#my camera battery was dead so phone pics will have to do

[tower-of-erinyes]

F in the Chat | Ch 1 Body Reaction | Dante

For the past few days, Dante hasn't been out and about very much -- likely because they had absolutely no clothes that were appropriate for the cold. When they do arrive at the scene a touch late, it's clear that it was because they were doing their best to do their hair and to apply the black lipstick they had. They even took the time to use the lipstick to make the little heart smudges under their eyes. It's better than nothing, they figure, but even after days without a full face of makeup they still feel uncomfortable without it.

Even though it's warmer already, they still wear the one pair of pants they have and an actually full shirt rather than a crop top.

Stepping into the room, though, Dante stops. Was she sleeping...? No.

No, that was a dead body.

It takes a moment, but they snap into action. Their phone had a little bit battery left, so they pull it out , pop on the camera, and hit record. A filter helps them at least look like they have some sort of foundation, at least.

"Hello!" They make a peace sign. "I don't know when I'll get around to posting this, but my stay in the Tower of Hell is heating up. So. We like, have heat again, but that's because someone literally died. I'm not fucking with you, it's not clickbait, like..."

Dante turns, keeping their phone at the same level (and keeping them in the shot) to show Tsukiko in the background. "Out of respect, I'm going to blur her face, but this---" Abruptly, the recording stops, and the screen flashes a 0% before going black.

"Wait, wait wait, this can't be happening!" They pull it closer and start hitting the power button, trying to turn it back on... but it doesn't work, just momentarily flashing the same dead battery warning.

Their phone... was dead.

It had only been a matter of time, but they had thought it would hold out maybe the rest of the day, since there wasn't much use for it here besides pics and videos. But now, it was dead. Totally lifeless, right in front of them, and something in their throat feels tight as they numbly slide their phone back into their pocket.

This. Was. Awful.

Now there was no way for anyone to contact them until they could get it charged, no chance to call for the police or anyone to help. No way to try messaging their brother again. They were truly in a dead zone.

And on top of all of that, there was a corpse, a real live corpse right there. What the fuck.

#submission #dante

[lucyllawless]

Updated Nerd Cave™️ photos

#my camera battery was dead so phone pics will have to do #this is pretty much it’s final form #when i get a bigger place there will be display cases and fancy lighting #and another shelf for books bc they’re all kinda crammed on there #i’m reminded i need to get my melanie autograph framed #and more art #bookshelves #movie room #shelfie #tv #movies #bedroom #nerd cave #library #funkos #long post

[dragonturtle]

63 + 98 <3

THANK YOU 💖. This got out of hand but not enough to be a full fic. I'm testing the waters about this concept.

(OnlyFans AU + Neighbors AU)

63. “I need a place to stay.” & 98. “You did what you had to do.”

There are at least 10 new notifications on the screen, her phone dinging like crazy on her hand. What does he want? She thinks, while bringing her fingers to her mouth, not ready to see what he has sent her.

I need a place to stay.

What? Her breath itches but needs to remain focused.

I lost my keys. Need a place to stay for a few hours.

Well, she's a little disappointed. But she's kidding herself if an internet influencer who happens to be her neighbor it's interested in her for more than–that– it's asking her for something meaningful. He's just locked out his home, pissed off, and she's a convenience that happens to live on the same floor.

Yo. Open up.

Beth remembers their various firsts with him: first time she saw him, first time she talked to him, first time she saw a video of him, first time she made herself come while thinking about him, first time sexting with him. Now he was going to be the first time he'd been inside her house. And she really wanted to not freak out but that list is replaying in her on a loop.

First meeting: Inside the elevator, his sweaty body in a tank top, shorts riding low, the deep v in his stomach peaking while he stretches his arms. He doesn't look her way not even once.

First conversation: She's taking the trash outside while he's doing the same. He opens the door for her and she says thank you. He brings his head closer to hers and pops out one of her earphones from her ears. Before she can respond to something he starts to sing "good 4 u" and she bursts out laughing.

First video she saw of him: Annie came to her room one night, clutching her phone to her chest. "Sis, you didn't know that we're neighbors to a super internet porn star?" She said, while handing the device to her. Before she could think who she's talking about, a first plane of Rio's abs and him pumping his hard cock comes into her vision, his OnlyFans profile waiting for her to explore. All she could do was to yell at Annie for spending money on these types of things.

First time she came while thinking of him: As the hypocrite that she was, Beth paid a subscription for his profile. Curiosity was eating her alive. She scrolled to every message, every picture, every video. Her favorite is a simple one: He's talking to the camera, his shorts in the same exact position as the day she met him, his tattoos and chest bare. The vibrator buried inside her cut, pulsing against her walls, her hand not moving, chest going up and down and her tongue in between her teeth.

First time sexting: Annie stole her phone and without her permission, sent a DM to Rio's Instagram. Mortified, she said to him a million sorrys but he didn't want any of them. They started talking and before she could complain about the state of the emergency stairs in the building, he said: "Are you wearing that strawberry dress that you have?" Before she could respond he went again. Hard. "Send me a pic. I'm already hard picturin' you". And she does.

Her hand shakes before taking the door knob, twisting it carefully while trying to stay as much as possible behind the door. Their sexting interaction was yesterday and she hasn't heard from him before asking for help. Beth feels a little mortified for feeling so eager to talk to him and now he materializes in front of her.

"Elizabeth, I need your charger. My battery is dead."

Ok. At least he could say hello, but if he's playing it this way, all king of ice. She goes behind her couch to unplug her charger and brings it to him not so kindly, smashing into his open palm. Still, he ignores her and decides to open her laptop.

"Password."

She's boiling inside, but still bites the inside of her mouth trying not to pick a fight. His burrowed frown it's indication that he's not having the best of time. Beth writes her password and before she could stop him, his OnlyFans profile opens in front of him.

Her heart dropped and she's sweating and she's stuttering. She's dying, her whole body an intense crimson red, and Beth is trying to calm her erratic breathing, yet, he doesn't even flinch. Open another tab and typing on the search bar.

Beth's right behind him and if she's still in shock about what gave her away, seeing her PayPal account made her mouth dry.

That was a lot of money.

"Like what you see?"

He's transferring some money to some, still the amount of money that he has is more than she could dream of. More than she needs to live right, since Annie is pregnant and rent isn't cheap since gentrification is changing their neighborhood and everything is more and more expensive and she just can't sleep sometimes at night.

"You get all of that by being naked online?"

And she knows how her voice sounds, at the verge of an anxiety attack, dead serious. But his body language changes and he's suddenly standing. Rio's not moving, his face contorted in hurt. She never meant to sound like that.

"And what? You gonna give me shit for it, ma. For what I've seen you're more than ok to throw me money to see me touch myself. Or you want to have a shitty job somewhere else?"

He's eyes are spitting fire. She doesn't wanna receive part of his fury when it was a misunderstanding, so Beth chooses to talk.

"You did what you had to do. I kinda envy you for that. I wish I was brave enough to get that kind of money now. Kinda need it."

They actually haven't talked that much but he has seen Annie and her giant belly around their floor. Rio must know that she's not joking about it.

"Who said you can't? Wanna join me?"

And he must be joking but no. Whatever he says next it's what changes her life forever.

"Make a video with me. And let's make some money."

#asks #missmaxime #nbc good girls #brio fic #my fic #this could be a full fic #but your girl is lazy #👍 or 👎 #is taking me forever to fill these prompts #not much of a 🐉 #always a 🐢

[serowotonin]

˗ˏˋ 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 ˎˊ˗

✰ PAIRING ( terushima yuuji x fem!reader ) ✰ WORDCOUNT ( 1.9k ) ✰ GENRE ( ansgt, songfic ) ✰ WARNINGS ( um one swear word, angst, implications of de*th )

all the memories that we make will never change we'll stay drunk, we'll stay tan, let the love remain and I swear that I'll always paint you golden days ♫ panic! at the disco

✰✰ NOTE.. so uH i think this is the first angst thing i wrote that im actually happy with and i know terushima isn’t someone a lot of ppl write for so to the few ppl who see this</3 hope u guys enjoy:”)

“Ughh where is it,” Terushima grumbled to himself as he pulled open drawer after drawer. He had searched all the cabinets, all the tables, and just about every inch of his apartment but has yet to find his phone charger. 

As he closed the second to last drawer on this shelf, which held no phone charger, he pulled out his phone and saw it had 1% battery remaining. Quickly, he unlocked it and went to his contacts. Before he could make a call though, the screen turned black and he was left staring at a faint reflection of himself.

“Damn it,” he cursed under his breath. “She’s gonna get upset again.”

He clutched the now dead phone in one hand and ran the other through his hair, sighing in exhaustion. Today had been tiring enough with work and now he had this to deal with.

There was still one more drawer he hadn’t checked though. So, he lifted his hand out of his hair and pulled it wide open. 

In it sat a small box. 

He knew of its contents the moment he laid eyes on it. He also knew opening it now would only make him feel worse, not to mention, it would definitely delay his plans.

But for some reason, a longing for nostalgia or maybe the person that brought such nostalgia, his arms unconsciously moved to take the box into his hands.

Your words echoed in the back of his mind as he traced his fingers along the edges of the box.

“It’ll be like our little time capsule. For us to open when we’re all old and wrinkly…”

A deep sigh escaped his lips. 

Every rational thought that came into his head begged him not to open it, to put it back, to forget he even found it. 

Instead, his fingers moved to lift the cover and lay it down on the floor beside him.

And there you were... a polaroid of you at least. 

Your lips were curved in a sweet smile inviting him in and breaking his heart all over again. Up until now, he could barely recall what your face looked like when you were happy, truly happy. He could only remember the tears and regret you had on your face towards the end… 

But seeing you like this again, the wideness of your smile, the crinkle of your eyes… you radiated a joy and happiness he had begun to forget in you.

He stared at the picture for a good minute before turning it around to see the familiar strokes of your handwriting.

‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!’ and under it ‘(first pic taken with the polaroid my baby Yuuji got for me<3)’

“My baby Yuuji,” he whispered.

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you,” he sang softly into your ear as he held you from behind, swaying gently in tune. 

“Happy birthday dear Y/n.. Happy birthday to you~”

You turned to kiss the blond and he pulled you even closer to him. 

“I love you babe, happy birthday...” 

The tiredness he had felt just moments ago seemed to have fluttered away when he found you again in the polaroids, and a longing burst from the depths as he put the picture down and picked up another one, his hands once again moving on their own will.

This one had the two of you standing together, backs facing the camera. It was taken at a beach when the sun was still high in the sky and the water glistened blue. But it wasn’t the scenery that appealed to him, nor was it the way the sun wrapped around you two in perfect golden light. 

It was how close you were to him. The physical distance between you two was barely existent. Your arms were wrapped around his waist and his were draped over your shoulders. 

‘Sea breeze, cute outfit, sand between my toes, and 1 Terushima Yuuji… Damn was today great.’

How he would give to be that close to you again.

“Ok 3, 2, 1…”

You clung on to him as tight as you could and he smiled, pulling you closer. 

At the sound of the camera click and the hum of the photo being printed, you let go and quickly turned around to thank the woman for taking the picture.

When you did that he felt off; as if a part of his body was just yanked away. It wasn’t an extreme feeling, nor was it painful in any way. It was more just a lingering emptiness that was put to rest a few seconds later when you were back by his side again.

He put his arm back on your shoulder and peered down at the polaroid in your hand. You were staring at the photo patiently waiting for the colors to fade in. And when it finally did, you smiled satisfactorily at it before tucking it away and flashing another smile to the man right next to you.

Terushima closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to clear his mind. It’s been years, he shouldn’t be dwelling on the past like this.

And yet, there was comfort in the pain the memories brought.

When he opened his eyes, they landed on yet another photo of you. And as he has been for a good part of his life, he was drawn to you. Reaching out a hand, he picked it up and let the memories wash over him once more.

After a while, he set it down and picked up another. And another. And another. Each capturing a moment with you he would never get back. 

It’s been years since he’s had to learn to live without you. Truthfully though, he never did learn how. The sun became a little dimmer, the rain a little harder, the breeze a little less refreshing. The world lost its vibrancy when he lost you. He adapted, got used to the dullness, but he couldn’t learn to live the same anymore...

He picked up another polaroid.

This one didn’t have either of your faces on it. It just showed the two of you holding hands against a dark background.

The bottom held no words but instead an arrow pointing to the right. Terushima turned the polaroid and saw a small envelope attached to the back. Curious, he opened it up and pulled out the piece of paper snuggled inside.

‘This one’s a bit longer than any other note I’ve written for a polaroid but… I kinda just realized smth really important. He drove me out at 3AM in the morning to get food because I said I was hungry. Then we sat in his car listening to some old mixtapes he had. They were pretty crappy but it didn’t matter. I love Terushima Yuuji. I’ve said it a million times before but last night it really hit me, hard. I love him in a way I’d never be able to love anyone else. 

I want to go on more dates with him. more stupid dates, more romantic ones, more 3AM dates, more cuddle dates. And even though it might be selfish of me, I want to spend my every breathing minute with him. 

If I can’t have anything else in this then I just want these golden days of ours to last forever..’

And before he realized it, tears were rolling down his cheeks. Fuck it all. He missed you. He missed the days you had together, the nights spent in each others’ arms. He missed you so much it tore a hole in his heart and all he could see when he looked at the sunlight drifting through the window was just darkness. 

It pained him to know that everything you wanted was all he ever needed. It pained him that he hadn’t realized this until it was too late. And it pained him most that you were never coming back.

Why’d you have to leave? 

He tried so hard to stop asking this question, and for a while, he was successful. But the polaroids, your handwriting, the memories, you.. there was just so much pain in the happiness of the past. 

But you were gone. He had accepted that long ago. 

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

“Terushima, you in here?” a familiar voice called from outside. 

Right, he forgot about Misaki. Wiping any tears left on his face, he put all the polaroids back in the box, covered the lid, and left the room.

“DADDY!!” a little girl yelled, running at him full speed. He bent down and lifted her into his arms effortlessly.

“Oh you’ve gotten heavier. How much has Misaki been feeding you huh?” he teased.

The little girl pouted as she pointed to the floor signaling she wanted to be put down. Terushima chuckled and did so.

Walking over to a slightly annoyed-looking Misaki, he muttered an apology for not going to pick her up and a thanks for taking care of his daughter. 

“Hey wait, you look like you’ve been crying… Are you ok Teru?” she asked, eyes showing her concern.

He let out a deep sigh. 

“I uh- I found a box with some old pictures of Y/n and I just-”

She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. 

“Look, I know you miss her and I know you know this, but don’t get too stuck in the past. Focus on what you have now,” she said looking in the direction of the young girl who had made her way over to the small pile of stuffed animals on the couch.

He rubbed his face and nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, thank you Misaki.”

“Ok,” she replied with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll be going then.” 

Terushima nodded again and after she said bye to his daughter, he walked her to the door.

Turning back he leaned on the wall and looked affectionately at the girl playing on his couch. She was still so young, but it’s been almost 5 years now that he’s taken care of her. 

Time seemed to fly by with her and yet it felt like so long ago he welcomed her to the world. 

He understood now the past and its memories were something to be treasured. It was not something to cling on tightly though. The golden days of the past are gone, but the glittering rays that coated the floor and walls of his living room tell him it’s a new age. 

It was an age he had to cherish well.

Deciding to do something he’s been putting off, he walked back into his room and brought out the box with all its polaroids and memories.

“Yui, come here. I want to show you something.”

She stared at him before taking one frayed teddy bear into her hands and walking over to her father. Taking his outreached hand, she looked at the box he held in his other.

Sitting at the top of the pile was a photo of a beautiful woman. The sun was shining bright in the background and the light swirled around her as if she was wrapped in a golden halo.

“Is she an angel?” Yui asked innocently, pointing to the picture.

“You got that right,” he replied with a sad smile. “She’s the most beautiful angel out there..”

He watched as the young girl picked up the photo, seemingly mesmerized.

“That angel is your mom.”

“My mom?” she echoed. “Mommy is an angel?”

He smiled and ruffled her hair, “She sure is, and you know what? She’s looking out for us from heaven, so you better be a good girl for her, okay?”

✰✰ NOTE.. pls lemme know if u guys thought this was angsty enough sdkjlsdg,,,, i dunno i can’t seem to tell whether angst is painful enough yet;-; also don’t mind the name yui dkglsd it was the first one i could think of T-T

✰✰✰ TAGLIST.. @lilikags @luna-in-luv​ @kureyama​

#hq x reader #haikyuu #terushima yuji x reader #terushima x reader #terushima yuuji #terushima x y/n #terushima yuuji x reader #terushima yuuji x you #terushima oneshot #terushima angst #haikyuu angst #haikyuu oneshot #hq angst #hq oneshots #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagines #hq imagines #hq #www.pink-ink.com/writing #/fic

[yukina-otome]

Hiii miss yukinaaa ! ❤️❤️

I'm in love with you I mean Your writing especially arthur vs mc in chess ❤️❤️❤️

May i request something ? About mc x arthur..you can choose what genre as long as it happy end bc i can't stand angst :')

Thank you so much before ❤️❤️❤️❤️

A perfect Night

Hello ! You are my very first request ! So I tried my very best ! I hope you like it !!

One night, the whole mansion was having a dinner banquet. The weather was not too hot, not too cold. The food was delicious and the wine was good. It was a perfect night.

"Tomorrow I will leave the mansion for a while. Sebastian, MC I leave the mansion in your care." said le compte. Sebastian and MC nodded.

"And where are you going this time ?" asked Leo

"On a business trip to Spain."

"How nice. I love Spain. I've been there many time for work." MC smiled, remembering her days as a Travel agent.

"Work?" asked Arthur

"Ah ! You mean your days as a travel agent ?" answered le compte

"Travel agent ? You were a travel agent ?" Arthur never heard of that before

"You klootzak ! What kind of boyfriend doesn't know his own girlfriend's job ?" Theo teased his best friend.

"Theo! you knew ?" Arthur still couldn't believe his beloved hided this information from him.

"I think everyone else here knew." said Isaac adding to Arthur's frustration.

Arthur turned to MC with a pout "and how come I was the only one who didn't ?!"

"I'm sorry Arthur but you never asked." MC gave him an apologetic smile.

Now that he think of it, he never asked about MC's past, family, friends or occupations in the 21st century. He knew all her little habits and can read her like an open book. So he thought he was the one who knew her the best in the whole mansion, heck in the whole world ! But he was wrong ! This is something he need to correct ! Right now!

As soon as the banquet ended, Arthur took MC by the hand and led her to her room. As soon as the door closed behind them, he let go of her hand and said "Now darling ! I wanna get to know you !"

MC looked at her adorable boyfriend. His eyes were wide and full of determination, his brow were frowning and he looked like he was getting reading to listen to some important lecture about the different functions of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing MC ?! I'm serious ! We may have started our relationship backward but i will definitely fix it ! Please tell me !"

"I'm sorry Arthur ! You're just too adorable."

Arthur pouted. MC approached him and put her palm against his cheek.

"It doesn't matter if you don't know about my life in 21st century. Because you are the one who know the most about my current life here in 19th century, with you. "

Arthur felt the tension leave his body and he finally smiled.

"But I still want to know. My love you are the one who knows me the best in the whole universe. So I want to be the one who knows you the best too."

She gave him a kiss.

"Of course. If there is anything you wanna know please feel free to ask. I will tell you everything"

He kissed her back. And they spent the night getting to know every nook and cranny of each other.

Later into the night, the moon hung high and the two lovers were resting in each other arms. There damp naked skin flushed with the passion that consumed then few minutes ago. Arthur's head was resting on MC's chest as she gently played with his soft hair. He let out a satisfied sight and his eyes fell on her handbag.

"You never showed me what was inside that bag you brought with you from your time."

"It's nothing special but I'll show you."

Arthur got up and fetched the bag for mc before getting back on the bed. MC opened the bag and pulled out a hand mirror, some notes that Arthur insisted on reading out loud making her blush with embarrassment, a makeup pouch, a camera, a small laptop, and her phone and charger.

Arthur could recognize some of the items but he had no idea what the other were for. MC laughed at his confused looked and turned on her laptop who was thankfully still charged. Her phone was already dead but she had a folder full of her pictures on her laptop. She opened the folder.

She turned the laptop to Arthur and said : "Here, those are my pictures from my life in the 21st century."

"Oh ! They are in color ! " 

"Yes. As you can see technology is well advanced in the 21st century."

Honestly, Arthur didn't care much about the advancement of technology in the 21st century. He was gonna live through that eventually anyways. Him being a Vampire and all.

He was more interested in MC's pictures. MC opened the first picture for him and showed him how to scroll through the pics. He saw her smiling in different settings and with different people. And every time he asked "Where was that ?" or "Who is that ?". She showed him pictures of her family. She looked like her mom. A lot. Or maybe she looked more like her father ? He was smiling as he scrolled through the pictures. The clothing of her time were way more revealing and he stopped at a picture of her wearing a swimsuit.

"Can I get this picture out and keep it ?" he said with a flirty smile.

"Arthur !" Mc blushed many shades of red. "Also you can't. You can with 21st century materials but there is nothing we can do here. Once the battery of this laptop hit zero these photos are gonna be lost forever" she let out a sad smile.

He looked at her, serious. "Don't you miss your old life ? Your friends, your family, your job ?". 

His eyes were full of fear and vulnerability. In fact this question has always been on his mind. What if she regretted staying with him. Was he worth all she sacrificed to stay with him ?

"Of course I do. But I decided to stay with you and I never and will never regret that decision. Because you mean the world to me. I love you Arthur."

Arthur felt his eyes sting, that was exactly what he needed to hear. Tears started rolling out on his cheeks and MC hugged him. There naked skin touched and they could feel each other's heartbeat.

"I love you too." 

It was truly a perfect night.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevam arthur #ikemen vampire arthur conan doyle #ikevamp arthur #ikemen vampire arthur #arthur conan doyle #ikevam #ikemen vampires #ikemen vampire headcanons #yukina-write #yukina write #requests

[belpheroo]

home again home again

Pairing: Mammon x MC Rating: T Summary: A follow-up to the last day. MC Adjusts to life back in the human realm, but Devildom just can’t stay away.

As Lucifer had promised, when she returned home, no time had passed. It was as if that year, that time she spent in Devildom, belonged wholly to a time and a place outside of the realm of her human reality.

He had warned her some memories might soften, fading around the edges until she would start to question whether they had happened… but given her celestial heritage, perhaps she would have a different experience. She was no magic user like Solomon, but Lilith’s blood was magic in itself and that blood was in her veins, no matter how small.

She left her bags packed on her floor, venturing out her bedroom door and into the hallway. It was twilight, just like when she left, warm amber sunlight shining just barely over the edges of the window frames.

A clock ticked. Her cat mrrowed curiously from their sleeping spot. Her college texts laid on the small kitchen table, notebooks and pens scattered where she had left them.

Quietly, deliberately, she moved through her small kitchenette, putting on her electric kettle and taking down a familiar mug and a familiar bag of tea. She ripped open the package, set the bag in the mug and waited.

And waited.

And waited for it to feel real.

---

A week went by and then another. Her morning classes came and went. She found herself falling behind her friends, not even listening to their chatter as she focused out on the people passing by on their street and across it.

“Who are you looking for?”

One of them had asked, smiling and cheeky.

“You have a date?”

There was no shock of white among the crowd, no familiar voice.

“... no, I’m just… people watching.”

By the time she got home and set down to study she noted all the doodles in her margins were of tiny lesser demons, with their top-hats and little horns.

She sighed, dropping her pencil in defeat and picking up her phone to check Devilgram. In front of her eyes, the screen displayed one sentence in a grey box:

Out of Service Zone

Mammon had said it would work, that it would still connect… but it seemed he was wrong. Instead, she navigated to her saved chats, flicking through lines of conversations and messages going back the course of the year. It was easy to get lost, to read and to laugh and think of those past conversations and of her boys, somewhere in a realm between worlds.

She knew it wasn’t a good idea to get too caught up, not when there was work still to be done. With a heart, no less heavy, she moved to set the device face down on her desk when she noted the screen had illuminated, the pale blue-green color showing against the table surface.

She held her breath as she turned it over.

Signal Found Reestablishing Connection…

…

…

Connection Reestablished

The access was slow, nothing had changed on the screen, no new notifications or chats. She waited, eager to see the little pink birds that would soon dot her screen. She wondered how they all had been doing, whether they missed her and how things were.

She had expected a few notifications, maybe even none. It had only been a week now. Instead, she opened the message center to a proverbial flood of little bird notifications. It was enough to make her laugh, the joy in her chest bursting forward as she opened the main chat group “House of Lamentation”. There were all the same questions she had for them- how are you? What have you been doing? Do you miss us?

Before responding though, her eyes caught to one of those messages with a little gold eye icon. The messages she was not supposed to be included on but for whatever reason her settings gave her access. She hadn’t seen this title before… the chat subject line simply her name followed by Absence Support Group

She clicked it.

Asmodeus: As discussed! This chat is for the support of all of us who miss our dearly departed exchange student.

Asmodeus: This is a judgement free zone <3

Satan: When you say it like that it sounds like she’s dead… couldn’t we all just text her when we miss her?

Asmodeus: Judgement. Free. Zone. ~<3

Levi: Unless your name is Stupid Mammon.

Mammon: HEY

Mammon: NO

Levi: sTuPiD mAmMoN

Belphie: Great. Another chat for me to mute. Zzz

Beel: Has anyone else texted her? I texted her. It isn’t open.

Asmodeus: Hmm? Yes, she hasn’t opened my pics either.

Mammon: PICS?

Asmodeus: Oh yes <3

Mammon: THE HELL KINDA PICS YOU SENDIN’ MY GIRL, ASSMO?

Asmodeus: Judgement Free Zone <3 <3 <3

Mammon has been muted for One minute.

Levi: You have GOT to show me how to do that!!!

Beel: I text her when I am thinking of her.

Beel: Yesterday, I got up for a snack. I stopped at her room and knocked to see if she wanted any.

Beel:  I had forgotten.

Mammon’s muted minute had been up even, judging by the time stamps, but there was still a prolonged pause before someone else responded.

Satan: I remembered I lent her a book. The Corpus Hermetica. She left it in my room sometime before she left… her bookmark was still in it.

Beel: Are you using it?

Satan: I-- yes.

Belphie: I took a nap in her old bed the other day. The sheets don’t smell like her anymore.

Levi: … I’ve been playing her really crappy low leveled character in Memoirs of the Samurai-Ninja, Warriors of Dynasty 6. So she doesn’t get even MORE behind in events.

Mammon: Oi, back up. Belphie, you did WHAT now?!

Mammon has been muted for Two minutes.

Asmodeus: No judgment zone!!

And it went on like that. Day after day. One of them would post a thought or a feeling or a moment that struck them, that reminded them of her. It shocked her a bit when the dots of something typing began to appear, then disappear, then appear and… then disappear. And this carried on for a long time before finally a new message appeared.

Mammon: So. I’m totally NOT super completely upset but the other day I was doing some a m a z i n g modeling work and the camera lady asked me where my “human friend” was.

Mammon: Threw even me, THE Mammon, off his game.

Asmodeus: Because they called her your “friend” instead of your “girlfriend”? <3

Mammon: No!

Mammon: But she is. 😈

Belphie: What if she gets a human boyfriend?

Mammon: EH?! No way! No human boy can compare to ME.

Satan: Well, you are here. She is there. Do you really expect her to wait for you?

Mammon: …

Belphie: Maybe she’d wait for one of us. But Mammon?

Mammon: H-hey! What happened to the judgment free zone?!

Satan: Would explain why she hasn’t called.

Belphie: Or texted.

Mammon: …

She felt her heart sink. She didn’t have a human boyfriend! She’d just had absolutely no SIGNAL since she had gotten back to the human realm! Panicking, she hurried to the phone section of the D.D.D and pulled Mammon’s contact up.

Hurriedly she pressed the dial, listening to the faint tone as it rang.

And rang.

And rang.

The connection was in and out again, sometimes the ring distorted with feedback. The call dropped and quickly she re-dialed again.

“C’mon… c’mon! Mammon! Pick up!”

Click.

The ringing stopped. The timer flickered on. Call Ongoing 00:03.

“Mammon?! Are you there? Can you hear me?”

There was a voice, but it was choppy and undecipherable.

“My D.D.D. isn’t working right! I can’t understand you, but if you can understand me I-- I wanted to call and say-- um. I wanted to say--!”

The line was quiet.

“I miss you all so much! S-so… please convince Lucifer to let me visit! Or come visit me!”

The phone made a sound, a strangled static burst. The battery flickered even though it had been nearly full just moments ago.

“The connection is draining my stupid phone! Ugh, I’m sorry! Tell everyone I said hello and I miss them!” she paused, words stuck on her tongue as she tried to get them out, “And Mammon… I miss you most! And I love--”

The phone made a ding sound as the battery finally and truly died. She dove to her bag, digging out the charger and desperately trying to plug it in. The first time in weeks she managed to get a call in and the human realm to Devildom signal was that bad?!

“Stupid phone. Stupid stupid stupid…”

There was a faint smell, like sulphur or burning wood. She made a face, looking over the device for any sign of damage and finding none at all. That was odd… but still she could smell an ever growing scent like something had caught fire.

Standing up, she turned half towards the hall and abruptly dropped her phone in sheer shock, the device clattering loudly.

Mammon was breathing heavily, steam coming off his body in waves. He was in his devil-form, all horns and wings.

“Wh...what… was that… last bit?” he panted, leaning against the hallway wall, “I didn’t… hear all of it!”

“You came all the way here just to finish a phone call?” she said teasingly, knowing full well what it was he really came for.

“Please! A… transport like that… is ah- nothing! To the Great Mammon!” he was still out of breath, but catching it quickly, “Now. What did you say?”

There was nothing suave in his question, nothing concealed or charming. There was something more desperate in his eyes, something needy. Her lips curled into a fond smile as she found the words came so much easier the second time.

“Mammon, I love you.”

“... of course ya do.” Mammon said, crossing the space between her both until she was snuggly in his arms. He was warm, warmer than usual after his trip, but that smell would HAVE to go.

“You need a bath.”

“Tch… then give me one.” he grumbled in reply.

Who would possibly say no?

#obey me mammon #obey me! shall we date? #obey me shall we date #mammon x mc #obey me fanfic

[boondockerblog]

Day 51 (to Cathedral City CA)

We planned to leave today right after the run/shower/quick breakfast for a couple day jaunt to our bubble friends Jim & Wally's Winter home. Last night Bill had a fun idea - Maddie and would run our usual 10k but do it to end up on the outskirts of town. He'd then meet us there, we'd park to take a shower, eat and then leave.

I was about half way when my phone rang (I normally wouldn't have had my phone on the run but we thought I should in case we somehow couldn't find each other). It was Bill saying I should start running back. What you don't know is that yesterday he said, "I'd be bummed if when I was driving down to meet you I got stuck in one of those dips (Day 43) driving alone to meet you because then it wouldn't be Bill and Carolyn's excellent adventure". So I figured that's what it was but no, he instead announced that the battery was dead so he hadn't yet been able to start the engine.

We decided I'd just run more until he called to say that he'd figured a way to start it (charging house batteries to use so far hadn't worked but he had more ideas). In order to get my distance and not run into town (ewwww - people!) I just followed a path I'd never taken. It was much like other areas near town - flat and open - but seemed more trees to separate visually. And then all of a sudden I saw tents, lots of tents. They weren't in rows or near each other so it didn't appear that they were a group. And anthor strange thing- there weren't cars with them. Hmmm. Backpackers all know this is a good area for tents? We may never know. Another surprise run!

Look how different the mountains look from down here almost in town Quartzsite

We're driving along, and this gets us every time we drive the 10 to the towns in the Cochella Valley, and driving and driving and at a certain point you come up over a hill and the whole valley is before you (it's hard to see in the 2nd pic but all those little white dots are the buildings of the valley). See what I mean about the camera not capturing what our eyes can take in? Wonderful.

[lindoig7]

Tuesday-Thursday, 29 September to 1 October

Tuesday

I mentioned in a post before we left Warragul that we had some concerns about our gas HWS.  It had occasionally been temperamental when lighting and we woke this morning to find it was not lighting at all.  It seems to be an electrical problem because even the thermostat light failed to light so I spent at least a couple of hours ringing our usual serviceman in Kylsyth, a local guy, the caravan park managers and eventually Jayco in Bairnsdale, looking for ideas and suggestions for someone who might be able to fix it.

The car is also due for service, again in Bairnsdale – so the upshot is that the van is booked in at Jayco, and the car at Toyota, next Monday.  If possible, we want to get there and back on the day so will leave here around 6 or 6.30 on Monday morning and hope to get back to the same possie here in the caravan park before it is too dark to do anything – Daylight Savings might help a little.  Worst case scenario is that we may have to spend a night in a motel in Bairnsdale.

In the afternoon, we did a long exploration around town (on foot).  We browsed several shops and saw numerous interesting things, but never purchased anything.  We will go back to the hardware shop for one small item, and we bought a few things at Foodworks, but it was mainly just browsing to see what Orbost had to offer.  On the way backto the van, we took in a bit of the local Nature and Historical Walk - all very interesting and we probably need to go back to do it again.

Wednesday

Heather started with a Zoom session – and I have a similar one next week.  U3A Port Phillip is trying to write up some of its history and as usual, some very diligent volunteers have trashed so much of importance in their fervour to empty all the drawers and cupboards, so they now have to rely of word of mouth and our fading memories.  For those who may not know, we were some of the (very) small group who started and managed the group for several years so the History Project wanted to pick our brains!  Heather spent over an hour talking about some of the early days and someone is going to transcribe it verbatim.  My session next week will probably be less detailed because Heather’s memory for history, and particularly the finer details, is a lot better than mine.  We had the same problem at Life Activities Clubs Victoria where enthusiastic people (with the best will in the world) threw out dozens of cartons of old records, quite a few of which we subsequently would have liked to access.

We didn’t get away from here until very early afternoon, but took our lunch with us and ate half of it on the way to Cape Conran where we walked 4+ km to Joiners Channel – and back again.  It was a great walk but very tiring.  Lots of hills and the path was soft and quite sandy in places as it wound through horrifically devastated ex-forest as a result of the January bushfires.  We were constantly assailed by the sound of the pounding surf, even when we were not at all close to it.  There are promising signs of regeneration, at least at ground level, but the bracken and other ground cover is still sparce and less than half its normal height.  There is still no actual ground cover - mainly just sand.  Most of the trees are burnt beyond redemption and it will be many years before any sort of forest will return – a few have a bit of new growth sprouting on them, but most are well and truly dead.  On the other hand, we saw a few small birds, mainly Grey Fantails, Fairywrens and Yellow-faced Honeyeaters – a one wallaby about the same size as the mosquitos.  There were plenty of ants and mozzies and a few other 6-legged critters.  We also saw at least 5 wombat dens close to the track so they are certainly surviving well.

We ate the rest of our lunch by the side of the sea and watched a dozen or so surfers braving (or not braving) the surf. It was 4-5 metres high I reckon, and a lot of the surfers didn’t even try to get a ride – and those that did were quickly dispatched to the depths.  The whole area around the Cape was shrouded in heavy sea-mist so landscape and seascape photos were difficult, but the violent sea and dramatic sky were certainly things to remember.

We photographed a lot of flowers, including 3 or 4 species of orchids, and I will post some of them, but I need to acknowledge that some are Heather’s photos. My camera battery died early in the walk and my phone battery followed it soon after, with the replacements still in the car.  Even Heather had to be a little more parsimonious that usual with her photos because her battery was also getting low.  (We have since spread extra batteries around our gear in the hope of avoiding similar problems in the future.)

Thursday

We are both a bit tired and sore today so we have stayed close to camp.  I wanted to try to photograph the Whipbirds so went for a walk around the local area for an hour or so in the afternoon (I saw 34 bird species) but the Whipbirds were pretty elusive and were constantly hiding in the shrubbery.  I will post the best pic I managed to get, but will keep trying for something better.

[adrenalineguide]

Rediscovering “Kloomp” in the summer of 2020

Words and Pics By Michael  Hozjan

Like most of you I spent this past spring and summer trying to catch up on my home repairs, moving my man cave, the “honey do” list as well as trying to get my automotive projects further along.  Covid put an end to the car show season very quickly as those of us who attended Toronto’s Motorama will attest. It also put a halt to press vehicles, the publication of my 2020 car show calendar and the 2020 Adrenaline Annual.  

It also awoke my eyes to the junk that we accumulate on an annual basis. Now I’m not talking about the day-to-day or week-to-week spur of the moment purchases (I saw a guy just this morning walk up to the line up for the cash at the Canadian Tire store with just one item and by the time he made it to the cashier had picked up a dollar pack of pens, an equally expensive flash light, some chewing gum, a couppee doll and one other item that I couldn’t make out.) No I’m talking about big ticket items that have become nothing more than land fill in our throw away society.

Just over ten years ago I bought my Mac for more money than I paid for my first five cars COMBINED. Today I can’t access half the web sites because I can’t update my browser to the latest platform.

Which is why I’ve been tardy with my posts. Of course I didn’t get any red flags popping up from Tumbler saying “Hey we no longer like your computer go out and buy a new one.” It just stopped working and I had to wait for the proverbial hammer to hit me on the head before I realized what was going on.

Thankfully my cell phone had 392 UPDATES last week and I was able to access Tumbler’s home page on my cell. Really 392 updates! Why in the world  - I’m leaving out the real explicatives – do I need 392 updates on a telephone. Yes I use the camera function once in a while but very rarely do I surf the web with it. I’d be just as happy with one of my old flip phones if I could still get batteries for it. Yet another way for the boys in Silicon Valley to make us buy crap we have no choice but.

Imagine one day going out and trying to start your car and it won’t turn over because the battery is dead. No problem, I’ll just get a new one at the local car parts outlet. But what if they said, “Sorry your 2012 Mortgage Coach GT is out of date and we don’t support it anymore. You’ll have to buy a newer car.” You’d be furious. But isn’t that what’s happening with hundreds of household items. Let’s take it a step further. Your car starts but now the computer won’t read any of the drive-by-wire commands. In other words it won’t shift into gear. So now you’re stuck in your driveway with nothing to do but listen to the radio or play video games. Actually you can’t play video games either.

We wouldn’t accept it with our cars so why do we roll over and play dead when it comes to our day-to-day items? 

Don’t think for a moment that Silicon Valley can’t make updates to support your aging computer – they can. They just don’t want to. The world population is just under 8 billion, yet in 2019 less than seventy-five million PCs were sold world wide, having peaked in 2011 at just under 100 million. In 2019 the U.S. alone threw out 59 million tons of e-waste. Clearly to keep themselves employed they have to force you into the newest box. If NASA was able to put Neil Armstrong on the moon with the equivalent of a Commodore 64, Silicon Valley can certainly update your Windows ’98 to surf the 2020 web and accept all the aps.

I’ve called and emailed numerous establishments reminding them about their blue collar customers and that they don’t necessarily have the latest computers and if they want their catalogs/flyers to be seen by their buyers they better make the webmaster adjust the access portals. Well guess what? A couple listened and changed their platforms. I and I suspect thousands of others can view their on line catalogs and flyers once again.

Batteries

I alluded to batteries earlier and just want to go back to it. How many of us have drawers full of old cell phones and tool shed or garages with battery operated impact drills, weed whackers and trimmers that are useless because you can’t get batteries for them anymore. A couple of years back I went out and bought a new Cub Cadet snow blower at the local dealer. We also decided to buy their line of battery powered garden tools; a weed whacker, pole saw and hedge trimmer. It added $800 to the bill but thought it well worth it. This year I found out the batteries no longer exist, can’t get replacements and Cub Cadet discontinued their garden tool line. I also found out that my dealer bought up all the discontinued items to sell without any regard to his clients’ future woes. Anybody want a nearly new pole saw, hedge trimmer and weed whacker. I’ve also got a pile of old Mastercraft and Black & Decker tools rendered useless because of their batteries. This year I bought a set of Milwaukee 18V tools. Am I going to buy their 18V trimmers to replace the Cub Cadet units? In a word no. I’m afraid that after I buy another several hundred dollars worth of battery powered trimmers the batteries will once again be out if date. Mark my words, next year they’ll be 24V units and all your 18V will be “kloomp”, Slovenian for junk.

Above:If they look like new it is because they have only been used a few times before the battery died

No I’m getting my gas powered weed whacker fixed, I’m going back to using my corded drills, saws and grinders and using the battery powered units only when I have no choice and I’ll be renting gas powered pole saws. In the long run the environment will be thanking me for the batteries and the battery-powered items that didn’t end up in the landfill because I never bought them.

False advertising

While I’m venting, and yes this is several months of pent up aggravation coming out… I went out and picked up a ½” auger drill bit for one of the honey do items on the list that needed to be built. The label on the Benchmark bit said it was 18” long. Not the twenty-four inches I needed but it would have to do. So you can imagine my amazement when I opened up the sleeve and noticed that the flute length (the auger part that cuts and sends shavings out the hole) was only 15”, the remaining 3” were made up of the neck and shank, or the part that fits into the drill itself. Now I ask you, when you go out and buy a ½” socket do they measure the outside socket head or the USABLE internal wall? So why isn’t Weights and Measures Canada coming down on this? 

Above:Size matters;18 inches is not 18 inches

What does all this have to do with automobiles? Nothing and everything. It has brought me to a greater appreciation of the way automobiles are built as compared to our smaller day-to-day items. My buddy Dino proclaimed just the other day he would gladly swap five BMW Z4s (his current ride) for his old 1972 Alfa 1750 GTV. He drives his cars like they were stolen and his last ride, a 1992 Miata outlasted his  70′s sports cars threefold. So while we may bitch about how complicated cars have become over the last two decades, let’s not forget that they’ve also become far more reliable. Oh and I haven’t heard of any hybrid sitting in a ditch somewhere abandoned because the battery wasn’t available.I don’t think my dad would be calling today’s cars kloomp.

#batteries #laptop #silicon valley #drill bit #cell phone #power tools #benchmark #cub cadet

[the-girlygeek]

are u not using bullet journaling anymore?? :O

Technically, no, I am not. Since I’m back at uni I’m more pressed for time, so I’ve been using a planner but with the bujo legend system. Here’s an example:

This is mainly because I found that bullet journaling to be time-consuming and slightly stressful for me, especially because I’m a perfectionist and I often had to do a spread multiple times before it came out how I’d liked, and then I’d have wasted all the time in which I was supposed to be doing the tasks. It was a vicious cycle.

I still do a spread here and there if I have spare time, but I don’t want to have to stress over them. I know that they were some of my most popular posts, but it became a little bit of a burden. I hope you can understand! 😊 

(btw, sorry for the blurry pic. My camera battery was dead so I had to use my phone.)

#thegirlygeek #tgganswers #answered

[datingadviceonreddit]

I have seen many posts on here asking for tips and help with dating apps, particularly Tinder. I (23M) am writing this from the perspective of someone looking to find a relationship, not a hookup. I have used Tinder heavily for over a year and have gone on dates with people I matched with. I also have Tinder Gold, so if anyone has questions about that, or anything else I've written, don't hesitate to ask!​Biohave one! I see so many empty profiles. To me, that says "I took the time to download the app, create an account, put in my name and age, and add these fine pics, but I couldn't take an extra minute to write something, ANYTHING, about myself." If I'm being honest, I will usually just swipe left if I see an empty bio (...unless you have a gorgeous smile)that said, bios which are unoriginal and cliche are almost just as likely to make me swipe left as an empty bio. I'm sure everyone has seen a bio that just says "here for a good time, not a long time." To be fair, this seems to be code for "I want a hookup," which is fine if that's what you want. But if you're after something more serious, definitely do not use this... UNLESS you plan to put a twist on it and make it fun and creative, like "here for a good time, not a long time. In other words, I'm looking for a sweet and caring wife but I probably won't live past 87 and I'm already 30% there so let's not get too attached." Idk, I just came up with that and it's pretty awful but I think it's certainly better than the clicheI have found that the most effective bios are either short and funny, leaving me wanting more, or longer and informative, making me like someone's personality and want to talk with them. Short and funny works because you can make a quick, positive first impression in just a sentence or two, and if your sense of humor is something you want to convey, this will get the message across easily. Longer and informative bios work because people will get a better idea of what you're like, and you can still sprinkle in some humor or other aspects of your personality.​Photoslet's be real: not all, but many people aren't going to even read your amazing bio if your pics suck; I'm talking bad lighting, low resolution, blurry, etc. Don't just take screenshots of your insta, especially if you're not even going to bother cropping out the navigation bar (I don't want to see what cell provider you have and how low your battery was when you took the screenshot). Uploading photos direct from your phone's photo library will guarantee better qualitya single photo isn't enough to show what you look like, so upload as many as possible! The more you show, the better someone will be able to take each into account and create a mental image of what you look like in person, so the more the better. Every picture is different, and things like your outfit, indoor vs outdoor lighting, pics with or without glasses, and the angle of the camera, will all influence someone's perception of how you looksmile!!! A photo of you smiling or laughing will make you 69x more attractive than one where you are dead serious or trying to "look cool." When we see someone smile in a picture, we usually project positive traits onto them (the halo effect) that make them more desirable: they appear happier, friendly, approachable, down to Earth, etcthat said, not every photo has to be a smiling selfie. Funny pictures or shots of your favorite activities convey your personality and can spark conversations with your matches. If you're into traveling, cooking, reading, competitive somersaulting, whatever, find/take photos of yourself in those environments, and the photos will do some of the heavy lifting for you that your bio is usually tasked with when it comes to communicating who you are and what you're aboutpay attention not just to how you look in your photos but also the background. Do you really think that bathroom stall is worth showing?many people don't seem to be aware of the looping video feature in Tinder. Find a video of yourself doing something cool or fun and select a portion you want to loop that contains a lot of movement, and you have yourself a nice looping video. It definitely draws my attention when I see profiles who knew to use this feature and actually used it. Cool examples I've seen were of people cliff jumping and doing gymnastics, looping back and fourth. Pretty fun to watch!my last tip with photos: don't try to hide what you look like. This may be hard for people who feel they are not attractive, but if you are looking for a relationship, trying to hide behind snapchat filters, strategic cropping, older photos where you're in better shape, etc will only spell disaster when you go to meet someone in person and they find that you were being disingenuous about what you look like. Sure, looks aren't everything. But honesty is. Plus, being truthful about your looks will save you wasted time and energy if you find that someone only matched with you and talked to you for your looks, not for what's inside. Honesty and transparency go a long way, and that starts the minute you begin creating your profile and choosing what photos to show​TL;DR Write a bio that is fun and different. Show people who you are, and give them a reason to want to swipe right on you over other profiles. Upload as many photos as possible, that are good quality, in different settings and environments. Smile in a few, and show some of your hobbies. Everyone is different and interesting, so try to identify what makes you special and highlight that in your profile.​I hope this has been helpful to somebody! I'm happy to answer any questions or elaborate on anything that wasn't clear :) and I would love to hear tips from other people's experiences on Tinder! via /r/dating_advice

#dating #dating advice #reddit

[unbanded]

Wanting to stay on a roll with the Halloween body painting, here is a throwback to my ScareCON piece this year. I do have some proper pictures of this on my old camera but the battery is dead and I can’t find the charger for the life of me! 😭 So for now the old phone pics will still have to do. - - This is my favourite kind of painting and body art and one of my favourite pieces. It is all freehand airbrush! - - Who’s your favourite horror character? - - #100daysofmakeup #31daysofmehronhalloween #mehronmakeup #31daysofhalloween #halloween #halloweenmakeup #halloweenmakeupideas #horror #it #pennywise #chucky #saw #michaelmyers (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/BouJl8Dh4sD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=n2kat7jh7l4j

#100daysofmakeup #31daysofmehronhalloween #mehronmakeup #31daysofhalloween #halloween #halloweenmakeup #halloweenmakeupideas #horror #it #pennywise #chucky #saw #michaelmyers

[kevinbae]

I purchased a Pixel 2 and not the Pixel 2 XL because the Pixel 2 is cheaper and has the same internals, with the exception of the screen. Same power and capabilities for less money. Win win. Note: all the pictures of the Pixel 2 were shot using my original Pixel.

I’ve been using the Pixel 2 every day since October 20 and I’m extremely happy with the phone. The two things that stand out to me most are the battery life and the camera. These also happen to be the two most important things to me in a smartphone and why I chose to upgrade from the Pixel.

The battery life, in my opinion, is phenomenal. I charge it at night and the phone lasts me all day. Even on my heaviest usage days I still have at least 30% remaining by 10 pm. I’ve never had a phone that lasted me all day like this. The original Pixel had to be charged multiple times per day and I always worried that if I didn’t pay close attention that my phone would be dead when I need it. This is not the case with the Pixel 2 so far. Huge thumbs up.

The camera is also fantastic and I believe I will now stop carrying a DSLR on vacations or trips. The camera is fast and mostly accurate and I find myself not having to think too much before taking a picture. In addition, the portrait mode is a nice little touch and I really have no complaints about it. I won’t be nit picky either about some of the things that get smudged around the edges of a subject because it’s not really noticeable unless you zoom in really close and the Pixel 2 is doing it all in software, unlike the iPhone which doesn’t do as good a job and is doing it with hardware and software for a much higher price.

Continuing on with the camera, I found out about these add-on lenses called Moment Lenses. It requires the phone being in a case (which I don’t like but I’m doing it for the superior pictures) and you simply twist a lens over the camera lens and instantly you have a wide-angle, telephoto, or macro lens that enhances the quality of your pictures. Forgive my crappy photo gallery below but it shows the Moment case and the two lenses I purchased.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

To give you an example of the pictures the phone takes here is another gallery of photos I took with the Pixel 2 of my dogs. Some of the pictures are with good lighting some not but all of them are as taken straight from the phone and, as the kids say these days, no filter.

#gallery-0-10 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 100%; } #gallery-0-10 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Pixel 2 lens Portrait Mode

Pixel 2 lens Portrait Mode

Pixel 2 lens Portrait Mode

Pixel 2 lens Portrait Mode

Pixel 2 lens Portrait Mode

Pixel 2 lens snapshot

Pixel 2 lens snapshot

Pixel 2 lens snapshot

Moment wide-angle lens snapshot

Moment wide-angle lens snapshot

Moment wide-angle lens snapshot

If you want to see some of these pics or others from this phone go look at my dog Godfrey’s Instagram account or at my Instagram account. On Instagram I do try to spruce them up a bit by enhancing the color, contrast, and brightness.

The rest of the phone is not all that important to me. The screen is fine and the Google Pixel skin of Android is fine. The phone seems fast and smooth. Apps and such mostly work exactly the same as in my previous Pixel and Nexus 5X. I’m hoping that Android has improved enough with these current versions that the phone won’t suffer the Android lag and bloat over time that I’ve experienced with every Android phone I’ve ever used.

My bottom line is that if you want great battery life and the camera is important to you then the Pixel 2 is a good purchase.

A regular person’s Pixel 2 Review I purchased a Pixel 2 and not the Pixel 2 XL because the Pixel 2 is cheaper and has the same internals, with the exception of the screen.

[adrenalineguide]

Tech woes

Sorry for the time lapse folks but it’s been one of those days that has lasted nearly three weeks. First my 10 year-old digital camera gave up its autofocus sensors so over the next few weeks you may have to put up with some pics that are less than crisp. I wish I could tell you what it is, but I can’t focus on subjects that are a few feet away in manual mode. My eyes are OK with my old 35 mm cameras but can’t with the digital, so it’s not my eyesight Then my two wireless landline phones’ batteries went dead leaving me to scramble to try and find replacement batteries. As luck would have it, it only took a trip to Quebec and three stops to find a pair that required only minor surgery to get them to fit.  

As the saying goes everything comes in threes so it seemed that my seven year-old cell phone was ready to give up when I got an offer from my provider. Cool! But that meant two days of configuring this and that only for it to give me a No Network notice after my second call.  More hours of wasted time! My other cell will inevitably end up in the desk drawer shared by the flip phones that are still in fine working order but are out of date with my provider or replacement batteries just don’t exist. Talk about pollution.

What does all this have to do with cars aside from keeping me from my work? Everything and nothing. With cars becoming more and more reliant on computers and wireless technology how long before we start piling cars up in our driveways because their technology is outdated and replacement parts /upgrades aren’t available?  My best friend’s transmission let go without notice, twice, the first time it was electronic, the second time mechanical. Fewer and fewer cars have dipsticks for their motor oil and transmission oil, relying only on the digital dash warnings to guard us against engine failure. Good thing electronics NEVER fail.  

Old school technology allows me to use my rotary phone during a power failure, few wireless handsets do. I remember tapping the carb on my buddy’s Valiant with a hammer to free up a stuck float. Come anywhere near an engine with a hammer these days and you’ll get sued for assault.  

I applaud a lot of the new features found in today’s modern cars, but question their longevity. I hope that in twenty years time I’ll be able to do features in Klassic Plus on these vehicles.