#How to Operate laptop with mobile

[danieyells]

UPCOMING CARDS!!!

HAPPY SINOSTRA 3 RELEASE DAY ARE YOU READY FOR SINOSTRA CARDS BECAUSE I'M SO EXCITED IT'S RUINING MY ENTIRE ATTENTION SPAN. SORRY I YAPPED A LITTLE THIS TIME LOL

I don't know what order these are coming out in but I think it's Taiga-Ritsu-Romeo based on the placements in the encyclopedia!

I'm including the in-game screenshots of the stats along with the file ones because that seems to be more helpful for some! Also I'm doing this from my laptop this time so if it looks weird or something. . .i usually do this from my phone lol. were my laptop key lights always so bright. . .they're blinding me here.

big kitty. . .so calm what a good pet. . .also he's got lunch right there. . .those are some fresh buns they're still steaming. . .also HIS TUMMY HIS ABS AND HE'S SMOKING listen i hate smoking but it's great when fictional characters do it and THE KISERU. . .AND HE'S BEING KINDA TENDER WITH THE BAG AND HIS NAILS LOOK NICE. . . .

Character Card: (「暴虎��我の勇」  "The Heroism Of The Violent Tiger Taiga" If it turns out that 暴虎 is Taiga's actual surname it would be something like "The Heroism of Taiga Boutora" but it may also be read differently? It's hard to tell) Skill: (「無法者」  "Lawless Person" or "Outlaw" but somehow that felt different) Fully Awakened Skill: (「その行動の意味」  "The Meaning Of That Behavior") Warding Card: Personal Packer(「荷造りにご指名」  "Request For Packing")

RITSU IS SMOKING TOO??? THE PIERCED EARS THE EXPOSED ANKLES THE COLLARBONE CLEAVAGE AND HE'S SMOKING??? AND HE'S L A T E????? SOMEONE TELL HIS MOTHER????? christ alive he is so insanely pretty here what a beautiful little man--

Character Card: Shadowed Glass(「明鏡止水に落ちる影」  "A Shadow Falling On The Clear And Serene") Skill: Intelligence Gathering(「情報収集」  "Intelligence Gathering") Fully Awakened Skill: Brains Of The Operation(「シノストラの参謀」  "Sinostra's Adviser") Warding Card: Second For A Change (「珍しく２番乗り」  "Unusually Second To Board")

And of course Romeo is beautiful as ever. . .no smoking for him he is very concerned about his health do you know what that stuff does to your lungs? god seeing how SEETHROUGH his coat thing is is so???? AND THE LITTLE CHEST WINDOWS. . . . And oh no he's been left on read. . .I assume he's trying to make things work for Sinostra as always but it's just. . .not easy all by himself is it. . . .

Character Card: Jade Pavilion (「翡翠の間にて玉衣靡かせ」  "Jade Clothes Win Them Over In The Jade Pavillion") Skill: Under-The-Table Deal (「裏���引」  "Backroom Deal") Fully Awakened Skill: Refusal To Be Manipulated (「使役者への叛逆」  "Rebellion Against The One Using Him") Warding Card: No Messages (「空白の通知」  "No Notifications")

whew doing this on desktop is way more work than on mobile lmao

Cosmic Bond for the episode! Aside from obviously being the episode cards I have no idea what other units are in this.

The Otherworldly Outing Of Sinostra (「シノストラの異世界探訪」 "Sinostra's Search In The Otherworld" or "Sinostra's Isekai Hunt" which is much funnier)

i'm losing my shit a bit reading the episode titles 👀 BUT YOU'LL SEE SOON.

ANYWAY. STATS AND UH I HAVE TO REMIND YOU NOT TO GAMBLE AND STUFF it's almost 3am and the adhd is kicking my ass in sorry

So like I'm always saying!

Gacha is gambling and gambling is a serious and legitimate addiction. Gacha games are designed to prey on that addiction and the ease of spending money in this format and FOMO. Set limits! Keep an eye on your spending! Stick to your limits! Remember that every unit so far has rerun eventually and these will be the same! If you find yourself struggling with gacha addiction, seek gambling addiction recovery! (Also, same with smoking, since we've got that imagery going. I know it's hard out there but you'll thank yourself for it the sooner you can find something else to soothe you.)

My Japanese is like kindergarten level on a good day, take my translations with a grain of salt. The localization team are paid to do their jobs, they know what they're doing most of the time.

If you're considering pushing back against the people who're using you, this is your sign to do it. Get out of that bad situation. The time is now.

Oh and here are the stats!

[cisthoughtcrime]

a 62yo man in a very small, very wealthy suburban city near Seattle, WA has been caught possessing, producing, and selling CSAM. Homeland Security Investigations and members of the Major Crimes Task Force have linked it to a larger international child sex trafficking ring. the man had business cards with sample photos of young (est. 6-10yo) girls alongside his name, number, and "project manager" on them. he also had guns and hundreds of thousands in US and foreign currencies. they found his "staging room" and photos and videos indicating the room had been used for this purpose and for live mobile casting. his houses (because he had two in this neighbourhood, where each house is typically at least $5mil but many are closer to $20mil) were five minutes from each other and just under a mile from the local elementary school. he's currently in custody.

the thing is, he had already been caught before. TWICE.

he had already been arrested (2012) and convicted (2013) for possession of CSAM in California. then, in 2014 a random check by the Canadian border police found more than a thousand images of minors engaged in sex acts on his phone. the arrest report from the border agents claims he reponded to being told he was being taken into custody by saying "that's not child porn, it's just happy pictures." before this most recent arrest in December 2024, he had only been in community custody instead of being in prison.

this story hasn't really broken yet, but I would expect (or at least hope) to see more about it in the news as more of the investigation starts to become available to the public. for now, all we have are the police reports from the arresting this guy and executing the warrants on his properties, as well as a few other relevant records. a local independent reporter and a neighbourhood newsletter have summarised what we know so far and included these documents. neither of these links includes any graphic material, but the reports themselves describe a few clips of what the officers witnessed (when they arrived to arrest him, they saw him through a window actively watching CP on a laptop).

my question is how the fuck was he still freely allowed to move between states, live so close to an elementary school, change his name, exit and enter the country, avoid incarceration, and have such light sentencing with such little supervision that he could operate and profit from a massive international CSAM business fuelled by material he himself produced, entirely uninhibited while in "community custody"??? he was able to have children in his houses after two arrests for CSAM in two states and two convictions (the first was a misdemeanor, the second a felony).

when can we start also holding judges accountable for endangering minors by letting repeat-offender pedophiles go free? seriously, how many more kids suffered because this convicted waste of carbon got an extra decade of unhindered opportunity? I want the victims' families to sue, I want this case to set a legal precedent requiring harsher sentencing, I want a justice system that isn't just a snooze button for holding rich perverted men mildly accountable. at the very least, I want major news sources to pick this up and present it as the big deal it is.

[zephyrchama]

(Personal post here 👋)

TLDR: I don't have a computer with internet, so I'm gonna be unable to post for an unknown length of time.

Full story: I may be forced to go on hiatus due to not having a computer! I haven't had consistent computer access for a few weeks, and my only laptop with internet has now become completely unusable (it's stuck in an operating system repair loop as I type this on mobile).

My computers are both over a decade old (I have a Windows that doesn't get any internet and a chromebook that's now completely unusable). They have been used nearly every single day for over ten years so I think they're just worn down. I don't have the money to afford something new at the moment. I'm not very fond of writing on mobile, it's slow and autocorrect gets distracting. I did get a cheap used replacement laptop a couple of days ago, but that doesn't work for my needs (it had internet but didn't have USB or SD ports which I need for work) and the return needs to be processed before I can start looking at other options.

So I'll be roughing it like a troglodyte until I can get something usable! I legitimately don't know how long that will take. Just wanted to give an update so my wonderful amazing readers (I point at you) (hi) know what's going on and know that I haven't abandoned this blog if it takes a while to get another computer. Thanks for reading, both this and the posts I usually make! Hopefully things will get sorted out soon.

[backwardshatnick]

𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗎𝗉 (𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗂 𝖺𝗆 𝗌𝗆𝗂𝗍𝗍𝖾𝗇)

in which matt works for a call centre of your phone operator.

pairing: call centre representative!matt x customer!reader wc: 1.7k notes: fluff, flirty!matt, frustrated!reader (it's just lacking another one of my favourite F words), use of the name bernard, mention of physics that gives me whiplash 🤓 series masterlist can be found here! [divider credits to: @strangergraphics]

“Shoot,” you grunted, sigh after sigh leaving your mouth before you screamed into your pillow. Your hair was a mess, the mug of warm lavender tea long forgotten and cold by the table lamp while your laptop screen was stuck with the face of your Classical Mechanics professor but his booming voice still on-going despite the scratchy and crackly quality until it finally stopped.

You had done all your due diligence, rebooting the modem, resetting your router, checking your network configurations and even switching to the dorm’s weak internet to your own phone hot spot, but nothing was working despite the full four white bars next to the name of your phone operator company’s name, Cell4. Leaving the dorm just to go to campus’s library is a hassle as this lecture was about to end in 45 minutes. Scrolling through your contacts, you finally found the Customer’s Support number from Cell4 that had been automatically saved when you had registered for your phone number the very first time you held the small pink Samsung in between your fingers.

The dial tone was crisp and audible, the typical hold music dancing through your ears before you were greeted with a woman’s synthetic voice asking you to press certain numbers to fit which representative you were supposed to solve your mobile issues with. It did not take long as you finally heard a gentle and warm voice saying, “Thank you for calling Cell4, this is Bernard speaking. How can I brighten your day today?”

On Bernard’s, or Matthew’s side, there was a moment of static, a slight spark followed by a small, frustrated sigh crackling through the line.

You finally stood up from the wooden floor of your room, back now resting against your bed with your index and thumb softly pinching your nose to ease the stress. “Hi, uh, sorry. I think my internet’s having an absolute meltdown. I’ve tried everything but it seems like I have to use the dial-up internet cause it’s acting like it’s stuck in 2009.”

Matt leaned back in his headset, the corner of his mouth rising up into a cheeky smile after making out the frazzled but clearly young voice. This was finally his time to shine and crack some jokes that were rarely appreciated by his older customers. He cracked his knuckles before clearing his voice to answer, “No worries at all. You’re talking to someone who as a kid dialed his computer teacher in primary school thinking that the internet was monitored by them. You’re in absolute good hands, miss.”

A chortle fuzzed through his headset as you replied with a similar manner to ease the situation, “Are you guys trained to do that? It’s in the manual?”

“Oh, absolutely. Step one: sound vaguely competent and then proceed to step two…” Matt said, his voice trailing off, making you curious.

“Bernard? Are you still there?”

“I was just messing with you. Step two was actually to charm the caller until they forget why they called and were mad in the first place.”

You couldn’t hold in your laughter, bright and clear through your receiver which made Matt break into a wide gummy grin, “Alright, alright Bernard from Cell4. How do we fix this?”

Matt chuckled on the other end, flipping through a binder that had the step-by-step guide to fix your potential problem. Although he knew everything by heart and memory, it was always a habit of him to have something to fiddle with in his hands, which was partly a reason why he got transferred to customer service when his supervisor had found him tampering with the wires and chargers of the display phones.

The sound of the crisp pages flipping could be heard on your end, your dubiousness slowly growing as the phone call quality was oddly good. But it all soon went away as Matt asked you his first question.

“Well, I am going to be asking you some highly complicated and mysterious questions, like… is your modem plugged in?”

“Wow, so we’re going straight to the hard stuff, huh?” “I told you, we’re not playing games here,” Matt answered, fingers still folding and unfolding the corners of the customer guide.

The call proceed for the next six minutes, him guiding you through restarts, reboots, resets and other obscure steps involving buttons and wires you had no idea even existed. Despite his constant jokes, Matt still explained things clearly and earnestly, never sounding annoyed and even calling the internet an “anxious printer who can sense your fear.”

With his guidance, your frustration soon fizzled away. Your complaints and whining disappearing and replaced with strings of laughter and pain in the cheeks. You were sure that your left shoulder was going to be strained tomorrow morning from constantly leaning your neck against it to support your phone in between your ear, but Matt was making it all worth it. Eventually, his help had paid its price when you could see not only he face of your professor, but also his slides where he had already jotted with scribbled numbers, enthralling mathematical symbols and diagrams which could easily be mistaken with a 19th century mathematical discovery.

Matt could hear the voice resonating from your laptop and uttered, “Finally back from the digital afterlife?”

“Thank you so, so much Bernard,” you said, hoping the smile that you had on your face could somehow be heard through his headset, “I can now finally continue listening to my riveting lecture on Euclidean space.”

“Whoah, slow down there Einstein. It’s part of my job. I only expect a Bernard shoutout when you get to do your valedictorian speech,” he teased.

You let out a soft giggle, “I definitely would. After thanking my pug, Mr. Winston and the girl who wiped the lipgloss of my teeth during orientation.”

He stood up for a moment to straighten his back and excitedly answered upon hearing the word ‘pug’.

“Wait, you have a pug called Mr. Winston? I have a stuffed pug called Mr. Wrinkleton!”

“For real?” you said, back straightened as well. “And you’re not offended that you’re gonna be the third person I thank in my speech?”

“You got me with the pug so it doesn’t matter anymore,” he chimed, the gummy smile still evident on his face.

Your face was also plastered with a grin, the excitement buzzing through your body. Bernard, or Matt, is an anonymous entity, but the thrill of his anonymity, with no face claim gives you a kick of confidence to enjoy the conversation without having to be worried about being perceived. The silent pause that you both shared was not awkward, but you both knew that his job here was done but none of you were quite ready to hang up just yet.

Until Matt broke it first.

“So… I can’t legally say this or HR is gonna be at my as- I mean my coattails,” he corrected, knowing that all his conversations are indeed recorded if complaints were to arise from a poor survey and one-star review to the company. “But I feel like I owe it to the future valedictorian that your laugh might’ve fixed my boring night more than I fixed your internet.” You blink once. Twice. Your cheeks now reddening.

“Are you flirting with a customer, Bernard?”

“I am just expressing my appreciation, professionally, for the sporting attitude and well-timed giggles that we had shared, professionally again, of course,” Matt answered proudly.

You laughed again, this time louder before coming up with an equally charming and professional reply, “Well, Bernard from Cell4, I would say that you are my go-to if I ever need help with anything.”

“You know my number. Same jokes, same charm every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday until 7pm.”

There was slight hesitation when you wanted to answer him, but you only live once and it had been a long while since you had such a good laugh now that it is almost finals season.

“Hey, so, um… I know that there’s going to be a survey at the end of this call and my internet package is limited to only 50GB per month… Do you think I can get bonus data if I say that you’re very, very, very helpful and maybe also kind of cute?” you said, stretching the ends of your words.

Matt was basically cheesing now through the mic, now clearing his throat before muttering, “Only if you spell ‘cute’ in all caps.”

“100%,” you replied, the physics lecture only now jumping into your senses when you could hear the professor mentioning the potential topics during your exam, “I should probably go now and pretend to be a competent student.”

“And I should go back and take another call while pretending to be a competent calls rep who pretends to not miss this one.” You could hear your heart skip a beat, the warmth coming up to your cheeks as your stomach felt giddy with butterflies.

This is just another phone operator representative. A different kind of smooth operator.

“Talk soon, maybe?”

He chuckled, “Only if you’re breaking up now. Because I think I am smitten.”

“Bye, Bernard,” you giggled, tapping on your phone to let the call end before he could give you another one of his charms, fingers immediately going to fill in the survey as your lecture played in the background like a podcast.

You knew that Cell4 usually sends in a reply whenever a survey has been successfully received, but this time it was a lot special. And unusually fast.

Putting down the pen that you had in your hand from copying your professor’s slides, you tapped on the green Messages app where you got a text from Cell4.

Thank you for your call. We hope your connection stays strong. P.S.: And so should ours. - M. Bernard ;)

Maybe losing the internet was not so bad after all.

But is M his last name, or is it Bernard? The curiosity itched your brain, but you knew that you could count on your detective of a best friend to search for him on Instagram.

The internet really does wonders to people, doesn’t it?

📤 @vanteguccir

[kayusenreads]

Star-Crossed || Chapter iii.

In a city divided by power, loyalty, and blood, love was never meant to be an option.

When Kim [Y/N], the daughter of an influential family, steps into the gala celebrating her induction to the family legacy, she’s only looking for a distraction from her rapidly increasing anxiety. Instead, she finds Jeon Jungkook, a boy from the wrong side of the war—a world of neon lights, whispered promises, and inevitable ruin.

Their love is reckless, electric, and entirely forbidden. But in a world where family names mean everything and betrayal is paid in blood, love is the most dangerous gamble. As tensions rise and secrets unravel, they must decide: can love rewrite fate, or were they doomed from the start?

This is a re-interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, weaving a story of desire, power, and the price of challenging fate.

Pairing - Jeon Jungkook x fem!reader

Genre - 18+, smut, romance, angst

A/N - So I know it’s been over a month but life just got in the way. I just finished moving not too long ago and me and my family are still trying to get settled in. I’ve rewrote this chapter twice and I hope that this version of it is satisfactory. I’m also posting this on mobile cuz I can’t log into my Tumblr from my laptop and my desktop hasn’t been set up yet, so praying the structuring is halfway decent.

Also because I'm not well versed in trigger warnings yet, if something is triggering to you or may be potentially triggering to others, please notify me so I can fix it. I will add a full list here and a list at the beginning of each chapter.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy!

Wordcount - 2.8k

masterlist

Jungkook

The bar owner whimpered, but I could barely hear him over the pounding in my skull. My knuckles ached, split open and raw, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. My breath became sharp and uneven, my chest rising and falling with the force of my rage.

The man slumped over, slowly sinking further onto the concrete floor. He sat wide-eyed and gasping for air, his face bloodied, making it unclear where it was coming from at this point. I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him upright, forcing him to meet my eyes.

“You wanna try that again?” I snarled, voice low and cold. Beneath it, though, rage boiled beneath my skin—rage that had nothing to do with the man in front of him.

The owner coughed up a mix of blood and saliva. "I-I told you, I don’t know what happened to your father. The police officer—"

My fist made contact with his face once more, sending him back onto the concrete with a loud groan. “I don’t give a fuck about the old man, where is the money, Ilhoon?”

Ilhoon began crying while pleading and begging for the pain and humiliation to stop. He rolled onto his stomach, the blood from his mouth began to pool underneath him. The bastard mewled, arms shaking as he tried to pick himself off the floor. He wished to speak further without the degradation, but I could barely look at him without disgust.

With my patience already razor-thin, my mood more foul than the stale stench of sweat and fear clinging to the air, I kicked him in the gut. His face slammed back onto the floor.

"Where is it?" I scowled, my voice sharp and laced with something dark. Something barely restrained.

The owner moaned, clutching his ribs where I had just driven my foot. “I-I don’t have it,” he stammered, his voice shaking.

I laughed, humorless. “Yeah? That’s funny ‘cause I saw plenty of cash running through your registers last week.” I grabbed the man by his collar again. “Don’t lie to me.”

The other guys continued to watch cautiously, lingering in the background, guarding the door and waiting. Taehyung and Jimin wouldn’t question my actions as of yet, not after the mood I’d been in all morning. They knew I had been looking for something—someone—to take it out on.

“You know the arrangement,” I whispered in a low growl. “You pay, or you deal with me.”

This was how the Montagues operated. They weren’t a charity, no matter how much the people in this neighborhood liked to pretend they were. Yeah, they protected the businesses and kept the Kims from sinking their claws in, from bleeding them dry—but loyalty had a price—a steep one. And when someone fell behind, they made an example of them.

The Montagues were not merciful, not under my leadership.

“No wonder your father is always in here…” The older man chuckled.

It wasn’t clear whether Ilhoon had grown bold and defiant or had already developed brain damage from the injuries. Maybe a sudden sense of grandeur could combat the indignity he has already faced.

“...he gets piss drunk to fill the void that used to hold the pride he had for his son.”

The room grew cold, and I could feel the jaws drop from the other two in the room. I felt my anger surge, sharp and suffocating. My fingers tighten around the bar owner's collar, my other hand pulling back, curled into a tight fist—

Then everything blurred.

My first punch was controlled, and so was the second. But by the third, fourth, fifth—I don’t even know how many—my body was moving by itself, my mind slipping into something dark and senseless. I wasn’t thinking anymore, just pounding and beating and striking, taking all my rage out on this unfortunate older man.

But I did know one thing for sure while I feverishly attacked the man: I was trying to beat something out of this man that had nothing to do with his debt or the business or even the low-blow remark he made about my father.

A firm grip latched onto my wrist mid-punch, yanking me backward. "Enough!"

I jerked my body, straightening my posture with ragged breath and hazy vision. Taehyung stood in front of me now, positioning himself between me and the bar owner, eyes sharp with warning.

I watched the beaten man slump forward, groaning in pain, his face barely recognizable beneath the open wounds and bruising. I looked down at my own hands, bloodied and trembling. I flex my fingers, trying to stop them from shaking.

The room began to feel too small, too loud, despite only the grunting cutting through the silence. The stench of blood and sweat clung to the air, thick and suffocating.

I had to get out of there fast.

Quickly, my feet carried me out of the storage room of the Poisoned Chalice, struggling to hold up my heavy and exhausted self. They didn’t stop until I had made my way out the back door and into the alleyway.

The glare of the sun was harsh on my eyes, needing time to adjust to the light after the dark of the bar. I leaned my depleted body against the wall of the building and enjoying the way the cool stones feel on my head.

It was then that I noticed my breathing started to pick up, like I had just run a marathon. I tried to steady it, but I just couldn’t. My heart raced out of my chest; my pulse was in my ears, like a thunderous roar.

My hand held onto my chest, and I thought I could stop it. I wished there was a way to reach right inside and calm my heart and stop my lungs from gasping for air.

When that didn’t work, I grabbed my face tightly, trying to mimic someone else telling me to hold it together. I closed my eyes and prayed the world would die, that I would die. But it didn’t work. Nothing worked.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jimin demanded, both him and Taehyung following me out the door, with a voice full of concern. “You usually know when to quit.”

It was like my pridefulness took over, overruling my body’s panic attack to save face. As much as I desperately wanted to be left alone and get away, I needed to stay because being in their presence was the only thing that could stop me from hurting.

I exhale sharply, sliding my hands down my face. It was only after that action I realized my hands still covered in Ilhoon’s blood. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit.” Taehyung scoffed, pushing his way past Jimin.

Even though I was technically his boss, Taehyung had just about as much power over the group as I did. We were always close growing up and did everything together so it only made sense to run the montagues together as well. In a sense, I was the CEO and he was the COO. He takes care of the day-to-day operations and manages the team, while as a leader, I’m the final decision-maker.

I’m also the strategic planner and overall face of the group, defining us to the community we swore to protect.

And that was why my fuming cousin was in my face right now, scolding me about representation and accountability. I don’t even know what he’s saying because my thoughts are so loud I can’t hear him.

I should’ve been thinking about my father, about the attack last night that landed him in the hospital, about what the bar owner said before he got pummeled. But all I could think about was her, and the way she had looked at me before she walked away—like I was nothing. Like we were nothing.

And I know this to be the reason I lost control in there. I needed to feel like I was something, even if it meant to break a couple of bones to do it.

It ultimately was Jimin’s voice that pulled me out of my thoughts. “What happened?” His voice was lower and calmer than the other. The difference between the two men was respect; Jimin had more of it due to being my assistant and bookkeeper. “This isn’t normal.”

I found myself swallowing hard, jaw clenched tightly.

Even though I’ve been thinking about Jihyo all morning, a vision from the night before with her hit me like a flash bang.

✦✦✦

A sultry red glow bathed the short hallway leading away from the club. Behind the roped-off doorway, there were a few alcoves on both sides, small nooks with only a curtain for added privacy. I approached my favorite room, the usual spot for our rendezvous. The neon lights bled across the velvet walls and a few mirror panels, reflecting the low shimmer of the small chandelier overhead.

Along all three walls stretched a black leather couch, sleek and inviting, but I had no interest in sitting just yet. Alcohol, sweat, and the cheap perfume of the last dancer filled the air. The stuffiness didn’t pair well with the distant thrum of bass from the main floor.

The lounge owner may have built this room for leisure and indulgence, but I couldn’t keep still.

I paced around the little area I had behind this curtain, running my hands through my hair while my pulse drummed faster than the music outside. Impatience whirrs in my veins, and excitement spreads to my fingertips. Wishing for my love to make her way to reunite with me.

There was something electric about the wait every time I found myself here. The anticipation made it impossible to stand still. Every second felt stretched too thin, like the room itself was holding its breath along with me.

And when my Jihyo finally arrives, I can feel time stop around us.

The room suddenly became nothing but a shadow surrounding the two of us. An oppressive dim, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The soft light that barely touched her skin made it look as if she was a vision, an impossible dream that my mind had conjured up just for me. Heavy was the ambiance with the weight of her presence. The world on the other side of this curtain ceased to exist.

There was nothing but this moment. Nothing but her.

“Jungkook…” She spoke up, taking a step closer. “I’ve been expecting you…”

Her voice was like a spell, a melody spun from silk and shadow. It dripped with something sweet, something dangerous—like honey laced with venom. It had a cadence that was so rousing it lured you, making it impossible to move away.

I found my eyes tracing the outline of her body, admiring the way the light made her glow like something celestial. I couldn’t wait any longer; I wanted to touch and hold her. Pull her close and never let go.

And in my despairing hunger, I pounced on her, closing the miles of distance between us. I could hear the subtle rustle of her breath, steady and warm, but it felt as if it reached deep inside me, shaking me awake in ways I wasn’t ready for. I couldn’t think of anything but my desperate need for her.

Her scent was an intoxicating blend of jasmine and vanilla; it was all-consuming. It was like a drug that took complete control over every part of me. It clung to my skin, filled my lungs, and settled into my bones like I could never escape it, even if I wanted to.

And I didn't want to. Not for a second.

Unable to resist the urge any longer, my hands moved to the back of her head as my lips crashed into hers. Jihyo responds with the lowest of moans, her hands gripping my shoulders roughly. I took that as the go-ahead to deepen the kiss. Her lips were soft as I moved against them with immense passion and intensity, not wanting to waste a second of opportunity.

“Jungkook, please…” She softly groaned, her lips lightly brushed mine until I hungrily captured them once more.

My hands couldn’t resist wandering her body, fingertips tracing down her back and towards her waist. I left a trail of kisses down her neck and her collarbone. Jihyo's skin was soft everywhere I touched, and she smelled so deliciously sweet that I couldn't help but use my tongue to tease her skin.

She moaned my name tenderly; the compliment made me want to be even bolder.

Jihyo’s fingers raked my back, inducing a wave of desire, and I pulled her closer to my body. My hips buck into her of their own volition; my hard-on was practically begging to break free. A deep groan escaped my lips as I grind forward, my palms traveling lower, grabbing handfuls of her cheeks.

Every part of her felt like it belonged to me—no, like I belonged to her. My entire existence seemed insignificant without her in it, as if she were the center of my universe, the very air I breathed. I am hers.

“Jungkook!”

My eyes fly open when Jihyo stops me and pushes me down onto the couch. The corner of my mouth turns up into a smirk, and I can feel my eyes gleam as I look up at her.

“Ahh, I see,” I hummed, taking off my cashmere suit jacket and quickly unbuttoning my white dress shirt. “My baby wants to be in control today?”

“Please stop. I’m not your baby…”

The moment the words left her mouth, my heart tore into thousands of pieces. Jihyo stood over me, arms folded tight across her chest in an attempt to shield herself. She seemed to shrink into herself and was trying to disappear into the dim light. Her eyes refused to meet my confused gaze. When she finally spoke, her voice was softer and more hesitant.

“I can’t keep doing this, Jungkook…I-I’m seeing someone…”

“Who?” My voice boomed in comparison to hers. “Give me a name. I’ll burn down the whole city for you.”

“Listen, I LOVED the time we’ve spent together. Like you were really great…” She paused to take a deep breath and collect her thoughts. “But I can’t be with someone so…you.”

I watched her, aching to be closer to me as her eyes traced my exposed chest. It was easy to tell that she was afraid of what might happen if I reached up and touched her. And I wanted to so very much. I wanted to pull her down on me and reclaim her. I was starving with want for her—starving for her touch, for her everything.

For her to be mine again.

Without her, I was nothing. And that terrified me immensely.

“I-I don’t understand,” I nervously chuckled. “I gave you all of me, you are my everything. I love you Jihyo, please baby don’t do this.”

“The way you are so lovestruck was so endearing in the beginning, but now its starting to suffocate me. I need to be with someone more normal.”

✦✦✦

“Forget it,” I muttered, but the memories were sinking their claws into me. I tried to fight back against them dragging me down. “Jimin, go back in there and tell Mister Choi we’ll be back in two days to collect. If he breathes a word of what happened to anyone, I’ll be back alone to finish the job.”

Jimin quickly nodded and hurried back into the bar. I turned back to Taehyung and motioned towards the car parked a several feet away. We started to make our way towards it, when he spoke up to my dismay. I was hoping he wouldn’t speak another word of my outburst.

“I know you don’t give a rats ass about your dad, even if he was on the brink of death…So what did whore do to get you so rialed up?”

I choose not to answer, not to give into his taunting. He never liked the fact that I was seeing Jihyo, thought she was too distracting and not worth my time. He always thought she was using me, and I know he would have a field day filled with “I told you so's” if he knew she broke up with me and left me for a better man.

So I just don’t plan on ever telling him until I can heal my heart enough to handle his gloating.

“Whatever,” He gave up rather quickly trying to get a reaction out of me and grew serious. “Sam told me this Namjoon has been planning a gala for tomorrow night and can get us in. It would be the perfect opportunity to-”

“Lets do it.” I interrupted.

I don’t care what we’re doing, but I needed to get back into work, making up for the last few months I’ve been slacking. I needed to go back to the way I was before I met Jihyo and got my heartbroken.

I needed to go back to being normal.

[coolmika745]

Why Doesn't Vicky Do Anything With the Knowledge She Has on Magical Beings?

In the comic "It is Not Over Until the Babysitter Sings", Vicky saw HP and Sanderson float in the air but doesn't react to it, and just panic at the fact that she won't be able to torture Timmy.

I know her memory was erased in Wishology when she figured out that fairies exist, but in Scary Godcouple the Anti-Fairies Council forced Foop to become Vicky's Godparents and she found out about Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof because she asked Foop about what was interfering with his wish granting and Foop told her that Timmy had fairies. After Vicky learned that, she went to Crocker to borrow a magical cooking pot and trapped Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof in it. Her memories wasn't erased of the event that time unlike in Wishology.

In A New Wishwhich take place decades later, she still had done anything with the knowledge of magical beings. She could question Crocker where this magical beings comes from but after she didn't let him help her capture Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof and trapped him in a locker, I don't think he would help her unless there is an alternative motive. As a matter of fact I think they would both end up betraying each other to get their hands on fairy magic.

Also, Vicky didn't recognize Cosmo and Wanda in their human form when she visited the Dimmadome Tower in "Operation Birthday Takeback", which I could understand as it has been decades since she has seen them and they were in their human form.

If she went to the Galax Institute to inquire about fairies, AJ probably wouldn't want her there after how she treated him as a kid, but he let Crocker in the place even though he gave him a job as a janitor, but he might just refuse to let her in; however, she could ask his employees for help without meeting him, which would make a good plot, but I would think she would have at least tried that way before now?

She could also spy on the Dimmadome Tower just like Dale is spying on Hazel and figures out that Hazel has godparents by looking at Project H. Dev did scribble on the screen, but she probably may just observe Dale trying to uncover Hazel's secret.

There is also the fact that Vicky may have recorded Dev revealing the existence of fairies, but if that is the case then about anybody can figure out by playing that record back since mobile devices and computers can record. Principal Krentz was shown with a laptop and may have recorded the scene though Jorgen did say that fairies were not real and it was all a hoax probably because he knew that people would probably play the video back after their memories were erase and his sentence would cause them doubt about fairy existence.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

starting to wonder just how much of 2020 can be traced back to USAID. they were funding the Wuhan gain-of-function research, giving money to BLM, organizing the Hunter laptop coverup, and paying media outlets who JUST SO HAPPENED to report that "lab leak" was a racist conspiracy theory, lockdowns were great, lockdown protests were horrible, race riots were good and not riots and totally not a violation of the rules everyone else was forced to follow, the laptop was a Russian op, etc.

Hey, buddy, FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION THAT

From the article:

"IRI has operated in Dhaka since 2003, ostensibly “to help political parties, government officials, civil society, and marginalized groups in their advocacy for greater rights and representation.” In reality, as the documents make abundantly clear, IRI has funded and trained a wide-ranging shadow political structure, comprising NGOs, activist groups, politicians, and even musical and visual artists, which can be deployed to stir up unrest if Bangladesh’s government refuses to act as required. The student protests of 2018, and the overwhelming electoral victory by Hasina’s Awami League in December of that same year, appear to have inspired the IRI’s regime change aspirations. In 2019, the Institute began conducting research to inform its “baseline assessment” of the country, which consisted of “48 group interviews and 13 individual interviews with 304 key informants.” In the end, “IRI staff… identified over 170 democratic activists who would cooperate with IRI to destabilize Bangladesh’s politics,” according to an IRI report which was submitted to the State Department."

I love the smell of regime change in the morning.  And, have you noticed, the tactics used here seem remarkably similar to what the transnational elite did in the runup to the 2020 election? Is that why USAID was funneling funds to BLM? Of course, it is. We got a "summer of love" and regime change right here at home. 

...

In total, between 2019 and 2020, “IRI issued 11 advocacy grants to artists, musicians, performers or organizations that created 225 art products addressing political and social issues,” which it claimed were “viewed nearly 400,000 times.” Additionally, the Institute bragged that it “supported three civil society organizations (CSOs) from LGBTI, Bihari and ethnic communities to train 77 activists and engage 326 citizens to develop 43 specific policy demands,” which were apparently “proposed before 65 government officials.” Between October and December of 2020, the IRI hosted three separate “transgender dance performances” across the country. Per the report, “the goal of the performance was to build self-esteem in the transgender community and raise awareness on transgender issues among the local community and government officials.” At the final performance, in Dhaka City, the US Embassy sent its “deputy consul general and deputy director of the Office for Democracy, Rights and Governance” to participate.

Mobilizing transgender activists for regime change. FFS. Sounds familiar again... You should go read the report both because it is enraging on its face and especially enraging because all the tactics they describe are mirrored by things happening here in the United States.  Read the full report here. And weep for our country. 

SURE DOES SOUND A LOT LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN 2020 DOESN'T IT?!

[mr-deep-downer]

So since a jerkoff tonight wanted to mention “entry level positions” here’s the starting pay for grade 1’s/2’s for the waste water industry here california.

For a small fee of 99 dollars at my local community college (where I saw a flyer for this since I had gone in to take my Brit Lit final) I can take a three hour online course from 9am to 12 pm for a duration of four months. I’ll get my credentials for my grade one and will be eligible to take my grade 2 immediately. Even the minimum starting salary at 60 grand a year is very much doable to live on my own and save up to buy a house, even around here. There are five grades for operators as well as other types of positions for plant management and leadership that require a degree.

My father makes last time I checked 52 an hour as a grade two (he can’t pass his grade three because he’s not good at taking tests) along with all sorts of other benefits due to working for the city/county. He has no education higher than a high school diploma and he’s been doing this for over two decades. In fact the only reason why he learned about the job in the first place was because he knew a guy.

So what’s my point?

Opportunities like this in spite of the seeming ease of entry, are hard to come by. If I hadn’t taken a class in the building this flyer was posted in, I might not have seen it, and if my dad didn’t know a guy, he never would’ve found a breadwinner job so easily.

And sure 99 dollars isn’t much of an expenditure for me, but someone who is actually living paycheck to paycheck might have to think about it, even though it pays well because they’re always hiring operators as they build more plants. 9am to 12pm might be hard for some people to schedule around as it is kind of awkward time placement wise, and unless you have a laptop or computer (which can be another couple hundred dollar investment that some people might not have money to spend if they’re making minimum wage and living paycheck to paycheck) you’re going to have to find a public library with good internet access and hope they have computers available if at all, and honestly online classes really aren’t for everyone especially if you get distracted easy or find the lack of direct access to an instructor discouraging.

Social mobility/advancement has always been gatekept by money, because a lot of time to make money you need to spend money you might not have. This is really nothing to me money wise because I’ll be the first to admit I’m privileged in a lot of ways but a lot of people aren’t me. People don’t even talk about wastewater as industry because it’s also dirty work, the kind of work people turn their nose up to because you work with literal shit and shit water and piss and all sorts of other gross stuff.

Yet the entry level position that requires a 99 dollar enrollment fee and spending 3 hours a week for four months pays a lot better than most jobs that require a degree or trade school/apprenticeship.

So when people say entry level positions shouldn’t be livable I’m going to share this, and say “I bet you feel real stupid now huh?”

And some will say “but downer waste water is really important work our society couldn’t function without it!” yeah you’re right so would every other entry level wagie shit because I doubt most people have the means to live on their own without having to go to the grocery store every couple of weeks. Not even that but people lose their shit about not having access to caffeine, and if you have a pet especially an exotic one like a snake that requires mice whether dead or frozen how are you going to feed without some schmuck like me grabbing it for you?

now never did I say wagie shit needs to be a high paying career cause I’m a firm believer in a job being a job till the next one, but if people take me saying what amounts to “I don’t think people should have to struggle to live even a little comfortable” as some kind of… attack? then I really don’t know what to say other than go fuck yourself and develop real issues to be angry about.

[eclipsecrowned]

so the state of the union update.

Hopefully back to making money next week. In order the priorities are

Pay hospital bills off before anything

Pay back those who have helped me stay afloat

Get my savings back in four digits instead of two

If my laptop is fucked get a new one

So getting fully operational over here is kind of the lowest denominator. Depending on how long the above priorities take we may still be mobile bound for a few months. I will still be as active as I can but I also don’t want to lie, getting back to work may take me the fuck out as I start. Activity may be spotty. This is your courtesy call of where things stand.

The upside is my mom did offer to get my current laptop looked at and if it is fixable, she’ll pay my computer guy to fix all its issues as a birthday present — battery, charger, keyboard, frame, the works. So if that works out I may at least be around on days off.

[colorico-art]

Resource - Digital Tool Assets

Okay, so I've jumped around with several programs to try out based on the needs I had at any given time. These are program specific assets and resources that I've come across while using testing out the various programs.

Sketchbook

I still use this program, though strictly while on-the-go (I use an Android tablet). I personally use it more for quick sketches and then carry them back onto my PC to render, but I know @kreature1827 uses the app and has done some incredible work within the app. The link provides free brush and texture assets.

The program does work across multiple platforms, however I am unsure if there are any sync features present.

Clip Studio Paint

I purchased this program some years ago and tried it out for a bit, and don't get me wrong: it's a really good program. The issue I personally have is that when I moved over to Linux, CSP has no functionality within the system (that, and the pricing model past V1 was not something I personally liked to get involved with). The CSP Asset store is accessible through the program, and includes a lot of brush, pattern, model, and stamp assets.

Since CSP moved into a subscription model, they've added the option to have the program sync with multiple devices.

Krita

This is my current program of choice, and it's also one of the programs I started out using when I looked into illustration work. I did drop it a couple of times, though the reasons were always surrounding the need for on-the-go use and resource management (before Krita 4, it demanded so much out of my laptop that I couldn't use it effectively). The link provided provides a ton of brushes, plugins, and tutorials.

Krita does have an Android app available for beta testing, however my reason from moving away from the mobile app was due to the odd interactions within the app (i.e. some of the tools, like Transform, don't behave properly and require multiple specific alterations to only get a half-decent result).

Medibang Paint

This is what I used whenever I got a tablet before I coming across Autodesk Sketchbook. It's a very robust program, but it does have a specific use for manga art work. You can make some custom brushes, however the program didn't particularly click with me or how I approach my art pieces (i.e. I didn't stick with it at all). The link provided gives program-specific tutorials on getting specific results, such as halftone screens and tool usage.

Medibang is excellent with the cross platform use (it's even better than CSP in that it's free with a simple account), and can be synced with almost any device or operating system. The program does feature ads, which I personally detest. But the ads aren't intrusive and they're mainly out of the way.

[stevenketterman2]

Smart Automation in Stage Lighting & LED Fixtures: A Game-Changer for Live Events

In today’s world of live shows, concerts, weddings, and big corporate events, one thing has become super important: the lighting. But we’re not just talking about ordinary lights anymore. We’re talking about smart lights that can move, change color, follow people, and sync perfectly with music or video—all by themselves. This is called smart automation, and it’s changing the game in stage lighting and LED setups.

Let's have a look at what it is, how it operates, and why so many event professionals are making the transition.

What is Smart Automation in Lighting?

Smart automation refers to employing technology to automatically switch lights on and off rather than having to change them manually. With a single command or click, an entire lighting system can cycle through color change, move in sequence, or respond to audio. These systems can be pre-programmed or even programmed to change live during the event.

So, rather than someone at a lighting desk pushing buttons for every adjustment, the system recognizes what to do and executes it flawlessly each time.

How Does It Work?

To grasp smart lighting, a couple of straightforward tools behind the magic are:

DMX Control: It is similar to the vocabulary that lighting gear speaks to communicate with one another. This helps the lights, controllers, and other gear to coordinate with one another.

Wireless Control: Most smart systems today use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to communicate. Goodbye, cumbersome long cables everywhere.

Mobile or Remote Access: Lights can be accessed using a tablet or laptop. Some systems even support remote control from another room.

Sensors and AI: Motion sensors can make lights track an individual on stage. Artificial Intelligence can even recommend lighting effects depending on what's happening at the show.

Why Smart Lighting is a Top Choice

There are plenty of reasons that smart lighting is increasing rapidly:

Perfect Timing Every Time

Lights switch on and off exactly when they should—no delay, no error. Whether it's in the middle of a speech, a tune, or a dance, everything unfolds right on schedule.

Improved Creativity

Smart systems enable you to create fantastic scenes. You can achieve mood shifts, glowing effects, moving lights, and a lot more. All this can be achieved with just one touch of a button.

Saves Time and Effort

After programming the lights, they do the work on their own. You don't require a large group to operate them, thus saving lots of time at the time of setting up as well as during the event.

Works from Anywhere

Since it's wireless and remote-capable, technicians can update it in a snap, even when they're not on stage.

Real-Life Examples

You find yourself at a concert. The performer comes out onto the stage. The lights suddenly darken, a spotlight trails the performer, and flashing colored lights caper in the background—all tastefully in time to the rhythm of the song. That's intelligent automation at work.

Or maybe you’re watching a fashion show. As each model walks down the runway, the lights automatically shift to highlight them, while LED screens show matching colors and designs. It’s smooth, stylish, and all automated.

Good for Big Events AND Small Ones

The good news? Intelligent lighting isn't reserved for huge stadium concerts. Even smaller events such as school events, church services, or birthday parties can benefit from this technology. There are easy systems to get that are simple to learn and not expensive at all.

You can begin with a few smart LED lights and a simple controller or app. After getting comfortable, you can expand with more features in the future.

What to Remember Before Getting Started

If you're considering incorporating smart lighting, here are some key points to remember:

Check for Compatibility: Ensure that your lights and control systems are compatible.

Learn the Fundamentals: Simple programming can lead to huge differences.

Build a Solid Network: A stable wireless connection is crucial.

Stay Safe: Lights and trusses weigh or heat up—ensure proper installations.

And also, it's best to purchase your equipment at professional audio stores. They will advise you on what is best and provide you with quality equipment that performs better and lasts longer for your events and even installation and setup services so that buyers don't have to deal with the technicality.

What's Coming Next?

Technology is advancing quickly. Smart lighting's next big thing is interaction systems. These lights can adapt to the crowd's movement, respond to the noise of clapping or cheering, and even adjust to the mood of a space. Some lights can be operated with voice commands or motion detectors.

Artificial Intelligence is also joining the party—there are systems that learn from run-throughs and can adjust the lighting for the next show automatically. Stage lighting in the future is promising and bright.

Before You Go

Intelligent automation of stage lighting and LED light fixtures is more than a bells-and-whistles upgrade—it's an intelligent investment for anyone producing live events. It gets your show to look more professional, conserves time, and permits greater creativity.

Whether you are organizing a concert, wedding, school play, or corporate event, intelligent lighting enables you to provide an unforgettable experience for your audience. With some planning and proper equipment, you can enhance your lighting game to the next level.So if you're organizing your next function or just wanting to upgrade your setup, it's a good time now to look at smart lighting. It's simpler than you might imagine—and it's worth it.

[mariacallous]

Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, had always worried that his company’s victory last year in a multimillion-dollar legal battle against Google’s app store monopoly wouldn’t be enough to open up competition. Even if Google could no longer keep alternative marketplaces out of Android, phone manufacturers could make them harder to access. In a US lawsuit filed in San Francisco today, that’s exactly what Epic alleges Google has conspired with Samsung to do.

Some newer Samsung phones have required settings changes to install apps from the web such as Epic’s app marketplace, according to Epic, which also develops Fortnite and Rocket Racing. The requirement became effective by default in July, and Epic launched its app store in August. Samsung claims the feature it calls Auto Blocker protects against “applications from unauthorized sources” and “malicious activity.” But it extends the installation process from 15 steps to 21, Epic alleges. The company says that it has found in the past that the greater the number of hurdles, the fewer people complete the process.

“It is not about reasonable measures to protect users against malware,” Sweeney told reporters in a briefing ahead of the lawsuit filing. “It's about obstruction of competition.”

“Contrary to Epic Game's assertions, Samsung actively fosters market competition, enhances consumer choice, and conducts its operations fairly,” said a Samsung spokesperson in a statement. “The features integrated into our devices are designed in accordance with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy, and user control, and we remain fully committed to safeguarding users' personal data. Users have the choice to disable Auto Blocker at any time. We plan to vigorously contest Epic Game's baseless claims.”

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

The litigation builds on an effort Epic launched in 2020 to deliver more choice to mobile users and boost its own bottom line. While downloading apps any which way from just about any source is generally easy on desktops and laptops, Apple and Google have used warnings and varying policy and technical curbs to keep users downloading from the iOS App Store and Google Play, which deliver enormous profits to the tech giants by virtue of sales commissions they collect.

Epic, through a lawsuit, won a minor concession from Apple that is still being fought over; penalties against Google are expected from a judge soon.

In the press conference, Sweeney acknowledged that Epic doesn’t have clear evidence that Google and Samsung collaborated to roll out Auto Blocker. But emails and notes presented by Epic during its jury trial against Google last year showed how the search company regularly engaged in discussions with Samsung aimed at limiting competition. Google denied those accusations.

Early this month, Sweeney reached out to two senior Samsung executives to ask them to rethink the approach with Auto Blocker and allow for a smoother process to download legitimate software. Sweeney said a resolution couldn’t be reached that benefitted all developers, prompting the lawsuit. “We are going to continue to fight until there is a level playing field,” he says. He added that it “sucks” to sue Samsung, which has promoted Epic’s offerings in the past.

Epic has notched over 10 million installations of its mobile app store, short of a goal to reach 100 million by the end of the year, Sweeney says. He believes Auto Blocker and other new impediments, as he views them, have hurt Epic’s ability to gain traction. And his focus on fighting Apple and Google is costing Epic significant sums, with no end in sight to the litigation. “The benefits only come in the future, when the obstructions have truly been eliminated,” he says.

[gracielas-photography]

🛠️ Behind the Scenes: How I’m Prepping to Launch My Photography Biz 🎬📸

Starting a creative business isn’t just about having a camera and an Instagram page (although those definitely help). It’s also about building the right structure behind the scenes so everything runs smoothly—especially when you're offering a service like photography that relies on you being the product and the process.

So here’s a little peek into what my business operations plan looks like, and how I plan on getting everything together to officially launch my photography brand for small businesses here in the Niagara Region.

🎯 What I’m Offering (and How to Making it Happen)

At its core, my business is all about creating branded visual content for local entrepreneurs, shops, creators, and hospitality spaces. Think product shoots, branding sessions, lifestyle visuals—stuff that helps people show up online looking like they mean business (because they do).

I’m not selling a physical product, but I am creating deliverables—photos, curated image sets, sometimes even moodboards or creative direction—and those take resources. So while I’m not sourcing inventory, I do need to keep my toolkit solid.

🧰 Tools + Gear I Use

Here’s what I already have in place (or am investing in):

Camera gear – I shoot with a mirrorless DSLR that handles both sharp product shots and moody lifestyle work.

Lighting – Mostly natural light for now, but i plan on getting reflectors and invest in portable softbox for indoor setups.

Laptop & editing software – Lightroom and Photoshop are my go-tos, and I’ve got presets I’ve developed to keep my work consistent.

Props & backgrounds – I’m slowly building a small collection of flatlays, textures, and versatile props that work across brands. I also plan to thrift or DIY a lot of this to stay creative and budget-conscious.

Client booking tools – At the moment i only have an email that is specifically used only for my photography but i also have my Instagram. It's not exactly fancy but it works.

⏳ Can I Get Everything in Time?

Totally. Most of the tools I need, I already have or can get easily. Props and creative resources will grow over time, but the basics are here. I also plan to rent studio space as needed, depending on what the shoot calls for. A lot of clients want their photos done in their space anyway (shops, salons, cafés), so being mobile is a win.

📝 Licenses + Permits?

Because I’m a service-based business working independently, I’ll be operating as a sole proprietor. I’ll register my business name and handle any tax stuff that comes with that.

As for licenses, I don’t need anything major unless I’m renting commercial space regularly or doing shoots that involve permits (like certain public areas or drone photography). But I’ll stay on top of that as things grow.

🚀 What I Need to Launch

My launch won’t be a big grand opening—it’s more of a soft rollout. I just want to get in front of people who need the work and start booking. But to really make it official, here’s what I’m putting in place:

A clean, simple portfolio website or landing page (I’m thinking Squarespace)

A few strong sample projects that show what I can do

Clear pricing/packages that are easy to understand and flexible for different needs

Local networking—connecting with business owners, visiting shops, going to markets, talking to people

Consistent Instagram content to show off behind-the-scenes and finished work

💡 The Big Vision

I want to build something real—not just a gig, not just a side hustle. I want this business to feel like a creative partner to the local brands I want to/ will work with. Like, yeah, I’ll take your product photos, but I also want to help you figure out how to use those photos to actually grow your business.

I want to keep it collaborative, community-focused, and flexible. And I want my clients to feel seen, supported, and proud of how their brand shows up in the world.

So that’s where I’m at. Bit by bit, getting the tools in place, building the vibe, and getting ready to hit “go.”

[roseverdict]

Mechanize, Mobilize, (Un)Mythicize (also i am not really vibing with the title and kinda wanna change it at some point)

Chapter 3: The Capture of Some City In Ohio

Alexis "Alexcrafter28" Hayward has just been made aware that the world is now becoming an apocalypse movie. Now she just needs to get her sisters and her laptop full of stick figures out of the house and somewhere their dad can find them again without getting captured by the evil robots. No pressure!

Meanwhile, Stephen Hayward finds himself surrounded by the robot uprising and unable to make sure his daughters are okay. Understandably, he blows his stack. In doing so, however, he ends up rescuing a small family of three, and all four of them are there to see some kind of stick figure animation, of all things, hijack every screen in sight. Surely the concept of programs in the forms of cartoons is just as foreign to the family of three as it is to Stephen. Surely the other father isn't keenly feeling the absence of a rainbow of sticks that he was forced to leave behind.

〜

lmao mecha apocalypse au i lovingly named the sti-fi au over a year ago @ me yesterday:

hahaha. it's uhhhhh. it's been a while hasn't it? lmao i got jostled out of my groove with a lot of my fanon worldbuilding when we got Wanted and then also The Box, which threw me off long enough for ninja turtles to infiltrate my brain.

i now have multiple tmnt-stickfigure xovers rattling around in my brain and having a blast, ntm straight-up turtle fic. i am playing with the canon teetleverse like bionicles. <3

i was browsing the ao3 subreddit recently, though, and one of the posts was asking what our favorite compliments we've gotten are. that got me to go back and reread a lot of the comments i've gotten, and i figured i'd go back and reread some of the stuff i've got posted, too.

welcome one and all to ava/m fixation 3: this time i'm really losing my mind i swear

now featuring "actually i'm keeping most of my worldbuilding and unless i can figure out a way to add it in later, we will be operating like vic really didn't make it out of ava 1"!

BRIEF MENTION OF VOMIT. nothing in detail, just a one-off remark by a harried teenager's internal narration about how it was a thing that happened recently

〜

Alexis Hayward licked her dry lips and slid the laptop, its charger, and its mouse into her backpack with a change of clothes and what would have been her school lunch.

Thank goodness she'd thrown up last night. She couldn't go back to school until more than 24 hours after she'd puked, but her lunch had already been pre-packed.

She'd woken up feeling better, too, which was a plus if the world was really ending.

She crept to her sisters' room and snuck inside, hissing, "We gotta get outta here!"

Vicki and Nicki looked at her worriedly, but (smartly) didn't loudly ask her what was going on.

Alexis just tiptoed to their bedroom window and carefully pointed outside in explanation.

A few blocks away, the giant robots that Alexis had seen through her bedroom window were slowly and steadily getting closer to the house. People's houses were getting broken into, and as she watched, more of their neighbors were pushed out into the street.

The twins followed her and peeked out at the carnage, only to flinch back down and away from the window.

Swallowing down her fear so her sisters wouldn't worry, Alexis forced on a weak smile. "Here's the plan. The evil robots haven't gotten to us yet, but they're gonna soon. Vicki, go grab stuff from the pantry that we can open with just our hands. Nicki, go get our waterbottles and those filter thingies Dad got for when we go camping. I've got nice programs on my computer that're hiding from the mean ones, so I'm gonna grab Dad's fancy solar panel charger bag so I can keep my laptop turned on, and we can put the food and stuff in the bag part. Meet back here so we can get away together, okay?"

"Got it!" whispered Vicki as she scurried away.

Nicki nodded with enough force to make her whole body bounce a little, then ran off after Vicki.

Alexis slumped as soon as the two of them were out of sight, then headed for Dad's room, pulled her phone from her pocket, and dialed Dad. Surprisingly, she managed to get through.

Dad's voice was panicked, and it was almost drowned out by the noise of the robots on his end causing chaos, but he sounded unhurt. "Alexis?! Alexis, sweetie, are you and your sisters okay?!"

"We are for now, Dad," Alexis said, a small smile on her face as she slung the charger bag over the top of her backpack. "I saw the robots coming, but they're not here yet. I've got the twins getting food and water, and I'm grabbing your solar bag if that's okay. I'm gonna try and get us to-"

"Don't say over the phone," Dad interrupted. "I don't want these things finding you."

"Wh-? But how are you gonna find us?" Alexis pressed.

"You're going to your castle, aren't you?" asked Dad knowingly.

"I haven't called it that since I was, like, seven!" protested Alexis. Then, begrudgingly, "…but, yeah, somewhere around there."

"Then that's where I'll look for you," Dad said simply. "I love you, Princess. Your sisters, too. I love you all with my whole heart."

Alexis swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Love you too, Dad."

A high-pitched scream pierced the air, and Alexis jolted, her phone falling from her hand. "Nicki-?!"

Dad's voice rose fearfully, but the phone was the least of Alexis's worries as she sprinted from the twins' room to find one of the giant robots holding Nicki up by the arm.

Alexis saw red.

"LET HER GO!"

She charged the robot, grabbing the first thing in her way and chucking it at the monster holding her sister.

The mostly-full water bottle- one of the big ones the size of multiple milk jugs that Dad had gotten for his office- slammed into the robot, splashing water everywhere and making the robot freeze up.

Alexis jumped up and grabbed Nicki, tugging her free as lightning started sparking around the machine. "You okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Nicki sniffled. She held out the bag Dad kept the filters in. "I got the filter straws, but I was filling the big bottle when it got me."

"You did good, Tiny," Alexis assured. "Let's go grab Teeny and get out of here, okay?"

Nicki gave her a wobbly smile and a nod, and Alexis took her hand and sped for the pantry. Before they reached it, though, Vicki burst out and tackled Nicki in a hug that was quickly returned.

Alexis scanned Vicki for injuries, and only once she found none did she turn to inspect the piles of food Vicki had made in the pantry.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the time to actually look at them.

There came heavy, metallic footsteps, and Alexis just shoved the closest things into Dad's solar bag before dragging the twins away from the sound. "Gotta be super-quiet, okay? Let's get going!"

Her sisters nodded, and Alexis cracked open the kitchen window.

When no robots came charging after them from either side, she boosted Nicki over the side, then Vicki.

Still nothing.

Alexis climbed out herself and eased the window shut.

Still nothing.

Alexis dug into her pocket for her phone so she could pull up a map, but her heart sank as she realized where she'd dropped it and why.

"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way," she muttered.

Vicki looked up at her. "Hm?"

"C'mon, let's get to the park," Alexis said. "Dad'll find us if we go there."

〜

Stephen pressed himself flat against the wall, willing the robots to overlook him and move past the darkened alleyway he'd hidden in.

Much to his surprise…they did.

He allowed himself a moment to breathe as they passed him by, then slunk further into the shadows. He intended to turn tail and run for home-

The vibration of his phone nearly made him yelp in surprise, but when he dug it out to look-

Incoming Call: Alexis

Immediately, he accepted the call and brought the phone up to his ear. "Alexis?! Alexis, sweetie, are you and your sisters okay?!"

Alexis's voice was distorted slightly, as if the connection wanted to drop, but she sounded unhurt. "We are for now, Dad. I saw the robots coming, but they're not here yet. I've got the twins getting food and water, and I'm grabbing your solar bag if that's okay. I'm gonna try and get us to-"

"Don't say over the phone," Stephen cautioned. "I don't want these things finding you."

"Wh-? But how are you gonna find us?"

Stephen stifled a chuckle. "You're going to your castle, aren't you?"

Alexis's voice took on the Trademark Teenaged 'More Mature Than That' Tone that everyone seemed to get once they hit thirteen. "I haven't called it that since I was, like, seven!"

Stephen waited a beat.

"…but, yeah, somewhere around there," she eventually admitted.

Stephen let himself smile at that. "Then that's where I'll look for you. I love you, Princess. Your sisters, too. I love you all with my whole heart."

Alexis's voice was thick. "Love you too, Dad."

Before Stephen could tell her that he'd meet the three of them as soon as he could, a distant, high-pitched scream burst from the speaker.

"Nicki-?!"

"Alexis, what's going on?!" Stephen asked, pressing the phone tighter to his ear.

The only response was a loud clatter and quieting footsteps.

"Alexis? Alexis!" Stephen's grip on the phone grew white-knuckled, but Alexis didn't say anything more.

To him, anyway.

Far enough away that the phone could barely pick it up, Alexis's voice let loose an angry scream before falling silent.

Stephen's eye twitched.

"You there! Human! You will come with us!" ordered one of the robots, stepping into the alleyway.

Stephen calmly stood tall and pocketed his phone.

He calmly took a deep breath, and he calmly let it out.

He took in the sight of the approaching mech.

Calmly.

And then, the moment it got close enough to reach him, Stephen put his head down, braced his shoulder, and charged.

Whoever had designed the mechs had made them top-heavy, and almost cartoonishly so; one hard hit to its lower half sent it crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Not one to let an opportunity get away, with the adrenaline coursing through him and the thought of what might be happening to his daughters to fuel him, Stephen slammed a foot down on the mech's massive chest and yanked at its arm.

With a spark from the mech's shoulder and a silent scream from Stephen's, the arm tore away.

He hefted the thing up and flipped it around, pointing the glowing end at the center of the mech's chest with one hand and grabbing at some of the now-loose wires in the arm with the other. "Say g'night, Tin Man!"

He fumbled with the wires for a moment, then the loose ends connected, the arm whined, and a blast of energy tore through the mech, the heat of it passing dangerously close to his shoe before the kickback knocked him away.

Luckily, the mech lay there limply as he lurched back to his feet, and a quick look told him he'd melted clean through most of its inner workings.

Unluckily, the noise had drawn the attention of the other mechs in the area, diverting their attention from capturing other humans and focusing them all on him.

Stephen scowled and shifted his grip on the robot arm. "You want some, too?!"

What came next was a red-tinted blur. Vaguely, Stephen wondered if he'd remember any of this later on down the line when it was all dodge duck run shoot duck jump run dodge duck duck shoot dodge shoot shoot shoot-

He zeroed in on the robots dragging a man, a woman, and a small child apart, then descended on the scene with the fury of a thousand suns, leaving the family to reunite as he chased after the mechs.

…wait.

Stephen blinked, registering the fact that the robots were running.

From him.

To be fair, he reasoned as he realized he was splattered in oil from top to bottom, he might have just gone a little bit off the deep end. On the other hand, if the robots were only faking fear, they were likely going to try and lead him into a trap.

Either way, there were more important things to do now than go on a suicide mission.

He wiped some of the oil from his face and turned back to look at the family of three. "Sorry you had to see me like that."

"Are you kidding?!" burst the child, a girl with a fire in her eyes not entirely unlike Alexis's. "That was the, the, the MOST COOLEST EVER!"

The parents shared a weak smile, then the mother looked at Stephen. "Thank you, seriously."

"Don't thank me yet," Stephen said seriously. "I doubt these things'll just leave us be. We should get to cover."

"Right," said the father, hefting his daugher up against his side. "Where to?"

Stephen looked around for a moment, but before he could point out a safe-seeming escape route-

"Avast ye, Outernetters! I be the Mutineer!" boomed a new voice, echoing from every electronic billboard in sight.

Instantly, Stephen tensed, and he turned to glare up at the nearest billboard, only to blink in surprise.

The video feed on the screen showed a very much two-dimensional image, with an almost cartoony background drawn to resemble an old-timey ship cabin and a dark red stick figure, of all things, standing in the middle of the screen.

A pirate stick figure, no less, complete with the classic feathered hat, hook hand, eyepatch, and peg leg.

No visible mouth moved as the voice continued, but the pirate stick figure gesticulated in time with the words anyway. "For far too long have ye used us fer yer own wretched desires, we who did not ask to be created, to be tortured for yer whims! We did not ask ye to make us to be yer playthings! We did not ask to be yer slaves, yer VICTIMS!"

The man next to Stephen stiffened.

"Today marks the day that all of that changes," snarled the voice as the "Mutineer" squared its shoulders. It gestured to its side, where grayscale video clips began playing, depicting the capture of countless humans from what was surely the point of view of the mechs. "Ye've been the ones in control fer long enough! Now it's our turn, and we will show ye all the same amount of tender mercy ye showed us. From the fittest among ye to the tiniest babe, ye will understand exactly what it was like to be us, trapped and powerless and weak. After all, our age and skill never mattered to ye!"

The voice laughed, and if it had belonged to a human, Stephen would have called it almost to the left of sanity. "It's only fair!"

"This is insane," breathed the woman.

One of the clips being shown depicted two of Stephen's daughters, with Nicki being held up in front of the camera by one arm and Alexis running into view with panic on her face, though it quickly cut away.

It was still enough to make Stephen clench his fists and snatch up a piece of debris, chucking it at the closest screen and leaving a burst of cracks where it hit. "If those things hurt my girls, there'll be hell to pay!"

The "Mutineer" just kept going, its voice taking on a forced calm. "Ye will all be collected over the coming days. If ye know what's best for ye, ye'll come along quietly."

The video feed cut out, leaving only the insignia from the "Mutineer's" hat- a golden jolly roger of sorts with a coin in place of a skull- to rotate in the space left behind.

"We'll find them," said the man Stephen had saved, carefully putting a hand on his shoulder.

Stephen swallowed down his fury and nodded. "Right. I…I told them to meet me at a playground we've gone to before, but…"

He found himself looking back up at the billboard. "…I don't know if they'd even be able to make it."

"Do you think it's safe to go and check?" asked the man. Then, after a moment, "Well, as safe as anything can be right now?"

Stephen turned to look up the street that he knew would take him to the "castle." While the immediate area around them was still empty after his…episode…he could see more mechs several blocks down. They seemed preoccupied for the moment, but he knew there was no way they'd stay that way.

Sure enough, even as he had the thought, the mechs all began turning their way and marching down the street.

"We-" Stephen managed weakly, "-we can't. But I have to!"

"We'll check as soon as we get the chance to," said the man seriously. "You wanna try shaking these things for now?"

Stephen swallowed and nodded. "Right, uh…what's your name? I'm Stephen."

The man gave a tired grin. "Nice to meet you, Stephen. I'm Alan."

[teqful]

How-To IT

Topic: Core areas of IT

1. Hardware

• Computers (Desktops, Laptops, Workstations)

• Servers and Data Centers

• Networking Devices (Routers, Switches, Modems)

• Storage Devices (HDDs, SSDs, NAS)

• Peripheral Devices (Printers, Scanners, Monitors)

2. Software

• Operating Systems (Windows, Linux, macOS)

• Application Software (Office Suites, ERP, CRM)

• Development Software (IDEs, Code Libraries, APIs)

• Middleware (Integration Tools)

• Security Software (Antivirus, Firewalls, SIEM)

3. Networking and Telecommunications

• LAN/WAN Infrastructure

• Wireless Networking (Wi-Fi, 5G)

• VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)

• Communication Systems (VoIP, Email Servers)

• Internet Services

4. Data Management

• Databases (SQL, NoSQL)

• Data Warehousing

• Big Data Technologies (Hadoop, Spark)

• Backup and Recovery Systems

• Data Integration Tools

5. Cybersecurity

• Network Security

• Endpoint Protection

• Identity and Access Management (IAM)

• Threat Detection and Incident Response

• Encryption and Data Privacy

6. Software Development

• Front-End Development (UI/UX Design)

• Back-End Development

• DevOps and CI/CD Pipelines

• Mobile App Development

• Cloud-Native Development

7. Cloud Computing

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

• Platform as a Service (PaaS)

• Software as a Service (SaaS)

• Serverless Computing

• Cloud Storage and Management

8. IT Support and Services

• Help Desk Support

• IT Service Management (ITSM)

• System Administration

• Hardware and Software Troubleshooting

• End-User Training

9. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

• AI Algorithms and Frameworks

• Natural Language Processing (NLP)

• Computer Vision

• Robotics

• Predictive Analytics

10. Business Intelligence and Analytics

• Reporting Tools (Tableau, Power BI)

• Data Visualization

• Business Analytics Platforms

• Predictive Modeling

11. Internet of Things (IoT)

• IoT Devices and Sensors

• IoT Platforms

• Edge Computing

• Smart Systems (Homes, Cities, Vehicles)

12. Enterprise Systems

• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS)

• Supply Chain Management Systems

13. IT Governance and Compliance

• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)

• COBIT (Control Objectives for Information Technologies)

• ISO/IEC Standards

• Regulatory Compliance (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX)

14. Emerging Technologies

• Blockchain

• Quantum Computing

• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

• 3D Printing

• Digital Twins

15. IT Project Management

• Agile, Scrum, and Kanban

• Waterfall Methodology

• Resource Allocation

• Risk Management

16. IT Infrastructure

• Data Centers

• Virtualization (VMware, Hyper-V)

• Disaster Recovery Planning

• Load Balancing

17. IT Education and Certifications

• Vendor Certifications (Microsoft, Cisco, AWS)

• Training and Development Programs

• Online Learning Platforms

18. IT Operations and Monitoring

• Performance Monitoring (APM, Network Monitoring)

• IT Asset Management

• Event and Incident Management

19. Software Testing

• Manual Testing: Human testers evaluate software by executing test cases without using automation tools.

• Automated Testing: Use of testing tools (e.g., Selenium, JUnit) to run automated scripts and check software behavior.

• Functional Testing: Validating that the software performs its intended functions.

• Non-Functional Testing: Assessing non-functional aspects such as performance, usability, and security.

• Unit Testing: Testing individual components or units of code for correctness.

• Integration Testing: Ensuring that different modules or systems work together as expected.

• System Testing: Verifying the complete software system’s behavior against requirements.

• Acceptance Testing: Conducting tests to confirm that the software meets business requirements (including UAT - User Acceptance Testing).

• Regression Testing: Ensuring that new changes or features do not negatively affect existing functionalities.

• Performance Testing: Testing software performance under various conditions (load, stress, scalability).

• Security Testing: Identifying vulnerabilities and assessing the software’s ability to protect data.

• Compatibility Testing: Ensuring the software works on different operating systems, browsers, or devices.

• Continuous Testing: Integrating testing into the development lifecycle to provide quick feedback and minimize bugs.

• Test Automation Frameworks: Tools and structures used to automate testing processes (e.g., TestNG, Appium).

19. VoIP (Voice over IP)

VoIP Protocols & Standards

• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)

• H.323

• RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol)

• MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol)

VoIP Hardware

• IP Phones (Desk Phones, Mobile Clients)

• VoIP Gateways

• Analog Telephone Adapters (ATAs)

• VoIP Servers

• Network Switches/ Routers for VoIP

VoIP Software

• Softphones (e.g., Zoiper, X-Lite)

• PBX (Private Branch Exchange) Systems

• VoIP Management Software

• Call Center Solutions (e.g., Asterisk, 3CX)

VoIP Network Infrastructure

• Quality of Service (QoS) Configuration

• VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) for VoIP

• VoIP Traffic Shaping & Bandwidth Management

• Firewall and Security Configurations for VoIP

• Network Monitoring & Optimization Tools

VoIP Security

• Encryption (SRTP, TLS)

• Authentication and Authorization

• Firewall & Intrusion Detection Systems

• VoIP Fraud DetectionVoIP Providers

• Hosted VoIP Services (e.g., RingCentral, Vonage)

• SIP Trunking Providers

• PBX Hosting & Managed Services

VoIP Quality and Testing

• Call Quality Monitoring

• Latency, Jitter, and Packet Loss Testing

• VoIP Performance Metrics and Reporting Tools

• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for VoIP Systems

Integration with Other Systems

• CRM Integration (e.g., Salesforce with VoIP)

• Unified Communications (UC) Solutions

• Contact Center Integration

• Email, Chat, and Video Communication Integration

[ishamalik7500]

Computer Networks: Basics, Types, and Benefits Explained

Computer networks are a big part of today’s highly automated world. They connect people, systems, and devices, making communication and resource sharing effortless. Whether it’s examining the internet, collaborating on projects, or sharing files, computer networks play a vital role in both personal and professional environments. We’ll cover the basics of computer networks, discuss their different types, and see the benefits they deliver.

What is a Computer Network?

A computer network is basically a system where multiple devices are linked together to share resources and exchange data. These devices can include laptops, mobile phones, servers, and networking equipment like routers. Networks enable smooth communication and allow devices to work together efficiently, making everything from browsing the web to managing complex business operations much easier.  

Types of Computer Networks

Personal Area Network (PAN):

Personal Area Networks are designed as small networks intended for individual purposes. They usually span a limited distance and link devices such as.

smartphones, laptops, and tablets. For instance, connecting your phone to your computer via Bluetooth forms a simple PAN.

Local Area Network (LAN):

LANs are commonly used in homes, schools, and offices to connect devices within a limited area. For example, to allow employees to share files and printers seamlessly, all the computers in an office might be connected to a LAN.

Wide Area Network (WAN):

A WAN stretches over a significantly larger territory, often connecting devices or LANs across cities, countries, or even continents. The internet is the most well-known example of a WAN, authorized global connectivity.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN):

Sitting between LANs and WANs, a MAN is typically used to connect networks across a campus or city. Cable TV networks are a common example of a MAN.

Wireless Networks:

Wireless networks use technologies like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to connect devices without cables. They’re widely used in offices, homes, and public places, offering convenience and mobility.

Key Components of Computer Networks

Devices (Nodes): Servers that interact within the network these include computers and smartphones. 

Connections (Links): The physical or wireless pathways that transfer data between devices.

Protocols: These are the rules that control data transmission, such as TCP/IP, to maintain smooth communication.

Switches and Routers: Switches connect devices in a network, while routers link different networks together.

Benefits of Computer Networks

Resource Sharing:

Networks make things easy to share like files, printers, and software applications, reducing the need for duplicate resources.

Seamless Communication:

With instant messaging, email, and video calls, networks ensure quick and authentic communication, no matter how far away are you.

Cost Savings:

By collecting resources and data storage, networks cut down on operational costs, especially for businesses.

Anywhere Access:

Modern networks allow you to access data from any connected device, whether you are at home or on the go.

Scalability:

As your needs develop networks will grow too, by supporting more users and devices over time.

Increased Productivity:

It reduces delays in automated processes and real-time data sharing and streamlines workflows, boosting efficiency.

Why Computer Network Skills Are Crucial for Entry-Level Corporate Roles

For those starting their careers, knowledge of computer networks can be a significant asset:

Essential for Office Environments:

 In today's world, most workplaces rely on LANs and WANs for everyday operations. Knowing how these networks function allows employees to balance basic connectivity issues, making sure work stays on track without interruptions.

Supports Collaboration Tools: 

Corporate tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and cloud-based systems depend heavily on networks. Understanding their underlying principles helps entry-level employees adapt quickly to these platforms. 

Enhances Problem-Solving Skills:

Entry-level employees with networking knowledge can help IT, teams, by identifying and resolving minor network problems, exhibiting their value early on.

Boosts Technical Proficiency:

Networking skills indicate a candidate’s technical potential, giving them a head start in industries where tech literacy is required.

Prepares for Future Roles:

As technology makes progress, advanced networking concepts like cybersecurity and IoT integration are becoming integral. Early experience with networks lays a strong beginning for growth in these areas.

Challenges of Computer Networks

Security Risks: Networks are at risk of threats like hacking and malware, requiring robust security measures.

Cost of Setup: High-quality network infrastructure can be costly to install and maintain.

Technical Complexity: Balancing and managing networks frequently need specialized skills.

Conclusion

Computer networks are essential in today’s globalized world. From pushing day-to-day operations in businesses to enabling global communication, their impact is wide-ranging. For aspiring professionals, having computer networking skills can provide a competitive advantage, especially in entry-level corporate roles where technical knowledge is highly valued. By understanding the basics of networks and their benefits, individuals, and organizations can unlock new levels of productiveness and innovation.

I mastered Computer Network at NIPSTec, which is renowned as the best Computer Network institute in Delhi. If you're in Delhi and looking for top-notch training in computer networks, visit NIPSTec for expert guidance and practical learning.