#this post is sponsored by cheerios

[beta-adjacent]

If y’all thought cereal companies’ origins were bad now, just imagine their potential in the omegaverse

#omegaverse #a/b/o #a/b/o blog #a/b/o headcanon #omegaverse headcanons #omegaverse headcanon #omegaverse worldbuilding #a/b/o universe #cereal #raisin bran #Raisin Bran my beloved #‘you know what’ll tone down these crazy rut-mutts? some cheerios 🥴’ #this post was sponsored by my love of Raisin Bran #if Sunny —nay; if Mr. Kellog HIMSELF— told me to be entirely void of sex for a lifetime supply of the Bran I’d do it #it’d be THE EASIEST fucking trade of my life #the big O? the only O I need are Frootloops and Cheerios and even Lucky Charms if I’m in the mood #nah bc the Trix rabbit was kinda a baddie #what who said that 😳

[matthomatical]

if you dont like cheerios literally fuck you. grow up.

#they taste like nothing waaa #literally pass away #this post was made by cheerio lover gang #cheerios #especially those oat cheerios those are so fucking awesome #cheerios sponsor me #not actually but #yknow if you wanna im totes down

[female-malice]

Cristian works a construction job instead of going to school. He is 14.

Carolina packages Cheerios at night in a factory. She is 15.

Wander starts looking for day-labor jobs before sunrise. He is 13.

Oscar Lopez, a ninth grader, works overnight at a sawmill in South Dakota. On this day, he skipped school to sleep after a 14-hour shift.

Children being processed by the U.S. Border Patrol in Roma, Texas. In the past two years alone, 250,000 unaccompanied minors have come into the country.

Cristian, 14, has been working in construction in North Miami for two years instead of going to school. Federal law bars minors from a long list of such jobs.

A detention site in the Rio Grande Valley in March 2021. The Biden administration has faced pressure to move unaccompanied children through the system quickly.

Migrant children were among the day laborers who gathered on a school day in Homestead, Fla., to find roofing, landscaping or other work.

A handwritten ledger, in Spanish, of Nery Cutzal’s debts to his sponsor, including money for tacos and clothes. The child owed more than $4,000, plus interest. Court information has been redacted for privacy.

Jose Vasquez, 13, photographed at the church he attends in Grand Rapids, Mich. He works 12-hour shifts, six days a week, at an egg farm outside the city.

A selfie taken by a 17-year-old at a Hearthside facility in Grand Rapids. She said older men at the factory sometimes harassed her.

From left: Oscar Nambo Dominguez, 16, was crushed last year under an earthmover near Atlanta. Edwin Ajacalon, 14, was hit by a car while delivering food on a bike in Brooklyn. Juan Mauricio Ortiz, 15, died on his first day of work for an Alabama roofing company when he fell about 50 feet.

Young workers exited an overnight cleaning shift last October at a JBS pork plant in Worthington, Minn. Their employer, a sanitation company, was later fined for violating child labor laws

Carolina Yoc, back right, worked on math problems after a night shift at a Grand Rapids food plant. The 13-year-old girl sitting next to her said she also worked nights at a factory.

It has been a little more than a year since Carolina left Guatemala, and she has started to make some friends. She and another girl who works at Hearthside have necklaces that fit together, each strung with half a heart. When she has time, she posts selfies online decorated with smiley faces and flowers.

Mostly, though, she keeps to herself. Her teachers do not know many details about her journey to the border. When the topic came up at school recently, Carolina began sobbing and would not say why.

After a week of 17-hour days, she sat at home one night with her aunt and considered her life in the United States. The long nights. The stress about money. “I didn’t have expectations about what life would be like here,” she said, “but it’s not what I imagined.”

She was holding a debit card given to her by a staffing agency, which paid her Hearthside salary this way so she did not have to cash checks. Carolina turned it over and over in her palm as her aunt looked on.

“I know you get sad,” Ms. Ramirez said.

Carolina looked down. She wanted to continue going to school to learn English, but she woke up most mornings with a clenched stomach and kept staying home sick. Some of her ninth grade classmates had already dropped out. The 16-year-old boy she sat next to in math class, Cristian Lopez, had left school to work overtime at Hearthside.

Cristian lived a few minutes away, in a bare two-room apartment he shared with his uncle and 12-year-old sister, Jennifer.

His sister did not go to school either, and they had spent the day bickering in their room. Now night had fallen and they were eating Froot Loops for dinner. The heat was off, so they wore winter jackets. In an interview from Guatemala, their mother, Isabel Lopez, cried as she explained that she had tried to join her children in the United States last year but was turned back at the border.

Cristian had given his uncle some of the money he earned making Chewy bars, but his uncle believed it was not enough. He had said he would like Jennifer to start working at the factory as well, and offered to take her to apply himself.

Cristian said he had recently called the H.H.S. hotline. He hoped the government would send someone to check on him and his sister, but he had not heard back. He did not think he would call again.

(continue reading)

#holy shit #cc

[mediamonarchy]

https://mediamonarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240221_MorningMonarchy.mp3 Download MP3 Better woking conditions, racist climate change and hot for reefer + this day in history w/Putin’s chef indicted and our song of the day by Jim Lauderdale on your #MorningMonarchy for February 21, 2024. Notes/Links: Your AI Girlfriend Is a Data-Harvesting Horror Show https://gizmodo.com/your-ai-girlfriend-is-a-data-harvesting-horror-show-1851253284 Nvidia, now worth more than Google, gears up to report as AI chip rivals crash its solo party https://sherwoodmedia.com/snacks/newsletters/nvidia-envy/ Facial Recognition Technology To Hit New Zealand Grocery Stores https://reclaimthenet.org/facial-recognition-technology-to-hit-new-zealand-grocery-stores New Seasons workers strike for better working conditions in NW Portland https://www.kptv.com/2024/02/19/new-seasons-workers-strike-better-working-conditions-nw-portland/ Video: New Seasons workers strike for better working conditions in NW Portland (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5NcduoGOss Crip Doggy Dogg Says Post & Walmart Were Cereal Killers https://archive.is/LXpAm Snoop Dogg and Master P Sue Walmart, Post for Sabotaging New Cereal Brand https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/snoop-dogg-master-p-sue-walmart-post-cereal-1235821037/ Bye-bye cold beer? House sponsor now says prohibition won’t make final version of Tennessee bill https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2024/02/15/tennessee-bills-aims-to-ban-the-sale-of-cold-beer-what-to-know/72595749007/ Ontario brewery faces threats and hate following visit from Trudeau https://globalnews.ca/video/10290610/local-brewery-faces-threats-and-hate-following-visit-from-trudeau Video: Ontario brewery receives onslaught of online hate after hosting Trudeau (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKqooSgdBlQ JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock drop out of massive UN climate alliance in stunning move https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/jpmorgan-chase-drops-out-of-massive-un-climate-alliance-in-stunning-move Asbestos crisis hits Sydney as hazardous material found in mulch at parks and schools https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/16/sydney-asbestos-mulch-crisis-parks-schools-closed Everywhere the asbestos-tainted mulch has been found in Sydney https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-asbestos-where-it-has-been-found-testing-locations/8824fcb4-b55f-439a-b441-6ebd35fec174 Scientists Say New Hybrid Beef Rice Could Cost Just a Dollar Per Pound https://singularityhub.com/2024/02/15/scientist-say-their-new-hybrid-beef-rice-could-cost-just-a-dollar-per-pound/ France’s Landmark Law to Curb Sectarian Aberrations and Protect Public Health https://bnnbreaking.com/politics/frances-landmark-law-to-curb-sectarian-aberrations-and-protect-public-health Millions of donkeys killed each year to make medicine https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68230069 80% of Americans test positive for chemical found in Cheerios, Quaker Oats that may cause infertility, delayed puberty: study https://nypost.com/2024/02/15/business/80-of-americans-test-positive-for-chemical-found-in-cheerios-that-may-cause-infertility/ Chlormequat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlormequat Video: Oat-Based Breakfast Foods Contain Dangerous Carcinogen, Study Finds (Oct. 25, 2018 // Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbNrH7QNyWU Biden Admin Unleashes Woke Trifecta: Trans Official Calls Climate-Change Racist https://www.zerohedge.com/political/biden-admin-unleashes-woke-trifecta-trans-official-calls-climate-change-racist Video: WATCH | Biden Admin’s Cringe CLIMATE CHANGE Warning For Black People Goes VIRAL (Audio) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEUgAgOcqUM #WeedWorldOrder: Russia arrests German man for carrying gummy bears https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68293764 #WeedWorldOrder: Florida House considers hemp regulations; The legislation targets products like Delta-8. https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2024/02/13/florida-house-considers-hemp-regulations #WeedWorldOrder: Research shows illegal cannabis trade unhindered by l...

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#alternative news #food world order #Jim Lauderdale #media monarchy #Morning Monarchy #mp3 #podcast #Songs Of The Day #This Day In History

[algrolo]

Anyway its breakfast time. Ive got Cheerios :>

THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST. NO PART OF THIS TUMBLR POST HAS ANY CORRELATION WITH THE CHERRIOS OR GENERAL MILLS BRAND. THIS GIRL JUST LIKES CHERRIOS BECAUSE THEY ARE GOOD.

#this is me

[juphro]

The Adoption and Safe Families act was designed to shorten the time it takes to adopt a child that is in foster care. The bill, H.R. 867, was sponsored by David Camp, a REPUBLICAN. Bill and Hillary were not behind this bill. Clinton signed it but Hillary didn't. Read that. If they are child traffickers then the bills sponsor is too. That means REPUBLICANS are behind child trafficking also. Knock it off already with this fucking shit! Read the bill at congress.gov.

Lol, a guy can't like a post so he can find it later for research? Everyone knows pedos are on both sides of the aisle masquerading as normal people. Then they propose legislation that sounds like a good thing on face value but, in reality, benefits their own twisted motives. Do you think making it easier to adopt foster kids is something that wouldn't be exploited by a child predator?

Also, pissed in your cheerios this morning?

#i didn't even reblog that post #lol #wtf

[9x07fiona]

#shameless #shamelessedit #fiona gallagher #mygifs #fiona #s9 #my love and my light ❤️❤️ #this post is sponsored by cheerios #oh god tumblr fucking obliterated these ones why can’t i have one win

[jerakeenc]

many kidfics i’ve read and loved

look who’s reccing a million year old fics now. kidfics, very many. posted to dw for snowflake, thought I’d copy here as well. will be reading most, if not all. if you don’t hear from me again, this list is the culprit.

101 Ways To Get Lucky (In Love) by lenore

18,200 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

Rodney McKay is rich, gorgeous and at the top of his game—except someone just moved the goalposts! Now Rodney realizes he is sorely lacking the one status symbol that everybody seems to have…the perfect family. Rodney needs help, so he hires a relationship coach. Single-dad John Sheppard may be an expert, but not when it comes to his own relationships! And every day he spends with Rodney makes him wish that he could be the one to fill the vacancy in Rodney's life…

A Beautiful Lifetime Event by astolat

29,000 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

An Earlier Heaven by regann

67,400 words | X-Men, Erik/Charles

In the wake of Cuba, Charles and his students are ready to pick up the pieces and work toward achieving Charles's dream of a safe haven for young mutants. Those plans, however, take a surprising turn thanks to a very unexpected complication. As he slowly builds a future for his students and for his child, Charles struggles with the loss of Erik and the secrets he's willing to keep to protect his family, but those strides are shattered when Erik makes a startling reappearance into his life. [mpreg, kidfic, ensemble]

And everything nice by noelia_g

30,200 words | Social Network, Mark/Eduardo

The one where Mark somehow ends up with a child and of course needs a nanny for the amount of time he spends at the office. Only problem is a string of nannys keep trying to get into his pants for what he assumes is his money. Cue Mark's assistant hiring a male nanny, enter Eduardo.

asking to be born by longtime_lurker

26,500 words | Bandom, Pete/Patrick

"Don't worry, it's probably just his big gay freakout," Andy yells cheerfully and unhelpfully into Patrick's ear as they're hustling Pete over to the nearest private clinic.

Better with You by harriet_vane

38,100 words | 1D, Liam/Louis

Based on this prompt at the kinkmeme:

Single parent and solo artist Liam Payne hires Louis Tomlinson to be a full time nanny to his four year old son Sammy. Although the two men don't quite click from the start it's love at first sight between Sammy and Louis. Eventually Louis and Liam warm up to each other and get on like a house on fire, in fact the two become a little too fond of each other.

I refuse to apologize for how sweet this ended up, okay? It's kidfic, I am forever writing kidfic, and this one is even kid-fic-ier than usual.

Can't Get Enough of You (Baby) by eternalbreath

22,100 words | Inception, Arthur/Eames

Eames vanishes from dreamshare and Arthur goes a little crazy looking for him until he stumbles across him -- with a baby.

Chelsea, Chelsea, I Believe by empathapathique

300,800 words | Hockey, Kane/Toews

Patrick meets a girl his rookie year.

Don't You Shake Alone by dsudis

62,180 words | Generation Kill, Brad/Nate

Nate looked exactly like Brad always pictured him: exhausted in the full life-in-a-combat-zone sense of the word.

Dude, what's a bulwark? by kellifer_fic

12,150 words | Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles

Beacon Hills is the kind of small town where everybody knows everybody, and what everybody knows is that surly diner owner Derek Hale and free spirited single dad Stiles Stilinski have been in love with each other for years. If only they knew it too.

Every Other Beautiful World by rhiannonhero

43,280 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

Some things are unexpected but still inevitable in every beautiful world.

Forever, Now by harriet_vane

227,100 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard, Jon/Spencer, Brendon/Ryan, Brian/Greta

Brian rescues kid!Gerard and Mikey from life on the streets, and eventually everyone finds a family.

here comes the sun by oflights

56,600 words | Social Network, Mark/Eduardo

This is a story about growing up, sad 70's rock songs, too much hair gel, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", a baby with curly hair, a Geiger counter, a dog that isn't named Max, the Chicken Dance, Cheerios, pepper-spray, drugs, sex, and a stuffed chicken named Cluckerberg, nicknamed Cluck. or: Mark raises Sean's accidental baby, and I write the fluffiest thing ever.

I Got a Love (That Keeps Me Waiting) by svmadelyn

163,700 words | Hockey, Kane/Toews

There's a lot of different ways this summary could go, like:

Patrick Kane gets more than a gold medal in Sochi.

Or, the classic: It's too late to pull out now.

Or: Patrick Kane continues to thrive in high pressure situations.

Or: Patrick Kane gets knocked up, goes to White Castle, and finds love, not necessarily in that order.

But, ultimately, all that really matters is this: Patrick Kane is keeping his baby.

I Would Be by cathalin

20,290 words | American Idol, Kris/Adam

AU. Adam and Kris meet a few years down the road, when down-on-his-luck Kris and his young daughter Katherine show up to rent a room from Adam, who never made it to an Idol audition.

Ice Ice Baby by uraneia

51,340 words | Hockey, Claude/Danny

A gold medal isn't the only souvenir Claude brings home from Prague.

OR: The one where Claude gets drunk, gets pregnant, and gets convinced to move in with Danny, whom he's been secretly in love with for years. What could possibly go wrong?

my heart is bigger than the distance in between us by estrella30

15,000 words | 1D, Nick/Harry

Nick chuckles quietly but grabs the remote and follows Emma, Aimee coming up close behind him. It’s indeed Harry on the telly, singing along to his latest radio hit and smiling slowly into the camera far too seductively for half eight on a Friday morning, if you ask Nick. He presses the volume just in time to catch the crowd’s roaring applause and see the pink flush Harry’s cheeks. Nick watches him duck his head as he gives a small wave to the audience, and it hits Nick that Harry is still the most humble and appreciative billionaire Nick’s ever met.

Good job, popstar, Nick thinks to himself.

or, Nick is a single dad and Harry is his bff and it's a bunch of years into the future and they fall in love

Once Upon a Furry Octopus by skoosiepants

11,270 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

He was an intelligent, intuitive pet, but he wasn’t going to start sniffing out ZPMs or hidden Ancient weaponry or detailed instructions on how to kill a Wraith with a common household item. A pen, for instance.

Reconcilable Differences by astolat

40,000 words | Smallville, Clark/Lex

Luthor Family Values.

Shelter by harriet_vane

63,500 words | Social Network, Jesse/Andrew

From the kinkmeme prompt: Some sort of AU vaguely based on Shelter! For whatever reason, Jesse has to take care of Hallie and give up his dream of being an actor. He ends up working in a dead end job when former, now successful friend (Andrew) returns home. They fall in love, etc, only Jesse can't go away with him because he has a responsibility to his family. CUE ANGST.

Show Me The Way Back Home Baby by stilinskisparkles

15,000 words | Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles

In which Lydia and Jackson produce the world's cutest baby, and the pack goes crazy-- the good kind of crazy. Except for Derek, who is afraid of tiny cute babies and Stiles who plans to be the best Uncle ever. Even if Danny called dibs on Godfather.

Skybird by windsweptfic

33,785 words | Inception/White Collar, Arthur/Eames

Arthur and Eames adopt a kid and raise that kid into Neal Caffrey.

Small Cells and Fibers by sevenfists

7,830 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard

Tuesdays were finger-painting days. Frank made sure to wear his oldest pair of jeans, because even with his full-length apron and his constant reminders that paint belongs on paper and not on clothing, he always ended up with tiny, multi-colored handprints all over his clothes. There wasn't a thing he could do about it, so he just wore pants from 1995.

Small Primes and Square Roots by liviapenn

12,500 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

"I hope you picked someone really intelligent, otherwise it seems like it would be kind of a waste. Of incubation time, if nothing else."

So Wise We Grow by deastar

81,250 words | Star Trek Reboot, Kirk/Spock

"Commander Spock, we have located your son," the Vulcan lady on the screen says, which would be great, except Jim can tell by the look on Spock's face that he's never heard of this kid before in his life. "If it is expedient, the child will be sent to join you on the Enterprise within the week."

Something Better by lovelypoet

18,350 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard

"We all have to take jobs we don't like sometimes, you know?"

The Next Time You Say Forever by Thistlerose

27,300 words | Star Trek Reboot, Kirk/McCoy

After his ex-wife's death, McCoy is forced to leave the Enterprise to look after his teenage daughter. Under normal circumstances, this would be the end of…whatever it is he has with Kirk that's more than friendship, but less than what he wants. But the universe has other intentions.

The Reeducation of Misters Kane and Toews by jezziejay

15,900 words | Hockey, Kane/Toews

In which Kaner sort of has a kid, and Mr. Toews doesn't know which of them is the bigger brat.

AU featuring teacher!Jon and hockey-player!Kaner. With bonus 'Hawks characters, love notes, pasta jewelry, Be Better Pizzas, pirouettes, a sprinke of angst and guest appearance by Derek Jeter.

The Road Delivered Us Home by keelywolfe

117,430 words | Hobbit, Thorin/Bilbo

In the years since Bilbo left Erebor, he has lost his respectability, gained a nephew, and gotten on with life at Bag End.

He'd left aside adventure for the comforts and peace of his little Hobbit hole, and for the love of a child who needed him. Though perhaps, adventures can yet find him.

This Story Was Brought to You by Our Sponsors by scaramouche

29,500 words | Supernatural, Dean/Castiel

Dean's post-apocalyptic life is a friggin' soap opera. Romance! Angst! Separations! Reunions! Pizza Dinners! A Child Dean Never Knew He Had! It's all very dramatic.

throw a little sparkle all over it by etben

26,000 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard

"Hey, Ma," Mikey says. "No, everything's fine—well, I mean, Gerard accidentally adopted a baby—no, he's changing her now, he can't talk."

Tiny Houses by ohmyjetsabel

77,130 words | Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles

"So this is what Stiles does. He lies in Scott’s bed and waits for Melissa to say she’s found someone to get it out of him, to cure him of the wrongness and the bad, and he dreams.

God, he dreams.

He dreams of fire and swollen bellies and that scene in Alien, of giving birth to jackals through his urethra, the whole horrific nine yards. His head is a terrible place to be, he can’t imagine his stomach is much better, why anyone would want to put a thing inside of it."

Tip, Slide, Tumble by j_s_cavalcante

42,900 words | due South, Fraser/Kowalski

Ray knew when he found the body in the alley it was going to change someone's life. He just didn't expect that life would be his.

Turn by saras_girl

306,000 words | Harry Potter, Harry/Draco

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Unless it's lies or it's love by sprat

25,300 words | American Idol, Kris/Adam

In which Adam (a rock star) meets Kris (a single dad) at an Emergency Room in Arkansas at the end of a particularly shitty night. Also features: San Francisco, fresh starts, baked goods, OCs, cameo appearances by Matt and Megan, pirates, monsters with garbage heads and a recording studio.

What Child Is This by lamardeuse

30,150 words | Merlin, Arthur/Merlin

A modern AU with Merlin, Arthur, mayhem, a baby and a jingly elf hat.

What to Expect by arsenic

29,200 words | Bandom, Bob/Mikey

Mikey has his band, and his little girl, and that's enough. Really, it is.

Winter's Children by neery

66,890 words | Marvel, Bucky/Steve

When their attempts to recreate the super soldier serum failed, Hydra started trying to breed Captain America clones from his genetic samples. Unfortunately, the serum's effects aren't passed down genetically, so instead of an army of tiny Captain Americas, they get a bunch of tow-headed, asthmatic, allergic, immuno-compromised little Steves.

And then the Winter Soldier stumbles across Hydra's failed experiment...

With Six You Get Eggroll by speranza

31,000 words | due South, Fraser/Kowalski

"Kick 'em In The Head: A Guide To Parenting."

ETA: Bonus! Because I apparently lost my bookmark for this one but have the memory of an elephant for kidfic, so it came to me eventually. :D

A Farm in Iowa 'Verse by sheafrotherdon

166,000 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

John inherits a farm, Rodney ends up entirely out of his element, and there is much ado about baseball.

#kidfic #recs

[thestudyfeels]

🎨 Graphic made by @indiaisstudying​: India is brilliant my pals, and I recommend checking her out for studyblr/artblr inspiration. My girl tHIRIVES.

The singular takeaway from this post: Do a creative binge. Much productive than a Netflix binge. Period.

Two months ago, I reached my peak when I coined the term ‘bood day’ (a bad to good day, in my article How To Flip A Bad Day By 180°). Today, puppies and kittens, I present to you— a creative binge.

*crickets chirping, that one dude in the audience scratches his nose and turns away* 

…This one actually works but okay, we get it, y'all are bitches. But gonna do my job anyway– if you're a creator reading this, please do a creative binge at least once every two weeks.

I started doing these binges two months ago, and I've seen a VAST improvement in my creative energy. I feel my commercial voice coughing and saying hello to the mic, so before I start listing side-effects for a sponsored pill, let's dive into the basics. 

🍵 Quick PSA — 

↪ JOIN MY TAGLIST? If you aren't on this yet, please get on it, it'll mean a lot to me! By joining, you get a new article on lifestyle design & productivity every week.

100 Days of Sweat: This challenge starts TOMORROW (10th of April), so if you wanna hustle on your bod this year, join us! Accountability does crazy things.

Ever questioned your life, experienced writer's block, painter’s pain or blogger’s… block? (Narrator: aaaand she's back to advertising.) A creative binge helps deal with fixing exactly that.

“A creative binge is based off the equation of quality in = quality out.”

A lot of creators feel that they're supposed to magically create out of their head, and that's just ridiculous. It's ludicrous considering you don't know shit, read shit, do shit and watch shit.

Even to write fiction, my pal, you'll have to expose yourself to the world to know its ways, read great books and take tips (not to mention stock up on coffee, and prepare to cry a lot) before you start cranking out the pages. Everything you create is ultimately inspired by the Ways Of The World. (And that's a fantastic novel title)

So in short, you’ve got to consume content, to make content. And in a creative binge, you conscious choose content that'll help you create. Genius, I know!

Okay, but what if I'm not a creator?

Brilliant question! Wanna become more valuable and leave the people you interact with better? Take a creative binge.

Allow me an elaboration: Take a janitor and a neurosurgeon. The said janitor is paid much less than the neurosurgeon. Why is that? Is the neurosurgeon a better person? That's debatable. Is the janitor less efficient at his work? Again, debatable. The primal reason lies in the neurosurgeon acquiring more valuable skills than the janitor. Society rewards them by paying more since there are less folks who can do what the neurosurgeon does.

To recap: In order to be indispensable in the role you play (whatever it is, a student, calligrapher, CEO of the Janitor Club), you HAVE to become valuable. Grow your curiosity & know more than yo’ buddies (also bring more value than anybody else). And to become valuable, you consume value. Tada!

(And if you still ain't convinced, I'll pull out the Netflix card. You'd really rather watch shows? Or binge YouTube? Than learn a new skill, or develop existing ones? Question your priorities, my friend. Victims love entertainment, victors love learning.)

Cool, you're joining in then! Not that creative binge is NOT an entertainment binge. It's a value providing binge. What you ‘consume’ has to bring you something in return— whether that's creative inspiration, motivation or skills. *Swing arms* yup! We’re one gay, productive household. Someone remind Hallie to buy the groceries though, the Cheerios are going mouldy.

By my dictionary, a creative binge is a slot of time, 1½ to 3 hours I'd say, when you watch/read/listen to some good stuff.  Basically, binge content. 

THE 101 OF A CREATIVE BINGE 

🌿 Basics:

I conduct one every week (usually Wednesday mornings), lasting around 1½ to 2 hours.

I'll also keep a notepad and a pen nearby, to take notes and jot ideas as they come. Again, this is NOT an entertainment binge, even though it's a chill job.

Sometimes I'll get passive things done (like wiping my desk, eating breakfast and taking out textbooks) while watching. We maximize our time. 

🌿 What Do I Watch: 

The stuff I watch falls into 3 categories: creative/humor (for inspiration), business/skills (for skills) & motivation (for, um, motivation). Fair warning though, a lot of the stuff these folks make overlap, but that's alright. This is just a rough demarcation. 

Creative/Humor: some YesTheory, maybe some MacDoesIt, sprinkle in some Ryan Higa, perhaps an episode of a show with an amazing script, some stand-up comedy from my favorites. Or maybe trash that and just watch Sherlock. (Geez, Netflix, I hate you, I love you.)

Skills: Gary Vee, some artist channels, that random video on how to thrift shop even though I don't shop.

Motivation: Be Inspired, Tom Bilyeu, Mel Robbins and random videos which look nice.

🌿 What Do I Listen To: 

Oof, I love music tremendously! If you're a pal, you know it's time to RUN when I come around being like, “soo, I was wondering what's your favourite–”.

Yet, during a creative binge, I'll only listen to stuff that 1) inspires me, or 2) is creative in a way I can't explain. Some recommendations! 

Hype music:

The Score

NF

Imagine Dragons

Creative music:

Billie Eilish

Lana Del Rey

Sleeping At Last

Lorde

Conan Gray

Harry Styles 

🌿 What Do I Read: 

Usually the book that I'm reading at that point if I'm being lazy.

POETRY: It's my belief, but poetry is a writer's most powerful device. There's a novel to be said in a simple sonnet.

FICTION: I dig great fiction. PS, please read (and sob over) Away Childish Things, by @letteredlettered. It changed me as a person, changed my entire perspective about kids. I'm much kinder and softer now, and my pimples are gone. I'll literally never get over drarry too, so thanks lettered, love you.

ARTICLES: Bookmarked psychology, productivity & fitness articles on Medium. Maybe check out James Clear's & Gary Vee’s blog for new posts.

Because I wanna drive this home, here's what I did in my last creative binge as a concrete example —

Care to Note that:

All of the stuff I consume is pre-planned.

I add videos throughout the week to my Creative Binge playlist on YouTube, download albums from Amazon Music and articles for offline reading.

DON'T leave this to the last moment, you'll more likely pick entertainment vs learning then. 

Watched–

Why I'm done trying to be "man enough"

Redecorating my room 2017 (I wanna decorate my room this year so)

How to Squat Properly (I’m trying lmao)

Giving a 9-Year-Old Her Dream Job for 24hrs!! (I stan YesTheory so much)

How To NOT Be A Starving Artist (A mood. I love Sorelle)

Couple more, I could go on & on, but you get me.

Listened–

Every song on YouTube by Bruno Major

Born to die: paradise version (album) by Lana Del Rey 

Read–

Articles from James Clear's blog — (x) (x)

Articles from Gary Vee’s blog — (x) (x)

HIIT workouts for beginners

All of this birthed–

Ideas for future articles, titled: How To Be Great & Solomon Letters #2: Question Your Faith, Not Your Dreams, among others.

A small poem about faith– posted on my IG, check it out!

New content ideas, like value chains (upcoming!)

Bunch of other small rants for everyday posting

Some business and life advice that might be useful later.

Gotta say goodbye now! (literally too... but post about it coming on 12th so wait for it) Try this one out, and let me know how your binge goes (tag it with #team conquer). Mine usually end with a bucketful of philo notes, a recharged left (right? psychology? idk) brain, and a fresh perspective towards the rest of my week. 

This is the #1 strategy I've adopted to sustain creative energy when it's sapped all around by negativity and school & I promise it helps. No side effects, no sponsored pills needed. Thanks for reading!

Related: How To Get Back Into The Creative Process (if you're in a blogger's block or experiencing painter's pain)

Have something to say? I treasure all feedback! If this post inspired you to do something, or you wanna throw some love/constructive criticism at me— hop into my ask box, or reply to this post itself!

Thanks for dropping by! Major articles, like this one, come out every Thursday! Join my taglist by to read them when they do. I also post daily wins, journal entries, rants & photos of my plant babies throughout the week, so follow me if you’re into conquering life. I vow to be the loudest cheerleader. ✧

Sending you love and good energy, talk soon. 

Nandini 💌 (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ 

🍊↪ TAGLIST (join here): 

Thank you to these folks for supporting my content! I appreciate & love you, hope y'all are taking care. ⬇

@doctorearlgray, @mintschlar, @procrastilate, @scienceandsarcasticdroids, @sxudying, @hannistudies, @vocative, @studign-stars, @ash-trological, @sweet-bean-study-queen, @chaoticstormthings, @lunetudes, @beingstudent, @beautiful-magicalbrain, @akydemics, @literery, @redvelvetstu-dies, @vivinotes, @jynsdesk, @moonshinestudies, @studying-in-chaos, @thelazyunistudent, @einstetic, @ram-the-blonde-bitch, @a-students-lifebuoy, @studahliless, @inspostudying, @the-diary-of-a-failure, @would-iwasshookethspeared, @coffeeandpies, @artsytourism, @gloomstudy, @scrolls-of-jupiter, @studytrivia, @ristudy, @isatriestostudy, @historicalbeez, @luvjoys, @indiaisstudying, @studyingunderwater, @dianeemay, @kemi-k, @londonotes, @froststudies, @pennyfynotes, @studiently, @midnightstudying, @unicorndoesstudies, @studyingundersun, @wingedprunepsychiclawyer, @tonystarkstudies, @delphinaaugery, @morganastudy, @studiies-psych, @sumastudies, @emrys-studies, @parleonstudies, @acataemic, @studylustre, @adelinestudiess, @sorcierstudies, @coffeeinfusedstudying, @pizza-and-studying, @the-third-me, @scrunchiestudies, @jemsjournals, @jas-study, @jabuticabablr, @khelmatic, @avastvdies, @anatomyandphysics, @neversecondbest, @podcast-listener, @astudyinpharmacy, @mandiestudie, @brazilianstudyblr, @redheadredheart, @rahastudies, @introvered-violinist  + you, if you’re reading this!

#unicorn studying #studign-stars #inspostudying #looklibraerie #heypfyn #jacistudies #lunetudes #ash-trological #studylustre #gloomstudy #dahliless #moonshinestudies #athenastudying #heypat #heylondonotes #adelinestudiess #hanniscup #heyindia

[the-singular-peep]

post el manana/plastic beach headcanons that nobody asked for (sponsored by not understanding the timeline in the slightest)

 When Noodle returns from the El Manana Incident, the second she sees the band she collapses. She shipped herself in Fed-ex, and when she did she was already skinny and exhausted from so many months on the run, fighting and alone after she and Russel got separated. Her eye wound, which was reopened by Mazuu, is still healing and blurry, but she brings rations and water and a book with her for the trip.

But the whole fiasco happens with the passport, and it takes eight days for Noodle to be delivered, and she only packed food for three. When the boys finally get the box and pry it open, Noodle stands, says, “surprise,” and then collapses over the edge, taking the box with her.

She’s nineteen years old, 4’10”, and 85 pounds. She’s tiny, from her first years growing up in a lab and her recent years spent malnourished and overworked. She’s half starved from the almost week without food (thankfully she had brought enough water for many more days, because she’s not an idiot) and exhausted, and her eye wound, which had previously been nearly healed before defeating Mazuu, was now infected and her eyelid was nearly swollen almost shut.

 2-D was too surprised to speak, and Murdoc was shocked and filled with guilt at seeing her like this, so Russel was the first to act. He picked her up and instantly took her into the kitchen to clean her wounds -- her eye and her many splinters and cuts -- before rousing her enough to get her to drink some water and eat a yogurt cup. She had a really high fever and her eyes didn’t really seem like she was seeing anything that day; she wouldn’t make words and couldn’t walk very far on her own. It was over exhaustion, lack of eating, and infection that had seeped into her body from months not taking care of herself in pursuit of killing something evil followed by a week in a dusty fed-ex box without any sunlight.

 After getting Noodle settled and asleep in a room they always hoped would be hers, Russel went into the kitchen like a man on a mission and began throwing stuff out

When murdoc asked what he was doing, he said they had a little girl to take care of again, and they couldn’t get her well if they were drinking and eating spoiled ready-to-eat meals. He left only a few yogurt cups, an unopened carton of ham, and a package of wine coolers.

The alcohol was really first to go, much to murdocs anger, bc some of that was expensive

they got him to keep the wine coolers bc really there wasn’t even much alcohol in them and c’mon russ you just threw out my fancy burboun that cost 60 bucks, at least leave something --

And then russel sent 2-D and Murdoc shopping, with stuff on the list like “apples” and “orange juice” and “ramen” and something called “spinach”

 He stayed home while they went to walmart and sat in Noodle’s room with her, holding her burning hot hand while she slept and kissing it every once a while and definitely NOT crying

Noodle slept for a really long time after that, and when she woke up again the next day at nine PM with a wet rag on her forehead and chills wracking her body she was STARVING, but too weak to do anything. Russel was in the room with her -- he hadn’t left at all since she came home -- and when she woke up she said, “hurts, hurts,” and eventually was able to get her foggy mind to remember the words to ask for something to eat.

She had a pretty high fever, was clammy, and was having some breathing issues, and so Russel thought he should bring a sick day food -- something easy on the tummy. He brought her Ramen Noodles with some grilled chicken for protein and helped her sit up enough to eat them, and she ate like if she didn’t finish it fast enough she wouldn’t get another chance to eat for another week before falling asleep again

And then about ten minutes later she woke up and threw up all over herself and the bed

Russel cleaned it up and noodle cried really soft and babyish bc wow what a way to start the day

 After noodle stopped throwing up after almost everything she ate and was holding her head up better, 2-D started coming in every once and a while.

Lots of times he’d just show her memes on his phone or bring a book to read to her

 (she was way too old for that, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t like it)

Noodle still slept most of the day, and still had to have help when she needed to get up to go to the bathroom, but she seemed to be recovering very very slowly.

About day four, she got up in the middle of the night having to pee really really bad, and dragged herself out of bed all by herself because Russ was asleep and she felt like a burden for being out of commission for so long. She fell on the way to the bathroom, but got the job done

On the way back to her room (was walking always this exhausting?) murdoc, who was in the middle of getting drunk on wine coolers in the living room while watching reruns of friends, thought she was 2-D and yelled at her to shut off the light along with some crude words and insults

He noticed it was her, and asked her why she was up. Her voice was croaky and painful when she responded.

“had to piss”

“do noT USE THAT LANGUAGE GO TO BED”

Murdoc is struggling a lot, because he feels so guilty about having caused her to be so damaged, physically and mentally. He’s feeling suicidal, because the only thing he lived for -- his little girl -- deserves to have him out of her life for good. She deserves so much better than him.

He closes his eyes, but after a few minutes he feels hands padding across his lap and then knees, and when he opens his eyes Noodle is curled up in his lap, her fevery skin burning his bare thighs and her body shaking with silent sobs

(shh hes wearing shorts)

normally he’d react angrily, but he’s kinda drunk so he kinda pats her back and after a few minutes, shes stopped shaking so much and he thinks she’s asleep

Its quiet, and dark other than the TV illuminating everything in a soft blue glow, and when Noodle speaks, her voice is broken and soft.

“papa..”

 And that gets him, and Murdoc tears up and starts petting his daughter’s hair. He doesnt deserve her, and she doesnt deserve this. He’ll make sure he’s gone soon. For her. But right now, he’ll try and be the comfort she needs.

“I know, love, I know it hurts…”

“I -- I’m not ready to be like this.” She whispers back, and Murdoc is pretty sure she won’t remember this in the morning because her skin is crazy hot and her eyes are foggy with sickness

 “Like what, sweet?” His voice is gravelly and old, but to Noodle, his voice is Home.

“Grown.” She squeaks, her breath labored. “I.. I missed you papa. I’m.. I’m not ready to be a grown up.”

 Murdoc sucks in a breath and keeps petting her head. “I missed you too, my dear,”

“I can’t.. it hurts, Murdoc. I never got to grow up. Just one day.. One day I was hunting a demon and being shot at and taking care of myself -- “ A sob broke her off. “I want to be a kid again, riding on Toochie’e shoulders and being held and coddled. Papa, I can’t do this,”

 “Shh, shh love, you don’t have to be grown any more. We have you now. You can be a kid again.”

And then she’s asleep, and murdoc is cursing because his cheeks are wet with tears

She really acts like she needs him, and maybe she does

 Murdoc resolves to get better. To be better for her. To let her be a kid and let her rely on him.

He throws out the wine coolers and brings her honey nut cheerios and a stuffed bunny in the morning

(and punches russel for making that smug “aww” face at him)

#gorillaz #diggity darnit b #b writes #noodle #noodle and murdoc #murdoc niccals #russel hobbs #gorillaz phase 3 #gorillaz phase four #hurt/comfort #gorillaz headcanons #noodle headcanon #vomit mention #suicidal thought mention #tw: suicidal thoughts #ooc probably #w/e

[mania-junkie-writes]

Cheerio Hater - A Nate Side Story

So this was one of the first stories I ever wrote for my favorite boy and I hold a great fondness to it, so I hope you’ll find in yourself to do the same. This one in particular just really captures Nate’s personality as a whole and adds immensely to his character description and just ugh I love this one. Enjoy!

(tags under the cut)

'Twas the school year of 7th grade for out young asshole, and he was still, low and behold, an asshole. Finding himself in a situation where no one could take him seriously, he formed a brilliant plan. He would make a club.

1) The question of how the hell a club would benefit in his situation where people couldn't see him as more than a gorgeous fuckboy hadn't the slightest notion to cross his mind.

2) ‎He made no ordinary club.

Thus begins our story of how our beloved cocktease made a lasting impression upon the school's administration, custodial staff, and students.

Now, first you must understand how clubs worked at his middle school establishment. Though it was most recommended that you find a teacher sponsor to host your club, it was not necessary. As long as you had a meeting at least once you were fine. Meetings could be held in the library as a go-to location.

He made his club. A club he believed in with all of his heart, a club you couldn't help but feel drawn to, a club where you were accepted, a club where you could feel safe, a club that some say was no less than a food product genocide:

THE OBSESSIVE HATRED FOR CHEERIOS CLUB

That was it. That was the exact name of the club. Thus with this, he went home and made a total of 1,000 posters for his club and the first meeting, posting to any imaginable surface in the school.

Of course you'd imagine that everyone thought it was annoying as fuck, but you forget that he's a cunning mother fucker. He advertised most ardently that there would be free.fucking.pizza.

The whole school showed up.

They were forced to move from the library to the auditorium.

He provided the promised pizza.

They were just scratch and sniff stickers.

But he made his point clear.

He would from then on be taken seriously as a cheerio hater and sticker fanatic.

But his club did not go in vain.

Everyone was so mad, and so vividly ardent on hating him they were ready to pounce.

He then threw Cheerios at their faces from the stage.

From then on everyone remembered.

HE INSPIRED AN ENTIRE SCHOOL TO DEVELOP AN UNDYING HATRED FOR FUCKING CHEERIOS.

Epilogue:

The asshole doesn't remember ever doing this. But he legit hates Cheerios. Not from the club. He hated Cheerios before that and so he made the club.

Tag List:

Let me know if you want to be added or removed~~

@chuddychud, @proteovaldez, @approximately12lbs-of-ducks, @ad-drew, @bluewritesbadly, @katabasiss, @jess—writes, @nineteensleepycrows

#requiem #requiem for an evangelist's vocation #nate #nate de luna #nathaniel victor de luna #side story #cheerio hater #my favorite story #first nate story #ugh this boi is adorable

[actfact2-blog]

Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

These Gooey Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars could not be more delicious and perfect for a back to school weekend dessert! Sponsored by General Mills.

Bringing you a fun Back To School Weekend Dessert! This time of year is so exciting as our kids start a new school year.  With so much going on, getting used to new schedules, things can get hectic too.

We want to help put you and your family first during this exciting but hectic time of year. One of the biggest things that has helped me for back to school season is organizing and preparing the kids school lunch the night before.  I’m not saying we are perfect at this every day, but when we get lunches made before hand, our mornings seem to go so much smoother and enjoyable.  I also like to make it a team effort.  Mom makes the sandwiches and the kids get their snacks and water bottles ready.  Team effort is always nice.

I love how General Mills Cereals is on a journey to make cereals even better, while removing things you don’t want so you can feel good about choosing cereal as your child’s first meal of the day. That means removing artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources, and using only real ingredients like honey, cocoa and cinnamon to make your family’s favorite General Mills cereals likes Honey Nut Cheerios, Chex, Cocoa Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and many more.

Today, more than 90 percent of General Mills cereal recipes do not have artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources.

To make these gooey bars, start by adding your cereal and marshmallows into a large mixing bowl.

Give a nice stir and prepare your peanut butter sauce.

Heat up your corn syrup, brown sugar and peanut butter into a saucepan until it comes to a low boil.  You’ll stir in your vanilla and salt too.

Pour right over your cereal mixture.

Give a nice stir.

The trick is to not eat it out of the bowl at this point.  Warm gooey bites of heaven right here 🙂

Transfer to your lined baking dish.  Note: Spray your parchment with cooking spray, the bars will come out of the pan much easier.

Spread your mixture as evenly as possible.

Drizzle with chocolate.

A little drizzle of white chocolate too!  Let cool and set up for a good hour before cutting into squares.

These bars are so great for transporting to parties, the kids and adults love them!

The gooey factor is off the charts.  Enjoy!

Check out my fun videos on how I make these fun bars!

Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 0 min | Total time: 15 min, plus one hour cool time

Ingredients

3 cups Reese’s Peanut Butter Puff’s Cereal

3 cups Chocolate Cheerios Cereal

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup white candy melts, melted (I use Ghirardelli)

1 cup chocolate candy melts, melted (I use Ghirardelli)

Directions

Place cereal and marshmallows into a large mixing bowl. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray generously with cooking spray.

Place brown sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and let boil for one minute. Remove and stir in vanilla and salt. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until well combined, the marshmallows will melt while stirring. Pour cereal mixture into prepared baking dish spreading and pressing evenly, will be sticky, doesn’t have to be perfect. Drizzle top layer with melted white chocolate then with melted chocolate. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Serve room temperature.

Makes 12-16 Servings

Disclaimer: This post is in partnership with General Mills. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Picky Palate possible.

Other recipes you may enjoy...

26 Responses | Comments RSS

Source: https://picky-palate.com/gooey-chocolate-peanut-butter-crunch-bars/

[this-is-an-open-letter]

You seem a person with a certain knowledge of social media, do you think manifesto are doing a good job with them? I think is not good enough there is not promotion of their sport events or them as and athletes of course social media is not all and behind social media they could do a good job but it doesn´t seem at all.

It could definitely be better.

But I also think T&S are in a unique position where they don’t need to promote their career because it speaks for itself. Which is why a lot of what Tessa does with HB&B, Adidas and now BonLook has nothing to do with her skating career but her own personal one.

She’s marketing herself instead of her and Scott because they don’t really need to any more. They’re household names.

I wish there was more for Scott but I think its obvious that he’s just not interested in doing anything outside of just competing. The Cheerio and VISA sponsorships are ones you don’t say No too, you take those because they’re big and I am sure whatever it is that Russell does for them, it was in part making sure VM got two big sponsors for this final games. 

The honest truth is that Tessa does more for herself and Scott than Russell has ever and will ever do for them. Which is partly why people either love Tessa’s SM or hate it, because its very obviously designed to promote her skating and her deals (this obvious changed when they decided to come back, before that it was far more personal).

With how far SM can reach I’m someone who believes not all people need to hire a marketing agent and with how Tessa is able to market herself and Scott during competitions, how they’re able to already set up tour dates and Gold Medal Plate events, I think is pretty obvious they can do it all on their own. Even their website - its useless. Its pretty and nice that its up to date but it currently has no purpose that with a single tweet or instagram post Tessa couldn’t do just as effectively. I mean she literally had to tweet about their website for people to know about it. That’s not the way things used to be. If you wanted to know things you googled the name and found their website. Now you just go on twitter or instagram and you’ll get everything you need. 

There is obviously bts stuff we don’t know about what exactly Russell does for them but at face value I don’t see how he does more than what Tessa can do on her own social media accounts for the both of them. 

[gregory8777]

Back-dated from 06/27/19 Today was a weird one. I could not tell the difference wether I was asleep or awake! I’m sure this has happened to my fellow readers. If so comment down below. My sponsor came over and fixed my front door lock. It took him longer to drive over than it took to fix it. Smart man. He somehow has the magic touch. I messed with the lock over two hours just to get the bottom bolt barley secured to the door. I’m so lucky to know and have people like my sponsor in my life these days. He is going to fix my bathroom towel rack this Sunday. After he left around 11am I crashed on the couch going in and out of consciousness until around 5pm. This is were it got weird. I had some mini-dreams or nightmares I guess but they didn’t appear bad. All as I could remember was waking up multiple times unsure if I was still asleep or not. I finally did around 5pm to wake up and have my girlfriend mad at me for not texting her the entire day. I finally did and told her what happened. She’s still mad in case you’re wondering. I hit the gym on another semi-fasted workout. I had toast with Nutella, a super green shake, oatmeal and two protein bars totaling about 800 calories. I worked my upper chest, traps and legs today. I got to the gym at 6:30 and was done by 7:30pm. I hit my recovery meeting at 8 then got home at 10. I had my post workout meal which consisted of one turkey burger wrapped in lettuce, two cups of multigrain Cheerios, another protein bar and a handful of unsalted mixed nuts. My calories for the day was around 2688 minus about 300 calories burned from my workout. Sometimes I actually get to the gym later than I want. This forces me to really focus and get in my workout with minimal to no rest. I’ll post today’s workout below. Until the next workout remember; ‘You Cannot Out Train A Bad Diet ‘ Greg Upper chest: Incline chest press 5X14 Traps: Reverse peck deck machine 5X10 Legs: Calf extensions 3X10 Quad curls 3X10 Hamstring curls 3X10 Bonus: Seated shoulder press machine 3X10 (I used the front grips to mimic the cable front raise) Seated machine row 3X10 Tricep pushdowns 3X10 Seated machine preacher (at Youfit Health Clubs) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzPwqqWhtex/?igshid=154098sdnqeq1

[vapinskye-blog]

Friends Who Vape Together, Stay Together

Spring, the more accomplished “vaper” of the two, returned the volley by tapping his cheeks and lofting a series of “Cheerios,” or cereal-shaped ringlets, across the room.

This was a typical afternoon spent among vapers, the common term for people who vaporize nicotine solutions the way smokers drag on cigarettes. More peculiar and specific names for vapers are “cloud bros,” “flavor chasers” and “maintainers.” Kite, 24, began as a maintainer hoping to stay off cigarettes; he has since become a flavor chaser for the connoisseurship he applies to his hobbyist habit. Spring, 20, by contrast, competes in vaping trick competitions and is sponsored by several vape companies. Spring is an unequivocal cloud bro.

“You can definitely tell which O’s are his,” Kite said, admiring the rich variety of vapor rings Spring pulled from the vaporizer he won at the first vaping contest he entered in Santa Rosa, California, in 2015.

The two are a handful of vapers who frequent the five vape shops in Central Oregon, stoking a marketplace worth more than $2 billion in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration has deemed vaporizers and its accessories and juices as tobacco products; it began regulating them this year.

While the vape landscape may change in coming years, a visitor at Vape Game 3, which was opened in 2014, would think it is was business as usual. On any afternoon, a number of vapers hang out on tall stools at the lounge, which features a wrap-around counter, leather couches and a flat screen. Prices have been carefully written in Old English calligraphy on a chalkboard, and a nearby wall is filled with one-ounce jars of “e-juices,” or nicotine solutions.

Here Kite, who lives in Tumalo, kills time between morning gigs with a moving company and evening shifts as a sound engineer at local music venues. A former smoker and recovering alcoholic, Kite said vaping helps him maintain his nicotine fix while avoiding the tar and additives of cigarettes. Elizabeth Rainwater, who has vaped for more than two years, shares Kite’s enthusiasm. She often sidles up next to him at the lounge during her lunch breaks from her job at a car wash.

Rainwater, 20, said she first tried a lemonade-flavored juice when she was a high school senior. Rainwater switched to vaping, which she first glimpsed on social media, when she worried she was becoming addicted to cigarettes. She currently vaporizes a raspberry-flavored solution that carries a 6-milligram nicotine level — the second-lowest dosage available. She said she likes to have something in her hand, especially when she’s driving — her Tiffany-blue vaporizer fits perfectly. Rainwater said she identifies as a flavor chaser.

Flavor chasers 

When vapers hang out together, they let their clouds dribble from their lips. When someone’s vapor brushes their neighbor’s face, they don’t recoil the way one might when engulfed in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This vapor is typically flavored to resemble fruits and baked goods. It fills the air like a heavy perfume.

“Vaping certainly smells a hell of a lot better than smoking a cigarette,” Kite said. “I never once had a woman complain about me smelling like strawberry cannoli.”

Kite was alluding to the flavor of e-juice he is currently enjoying with any one of his eight vaporizers. Flavor chasers suss out fully manual vaporizers that allow them to fine-tune the wattage output, which determines the quantity and heat of the vapor created. On this day, Kite carried his utilitarian $100 “mod,” or vaporizer, that, for its stout functionality, could have been filched from a science laboratory. Kite is a former Vape Game employee you would think still works there, given his Vape Game T-shirts and his professional demeanor. Kite speaks fluently about vaporizers’ power input and wattages; the multisyllabic e-juice ingredients “propylene glycol” and “vegetable glycerin” roll off his tongue. Kite goes through a $20 one-ounce pot of e-juice every four days. He currently vaporizes solutions that contain 6 milligrams of nicotine, which in the middle of the spectrum, ranging from 0 milligrams to 12. While some maintainers work to step down their nicotine intake, Kite said he has no plans to do so.

“Most vapers are people who need nicotine. I’m one of those people who is going to freak out at somebody in traffic if I haven’t had any,” Kite said.

Kite’s devotion to his preferred nicotine delivery device has prompted him to help moderate two Facebook pages — the Bend Vape Club and Flavor Chasers United. The groups enjoy nearly 300 and 150 members, respectively. In both groups, administrators make sure would-be members are 18 or over before they can log in to exchange information about vape legislation and swap products.

“Forums are a place for vapers to form friendships with like-minded people,” Kite said. “They allow us to ask and answer questions easily and quickly.”

Cloud chasers 

The sometimes derisive terms cloud chasers and cloud bros are reserved for vapers who prize large clouds. While Spring qualifies as a cloud chaser, his genial demeanor and exceptional trickery exempt him from critique — he is one of the good ones.

Spring, who never smoked cigarettes, became fascinated with “cloud tricks” when he began smoking tobacco-based shisha from hookahs with friends. He switched to vapor when he began to worry about his health. After five months of practicing and studying others’ trick variations on social media, Spring mastered the ability to blow thick, rich rings. Spring works part-time at Vape Game while taking classes at Central Oregon Community College on his way to become an X-ray technician. Although he has never been a cigarette smoker, Spring vaporizes a juice with a 3-milligram nicotine level. He said he has not noticed any adverse health effects, something he monitors when he works out five to six days per week. Now that his contest performances have garnered him attention and sponsors, Spring stokes his following by making vape shop appearances and posting short trick clips on his Instagram page @Nicolaivapes, which has attracted 400 followers. Top vape tricksters have tens of thousands of followers. Spring, who lives in Deschutes River Woods, estimates he spends 10 hours a week practicing his tricks in front of a mirror. His girlfriend, Ashtynn Weber, 19, sitting at his side, quibbled with that figure. 

With a laugh, she said, “It’s at least twice as much.”

Originally seen here:

http://www.vapor-news.com/2016/07/01/friends-vape-together-stay-together/

[ilactivecouponcodes-blog]

Why Coupons, Online Promo Codes, and Extreme Couponing Are Doomed

Coupon codes and promo codes permit on-line shoppers to receive discounts that they typically would not when purchasing an item. Extreme couponing allows carts full of solutions to go out the door for pennies. In this depressed economy, people today all more than choose to know "how to coupon?" All these discounts and the truth is the entire process of coupon shopping, is doomed.

Why are coupons doomed? You'll find several factors to assistance the doom of both printed coupons and electronic coupon codes. New technology is really a prime explanation. Limiting fraud is an additional. Finally, new types of advertising and discounting will combine to kind a brand new technique of purchasing.

Technologies for instance behavioral pricing, sophisticated customer segmentation, and dynamic demand pricing allow on the web retailers to price discriminate at finer and finer levels than ever prior to. This implies that combining vast quantity of client information obtainable in merchant databases like purchase history, consumer demographics, and social media, on line merchants can deliver diverse merchandise and pricing to each and every site visitor. Imagine that you just tweet your friends that you choose to invest in a new computer system, and you post about this on your weblog or inside a comment. Amazon, knowing that you simply have searched for computer systems recently and finds hyperlinks on a blog comment that tracks back for your profile, increases the prices on all laptop or computer products presented to you across all categories. Employing browser history, demographics and also a international buy history, a merchant presents an upsell offer bundling quite a few high-end associated products.

Promo codes isn't limited to sites along with the on the internet planet. The New York Mets plan to roll out dynamic pricing for seats across the entire stadium. There have usually been premium games against one of the most preferred teams, but imaging finding a discount mainly because a star pitcher got injured or paying additional because the team is all of a sudden in contention in September. Just how much longer until this spreads to grocery shops? Image paying far more for any box of Cheerios due to the fact Corn Flakes are out of stock, or a quarter far more per gallon of gas on the way household from perform at 5 o'clock versus the price tag at 11 o'clock at evening.

Advanced loyalty cards and mobile payments will also transform how coupons and discounts function in the genuine planet. Electronic discounts loaded straight to a loyalty card or account will not demand shoppers to bring printed coupons with them for the store. They'll basically be credited automatically at checkout. Sooner or later shoppers will likely be able to manage their loyalty accounts online, and pick which coupons, bargains, and specific provides to load straight from merchants, the sponsoring firms, and even person merchandise. Mobile payments will perform similarly, with discounts getting credited to accounts straight right after visiting a promotion website or liking a corporation on their Facebook web page or the social media site. With all the more client information these advances will bring merchants, they will be capable of reward their most effective consumers with specials, improved handle inventory, and in general the energy will shift from consumers to merchants.

In addition to presenting far more targeted marketing and advertising preventing fraud and abuse is very important for both merchants and sponsors. Brick and mortar retailers have started to limit coupon use in the purchasing trip, account, and monthly levels. Extreme couponing, where cart-fulls of solution go out the door for pennies after absorbing 30 to 60 minutes of checker and bagger time, is ending. Double coupon days are completed, as will be the acceptance of printed coupons in the internet. The sharing of coupons and buying several papers for the coupons will finish as retailers once more limit the usage of both precise coupons and total coupons over periods of time including a rolling three month period. Also, for the printed coupons that are distributed, anticipate to view anti-counterfeit properties coming, like Nano-holes that supply a bright shimmering impact. With the individualized electronic discount and customized promo codes, along with the uniquely coded paper coupons, sharing, trading and duplicating these might be not possible, or at the very least beyond the casual shopper.

Coupons might not disappear, but in their present form, they certainly are doomed as a result of a period of rampant fraud and abuse by the handful of intense coupon users. Expect more customized and valuable discounts applied to an individual account or mobile phone, and uniquely coded 2d barcodes coming to coupons that track the user account, distribution process, and location.