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[rindreamery]

yukimiya, sweet or bitter (u choose), a tight embrace and secret relationship, please & thank you ♡

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yukimiya + bitter + tight embrace + secret relationship w.c. 1.6k+

note. thank you minjee for proofreading <3 erm so this went way above 1k👩‍🦯 i feel like if i cut it short, the story just wouldn't sound right at all, yk?? listened to the instrumental version of toxic till the end - rose while writing this, highly recommend

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there’s nothing more disappointing than being stood up.

the feeling of being so excited to see someone again, after weeks of your schedules not lining up with one another, just for them to not follow through with their plans. without notice, of all things. you understand, in some cases— some things come up unexpectedly, emergencies, problems that are simply out of your control. but as far as you’re aware, there had been no emergency.

yukimiya had simply forgotten all about your date. again.

this would mark the third time, at this point. which was so weird, so unexpected, and so out of character for someone like him. he was nothing short of practical; he was always organized with his time, and any and every event would always be marked down on the calendar in his phone. set with an alarm, a calendar widget added onto his lockscreen, and everything. 

you glance at the clock on the wall, and you sigh to no one in particular. it’s late, hours past the time he had agreed to come over. the food on your dining table had long gone cold, the candles had been blown out and the smoke had fizzled out, and you’ve changed out of your nice clothes into something more comfortable. you sit on the couch in absolute silence, your apartment still, and you stare out the window. 

the city outside is buzzing with the usual hum of nightlife, and you can hear the distant chatter and laughter as people whizz by. people on their phones talking, people with their friends, and people with their significant others. it fills you with a feeling you can’t quite name. jealousy? discontent? or are you simply just sad? you’re not quite sure. 

you’re about to get up, about to pack up the food and save it for yourself to eat another day, when a rapid series of knocks at your door pulls you out of your thoughts.

for a second, you stand there, unmoving. you chew on the skin of your lips as you contemplate opening the door— you know who it is, but truthfully, you’re unsure of whether you're in the mood to really talk to him. a second passes, a tick of the clock rings somewhere in the silence, and then another knock to your door. you walk, despite your best judgement, and you take your time opening it.

you crack the door open, only a little, and a sliver of yukimiya comes into view. 

“i’m so sorry,” he apologizes, words tumbling out of his mouth and rushed, and he sounds as if he were out of breath. beads of sweat line the crown of his forehead, his bangs are slightly matted to his skin. “i swear, i promise, my manager sprung something on me, last minute.”

you stand there, hands gripping onto the doorknob, as you take in his disheveled appearance— his typical polished, put-together demeanor crumbling right in front of you. for the first time, since you’ve known him, yukimiya looked genuinely distressed. his mouth was opening and closing repeatedly, desperately searching for the right words to say, and you can see a glint of pleading swirling in his eyes. but the words never leave his mouth, and all you’re stuck with is his rushed apology. 

“please,” he finally speaks again, “please, open the door. let me in, please.” 

you don’t, not yet.

you’re disappointed, angry, sad, all at the same time— you feel it all as one emotion, deep in your heart, and you want to shout at him. you want to open the door and shove him back, to give him a piece of your mind, and let him feel the weight of the constant disappointment. three dates worth of waiting, having hope that things might finally change, and then realizing that it won’t. 

but you stay calm, eerily so. “you’re late,” you tell him instead, voice flat and quieter than you intended. though, even to your own ears, it sounds more sad than anything. he flinches slightly, despite your hushed voice. “third time, yukki. this is the third time.”

“i know,” he mutters, “and you didn’t deserve that.”

at least you’re aware, you respond back in your head, but you don’t say it out loud. a silence falls between the two of you, thick and suffocating, and you both stand on opposite sides of your door. he doesn’t move, he doesn’t try to shove his way into your apartment, but he simply keeps a hand on your door. just there, yet somehow, so invasive. 

you’re just not sure what hurts more: the fact that he keeps forgetting about your dates, or the fact that you’ve begun to expect it. you’ve already started bracing yourself for the feeling of disappointment each time, somewhere in the back of your mind nagging you that your hopes would be crushed by the reality of his busy life. 

the life he just doesn’t seem to be able to make room for you in. (the life he keeps you far, far away from.)

"please, just open the door." with a heavy sigh, you swing the door fully open. there, the two of you stand, facing each other, unsure of what to say. 

you press your lips together, your mind swirling with all the things you want to say, all the frustration you’ve bottled up. and you end up talking before you think, “another modeling gig.” his shoulders tense at the words, and the way his eyes flit away for a second tells you all you need to know. “and you couldn’t say no, again. even though this date was planned two weeks in advance, and you ended up choosing a modeling gig over me. again.”

the words sting as they leave your mouth.

"i know, i’m sorry. i don’t know what else to say," is all he could say, his voice barely audible, and his apologies repeat like a broken record, "just, i’m sorry."

you want to demand more from him, more than just an empty, repetitive, half-assed apology. but before you can, he steps forward, closing the distance between you, in one swift motion.

you don’t step back. you don’t move at all.

when his arms wrap around you, your arms stay stuck to your sides. his embrace is tense, desperate even, in the way his arms tighten around you at the lack of response. you feel everything he feels— you can feel the way his heart pounds against his chest that’s pressed to yours, you can feel the way his fingers curl into your hair as he pushes your head deeper into the crook of his neck, and his ragged breath that fans against your ear as he buries the side of his face into your hair. for a split second, you find yourself losing to yourself, melting into his touch against your will. 

you can feel the apologies, you feel his regret— as if he’s hoping this hug would say everything he can’t put into words. but it doesn’t fix anything. it doesn’t change the fact that he’s failed you again.

it’s hard to ignore the fuzzy feeling of having his arms wrapped around you once again, the feeling of being shielded from all of your problems. but it’s even harder to ignore that feeling of fear that you’ll always be second to everything else in his life. his jam-packed schedule, spontaneous modeling gigs that he just can’t seem to say no to, and his fans who aren’t even aware of your existence— all who come before you. you’ve tried to be understanding, to be patient, but the neglect has finally worn you down. 

“we can’t keep doing this,” your words are muffled by the skin of his neck, his hand on the back of your head keeping you close to him. "i can’t do this anymore, yukimiya."

silence. 

your words hang heavy in the air, and for a moment, you’re unsure of whether you've even said them out loud. but the shift in yukimiya’s grip—his body stiffening, his breath audibly getting caught in his throat, his hold on you faltering momentarily—tells you that he’s heard you. loud and clear. another beat of silence, and you realize the two of you will never get anywhere like this.

you take this chance, this moment of weakness, to put some distance between you two.

you find the resolve to rip yourself from his arms, hands pressed against his chest as you finally push him away. “i think—” and your voice cuts out as you swallow heavily. but you’ve made up your mind, and you continue. "that maybe it’s better if we don’t see each other anymore," you say softly, your voice barely above a whisper.

his arms reach out for you again, but this time, you step back. "i’ll change," he pleads with you, his eyes searching to meet yours, "i’ll tell everyone about us, i’ll make sure my time is all yours. i’ll even quit, if you told me to." and you know, deep down, that he would. 

you look at him, and the part of you that still (inevitably) loves him aches at the sight. "you know i would never ask you to do that for me, yukimiya," you tell him, shaking your head. "and i should never have to ask you to change, you know."

and yukimiya knows, you’re not wrong.

still. he stands on the threshold of your apartment, unwilling to leave, not wanting to leave. but with a gentle shove of your fingertips against his chest, he steps back. and with that, you move to close the door between you, a “goodbye,” slipping past your lips, before the door clicks shut.

© rindreamery, 2024

[vamossainz55]

always - carlos sainz jr

summary (5.5k words): inspired by always by daniel caesar and requested by one of my favorite people @scuderiasundays. or the one where you and carlos find your way back to each other. warnings: mentions and hints of s*x (no explicit writing), hints towards cheating. a lot of longing, tension, and a disgusting amount of use of the word always. sorry it had to be done.

“feliz año nuevo!” 

carlos smiles when his mother comes close, stamping a kiss to his cheek. he wraps his arm around her, hugging her close as the sound of fireworks erupt through the city. 

he can hear the cheers from the other houses and the sound of the tv still playing. la puerta de sol is on the screen, a new number he needs to remember for the year splashed on top of it with a nicely written font. 

“terminaste todas las uvas?” did you finish all of your grapes? reyes asks, ruffling her son’s hair fondly. carlos scrunches his face slightly but leans into her touch anyways. only two people in the world were allowed to touch his hair, his mother’s just lucky she’s one of them. 

“si las terminé,” as he moves to pull his phone can feel the slight rumble in his stomach as proof, along with the ache of his jaw from chewing so quickly. 

“y pediste un deseo?” carlos blinks, mind flashing to mere seconds ago after he had chewed down the twelve grapes. he smiles. 

“claro mamá” he says before his attention is taken up by his father, who pulls him into a hug. hugging his father turns into hugging blanca, and hugging blanca turns into hugging caco, and that turns into hugging the rest of the group. 

soon hugs turned into cheering with champagne. then shotting tequila. and then one or two bottles of beer.

in between all the drinks and laughs his mind frequently goes back to the wish he had made as the clock rang 12. 

he really wonders if his wish would come true, the reminder prompting him to take out his phone. 

it’s only when he’s looking at the lit up screen that he feels it. the quick movement of his eyes but the slow motion of his vision. the alcohol was surely taking effect and he was definitely starting to feel the consequences.

he unlocks his phone anyways, goes to open whatsapp with one name in his mind. as he clicks on the logo he sees the notification come in. your name sits nicely at the top of the list of conversations. 

‘happy new years! i know this will be your year, go get em x’ 

he smiles, and against his better judgement types in ‘what if its our year?’ it’s cheesy, but in the moment it seems great to him. his thumb hovers over the send button as he tries his best not to think too much about it. 

is this too much? he hesitates pressing send, thinking. god. i can still taste the tequila in my mouth. his lips purse and he smacks his lips against each other. why is my mouth so dry? i should go get water. he gives his train of thoughts an approval, nodding to himself before pocketing his phone. 

don’t get distracted carlos. he tries his best to make it to the kitchen, but his resolve breaks when another shot glass is being handed to him. he smells it. vodka hm, at least it isnt tequila. he thinks before downing the contents of the glass. 

he figures water can wait for later.

its later that night (or maybe he should say morning?) that he climbs up the stairs, more blurry eyed than before with a bottle of water in his hand. he almost misses a few steps, letting out a winded breath when he reaches the top. he finds piñon laying by the railing, head tucked on his legs.

his eyes look up at carlos, clearly having expected him to come sooner. “sorry piñon, tenemos que festejar un poco no?” we need to party a little bit no? carlos asks, crouching down to pet the top of his head.

he watches the way piñon leans into his touch, puppy dog eyes as big as ever and in that moment he remembers his wish. “no te muevas, que estas muy mono,” don’t move, you look adorable he says before fishing his phone out of his pocket. 

the battery widget flashes red, a notification announcing he has less than 10% left making an appearance. he dismisses it quickly, swiping to open up his camera app instead. 

click. 

he smiles at the photo on his screen. he can barely hold himself up though so he gets up on his feet, legs wobbling a bit in the process. he pockets his phone again, he figures he can send the photo later, his bed already calling out his name. he stumbles into it face first, bottle still in his hand. 

he dreams of his wish and the text he’ll receive when he wakes up. 

but when he opens his phone the next morning to realise his text is still half written without being sent, he’s too embarrassed to even look at it. he deletes the whole text, and doesn’t send you anything altogether. 

it’s a quiet day, different to the bustling life he’s used to. it’s something he barely imagined himself appreciating, a contrast to what he used to crave: busy schedules, back to back flights, speeding through tracks, or even streets, the thrill of it all.

madrid always helped him wind down, allow his two feet to settle back on the ground. it’s a nice reminder that there’s a life outside of it all: outside of hotels, outside of planes, outside of cars. 

which is why, neatly packed between meetings, trainings, catch-ups with friends, he always slots in quiet morning walks in the city. 

he soaks it all in, eyes tracing every window, every door, every crack in each tile he steps on. he’s in the city he calls home, where nothing really changes, but where nothing really stays the same. 

small droplets of rain pellet on his skin as he walks, going past the all too familiar park he practically grew up in. the see-saw looks the same, along with the black handles he used to grip whenever his friends would get off from the other side without warning.

he smiles at the memory. his own high pitched voice rings in his ears, letting out expletives that kids his age would more than get in trouble for. 

it’s the next step he takes that brings him back to reality. an unhinged tile that’s peaking unexpectedly high. 

he trips, shoulders raising slightly as he catches himself with his other foot. distracted, he doesn’t notice the person in front of him, not until he lets out a small but embarrassed breath of relief whilst looking up. 

“carlos?” his name rolling off your tongue sends goosebumps to his skin and his eyes grow slightly. “i didn’t know you were going to be home,” you come closer this time, hand going over his shoulder to grab behind his neck. your touch sends a shiver down his back. 

despite the buffer of his brain he moves naturally around you, body responding faster than his thoughts. his hands go to your waist just as your cheeks touch. right cheek first, left cheek second. he takes the moment to take it all in. he feels your fingertips at the nape of his neck, your hair gently brushing over his shoulder your perfume still smells the same, the flowery and sweet aroma invading his senses. 

he realises he misses it. 

he realises he misses you. 

“yeah, I just landed yesterday.” his thoughts are slowly prickling in again, and he remembers where he is, what he’s doing. “and you know me,” 

you smile, because you do. “always squeezing a walk in?” 

he nods, eyes going over you. you don’t have much on you, your phone in one hand and your bag slung over your shoulder.

“always,” he answers. 

there’s a moment of silence as you scan over him this time. you notice he doesn’t have anything on him either, just a phone peeking out of his pocket.

“are you-” you start.

“where-“ he laughs when he realises he interrupted you, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. 

“you go,“ its said simultaneously between the two of you, and this time you’re both laughing, rosy cheeked and crinkly eyed. 

“okay,” he raises his hand so you can’t cut him off this time. “ladies first,” his tongue is resting gently between his teeth as he patiently waits for you to go ahead. 

“i was asking if you are going anywhere,” he shakes his head to answer. there’s a second question on the tip of your tongue, but you go for a third one instead. “what were you going to ask?”

“where you are going,” he doesn’t say it like a question, because in that little moment he knows you’re both on the same page. “but, i’m changing it to- if you want to grab coffee with me?”

one black coffee and one latte macchiato sit between you both. the smell of ground coffee floats in the air, mixed with the smell of freshly baked bread. 

it’s like the place misses you more than you miss it, the walls feel closer, warmer, asking you both to stay as long as possible. in reality though, you both don’t know how long this encounter would last. 

even maria, the older lady that owned the cafe, had welcomed you both with wide smiles and open arms, sneaking past the counter to hug you both. she still remembered your order by heart, shooing you both to sit down before any of you even ordered anything. 

it’s been a while since you’ve both sat together like this, scooted into the small table of the cafe, tucked into your corner. the table is as small as ever, and peaking right from under carlos’ drink you spot the little doodle on the wooden table from years ago. carlos spots it too. 

you remember the panicked voice carlos had that day. you had been coming back from the restroom just to find him leaning over the table with a far from innocent look. “i messed up,” he had whispered. at first he didn’t want to show you, and his dramatization of it all made you expect the worst. 

you were only met with a slight chip on the table, barely noticeable to the naked eye (or to whoever wasn’t looking for it). despite carlos’ demeanor you only laughed, grabbing a marker from your bag. you had made sure maria wasn’t looking before covering it in black. 

“it isn’t enough,” carlos murmurs, hunching over again to grab the pen to add more ink. 

you remember the gentle sound of the marker going back and forth. you give him a second, and then two, and then three, and by the fourth you nudge his foot. “carlos, i think we’re good.” but of course he shakes his head, an argument about needing the colors to blend. “it’s a marker on wood carlos, it isn’t going to blend,” but alas he doesn’t stop, not for a bit at least. 

you go for your phone, sighing softly with a shake of your head. you take a photo of him, writing the caption ‘this is literally your son right now’ and sending it to reyes when you notice the silence coming from the other side of the table. 

you glance back at carlos, finding him silently staring at the blob of black he had created. you can tell the moment he realises what he’s done, “... it’s way worse now isn’t it?” he asks, almost comically. 

“you’re really something else,” you bite your bottom lip, rolling your eyes as you hold back a laugh. “give,” you say, thanking him when he hands over the marker to you. “now go own up to maria, and i’ll at least try and make it cute.” 

he murmurs a sorry, cheeks going red as he lets you fix the problem he somehow made worse. he thanks you with several pecks though, whispering “you’re the best” into your ear. 

you end up covering the blob with a heart, and maria finds the whole thing too endearing to even get mad (she had apparently spotted carlos panicking even before you had come back from the restroom). 

you’d never admit it out loud, but you were grateful that a memory of you both was sealed somewhere. 

as always, your thumb taps at the glass of your coffee cup. you’re quiet, eyes scanning over the foam that’s collected at the top of your drink now. carlos watches you, the way you bring your cup to your lips before taking a sip of coffee. your tongue peaks out for a split second after to swipe at the cloudy texture left behind on your lips and he has to deny the urge to reach out with his thumb to wipe it away for you instead.

“thought you didn’t go anywhere without your red ferrari shirt,” you joke, the warmth of the drink calming your words. carlos only laughs, mirroring your actions to take a sip of his own cup. he places the cup next to the doodle this time, letting his hand rest on the table. his fingers tap over the fading ink, gently tracing the shape. 

“so you’re keeping up with my life hm?” carlos teases before sitting back into his chair, hands back at cupping his mug. 

“of course i do,” you answer, gently knocking your foot against his. he smiles at the revelation, as if you didn’t still like his photos, or left one-off replies to his stories. infact, you had wished him new years first. despite both of you deciding it was better to part ways, you both continued to put your best efforts in somehow remaining connected. 

carlos still wished you happy birthday every year, sent you a photo of piñon whenever he went home, and dropped a comment whenever he was on his instagram (he was glad you had your account on private). 

it’s not the same as it used to be though. you’re not really there, but it's enough for now.

“you never texted me back.” carlos looks at you, raising his brow slightly to feign confusion. he knows what you mean though because unfortunately, alcohol induced memory loss only existed prior to going to sleep. 

“i… forgot,” he lies, frowning small to himself because it's a bad excuse, a bit mean even. 

“mhm,” you give him a proper look before sighing. it was clear that you were frustrated, frustrated that you cared so much about it. 

“you know i didn’t mean to,” carlos murmurs, and it isn’t an apology. as much as he wanted to, he knew he didn't owe you one, and frankly, even though you wanted one you’d never accept it. 

“i know,” you murmur before taking a deep breath. carlos fights the urge to hold your hands, to tell you that it's fine. so instead, he pulls out his phone. 

“i do have a photo for you though, albeit a bit late” he says, unlocking his screen to open his gallery. you perk up at the mention of a picture and you sit up a bit, this time scooting closer. 

your knees touch just as carlos turns his phone to show you his screen. 

“he’s so cute,” you coo at the sight of piñon staring at you through the phone. slowly reaching to move the phone closer, your fingers go over his and carlos expects you to take his phone, but instead you let your touch linger. 

there’s a moment of silence before your eyes shift from the phone to carlos. there’s so much you want to say, but you know it isn’t fair to any of you. 

“i miss him,” carlos looks at you. the words feel heavier than they should. they hold more meaning and you both know it. he puts his hand down, fingers tracing over the doodle once more. 

“i know, he misses you too.” 

some nights carlos stays up late, staring at the ceiling of whatever room he’s staying in for the night. he likes to draw images on the ceiling, imagine something he can’t have but ultimately wants.

he sometimes imagines crossing the finish line first, lifting the trophy, sitting on the top step of the podium. not only once but multiple times. sometimes he imagines lifting the wdc trophy, imagines his name carved into the list of legends in the sport. 

as much as he loves the sport, it’s exhausting most times. both physically and mentally. the traveling, although fun, taxes him mentally. 

the changing hotel rooms, living out of a suitcase almost every other week gets old pretty quickly when you’ve been doing it for years. friends and family are good company, but sometimes he craves more. a constant, a person to call his. 

so inbetween images of the top step of the podium, glimpses of you always seem to appear through his mind.

he let his ritual slip once when talking to lando. lando calls it manifesting, something he’d caught when scrolling through tiktok. and carlos isn’t one to believe in the energy of the universe, but for this he’ll make an exception. some things are meant to be wished for. 

and honestly carlos needs to thank lando, even give him a gift, because tonight is one of those nights, and one thing he didn’t expect is to be behind the wheel of his car after being tucked in bed almost two hours prior. 

the moment your name flashed across the screen he was already up on his feet.

so he parks in your driveway, just to see you sitting on the stairs of your doorstep. he takes off his seatbelt, lets the engine run for a second as he tries not to think about it too much. 

you only look up when he opens the car door, slowly getting up as he comes closer to you. that’s when he notices it, your wet cheeks and swollen eyes. “hey,” you murmur, voice shaky. he doesn’t say anything, just wraps his arms around you before pulling you close to his chest. 

and this is exactly why you both didn’t see eachother often. why distance was best for you both. because here he is, on your doorstep with your face tucked into his chest. 

he knows why you called, knows showing up isn’t making it easier for any of you, but he’s selfish, and you are too. it might not be the first time you’ve called, but every time it happens carlos is scared it’ll be the last.

it feels like a ritual, carlos climbing into your bed in his boxers and a shirt you had chucked at him from his previous late night visit. no matter how long ago you always kept it with you. 

the room is cold, your insistence of not turning on the heater during winter still prominent after all these years. he never minds though, not when your body presses against his under the sheets, not when his arms wrap around you to pull you close.

his lips press against your forehead, soft and careful. he feels you let out a small breath, feels the tip of your nose poking at the center of his chest. he moves to look down at you to find your eyes already on him. “you feel better?” he asks, carefully tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. he lets his fingers graze over your cheek, thumb slowly going under your chin. 

“i do, thank you for coming,” you murmur, eyes dropping to his lips. you both know you shouldn’t. 

you continue to lay in eachother’s company, letting the familiarity sink in. it’s the perfect moment to forget about it all, about why moments like these were worth the distance and the stress. it’s the perfect moment to think about the what if’s.

and the nights always start like this, with strong composure and innocent touches. but every single time the night fails to end how it starts.

your breath feels warm against his neck and his grip is strong on your waist. your lips always manage to press closer and his hands always manage to go lower. 

“carlos,” you murmur. it’s always soft and always so needy. 

and carlos should know better, does know better, but his hands are slipping under your shirt, and your fingers are already dipping into the waistband of his boxers.  

his teeth graze against the sweet spot on your neck and the sounds you let out spur him on further. 

he wants this moment with you.  

you always awaken to an empty bed after, with no evidence of his presence apart from the marks on your skin. it never upsets you to wake up by yourself, as it was an easy way for you to run away from the reality of the previous night.

sometimes though you like to imagine what it would be like if he stayed one of the mornings.  whether you both would finally talk about everything, instead of tip-toeing around it all, but you never do. 

at the ene of the day the risk always seemed to outweigh the rewards. 

despite waking up with a certain sense of satisfaction, the feeling was always mixed with guilt, and often times regret. not for the choices made during the night but regret for letting things end in the first place. 

the risk of not being on the same page was definitely not worth the conversation. you were just as selfish as carlos. if turning your head towards another direction was all you needed to do then that is exactly what you’d choose. 

so life peruses normally, the seasons continue to change. the snow from winter melts as the spring flowers take their time to flourish. but every night when you close your eyes it’s like there’s something missing.

you never seem to shake it off, the only option is to dull it out, seeking comfort in others that don’t just quite make you feel the same way. carlos is no better though. 

you see the headlines on ‘hola’ magazine. the photos of carlos going home with a pretty brunette or blonde not far ahead. the girls change every other week and you can’t even bother to keep up, especially not when you have your own little distraction. 

this time it’s javi. a friend of a friend who funnily enough works in motorsport too. unlike carlos, he isn’t a driver, mainly arranging the different events that go through spain. 

you try to not mention carlos at all, especially when the formula 1 spanish gp gets brought up to the table one month into seeing each other. you just hoped your friend knew better, but unfortunately she doesn’t and you’re the only one to blame for it. 

“her ex is a ferrari driver now!” it’s innocent, your friend blissfully unaware of the way you tensed at the mention of carlos. in everyone else’s eyes you were both fine, some would even say great, the picture perfect image of healthy exes. 

“oh?” he asks. he senses the tension growing in your demeanor, the way you shift in your seat. your friend notices the questioning look he gives you. 

she laughs, genuine, and innocent. “it’s not like that, they’re on good terms. no funny business anywhere.” and it sounds so true that you almost believe it yourself.

the topic washes over the conversation, but your mind stays right there.

her words ring in your head. on good terms. no more funny business. you’d be lying if you said you no longer remember the way carlos’ lips traced your skin, or the way his hand wrapped around your neck. 

“so you’d be down to come with me to barcelona?” you snap out of your thoughts at the question, gaze coming up from the table. 

“sure, it’d be nice.” you answer, not finding the courage to even make an excuse. your fingers fiddle with the hem of your shirt during this. should you give carlos a heads up? 

you smile when you get a peck at your lips, nodding when being asked if you were excited. “very,” you say, wondering at the same time when you had gotten so good at lying when it came to carlos. 

the sun is shining brightly over the city, no cloud in sight. you can’t complain about the heat though, not when you’re tucked inside the paddock’s hospitality area. your paddock pass hangs around your neck, special guest written in small fine print along with your name. 

you’re by yourself at your table, fingers fiddling with your phone’s strap as you wait for javi to get back to you. he had left over an hour ago for a catch up with the board of the track, and although you didn’t mind spending some time by yourself, the wait is becoming longer than you had initially expected. 

you’re not short on entertainment, deciding to walk to the balcony as the sound of the engines reverberate through the building. 

you watch the flurry of f2 cars pass, each car being pushed to its limit as the drivers attempt to qualify with the best lap possible. the crowd cheers as they watch a new name place itself in p1.

your mind wanders as you watch, thinking about the red badge you had tucked away in one of the zippers of your purse.

you had received it in your mailbox a week after telling carlos you were going to be at the race.  

he knew you were coming with javi, the only catch though was that you only received one pass. 

you entertain the idea, a quick drop-by wouldn’t hurt any of you. it’s carlos’ home race and it felt wrong to not wish him good luck. 

so when javi’s apology appears on your phone saying it would take him a few hours, you find yourself turning away from the track and slipping the tag off your neck as you make your way out. 

you shoot out a text, dropping by to say hi. 

you get your answer before you even get to ferrari’s building, the red pass now hanging around your neck instead and you find carlos standing idle by the entrance. 

the moment he spots you he eyes you over, gaze following down the black and red lanyard to see your tag. as childish as it is he finds himself smirking, well aware of who’s name you were carrying around with the badge. 

you’re let in easily, carlos pressing the button to open the doors from the inside. he gives you a hug, finding comfort in the way you tucked your chin over his shoulder. 

your badge is between his fingers when you pull away. he flips the badge over, reads over the text before letting it go. he does nothing more of it, simply asking you how you were before taking you upstairs to his room in search of more privacy.

the room is bright red, a contrast to the white walls you were used to during his time at toro rosso. you make no issue of making yourself comfortable though, sitting on one of the chairs that’s pressed against his table. 

“the whole country is rooting for you,” it’s merely an observation of your time so far, countless of 55 merch dispersed all around the crowd. “you nervous?” it’s supposed to be teasing, but carlos knows you enough to notice the place of concern in your question. 

“a bit, shitting myself actually.” the confession comes out more serious than not and he simply tries to brush it off with a laugh. “but hey- can’t be worse than last year hm?” the joke falls flat between you both and there’s a silence that is almost suffocating. despite carlos’ good nature and strong spirit, you knew him well enough to know he was still letting past performances follow him.

the seconds feel like hours before you speak up, trying to determine what is best for you to say. you know carlos was one of the last people to want something sugar coated for him. “last year was.. something. but if anything- from what i saw today the crowd believes in you.” 

carlos lets out a lighthearted laugh, and you know what he thinks of your answer. “don’t just say that to make me feel better.” 

his eyes bore into you as you say the next words, and you let your eyes meet then. “you know, i say that because i believe in you too.” 

throughout all the years you’ve known him, one thing never failed to be true: you had always believed him from the beginning, and at the end of the day you’d always be rooting for him. 

“thought i’d get to meet your boyfriend today,” carlos says, resting on the edge of his table as he crosses his arms across his chest. you can’t tell if the remark is meant to be a jab, or whether it was something carlos wanted to do. “it’s serious?” 

he doesn’t look jealous, simply leaning his head to the side as he waits for you to answer. you could lie, say that it was serious and you wanted it to go somewhere, but you’d both know you wouldn’t be telling the truth. 

the choice you end up with is to not answer altogether, letting out a sigh instead. that’s all that carlos needs to know so he nods, taps his fingers over his arm. “how much time do you have?”

you watch him walk over to the door, and you pinch the end of your dress as your eyes trace his back. “i think i need company for the nerves.” he explains, “is it okay?” 

it isn’t okay, but javi wouldn’t be back for at least two hours. “i have as much time as you need me,”

you expect carlos to lock the door, for both of you to ignore the elephant in the room and just continue the cycle but the lock never clicks. 

instead he turns back around, a nervous expression on his face. you feel the energy of the room shift, and you watch carlos come closer. “actually… is it okay if we just talk?” he doesn’t mean just talking, the fiddling of his fingers giving it away. 

“about?” 

“you know about what,” carlos murmurs, “i just- i need to know where we’re both at. well, where you’re at.” 

you chew your bottom lip, take a deep breath as you tuck your hands under you. “but, what if,” you’re unsure on what to say next. what if you’re not on the same page? what if you realise it’s best to end things? “what if things change?” 

carlos smiles small, shakes his head before he speaks. “i’ll always be here, you know that right? even if we’re not on the same page right now.“

“i know.” you murmur as he sits down next to you.

it’s later that night that you break it off with javi with an apology and carlos’ hotel room card in your back pocket. 

you stay the night, the morning, and the night after that. 

“feliz año nuevo!”

carlos smiles when his mother comes close, stamping a kiss to his cheek. he wraps his arm around her, hugging her close as the sound of fireworks slowly dwindle down. 

the cheers have already died down, and the tv is on silent, music playing through the stereo instead. 

“terminaste todas las uvas?” did you finish all of your grapes? reyes asks, gently reaching over to fix carlos’ hair. carlos rolls his eyes playfully, they weren’t even ten minutes into new years and two people had already touched his hair.

“no, no las terminé,” he looks away from reyes, unable to stop the smile that was forming on his lips and the warmth he felt spread through his chest. 

reyes smiles, follows carlos’ gaze. she doesn’t need to ask but does so anyways “y no pediste un deseo?” and you didn’t make a wish? carlos shakes his head. 

“el mio ya se cumplió,” mine already came true. 

it takes you a moment to catch carlos staring, and he holds back a laugh when your eyes go wide the moment you realise reyes is there with him. you’re quick to walk over, “reyes, happy new years.” you’re smiling ear to ear, blanca who had stolen you from carlos mere minutes ago trailing behind. 

as soon as you’re done hugging reyes he wraps his arms around you from behind, presses a kiss to your cheek before shifting to peck at your lips. 

“quit snogging. you didn’t even try finishing your grapes before.” blanca comments which gets her a pinch on her side from carlos but he backs off nonetheless as soon as he notices you getting flustered. 

it’s only later that morning, when he stumbles into the bed with you that he finds your lips again. you laugh between kisses, both of you tired and heavy limbed as you sneak under the blankets. 

it’s once you’re both settled that carlos speaks up. “happy new year,” he murmurs against your lips, smiles when you murmur it back before kissing him again. he savors the moment, can still taste the hint of mint from your mouthwash. once you pull away he smiles, looking you in the eyes. he can’t help himself, the words being at the tip of his tongue during the whole evening. “this year’s our year hm?” he finally asks. 

you smile softly and nod, coming closer before answering with a whisper of  promise. “this one and the next.” 

[pastacrylic]

My BIGGEST pet peeve with graphic design discourse is that no-one fucking knows what "skeuomorphic" means and LOVE to throw the word around like they're geniuses

I'm going to show you examples of skeuomorphic designs.

See this phone icon? This clock widget? THAT is skeuomorphic design.

"But pasta, these are flat icons!" No. Shut up.

SKEUOMORPHIC IS NOT THE OPPOSITE OF FLAT.

Skeuomorphism is the process of having an object imitate the design of another object, usually in the purpose of making it feel more familiar to the end user.

In the context of the digital world, that means making the phone icon look like an old handset.

It means making the save icon look like a floppy disk.

It means using words like "button" or "switch" or "desktop" to refer to abstract concepts in these environments.

Skeuomorphic does not and has never meant "shaded icons and realistic textures".

Skeuomorphism can be applied to flatter interfaces just as much as it can be applied to super detailed, textured interfaces.

[howzitsa]

AMD Ryzen 5 6-Core 3.7GHz 4600G AM4 Vega7 8GB 500GB SSD Strategize and reach your targets easily with the PCBuilder AMD Ryzen 5 4600G Home Master Windows 11 Desktop PC. This pre-built desktop PC is designed for use at home or in the office and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 4600g CPU with Radeon built-in graphics. It also comes with an A520 chipset motherboard, 8GB of high-speed DDR4 memory, and a 2.5″ SATA SSD. Built with efficiency in mind so you can reach your deadlines on time, this pre-built PC has everything you need to hit those daily targets. With Microsoft Windows 11 already installed, you can also run the latest versions of all your apps with more features and better security. Its Radeon built-in graphics are also a great option for presentations and video content or editing. The Home Master features a Ryzen 4000 G-Series CPU and DDR4 memory, which will ensure that every task gets completed quickly and efficiently. With 6 cores and 8GB of DDR4 memory, no task is too much for it to handle. Data can be transferred, and applications can be loaded at lightning-quick speeds thanks to the included 2.5″ SATA SSD. This makes using apps like Microsoft Word and Excel run even more smoothly, so you can get more work done. All the components are held together with a high-performance AM4 Motherboard with Lightning Gen 3 support. The motherboard delivers an efficient and productive experience with stable functionality and maximum performance. Everything is protected and held together inside a sleek-looking Micro-ATX Chassis. This modern-looking compact chassis is easy to maintain and upgrade, while its smaller form factor is great for saving some space in the home or office. The Home Master comes installed with Windows 11 which has easy-to-use tools that can help you optimize your screen space and maximize your productivity. It features great tools like Microsoft Edge, the new and improved Microsoft Store, Snap Layouts to arrange your open windows into grids, Desktops for better organization, as well as Widgets. Windows Security also offers advanced protections to defend against today’s ever-changing cyber threats. This includes device encryption, find my device, firewall and network protection, internet protection, parental controls, secure boot, and Windows Hello among other features. Norton Security Software is designed to protect your connected device as well as your personal information and offers more powerful layers of protection from ever-changing threats. It can protect your PC or Mac from viruses, ransomware, malware, and other online threats while you bank, shop and browse the internet. It ensures that your personal device is protected from unauthorized access to your personal files and the financial information it stores with the Smart Firewall. FEATURES: Keep your components protected in the sleek-looking PCBuilder Bunker M-ATX Chassis Six-Core AMD Ryzen 5 4600G CPU with a boost clock of up to 4.2GHz Radeon built-in graphics designed for videos and presentations High-quality and reliable performance with DDR4 Desktop Memory Get lightning-fast storage with a 2.5″ SATA SSD Durable and versatile AM4 Micro-ATX Motherboard Microsoft Windows 11 Operating System SPECIFICATIONS: Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Software: Norton Security Software AMD Ryzen 5 4600G 6-Core 3.7GHz AM4 CPU Cores: 6 Cores Base Clock Speed: 3.7GHz Boost Clock Speed: 4.2GHz GPU Cores: 7 Socket: AM4 A520 Chipset AM4 Micro-ATX Motherboard Socket: AM4 Form Factor: Micro-ATX 8GB DDR4 3200MHz Desktop Memory Memory Capacity: 8GB Data Transfer Rate: 3200MHz Generation: DDR4 500GB 2.5″ SATA SSD Capacity: 500GB 300W ATX Non-Modular Power Supply Rated Output Power: 300W Cooling: 120mm Silent Fan PCBuilder Bunker M-ATX Chassis Type: Micro-ATX Mid Tower Side Panel: Steel Expansion Slots: 4 Dimension: 38 x 21 x 38 cm WHAT’S IN THE BOX: PCBuilder AMD Ryzen 5 4600G HOME MASTER Windows 11 Desktop PC x1 1.8m Power Cable x1 Please note that the images displayed are for illustrative purposes only. Components will be supplied as per the technical specifications in this listing. 3DMark FPS & Time Spy benchmark scores are estimates only.

[danielles-tech-blog]

Classroomscreen: How to use it to teach

Article from Teach&Learn by Luke Edwards (July 24, 2024)

Edwards’ article brings attention to a new teaching resource for educators that can be used in multiple ways. The classroom screen is an easily accessed online modern version whiteboard. The classroom screen is an online digital whiteboard that is controlled by teachers and is free to use. There are a selection of ready made screens, widgets, photos and stickers that can used in a variety of ways to meet the classroom needs at the time. The classroom screen also has specific subject tailored options and can make sharing information an easy process that is not time consuming for teachers.

My thoughts

I was so excited to find this article because it gave me a chance to mess around on classroom screen. I spent maybe 30 minutes on the website and have already figured out so many different ways to incorporate this resource into my classroom. The website was very easy to use and took no time at all to put together a screen.

Classroom management

One way I would use classroom screen is as a classroom management tool. I was able to add a clock with the current time, a max noise level and a time to let them know how much time they have left with the current activity. This is a great way for students to quickly check if they are being to loud, what time is it and roughly where they should be with their activity. This screen would allow my class to self regulate and keeps them from asking questions that they can now answer for themselves with one glance.

Lesson activities

Another way I would use classroom screen is to do lesson activities with my students. This is an example of a math subitizng activity. I added a name generator, a dice and some numbers for students to circle. This would allow me to randomly choose a name and have the students click the dice and then circle the name. Definitely a fun and engaging way of teaching subitizing to my students!

Check-ins

I really liked the pools that classroom screen has. I thought about using these polls to check in with my students and get feedback from them to see how they enjoyed an activity that they have done. I could do the subitizing activity and check their enjoyment of the activity.

Daily schedule

Another way I might use classroom screen is to go over the classroom schedule with the students. If I wanted to I could leave this on the side of the screen all day while I have other classroom screen activities going on. Classroom screen allows you to use split screen so I can leave this up easily while having my other classroom screens up.

Strategies

The last way I came up with to use classroom screen is to create a page with strategies for students to glance at when doing an activity. I could put math strategies or reading strategies. I could even create a thematic word wall that I could put up during writing. This would allow me to save time from putting something up in the room or if I don’t have any wall space. It would also allow students to know exactly where to look for their strategies and keep them from having to get up to go find them. My students could also help me create these strategy screens!

Overall, I found classroom screen an amazing classroom resource with so many different ways to use that will help me as an educator. All of these different screens I made took a few minuets at most and would be easy to teach my own students to use to help me create our classrooms screens. This is definitely a resource I will be using in my own classroom in the future!

[landofwindandskyscrapers]

39/52 Why studying is more stressful than working

The worst my mental health has ever been was when I was in University, in Chicago. I wasn’t eating enough, I was barely getting out of my room and my grades were in the toilet. Even afterwards, my college career has been nothing to write home about. In contrast, when I first started working, it was as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders - even though my free time had become miniscule in comparison. This is something I think of occasionally, when people describe university students as lazy and entitled1. I’m gonna talk about that in this blog post. The first reason I think work is less stressfull than studying, and the most obvious one, is that work fucking ends. You clock out, and you’re magically transported to a world where you don’t have to worry anymore about what you’re leaving behind. Do you have a pending deadline? Is an audit looming over for next week? Do you still have stuff unfinished? Who cares! You’re out of the gate, you’re free, and you can enjoy life! I didn’t have that while I was studying. Studying is an activity that doesn’t have an exact end date, so I would always have my conscience whispering in the back of my mind how I could study a couple of hours more, how I shouldn’t enjoy the game-book-webcomic I was consuming, and generally that I should be miserable unless I was studying2. What the hell, AI? Yeah, some AI generated images are just… Which is the whole crux of the issue: studying is not something that has a defined end date; at (some types of) work, you just have to do an X amount of widgets. Even if you do Y amount, you can see what's left, and know that it can be done tomorrow. How can you actually, conclusively know you have learned something? Especially when knowledge and memory degrades, so by next week you have to study again to be able to use? Also, sidenote, it's frustrating in hindsight how school and college (at least in Italy) don't teach you how to gauge your mastery of a subject. I was 22 years old when I was first exposed to the concept of flash cards3 - before that, I thought that just reading over and over a paragraph would mean I'd learnt it. No! You have to test yourself, to see if you actually remember it or are just recognizing the words! Finally, this is probably more a fact of being an adult (or, rather, an “adultier” adult - one who isn't beholden to their parent's wishes): I can quit. I can find a new job. If I hate the job enough, I can plan an exit strategy and eventually quit4 Subscribe now 1 And it’s reason #3141592 for why I despise what’s commonly called “common sense” 2 Of course, some topics are miserable to study, so…bit of a catch-22 there 3 Flash cards are a way to quiz yourself on factoids you want to learn. The front has the question (What’s the Morse code for the letter h?) and the back has the answer (….). You make a deck of these cards, and go through them, putting in a pile all the ones you can’t answer. Rinse and repeat until you’ve learnt stuff 4 Which was THE most satisfying moment of my life. My only regret, and something I actually do regret (fuck “common sense”, as always), is not telling the monsters in charge at Durabilis exactly what they were doing wrong, what I thought of them, and what crimes they were committing. via https://ift.tt/RHxXI8f

[datarecover000]

The iOS 18 release date is quickly approaching, but is your iPhone compatible? Here are the eligible devices and new features.

Sure, here is an 800-word article about the iOS 18 release date and compatible devices:

The iOS 18 release date is quickly approaching, but is your iPhone compatible? Here are the eligible devices and new features.

Apple is expected to release iOS 18 this fall. The new operating system will bring a number of new features to compatible iPhones. But if data lost problems occur then get solved through Data Recovery Dubai

Eligible Devices

The following iPhones will be compatible with iOS 18:

iPhone 15

iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 14

iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 14 Pro Max

iPhone 13

iPhone 13 Pro

iPhone 13 Pro Max

iPhone 12

iPhone 12 Pro

iPhone 12 Pro Max  

iPhone 11

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone 11 Pro Max

iPhone XS

iPhone XS Max

iPhone XR  

New Features

iOS 18 will bring a number of new features to compatible iPhones, including:

A new lock screen design

A redesigned Home app

A new Health app

A new Messages app

A new Maps app

A new Music app

A new Podcasts app

A new App Store

A new FaceTime app

A new Safari browser

A new Notes app

A new Reminders app

A new Calculator app

A new Clock app

A new Compass app

A new Levels app

A new ProMotion display

A new LiDAR scanner

A new A17 Bionic chip

A new 48-megapixel camera

A new MagSafe charger

A new USB-C port

Release Date

Apple is expected to release iOS 18 this fall. The exact release date has not been announced yet.

How to Update to iOS 18

To update to iOS 18, you will need to have an iPhone that is compatible with the operating system. You will also need to have a Wi-Fi connection and a battery that is at least 50% charged.

Once your iPhone is ready, you can update to iOS 18 by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

Additional Information

iOS 18 will be a free update for all compatible iPhones.

You can learn more about iOS 18 on Apple's website.

I hope this article has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

Here are some additional details about the new features in iOS 18:

The new lock screen design will allow you to customize your lock screen with new wallpapers, widgets, and fonts.

The redesigned Home app will make it easier to control your smart home devices.

The new Health app will include new features for tracking your mental health and sleep.

The new Messages app will include new features for sharing photos and videos, and for creating group chats.

The new Maps app will include new features for navigating public transit and for finding nearby businesses.

The new Music app will include new features for discovering new music and for creating playlists.

The new Podcasts app will include new features for subscribing to podcasts and for downloading episodes.

The new App Store will include a new design and new features for discovering new apps.

The new FaceTime app will include new features for sharing your screen and for using Animoji and Memoji.

The new Safari browser will include new features for browsing the web in private mode and for using Reader mode.

The new Notes app will include new features for collaborating with others on notes and for adding attachments to notes.

The new Reminders app will include new features for creating recurring reminders and for adding attachments to reminders.

The new Calculator app will include new features for performing scientific calculations and for converting units.

The new Clock app will include new features for setting alarms and timers, and for using the World Clock.

The new Compass app will include new features for finding your current location and for navigating to specific locations.

The new Levels app will include new features for measuring the level of surfaces.

The new ProMotion display will allow you to enjoy smoother scrolling and animations.

The new LiDAR scanner will allow you to create 3D models of your surroundings.

The new A17 Bionic chip will make your iPhone faster and more powerful.

The new 48-megapixel camera will allow you to take stunning photos and videos.

The new MagSafe charger will allow you to wirelessly charge your iPhone more quickly and easily.

The new USB-C port will allow you to connect your iPhone to a wider range of accessories.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

sorry for the shitty photography, lmk if u want a good quality version bc I can whip up a digital one rq, or write a transcript /gen

ANYWAYS there's a few things that maybe not everybody knows, but they can be learned if you know the *rules* of it, so you don't actually have to memorize a bunch of things. I definitely consider the cursive tutorial to be for *reading* cursive, not writing in it, because the idea here is learning how to recognize the letters you see. If you want to practice writing it I would suggest looking up the cursive alphabet and copying the letters so you can actually do the right shapes, since my paper only has a few examples. The same goes for the roman numerals tut. However, feel free to draw a many clocks as you want if you so desire.

Also yes I wrote cursive lowercase j to mean f when printing. I hate writing f, i wanna b fast.

If you are dedicated to learning to read cursive and analog time, you can change the font in your text message settings and the clock widget in your phone settings, respectively, in order to have someplace to read the words or time whenever.

I have seldom needed to read roman numerals outside of Shakespeare scene numbers and some types of legal terminology, but in those cases I can puzzle it out fairly quickly.

[dfoxmarketing]

Apple’s iOS 17 Update Introduces Exciting Changes to FaceTime, Widgets, and More

The latest iOS 17 update from Apple adds a number of helpful features to the iPhone. To begin with, the Phone app introduces Live Voicemail, which displays text transcriptions of voicemails as they arrive, and allows you to customise Contact Posters for incoming calls.

A unified Stickers app has been added to the Messages app, providing new methods to let others know when you’ve arrived there securely. For later reference, you may also see transcriptions of audio messages.

FaceTime Voicemail will allow you to record a voicemail video message

You may now leave video or audio messages in FaceTime if your call is missed. Additionally, new 3D effects are available to add interest to your video conversations. A new StandBy function, customised to where your phone is set, shows crucial information like the clock and widgets when your iPhone is charging on its side.

The update also adds additional interactive widgets for the iPhone and Mac, as well as NameDrop, an enhanced AirDrop function for simpler contact sharing. Better word prediction and autocorrection are features of the keyboard, and Safari allows you create profiles to split your professional and personal surfing. Passwords can also be safely shared thanks to its improved privacy settings.

Enhanced Features in Apple Music, Maps, Siri in iOS 17 Update

SharePlay and crossfade features have been added to Apple Music to allow for more seamless song transitions. Your most-used devices are given priority with AirPlay, and AirPods include additional capabilities like Conversation Awareness and adaptive audio settings that make it easier for you to concentrate on other people speaking to you.

The Maps app has also received upgrades for offline map functionality and electric car navigation. More natural language inquiries are now understood by Siri. A new State of Mind feature in the Health app lets you monitor your emotional health. Different improvements to availability and protection settings are likewise remembered for the delivery.

Generally speaking, iOS 17 adds various new advancements to the iPhone that further develop customization, protection, and client experience. Apple keeps emphasising consumer input and releasing upgrades that enhance its products.

Follow Digital Fox Media for latest technology news.

[h2smedia]

iOS 17 Public Beta Released: What are the New Features?

During WWDC 2023, Apple unveiled iOS 17, the latest iteration of its iPhone operating system. A free public beta version of iOS 17 has recently become available to iPhone users.  Please note that this is a beta version that offers a preview of the final software so Apple is still working on it to identify bugs and errors before it’s officially released to a wider audience.  On that note, let’s check out all the details related to this latest OS version below:

How to download iOS 17 public beta?

If you are running iOS 16 on your iPhone, you can simply go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates > Select Public Beta. But to download the beta version, make sure you have signed up for the public beta updates via the Apple Beta Software program website. To download the iOS 17 public beta, use the same Apple ID on your iPhone. 

iOS 17 - Major New Features

There are numerous updates available with iOS 17 that will give you fresh ways to use and customize your iPhone. Let’s go through all the major features: Standby mode It is a new mode that your iPhone will display when you place it horizontally on the dock or wireless charger. Your phone screen will switch to a new display with widgets such as clock, calendar, music, and weather. Standby also detects light in your room, thereby adjusting the iPhone’s screen. If you want, you can choose to disable this mode in the Settings. 

Contact posters Contact Posters is another prominent feature that allows you to customize your contact cards. You can choose photos, color schemes, and fonts to change how you look when you call other iPhone users. 

New Airpods features AirPods Pro will feature new capabilities now enabled through the latest OS. One of the biggest new features is Adaptive Audio which utilizes ML (machine learning) and other technologies to analyze what are you listening to and automatically turns down the volume to give you better awareness of your surroundings.  Interactive widgets Now you can interact with apps without opening them. You can play and pause Apple Music or other media right from your home screen. You can now also call or text your favorite contact without opening the Contacts or Phone app. However, not all Widgets come with this level of interaction. Music, News, Contacts, Podcasts, and Safari are a few apps that offer this level of dynamic functionality. 

iMessage improvements iMessage has also got several improvements too. For instance, now you can just swipe to reply to a specific message. Before this, you had to long press a message to initiate a reply. Autocorrected words will also be temporarily underlined so you know what’s been changed. You can also share your location with people directly via Messages. All you have to do is select your recipient’s name or icon at the top of the window. From here, you can select Share My Location or Request Location. Apple also improved message search, and stickers and will automatically transcribe short audio messages.  Journal app This is another highlighting feature of iOS 17. It is a simple yet effective way to keep track of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The app uses on-device machine learning to create personalized suggestions of moments to inspire your writing. You can also add photos, drawings, and audio recordings to your entries.

Offline maps Now Apple users will be able to download and utilize maps without an internet connection. While Google Maps has been providing this capability for a long time, it is the first time Apple has introduced it. Users will be able to download maps for entire regions at once. Wrapping up! iOS 17 public beta is now available for download, giving users a chance to try out the latest features and changes before the final release. The beta includes several key features, such as interactive widgets, a Journal app, NameDrop, and updates to the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps. It is important to note that the beta is still in development, so there may be some bugs or stability issues. It’s advisable to wait for the final release if you are not comfortable with the beta version.  However, if you are eager to try out the new features, the public beta is a great way to do so. Just be sure to back up your device before installing the beta, and report any bugs you find to Apple. Read the full article

[zody77-blog]

iOS 17 vs. Android 14: features compared

Google's Android 14 beta programme isn't the only forthcoming mobile operating system under development. Apple released its iOS 17 developer beta a few months after Android 14, with the corporation releasing it in June during its annual WWDC event. While the Vision Pro was undoubtedly the highlight of the day, the iOS 17 upgrade is nothing to scoff at. It's tough to compare iOS and Android side by side, however some themes may be found in both. Even though Apple isn't following the AI hype train that Google and others are, it is introducing some much-needed machine learning-powered keyboard enhancements in iOS 17. A year after Apple launched configurable lock screens, Google recognised that wallpapers and lock screens are valuable real estate. We're contrasting Android 14 on a Google Pixel phone. Other phones can also participate in the Android 14 beta programme. In the future, the new OS version will be available on all of the finest Android phones. Some capabilities, however, are specific to Google Pixel phones, and the interface may change between manufacturers. That is why it is simplest to compare how Google sees Android to what Apple provides. Lock screen and wallpaper improvements With iOS 16, Apple introduced a significant change to lock screens in 2022. This year, Google is attempting to stay up with Android 14. During the Google I/O developer conference, the company revealed the addition of a few unique clocks to the Pixel phone's lock screen, enabling users to replace the monotonous mono-color dual-line clock with colourful alternatives. Emoji wallpapers and cinematic backgrounds were also added by the firm, with the latter providing an intriguing 3D look to existing photographs in your collection. It's the ideal complement to Apple's solution, with wallpaper subjects overflowing the clock. Meanwhile, Apple is tidying up loose ends with iOS 17, such as the ability to "uncrop" photographs on the lock screen, as observed on Twitter by @AppleSnob. Intelligent color fill makes it look as though the image was cropped in this manner on purpose. It's a minor but necessary feature, especially because most images aren't made with the iPhone's screen aspect ratio in mind. The one thing Google hasn't added, or more precisely, re-introduced, is lock screen widget support. For years, Android had the ability to do this, but it was removed from Google phones a long time ago. At the very least, you may replace the basic home controls and wallet shortcuts with a limited set of alternative actions that may be more helpful to you. With widget support, Apple provides additional customizing choices.

Better autocorrect and a great typing experience Apple's autocorrect has become a meme, but that's about to change with iOS 17. The business revealed a redesign of its autocorrect engine. Based on our tests, it's far better and nearly comparable to the typing experience on Gboard on a Pixel phone. Now, the ideas and adjustments are nearly usually right. Furthermore, it is simpler to repair an incorrectly autocorrected word. It's underlined and allows you to return to what you originally typed. Apple CEO Craig Federighi said on the WWDC stage, "And in those moments where you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it too." Meanwhile, Google's Gboard isn't tied to any particular version of Android, and it's already superior than the iOS keyboard. It has a versatile design with a straightforward method to access foreign and multilingual keyboards, Tensor-powered voice typing, and the unrivalled Emoji Kitchen, which allows you to make lovely but also frightening emoji mashups. Animated stickers and drag-and-drop Ad-hoc sticker creation was introduced by Apple in iOS 16, allowing you to drag & drop topics and objects from photographs and use them in messaging applications or anyplace else you desire. In iOS 17, the firm is expanding this with animated stickers, allowing users to create bespoke moving stickers. Meanwhile, Google has just recently included the ability to drag and drop material across applications while employing multitasking motions with your other hand. That is, you may hold a picture and then return to your homescreen, choose another app, and drop it there. This has been supported by iOS for some time, so it's fantastic to see Google coming up.

Contact posters and memories of Android Beam Google used to enable transferring brief bits of information by bumping two phones against one other and creating a handshake using NFC. It let you rapidly share your contact information, the webpage you're presently viewing, and nearly anything else. The feature was never widely adopted, and Google discontinued it discreetly with Android 10 in 2019 after debuting it with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in 2011. In 2023, Apple has launched a breakthrough new way to easily exchange your contact information among iPhone users with a function called NameDrop. This enables Apple customers to swap their beautiful new Contact Posters, which are digital business cards that also appear on the lock screens of your contacts when you phone them. It sounds similar to Android Beam. However, the technology is based on UWB, which has a greater range than NFC, requiring you to properly line the backs of two phones. Similar to Android Beam, Apple's new sharing mechanism allows extra capabilities such as starting a music or video session together or exchanging material. Only Google's AirDrop alternative Nearby Share is supported on Android 14. It no longer works by tapping your phones together. Instead, much as with conventional AirDrop, you'll look for nearby contacts. Live Voicemail and Call Screen Google phones have traditionally been the phones to acquire if you want to combat spam calls effectively. It's possible to send callers to an automated Q&A before they reach you, forcing them to explain the basis for their query to Assistant, thanks to its Google Assistant-powered Call Screen. A transcript can assist you determine whether or not to accept the call. Apple's new solution isn't as strong as Google's, but it will make many iPhone owners' life simpler. Its new Live Voicemail feature will display a live transcript of what someone you send to your voicemail is saying, enabling you to decide whether or not to pick up the phone. Unlike Google's local solution, the functionality is dependent on your carrier, so it may take some time before it takes popularity and becomes broadly available to everybody. iPhone on StandBy and Google's Pixel Stand Google has long recognised the importance of ambient computing, providing Pixels with capabilities such as always-on screens and always-active music recognition. iPhones have followed following in terms of always-on displays, and now Apple is attempting to replicate the Google Pixel Stand experience. The Pixel Stand is Google's first-party wireless charger, and it has a streamlined standby mode that provides instant access to Google Assistant, smart home settings, calendar events, reminders, and calls via the ambient display option. You can also use this method to transform your Pixel into a photo frame. Apple's new iPhone StandBy mode is effectively the same thing, but it works with any charger and only activates when you rest your iPhone horizontally. You may then navigate among other full-screen activities, such as clocks, calendars, and image galleries. We're confident Google's first-mover advantage is fading fast here, since third-party manufacturers will likely rush in swiftly and supply specialized hardware for this new iPhone mode, even if Google's mode is more actionable. Small steps for Siri, none for Google Assistant Google Assistant was scarcely addressed on stage during the Google I/O developer conference in May, with the assistant being pushed aside for the most part by Google Bard. Apple, on the other hand, does not appear to be done with Siri. The business is improving its assistant to respond to "Siri," allowing you to omit the previous "Hey" command. It's not a significant change, but it simplifies dealing with Apple's assistant, much to the displeasure of anybody whose name is Siri. Install Android 14 Beta and iOS 17 Beta at your own risk There are more changes in Android 14 and iOS 17, but these are our favourites. While new software is exciting, keep in mind that Android 14 Beta and iOS 17 Beta are not always stable. If you utilise them, you will encounter bugs. This year, Google's pre-release offering is notably problematic, with more faults surfacing than normal at this stage of the beta programmed. Read the full article

[airtrust]

Word clock widget

#WORD CLOCK WIDGET SKIN#

The source code of Digital Clock Next (upcoming version) is available on GitHub. The Windows program comes in an portable version. The Experimental Settings tab has some advanced settings that you can toggle.ĭigital Clock 4 is available for Windows, Linux and macOS. The Task Scheduler plugin allows you to set custom reminders. Add a countdown timer, displayed the date, IP address, or a quick note below the clock with the help of plugins. The gear button next to each add-on has a few settings that you can modify. Just tick the box next to the plugin you want to use. You can use it to set an alarm (requires sound file), chimes which ring off every quarter-hour or on an hourly basis and has built-in sounds to choose from including a clock tower bell. Want the clock to act as a shortcut for your favorite webpage? You can do that too.ĭigital Clock 4 has many plugins that can enhance the functionality of the program. If you'd like to use the clock to view a different time zone, select it from the bottom right-corner. But let's say you want to use a different style like h:mm, hh:mm, etc, select it from the drop down menu under the Time Format section. Use the options available here to set the clock to start with Windows, pick an alignment, adjust the space between the digits, etc.ĭigital Clock displays the system's time by default. Optionally enable a background color, and set the colorization level. The colorize option lets you use a custom color for Digital Clock 4. Not a fan of skins and textures? Click on None to disable them. You can easily set up to 10 world time widgets in a row on the page. Our cool website clocks are completely FLASH free, so your website or blog will not be penalized by Google. You can enable texture per element and stretch or tile, to beautify the clock further. Why HTML5 clock widget for a website Our HTML world clock widgets don't slow down your web pages. Select an image and watch the magic, the clock will use the texture. This opens a folder of various texture images that the program ships with. Click on the Custom Image option under Texture Type.

#WORD CLOCK WIDGET SKIN#

While the skin styles are nice, they can be customized even further.

[chimielie]

all of this and (passionate kisses)

summary: Iwaizumi x F!Reader. always stay strapped (with your Pinterest wedding moodboard)

word count: 1.7k

cw: i can't even reread this to edit because it's so tooth-rottingly sweet. there's probably swearing because it's iwaizumi and it's me

a/n: there's a nod to @akimind because i love her and because she inspired this intense bout of brainrot hope you don't mind

Set scene: the master bedroom of your home, the walls painted just last summer in your favorite shade, the space organized enough with enough clutter to look lived in and homey. The bed is clearly the focus of the room, a nod to years past visible in the huge California King frame, the mattress plush and easy to sink into with just the right level of firmness. There are a number of pillows on the bed, some decorative, most utilitarian. The covers are pulled up to the pillows and folded back neatly. The only wrinkle is the dent you just vacated, and your boyfriend, still lying on the bed in soft shorts and a criminally well-fitting t-shirt.

Hajime can hear crickets chirping outside. The windows are kept open, the cool air floats in on a blue breeze, a screen he installed himself keeps insectoid guests out. You didn’t bother to close the door; the sound of a handle turning and water rushing over the tile reaches him all too easily. You hum on and off as you shower, and it’s okay that the spray drowns out the crickets’ song, then, because he infinitely prefers your voice.

Your phone buzzes, and though it should disrupt the still peace of the night, it only adds to the atmosphere. Your own home, a comfortable bed, friends to think of fondly; what more is there to want?

“Princess,” Hajime calls. Your humming pauses.

“Yeah?” He reaches over to the nightstand on your side, the light above it illuminating his features like a painting in a museum. You’re always moving, though, it’s something he loves about you and a quality he shares with you.

“You have a message.” You’re silent. He turns your phone over in his hands. “Do you want me to read it to you?”

“Yes, please,” you shout back, even though you’re turning the water off and stepping out, water plop-plop-plopping on the tile and the bath mats. He can hear the rustle as you tug your towel off the rack and wrap it around yourself.

He reads the message to you, a request that you send the pictures from your last outing with your friends to the group chat.

“Oh, cool,” you say, rummaging through your (his) drawers for a (his) fresh sleep shirt. “Can you text them the most recent ones, you’ll be able to tell, the group and the landscape ones?”

“‘Course,” he types in your passcode (406104, his high school jersey number, his birthday, his jersey number for symmetry) and swipes through your homescreen. “What the fuck is this?”

You’re at his side in a second, still tugging down the shirt around your waist.

“What’s up?” He swipes back and forth. All you see between his rapidly moving thumb and the switching screens is your wallpaper— a picture of the beach you’d taken in Argentina with him— and a fast blur of chalky red, cactus green, oasis blue, canyon peach, and various photos of him.

“Where are your apps?” You point.

“Right there.”

“That’s green. And there’s a whole row of them on the screen.”

“It’s a column, technically,” you tease, and he sighs roughly and hauls you over him onto the bed. You land heavily on his other side and make yourself at home, throwing your right leg over one of his. “They’re, like, app covers. See? Clock, Clue, Color Widgets. Tap on them and it’ll take you to the app, I just wanted it to be pretty so I made them like a desert color scheme. You can just type in the app name in the search bar, too.”

“Fuckin’ weird,” he mumbles, swiping through the alphabetized apps. “Where’s Messages?”

“Oh,” you grab his hand and use his pointer finger to click the third box from the left on the very bottom of the screen, the permanent row. “It’s here.”

He brings the phone closer to his face, squinting.

“Are those tiny pictures of me?” There are widgets on every other page with pictures of him, too, but these escaped his notice. Hajime with his hands behind his head, Hajime half asleep and waving at the camera, Hajime poking his tongue out, Hajime flipping off the camera. You shrink away from his side, cheeks heating.

“Like I said,” you say, looking at him through your lashes from the very corners of your eyes. His craggy features look to be sculpted by the gods, but the soft smile lurking at the edges of his mouth is what makes the picture. Love is blind goes the saying, but you’re fairly certain that looking at Iwaizumi Hajime in love is enough to make anyone fall. “I wanted it to be pretty.”

He can’t help the way his mouth twitches as he tosses your phone back on the nightstand and covers the lower half of his face with one hand, faking a sigh as you laugh.

“You’re too much, you know that?” He asks you, black coffee eyes glinting brightly.

“Yeah, I don’t think so. You handle me just fine.”

“Get help.” You roll over and bury your face in a pillow, trying to suppress your laughter as he grabs at you and tries to haul you up. You thrash and wriggle away, ending up tangled in your own sheets as you dive beneath them. “You’re gonna— gonna fuckin’ suffocate, stop that, get up—”

You pop up, grinning at him.

“You want to reconsider before I make a joke about choking?”

“Fucking hell—”

In the space between a million moments, Hajime realizes that he’d be happy— thrilled, even— to spend the rest of his life like this. Everything you do awes him, even after years of watching you wake up, of observing the strip of skin exposed when you reach up to grab something higher up than you, of hearing your laugh when he plays the blushing scold to your playful innuendo, of the tenderness shared in your silent touch. Oikawa urges him to buy a ring. Hajime insists that he needs to be sure before he does something so drastic. Not of you— it’s always been you— but of your commitment to the enterprise. Sure, you want to get married, you’ve always said, but he worries. What if you don’t want to get married to him?

Oikawa, who bought his partner a diamond worth half a million dollars on a whim, doesn’t understand his hesitancy. She had said yes (and holy shit, and it cost how much, and you’re insane, I would’ve been happy with a pebble).

For all the question takes up his days, he finds himself scrolling through pages of ring choices and walking absentmindedly into jewelry shops.

The answer comes from the phone. His mother used to jokingly respond look it up on the internet! to every question. Hajime has always opined that more men need to listen to their mothers, so it’s embarrassing to have to take his own advice.

Well, it’s not the internet, strictly. Rather, it’s an overheard conversation as you congratulate your friend (and the recipient of the huge stone) on her recent engagement. Hajime sticks close to your side as Oikawa does to his fiancée, one arm slung over her shoulder. They live across the world despite flying out often, and it’s the first time you’ve all been together since the engagement.

“Do you have a vision already for the wedding?” You’re patting Hajime all over in your excitement, hands tapping along his thigh and his side and his arms. He’s pretty sure you’re not even sure you’re doing it. He keeps his hand in your back pocket.

“I have too many visions for the wedding,” she groans. Hajime shoots Oikawa a knowing look. The man has had a wedding Pinterest board since he was a teen. “Help me, vote.”

“It’s your wedding,” you look affronted. Hajime has a sudden, haunting vision of the future: your attention to detail and insistence that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself is going to take his lover away from him for month’s worth of attention. “Doesn’t Tooru have an opinion?”

Or maybe you’ll drag him along with you.

He can’t wait.

“What would you choose?” Huffs Oikawa, reaching for his fiancée’s hand, curling himself further around her. Teenage Iwaizumi would’ve gagged at the PDA, but these days he’s pretty sure the both of you aren’t any less tactile.

“Desert colors,” you say firmly. “Like this, see?” Then you’re pulling out your phone and Iwaizumi sees a now-familiar flash of red, green, blue, pink as he reels.

Your phone is basically a portable moodboard for your wedding.

He’s getting ahead of himself; he can’t help it. His knees weaken, his heart stutters. Visions of shining rings and a woman in white and I do’s dance before his eyes.

He’s going to marry you.

“Hello? Anyone home?” You’re waving your hand in front of his face. “Are you okay?”

“You’re like a tomato, Iwa,” Oikawa comments, unnecessarily. Instead of smacking him, Hajime lifts one hand to his face, blushing harder when he feels the heat radiating from his skin.

“Haji, we should go home,” you say, cupping his cheek. “You’re burning up.”

“Actually,” he coughs, throat dry. Your hands are cool and soft. “You go ahead, I need to talk to Oikawa for a second.”

“You’re sure?” You look worried, pretty face creasing in concern. “Is everything okay?”

Hajime stutters, and realization washes over Oikawa’s face.

“Yes, yes, I’ll take good care of him,” he promises you, in a tone that is completely not reassuring.

“Okay,” you say, pressing a kiss to Hajime’s lips, which absolutely doesn’t help anything at all. “Get some water, baby, okay? I love you.”

“Love you, princess,” he returns, clutches your hand for just one more second.

“You have it bad, man,” Oikawa chuckles, slapping him on the back.

“I know,” he says, watching you go. “Let's go buy a ring.”

tagging: @crystal-lilac , @kohi-zeri

[chad-der-box]

2023 WWDC Keynote Recap

This year's keynote is expected to cover a few things.

New software updates to be released this fall

New Macs (specifically looking at a bigger MacBook Air and an updated Mac Studio)

Apple's Virtual Reality headset (Rumored to be named Reality Pro, powered by realityOS).

With that being said, let's get started!

15” Macbook Air

11.5 mm thing; just over three pounds

Magsafe charging and two thunderbolt ports

Available in Midnight, Starlight, Silver and Space Gray

15.3” screen to be exact

18 hours of battery life

Six speakers

TLDR: we made the 13” Macbook Air bigger

Starting at $1299

Available to order today; ships next week

M2 13” Macbook Air dropping by $100 to $1099

M2 Mac Studio

Updating to the M2 Max

Also announcing the M2 Ultra chip, double the performance of the Max

It’s literally two M2 Max chips put together

This thing is stupid powerful and none of you reading this will ever need this power

Faster HDMI ports

MAC PRO

Was not expecting this omg

First Apple Silicon computer to have PCI expansion

All come with M2 Ultra

Afterburner card built directly into the Mac Pro

This is going to be so expensive.

8 Thunderbolt Port

iOS 17

Phone, Facetime & Messages

Personalized contact posters for the phone app so you display how you want to on other people’s devices

Live Voicemail - you can see live transcriptions of Voicemails as people make them

FaceTime now has a “voicemail” function for when someone isn’t available

Messages is receiving stronger search functions

Group chats will jump to the first message you haven’t seen

Swipe on a bubble to reply directly to that message

Check In - let’s your friend know when you get home or let them know if you were delayed or something went awry

All end to end encrypted and on the device

iMessage apps are hidden behind button now to declutter the app

Stickers are being updated as well to be more powerful

Spending way too much time on stickers…

AirDrop

NameDrop - bring phones close together and you can choose to send someone selected contact details

This is basically that old Drop app people had ten years ago

For large files, you don’t have to stay right next to the person anymore

Autocorrect

Autocorrect now becoming stronger using AI (they wouldn’t use that word though)

Keyboard will do better at learning words (no longer changing your swear words to “duck”)

Dictation getting stronger as well with “not AI”

Journal

New App 

Phone intelligently uses data from your phone to create details journal entries

Only uses the information you give it access to

Set reminders for when to make your journal entries

On device processing, end to end encrypted

Standby

When phone is on its side and charging, it will basically transform into a smart display

Shows clock, weather, alarm, calendar, etc.

Even remembers preferred view for where you are when you charge

Basically requires a MagSafe charger but i'd be curious if it would work while plugged in and sitting on its side

The Others

You no longer need to say “Hey” to activate Siri

May lead to a lot more accidental activations if not done correctly by Apple

Photos now creates albums of your pets!!

Offline Maps rolling out as well

iPadOS 17

Widgets & Lock Screen

Widgets are now interactive instead of just displaying info

Lock Screen

iPads getting the same lock screen features as last year’s iPhones finally

Up to 6 widgets on your lock screen

Live Activity features coming to the lock screen (like timers or order tracking)

The Others

Health app now coming to iPad and has been optimized for the larger screen

“The best device for PDFs” lol

Now easier to fill out PDF forms directly in apps like Mail and Notes and not having to switch to other apps

Multiple PDFs can be saved in the same note now, as well as collaborate on PDFs in a note

Better Stage Manager controls

External display support for FaceTime & conference calls

macOS Sonoma

Screensavers & Widgets

Macs receiving the same type of screensavers that the Apple TV has

Widgets can be added to the desktop instead of hiding in notification center

Intelligently faded into the background or tint so they aren’t distracting when opening up apps

You can access iPhone widgets on Mac as long as iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi

All of this is just making me want a touchscreen Mac more

Gaming

On a Mac? lol

Introducing “Game Mode”

Optimizes CPU & GPU performance to make sure gaming is the priority

Lowers audio latency on AirPods

Game Porting Toolkit to make it easier for developers to bring games to the Mac

Video Conferencing

New ways to layer your conference calls with content you are sharing

New effects in calls just like iMessage

Looks cool but will take support from conferencing apps if I’m understanding correctly

Safari & Web Apps

Private browsing locks your private windows when you aren’t using them

Profiles feature let’s you customize your browser to what you’re doing, such as work or school or home

You can now turn websites into web apps, treating it as its own app instead of a tab in the browser

Third party apps allowed you to do this before but its nice that its integrated now

Audio & Home

AirPods

Adaptive Audio - combines Noise Cancelling & Transparency modes

Lets you choose the level that’s appropriate for your current environment

AirPods sense when you start speaking and lower your music appropriately

Some really useful features... now if only the AirPods Pro would stay in my ears

AirPlay

Can use Siri on HomePod to start playing certain devices on your phone like SoundCloud

AirPlay in Hotels

Uses QR code to quickly connect your phone to your hotel’s TV

SharePlay in Carplay

tvOS

iPhone can locate the remote finally!

FaceTime on Apple TV

Wirelessly connects to iPhone to use the camera, and displays the caller on the TV for everyone to see

Also enables you to watch shows on your TV and stay on a call with friends to watch together

Zoom & Webex coming to the TV later this year

watchOS 10

It’s already been 10 years?!?!?!

Widgets

Widgets now hidden right below the watch face so you can scroll to see more useful information quickly

Many apps updated to take better advantage of display and be more glanceable

Fitness

New Cycling features for the Watch

Shows power zones, show up on iPhone as live activity, connect to Bluetooth sensors in bikes

Will keep track of last place you had cellular connection

Last place you had service for SOS calls as well

More trails and trailheads added to Maps

You can see topographic map data now as well to see elevation on trails

Health

Watch now lets you to reflect on your mood & emotions throughout the day (also available on Phone)

Health app will correlate moods with activity and lifestyle changes

Vision Health

Focusing on Myopia

Apple Watch will sense amount of time in daylight for children to reduce risk of myopia

Screen Distance feature lets you know if your device is too close and will cause eyestrain

All health data is encrypted and not stored in the cloud

ONE MORE THING

Apple Vision Pro

Y’all just have to watch the video for this. If Apple delivers on what they’re showing then its a big moment.

•Uses hand & eye tracking to control the device. No controllers. •Apps can react to the world around you •Look at search fields and you can just start talking to fill it out •Also the front of the device shows your eyes… its… weird…  •Calling it “Eyesight” •Supposed to make it easier for people to see where you’re paying attention

•Again, this is such a weird new dynamic that its hard to describe here without seeing the visuals •Works as a 3D Camera  •Turn any space into a 3D IMAX theater

OH BOB IGER IS HERE

• Ok actually watch this Disney demo. Wild stuff. But also consider of it half of it is probably fake.

•New R1 chip in addition to the M2 chip for the device. •runs “virtually silent” so it makes some noise lol •Device makes a 3D avatar of you for FaceTime calls. Like a lifelike avatar. Very different from how Meta does their calls •New images streamed to the displays in 12 milliseconds

•visionOS is the name of the operating system here. The assumed name was realityOS. •Lots of developers, including Adobe & Microsoft, building support for launch •New app store for the device as well •Unlocks via Optic ID, which uses your Iris and stores information encrypted on the device •Device does not share data with developers about where you look on the screen •Over 5000 patents went into this thing

•$3499  •Available early next year •that’s both more expensive and later than what as expected

And that's a wrap. Some real interesting stuff shown today. Public Betas of the software updates should be available in about a month. And if you're looking for the new iPhones or watches, you're about three months too early. Check back in September for more on that!

You can view the whole keynote from today below or a quick video recap from Apple as well.

Recap: https://youtu.be/6_pru8U2RmM

Full Keynote: https://www.youtube.com/live/GYkq9Rgoj8E?feature=share

[sunset-peril]

Ashes Remain - Chapter Three - Silent and Hospitalized

December 16th, 2027

3:35pm 

Hickfield Clinic

~~~~

He didn't want to talk. Especially after hearing about Athena. He just muttered "I told her to go." before closing his eyes. He let Trucy talk to him for a while, but didn’t talk back. After Pearl got out of school, the Wrights went back to the agency. It was Apollo's idea, Athena was still on the table. 

He waited in a vicious cycle for hours: jamming the button at his bedside that would grant him morphine, laying flat against his back sleeplessly, listening to that infernal clock which sounded like the bomb’s ticking, thinking about Athena being just as awake as he on an operating table.

The nurse came in every so often to check on him, his IV, and to reapply burn cream to his wounds. “Your girlfriend still isn’t here?” She’d ask every time she came in, which completed the cycle. No matter how softly she spoke, or how often she pulled a heartbeat check for him,

It felt like Clay all over again. 

~~~~

December 16th, 2027

5:10pm 

Hickfield Clinic 

~~~~

He’d given up on paying attention, everything hurt so much. He was just going to close his eyes until he passed out. 

That’s when he heard it. 

It started as the normal cracking open of the door, then he heard squeaking of some kind. 

And then he heard her. He heard her whimper, and he was fully alert. 

“Oh, you hear her, Mr. Justice?” He saw another nurse, brown curled hair tumbling off her face. “Your ears are sharp, that’s good for her.” 

What? Athena’s ears are better than mine!

“What do you mean? What happened to her?”

“Well, Mr. Justice… she may have gone deaf.”

What?! 

“We couldn’t get her to respond to sound, and she hit her head really hard… we’re just thankful right now that she made it through, and that she’s not blind.” 

Athena’s magic was in her ears, what would life with a deaf Thena be like? She would lose the part of her that made her so perceptive. He couldn’t tell her how fine she was! Athena was such a peppy person, filled with words and music. If that was gone now, what would she be?

“We’re currently letting her recover from surgery before we evaluate her for deafness. She’s artificially deaf now. We gave her something like anti-hearing aids. Like the main function of regular aids is to turn the world up, these turn it down. She’s basically on mute until it's time for evaluation.” Another nurse wheeled a gurney up, with Athena laying in obvious pain. Wiring wrapped around her ears and head, several IVs running into different places. Yet, when her blurry eyes saw Apollo, they sparkled. The nurse wheeling her in took her hand to his mouth and mouthed ‘You see him?’ slowly.

How odd, was Apollo’s initial thought. Would this be how they communicated now? To surpass the sign barrier? 

Athena smiled and reached out barely, thin hand trembling while an IV ran just beneath her elbow. 

They kept her close for the time, and Apollo practiced her new way of speaking. He had to say his words out loud to get his mouth to move right, he’d never thought the ever-listening Athena would be facing deafness. They mostly just stared at each other, she was still impaired from the surgery and whatever anesthesia had affected her. Finally, after a while of soaking each other in, she grabbed his hand. 

“You okay, Pollo?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I’m fine!” 

Her silent giggle was frightening. “Of course you’re fine, Pollo. That ‘fine’ of yours…” She tipped his hand over and kissed him gently. 

He took the chance to snatch her face, she leaned into his hand. 

“It will be okay…” She mouthed into his hand. “I don’t need my ears to know you're afraid.”

“Even if you don’t need them, I want you to have them. I love your voice, Thena.”

“I love yours too. And this lip talking thing won’t be forever, even if my ears never come back. We can use Widget!”

“Heh, take yourself easy, Thena. You just came out of surgery.”

“Yeah, yeah I did.”

“How you feelin, tiger? The nurses said they couldn’t get you under.”

“Oh, that’s something I hope I never do again. It wasn’t my first time in neurosurgery, but I think I’d be feeling a lot better if they could have gotten me down.” 

“You’ve had brain surgery before?”

“Heh, you’re drugged, Apollo. I’ve shown you my scar before. You made me promise I wasn’t going to die on you.”

He rubbed his horns. “I have? Sorry, tiger. Have I told you how pretty you are today? Because you’re so pretty…” 

She blushed profusely. “Oh!” His hand slipped from her lips. “I’m not that pretty… not today.” 

“You’re always pretty. The day since we’ve met, you’ve been pretty.” 

“Okay, Justice. Now I know you’re drugged. You’re never this sappy.”

“I’m sorry, okay?!” He forgot to hold her hand to his lips, and his words were lost. Sighing, he brought her hand back. “I’m sorry… I should have come home… I guess… I dunno what I was thinking!”

“Pollo…” She gave the softest smile. “I forgive you. May I get some rest now?” 

“Of course, Thena, tiger.” He was finally able to use his voice for real. “She’s tired. Can you put her to bed, or something?” 

“Of course.” They both initiated contact with Athena, the man on her gurney and the woman now talking to her. “We’ll take you to your bed now, Doctor Cykes.”

Athena shook her head. “Miss Cykes please. Someone… else is Doctor Cykes.”

“Ah, okay, Miss Cykes. Let’s go.”

She blew him a kiss as they wheeled her to the bed on the other side of the curtain. 

They called the Wrights back after she was settled, and got Aura from the waiting room so she could see her niece. She didn’t pay any attention to him, silently pulling back the curtain and going behind. 

The Wrights, Pearl in tow, arrived about twenty minutes later. “Polly!” Trucy ran over to him. “We heard Thena’s out of surgery! Is she okay?”

“She’s, uh… something alright.”

“Mr. Apollo,” Pearl bit her lip. “Something’s wrong with Ms. Athena?”

“Um… well… she might be… deaf.”

Phoenix’s jaw hit the floor. “Deaf?!”       

“They’re waiting until she recovers a little from the head trauma before running her through a hearing test. Since it's sudden, they’ve been having us practice a form of lip reading, just in case. Thena says if her ears are really gone, she’ll set up a program for us to communicate easier. But since it's a temporary diagnosis until she’s healed, this is where we stand.”

“So is she currently deaf, Mr. Apollo? They’re seeing if her hearing will come back?”

“They don’t know at all, she has a special pair of hearing aids that force her to be deaf. They put them in after the surgical team couldn’t get her to respond with sound.”

“That’s terrifying for Athena, not knowing if she’ll ever hear again.”

“She’s asleep right now, and her aunt’s got a bit of a monopoly on the space right now. Otherwise, I’d suggest seeing her.”

“How’s she look, Polly?”

“Still like my tiger, hair’s a little messy, she’s got a few different IVs here and there, but she’s still beautiful.”

“Ah, how beautiful! It’s like a fairytale! Like Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya, you and Athena are meant to be!”

Phoenix turned redder than the suit Apollo had once been wearing, Apollo himself began laughing until there was too much friction on his burns, when he jammed his morphine button. Trucy gave loud approval.

“Shut up over there!” Aura snapped from the curtain. “Some of us are actually having a crisis!”

“So-uh, so there’s no way we can accidentally wake Athena up?”

“Nope.”

Aura hogged all of Athena’s bedside for an hour more, then darted down to the detention center. After she left, the nurses let the others in. She was still knocked out cold, finally feeling the effect of her anesthesia, but due to her deaf state her visitors were able to talk like she was awake. 

“Hey, Athena. You’re hanging on pretty well. We, uh, saw your papers from seven years ago. If you ever… want to talk about it… ah look at me. You might never hear again and here I am asking if you want to talk about your deepest problems. I’m proud of you, though.”

“I’m here for you all the way, Thena! Whatever I need to do to make you more comfortable after all this, I’ll do it!”

Pearl leaned closer to Athena. “Mr. Nick and Trucy covered most of it, so let me say: Mr. Apollo wants you to get well more than anyone else! He was just telling us how beautiful he thinks you are!”

“Objection! Let me spill my own thoughts!” 

Everyone erupted into laughter over Apollo’s extreme embarrassment for something everyone knew well.

They left shortly after Trucy pat Apollo’s unburned head and wished him luck with his healing. 

Having Athena back in the room with him, where he could hear her heartbeat, made his wounds feel much better. He wished she was in his arms, snoozing to his heartbeat while he breathed in her scent that was so overwhelmingly Athena. But with their wounds, that was an impossible wish.

“Hey… Pollo?” Her tiny voice peeped long after dark, finally her voice after an afternoon of silence. 

He instantly beeped a nurse to help her converse. “What do you need, Tiger?” He had them transfer from his lips to hers. They needed a better system. 

“...Do you remember when we first met? What did you think of me?”

“You… were amazing, Athena. Incredibly unexpected, but amazing.”

“Could you tell me about it, please?” 

“Haha, of course, Tiger. But I’m not going to be that mean to the nurse. Let them grab my phone for me and I can text you through Widget.” 

[cosmiclatte28]

Home (Baekhyun x reader)

DOMESTIC FLUFF (?) 

ENJOY! 

The jingling sounds of key and door carefully pushed open resonated through the half lit apartment. Baekhyun locked his door and carefully switched on the light. His foot steps brought him to the living room, which surprisingly was not neat. He flashed an apologizing smile when he saw the scattered books, papers, and highlighters on top of the coffee table and to the girl who fell asleep uncomfortably on the couch. 

A book was covering half of her face; Baekhyun giggled at the sight. He gently placed his gym bag on the other couch, took the book on her face, marked the page with a highlighter and closed it down. He bent to greet her with a kiss and gave a gentle stroke on her shining brown hair. The girl did not move at all, in which Baekhyun deducted she had been too tired this week. He shuffled into the bedroom, took a soft blanket and returned to the sleeping girl. He draped the blanket over her, and left to shower. That girl is Scarlet, the lucky girl who stole Baekhyun's heart and the one he's engaged to.

One of the room that Baekhyun loves other than the bedroom is the bathroom. His marvelous girlfriend amazingly turned this place's dull bathroom into a masterpiece. Baekhyun thanked his hard work which resulted this marble walls and tiles. He thanked his sweats for purchasing him a pulsing bathtub, but mostly, Baekhyun appreciated how his girl did the lights and ambience for this room. The dim relaxing lights and candles never failed in calming his nerves down. The pack of aroma oils she kept on one of the shelves helped Baekhyun breathe even lighter. 

Today he realized, it's not late yet to have a dip. It's only 10 (that's why he knew his girl had been tired, for she usually waited til' morning). Baekhyun opened the faucet, walked to the box of oils and chose his companion for tonight. He decided to go with vanilla and a blue bath bomb. He tossed the bomb when the water's enough and stripped down. In less than a minute, he was groaning from the pulses which hit his tired body and softly moaned from the comfort the oils and bubbles gave him. He closed his eyes for a moment, did some deep breathing, and reopened his eyes.

He scanned the room, his heart warming when he saw the things in this room came in pair. The tooth brush, the towels, and the vanity sets. His eyes traveled one more time to the rack of body wash collections Scarlet owns. He frowned a little when he realized her collections had changed. 

Baekhyun remembered seeing bottles of colorful and super sweet smelling soaps, but now it's replaced with plain bottles. He squinted his eyes and reached for each bottles. Reading off the titles and scents. He frowned when he read "aromatherapy edition". Though he admit the smells are wonderful, he tried to get her message. The bottles were labeled like Sleep, Stress, and Love. He returned them and glanced at the scented candles which Scarlet likes to light when she showers. The fun bakery or fruity smells was replaced too with another Sleep candle. He felt something’s wrong. Quickly he finished his bath, washed, and tugged on his shorts.

He walked out of the steamy shower, bare chested, then tip toed to the dining table. He made himself a glass of warm milk and sat down while looking at his sleeping girlfriend. Scarlet has always been a shining, restless ball of energy, with lots of positivity, just like him. But he was late to realize that she was going through a lot. 

Baekhyun's comeback activities have not allowed him to go home early, except today since two members started to feel sick, nor did it allow him to send texts and sneak calls. He tried to remember when was the last time he checked on Scarlet, and he felt bad when he figured out how much of an uncaring boyfriend he is. He looked at the engagement ring on his left finger and then to Scarlet, played a bit with it, and guilt flooded his body.

When was the last time Baekhyun asked how's she doing? When did he call first or texted first? When did he come home to ask her how her day went? When Baekhyun did accompany her to finish her mountain of home works? When did he really act like her man?

The answer was long time ago. It's always Scarlet who started the conversation, it's always her waiting for him. Scarlet's the one who forced her tired body to stay awake, just to welcome tired Baekhyun home. Scarlet's the one who always asked and listened attentively to how his day happened. She's the one who prepared his bath and bed. 

Every morning they still see each other. Drinking coffees and eating breads, Scarlet usually asked him how his sleep was while packing a lunch for her, and him. Not to forget how she always yawned from staying awake to finish her tasks and woke up early to fetch Baekhyun his breakfast and lunch. 

He felt like a shit, had he ever sit next to Scarlet all night when she typed words into her laptop, while chugging on cups and cups of coffee? Rarely. Yes he tried and failed miserably, but Scarlet never for once put a grudge on this. Baekhyun saw her charged phone on the island. He reached it and opened the lock, swiped until he found the calendar widget. He scanned through it and learned that this month is her final exam weeks; that explains the books and papers. He carefully noted down each day's exam. Baekhyun made a small plan on his mind. A small support which he hoped can help her pass the exams.

After finishing his milk, he walked to Scarlet, picked her up and put her down on their bed. He returned to the living room to pack on her belongings for tomorrow's class and tidied up the couch. After noting the clock, he turned off the lights and joined Scarlet to dream land. Baekhyun counted the hours of sleep, its 23.30, his schedule tomorrow starts at nine, while Scarlet's class starts at eight. He will wake up earlier tomorrow, make her breakfast, and walk her to campus. Baekhyun smiled at himself, then after another kiss he closed his eyes.

The sun rays woke Baekhyun up around 6. He carefully left his bed, washed, and walked to the kitchen. He turned the coffee machine on, heated the water, then prepared two cups. Baekhyun yawned as he checked on their fridge, surprisingly there are eggs, hams, and cheese. He threw his head to the counter and smiled when he saw bread. He noted he has to grab groceries on his way home, this fridge won't refill itself.

Baekhyun finished cooking the second egg, when a fresh showered Scarlet surprised him with a back hug.

"Morning bae, sorry for sleeping deep last night," Scarlet kissed Baekhyun's exposed neck.

"Morning too babe, no problem... I saw your tiring schedules, it's okay to fell asleep. I like it better, for you to stay healthy." Baekhyun said as he plated the egg on top of the bread, then topped it with cheese and ham then bread. He turned the stove off and returned the kiss Scarlet gave.

"Hmm the coffee's ready." Scarlet inhaled the sweet smell of coffee.

Baekhyun grinned, "Just sit down my lady; I'll prepare this for you." Baekhyun poured milk into one coffee. He knew her well!

Scarlet took a snap and updated her Instagram.

"What? I'm just going to post this so your fans can day dream on you."

Baekhyun said nothing to this, he's thankful though that even though some fans hated her in the beginning, by today they shifted to support them and Baekhyun's thankful Scarlet has been strong so far.

"Let's eat. Enjoy your breakfast." Baekhyun smiled.

"Thanks Baekhyun." She smiled and delicately finished her portion.

"How's your sleep?" Baekhyun asked this time, and he did not miss how Scarlet seemed surprised and happy he asked first. Gosh why did he not do this before? Seeing her surprised and happy made him happy too.

"Amazing! I dreamed that a handsome prince came to kiss my nightmares away, oh Baek it feels real," She gazed into the space.

Baekhyun giggled and brought his hand to ruffle her hair.

"How's yours?" Scarlet asked back.

They caught up with one another, exchanged small talks on how the comeback is going, annoyed conversation on Scarlet's never ending tasks, planned about visiting their parents, and many more.

"Come let's get ready. I can walk you to campus today." Baekhyun stood up and collected the dirty plates. He washed them quickly as Scarlet prepared herself.

They're ready. Baekhyun's wearing black and black with a black cap and black masker, on his left shoulder hung Scarlet's school bag, on his right hand the small hand of Scarlet. They walk while enjoying the sun and other couples.

"Baekhyun, I'm sorry if I sound rude.. But can you please return to the pastel and denim looks please? I'm tired of seeing your dark clothes in the laundry." Scarlet spoke.

He did not need to think and nodded, "Sure! I'll dress brighter after this."

Scarlet smiled, "Thanks! It's depressing for me to see your dirty clothes."

Their steps reached the end, Scarlet smiled brightly in front of the campus gate.

"I can take it from here, thanks jagi, good luck with your practice!" Scarlet rose to give a quick peck on his lips and they parted.

That afternoon, practice ended quickly. Baekhyun rushed to the parking lot after changing into a fresh tee.

"Yak, where are you running to?" Chanyeol asked before Baekhyun was gone behind the doors. It is normal for him to rush home, but Chanyeol always asked the details.

"A date probably?" Kyungsoo teased his friend.

"Any special day?" Sehun chimed in too.

"Nah.. I want to go to the market and prepare dinner."

"Wow, did something happen?" Kai asked

"Nothing bad, I just realize I'm not a caring namja..." He blushed

The rest of them laughed it off and just wished him good luck

Baekhyun was thankful today is a Friday and he can leave before 6! Yet he was sure that Scarlet's last class today will end at 6, which gives him enough time to shop and cook.

He rushed to the supermarket nearby the apartment and bought everything needed for dinner and the empty desolate fridge. He restocked the fruits, chocolates, pop corns. He bought home a bouquet of fresh flowers and a letter too.

Once back home, he arranged everything on the refrigerator and began to cook.

Right as he wait for the rice to cook, he arranged the tables and still got time for a quick fresh shower.

Once he he spit the light-blue mouthwash away, the jingles of key made his heart pound.

"Mwoya?" Scarlet gasped in surprise when she was greeted by the dim lit room only from the dining room. She took off her shoes and left her belongings on the sofa. Scarlet stood frozen in front of the dining room.

There stood Baekhyun, all in his boyfriend dreamy look and a bouquet of fresh flowers. Not to mention how perfect his oversized yellow pastel sweater matched his fluffy caramel hair. His eye bags showed naturally how tired he is, no heavy make ups and eye shadows. Just the plain glowing cheeks Scarlet love, to an extend that she will give everything just so his cheeks can glow.

She did not say anything, he was still frozen too, and Scarlet took the moment to melt Baekhyun in her deep meaningful kiss.

"You don't have to do this Baek," she whispered as her lips lingered close to his.

"I wanted to jagiya, here's your flower." He handed her the bouquet.

Scarlet took a deep whiff of the roses and placed it on the vase.

"Wow you cooked dinner!" She giggled as she saw the pile of dirty pans and pots in the sink.

"Don't worry I'll clean them up, before that shall we eat?" He raised his brow.

"One moment!" Scarlet turned to take a quick shower and change her clothes.

She returned only in Baekhyun's oversized baby blue knitted sweater and a messy bun.

"Jja, let's begin" She took her seat and Baekhyun lit the candles.

"I'll bring you to a proper place tomorrow or next week... sorry tonight I rushed.." He shyly said.

"Oh I love this better Baekhyun, anyways your food tastes better than mine! What secrets are you using?" Scarlet ate happily, savoring each spices and sweetness. Baekhyun felt full seeing her this happy. He got it now how mothers felt when their kids finished her meals. It's rewarding.

"Nothing much, I pour my heart into it." He cheekily replied.

Scarlet rolled her eyes on this, "You know what... I owe you something for this perfect surprise. I love you Baekhyun!"

"Well you could thank me with tonight's activity. How long was it again since we did it? Oh damn I've missed your touch." He smirked.

Scarlet's cheeks burned and she finished her glass of water.

"Will you be good for me tonight?" Baekhyun sipped his wine and put on his playful smirk.

Scarlet winked, "We'll see."