#built-in water filtration

[emergencyplumbingil]

Smart Sinks and Faucets : What Are They, and Why Do You Need One?

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[aito-mation]

got too scared abt surveillance n forgot im disabled n have to overshare to experience a fraction of human connection,, everything is pissingggg me AUF lately like its partly this hot ass weather but its also other stuff. organizing my flash drives, n going thru my old family photos like huh y was i in charge of this when i was 12, w like a huge emotional storm in my peripheral vision, not quite here yet but we should b preparing for cover yknow

[aioironwaterfilter]

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[thesiltverses]

(Follow-up question): what’s the safest a human can reasonably be in the TSV reality then? The equivalent of modern-day ultra-wealthy doomsday preppers hiding out in their underground titanium bunkers with radiation-proof vault doors, self-sufficient water filtration systems, enough shelf-stable canned food to last 10 lifetimes, solar-powered hydroponic gardens, downloaded-and-backed-up Internet, and a genetically diverse pet population for happiness purposes?

I imagine a hyperfixated TSV doomsday prepper might accidentally worship the idea of independent survival so hard that the bunkers ascend & eat the human inhabitants bc the humans are volatile variables that threaten the bunker’s systemic stability?

What is the most reasonably safe way a powerful but normal human in TSV can plan out the rest of their natural lifespan?

Something that occurred to me last week while working on the book is that inhabitants of the setting are likely given to lots of little bits of extra social etiquette like 1) glancing at people and things more often out of the corner of their eyes, 2) refusing gifts as a matter of courtesy but also self-preservation, 3) considering it bad luck to whistle or hum at random, 4) the polite thing being to enter through a door ahead of someone else, rather than holding the door open for them. All of which I guess would be everyday measures to ensure that you don't accidentally call a god down upon yourself or become the victim of a sacrificial prayer-mark.

But yeah, I 100% imagine that the landscape is littered with bunkers built by preppers who then found themselves trapped in there and fighting for their lives, having called down some horrible god of isolation (or tinned food!)

[mollysunder]

You know as funny as it was to see Ekko give Jayce a hard time about the hexgates's failsafe being built into Zaun, it was a bit jarring for Heimerdinger to be there and Ekko not say anything to him. Yes, Jayce built the hexgates, but Heimerdinger made it clear that he would oversee and advise on all developments. This design was approved by him, and Ekko has nothing to say?

I can see an argument be made that Ekko's more critical of Jayce because Jayce is still on the Council, but Heimerdinger was still there for the construction. Jayce is also leaving the council, he hasn't been to any of the recent war council meetings, he's practically in the same position politically as Heimerdinger. Yet Ekko's ire is reserved for Jayce.

Slightly unrelated, but the reveal also implies that Viktor knew about this as well, and was a part of it. Maybe any concerns Viktor voiced carried little weight because he was a Zaunite, but that implies Heimerdinger didn't take zviktor seriously. And that also means Viktor didn't warn any communities in Zaun that might be affected, since the failsafe connected to air and water filtration.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Hi Derin! Sorry if this has been asked before, but I'm amazed by the vast array of cultures and gender norms in TTO:U. How did you come up with all of it?

I just thought "hey wouldn't it be funny if there was a little guy" and then made them, and thought "hey what norms would exist in a culture under these conditions" and then made those.

In all seriousness, most of my worldbuilding comes down to tearing down assumptions. Brennans exist because I fucking hate gender and I'm sick of seeing the gender binary or "gender binary Plus Nonbinary Extra People (who still live in a world that assumes a gender binary)" as some immutable natural law that all societies will forever cling to, and I wanted to make a society that was harder for readers to inevitably sort into a binary as they always, always fucking do. (Partial success; I have seen some absolutely rancid takes on the TTOU gender ternary that make me want to break my computer.) The array of different cultural family structures exist because those are different ways that societies can be built on smaller units. The Arboreae and the two space elevators and the Khemin exist because that is a potential response to a critical climate crisis.

On top of that, most of my ideas are stolen. I once read a short story about people who lived under the ocean on an alien planet and spent most of their time just cruising around the ocean in big bubble-like biological submersibles and that was their job, because their submersibles cleaned the water by feeding on things in it; they were employed to be part of the ecosystem. The Khemin, wandering about the ocean as both environmental monitors and trash-gatherers, were inspired by this; from there, I just thought on what sort of family structure and traditions such a group would develop for a stable society. When I was a teeny tiny child I saw a guy on Ripley's Believe It Or Not who was trying to build a self-sustaining floating island to sail around the world on. Absolute disaster of a plan, man knew shit about ecology or farming, but a bit later on I got really into swamps for awhile and started thinking of using plant roots as water filtration systems and, with an eventual biotechnology degree, multiple years hyperfixating on ecology and evolution, and touch of Magic Future Genetic Engineering, that eventually became the Arboreae. The social structure of Hylara is somewhat inspired by CJ Cherryh's azi, particularly the way that Florian and Catlan are raised in Cyteen. The Hylarans are very much not azi (the azi being slaves brainwashed from birth via hypnosis) but the way they are raised fed into building a society batch-raised by robots and each other with no natural family unit. You can just steal concepts from the real world or from scifi and build them into your own thing it's fine.

Anthropologically speaking, the golden feature of any social structure or cultural practice is *stability*. This is the one feature upon which everything is judged. Just or unjust, productive or unproductive, authoritarian or free, structured or unstructured, when developing a society your key thing to worry about is "is this stable? Would a society survive for multiple generations on this norm?" and if your Weird Idea isn't stable, either ditch it or -- far more interesting -- adjust it and your parameters until it is. Different norms will be stable in different environments and built on different histories -- Khemin and Hylaran norms are not interchangeable because of the environments, tech, political climate and reproductive methods the two cultures have. But if it's stable, you can throw in whatever weird shit you want.

[firstelevens]

23 + sambucky 💛

23. wearing someone's clothes

In spite of his phone buzzing for the sixth time in the space of two minutes, Sam doesn't bother to check it. He's not slacking on the job: he's flanked by other superheroes, all of whom would also be getting notifications if something world-threatening were happening, and he's got AJ and Cass and Sarah in his immediate field of view.

The frenetic buzzing of six--wait, no, make that seven--text messages in no time at all can only be the work of one person, and that person is safely ensconced at the palace in Birnin Zana, undoubtedly being as much of a nuisance to his friends there as he is to Sam.

There's not much of a question as to what the text messages say, so Sam lets them roll in undisturbed, and makes sure that all of the cameras catch him emphatically not checking his phone. Instead he brings his attention to the students in front of him, crouching down to get a better look at the device that they built in their environmental science club.

He points to the receptacle at the top--it's a water filtration system--and asks the group how it works. They're very excited to answer, and when Sam asks specific questions about the mechanisms and how hard the process was, he watches them light up. He talks to them for so long that one of the PR people has to gently nudge him along to another group. Sam's phone periodically keeps buzzing away in his pocket, but he ignores it in favor of talking to all the students, doing his best to ask relevant questions and toss around jokes to make the shy ones laugh.

The event ends with plenty of pictures and plenty of questions about his own wings and how they work, and when it's all over, he feels the same pleasant exhaustion that he feels after a good workout or a mission where things went to plan. In the car on the way back to the house, all AJ and Cass can talk about is how cool all the Stark prototypes were, and Sam promises to let them mess around in his workshop tomorrow so they can do some inventing of their own.

It's not until he's back home that he remembers to even check his phone, putting it on the charger and laughing when the screen lights up to reveal thirty-two text messages from Bucky. The last one came in just a minute ago, so Sam flops down on the cozy armchair in the corner, Bucky's favorite place to curl up on nights when sleep is hard to come by, and calls him back.

The phone barely rings once before Bucky answers, skipping a greeting entirely so he can say, "You stole my sweater!"

Sam laughs. "Hi to you, too, baby."

There's a huff on the other end of the line. "Hi, sweetheart. I miss you, and also, you stole my sweater."

"Did I?" asks Sam. "How do you know that it didn't just find its way into my side of the dresser? You're not very careful about keeping our things separate, you know."

"Yeah, I do know," says Bucky. "That's why when I was packing for Wakanda, I asked you, 'Sam, love of my overlong life, man I would do anything for, have you seen my favorite green sweater?' And when you said no, I asked if you checked your side and you said that it wasn't in your sweater drawer, either."

That's because it was strategically placed in a laundry basket under half a dozen polo shirts that Bucky would never touch, Sam doesn't explain. "Sounds like it just got misplaced, and maybe someone shouldn't wait to pack for their trips until half an hour before they leave."

"Yeah?" asks Bucky. "Is that what it sounds like, and not like someone had their eye on my sweater and waited until I was distracted to snipe it and wear it to a public event where he knew I'd see him on TV?"

"Well that's just silly, Buck. Who would do that?"

"It's impossible to say," replies Bucky, making Sam laugh. Then, after a moment of quiet, he adds, "It looks good on you."

"Thank you," says Sam, and it shouldn't still make warmth rush to his cheeks when Bucky compliments him, but here he is. "Does that mean I get to keep it?"

Bucky snorts. "Let's not get carried away, Wilson."

"That's hardly getting carried away; we just established that I wear it better than you do."

"When did we establish that?" sputters Bucky.

"Are you saying it's not true?"

"Of course not," replies Bucky, without hesitation. "I saw how your arms looked in that thing; it's a fucking revelation. That's not the point."

"Ooh, I've never been called a revelation before," teases Sam.

He expects another grouchy reply, but instead, Bucky just says, "Yes, you have."

Sam actually stops and pulls his phone away from his face to make sure he's still connected. "What was that?"

"Nothing," says Bucky. "Tell me about this science thing that was so important you had to steal my sweater for it."

"Uh-uh," says Sam. "Nope. You tell me who's going around calling me a revelation."

"Sam."

"Bucky."

"You know who it was."

And yeah, Sam's good enough at putting together evidence to get to that conclusion, but he wants to hear it from Bucky all the same. "Tell me anyway?"

"All those times when you crashed into my life in all those different cities, you brought something with you. Do you remember that?"

As if Sam could ever forget. "My folks raised me never to show up empty handed, you know that."

It had been more than that, of course. He hadn't known how else to get Bucky to trust him, sure he was still struggling to trust himself most days. The whole point had been to make sure that Bucky was safe and whole, so the first time Sam managed to cross paths with him, he'd brought a loaf of bread and some strawberries from a roadside stall. Another time, it had been flowers, other times cups of coffee or books.

"Every time you showed up and forced me to take the thing you were giving me, I had to figure out how to be a person about it. I'd forgotten what it was to be annoyed or impatient or to want someone to stay even when you knew they couldn't."

Sam's breath catches in his throat a little, but Bucky doesn't stop.

"And then you would just talk at me for a couple minutes, and then you'd get your stuff and be on your way, and I'd have to find a safe place where I could face up to the fact that you knocked me on my ass with some wilted daisies that you bought for five euros. What else do you call someone who brings you a part of you that you thought you'd never see again?"

"What the fuck, Barnes?" breathes Sam, rasping a little because of the sudden lump in his throat.

"It's the truth!" says Bucky, suddenly defensive.

"Yeah, well, you couldn't have waited to share that truth until I could hear it in person? So I could kiss the shit out of you the way you deserve?"

"Oh," Bucky says quietly. "You know, I could--"

"Absolutely not. Whatever you're thinking, absolutely not. You just managed to earn the Wakandans' trust again; you're not stealing a talon fighter for a booty call."

"It wouldn't be a booty call, Samuel."

"It would a little bit be a booty call, and Ayo would never let you hear the end of it."

Bucky huffs again. "Fine," he grouses. "But I'm coming home as soon as the last repair is done on my arm."

"Good," says Sam. "That'll give me time to steal the rest of your sweaters."

"Sam," Bucky all but whines, and Sam laughs in response.

"Fine. I'll only take most of your sweaters, and maybe one of your hoodies. Just one."

"If I say no, you're just gonna steal more, aren't you?"

"Probably," says Sam, shrugging even though Bucky can't see him.

Bucky sighs. "Fine," he says. "We'll work out a trade when I get home."

"Well, hurry back," says Sam. "I'm kind of curious about your negotiating tactics."

There's a loud laugh from Bucky's end, and Sam can still hear his smile when he speaks. "Back home as soon as possible, sweetheart," says Bucky.

"Gonna hold you to that, baby," says Sam. Then, just as Bucky's about to hang up, he tacks on, "I'm stealing your maroon sweater next!"

When he ends the call, Bucky's only halfway through indignantly crying his name.

[kiame-sama]

Maybe Humans had a good relationship with Yetis and Sasquatches? Sharing their secrets and special skills in return for sanctuary and protection from Monsters who intend harm upon them

Yeties and Sasquatches learned many ways to preserve food from drying, salting, pickling, smoking and fermenting as well as being able to purify drinking water by boiling, filtration and natural substances

Humans taught their Great Ape Cousins how to make their food last longer, especially when on the move, purifying drinking water, as well as sign language, codes and making traps to catch enemies

The three species were very closely bonded early on. As all three originated and evolved from select branches of the ape family, there was a kindred connection, much like how the Equine species bonded.

Sasquatch are more of the forest and jungle dwellers, the Yeti being the mountain dwellers, and Humans being plain dwellers. They formed close comradaerie and partnerships among the three species up until the species branched out to other places. After branching out, that is when magic really began to develop in species. Every species excepting Humans. Both ape species actually tried to keep their Human counterparts safe, but ultimately failed as more began to discover just how fascinating and attracting the Humans were. From there is became a losing battle for the Ape species to stay together, Humans being ripped away from their family groups to be pets or food and the few that stayed together fleeing before more could be taken.

It was Sasquatch that begged Papa Hades to take Humans under his wing in the first place, and he readily agreed.

Humans shared quite a bit of knowledge with the Yeti and Sasquatch, most of whom learned through observation, just as Humans naturally do. They kept a lot of Human crafts alive after the extinction even if they also forgot the origins of Humans as apes. Neither species felt complete after the death of Humans, all feeling the need to search for their long lost friends, even those that never met a Human. Like a piece of the trio was gone, and they couldn't stand being a duo species anymore.

Clay is a hybrid Yeti/Sasquatch. He is considered Yeti because he is much bulkier and taller than Sasquatch, who are the smaller of the two species. Usually Silverbacks are a Sasquatch only breed, but as he is outwardly built like a Yeti with the breed coloration of Sasquatch, he is considered a Silverback Yeti. He- like the other Ape species- feel a very sudden and very profound connection to Humans after rediscovering they are Apes too. Upon meeting The Human, he feels like the leader of a troupe who has just come across an abandoned infant with no mother. As the silverbacked leader, it is his duty to protect and teach this Human just as much information and skills as he learns from The Human. He also feels a kind of genetic responsibility to protect, as Humans never got the magic their other ape species counterparts did.

Many Apes of current day TWST feel responsible for the extinction of Humans, that they somehow stole the magic Humans would have gotten. It is now a heated subject on why Humans out of all species never got magic, and many eyes have turned towards the Yeti and Sasquatch people for answers they don't have. Current day Yeti tribes and Sasquatch troupes are the most vocal about The Human being returned to the other ape folk after Humans had been so brutally torn away from them by others. Their platform is gaining traction.

[sublimati0ns]

Hey quick question about "waste processing tanks". I'm just a bit confused at the notion since... I just sort of assumed they had some sort of fuel pump, fuel tanks and fuel lines What "waste" do they even process? Sediments in the energon they inject into themselves? Stuff they accidentally swallow (l think Star's voice actor may have mentioned him swallowing a bird mid-flight - however the fuck that's supposed to work)

Will preface by saying I only have a layman’s knowledge on machinery, so I may not have all my facts straight, but to my understanding most machines will produce waste byproduct as a result of their functioning—so I figure it’s doubly true for Cybertronians, as a result of having mecha-biological processes.

Due to the fact energon can vary in class and quality, I don’t imagine it’s a zero-loss fuel. That’s not a real term I don’t think, but I mean every single drop of energon is probably not converted into pure energy aha—like cars with gasoline, the chemical process of ‘burning’ energon and converting it into energy would probably result in waste like steam, exhaust, and other substances. Like you said, it also makes sense for them to have filtration systems to remove undesirable dregs in the fuel they ingest that may not have been already siphoned out by distilling (I can imagine not every crystal-to-liquid refinery is built equal, and some fuel reserves may become tainted by the environment or cut with other substances).

If Cybertronians are like real machines, energon is probably not the only liquid in their bodies too! They might have coolant, antifreeze, lubricant, oils, brake fluid, transmission fluid, water from dehumidifying processes, etc. On top of that rust/corrosion can build up and grease can congeal… So having automatic processes in their bodies to dispose of carbon deposits and other such waste would be more efficient than having to deep-clean all of their organs manually every few months aha.

I imagine waste processing would include their inner ventilation systems as well, which are responsible for temperature control; it’d be useful for them to have specific vent paths in their body so the airflow isn’t just loose among their other parts. These paths would collect environmental debris and would need to be cleaned out 🤔

Cybertronians can also get sick (cybonic plague, the virus Pharma manufactures on Delphi in MTMTE, etc), which implies the presence of an immune system, ergo processes their bodies have to flush out pathogens (waste). It’s all just my speculation, but hopefully this makes sense and is plausible to you!

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Today, we have a bunker for sale. It's not as interesting as a decommissioned missile tower. "Originally constructed in the 1960s at a cost of $4.5 million, an equivalent value today exceeding $34 million, this bunker represents the pinnacle of security and resilience." Located in Polo, Missouri, 35 min. from Kansas City, it has 4bds, 2ba, $2M.

The entrance hall has an industrial look, but they tired to make the home look elegant.

It has 2 massive 3,000 pound blast doors, 2.5-foot-thick concrete walls, additional layers of earth & EMP-resistant copper shielding, plus an emergency escape hatch and a towering 177-ft communication tower.

it's roomy- look at the size of the living room. One must wonder why people decorate these with traditional furniture. It needs colorful, modern stuff.

There's a bar for entertaining.

One of the bathrooms.

This is a soundproof room- it's not as if there are any neighbors around, though.

They have a home office here.

Laundry and stuff. The self-sufficient home has a private water well, a pump, and a 10,000-gallon stainless steel water storage tank, all connected to a Water Filtration System.

And, here's your new hobby- it's a glass blowing studio. I wonder if the owner would teach the new owner how to use it.

Looks like a massive air system.

Above the workshop is a large loft area.

There's a family room- notice the windows above, they are for some of the bedrooms. There's also supposed to be a home theater room, but it's not shown.

On the 2nd fl. is the 2nd bath. Not liking the hole in the wall behind the toilet.

This is the kitchen.

This is an odd place to locate the kitchen w/all this other equipment.

Through the kitchen you can see the upstairs living room.

You can see that the kitchen is on the other side.

The bedrooms are off a hall off of the living room.

The bedrooms.

This area serves as a closet.

The plot of land is 10.5 acres and the real estate description suggests that you can built your dream home on it, over the bunker.

[oh-nostalgiaa]

thank you to @therebelcaptainnetwork for hosting secret santa again, which is the most wonderful time of the year (and the only time i muster enough energy to write, wah)!

my gift is for the lovely @toooldforthisbutstill, who asked for fluff, snow day/rest day, green/earth tones, or hope. i'm sorry i couldn't manage historical or fantasy, but i hope this small slice of life pleases nonetheless.

you can also find this fic at ao3! without further ado, here is:

you're gonna lead me home

The thing about peacetime is this:

There is no manual. There isn’t a set of instructions to follow in order to live in it to the best of one’s ability - especially if one (or two, in this case) are far more used to (and suited for, all things considered) doing whatever it takes to survive wartime.

You are simply taken from everything you’ve ever known and thrust into an entirely new situation with no guidelines and you are told ‘hey, good luck’.

While Cassian concedes that it’s not entirely true that he and Jyn had been airdropped into the unknown since they had been offered an apartment in glittering Coruscant and declined, but it still feels overwhelming at the best of times. This small, nondescript home on a small, temperate, mid-rim world is theirs to do with as they please.

At first, what they do is take stock of their new surroundings, taking careful note of what needs repairs or upgrades, what they can realistically immediately renovate and what may need to wait. More importantly, they examine every inch of their home and the land that surrounds it and they make intricate plans for how to keep themselves and this place safe.

You can take the soldiers out of the war, after all, but the war never really seems to end.

Cassian used to like to pride himself on how quickly he’s been able to adapt to any number of situations during his years as a spymaster, but another thing he’s learning is that the skills he’s gained from years of doing the hardest work imaginable don’t always translate to his new life.

And learning on the fly isn’t always quite so easy when there’s not the threat of death hanging over his head if he fails. Still, sometimes he thinks that death might be slightly easier to bear than disappointing Jyn.

Okay, so that’s a little dramatic, but not entirely inaccurate.

They have both spent most of their lives never staying anywhere long enough to put down roots. The relationships they have built have been superficial at best, because no matter how much it’s hurt to do it, they knew that disappearing was always what they were best at and what was necessary in order to survive another day. They have kept to the shadows and engaged in distasteful things they’d rather forget because there simply wasn’t any other option at the time. They looked over their shoulders constantly, because they never knew when a blade might be plunged into their back, metaphorically and literally speaking.

And that mindset is perhaps the hardest thing to rid themselves of.

Some days are easier than others. With no strict timetable to follow, new routines must be created, otherwise they both bristle at having so much free time and nothing to fill it.

Cassian finds that he’s rather adept at some of the repairs that need doing - the leak in the water filtration system comes to mind - and what he can’t figure out on his own, the holonet helps him learn. The same with cooking, actually. As it’s turned out, for as capable and dangerous as she can be in other areas, Jyn Erso is a complete disaster behind the stove and doesn’t quite possess the patience to want to learn to be otherwise. So Cassian has shooed her out of the cramped kitchen and taken over the cooking duties. He’s surprised by the natural affinity he seems to have for it and sometimes (when he’s feeling maudlin) wonders if in another life, that’s a path he would have gone down.

Some days, life doesn’t feel quite so difficult to navigate. Some days, he’s almost convinced that they’ll manage just fine.

And then there are the bad days.

There are days when one or the other or both of them revert to a state of readiness (and paranoia) that something’s going to happen if they are not hyperaware of every single thing in their immediate vicinity, every tiny noise more than enough to ramp emotions to the point of no return. And stars help them when they cross that point, because the blowup is not pretty. Neither is the aftermath.

If they’re lucky, the result is simply snapping at each other and then pointedly avoiding the other until their tempers settle. They would never put hands on each other, but when snapping turns to worse - well, they can wound each other terribly using just their words.

Icy little shards of insults that hit their target with startling accuracy every single time.

What’s worse is that neither are accustomed to apologizing, despite knowing when they’re in the wrong or when they’ve taken one step too far.

Sometimes, Cassian chooses to focus on repairs to keep himself busy, and if he feels like a particular argument requires more of a distance between he and Jyn, leaves a message letting her know he’s heading into town for supplies. Despite any simmering bad blood between them, he’s perceptive enough to know that not leaving that note would only just make everything all the worse. The sense of abandonment still runs deep in her veins, even though he has promised over and over again that he is with her come what may.

He leaves her to get her aggression out in her garden, or chopping wood, the type of hard physical labor that results in a good, deep sleep once the day is over with.

Repairs get done quicker than anticipated when there are a spate of bad days in a row, and soon, the barebones skeleton of their new home starts to come together in earnest. He only hopes that in time, they’ll both learn how to enjoy it without the fear of everything falling apart hanging over their heads, and that they’ll be able to build the life together that neither believes they truly deserve, deep down.

Sometimes, when the blood runs hot, not bad, they find themselves taking their frustrations out on each other physically - not sparring, although that is an option, but in a much more intimate and pleasurable way. All they need is the closest room or free surface and eventually, verbal jabs turn into gasps and moans, and when all is said and done, they may be disheveled and sweaty and breathless, but any annoyance felt toward each other has disappeared, replaced by satisfaction.

Things are still awkward afterward, as they are wont to be when a real apology hasn’t come, but Cassian’s learned that he and Jyn still find ways to offer one without words.

He’s learned to read her body language like a book and knows when she’s got a headache. He doesn’t say anything, but gently sets a steaming cup of tea down in front of her that he’s sure will alleviate her symptoms enough to allow her to participate in her usual activities. Thanks, holonet.

And Jyn's observation skills are unmatched. Even if Cassian never complains out loud, he will sometimes find exactly what he needs waiting for him, and he knows there’s only one person that could have done it. He tears his favorite pair of gloves, and later finds them stuffed in the pocket of a jacket, carefully darned back together and stronger than ever.

A tool needs replacing or a knife needs sharpening? He’ll find them exactly where he’s left them last, brand new and glittering or looking sharp enough as though it’s never been used countless times before.

I’m sorry may not come very naturally to them, but by stars, they are doing their best. As far as he’s concerned, that’s got to count for something.

Sometimes, on particularly clear nights, an apology can look like curling up together on the soft grassy hillside to silently stare up at the sky together, letting the peace and stillness wash over them as they watch shooting stars overhead. Those times, nothing needs to be said. It’s enough that Jyn’s resting her head over Cassian’s heart, letting the steady beating of his heart lull her into relaxation. It’s enough to be able to press a gentle kiss to the top of her head and be assured that even if he can’t see it, she’s smiling.

Sometimes, it’s enough to know that through it all, the good days and bad days, the lessons they’re still learning about how to live, the love always remains.

The rest will come in time.

[iamthepulta]

As is turning disturbingly into custom, I have a paper to write and I can't think unless I start writing to somebody first.

The topic is the Flint Water Crisis. Our focus, corrosion and why it happened. The nuance I'm adding for spice: Ancient plumbing.

So, in Flint, Michigan, the major players are the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) and the City of Flint (Flint). The City of Flint is in a $25 million deficit and their contract with DWSD to supply water expires in 2014. In 2011, the state has put the city under Emergency Management, which is trying to decrease spending, essentially. Additionally, since 2004, DWSD has been upping their service rates at a yearly 6.2%, or 62% total (expensive). And kind of an asshole move since Flint has been buying water from DWSD since 1967.

Flint has their own water treatment plant that's been an emergency backup to the DWSD-supplied water, but it is only operated 4 times a year just to ensure it can function.

Flint says Fuck This Actually, and in 2013, decides to pull water from Lake Huron; but this pipeline is still being developed and only due to be online in 2017. So Flint decides for the 2-3 year period, they can pull water from the Flint River and treat it in their own treatment plant. They hire an engineering firm to retrofit the plant and email Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for quality guidelines to follow during plant startup.

At this point, Flint was incorrectly told by MDEQ they DID NOT have to continue adding phosphates to the water as corrosion control, which the previous plant had been doing. They could start up as normal, and check every six months for any lead issues. Additionally, to control the amount of trihalomethanes (fancy word for a gas molecule with three halogens, a hydrogen, and a carbon) already in the water, the plant added FeCl3 as a disinfectant and flocculant (purifies water via latching onto other molecules and allowing them to be filtered out) instead; FeCl3 is non-toxic, but increases the water corrosivity in an already corrosive system.

This is where the more known portion of the story begins: people immediately notice the changes in the water, including increasing discoloration and are concerned. It's policy to have a monitoring pool of homes for quality control, and Flint had that, but it's also policy to have 50% of those homes contain lead service lines and none on the Flint circuit were. They also didn't sample the homes that were on the circuit properly to pick up lead in the system, so the lead numbers that were picked up, were likely minimized.

So on one hand, you have people (and a whole lot of visual evidence) pointing to a damaged, polluted water supply, and test results that don't show anything abnormal.

Resident Zero took water samples to show to the city, and then independently sent them to Virginia Tech. The minimum concentration of lead in all the samples was 217 ug/L, 14.5 times the EPA action level of 15 ug/L. And as the sampling occurred, lead levels increased in the last five samples, so not even flushing the pipes (common precautionary treatment for any nasty buildup in pipes while water hasn't been moving) was adequate protection for any home inhabitants.

The reason this occurred was the corrosion of lead scaling that had built up on steel service lines outside homes (Fig 1). Typically, when phosphate is used as a corrosion inhibitor, soluble metals precipitate and create a scale on the pipe. Nothing goes into solution or the house, and things are fine and dandy. Without corrosion inhibitors, not only was the original corrosive contact occurring between the steel and lead pipes, but the scale was being removed and carried into the system. 99% of the contamination was due to this scale, as noted when solid filtration was used on the water samples and lead values decreased.

(Pieper, et al 2017)

+ Findings

+ Corrections/future learnings

+ Rome

[catloversden]

The Benefits of a Cat Water Fountain: Keeping Your Feline Hydrated and Healthy

Cats are known for their independent nature, but when it comes to their hydration, they often need a little extra encouragement. Many cat owners struggle to get their pets to drink enough water, which is essential for their overall health. One of the best solutions to this issue is investing in a cat water fountain. This simple yet effective device can significantly improve your cat’s hydration habits.

Why Hydration is Important for Cats

Unlike dogs, cats have a lower natural thirst drive due to their evolutionary history as desert animals. This means they might not drink enough water from a standard bowl, leading to dehydration. Chronic dehydration can contribute to urinary tract infections, kidney disease, and other serious health problems. A cat water fountain provides a fresh, continuously flowing water source that encourages more frequent drinking.

Key Benefits of a Cat Water Fountain

1. Encourages Drinking

Cats are instinctively drawn to running water. In the wild, flowing water is usually cleaner and safer to drink than stagnant water. A water fountain mimics this natural preference, enticing cats to drink more often.

2. Filters and Purifies Water

Most cat water fountains come with built-in filtration systems that remove impurities, such as hair, dust, and bacteria. This ensures that your cat always has access to fresh and clean water, reducing the risk of illness.

3. Reduces the Risk of Urinary and Kidney Issues

Since many cats don’t drink enough water, they are at risk of developing urinary tract infections and kidney disease. By providing a continuous flow of clean water, a cat fountain encourages increased water consumption, supporting better kidney function and overall health.

4. Keeps Water Fresh and Oxygenated

Standing water in bowls can become stale and unappealing to cats. A fountain keeps water circulating, preventing stagnation and improving oxygenation, making it more enticing for your feline friend.

5. Lowers Maintenance for Owners

With a traditional water bowl, pet owners need to change and clean the water multiple times a day to keep it fresh. A cat water fountain, equipped with a filter, requires less frequent refilling and cleaning, making it a convenient option for busy pet owners.

Choosing the Right Cat Water Fountain

When selecting a water fountain for your cat, consider the following factors:

Material: Stainless steel, ceramic, or BPA-free plastic options are available. Stainless steel and ceramic are generally more hygienic and durable.

Filtration System: Look for models with replaceable carbon or charcoal filters to ensure optimal water purity.

Size and Capacity: Choose a fountain that suits your cat’s needs, especially if you have multiple pets.

Noise Level: Some fountains can be noisy, so opt for a quieter model if your cat is sensitive to sound.

Ease of Cleaning: A fountain with removable, dishwasher-safe parts makes cleaning hassle-free.

Conclusion

A cat water fountain is a worthwhile investment that can significantly improve your cat’s hydration and overall well-being. By providing fresh, clean, and appealing water, you can ensure that your feline friend stays healthy and happy. Whether you have a finicky drinker or just want to offer the best hydration solution, a cat water fountain is an excellent choice for any cat owner.

[watcheraurora]

supernatural frat is INTRIGUING me,,,

XD Okay. So.

Supernatural Frat is exactly what it sounds like XD (My temporary titles are often kinda basic descriptions of what the fic is about)

So I have Grian, Scar, Impulse, Skizz, Etho, Joel, Jimmy, and Tango all living together in a fraternity, going to college/university. But all of them are some sort of supernatural creature. This is a contemporary fantasy fic where there are supernatural creatures hiding among human society, and this fic is no exception. But the humans in the area know supernatural creatures exist and know that this university is kind of a hotspot for them to go to school, but all supernatural creatures at this university tend to live in private, exclusive fraternities or sororities for the safety of the supernatural world.

I won't tell you what everyone is, but Jimmy is a merman who is largely unimpressed with life on land. Although he's very much attracted to his goofy, blond roommate

Anyway, the TIES crew are a punk band who all lived at the same frat last year, while the Bad Boys + Scar are the newcomers to this frat, and are greeted their first morning after moving in by the punk band playing music

And thus starts off a university school year to remember!

-

Here's a lil snippet!

"You know. That pond outside our windows isn't actually a pond," Tango remarked. "What?" Jimmy peered out the window. "What is it, then?" "One of the guys who lived here before I did was a... crap, what was the term again?" Tango's brows scrunched. "They have seal coats..." "A selkie?" Jimmy asked. Tango snapped his fingers. "That's the one! Yeah. One of the guys was a selkie. The frat chapter had one of those natural pools built in for him. It's technically a pool, but the filtration is all natural. Vegetation and stuff. That's probably why you and your guys were selected. Reasonable accommodations for your true nature." Jimmy stared at the pond. "Oh," he said. "The window should be wide enough for you to slip out right onto those rocks next to the house," Tango said with a wink. "You can sneak out and swim whenever you want." "And I won't get sick from stagnant water?" "Shouldn't. But what do I know? I avoid swimming if I can help it."

[lbulldesigns]

Zaun (AITAH Arcane AU Mood board)

The City of Iron and Glass, and revitalisation

Seventy years ago, Zaun, still going by the moniker of the Undercity, was in a constant state of desperation.

The mining colony turned city, was no stranger to hardships. From unsafe mining conditions to unsafe working conditions within the factories jammed packed within the city, to unsafe living conditions due to poor maintenance to residental structure and over pollution brought on my the factories and the toxic gases from the deep mines being compressed within the underground city.

All of this was due to the conscious negligence of Piltover. Whose one and only concern was image and wealth. To them Zaun was an eyesore but they refused to acknowledge that this was due to them.

They preferred the image of being righteous and a city of academics and kept their well-shoed foot to Zaun's throat by unleashing their Enforcers upon them who dealt their "justice" in brutal fashion.

This continuous abuse and oppression had to come to an abrupt end, however.

In 1954 Piltover and its Enforcers had stepped on Zaun and Janna's (Goddess of the Wind) final nerve.

When during an arrest of a factory worker voicing his outrage for being unfairly fired, an officer took liberation to bludgeon a 12-year-old girl who had stepped in to beg her father's release before shooting dead the distraught father.

In this moment something snapped within the people witnessing the scene and every Zaun citizen present attacked the Enforcers without conern for their own lives. This attack would go on to inspire more within the city to take up arms and riots broke out everywhere, with the intention to put as many Enforcers down.

Janna tried to protect as many innocent lives caught in the crossfire as she could, but the death toll was climbing with her people dying in droves.

When Piltover took to trying to blow the bridges and starve the residents in Zaun, Janna had reached her limit and decided something more drastic had to be done.

For a month, the Goddess of Wisdom and Harmony became an unyielding and unrelenting, furious storm.

She took the fight straight to Piltover and wrecked havoc upon the city. Gleaming, unblemished structures that reached to the sky came crumbling down as if they were sandcastles within the oceans reach.

She dispersed her followers to ransack the city of the progress of food, clean water, and medicine. And kept the Enforcers secluded to Zaun, without backup and provisions and many beaten Zaunites looking for their own pound of flesh.

After a month of nonstop terror from the Goddess and many injured and homeless within Piltover, its Council flew up a white flag and begged for an audience.

Upon the Bridge of Progress, Janna stood mighty, if not unproud of her destruction, and yet resolute in her decision. She was done watching the mindless cruelty and violence to her people and would be ruling over them from then on.

An accord was struck that day.

Zaun would be its own nation from then on, and Piltover would pay compensation to the people for their negligence, in the form of money, technology, healthcare, and education.

An accord, that Piltover had no other choice but to agree to.

And this is how we come to Zaun today, under Janna's rule.

A city crushed by oppression and poverty, now turned metropolis of renewed vigor and spirit.

Zaun has transformed within the past seventy years into a technological paradise, built of off science and magic.

Its once toxic air has been dissipated by the trees that now grow within and upon every building, sustained by the HexTech-empowered artificial sun bolted to the cavern ceiling, and scheduled rainy days using the sprinkler system stretched out throughout the city. Water filtration has drastically improved drinkable water, and botany has become an essential subject in every school.

Zaun is now the cultural hotspot in Runeterra, with many coming from all over the world to visit or call Zaun its home.

You'll now find many cultures thriving within the city, as well as old structures standing proud against the tides of time.

One such building is a bar/pub called The Last Drop.

Religions of all caliber operate in Zaun, but none hold a candle to the temples of the Wind Goddess.

Mages with elemental talent, are often in high demand as they assist in the evironmental stability of the city.

And although Enforcers do still operate within the city, their presence holds neither respect nor true authority. Many Zaunites will opt to seek the services of private security firms, such as The Eye Of Zaun or the newly formed Firelights flying through the city on their chem tech-powered hoverboards; invented by 15-year-old Ekko Bennet in 2015, making him one of Zaun's first adolescent millionaires.

However, Enforcers have been reported to tiptoe on the boundaries of the two cities accordance.

With reports of Zaun civilians being killed just on the outskirts of the city, and more than a few being assaulted and/or killed within back alleys of Zaun. It is not difficult to discern what is happening.

The Enforcers are either trying to return to their old ways, or someone is looking to profit of off a potential war.

Either way, Zaun will be ready for what comes at it.

It vows to not wait for their gentle Goddess to bloody her hands again for them, they are the warriors who built this town.

[radiofreesanjak]

People often ask us about what good they can do for Sanjak. They send blockade runners, and for this we are thankful. We eat in part on your generosity, but more often the utility of the aid is in the medicine, the ability to produce housing and omnihooks, our water filtration, and the laughs of our children.

All of this is help, but running the blockade is a hard task that not all are suited to, so here is another way I speak of less:

Bring the New Era to you. Utopia is a great beast bearing gifts, who may have brought great prosperity to some, but to those who struggle in its wake I tell you that a New Era is possible and it is something you can make. Organize with your peers. Make holes in the walls of the structures built to harm you. Yell your anger at the world as it is, and tell your fellows that we do not need to concede to the state of this unkind world.

The greatest kindness you can do to me is to see the world made better. Put faith in your comrades, as we have, and fight for a better world.