

Daddy: Yup, I've got a few minutes

Daddy: Want me to call?

Instead of answering, Sirius hits the call button himself.

"Hey baby," Remus answers. His voice is already smooth and honey-sweet, and just from that, Sirius knows he's planning to lay it on thick tonight.

"Hi daddy," Sirius says with a smile. "Should I put it in now?"

There's a low chuckle over the line. "Are we feeling eager?"

"Always," Sirius says, laying back on his bed.

"Use the good lube I got you, it's gonna be in there a while."

He switches the call to speaker, and snags the bottle from his nightstand. "I threw out the old stuff, you've got me ruined for cheap lube."

"Only the best for that ass," Remus says, and Sirius can hear his smirk.

He gives the plug a liberal coating, running his fingers along its shape, his dick twitching just at the feel of the silky-smooth silicone, at the anticipation of what's about to happen. He spreads his legs wide, drawing one knee up to give himself easier access.

"Take it slow," Remus says, succinctly heading off Sirius' impulse to just shove the thing inside himself in one go. "Rub the tip against yourself, so you're nice and wet."

Sirius shuts his eyes as he obeys, sliding the slick end of the toy over his entrance. "Okay."

"Are you going to be a good boy for daddy tonight?"

"Uh-huh," Sirius says, teasing the very tip of the plug in and out of his hole.

"Tell me how."

"I'm not gonna touch."

"You're not gonna touch, and you're not gonna come."

"Yeah," Sirius says. His cock is starting to harden as his body tries to draw the plug inside. "Can I put it in, daddy?"

"Slow," Remus reminds him, "Slide it in nice and slow for me, baby."

Sirius catches his lip between his teeth and tries to push the plug in slowly, the way he knows Remus would do if he was here. 

The shower has left him relaxed and more than ready, and it's hard not to take advantage, just press the toy in to its limit because he can. But he's working on his patience -- under Remus' careful tutelage -- so he shuts his eyes and tries to savour it, the tease of the plug's rubber tip at his entrance, the slow stretch as he eases it past the slight resistance before he sighs, and his body eagerly accepts the intrusion.

"Mmmm," Sirius sighs as he settles the base of the plug flush against his entrance, shifting his hips and feeling the constant, dull pressure against his prostate.

"How's it feel?" 

"Good," Sirius says, splaying his legs out and just enjoying the pleasant fullness. It's been almost a week since Remus last fucked him, and that's just way too long. Christmas really spoiled him. He tugs the blankets up around him, because it's going to take some time before his body temperature is high enough to fight against the chill in his apartment.

"Have you tried out the settings at all?" Remus asks him, and Sirius picks up the phone, switching off speaker and holding it to his ear.

"No," he says, grinding his ass down against the bed to test the plug's reach inside him. "I thought you'd rather do the honours."

Remus hums, and Sirius hears the phone shifting in his grip. "I'm gonna turn it on, okay? Lowest setting."

"O--" Sirius stutters as the plug buzzes to life inside him, nestled snug against his prostate and sending little zings of pleasure down his legs. "Fuck that feels good. That's the lowest setting?"

"It is," Remus confirms. "Want to run through them all, see how high it goes? Or would you rather be surprised?"

"Mmmm, surprise me."

"Surprise it is," Remus says, and Sirius hears shuffling papers in the background as he prepares for his night class. Psychology 1001, Thursdays, 7-9:30PM. Two and a half hours of a lecture that Remus swears he's given so many times he could recite it in his sleep, so why not give himself something fun to focus on while he goes through the motions? 

Being privy to all of this brilliant, upstanding man's secret perversions is a privilege Sirius does not take lightly.

"You can turn it off from the app if you need to," Remus is saying, "Or you can call me and I'll switch it off. My phone's on vibrate, so I'll see it right away."

Sirius smiles to himself. "Got it," he says, though this is a rehashing of the rules that Remus had laid out when he'd brought the plug over last weekend. He'd called it a "late Christmas gift", as if he hadn't already given Sirius several thousand dollars worth of presents on Christmas morning.

There's more rustling over the line, the squeak of a chair. 

"Tell me again how you're going to be good tonight."

"I'm not gonna touch myself, and I'm not gonna come." The toy is still buzzing away inside him, making everything a little fuzzy at the edges. 

"Tell me why."

"'Cause daddy's in charge, even when he's not here."

"Good boy."

Sirius squirms with pleasure, his cock smearing a little drop of fluid on his belly as the toy hums insistently at his prostate.

"I have to head out," Remus says. "How do you feel?"

"Good," Sirius says, his abs tensing as he shifts his legs and the angle of the toy changes. "Excited."

"Me too," Remus says softly. "I'll talk to you soon, beautiful. Send me some pictures." With a low beep, the call disconnects.

[bomberqueen17]

scattered

so i am back in buffalo but via a weekend stay in rochester at MM and DF's (remember them?? from the pandemic??? yes them!!) and on the one hand, great! (also great timing me, it's going to be 100F for the whole week, and by coincidence I'm spending that week in my house which has central air and really efficient new windows? hell yes) but on the other hand

argh i don' know where anything is. and it's worse. i got distracted as we were packing up from our time in rochester and i left a small pile of my electronic devices sitting next to the bag, not in it, and left them there. so I don't have my kindle, with all my sewing patterns on it, but worse, I don't have my fucking laptop, which I use for everything, argh.

I have an old laptop at home and it doesn't charge very well and it has some sticky keyboard keys and it can't properly load google docs. so I can still like.... exist. But I ahve to either find the time to drive 60 miles back to rochester (and then 60 miles back to buffalo after ofc), OR I have to live without it until next weekend when I have to drive by there anyway to go back to the farm.

I also can't find like any of my anything and am so scattered I don't know where to begin to put my life back together. I was going to do better this summer, I was going to have a sensible schedule, but I have already failed at that and I am going to spend this summer in wild disarray too just like the previous several.

(It's worse because last week was so fucking hectic and I don't know why but I worked 12-hour days like most of the days of last week and realized late Thursday that I hadn't unpacked my computer charger because I hadn't fucking used it, so. To say I'm getting no writing done is to severely understate the matter.)

I don't even know where to start at getting my shit together today, I really don't.

(Also my period is like, ten days early??????? ugh)

[nothing0fnothing]

Hey! So I have some lived experience in being poor and mentally ill I had to learn the hard way in my adulthood after growing up with abusive neglectful narcissistic parents. Maybe it will help someone else.

1. Instant pot. Crock pot. Rice cooker. You only need one, but all 3 are versatile, can use very little electricity to run, and are perfect to dump ingredients into and come back later to a healthy, cooked dinner.

You can research which is best for you by looking up "crock pot recipes" "rice cooker meals" to get a feel for what types of meals you can prepare in each and how it's purposes can best fit your cooking style.

2. Get your electronics secondhand. Phone companies make so much off of poor people bc they contract us into pay plans that mean that by the time our phones are needing replacing, we've paid for it 2 or more times over. Consider going Sim only and getting your phone secondhand.

Websites like backmarket and envirophone sell refurbished phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, TVs, consoles, headphones, all sorts like new and for a fraction of the price point you'd usually get them at. I've not bought an electronic new since 2015 and the products I get refurbished last just as long as if I'd bought them new. Plus it's better for the environment. Even if I had money I don't think I'd go back to buying new honestly.

3. Static charger. If you're Autistic and can't sit still, like me you might be finding that the first thing to go on your electronics is your charge port. It's really annoying because it's not a cheap fix and I have had to replace phones early when they won't charge any more.

Last year my girlfriend and I got static chargers. It's an adapter that sits in your phone/tablets charger slot that magnetically connects to a universal charger. Its great for us because now everything rechargeable (phones/tablets, but also headphones, game controllers, keyboards/mouses) takes the same cable. It's really handy, but for me the best part is that the adapter doesn't move. So even if I'm fidgeting with my phone on charge it won't wear down the charger pins over time. We paid £20 for 3 and it's paid for itself because I've not had to take my phone for it's yearly fix since I got it.

4. Make a cozy space outside of bed. As a bedrotting girlie I know the allure of just saying "fuck it" and curling up in bed is so strong. I also know that when I do it for days at a time my sleep quality gets worse, my days blur together and my mental health gets so much worse. Especially if I'm working, watching TV, eating all my meals and doing my hobbies all from my bed.

One thing that helps me break up the bedrotting and at least helps me get some decent sleep so I might wake up feeling better tomorrow, is having a cozy spot that isn't in bed I can spend at least some of my day in.

For me, it's the couch in my living room. I've furnished it with pillows, blankets, and a little coffee table I can rest my stuff on so I can feel as comfy as I do in bed, but not actually be in bed most of the day. For You it could be a book nook, or a floor bed, or a desk with a chair in your bedroom.

5. Giant water bottle. This one is really simple. We need 8 glasses of water a day to be healthy and hydrated. Basically nobody depressed has the energy to fill up a glass of water 8 times a day. If you can get a water bottle that holds 2 litres (65oz) of water, now you only need to fill one drinking vessel once a day to be healthy and hydrated.

It's really simple and sill but it honestly saved my life. I buy those drink flavor packets because I drink more when it tastes nice. Is it as healthy as plain water? No. Is it healthier than no water? Yes. Easy peasy.

My bottle is from Meoky, its the 64oz stainless steel camping bottle with a flip straw I got for under £20. I like it because it keeps my water cold and I'd rather walk on hot coals than take a sip without a straw, but I've bought same size BPA free plastic bottles for like £3 and they have lasted me 2-3 years too so the budget options are absolutely worth it too.

6. Reconsider what's worth getting second hand. Generally when thinking about buying secondhand we mean clothes at the thrift, and that's great, but buying pre loved can be anything, and you can buy some high ticket items at an affordable price point that way.

If I ever want an appliance I always look second hand first. My rice cooker is secondhand and it is my favourite appliance. I've also bought a popcorn maker for a fraction of the price I'd buy it new, and I'm looking for a Kitchen Aid mixer for no more than a third the price they usually sell at. My vanity houses my shark air styler, I got it refurbished second hand and it was like new when I bought it. I use it every day and it still has so much wear in it.

Generally, the bigger and heavier something is, the closer to free you can get it, because the people getting rid of it just want it gone. If you ever need a washing machine or some furniture, look on gumtree or local no buy groups first. Type "free ___" followed by where you live into Google to get an idea whats available. If you're furnishing a space it's very likely you can get everything you need for the cost of the van you hired to collect it all.

7. Frozen vegetables. Fresh produce is getting more expensive and because we neurodivergent and mentally ill people can have a habit of letting fresh produce rot in the fridge, wasting money and making more mess to clean up, it's usually not worth it. The thing is, frozen produce is cheaper because it is picked in season, healther because it is frozen at optimum ripeness, and can be safely stored in your freezer for months, it's so worth doing.

They're usually pre-cut and can generally just be chucked into your dish frozen to defrost while cooking, making them easy and accessible. You can buy mixed vegetable packs (in the UK the most common is sweetcorn/peas/carrots and broccoli/cauliflower/) for some variety too, which I like to just dump a portion into soups or broths for some added vitamins.

8. Medication delivery. I've been medicated for mental illness for years, and a regular problem I used to have was I would neglect going to pick up my meds because I was depressed, then I'd run out and be unable to collect them because the lack of meds was making me more depressed.

Now however, I'm signed up with an online pharmacy. They processes my prescriptions exactly the same way any other pharmacy would and dispense them through the post in a box that fits through my letterbox. I never have to leave the house for meds again which is actually a lifesaver, the shipping is super cheap, like free for 3 day delivery and £2.99 for next day, and it's all processed through a super simple app that I only have to use like one a month when I request my refill.

It's so worth it and if you struggle to get out like me I absolutely recommend it. In the UK it's called Lloyd's Direct Pharmacy, but I'm sure it's a service you can find in other places of the world too.

9. Laundry separation is a lie. Which isn't a big deal for people who don't care about throwing money away on extra loads or people who have the spoons to faff around separating their clothes arbitrarily, but for poor neurodivergent people, it is.

So here's the thing, the rules of separating laundry by colour came about when clothes were made of all natural materials that would stick to each other when agitated and natural dyes that would run in water. Nowadays, clothes are made of synthetic or blended materials that can handle the friction of a modern machine and synthetic dyes that hold up to basically anything. 99% of clothes on the market, and therefore probably 99% of your wardrobe, is polycotton or some other poly-blend. So generally, everything you have can just all go in together on a warm wash.

Now, if you have woolen, linen or cashmere pieces, you should be separating them and following the care instructions on the label, but everything else, just shove it in mate, nothing bad will happen.

10. Protein powder. Protein powder is cheap, it's stored dry to it basically never goes bad, it's obviously protein so it's a really good addition to your diet, it tastes of whatever flavour you buy it in so it's a good meal substitute if you're depressed and your appetite is low, and it comes together really easily.

I usually get it in big tubs because they're cheaper per gram that way and I just add them to my coffee/hot chocolate for a boost or stir it into some Greek yogurt for a quick healthy snack. Thats actually my favourite way to get protein in because it's like 2 minutes and it covers up that sour taste yogurt has. I've also stirred it into milk for my cereal to varying success but it's good because the fat in the milk and the carbs and fortified vitamins in the cereal make it basically a meal. If I'm struggling for breakfast I usually add a scoop or two to an instant porridge pot and I have a ready to eat nutritional meal ready in the time it takes to boil the kettle.

[wolf-among-mechs]

Unfortuantely can't send emojis for some reason so uh, for question things, red circle, red heart, and of course, yellow heart, wanna hear about your ride -@the-tired-merc

🔴 What factions (that you do not belong to) do you disrespect? Why?

The Draconis Combine has always been my archenemy. It is not a violent, burning hatred anymore but rather a quiet unending contempt. I was born into Wolf's Dragoons. I grew up on Hephaestus station. I got a bit... Seperated from them for a while due to... Steiner politics let us say. One day I simply heard on the news that Hephaestus station had been blown up over An Ting. There are no words in any human language that can truly express the rage I felt at that moment. The feeling that everyone I knew and cared about as a child had been killed in a single instant. The dragon was to blame I knew it. I swore a blood vengeance against the dragon and for every of their warrior I would take their blade as a trophy. A fate akin to being disowned of their mechs among their samurai once upon a time.

It would not quell my anger to merely say so. At night I would take my Black Knight and wander the nights on Yance I. With the old intact Star League era Beagle probe I was able to detect their lone mech patrols, with a burst of radio waves I disguised my sensor signature and struck mechs up close at the dead of night. Overwhelming them and quickly carving up their cockpits and taking their katanas from their pilots. Sometimes I had to kill them personally but that was more than fine enough for me. I even went hunting once with a sniper rifle in the woods. It came to a head when I proposed to melt down all the stolen swords into a weapon for the Black Knight. But my lance mates convinced me that if I did they would hunt me until the ends of the universe. I slowly started to simmer down and try to learn my enemy.

I am also not a fan of the clans but that is a lot more to do with the fact that they keep calling me freebirth dezgra when I punch their mechs... And also they could not stand to listen for one second to me about trying to fight a war in the inner sphere but that is a different story entirely. It is not a seething hatred though. Just... I do not like them.

♥️ Do you have a preference for ballistic, energy, missile, or other (e.g. melee/EMP/EW) weapons?

I generally prefer energy weapons. The PPCs for preference. Call it cliché if you want but I do enjoy casting manmade bolts of lightning from afar.

That is not to say I dislike other weapons. I do enjoy volleying enough missiles at a target to blot out the sun. The recoil of an autocannon firing is very satisfying and I do quite enjoy landing shots with a ballistic arcs... Well except the gauss rifle. It does not feel well with me. I know it is effective, I know it is good and the thought of accelerating a solid slug of metal to super sonic speeds by way of electromagnets should be a lot more fun than it feels. To me anyway.

I have had a had at working with electronic warfare systems such as ECMs and active probes. I think I find probes more useful in the end.

Where I truly shine though has always been that I use the mech as a weapon. Punch, kick, tackle and landing. You name it. Making the mechs move in such ways to make the entire world tremble from the impact is a true wonder. I remember one time in my early classes to prep for mech combat we were shown a slide of a Charger CGR-1A1. The other kids laughed but I simply looked and thought to myself, I can use that. After all. Most of the big guns on the field have better things to do than to hunt a lone Charger of all things.... That is until it is suddenly appears behind your fire support and punches open their cockpits.

💛What do I currently pilot. (OOC: It gets a little time fucky wucky here since Asuka here is part of an RPG campaign that hasn't gotten to the Clan Invasion yet. But this blog is an AU where she obviously got that far. Bear with me.)

I hate to say it but I am between mechs. I am waiting on a custom part for the refit of a Kodiak. So I do not have any fun stories to tell.

Let me tell you about my Black Knight instead. It was on Yance, a bit before the news as I told of earlier. The combine had uncovered a star league cache and found an intact black knight in there. Our mercenary company sent me to disable it and claim it for our own while the rest of my lance held off reinforcements. We fought for a while until I was able to gun it down and overheat and shut down. Losing the arm of my cataphract at the time. It was an all of nothing alpha strike which knocked over the black knight and render the pilot inside unconscious. After restarting the Cataphacts reactor I parked it ontop of the black knight and climbed in and took the pilot hostage.

It took two weeks to fix her up. I decided to add a few frills to it. Like red spotlights in the cockpit as to give it eyes in the dark. A bit of effect you know. A bit of showmanship a little fun. A bit of personality.... I may also have gotten fog machines and put them inside the collar of the black knight BUT ANYWAY. Me and it became known as the Oni of Yance after the annihilation of Hephaestus station from... Well you know. It came to the point that when we left Yance, shinto priests of towns and villages were putting up wards to scare away the Oni. The garrison was paranoid and barely dared to leave on patrols without large groups which also left many many blind spots in their patrols.

Shortly after that thanks to a friends contacts in the ISF we learned that my parents were being kept on a black site in combine space along with other members of the dragoons. We hired a dropship to take us there, putting outselves in debt hoping we would be able to pay back later, this was an opportunity too good to pass up after all.

It brought me back to where I first came. Back among Wolf's Dragoons. Our Mercenary company has practically been a subsidiary or sister company since. Through that I started upgrading and refitting the black knight. Eventually leading to the Black Knight BL-6XRD designated Slayer. Short for Dragon Slayer. It had a red mech sized sword in one hand though if I am going to be perfectly honest it was more of a slightly sharp club. It also had pulse lasers and a PPC. Oh actually I think I have have a recording of it.

(OOC: Please forgive the crumminess and scuff of it. It was probably my first time animating something. It felt like a good time to share.)

That came down to the wire let me tell you. She had her engine exposed and hit, lost most of her left torso and the left arm. It took her a while to put her back together but it was probably our finest moment.

I am not ashamed to admit that when we auctioned that mech off to charity. I cried myself to sleep that night. The Slayer had served me so well. It did not feel good to let her go. But time stops for no one I suppose. The funds for it went to good causes. I hope she got a retirement in a museum or something in the end. She deserved it more than I ever will. Damn it... I think it is beginning to rain over there now that I think about old Slayer... Oh yeah... It is raining all right.

Hey. Can I buy you a drink?

[whitehairedanimeboyfriend]

Saw some posts going around about being homeless and wanted to throw my own two cents in on strategies you can use.

A lot of people think that once you lose your home, your two options are either spend a bunch of money on motels or sleep outside. There are many other options you should exhaust first.

Pack light. Bring a couple changes of clothes, but don't over burden yourself. Fresh underwear and socks are more important than anything. You can swing wearing the same jeans for longer than the same shirt.

Don't break the habit of brushing your teeth often. It's important and a difficult habit to build up again.

Get a good phone charger, and a good portable battery. You can get ones on Amazon that will fully charge your phone up to 10 times on one charge of the battery. If you don't have a place you can accept deliveries, try dollarstores, Walmart, and best buy, or other electronic stores.

High data plans are really cheap right now, so if you're already paying 30-40 for your phone plan, check to see if you can switch to a higher data plan for the same price on your phone provider's website.

Have utensils. You can get packs of portable and easy to wash ones that come with fork, spoon, knife, and straw. Or you can just pack normal ones. It's up to you.

Get a multi-tool. Theyre really handy to have.

If you buy a weapon of any kind to defend yourself, make sure you know how to use it and really have an indepth check in with yourself: if you were in a fight, would you be willing to use it on another person? If you are unsure even a little bit, don't carry it. Knife, gun, any of those specialized self defense items. They're more likely to be taken and used on you. Especially if you hesitate.

Get on welfare, income assistance, food stamps, or whatever other government program you can. These often provide access to resources and if you get a social worker, they will often be familiar with resources and programs you can access.

Be kind and respectful to other homeless people but don't make friends with them. This may sound harsh but people in these situations are desperate and if you drop your guard around some individuals you will get robbed. Plus, it's really easy to get sucked into toxic mindsets where you spiral into self destruction if there are other people to go down with you. You will feed off of each other's bullshit. It's just better for you and them to focus on yourself right now.

Having a baby right now will not save you or fix your situation. If you have sex, use protection. If you get pregnant, highly consider getting an abortion if you're able to. Being pregnant complicates homelessness a lot and your kid will almost definitely be taken from you, which is heartbreaking.

Keep a low profile. Don't get into fights or arguments, don't yell at service workers, don't be a nuisance to retail. Sometimes you will be wronged and it'll feel unfair, but often it's best to swallow your pride and to remain in good standing with the people around you.

Sell or leave any laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices you can't keep on your person. If someone doesn't steal them they will most likely just get broken or damaged.

Look up all the soup kitchens and foodbanks in your area. Most of the time, there will be at least one place open any given day of the week. Churches are the ones that will do this more often than not, and as long as it's not Salvation Army they usually do not care who you are or how you got there. Missions tend to feel more secular than say, Catholic churches, if that matters to you. (but getting a hot meal is often worth sitting through the Lord's Prayer.)

If you're under thirty, look up Youth resources. Usually there will be services tailored specifically for you that won't be as in demand as general population services.

Employment centers, libraries, food banks, etc, should have contact information regarding shelters. If you're a woman running from an abuse situation there are even more options.

Shelters tend to be hit or miss. I've stayed in really awful ones, I've stayed in really good ones. The best you're going to find are the ones where each resident gets their own room. They're hard to come by, but one of the shelters I stayed at the most when I was homeless let you stay up to two months on your first go. Then youre out for two weeks, then you can come back for up to a month at a time. If you're lucky, you'll find a shelter that provides meals as well. This is a great place to have a warm bed to sleep, meals, and showers.

Couch surf. Now's the time to call on your friends for favours. I try not to stay in any one place for longer than five days. Mixing this with staying at a shelter got me through about five years of homelessness.

Group homes, supervised living programs, etc. These tend to be the next step up from shelters. Almost all of them give you your own room and are more long term than shelters. Often, you have to actively be working and/or participating in an education or employment program to stay, but it's way more stable than staying at a shelter.

Do not bother with Facebook marketplace queer housing groups. In a lot of cases you'll be out on your ass again in a couple of months. There's a reason people in these groups can't keep roommates.

When you can, have a set of clothes that make you not "look homeless." You will find situations where you need to blend in. If you have a secure place to store your belongings even better. Dead giveaways for homeless people are often their huge backpacks and a lot of people know this.

Out of the cold shelters open up in the winter. They're more temporary than regular shelters and it's usually sleeping on the floor of a church or community center, but they're okay options in a pinch.

If you have to sleep outside, go off the beaten path if you can. It's easier to do this outside of city centers but this is obviously not always an option. Tents are great but tarps are even more portable. Sleeping bags help maintain body heat far better than blankets. Use your backpack as a pillow, or grab a pillowcase and stuff it with your clothes when it's time to sleep.

This may go without saying but if you have a car, sleep in that. You won't need to bother with shelters or sleeping outside.

Showering at gyms and truck stops is obvious, but if you can find a drop in center, you can shower, get something to eat, and often even do your laundry. Some drop in centers require membership but it's often not difficult to get and it's free. They just want to register you and keep track of who is coming and going. You will often be assigned a case worker that will help you with finding a place to stay or even a job.

Short hair is easier to maintain in these situations. Moreover, I highly recommend against dying your hair at this time, especially bright unnatural colours because the colour will fade fast, and it'll be really difficult to blend in with non homeless people when you have to.

Spend your days in libraries charging your phone, keeping warm, and entertaining yourself. You can stay from open until closed without being disturbed. Look at bulletin boards and pamphlets while you're there and you might find programs you can join or resources you can access.

I personally have never gone dumpster diving. I've never had to. I don't live in a very rich city but there was still always resources I could access before it came to that. Personally, I would exaust all my other options before I start rooting around in trash cans but that's just me.

If you keep food on hand while you're outside, be mindful of animals. Look up methods of keeping your food safe from bears if you are staying in wooded areas. Even places you think are too close to civilization can have bears wandering around. Also, be mindful of "refrigerate after opening" warning labels on food. It's best to get shelf stable items when possible. Condiment packets that are single use are better than bottles because they'll keep longer.

Stealing from grocery stores is easier if you buy some things, too. You can get toothpaste, shampoo, etc from drop in centers and foodbanks but I would personally suggest buying larger items like sandwich meat, and stuffing small items like water flavoring into your pockets when you're wandering down an unoccupied aisle. On that note if you have a hard time drinking plain water, get water flavoring! It's important to stay hydrated.

This might just be the country I live in, but one other place you're very unlikely to be bothered is hospital cafeterias. This is one example, I think, of a place where you don't want to "look" homeless. If it's an especially cold night though, sitting in the corner quietly and being on your phone won't look suspicious. You may need to stay up for the night and then take a nap outside in the day. Or, go to a Library in the morning.

Wear sunglasses and hold your phone or a book in front of you and nap when you're indoors. Especially if you're in a corner by yourself and especially if you're "blending in" with non homeless people, no one will bother you. Best place to do this is libraries.

Food courts are also a decent option. Usually there are so many people that no one is going to bother a random person that's there all day. One of those other instances of its easier if you don't look homeless.

Cycle through places you stay at during the day. It'll look a lot less suspicious if you only spend one day a week at any given place.

Depending on your age, if you live in a university town, you can spend time in university areas. Cafeterias, libraries, computer labs. This one is not something I'm quite as familiar with but I know people that did it. Try to blend in, look like you're busy. Students are easier to blend in with than probably any other population you can think of. You're going to really have to choose your own adventure with this one, but I would aim for places with a large student body that you don't need a key card to get into, and make yourself look busy.

If all else fails, ride around on public transit. Take long lines from start to finish. Catch a nap if you can. This is an especially great option if you have a bus pass, and while it is easier to do if you blend in, depending on the size of your city and how many people are on, you will be mostly undisturbed.

[romanticfistfightz]

a list of everything that went wrong today bc if i dont complain and joke about it ill think too much . under read more cuz its 20 points.

my mother got a speeding ticket bc she was 10km/h over . on an empty road at 5am but it wasnt cops ther ebut the one that flashes its not happened to me exactly but it went wrong

had to pay 260pln at the airport cuz the fucking ryanair app didnt work properly and didnt give me my boarding pass when i definitely clicked download and then gave me an "unknown error"

already stressed went to the gate . looked at my boarding pass . only one bag. fuck

paid anothe 200 to be able to take my luggage with me already sweating and shaking (at least the vodka in dutyfree was on sale)

the dude taking my payment told me to take out electronics and meds cuz "these bags get lost sometimes" causing me to die instantly

i gave my bag to a dude next to my plane so he can put it inside the plane with other checked in bags . which should make me more normal cuz like i gave it to him and saw him walk to put it in

didnt help. i was already panicking. what if he took it to a different plane (there were no other planes) . what if he took it for himself and hid it (its bright fucking yellow someone would see it) . what if the plane runs it over (????)

had my adhd toy and was very nervously playing with it and sweating and the lady sitting next to me asked if everythings okay (probably assuming im scared of flying/planes/heights) . so that was nice of her i told her im having an awful day but thanks for asking

the emergency instructions that they give every time made me worse. the plane shook when flying up (normal) and i was sure its crashing . the force of flying up felt different i was sure the engines stopped and died

realized i need to throw up NOW so i went to the bathroom and threw up a bit. never threw up thousands of meters into the air

didnt wanna flush it cuz what if it sucks out too much and sucks out my bag and it falls out

the rest of the flight was fine i chilled out n saw mt etna which is fun i always wanted to see a volcano

landed. started freaking out a bit cuz my bag wasnt coming out for a long time (normal time) and what if they lost it the numbes were slightly different what if somone already took it- oh nvm here it is

cool going for the bus oh wait i need to have coins to pay for the ticket i just bought a carbs free(?) beer for 1.90eur at the airport

wanted to smoke so i wanted to grab my cigarettes from my backpack and realized half of my shampoo spilled out for some fucking reason and the ziplock wasnt closed fully so my backpack (with my laptop charger cables and most important handbound physical copy of unholyverse which was a gift from my bf) was in shampoo and i had no tissues

okay crisis averted it wasnt as bad as i thought. oh shit im almost late for my bus the next ones in 1.5h

managed to get in . and it even had ac. doesnt matter the zip on my backpack broke but after a 10min fight i fixed it

my phones at 7% i need to climb uphill to get to my hotel . the checkins not until 3pm (it was 11.30 at the time its 12.30 now)

okay fine i have an adapter ill charge my phone a bit and go for a walk . yeah sure lmao the adapter doesnt work apparently so im charging my phone from my laptop

well at least theres two swimming pools so ill go swim for the first time in 8yrs.

[helenas-crashed-car]

I’ve sent enough asks to people that I should probably talk about my splatoon idol ocs. @rainfallbeats this is for you ^_^

@nik0t wake up bro

so my splatoon idol group is called manta days! Which is a little silly because they’re an all-octoling group. Tbh manta days and deep cut should swap names.

they actually used to be a normal band instead of idols before they were selected to be the group in charge of the splatcast of their home city, the blacklight district of anemone heights: a rowdy, neon sign filled district that’s the closest to deep cut’s native splatsville.

here are the bitches:

viper (he/it): electric guitar, vocals

midnight (she/they): bass guitar, vocals (does the screaming)

angler (he/him): possesses a myriad of instruments but prefers electronic instruments

they’re a mix of several rock subgenres and edm. jarring but I like them and I would listen to them tbh

they have a very interesting theme/aesthetic: a mix of visual kei fashion with glow in the dark colors found in raves. Most of their clothes are black or darker shades of colors, accented with bright colors.

Their “theme” is something they’ve described as ‘creepy cool’. With one of their members being a literal ghost, and viper and midnight’s enjoyment of morbid things, they decided to adopt that in their costumes! Their little hand sign that do at the end of their splatcasts is reminiscent of the ghost z move from pokemon, to be honest.

(the school au’s manta days differs from canon(?) manta days in the fact viper and midnight never went through the deep sea metro in the school au, they’re like 21 and 22 in the story I’ve formed for em)

viper is midnight’s older brother. More quiet than his sister, he makes up for his short answers in interviews with his angelic vocals and masterful guitar techniques. He usually writes most of the music with the help of his sister, but electric guitar lines are his speciality. Due to being employed in the Octarian army for most of its life (like a good amount of octolings), it never went to any music academy; it learned how to write music from hours of poring over pdfs of sheet music it found online. Looks up to Marina.

midnight is viper’s little sister. Brasher than their older brother, they’ve been compared to Pearl in articles, which is a valid comparison, honestly. She doesn’t have the power to destroy thinks with her voice, but she has the same screaming capacity as Pearl. Mostly answers the questions for viper, as she knows he doesn’t like interviews. Their bass lines and rougher voice are a perfect compliment to viper’s playing style, talent and passion making for concerts incomparable to any other artist’s.

angler is… odd. He’s a ghost in a band, after all. He died during the great turf war, when he took a charger shot directly in the eye while performing at an Octarian base to raise morale. Originally an acoustic guitar player, he’s learned to manipulate electronic instruments when he possesses them. Along with midnight, he usually answers questions while viper sits tight and prays for the interview to be over. despite being a ghost, he still smokes. Would try and beat the shit out of Cuttlefish.

Viper and Midnight escaped from the Octarian kettles using the deep sea metro. They still remember their time in the army.

viper is transgender because I said so.

I came up with a vague hero mode plot surrounding them, but that’s for another time. I hope you enjoy these sillies :p

(if angler sounds similar to my oc Ken… yes. He was based off of Ken at first. Now he’s his own character.)

[emerald-emerlad]

A TMA Extinction statement inspired by someone's TMA appreciation week fic!

Word count: Around 1.5k

Warnings: Electrocution

I was quite the tech enthusiast, you see. Well, maybe enthusiast is the wrong word, since I didn’t really have a choice on how much I had around, but I was certainly fascinated by all of it. I’m a digital artist, blogger, and software manager, and all three of those stay-at-home jobs required a hefty amount of electronics. I had a PC unit, microphones and speakers, two screens plus a keyboard, mouses and backup mouses, a hard drive, my WIFI router, a landline, and my phone, which was used quite often. Oh, and an old CD burner and large AM radio from my late father. He collected a lot of old tech, and one of my hobbies was restoring unused equipment, so I ended up having even more stuff around. I could’ve sold them, I suppose, but it also felt like part of my father was in those pieces. Do you get it? Like, if I got rid of any of them, I would be giving away the last memories of him.

It was safe to say I didn’t have the best setup. I ended up having to use three full power strips just to get each cable in evenly, but even then they still ended up tangled and a huge mess. I tried pretty much all of the organizers, like zip locks and those flimsy clips and boxes that break easily. Nothing worked, they all just popped out and would immediately wrap around each other like… magnets, or something. I eventually decided to just shove everything under my desk and hope I wouldn’t need to organize it one day.

It was a little creepy, nonetheless. I remember, once I was sitting at my desk and sat up too quickly, but the chair got caught on the carpet and was pulled out from under me. I fell, nearly hitting my head on the ground. Instead, I caught myself and ended up staring face-to-face with the… nest of wires. They were all shifting ever so slightly, almost like snakes curling around each other. It actually reminded me of those biblically accurate angels, like the ones from the Old Testament or something. And in the middle of the intricate web of cables, the absolute darkest, most tightly wound part, was staring right at me. 

I began to feel this… sense of doom. Like, something terrible was going to happen, and I was just another observer. The wires- they were pulsing . Breathing.

I thought I was having a heart attack, and quickly stood up to go get some water. The feeling vanished as soon as I did, and I avoided the office for the rest of the day. I couldn’t stay away too long, though. As much as I hated it, I still needed it. I think it needed me, too. The nest of cables was living under my desk, and sometimes whenever I turned my computer on, I thought I could hear it… sigh … with relief or something. 

I began to feel queasy, wherever I looked too closely at it. I kept imagining something terrible happening, but I couldn’t ever tell exactly what it was. Not that it was real, it couldn’t have been. This… feeling could have been nothing but paranoia, right?

I brushed it off and told myself I was hallucinating. Then it happened again, a couple days later. I was eating dinner, then headed to my office to grab a charger, and realized the mess of cords had somehow… grown. Originally, it had been around the size of a bike helmet and could fit snugly in a corner by my desk, but I swear , when I walked into that room, it had stretched across the entire carpet under the table. 

I screamed, terrified. I thought they were reaching out towards me, so I shut the door and called one of my friends. I mean, who else could I have called? The police? A damn exterminator? Anyways, I tried explaining the situation as vaguely as I could, so she wouldn’t think I was crazy. I came up with a lie about my electricity failing, and even though I don't think she bought it, she still let me stay over at her house for the night.

I still tried to stay away from my office as much as possible, but it was hard without my work equipment. When I finally grew the courage to check inside, the wires had all gone back to normal. Typical. I tried to avoid getting too close to them, but they still… called to me.

I began to grow more frustrated with them, angry at the necessary mess I couldn’t clean. I found myself tripping more often, and sometimes accidentally pulling out a plug and having to set aside a whole hour just to find which one wasn’t working. You know, I started to really want to throw them all out. Unplug everything and toss it, my work be damned. Part of me worried though, because what if I did? What if taking it apart brought the inevitable? 

It didn’t help trying to convince myself, in the end. I was still drawn towards it, finding myself wanting to learn more about whatever… disaster could be coming. Because maybe if I could understand it, I could stop it. 

So one night after a stressful work day, I turned on all the lights and equipment, and stuck my hand into the maze, trying to find the end of a cord. 

You know that feeling you get, like right before you… stub your toe or get cut? You don’t feel anything, just for a second, but you know pain is on its way. That’s what it felt like, when I dug my hand in. I knew I had made a huge mistake.

I tried yanking it out, terrified of what might happen. But my hand was stuck, tangled in the forest of cables, unable to tell which cord was connected to which plug, how deep my arm was, and where the power strip was. The wires began to… snake up my hand, up my shoulder, and to my neck. They slunk down, to my torso and legs, until I was completely frozen. They were climbing up the walls, blocking out the windows and covering the lights until I was covered in darkness.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been electrocuted. But you can trust me when I say there’s nothing else like it. 

As the wires began breaking out of the rubber coating, the electricity was darting over my skin and into my body. Imagine getting shocked, like when you touch a piece of hot metal in the sun. Now place that feeling all over your body, sinking under your skin and flowing into your blood. I thought I was on fire, even as the cords wrapped tighter and tighter.

I was screaming, I think. A naked wire had begun to creep up my neck, and then seeped into my gaping mouth, the 

You won’t understand what I saw. It’s impossible to describe the feeling of pure understanding, of omniscience. I could see everything , all the information that was ever placed online, all the private info people had so casually stored in their files. Anything that had once been on the internet was being fed to me through an information highway of sparks and wires and electricity.

 You know, it’s funny how reckless we are when it comes to personal things. Almost 200 billion dollars in the economy is funded by people’s data scraped off of every site possible. Carrying a smartphone is similar to carrying a tracking device, just as putting your name into a random website is no different than handing it out to anyone for free. 

Through all the facts, the numbers, the names, only one thing stood out. The ending. The apocalypse. The great change. The Calamity .

They let me go a while later. It could’ve been hours, but it felt like days. I must’ve gone unconscious, because when I woke up, I was woozy. Disorientated, yet enlightened.

I still threw everything away, including my father’s collections. Whatever change is coming is too big for me to stop it. I’m in the process of moving houses, and finding a job that doesn’t require technology. My friends don’t believe me, but I can’t really blame them. Nobody wants to believe that the apocalypse is coming, because when it does, none of us are more special than anyone else.

Everyone’s death is singular. We die from different causes during separate times in diverse places. But our lives are no different than a bundle of cables or wires that feed energy to a laptop. So when the plugs are pulled out, when all of our bodies are shut down like someone flicked the ‘off’ switch on humanity, the laptop dies as well. 

Only this time it’s permanent. 

[marctheshark9]

The Magic of Discipline and Preparation

It’s January 2023, The words of this year are discipline and preparation. If applied correctly these two simple things can and will elevate your life instantly. If you continue to do them over time you will see wholesale changes in every facet of your life. My goal is to make discipline and preparation an everyday habit.

Discipline has a myriad of definitions but, the main ones that apply here are: control gained by enforcing obedience or order. Training that corrects, molds or perfects, the mental faculties or moral characters, To train and develop by instruction and exercise especially in self control.

Are you disciplined enough to prepare yourself for what’s to come? Preparation is defined as the action or process of making something ready for use or service. Or to get ready for an occasion test or duty. Preparation is not easy, but it makes your life a lot easier. Simple task like packing your bag the night before or meal prepping can save your future self a lot of headache. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready!

I have this philosophy that in life you’re going to pay for things on the front end or on the back end. Imagine that you have a major event for tomorrow. You have two options. You can prepare the night before. You can do things like pack your bag, pack your lunch, prep your outfit, even charge your electronics. By doing all these simple things you’ve set yourself up for success.

What if you have that same event and you don’t prep? You’re setting yourself up for failure. By not preparing you left no room for error. What if you oversleep? What if there’s traffic? Now you’re late because you didn’t prepare. Now you’re paying for it on the back end. You’re probably late, unorganized and hungry. That’s not how we want to start the day.  Future you will greatly appreciate the preparation. 

Earlier this month I had the most unprepared day I’ve had in a long time. I overslept on purpose. I thought I prepped well because I packed my lunch and Lil Marc had everything he needed. Everything was cool until I got to work. When I sat at my desk I noticed that I didn’t have my main journal or my laptop charger. I was upset, but I didn’t let it throw me off my game. It was a short day at the office, but that unprepared feeling was trash. I can’t let it happen again. I did have a couple meetings, but no presentations thank God. 

I started writing this paragraph on January 30th. I feel extra prepped today. Lil Marc isn’t using my book-bag anymore. He left his backpack with his mom in Tampa. I’ve been using one of those smaller clear bags that you take into sporting events. I wasn’t able to fit all my items in bag. It was tragic! I was walking around with a small bag, laptop in hand and a lunch box. I always had my hands full and I felt slightly disheveled. I hated it!! People would make jokes, and ask me why did I steal my sons bag?  

When Marc and I would have sporting events we would share a bag because all the other bags I have we’re too big or too small. His mom just bought him a new bag for Christmas. It was no point in buying him another one. He was happy to have his bag back as well. Now he has his homework folder and his comic book folder. I know he has a sense of security. That’s what being prepared gets you. A sense of security. 

Preparation is a major key to success. I hope this inspired you to turn into a prep freak. If you don’t prepare you’re preparing to fail. They’re are many different ways to prepare find what works for you and make it happen!!  I wanted to take pictures, but I’m unprepared. Next month’s blog will be about preparation as well and other things you can do to maximize your preparation and I’ll have visuals. 

[saltyunknownsuit]

On occasion, my partner will join his brothers and a few of their friends for ”one game” that inevitably turns into several games of League of Legends. They have a dedicated group chat for the activity, which surves no other purpose than to schedule these games. Someone will write and suggest a game for later that day and those who are able and willing will hop on the server and join in on the group call.

When my partner is setting these gaming sessions up by gathering all his equipment and what seems to me like an endless amount of chargers, something which strikes my interest will sometimes occur. In reality, it is quite mundane. After plugging in all the chords and chargers and logging on to the game, he will join the group call. He’ll wait for them to pick up and then utter a tentative ”hello?”. Most of the time, there is nothing more to it than that and their conversation picks right up about which characters to pick and ban. But sometimes, a technical issue occurs which will lead to him toggling some chord and then again asking ”hello?”. This will most often go on for a while as he tries with increasing urgency to find where the issue lies, and all while saying ”hello?” into the headphones after each thing he tries. What makes this very ordinary and admittedly irritating phenomenon so interesting to me is that, if you listen very closely, you can hear a slight desperation creeping into his voice after each fail. It is very subtle, so subtle that you’ll miss it if you’re not looking for it. A ”hello?” turns into a ”helloo..?” which then turns into a ”heellooo..?”, and if it has gone on long enough, even a deep sigh followed by ”heeelllooo???” which no longer is so subtle.

Perhaps it really is just the irritation that his somewhat expensive equipment isn’t working the way it should and delaying the game. Perhaps I am reading too much into it. But I have seen him annoyed, know how he is inclined to turn to sighs and quiet reflection more than audible frustration, and so I cannot help but feel that there is more to his forlorn hellos. Surely, he knows that a solution in one way or another will appear and that his issue really is no issue at all in the end for him or his companions. Yet, it seems almost as though for every screw, toggle or click on the mouse that fails, he fears that he will never reach them at all. That his ”hello” will go unanswered in an electronic void. That his friends will start the game without him and he will be left alone. Once in a while, he will have seen the messages in the group chat too late and notice when he logs on to his computer that they have already started a game, and he always seems to me more than a little dejected before collecting himself and without fail seeking out my company - again the hint of fear at being alone.

I can’t help but be moved, because to me, this is what defines us humans at the core. We are afraid of being alone. Many are like myself, who seek quiet and solitude more than others, but no one ever wants to be left alone. To truly think that there is no one if we should need it or crave it and that our voluntary solitude will turn into involuntary loneliness. For my partner, I believe that his unanswered hellos or delayed responses reminds him of the possibility of this being a permanent state rather than a temporary bug. I believe that when he turns in his chair to strike up conversation while waiting to join the next game, it is more about needing someone than needing me in particular, and I will always be more than happy to be his someone. Of course, after a few minutes of technical difficulties at most, his ”helloo??” will finally turn into ”OH YES, hello!” and a sigh of relief. And similarly, in the middle of conversation with me while waiting for his friend’s game to finish, he will suddenly interrupt the sentence and with almost alarming speed turn around in his chair with a ”Yes, I AM ready!”. I think many people would find that rude, and maybe it is, but when he turns back with an apologetic smile and a wave that says to me goodbye for now and thank you for being my someone when I have no one, I don’t see anything rude about it at all. I only see humanity.

[skaddy111]

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[portablegeneratorsreview]

20000 mAh Solar Charger - Avoid Disappointment with Accurate Product Descriptions

With high hopes of never running out of battery power while on the go, I recently purchased a 20000 mAh Solar Charger. The product features seemed promising, and the price point was reasonable. However, my experience with the product did not meet my expectations. When I received the product, I was disappointed to find that it required assembly. The product description did not clearly state that it was a DIY kit, leading to confusion and frustration. Assembling the solar power bank was time-consuming and not what I had in mind when making the purchase. The lack of clarity in the product listing was a major drawback for me as a consumer. Large Capacity for On-the-Go Charging Buy On Amazon Ensuring you can recharge your devices on-the-go without worrying about running out of battery, the Solar power bank offers a substantial 20000mAh capacity. Whether you're traveling, camping, or simply out and about, this power bank provides ample power to keep you connected throughout the day. 20000 mAh Solar Charger: Efficient Solar Fast Charging Buy On Amazon An ideal companion for outdoor activities and emergencies, this power bank features solar fast charging capabilities. The built-in single crystal solar panel ensures a rapid conversion rate from solar to electric power, allowing you to harness the sun's energy to keep your devices charged and ready when you need them. Dual USB Ports for Convenience Buy On Amazon The Solar power bank allows you to charge two devices simultaneously with its two USB ports. Whether you need to power up your smartphone, tablet, camera, or other digital devices, this power bank offers the convenience of charging multiple devices at once, making it perfect for sharing with family or friends on the go. 20000 mAh Solar Charger: Advanced Safety Features As it is designed to protect your devices from overcharging, overheating, overvoltage, and short circuits, safety is a top priority with the Solar power bank. Once your devices are fully charged, the power bank automatically enters a low-power state to conserve energy, providing peace of mind while charging your valuable electronics. Wide Compatibility with Various Devices Compatible with a wide range of smartphones, tablets, iPads, cameras, and other digital products that require DC 5V power, the Solar power bank is. This versatility ensures that you can use the power bank with most of your devices, making it a versatile and essential accessory for all your charging needs. 20000 mAh Solar Charger: User Experience and Feedback Expecting a pre-built solar power bank rather than a DIY kit, one reviewer expressed disappointment in the product. This feedback highlights the importance of clear product descriptions and expectations for customers. Clear communication on product assembly and functionality can help set accurate expectations and enhance the overall user experience. Read also: - maXpeedingrods 2300W Portable Inverter Generator - Power Your Adventures - VTOMAN Jump 1500X Power Station: Your Reliable Portable Solar Generator - "SinKeu Portable Power Station: A Reliable and Versatile Outdoor Power Source" - POWEROAK 400Wh - A Reliable and Versatile Portable Solar Power Generator for Emergencies and Camping Conclusion In conclusion, my experience with the solar power bank was disappointing due to the misleading product description. While the features and capacity of the power bank seemed promising, the lack of transparency about the assembly process was a significant letdown. I would recommend that the product listing be updated to clearly indicate that assembly is required to avoid misleading customers in the future. Questions & Answers: Question: Is the product easy to use and operate? Answer: While the product features two USB ports for convenience, some users have noted that assembly may be required, which is not explicitly stated in the product description. Question: Is the solar charging efficient and reliable? Answer: The product claims to support fast solar charging, but limited information is available on the actual solar panel efficiency and charging speed. Question: What devices are compatible with this power bank? Answer: The power bank is compatible with most smartphones, tablets, iPads, cameras, and other digital products with a DC 5V power requirement. Buy On Amazon Read the full article

[paddedvibezmedia]

Best Gadgets to reduce electric bill

Have you noticed the more electronic device you purchase the more your energy bill increases? How can you control this? This article is designed to discuss some of the ways you can shorten your electric bill. It is going to provide some helpful device alternatives that can be used. Moreover, many of these devices are quite expensive. Do well to continue reading to see the top gadgets to reduce electric bills: Solar panels This is one of the top ways to reduce electric bills in your house. These panels help convert electric energy to provide electrical energy in your house. The beauty of solar panels is that you can buy as many units of solar panels as you want. Recently, solar panels have become more cheap than ever before. Solar panels are a good substitute for your electric bill if you plan to reduce your gadgets. Programmable Thermostat Programmable thermostats can act as a means of saving your funds for other uses. Programmable thermostat is one of the top gadgets to reduce your electric bill. This device is just like any other. However, there is a slight difference. They can change the temperature on their own. This is one of the ways people in the Western world use to control their temperature. Some of these devices even automate their thermometer settings on their own. Energy Monitor These are devices that help you observe and monitor the energy you use. The amazing part of this device is that it tells you your biggest energy consumer. Unlike the device mentioned above, the Energy Monitor is plugged into the wall socket of your home. However, other plugs are then plugged into it. When the Energy Monitor is turned on, you can quickly observe the electronic that uses the most power. At the end of the day, you get to save a lot by turning off the highest power consumer. You can also set this monitor during peak times. This is to ensure that you get more energy during the day. LED Bulbs Have you noticed that even your light bulbs use a lot of power? Yes. It uses. It contributes to at least 30% of the power consumers in the house. Thankfully, LED Bulbs provide a good alternative. LED Bulbs allow you to save energy. Additionally, it also allows you to save money. The amazing part about this device is that it allows you to change the light quantity. It also allows you to change the color of the light. You can do this all with your smartphone. Another interesting part about these lights is that, they turn off whenever nobody is in the house. Thereby, saving you a good sum of money. Smart Windows Smart Windows provides another alternative to save money. This device is designed to produce light. They are also designed to be opaque depending on the weather we are. Smart Windows also help provide heat to your house during winter. Additionally, it provides a shield to protect you from the summer heat. Tankless Water Heater The tankless water heater is one of the gadgets to reduce electric bills. A water tank without a tank is designed to disperse heat in water. A tankless water tank provides heating just when you need it.  Smart power strips This gadget is designed to monitor energy use and save power. When the energy use drops, it means the device is in standby mode. This device can be used in your office or home. It can also be used to plug other devices. Eco chargers Do you know your chargers use a lot of power? However, to stop this consumption, do well to use an eco charger. Usually, some models can shut down when energy is being drained. You can get this charger in many superstores worldwide. FAQ What device can I use to lower my electric bill? The absolute most used power savers are smart outlets, LED bulbs, smart plug strips, keen energy meters, and energy-effective domestic devices. How can I make my electric bill low? Turning off the lights when leaving a room.  Use LED lights. Switching to efficient appliances Unplug devices Lessen water usage Keep the thermostat at a lower temperature Use smart automated devices Use double-glazing door What is dirty electricity? Dirty electricity likewise called electrical contamination, is high-recurrence voltage riding along the 50 or 60 Hz power given by the electric utilities. It is produced by arcing, by starting, and by any gadget that hinders the current stream, particularly exchanging power supplies. Do smart plugs save power? Smart plugs use around 10kWh every year — this is so they can keep a connection with your home's Wi-Fi. Usually, outlets use no power when not being used, but rather smart plugs can decrease the inactive power in your home from gadgets that are connected and not being used. Does keeping your phone on battery saver mode damage it? Leaving battery-saver mode on can bring about decreased mobile data use and possibly improve the life expectancy of your battery. Continually leaving battery-saver mode will dim your screen, make your gadget less responsive, and thwart fundamental applications and features. However, it doesn't seem to harm the cell phone battery Conclusion To conclude, some gadgets are designed to reduce your electric bill. The electric bill is one of the top ways people spend money. Especially, the bulbs and chargers. As small as this item may be, this item consumes power. However, the case may be, that the gadgets help reduce power by a large margin. Read the full article

[nanalikessurveys]

What are you currently wearing? - I’m wearing a pink oversized t-shirt and black gym shorts.

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night just to talk to someone? - Maybe as a child if I had a nightmare. I went to my parents’ bed. What was the last social event you went to? - Uhhh I have no idea.

Do you use the word "like" excessively? - If I speak/write/type English then yeah I think so.

What are your thoughts on horse races? - I don’t think I’ve ever watched a horse race so I don’t really know what to say. I also don’t know if they’re ethical or not, I’d have to make more research.

Do you watch The Simpsons or any other cartoons? - I used to watch The Simpsons as a child/teen. Other cartoons I liked were Avatar: The Last Airbender, Biker Mice from Mars and Kim Possible. Do you find tattoos attractive? - Yeah I find very heavily tattooed people attractive even though it’s a style I’d never go for myself. I think it’s attractive when people show creativity, uniqueness, personality through their looks. Whether it’s with tattoos or something else.

If you have a car, does it have a name? - I don’t have a car.

Why did you last see a doctor? - Just a regular check-up. That was long time ago though because the health clinic I go to doesn’t have a permanent doctor. I’m lucky to live in a country with one of the greatest healthcare in the world but the situation with the psychiatric health care especially in my city is ridiculously awful right now.

Do you get light headed after getting blood drawn? - Not usually but this one time I had like 10 vials of blood drawn and I definitely felt like I was going to pass out.

What did you first think of this morning? - What time it is.

When did you last cry? - A few days ago I think.

What's the funniest thing you've seen today? - Nothing super funny has happened today (yet), it’s only noon.

Have you ever been snorkeling? - Nope. I don’t think I’d want to go.

Are you clumsy? - Not really.

Do you prefer satin, cotton, or flannel sheets? - Sating feels the best (especially right after shaving lol) but I use cotton sheets because they are warm. And satin sheets can be annoyingly slippery. What's your favorite kind of jam/jelly? - Strawberry or apple jam. What's on your bedside table currently? - I’m not in my bedroom right now so I don’t remember everything but I at least know I have a lamp, a notebook, lip balm and a body lotion bottle on the bedside table.

What's the best compliment you've received recently? - That I’m approachable. I loved hearing that. What's some things you always make sure to pack before going on a trip? - Phone, phone’s charger, earphones, Nintendo Switch, money and if I’m going away for overnight or longer, I’d pack hygiene stuff and spare undies and socks. What's one of your strengths? - Perspective-taking.

Have you ever spent more than $100 on a pair of shoes? - I don’t think so. 

Do you trust the police? - Yes.

Would you say you're an impulsive person? - Not really.

What have you last been diagnosed with? - I don’t want to say my diagnoses here. Also, I don’t remember what I was last diagnosed with.

What's something that makes you quirky? - I don’t know what counts as quirky.

What types of cheese do you consume the most? - Nowadays, feta cheese. I love feta pasta and I make it at least twice a week lol.

Do you purchase extended warranties on your electronics? - I’ve done that to some electronics.

What was the last restaurant you ate at? - This one bistro place.

What was the last sweet beverage you had? - Raspberry lime soda yesterday.

Do you believe in psychic ability? - Well no not like controlling objects with your mind or any other supernatural things.

Have you ever won any carnival games before? - Yes I won this huge stuffed Knuckles toy once when I was about 10.

What was the last fun thing you did? - I played with my cats.

Do you wear glasses? - No. I own and wear contacts but not glasses. My sight isn’t that bad (yet) so I can manage without any aid just fine but usually when I go out in the public I like to put my contacts on so that I can read all the signs and bus numbers/names etc perfectly. 

What song did you last have on repeat? - I usually don’t play songs on repeat. So I don’t know.

When did you last have pizza delivered? - A few months ago when my favorite pizza place had free delivery.

What do you normally pay for your hair cuts? - If I only need a haircut I’ll go to my mom and she’ll cut if for me for free. I’d go to a salon if I want my hair dyed and that’s when I get it cut professionally as well. Anyway, I don’t know how much just a hair cut is. But hair cut + dye is usually around 110 euros for me.

What's your favorite decoration in your place of residence? - All my living room windowsill decorations. How many computers/laptops are in the building you're in? - 1 in my apartment. Have you ever been to a rodeo? - Nope.

What frosting goes best on cake? - I don’t know. 

How long does it take you to get ready? - About 15mins.

Do you do some form of exercise daily? - Yes I walk everyday + I do some muscle conditioning about 2-3 times a week.

Have you ever won a big prize for something? - Not a big prize, no.

Do you think it's true that good things come to those who wait? - I think patience is important, yes.  Do you show your feelings? - Sometimes.

Have you ever held a chicken? - Nope. Would you rather feel too much or nothing at all? - Feel too much. Both options are bad but it would be awful to not feel anything.

Are you hard to please? - I’m not.

What is today's date? - It’s May 17th 2023

[purplesurveys]

1668

i went on my first hike yesterday and my whole body is in pain :)

When was the last time you wore a full face of makeup? Does it count if I just put foundation all over my face and dabbed concealer on a few acne scars...? That’s all I ever do anyway, lol. Last March.

Do you own an iPad? I guess we do, yeah, but 1) I haven’t used it since 2017 and even at that point it was no longer eligible for like a million software updates, and 2) I also haven’t seen it since then lol. I’m not even sure the old-school charger for it is still being sold so I have no clue if we’ll ever get to turn it back on again.

Who was the last non-relative woman you spoke to in person? That would be Keina, one of the few girls who were part of our hiking group. She was actually one of the guides and was kind enough to stay behind the rest of the team and be with me the whole descent because I was trailing BADLY behind, lol. What’s the most hours you’ve worked in a week? Anywhere between 72-75 hours. Worst job deliverable I had to have been on and I’d rather forget about that account and everything I did for them that week.

Do you believe in karma? Not in the ~religious sense and not for every single situation but sometimes it can be satisfying to think that some people have it coming for them.

What temperature is your thermostat currently set to? I can’t think of any middle-class Filipino family that would have a thermostat.

What’s a topic you’ve drastically changed your opinion on? Hiking. Before yesterday I thought it was something I could enjoy...total 180º now. I get why there’s a crowd for it, but it’s just not for me. After completing it I felt nothing but misery and the itchiness to go home. Are you a kind, thoughtful person? I always try to be.

Do you know anyone who has a PhD? Besides my college professors, no.

Who were you dating in July 2010? Or were you single? I was 12 and dating wasn’t even on my mind then.

How do you feel when you’re the center of attention? Largely uncomfortable and when it happens I always proactively try to switch the topic or attention to someone else.

Would you rather be a nurse or a mechanical engineer? I guess nurse, because I did consider taking up med at one point in life.

Do you like Starbucks chai lattes, or do you think they’re too sweet? I’ve never tried a chai latte; I don’t even know what it is lol.

Are you and your SO facebook official? I don’t have one.

Do you know how to set a formal table setting for a 3+ course dinner? No but my dad probably would. I’d get the tutorial from him instead. Are you in a good mood today? I feel super well-rested (15 HOURS after that hike; passed out as soon as I got home and took a shower, and now it’s 7 AM the following day) but I think it’d be a stretch to call it a good mood. My body feels like it went through war and I’m not very fond of the idea of having to go outside twice today considering how much discomfort I’m in at the moment. Do you know anyone who works as a lawyer? My fave aunt is one. I’m pretty sure a bunch of my relatives on my maternal grandfather’s side are lawyers too. Which would bother you more: being told you’re not likable or being told you’re not sensible? Not likeable. I can survive not caring what people think of me in certain aspects, like how I work; but if I’m told there isn’t one single likeable reason about me then I feel like that’s just inviting the gates of anxiety to crash down on me. It’s like, people won’t like me anyway so why go out of the house anymore? Do my closest friends even like me or just to pretend to? and thinking of those things 24/7 lol.

Do you have a difficult time relating to other’s emotions? Sometimes. I can’t always be able to read everyone.

How many bedrooms does your house have? We have four.

What was the last electronic item you bought? A smart watch for my dad.

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? No.

When you were 15, what did you want to grow up to be? A journalist.

Did you ever achieve that? I went to journalism school but was quick to be disillusioned. I ended up going down a slightly different path that still lets me apply my journalism learnings, which is a career in PR.

Have you ever had a dream in which you died? Once or twice. Way, way back when I was depressed.

Have you bought a bag of potato chips in the past week? No. The older I get the more I realize I dislike super processed junk food lol, so it’s been a while since I got chips for myself. 

Does the thought of having wrinkles when you’re older upset you? It probably wouldn’t upset me once they start showing up at the age of like 60, but if I find some on me at this point in my life then it would, yeah. How often do you buy a new phone? Depends on how fast I break it.

Would you rather live in an apartment in the city, or a cabin in the woods? City. Yesterday’s hike also made me realize how much I prefer to be in the city. Do you use Snapchat? Ahahahaha seriously? I haven’t used Snapchat since the beginning of college.

Have you ever driven or ridden on a motorcycle? Nopes. Scooter yeah, but not a motorcycle.

Do you know anyone who’s struggling with addiction? I don’t.

Are any other members of your household home right now? Everyone but my dad, yeah. What was your first job? And how long did you work there? Began as a PR associate. I’m still with the same company, just moved up twice now since starting.

What was your favorite school subject when you were in middle school? English/Language.