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mcheang · 3 years

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Where did I go wrong?

Prompt I got from @amethyst-geek : Mrs. Rossi is under the impression that the various Kubdel and Cesaire akumas r still running around (and that the girl Pharaoh decided to sacrifice, successfully so according to Lila, is a seperate person from Lady Wifi) when she runs into Mr Kubdel and Marlena Cesare (who ran into each at the store by chance).

When Mrs Rossi does have some free time, she enjoys visiting tourist spots with her daughter. In order to prevent her mother from meeting her class, Lila lies that akumas such as the Pharoah and Lady Wifi are still haunting the Louvre and Le Grand Paris. So they instead visit places like the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe.

That doesn’t mean Mrs Rossi is blind to the advertisements of why you should eat the dishes by Chef Cesaire or visit Mr Kubdel’s latest exhibit.

When the class bake sale is coming up, the students had agreed to bake together and share costs. And Mr Kubdel and Mrs Cesaire have the same favorite store that specialises in baking ingredients.

Meeting each other, they know they are probably buying the same things and decide to shop together. Besides, they can probably make use of the buy 2 get 1 free discounts or such like.

Mrs Rossi was also there (not for the bake sale. Like Lila would wanna help Marinette bake. But to make some old family recipes that required certain ingredients you can’t normally find in a supermarket)

So when Mrs Rossi’s trolley bumped into theirs, she immediately recognized curator and chef.

Mrs Rossi: oh hello. You’re Mr Kubdel the museum curator, and Chef Cesaire from Le Grand Paris, yes?

The two adults exchange glances. “Yes, that’s us. And you are?”

Mrs Rossi exclaimed. “Oh nobody. Well, I mean, I had come here from Italy and I was looking forward to visiting your museum and your restaurant. But before i could, I had learned about the akuma attacks. I’m so sorry.”

Mr Kubdel sighed. “Don’t worry about it. That’s what Ladybug’s miraculous cure is for. I shudder to think of the cost of damaged artefacts.”

Mrs Cesaire: tell me about it. My daughter actually attacked the daughter of my boss just because she was following a scoop. Never mind following her suspension for invading the girl’s privacy. I’m lucky to still have my job!

Mr Kubdel: I know how you feel. Jalil is my son, but I don’t know where he gets his stories from. And to think he wanted to break rules for a crazy theory of his.

Mrs Cesaire: to think, all this could have been avoided if our children were more practical. I mean, how could she think blond Chloé the bully could be raven-haired Ladybug?

Mr Kubdel: or if my son had bothered to make a credible history team and submit a proper proposal to the board, maybe our reputations as parents wouldn’t be so bad.

Mrs Rossi: I’m sorry. But the akumas are your children? I didn’t know. I apologize for my words.

Chef Cesaire waved a hand in dismissal. “It’s fine. These days, you’re bound to meet someone related to an akuma incident at least once a week.”

Mrs Rossi: I’m amazed at your composure, Chef. I would have thought you would be more devastated about your daughter’s akumatization and her absences from home.

Chef: I try to stop her from running out to film the akumas, but somehow she just evades my grasp, usine twins as a distraction.

Mr Kubdel: at least, Jalil has a blog of his own to spout out his stories. Better he find listeners there than in my museum.

Mrs Rossi: the Pharoah has a blog?

Now both adults were frowning at her.

Mr Kubdel: I know you’re not from here, but to call my boy by his akuma name is really rather rude. It’s like calling the reformed Pamela Isley Poison Ivy, like you can’t forgive her crimes and give her a second chance.

Mrs Rossi: isn’t he still akumatized?

At that, both adults brought out their phones. “There’s nothing about a new akuma on the app. When did you hear about his akumatization?”

Mrs Rossi was baffled by their response. “Months ago, by my daughter Lila.”

Mr Kubdel laughed. “Oh, you had me worried there. Maybe you need to read up on your akumas more because akumatizations last less than a day. Jalil has only been an akuma for 3 hours at most.”

Mrs Rossi didn’t understand. That can’t be right.

Meanwhile, Chef Cesaire looked at her Italian feature and considered her words. “By any chance, is your daughter Lila Rossi?”

Startled, Mrs Rossi shifted her focus to the Chef. “Yes. How did you know that?”

Raising an eyebrow at her ignorance, Chef Cesaire replied, “Because she’s been helping me babysit my twin daughters whenever Marinette can’t make it.”

Mrs Rossi took a step back. None of this was making sense. Lila said she was friends with Alya, but if Alya was Lady Wifi, she can’t have been akumatized for months! And Marinette was the school bully, how could Alya be friends with her?

Or, her mind whispered, how can you believe anything your daughter says?

Unable to think of a proper response, Mrs Rossi politely excused herself. “Pardon moi, I need a moment to reflect on what you have just told me.”

The other two politely rolled their trolleys on, silently agreeing that while they need to be stricter with their children, at least they knew what was wrong.

Mrs Rossi found an abandoned aisle and quickly leaned against the shelf, her legs weak.

What was the truth?

Shakily, she brought out her phone and did a quick research on Lady Wifi. Yup, defeated at night and only reappeared for Puppeteer.

Pharaoh? Defeated during the day.

Akuma plague at Dupont? While it is a hotspot, there hasn’t really been a mass akuma gathering concentrated there alone.

Akumatized principal? Defeated at night.

Curious now, Mrs Rossi typed out “akuma” and “Lila”

The first instance was Volpina for unknown reasons. The second instance was Chameleon, again the reasons were unknown.

What Mrs Rossi did know was that Lila had abused her trust. But no more!

That night, 3 parents were going to have a discussion about doing research with their kids.

1. first, Marlena asked what was Lila’s relationship with her mother like? Alya said Mrs Rossi spoils her daughter and takes her on incredible trips. But Lila is so modest and generous, that she was telling her celebrity friends about her classmates. Marlena found that hard to believe when Mrs Rossi didn’t even know who Alya was, or enough about her anyway. Not to mention she doubted Mrs Rossi would be close friends with someone like Prince Ali when she is so oblivious about the akuma situation. Before Alya can go call Lila for an explanation, Marlena sighs and asks her daughter to try doing research before rushing out like always. Try thinking of the bigger picture for once.

2. Mr Kubdel asked Alix about Lila. Alix said she could give Jalil a run for his money in a storytelling competition. Mr Kubdel: she was lying? Alix: hard to say, she always has an excuse ready. But she doesn’t really give legit proof. Mr Kubdel suggests she try doing research so she can tell fact from fiction. And maybe have Jalil join in, if only so he will stop insisting that Ra is really Ladybug. Show undeniable proof before you talk ears off.

3. Mrs Rossi confronted her daughter, having read the news and called her principal. Lila gulps and tries to claim that her principal is an akuma who messes with online information. “I doubt that since you are probably the only one who would say this! You are grounded, young lady! And while you are grounded, you can try finding a new job or fill out your school application forms because you have been expelled for framing a student!” After this, Mrs Rossi decided to keep a much closer eye on her own daughter so as to find out where else she had gone wrong! She actually bugged every room in their house and considering how Lila had nowhere to go for the moment, she was watched 24/7. To prevent Lila from getting suspicious, Mrs Rossi gave regular calls to check in on her daughter. She would never accuse Lila of lying immediately after being told a lie, but would save it all up for later with further punishment. Lila decided to quit talking and start behaving after Mrs Rossi warned her that one more strike, and she would be sent to military school and disinherited.

Miss Bustier would have tried to give Lila some dignity by hiding the real reason for her absence. But Alya and Alix told the truth.

And so maybe Alya, Jalil and Mrs Rossi learned a thing or two about pausing before taking a leap of faith. That maybe you should just gather some proof so the words can be believed more easily.

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #ml salt fic

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sunball · 3 years

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Hi💫💓. I have a confession to make. Nothing too serious tbh. This is going to be lengthy. I created a Tumblr acc a while ago but, I was never active on it. I preferred to guest browse, you know. I would lurk around in the tags and read stuff. But, I never actually interacted with the posts. Ever. One day, I was doing the same thing and, I came across your blog. I LOVED reading your posts. You came across as an authentic and outspoken person to me. Your blog's aesthetic stood out to me. I could see that it was an expression of yourself. I could see the effort you put into it. I kept coming back to your blog and ended up finding some other wonderful blogs through it. After a while, I ended up traveling. I didn't have data or WiFi access at the time so, I couldn't read any of your posts. When I returned, I couldn't find your blog for some reason. I low-key freaked out. I am not sure how to explain this to you but, I have ALWAYS struggled with communication. It made me SO anxious to the point that I couldn't even imagine being on social media. People say that interacting with others on the Internet is much easier than face-to-face communication but, to me, it's all the same. At the end of the day, I am always wondering "Was I rude?", " Did I even make any sense?", "What are they going to think of me?". It is such an irrational fear but, I can't help it. After coming across your blog, I decided to check my natal chart, and lo and behold, I have Saturn in the 3rd. After finding out that you had the same placement, it gave me some kind of hope? That may be, someday, I would be able to express my thoughts just like you do. I really respect the efforts you put into your blog. I admire you for that. I really do. Okay, let's go back to the story. I eventually ended up finding your blog. I made up my mind to finally tell you that I loved your blog. I think I send you an ask. I think. But I decided to redo it cause' I felt like the first one didn't do justice. So here I am. I don't know if you will ever actually read this. Even now, while writing this, I am freaking out! I know I am anonymous but, my anxiety doesn't give an f. I want you to know that you are doing great. There are lots of people out there who appreciate what you do, and I am one of them. I hope you rise amongst all perils and achieve all your dreams. Thank you for being yourself. 💛💛💛

Hold up, I was supposed to make a confession, right? Okay so, I used to hang around with a cockroach as a kid. Let's call it bestie. Feels weird to say it, but bestie was actually well behaved? I used to sing songs for it and stuff. Our friendship lasted for a grand total of two days. Bestie was a great roach. Best of all?? It didn't fly. Yap, that's it. I don't know if you will read this but thanks for listening.

omg anon🥺🥺 I’m speechless aahhh aakdhjdg this means SO much to me. you made my day. you made me smile and tear up wow. thank you so much for taking your time to write this. im feelin super special rn hehehe just reading your words makes me feel appreciated 😭 I’m guessing you found my blog when my URL was ilyneptune? I was shadowbanned so that’s why you couldn’t find my blog, SORRY ABOUT THATTTT! I’m glad we found eachother again though :D

I totally get what you mean about the communication part, as a child I was really quiet and did not talk to my family or my friends much. at school I was the most awkward person and was labelled as stupid because whenever I got picked on to answer questions, I would just stutter and answer something stupid 😭 just speaking makes me feel like choking even if it’s just a simple hi. I also used to not like talking online too, I would leave messages unread and ignore them for weeks and I absolutely hated calls (I still do). I also take hours to write a paragraph. saturn in 3rd house things I suppose 😔 but actually, this year my communication got so much better. I stepped out of my comfort zone and made this blog. not so sure what made me do it but I’m glad I did it anyway. now I’m arguing with people in comment sections and I’m not afraid of being wrong anymore. I guess I just accepted that I’m not perfect and that I’m bound to make mistakes and that everyone is here for the same reason - to learn. would me saying something wrong make me a fool? or would the person laughing at me for being wrong and not asking questions be the fool instead? I actually have 2 quotes on my wall, “speak your mind even if your voice shakes” and “he who asks a question is a fool for a minute, he who does not ask is a fool for life”. those quotes are very important to me and pretty much changed my life :B my dad also helped me ig, he’s kinda cold lol but he told me that people actually don’t give a fuck about your mistakes, they don’t notice the things you notice like your crooked teeth, the way you eat, how you stuttered 3 times or how you messed up your presentation. why? people have their own insecurities and their own life to think about, they’re probably thinking of the exact same thing like “omg did they notice that I accidentally spat when I talked?”. so yeah that helped me too.

I believe that you can overcome these fears! I mean, you’re already doing it by writing this to me :D (which brought me to tears lol). If an awkward bean who barely spoke at school (aka me) can do it, so can you! I believe in you anon ((: it’s okay to be anon I understand! I appreciate you writing this to me (for the 2nd time KAHDH I’m sorry I didn’t get your last ask 😭). but anywaysss I’ll still be here for the day you express your thoughts (and imma listen hehe) I’m a sucker for thaaatttt, hearing people’s thoughts and opinions. I think it’s super fascinating how people think differently and how people can come up with different ideas. makes me just wanna take a look inside their mind KAHDJDH.

okay wth a cockroach HAHSGDGD AND WHY IS THAT WEIRDLY CUTE??? why am I aww-ing at a cockroach I don’t get it AHAHAAH AND YOU SANG TO IT?? WELL BEHAVED??? I’m chuckling here 😭😭 that’s so wholesome. so cuteeee😔 bestie will forever be missed <33

thank YOU anon. I hope you are doing well! I hope to see you againnn 🥺

#answered

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whumblr · 4 years

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After hours

Home is where the hurt is: Part 1 - Continued from Part 2

Tags: @just-a-raccoon-with-wifi @burtlederp @castielamigos-whump-side-blog

“Jay, I don’t mind you busting your ass, but it’s 7pm. I’m about to close up, come on. Don’t you have anyone waiting for you at home?” His boss winked at him.

I do, probably, that’s the point, Jay thought bitterly.

Ever since Zayne had taken to sporadically invading his home he put off going home on time. Dealing with this Schrödinger’s intruder was nerve-wracking. Is he there? Or is it safe? No way to know unless you open the door. Opening his front door and walking into the unknown, checking whether Zayne was there waiting for him or not was stressing him out way more than he’d think. He couldn’t ask friends to meet him at home, he couldn’t relax and watch a movie or read, his concentration always broken by strange sounds. He found himself constantly alert, always listening for any sounds indicating someone was at the front door. He had trouble sleeping, worried Zayne would sneak in in the middle of the night, getting the drop on him. His safe place was gone.

And that was only the stress when Zayne wasn’t there, or at least not in his direct line of vision yet. He found himself freezing up when he heard the familiar voice inviting him in, to his own home. Inviting him to the promise of pain, to carefully prepared beatings that would hurt but not disable, bruise but not scar. Pain easy to hide. Or at least pain that wouldn’t be directly visible.

The extra hours at work might come in handy though; sooner or later Zayne would go too far and Jay would need to take some extra time off with no questions asked or a company doctor checking in on him.

A little reluctantly, he started packing up. “I’ll go with you.”

He tensed up, as always lately when the end of the workday would draw near. Where other people would rejoice the clock reaching 5pm, for Jay it just meant more butterflies in his stomach. His hands trembling whenever he packed his laptop into his bag. His evening bike commute filled with desire to just get hit by a car.

Back at home he’d always try to see if there were any signs that the door had been opened, or if he could see any lights on, maybe spot some footprints or hear sounds from inside. But Zayne was meticulous and never dropped any hints.

Upon opening the door it was clear someone was already there and Zayne welcomed him home enthusiastically.

“You’re so late, darling. Do they keep making you work overtime?“ Sarcasm flowed through his voice. "Do I need to go in and rough someone up for keeping you after hours?”

Jay was too tired to play this game. “Please don’t,” he just said, flatly, dropping his keys and bag.

“See? Look at that lukewarm reaction. You’re dead tired.”

“Yeah, I wonder why.”

Zayne grinned. “Let’s get you pumped up a little.”

Jay tensed up, but stayed silent and didn’t try to move. He lingered at the door, too afraid to enter his own fucking living room.

“Where’s your belt?” Zayne asked. “The nice one, with the braided texture.”

The one I used before to beat you senseless with, Jay added for him in silence. “I threw it away.”

“What, why? I didn’t get any blood on it I think?”

“It was ruined anyway,” Jay simply bit.

Zayne gave a soft smile but didn’t press any further. “Give me the one you’re wearing then.”

Jay grit his teeth. “You’ve been raiding my closet, right? There’s plenty other belts. Or just use your own.” It was humiliating enough to allow himself to be beaten like that, but to hand a weapon to his tormentor like a chastised schoolboy was too much.

Without saying anything, Zayne just extended his open hand and gave him a sharp look.

This unnerved Jay; he knew that look meant trouble if he kept pushing. He fumbled for an excuse. “My trousers will come down.” He mentally slapped himself as soon as the words had escaped his lips. It drew a hearty laugh from Zayne. Well, at least it lightened the mood.

“Don’t worry, Jay, I’m not going to spank your buttocks. Now stop stalling and do as I say.”

The immediate shift in tone from cheerful to an intimidating low rumble told Jay that he shouldn’t push his luck. In defeat he undid his belt and laid it gently in Zayne’s still open hand.

He took a step back and grabbed his shirt, ready to take it off, but Zayne hummed his objection and just moved his finger in a circle to signal for Jay to turn around. A little confused, Jay obliged. Zayne stepped closer, took the hem of his shirt and lifted it slowly. He let his cold fingers trail over the now healed welts. Jay shivered a little; he wasn’t sure if it was because of Zayne’s cold hands, his unwanted touch and proximity, or because he was imagining new lines forming across his back, new fire slashing across the old fading pain.

“Nice. Turn around again.”

Again, Jay did as he was told. He fought the urge to step away and looked up to meet Zayne’s eyes.

“Hold out your hand.”

Realization dawned on Jay. Fuck. Should he plead? It never really worked… Maybe offer his back instead? But he wasn’t sure he could handle another day hiding fresh welts. Still, he needed his hands for everything, damn it!

He held out his left hand.

The corner of Zayne’s lips curved into a cruel smile. His hands were playing with the belt, doubling it over and pulling on it. “Don’t try to make this easy on yourself. You’re right-handed. But if you insist.” He flicked the belt down on Jay’s open palm to swat his hand away. It wasn’t enough to cause a red mark, but the warning was clear. Jay yelped and pulled back. Zayne let him and gestured for his right hand.

A flood of resignation crashed over Jay. Fine then.

Zayne grabbed his wrist and turned the trembling palm up.

“How many you want?”

“Five?” Jay tried. His eyes flicked up to Zayne, hoping to find a little mercy. The narrowed eyes didn’t offer any.

It just earned him another chuckle. “Should’ve known not to ask you. Thirty. And that’s me being nice.” He let go of Jay’s wrist, testing if Jay would let his arm fall back down, but he did as he was told and kept it out.

“Get on your knees for me.”

Jay shook his head.

A harsh slap echoed through the room and Jay’s head snapped to the side by the sheer force of it. He stumbled back, clutching his face in surprise. Zayne pulled the belt back in a backhand, threatening another yet more brutal hit and Jay sank to his knees, his hands out in surrender.

Zayne had never hit him in the face. Too dangerous. Too risky. Bruises on the face couldn’t be hidden, were hard to explain.

“Stay like that. Keep your palm up and open. Close it into a fist and we’ll start over.”

“Will you get going already?” Jay’s arm was already shaking in protest and he just wanted to get this over with.

The first slap rang out and Jay winced as the belt flew just past his face. His hand flexed in response and he fought to keep it open. It hurt, but not enough to draw a scream yet. Still, he shouldn’t count his blessings as Zayne was just testing the waters and sure as hell the second hit was a lot harder. It forced out a loud curse, mercifully ignored. By number five, Zayne had found a good middle point and kept his strength even.

Jay just struggled presenting his hand. He put his other hand on his thigh to keep pushing himself up. His fingers dug into the skin with each hit.

He hissed as the belt snapped over his fingers. “Wait a second,” he said flexing his hand, but he waited for permission before he drew back. He just wanted to shake his hand a little and give his arm a break. “Let me—FUCK!” A new hit crossed over the tense muscles.

“No breaks if you don’t want to start over.”

By twenty Jay was shaking all over, his head drooped down and he struggled to sit up. He pushed his arm up by the elbow to keep himself from jerking back as the blows kept ringing out. His hand was tingling all over, burning, every nerve end stinging.

The last hit, last scream, and Jay sagged down in relief. His hand was still locked in position, the muscles in his arm and hand rigid. Zayne took advantage, flicking the belt down again.

“That’s thirty-one! Stop!” Jay quickly pulled his hand back and tucked it under his other arm.

“Ah, so you were counting.”

The belt fell down, the soft tink of the belt buckle hitting the floor signalling the end of the beating, giving Jay permission to crumble to pieces. He tumbled over on his knees, cradling his burning hand to his chest. He rocked back and forth, biting back whimpers, going lower and lower until his forehead almost touched down on the rug. It may be over, for now, but he still protected his hand with his body, all hunched over. He flinched as he heard Zayne’s footsteps circling him, but they moved away from him.

Please go. Leave. Get out.

“That got you out of your funk?”

“No.” Jay grumbled, instantly regretting the single word as the footsteps drew closer again.

“Better make sure you’re home on time from now on.” Zayne pulled him up by the hair and looked him dead in the eyes. “No more hiding out on me.”

“Forgive me if I don’t care whether I get beat at 6pm or 7pm.”

“Yes, you do. You’d leave work on time if you didn’t care.”

Okay, maybe it was just the rampant fear holding Jay back, but he wasn’t going to inform Zayne of that.

“Or you could say, the sooner you get beat into the ground, the more time you have to recuperate,” Zayne advised, like he had the best of intentions, as if he cared about Jay’s wellbeing. “Take an early night. Get to bed on time and all.”

Like Jay hadn’t thought about that yet. Logic didn’t really play much of a role when your life gets turned upside down like this.

His head was roughly pushed down, but the fist tightened in his blonde spikes uncurled and drew back.

“Think about it, hm.” And with that, Zayne was gone.

Jay sat back against the couch, trying to even his breathing and letting the stress seep out of his body. His stomach growled. As if life just continued like that, he scoffed. Mercilessly going on. As if he hadn’t other things to think about. As if he could fucking prepare himself a meal right now. Shut the fuck up, stomach.

He held out his hands next to each other. His right hand was shaking hard and was all red and swollen. Jay forced himself to slump to the kitchen and let cold water run over the angry skin, hoping to tone it down. Luckily, there was no blood. Still holding his hand under the tap, he reached down and peeked into the fridge, looking for any leftovers. Nothing. Not like he actually had time to get groceries or something. Take-out?

His right hand automatically reached out to close the tap, his muscle memory not taking any consequences into account. When his fingers curled around the handle, a wave of pain shot though his hand and with a yelp he pulled back.

His yelp of pain turned into a scream and he kicked the fridge door closed in frustration. God! He was just so goddamn sick of it all. Thinking he should consider himself lucky that this was all that happened this evening. Hoping that tomorrow evening he might catch a break and just spend his evening waiting in fear. Bending over backwards to come up with excuses! All of it!

He sank to his knees, resting his head against the counter, tears dropped down to the floor. Was he really going to have to accept that this was his life now? Sleep, work, eat, get beat, repeat. He was still resisting his fate, still in the anger phase. Getting to acceptance was going to be a long road. And if he did accept it, would it actually get easier?

Or would acceptance equal breaking?

Continued here.

#whump #hand whump #belting #angst #emotional whump #whumplr #me: this will probably some drabble series #also me: churns out a 2k chapter #ok enough with the belts for now #Jay #Zayne #Home is where the hurt is #my writing

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queenmaracasandlove · 4 years

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Love Of My Life Series - Ben Hardy x F!Reader - How They Met

Word Count: 4500

Summary: Y/N works in her local hotel when a film crew arrived to stay there, making her take a break from her book.

Warnings: Mention of break up and layoff.

A/N: The ‘Love Of My Life Series’ will be a series of short One Shots featuring members of the BohRhap Cast x Reader. Although you will be able to read them indepedently, they will all follow the ‘same couple’ if that makes sense. I got a little carried away with this one... Sorry !

MASTERLIST

gif found on @rogermeddow ‘s blog

Y/N was not really happy to be working in that hotel, it was not exactly how she had planned her summer. She was supposed to be in Ibiza with her now ex-boyfriend. To be honest she did not even want to go to Ibiza in the first place. She was dreaming of much simpler thing, a road trip in Ireland. But now she was stuck in her hometown, working for the local hotel while Jack was enjoying the trip she had paid for.

Everyone around her was filled with excitement and all the town was talking about was how a big hollywoodian production was going to be filmed in their modest village. But Y/N was absolutely not thrilled. All she wanted was some peace and quiet, some time to figure out her life and move on to the next chapter. Working in the hotel used to be her summer job when she was younger, she worked there during holidays and whenever she could and was needed from her sixteenth until she eventually finished her studies and found a suitable job.

She had lost everything in the last few months. First her job, the small company for which she was working faced bankruptcy and only a few weeks after she found out her boyfriend of two years was cheating on her. She had tried to stay in the big city but without an income and with the pain, she had agreed to go back to her parents’ house, at least for the summer.

She thought she would be able to do as she used to, work without really working. Saying hi to the old couples who were used to stay here every summer, greet the new customers here and there, help with cleaning the rooms when there were more than 10 rooms occupied (the hotel only had 24) and spend most of her times reading books behind the reception desk. But now she would have to deal with a full hotel and help with the restaurant during the week-ends. More money but more trouble.

The crew was supposed to arrive today. Rumours were saying that the biggest stars would stay in the hotel as they would feel close by and the rest of the crew - number of rooms being quite insufficient - would stay in the nearest bigger town. Y/N was not really in the mood for divas and their demands. As much as she pretended like she did not care, she had taken a few extra minutes to get ready on that morning.

She was so deep into her reading that she did not hear the footsteps in the lobby. Her feet were on the desk and the bookmark between her teeth as her eyes were rapidly going from one word to the next one.

‘Excuse me’ a voice echoed in the room

Taken by surprise, Y/N almost lost her balance on her desk chair. A blond man was standing in front her. He looked amused and uncomfortable at the same time. Y/N almost cursed but knew how to remain -at least when not taken by surprise- professional.

‘Welcome to the Katherine’s’ she greeted him with a smile ‘What can I do for you?’

‘I’m… Well I’m Ben Hardy. I’m working on a film and…’

‘Oh yes. Absolutely.’

Still smiling, she looked at the computer. This thing was so old she thought, the owners -Katherine and Georges- were nice and their hotel was enough for its regular customers but some things deserved to be updated. Thankfully, she had managed to convince them to invest in better WiFi coverage. He had looked surprised that she did not who he was. But Y/N was not a big cinema fan, she preferred her books and did not care if it had hurt the blond man’s feelings.

‘Indeed’ she said, spotting his name ‘Room 13’

The rest of the exchange was quick and polite. Y/N kept smiling as she gave all the necessary information and Ben walked towards his room as the next customer was entering the hotel. People kept coming in all morning and Y/N completely forgot about the blond man.

---------------------

Everything had been so crazy for the past few days that Y/N barely had any time for herself. She was used to work without really working but now there was an uninterrupted stream of people coming in and out of the lobby. Everybody seemed very busy but to her greatest surprise, most of the crew was also extremely polite, some of them even remembered her name. Still, she was so happy when she heard they all went early when she arrived on that morning. Apparently they needed the morning light for a scene -Katherine was aware of every little detail- and would not come back before the afternoon.

Y/N finally had some time and enjoyed the warm sun on the back terrace, a book on her knees. This new book was not very long and if it was interesting enough, she hoped to finish it before having to go back behind her desk. And indeed it was gripping, so much so that when she finally looked up -the need to go to the toilets being too strong now- her heart skipped a beat upon noticing another person on the terrace.

It was the blond guy, the first member of the team she had checked in. He pinched his lips seeing her almost falling but she knew he wanted to laugh. She wanted to hide away but she suddenly panicked. What time was it? Had everybody come back already? Did he need anything? It would not be the first time that she would not be behind the desk because she was hiding up here but Katherine probably would not be that understanding this time. She looked at her watch but it had only been forty-five minutes since she had come here and it was only quarter to eleven.

‘I am so sorry’ they both said at the same time

He scratched his head as she played with her bracelet. She was so surprised by him apologizing that she did not know what to say.

‘I didn’t want to disturb you’ he went on

‘What? No… I thought that nobody was around. I am sorry. Do you need anything?’

‘It’s fine. I wasn’t needed this morning so I stayed in bed quite late. I just wanted to enjoy the sun.’ he smiled

He did not seem upset. Y/N did not move although she wanted to run back behind her cherished desk and pretend to work as if she did not want to hide away for the rest of her life. But it was as if she was hypnotized by the man. She properly looked at him this time, his broad shoulders, his luscious lips and his mesmerizing eyes. For what seemed to last much longer than reality they both looked at each other, without a word being said. It seemed like the sun had warmed their skin all of a sudden, or maybe was it something else.

‘I…’ she hesitated ‘I should go back inside. If you need anything, please ask’

‘What’s your name?’ he asked

‘Y/N’ she smiled ‘Enjoy the sun’

She almost asked for his name, but before doing so she was hiding behind the curtain of the lobby, her hand over her mouth to hide a smile. She went to sit but was unable to focus on anything for a while, this encounter had got her completely unsettled. She eventually decided to do some work and overlooked the planning of the week. Once it was done she almost hesitated as her hand was reaching for her book but as she was doing so, she saw the man coming back inside.

‘Mr. Hardy, can I do anything for you?’ she asked as he approached

To be perfectly honest she had checked his name on the registers when he had come back inside, remembering that he was in room 13, one of the best ones.

‘I was just heading back to my room’ he politely said

‘Of course, yes’

‘Is it interesting?’ he asked’

‘Excuse-me?’ she frowned, unsure of what he was talking about

‘The book you’re reading’

‘Oh, it’s alright’ she smiled

‘What is it about?’ he asked, looking truly interested

‘Well’ she started, surprised ‘It’s about two children who are sent to Australia in the 1930s’

It looked as if he was going to say something but his phone started ringing in his pocket. He apologised and answered the call. Y/N looked back to her computer, heat rushing through her body. She could not remember the last time someone had asked her about what she was reading. Usually people did not mention it or told her that she should live in the real world and not in between pages. But when she was reading outside he had just sat, making no noise and truly seemed saddened by the idea that maybe he had interrupted her in her activity. She tried not to listen to the conversation he was having on the phone and he left the hotel before even hanging up and she saw him getting in a car.

---------------------

The blond guy did not reappear before the end of YN’s shift that day. She tried to no think about it too much but she found herself eavesdropping as she was shopping in the local supermarket. People were talking about the film and for the first time she was interested in what was said. Apparently the actors where quite famous and they had been seen in the village this week, an information that was not particularly interesting to Y/N. She didn't even know what the film was about. She sighed and after paying started heading home. She wanted to pay a visit to the local charity shop before going home for good. She had finished her book as planned and wanted to see if they had received anything interesting. There was something about second hand books that she loved. The idea that this object already had one, even several lives maybe, that this story was being shared. She always looked for traces of the past owners, dog-eared page -although she hated doing this herself-, spilled tea or coffee, forgotten bookmarks, sand -she always imagined these books being carried around during someone’s holiday, most probably unfinished and sometimes, dried teardrops marks.

The shop was quite small but she knew it so well, most of her purchases in her younger years had been made here. She was greeted by one of the volunteers and made her way towards the books. There were often some recommendations from the people giving their time to the shop but Y/N rarely paid attention to those. Still, one of them intrigued her ‘the book that is being turned into a film in our own little parish’. She raised her eyebrows and picked the book. She knew the name of the author but she had never heard about this particular book, which surprised her. Without thinking she walked towards the cash desk and paid for the item.

Y/N walked back home, thinking about the book. She had not read the summary. It was one of her habit. If she knew she wanted to read the book even though she did not know much about it, she wanted to discover it from with as little information as possible. She kissed her mother’s cheek as she put the groceries away in the kitchen before going to her room. Y/N played with her fingers for a bit, her mouth twisted. She was now thinking about the client from the hotel. She wondered what he was doing in the film. At first she thought that maybe he was part of the production team but she could not forget his charisma. There was something that emerged from him, and his face was so perfectly made, like a greek statue. Y/N concluded that he was most probably an actor. After debating with herself she finally decided not to look at his name on the internet. If she had a chance to, she wanted to discover him without summary, they rarely did justice to the real work.

-------------

Y/N had her head in the clouds as she was helping with breakfast on the following morning. This was mainly due to the fact that she had spent the night reading. She had not been able to finish her latest purchase, the book was quite long and she knew she had to work on the next day. She was now obsessed with the idea of finishing the novel. Working at the reception desk was one thing but she had never been very talented with the position of waitress. Usually the little restaurant managed by the hotel owners was only opened in the evening but the film crew had requested catering for breakfast.

‘Y/N !’ someone called her ‘Order for table 4’

‘Sorry chef, on my way’ she said, grabbing the two plates

She managed to bring them to the table without spilling anything and although she thought it was almost time to close the kitchen, she saw two people walking in, Ben Hardy and a woman. She recognised the woman immediately, she was a well-known actress. She was so bad with actors but her ex could not stop talking about her and now she understood why. She was absolutely stunning. Maybe it was an actor thing, she thought, but her too had this kind of aura around her. She shook her head and moved towards the table.

‘Good Morning’ she said ‘ What can I do for you?’

‘Obviously same thing as usual, your cook should have my dietary requests by now’ the actress sharply said

Y/N tried not to look too surprised by the remark but she had to prevent herself from saying anything that could get her in trouble.

‘Of course. I am sorry.’ she tried with a crooked smile ‘Sir?’

She looked at Ben, ready to hear something similar but she perceived a saddened look in his eyes.

‘Scrambled eggs please, with coffee. Thank you very much’

‘My pleasure. I will be back with your orders’

‘Make it quick please. I have to be with hair and makeup in 45’ the actress added

Y/N pinched her lips, preferring not to say anything as she could hear another nasty comment behind her ‘I hate this hotel. I am used to a lot better’. Y/N was now too far to hear what Ben said to her but she imagined that he was agreeing. When she explained what had just happened to the kitchen crew they all laughed. Apparently it was not the first time that she was acting like a diva. Y/N knew nothing about it because she had managed to get Katherine’s personal phone number and only referred to her. There was nobody else in the restaurant anymore and Y/N waited for the order, chatting with her colleagues. She suddenly realised that she had missed quite a bit of drama as she had been determined not to care about what was going on.

One of the cook, Kevin, was telling her everything he had heard since the film crew had arrived, and there was much to say. Y/N knew the man as they had grew up together, or at least in the same area. She was one year younger than him which meant that they had never been together at school but the village was small enough that they spent some time together. They had started their work in the same summer, but Kevin had never left the kitchen and he seemed to be perfectly happy like this. Y/N was almost sad to see that the order was now ready in front of her. This meant she would not here the end of Kevin’s story and she would have to face the diva once again. She sighed before carrying both to the designated table.

‘And here you are’ she said with a big professional smile ‘Sorry again for the misunderstanding. Enjoy’

‘Thank you’ Ben said

Y/N had to wait until they finished to get rid of the dishes and she would finally be freed from waitressing duty. She went to a corner of the room, as far as she could to be able to see them and be ready to help if needed without bothering the actors. As she tried to occupy her mind, Kevin’s head appeared and looked at her ‘Hey Wormy, come back when you’re down. I’m making you some special pancakes’. Y/N immediately waved him away before hiding her face inside her hand. She looked at the occupied table to apologize but the woman was already going out, her phone going to her ear. Ben seemed to have finished so she went to clear the table.

‘I am so sorry’ they both said at the same time

They both laughed a little, it was the second time that it was happening to them. But although Y/N was curious to know why the gentleman was apologizing for, she did not dare to ask.

‘I am sorry for my friend’s intervention.’ she started

‘Nothing to worry about’ he smiled before changing attitude ‘I am sorry for her attitude’ he added waving at the empty chair ‘It’s just…’

‘It’s nothing’ Y/N said ‘I should have checked. It won’t happen again sir’

‘Please, call me Ben. You don’t have to apologize Y/N, really. So your...’

And before he could add anything, a man came inside the room and asked for Ben to hurry as he was expected to be going on the filming site. Y/N was disappointed without really knowing why.

‘Have a nice day’

‘Enjoy your pancakes’ he waved

---------------

Y/N indeed enjoyed the pancakes in the kitchen with Kevin when all she could think about was the actor. He had remembered her name she thought, it was not unusual that regular customers did but they had only talked three times. A few days had passed and their paths had only crossed twice, never long enough so that they could exchange more than just the usual greetings. Once a week, Y/N had a night shift. She did not mind, it was usually her easiest moment as it was rare to see any clients.

She was reading the same book for the second time. The ending had surprised her so much that she wanted to read it again, paying attention to any details that could have helped her foreseeing the unexpected ending. Suddenly, she heard some footsteps in the stairs and put her book down. Y/N immediately recognised the guest.

‘Ben. May I help you’ she asked

‘Good evening Y/N. Not really, I just wanted to enjoy some fresh air.’

‘Of course. I’m sorry I have closed the door but I’ll open it for you’

‘Oh non don’t worry. I did not know it was closed’

‘It’s not usually.. It’s just, well I’m alone and it’s quite late so I thought’

‘Naturally’

He sounded like he truly understood and patiently waited as she grabbed the keys behind the desk and went to open the double doors. The air was fresh but not cold and Y/N embraced it, closing her eyes for a second. Ben was patiently waiting behind her and she moved on the side to let him out. She stayed against the frame, watching the stars. Ben had fetched his cigarettes in his pocket and lit one before looking at her.

‘Are you waiting for me?’ he asked

‘No. Sorry I did not want to stay. Please, take as much time as you need’ she answered, ready to go back inside

‘Do you have much to do?’ he sounded like he wanted her to stay

‘No, not really. Nights are rather quite’ she admitted

‘Were you reading?’ he enquired

‘Well, yes’

He looked absolutely gorgeous under the moonlight. They were lucky enough that it was a full moon so that did not need any artificial light. His blond hair looked like silver and as he was drawing on his cigarette, a red light reflected in his beautiful eyes. The shivers that were running down her skin, Y/N had not felt them for a very long time, even when she was with Jack. She could barely remember when her ex-boyfriend had made her feel like this. It was stupid she thought. He was just a customer and probably felt sorry that she had to spend the night alone.

‘Is it the same book as last time? The one about Australia?’

The fact that he remembered what the book was about warmed her heart a little more and she decided to join him, going completely outside.

‘No in fact… It’s… It’s the book that your film is adapted from’

‘Oh, interesting. What do you think?’

‘It is an amazing story. To be honest I had not read a book that surprised me this much for a while. The style is very peculiar, but I like it. At first the rhythm was a little slow but it really helps you get into the story. The characters are well developed and you never feel like the author is saying too much or not enough. And the subplot is so intelligent and yet, so well balanced. I am reading it for the second time because I read it so fast the first time I wanted to enjoy it again’

She finished talking and suddenly realised that she had got carried away, as she always did when she was talking about a book that she liked. But he was not looking at his phone or staring at her as if she was crazy. She was used to it, especially with Jack. But he was smiling timidly.

‘I am glad you liked it. To be honest when I read the script I immediately bought the book. I really wanted to be part of the project’

‘Is it as good? I mean, I don’t know much about cinema but… I feel like it could make a good film’

‘I hope it will. But I think so’

And they started talking about the project. He told her about the film, how they changed a few things. The author was no longer alive but they had asked for advice on the adaptation. In fact, it was the first time he was part of the production of a film, he truly believed in it. She felt at ease with him, he acted so so warmly. They both sat one next to each other, facing the moon. It happened naturally, neither of them wanted to go back inside, or at least put an end to this intimate moment.

‘I just…’ she started ‘I just feel it is weird that hum… the actress that you had breakfast with is playing the main role. She just seems… A lot more confident than the character.’

Ben laughed, but not to make fun of her. He appreciated her candour.

‘You know that our job is to play different character Y/N? And… even though she can be… well let’s say she can be a lot. She is an amazing actress.’

‘Sorry’ she quickly said ‘I didn’t want to be mean. And I don’t really think you look as mad as your character’ she joked

‘Enough about this film and me. Tell me about you’

‘There is not much to say’ she looked at him, disconcerted

‘Do you live here?’ he asked, brushing away her remark

‘Yes, no… Well. I used to live in London but… Life happened.’ her voice suddenly lower

‘I’m sorry’ he apologised ‘I didn’t want to make you feel bad.’

‘It’s alright. It’s just so cliché that’s it’s laughable. I lost what was the closest thing the job of my dream, was cheated on by a stupid guy that never really loved me and now I’m back in the little village, living with mom and dad. Pathetic’ she sighed

He looked at her, not with pity in his eyes but with true sadness.

‘It’s not pathetic’ he assured ‘I am sorry it happened to you. But you don’t give the impression to be someone who give up that easily.’

‘Thank you’ she simply replied, grateful that he sounded sincere

‘What is your dream job?’

‘I want to be a book publisher. I mean… I was working in a very small publishing house but it was great. Unfortunately they bet a lot of money of dreadful book and… they had to put an end to the story’

He kept asking questions about it. On the one hand he was not surprised to see that her life revolved around books and she could not help but smile seeing that he found it remarkable rather than sad. She asked him about his work. On the other hand he was surprised that she did not know who he was, but not in a bad way. So he told him about his career, how he was not seeing himself becoming an actor but how life found a way.

‘Of course you were in EastEnders’ she exclaimed ‘My nan love this show, I was sure I saw you somewhere’

He laughed. She was so spontaneous. He was glad she had left her ‘professional’ attitude at the door. They kept talking, on and on. And then the sun started to rise and they realised that they might have been talking for a little bit too long. She apologized profusely.

‘It’s fine’ he said ‘It was probably going to be a sleepless night anyway. I am glad I spent it with you’

‘What do you mean?’

She thought she might have crossed a line but they had spent an entire night talking after all.

‘Acting can be quite a lonely life’ he simply replied ‘And sometimes loneliness is a lot’

‘Loneliness is a bitch’

He smirked. They looked at each other and they saw, that they both knew what they were talking about. How hard it was not to have someone to talk to. Not a friend, no. Someone special, someone who cared. Someone who listened carefully and held you in their arms. For a few seconds they stayed like this, wondering if they should make a move. But they exhausted and it had been a long night. Still, Ben came closer to her and once hugged her. She let her face rest on his muscular torso as she enjoyed the embrace. They parted and smiled.

He eventually made his way towards the stairs, wishing a good night, or a good day, he was not too sure anymore. Y/N went back to close the door, taking a deep breathe of fresh her before doing so. For the first time in a while she felt like the outside world was more exciting than what she could read in her books.

#queenmaracasandlove #ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy x female reader #ben hardy x y/n #love of my life series

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tonystark-usa · 3 years

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Cash App Transfer Failed: Major Reasons Behind This Issue and How to Fix It?

On Cash App, tasks like sending, receiving, and requesting online money transfers are easy and instant. Cash App has emerged as the most popular digital payment app for secure digital payment transactions. However, sometimes there are some unforeseen issues with Cash App’s functioning and problems in transferring or sending money. Many users complain about the Cash App won’t let me send money. In such a situation, users get annoyed due to the repeated Cash App transfer failed.

When you make a payment transaction on Cash App, you may sometimes encounter Cash-App payment declining or failed. Keeping this in mind, we will help you learn how to fix the Cash App’s transfer failed issue. We will discuss all the major errors that cause the transaction failed issue on Cash App and steps to resolve this problem in this blow.

What are the common reasons for Cash App payment failed?

If your Cash App is declining payments on your account, this can be due to many different reasons. You have to identify the reason behind this Cash App transfer failed. Some of the most common reasons are a poor internet connection, outdate Cash App on the device, entering incorrect details, and insufficient account balance.

Moreover, sometimes Cash App transfer failed for your protection. Yes, this is true; if a potentially fraudulent payment occurs on your account, Cash App cancels it to prevent any overcharges. Apart from this, one reason why Cash App payment failed could be server issues related to your bank account.

Below-mentioned are some of the common reasons for payment failed on Cash App:

· A weak internet connection and low-speed wi-fi are one reason why Cash App transactions do not occur.

· If you have an older Cash App version on your Android or iPhone device, then for sure, you are going to face issues in transferring money from your account.

· In case you find the message on your screen that “Cash App card declined” “Use another card,” it means your cash card has expired or may behave entered the incorrect credentials from it.

· If you have surpassed the daily Cash App limit, you won’t send money further. Without account verification, you will face the issue of the Cash App failed to send money.

· Cash App won’t send money if your account has been closed for violating the terms and services.

· A money transfer on Cash App shows the failed status if there is insufficient balance in your account and you still try to send money from it.

· Sometimes the Cash App server is down, and it does not support any transactions, then you get this issue.

How do I fix the Cash App transfer failed issue?

Now you know all the possible reasons due to which payment failed on Cash App. You should avoid all these errors to make successful payment transactions. In addition to it, you should know about some of the troubleshooting tips to fix the Cash App transfer failed issue. Here we mention some of the steps that you will help you to resolve if Cash App transfer failed from your account:

· Make sure your internet is working smoothly and there are no issues with the wifi connection.

· Whenever you proceed to send money, recheck all the details such as $Cashtag, card number, CVV, and other such details

· For seamless experience in online payment transactions from Cash App, always keep this application updated on your device.

· If you are making a payment by linking the cash card, make sure you have activated your Cash App.

· To send more than your daily Cash App limit, you should verify the Cash App account. Be informed that after account verification, you can send more than $250 in a week.

· You can try and restart your mobile phone and make the next payment after clearing the app’s cache.

Why Cash App transfer failed for my protections?

As we have already mentioned in this article, some Cash App intentionally declines a payment for users’ protection. Now you must be scratching your head and thinking why this happens. It is for the simple reason of protecting your account and prevents any overcharges. In simple words, this is done to save your card or account from any overcharge.

Whenever Cash App finds any suspicious activity or a transaction from the account, it is dismissed and put into the pending payments. So this is an attempt from the Cash App for users’ security and declined all kinds of unauthorized transactions.

Conclusion:

In this blog, we discussed one of the most annoying Cash App issues where users get stuck. We hope you found all this information relevant and can now efficiently fix the Cash App transfer failed problem. However, if you still have any doubts and getting errors in payment transactions, you should reach out to us. At the Cash App Contact Number, our team relentlessly works to offer a better user experience and remove all the suspicious transactions. We offer 24*7 help so that you can experience hassle-free and secure money transfers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do I fix the transfer failed on Cash App?

To fix transfer failed on Cash App on Cash App, you need to update the applications, ensure high-speed internet, activate cash card, restart mobile, and check the Cash App account balance.

Why does the cash app say transfer failed for my protection?

Cash App says transfer failed for protection because the transaction was declined to save your account from any overcharges. If there are unauthorized and suspicious transactions taking place from your account, Cash App dismisses them.

How do I fix my cash app failed for my protection?

To fix the Cash App failed for my protection, you should avoid making any fraudulent transaction from your account. And make sure that you send or receive money from known people.

Why transfer declined by a bank on Cash App?

If your bank declined a Cash App transfer, your bank’s the server is running slow, and it is not responding to any Cash App transactions.

How do I contact the Cash App support for transfer failed?

To get the Cash App support for transfer failed, you need to utilize the mobile application and find the customer service number and explain the issue you are having in money transfers.

What should I do if my Cash App Transfer Failed?

If your Cash App transfer failed, you need to wait for some time and try making a payment after some time. You should always make sure your device is connected to a high-speed internet connection, and Cash App on your mobile phone has already been updated.

Why my Cash App transfer failed?

Your Cash App transfer may have failed if you have entered the incorrect details and having an insufficient balance in the account.

#cash app transfer failed #cash app transfer failed issues #cash app transfer failed issue #why cash app transfer failed #cash app transfer declined #cash app cash out failed #cash out failed #cash out failed cash app

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russellacali · 4 years

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What is Empowerment Technologies?

This blog, Empowerment Technologies, is an insight into what I have learned on our lessons about Empowerment Technologies: ICT for Professional Tracks, for 11th grade, under the teaching of Miss Shaira Denise Dela Cruz. The goal of this blog is to promote ICT and give you some insight into ICT

The first lesson that was discussed was, what is ICT? ICT is the abbreviation for Information and Communication Technologies. It refers to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications such as mobile phones, wireless networks, telephones, and other communication mediums. The current state of ICT is WWW or World Wide Web.

The World Wide Web(WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators, which may be interlinked by hypertext, and are accessible over the Internet. It has three versions which are Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. Web 1.0 is the first version and most web pages were static or “read-only web.”

The second and most used is Web 2.0, which allows users to interact and contribute with the page instead of just reading a page, the users are able to create a user account. Web 2.0 offers us five features: Folksonomy, Rich User Experience, Long Tail, User Participation, and software as a service.

The last is Web 3.0. Its aim is to have machines understand the user’s preference to be able to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. Web 3.0 hasn’t released yet as it still has some problems. Those problems are compatibility, security, vastness, vagueness, and logic.

Moving on to the next lesson which is all about ‘Online Saftey, security, ethics, and etiquette.’

The Internet consists of tens of thousands of interconnected networks run by service providers, individual companies, universities, and governments. It is defined as an information highway, which means anyone can access any information through the internet. That is why the internet is one of the most dangerous places, the reason why it is important how to keep yourself and your personal information safe. Some of the information that is in rick when spoiled on the internet are names of your immediate family, address, phone or home number, birthday, email address, your full name, and your previous and current school. It is important to keep this information top secret as cyber-creeps can use these to find you.

To keep yourself safe:

Be mindful of what you share online.

Do not just accept terms and conditions, read it.

Keep your passwords to yourself, and make sure your password is long, strong, and unique.

Do not talk or meet up with someone you don’t know.

Never post anything about a future vacation. This can signal some robbers about which date they can come and rob your house. It is better to post about your vacation when you got home already.

Add friends you know in real life, don’t accept someone you barely know or met.

Avoid visiting or downloading anything from an untrusted website, make sure to check the icon beside the search box. *picture* According to DigiCert Blog, “How to Know if a Website is Secure?”, Look at the URL of the website. If it begins with “https” instead of “http” it means the site is secured using an SSL certificate (the s stands for secure). SSL certificates secure all of your data as it is passed from your browser to the website’s server.

Make your home wifi private by adding a password.

Make sure to install and update antivirus software on your computer.

Do not reply or check links from suspicious emails as it can lead you to an untrusted site and can hack your laptop or social media.

To give you more information, here are some of the internet threats that we need to be aware of and try to avoid:

The Malware, stands for malicious software. It includes virus, worm, trojan, spyware, adware, and ransomware. The virus is the most common malware. It is a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one computer to another (internet, local networks, FDs, CDs,etc.). Worms is a standalone piece of malicious software that reproduces itself and spreads from computer to computer. The trojan is a malicious program that disguises as a useful program but once downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hackers to get your information. Spyware is defined by Webroot Cybersecurity as "malware used for the purpose of secretly gathering data on an unsuspecting user." It is a program that runs in the background and spies your behavior as you are on your computer. Adware is malware that forces your browser to redirect to web advertisements, which often themselves seek to download further, even more, malicious software. Lastly, Ransomware, also known as scareware. This is a type of malicious software from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim’s data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.

The Spam, this is any kind of unwanted, unsolicited digital communication, often an email, that gets sent out in bulk.

The Phishing, is a cybercrime in which a target/s are contacted by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, banking and credit card details, and passwords.

Lastly, before we move to the next lesson it is important to know ‘The Core Rules of Netiquette’ are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea.

First, Remember the Human.When communicating online, practice the Golden rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember that your written works or messages are read by real people, therefore you should ask yourself, "Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?" before sending it.

Second, Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life. It is a must that your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society whenever you inhabit "cyberspace." Standards of behavior may be different in some areas of cyberspace, but they are not lower than in real life. Be ethical. Don't believe anyone who says, "The only ethics out there are what you can get away with."

Third, Know where you are in cyberspace. What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another. And because Netiquette is different in different places, it's important to know where you are. Thus the next corollary: Lurk before you leap.

Fourth, Respect other people’s time and bandwidth. Online communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and don't have time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.

Fifth, Make yourself look good online. One of the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, the sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear. However, you will be judged by the quality of your writing so keep in mind the following tips: (1)Always check for spelling and grammar errors, (2) Know what you're talking about and state it clearly

Sixth, Share expert knowledge. The reason for asking questions online works is that a lot of knowledgeable people are reading the questions. And if even a few of them offer intelligent answers, the sum total of world knowledge increases. The Internet itself was founded and grew because scientists wanted to share information. Gradually, the rest of us got in on the act. So do your part. Despite the long lists of no-no's in this book, you do have something to offer. Don't be afraid to share what you know.

Seventh, Help keep flame wars under control. "Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion.g. While "flaming" is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication, "flame wars," when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the flames; extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive direction.

Eighth, Respect other people’s privacy. Depending on what you are reading in the virtual world, be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or an email, you may be exposed to some private or personal information that needs to be handled with care. Thus, Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect the privacy of others. Be sure to err on the side of caution when deciding to discuss or not to discuss virtual communication.

Ninth, Don’t abuse your power. Some people in cyberspace have more power than others. There are wizards in MUDs (multi-user dungeons), experts in every office, and system administrators in every system. Knowing more than others, or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them. For example, sysadmins should never read private emails.

Tenth, Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes. Everyone was a network newbie once. So when someone makes a mistake, whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better.

The last lesson that was taught to us is ‘Advanced Word Processing Skill’. This lesson focuses on the software word processor the ‘Microsoft Word.’

A Word Processor is an electronic device or computer software application that performs the task of composing, editing, formatting, and printing of documents.

Microsoft Word is a word processor developed by Microsoft and the first released on October 25, 1983. Microsoft Word has features and functions which are not mostly known by others. These are the Auto-Correct, Grammar Checker, Read Aloud, Template, Thesaurus, Mail Merge, and Text Wrap.

Advance Features of Microsoft Word are discussed. Beginning with the kinds of Materials we can have in Microsoft Word.

The first is Pictures. Generally, these are electronic or digital pictures or photographs you have saved on any local storage device. There are three file formats that pictures have which are JPEG or Joint Photographic Expert Group, this can support 16.7 million colors so that it is suitable for use when working with full-color photographic images, GIF or Graphics Interchange Format, this is used for computer-generated images that support animation, can only support up to 256 colors., lastly, PNG or Portable Network Graphics, this is similar to GIF except it has smaller file size but does not support animation, it can display up to 16 million colors and allows the control of the transparency level or opacity of images.

The second material is Clip Art. This is generally a GIF type; line art drawings or images used as a generic representation for ideas and objects that you might want to integrate into your document.

The third is Shapes. These are printable objects or materials that you can integrate in your document to enhance its appearance or to allow you to have some tools to use for composing and representing ideas or messages. The fourth is Smart Art. Generally, these are predefined sets of different shapes grouped together to form ideas that are organizational or structural in nature.

The fifth is Chart. Another type of material that you can integrate into your Word document that allows you to represent data characteristics and trends.

The sixth is Screenshot. Sometimes, creating reports or manuals for training or procedure will require the integration of a more realistic image of what you are discussing on your report or manual.

Moving on to the most focused part of the lesson which is the Mail Merge. Mail Merge is a useful tool that allows you to produce multiple letters, labels, envelopes, name tags, and more using information stored in a list, database, or spreadsheet. When these two documents are combined (merged), each document includes the individual names and addresses you need to send it to. The two components of Mail Merge are the Form Document, this contains the main body of the message we want to convey or send., and the List or Data File, This is where the individual information or data that needs to be plugged in (merged) to our form document is placed and maintained.

It was demonstrated to us, how to use and make mail merge, and here’s mine:

Before ending this blog, I would like to show you some of my modules for the subject Empowerment Technologies(ETech): ICT for Professional Track.

First, the open forum about the “How can you promote Netiquette?”

Second, an assignment about “Cyberspace: Share an experience that you have always tend to do but later did you discover that it is not a standard of ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY, ETHICS, AND ETIQUETTE. “

Third, another open forum about “What is the importance of Microsoft office in your education?”

Lastly is another assignment, making an Infographic: Promoting your specific track/strand. My infographic is a promotion of my strand, STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Hope you learn a lot from this blog as I learn a lot from my subject teacher for Empowerment Technologies(ETech): ICT for Professional Track.

Let this day be filled with success in all the ventures you make today. Have a great day!

Photo Credits:

https://curatti.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/WWW-Image-1.jpg

https://go4customer.com/articleimages/1581925569Safety_Internet_Day.png

https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/articles/internet_attacks.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fc/37/e1/fc37e162244d19115d88ab58e07ccc2b.png

https://cdn.guidingtech.com/imager/assets/2019/05/226896/Image-Best-Microsoft-Word-Online-Tips-and-Tricks 2_4d470f76dc99e18ad75087b1b8410ea9.png?1558678050

#ICT Performance_Task

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shadowofthelamp · 4 years

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Fandom Trades: Tips and Tricks

I’ve been running a secret santa for five years now, and a few people expressed interest in a sort of ‘guide’. It does take some elbow grease to get things up and running, but it’s very rewarding and gets easier as you go. Click the ‘read more’ for some stuff I’ve picked up over the years! It’s a bit general to try and cover anything, but if you have any questions, you can ask! (And if you’ve run one yourself, feel free to add on!)

FAQ: Something that’s a really good idea to have. Here’s the most important stuff on it that would probably be applicable to most trades:

-Basic summary of what the trade will be- some could be fic-only or art-only, or even specific-ship-only. Mine’s general to ‘all sonic sfw content’, but setting guidelines so people know what they’re getting into is a good idea so you won’t have to answer the same question over and over.

-Deadlines. Make them clear. Mine’s easy (Christmas Eve) but depending on what size the gift is expected to be, the time frame can be adjusted.

-Related, set up rules for if people need to drop out. It happens, so be prepared. (This is why I ask now if people are alright giving a second gift.)

-Any particular rules for your trade- is it sfw or is nsfw acceptable? (In that case, set age limits.) Are there ships that will or won’t be allowed? Is there a punishment for violating the rules or turning things in late, like not being allowed to participate in the trade again?

PROMOTION:

A promo image is a good idea! I’ve been using the same one for a few years that was put together by a friend no longer on tumblr, but images catch people’s eyes faster than a text dump. Make something that’s easy to understand but gets the point across, and the text below should have enough information without overwhelming the casual scroller.

Space paragraphs often to make it less intimidating. Include links to the FAQ, the sample entry, and the submit box right in the post, as well as a way to contact you- you want things to be as easy as possible for anyone interested. Here’s my promo post.

You also want to start promotion early- I start posting and reblogging my promo a full month before the entry deadline, to give as many people the chance to see it as possible. Any earlier, and they might not care- (who wants to see a Christmas trade post in October when you’re hyped for Halloween?) and any later and you might not get as many participants as you could have. A month-ish is a good time frame. (I also have a tag for the promo post, so people can blacklist it if they aren’t interested and don’t want to see it 15 times.)

SAMPLE ENTRIES:

Also something that’s good to have. Having a template for what you want entries to look like will make sorting easier for you. Here’s mine. It’s a good idea to scout around for other trades to find out what would work for you.

MAKING ASSIGNMENTS:

Next, setting up how to arrange who gets assigned to who. I personally use google spreadsheets. These are the categories I use, feel free to steal them: Username, medium (art, writing, amvs, ect), whether they’ll work with fan characters, what they’d like to receive, what they won’t do (one year I even added ‘if there’s anyone you won’t work with’ so if it’s a fandom with drama, that one might be good), who they’re gifting to, who they’re receiving from, if they’ve submitted their piece yet, if their piece is in the queue, and if they’re alright with doing backup.

I also had a category for if they’ve confirmed they’re still in once assignments were sent out. (Boy, was that one nerve-wracking during the whole tumblr purge debacle of last year- I didn’t know if anybody had just quit tumblr mid-month.)

You will run into people who only want two or three things nobody else wrote on their sheet. If you can’t find even one match, then just put them with someone who had a wide variety on theirs, or who doesn’t have anything on their ‘won’t do’ list. Trying to match with multiple likes is a better bet, though, so encouraging longer lists of what people want makes things easier for you in the long run!

I personally just went in a line- I picked one person, found who they would give a gift to, and then found who THAT person would give a gift to. Rinse and repeat down the list, and it’ll end with everyone paired. I ended up making a closed loop and then sorting the last 8 or so, which was fine. An easy way to check that you didn’t double-classify anyone is control-f and searching names. If their name pops up 3 times, you did it right.

SENDING OUT ASSIGNMENTS:

Just copy-pasting the part of the entry that includes the person’s name and their likes makes this way easier for you over trying to type them out individually. Ask for confirmation that people got their assignments so you don’t have to worry if they missed it.

HOW TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED:

My system is this: I’ve mentioned it before, but I utilize a combination of my spreadsheet and the queue function. Let’s say Sally’s making a gift for Jake, Jake’s making a gift for Taylor, and Taylor’s making a gift for Sally. Sally submits her piece of art for Jake. I mark that off on the sheet, so when Taylor submits the gift for Sally, that gift will go in the queue to be posted whenever the deadline is up because she turned hers in already.

This keeps people motivated to complete their parts of the trade, since they won’t get their gifts until they do. If someone drops out, tell the person making the gift for them- if you’re lucky, they can rework what they have for the person that the drop-out was supposed to make something for, but if not, bring in someone who didn’t mind making a second gift. Person making the gift for the dropout can choose if they want to continue making it or not- if it’s mostly done and not a fan-character, they can just post it on their own blog unrelated to the trade.

It’s also a good idea to have a ‘hub’ where things are posted. If it’s a fic trade, ao3 has a function specifically for this, but I’ve found having things submitted directly to you makes it a million times easier to keep track of who’s finished their pieces, as well as keeping things ‘secret’ until the big day. (People have gotten confused or excited and posted early before.)

If people want to post elsewhere after it’s posted on the main hub, set your own rules- I say it’s fine as long as it links back to the blog and links the giftee, particularly if it involves fancharacters. You make your own judgement.

BE PATIENT:

This is one that’s very important. Some people don’t check the FAQ, and some people are going to be new, asking questions that you swear you’ve answered before or thought would be obvious. They generally just want to know, so take a deep breath. They don’t know they’re the fifth person to ask that question. Answer politely, or steer them towards the FAQ. (Running the same event year after year, you run into this a lot- they’re just new, be nice!)

Don’t start an event that you expect to have plenty of people participating if you aren’t prepared to hear the same questions a couple of times. Things might get a little annoying- take a step back for a few minutes, cool off, but try to remain professional. You signed up for this. For me, it’s always worth it to see how happy people are about their gifts, but know yourself and your limits- running a themed week where people post art at their own pace is less hassle, so you could try that if you don’t feel up to organizing a full trade!

If you can have a friend to bounce things off of, that can help too, but don’t use them as just a dumping ground. Tumblr allows multiple ‘mods’ on a blogs, so splitting work can make things easier, particularly if it’s your first run doing something like this. I had a friend who helped me the first few years before leaving tumblr. Be sure you trust the person, though! They’ll be able to edit posts and delete submissions, so if any drama happens, beware. (This never happened to me, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.)

TAGGING:

Add tags to the submission box. I don’t know why this took me four years to think of, but it saved me a lot of time last year. If it’s a trade that covers an entire fandom and dozens of ships, you can add the shipping tags as they come in, but adding the ten or so most popular character tags helps a lot. If it’s going to involve potentially triggering content, common trigger tags are a good idea too. (A Halloween trade might need this, for example, or one that involves nsfw content.)

PEOPLE TURNING THINGS IN LAST MINUTE:

It’s going to happen. I think one year I was panicking on the 23rd because I only had half the gifts, and all but one had been turned in by the time I went to bed on the 24th. People procrastinate- if you get in most of the gifts ahead of time, you can thank your lucky stars. Try not to stress over it, but feel free to post reminders in the week before/days leading up to the deadline. My family travels around the holidays a lot, and I managed to get everything queued up properly through airport and hotel wifi more than one year, so you’ll be just fine if you try and stay calm.

OTHER/GENERAL:

It’s absolutely worth it, in my opinion- I’ve been doing this for years for a reason. My favorite thing is knowing I’ve done something that made others happy. Going through all the excited responses Christmas morning is equal or above getting presents from my family, because I know it’s on some level because of me facilitating the trade in the first place. I hear over and over this is something people look forward to, and it genuinely warms my heart.

It might take a few years to get established, but if you find a niche (there was a blog called sonic secret santa, but it hadn’t been updated in years) you might be surprised how fast you can gather people! I like seeing people show up year after year, it’s how I know I’m doing something right.

It is definitely work, and there is stress involved, (especially if people drop out or don’t send in their gifts on time) but the benefits outweigh the negatives, I say. People are generally understanding if there’s a problem, as long as you make it known you’re working on it.

You have to commit to the responsibility if you do this- people who are making gifts are putting their trust in you that you’ll keep things organized and they’ll get something for the gift they’re giving. You can’t guarantee everything will run exactly as planned, but you can be as transparent as possible when you hit a bump- ‘I’m sorry, but your person said they’ll be late because they were having internet problems/personal life issues and is doing their best’ is going to get a lot better of a response than radio silence. Be sympathetic, but be firm on the rules if need be.

I hope this helped a bit, and thanks for reading!

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feguercameron-blog · 4 years

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Blog Post #1

Sherry Turkle’s interview and Emma Rathborne’s article, “Before the Internet” really made me think about my own social media use and the effects that social media and the internet have had on society. In my own experiences, social media has had a huge impact on my life. I use Twitter and Instagram as a source of where I get updates on the news. Whenever I hear that something has happened, I go straight to my phone to go on Twitter to see for myself what has happened and what people are saying about it. I have also noticed that it has gotten in the way of communicating with my friends and family. There are many times that I will be with groups of people, and we all have our phones out, and I won’t have any idea how much time had gone by.

In the interview, Sherry Turkle makes many great points about how people do not seem as invested in conversations anymore because they are always either distracted by their phone, or they are expecting to be interrupted by others on their phones. I have noticed this in my own life where I will be talking to someone face-to-face and they will pull their phones out and I will just stop talking and they won’t notice until they put their phones down. She also makes an excellent point when she talks about how people feel as if they are in a completely different world when they are on social media where they feel as if they are there with the people that are posting these pictures or videos on their social media. This is something that I have definitely found myself thinking when it comes to watching videos more than pictures. I will be watching videos and blocking out the rest of the world and get so into the video that was posted that I pretty much forget about everyone and everything that is going on around me.

Emma Rathborne’s article was also very eye-opening in terms of how people behaved before the internet. I constantly ask myself that exact question of what the world was like before the internet because it has been around for as long as I have been alive. While I was born in the late 90′s when the internet was not nearly as popular as it is today, the majority of my childhood, and especially my teenage years were dominated by being on social media or on the internet in general. So, the internet and social media have been sources of entertainment for me for a very long time and it is difficult for me to imagine a life without those two things. This is not as much as the entertainment part as it is the amount of knowledge that I have gained from the use of the internet has been incredible, and I am someone that is very curious Googling any question that is thrown my way that I don’t already know the answer to. Rathborne’s article makes a point about that when it says that in an argument nobody could be proven right unless you found a book or journal that had the exact answer in it. While there are many things that I can think of that my phone and the internet have made so easy to access that I could not imagine life without it, one thing that I am always thinking about is how people got around without the help of GPS. I understand that people used maps to find their way from one point to another, but I don’t think there is any way that I would be able to find anything without the help of GPS on my phone.

Throughout my life, there have not been many instances where I have had to go without internet access for an extended period of time. In fact, the only time that I can think of that comes remotely close to “an extended period of time” would be when I first moved into my apartment in Mount Pleasant, our WiFi did not work and I had very little coverage from my provider to use LTE. Also, without any TV, I felt like I had nothing to do at all. I spent a lot of time keeping myself occupied with cleaning, and shopping for the new apartment, but this only went on for about a day, but it was a very productive day where I got a lot of things done around the apartment that I don’t think I would have done for a very long time if I had not gotten that break from the internet. I noticed that by not checking my phone so much, I was able to stay focused on the task at hand. I think this is the argument that Sherry Turkle was trying to make in her interview, that we do not realize how much time we spend on the internet, and how productive we could be without it from time to time.

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krreader · 6 years

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BTS (mafia!au) reacting to you being hit on by a creep and getting rid of him.

pairing: bts x reader fandom: bts warnings: mafia!au ; attempted assault (nothing graphic) ; usage of weapons ; mentions of killing (I mean, it’s a mafia!au, so everything that comes with it) genre: angst ; fluff

a/n: holy fuck, that is a huge compliment. thank you so much for taking me as an inspiration my love, it means the absolute world to me! I hope you like your request ♥

ask box | masterlist | fandoms | faq | multifandom reader blog

kim seokjin

The boys and him actually just stopped at the gas station to refill the tank, as well as buy some snacks, but when Jin stepped inside the store, he realized that he'd have to do more than that tonight.

“Come on, pretty. I've been coming here for so long now, you must have developed feelings for me.”

“Sir, I don't even know your name, please just..-”

“Imagine, though..-” he walked around the counter and even though you asked him not to, he continued to move towards you and when he was right in front of you, you began to panic, knowing that there was no other person in here, “We could be so great together.”

“No, I don't want to..-”

“She's not interested,” Jin put down a couple of snacks, some drinks and.. oh.. right.. his gun, before looking up at the guy and straight into his eyes, “You should respect the lady's wishes,” he said in a monotone and calm voice.

Suddenly, the previously so confident man, pretty much sprinted out of the shop, but not before apologizing to you and ten more times to Jin.

You should probably be scared more of the guy with the gun, than the creep who only had his hands, right? So why did you suddenly feel so safe?

“Thank you,” you let out a sigh of relief, “My boss just wanted to pick up some food, he promised he'd be back in five minutes.. if you hadn't been here..”

“Don't thank me, hun,” he winked at you and put the gun back, not wanting you to see it any longer, “How much is it?”

“Huh? Oh! No, you take it! Take it all, it's fine. It's on me,” you smiled up at him, “It's my way of saying thank you.”

“Well then.. thank you..?”

“(Y/N). It's (Y/N).”

“Thank you, (Y/N). And if he ever shows up again, make sure to tell him about me. About Kim Seokjin.”

min yoongi

He was sitting in the back of this cafe that he has been going to lately. Not a lot of people, the coffee was good and the location secluded. Oh, and he could use the cafe's WiFi for doing not so legal stuff and no cameras would record him doing so.

Sure, there was also you standing behind the counter, way too sweet to someone like him, and maybe he enjoyed having someone so completely different to him be nice to him. But probably only because you didn't know who he was.

This one customer that had been coming in for a few weeks now showed up again, right before you were about to close the shop. It was a man that was way older than you and Yoongi knew right when he saw him for the first time, that he didn't have good intentions. But you were too blinded by kindness to see it, while Yoongi only ever saw the bad in people.

Nobody but you three were in the coffee shop and the guy didn't seem to have noticed that Yoongi was here as well, when he so blatantly began hitting on you and telling you things that you shouldn't tell a nice and cute girl.

Instead of getting offended, you became more and more uncomfortable. Only when the guy dared to put his hand over yours on the counter, did Yoongi get up and walk over to you two.

“(Y/N)? Get your things.. we're leaving,” trusting him way more than the other guy, you quickly ran into the back of the store to get your stuff.

“Who the fuck are you?” the creep eyed Yoongi up and down and Yoongi took that opportunity to pull out his gun and took another step towards him, until he was right in front of him.

“Let me make this very clear, alright? If I ever see you come near her again, look at her again or talk to her again.. I'll kill you. And it won’t be quick and clean, but it’ll hurt.. really hurt. So get your perverted ass out of this coffee shop and don't ever come back. If you will, I'll know. And I'll be coming for you.”

That, plus the gun in his hand, had the guy scurry out of the shop as fast as lighting.

And when you came back out a couple of minutes later, Yoongi had put away the gun and had already packed his things, waiting for you at the door.

“Is he.. is he gone?”

“He won't bother you again,” he opened the door and opened up his umbrella, “I'll take you home, come on.”

“You don't have to, I'm sure you have better things to do.”

“I want to. The streets aren't safe at night, take it from someone who knows.”

Yoongi might be a bad boy, but he was one of the good ones, if that made sense. So sure, he might be shady and he might have a dark side to him, but whenever he was with you, he was so different. Caring, loving and kind..

No wonder you fell for him.

jung hoseok

He narrowed his eyes at you, “What's wrong?”

“Huh?” you looked up from folding his shirts and quickly shook your head, “It's nothing.”

“You're lying to me,” his hands were deeply buried in his jeans pockets when he walked over to you. When you tried to look back down again, he caught your chin to keep you from doing so, “(Y/N),” he warned.

“I'm fine.”

“There are only ever two reasons you'd be lying to me. The first would be you did something that you know would upset me and the second is, you know if you told me, there would be blood. So.. which one is it?”

There really was no point in hiding it from him, would it? He’d only get upset later on if he found out any other way, or maybe even when it was already too late.

Your shoulders slumped, “The second.”

“Tell me everything.”

You really didn't want to, because you knew what he'd do if he found out. But you couldn't take it anymore. This creep seemed to be stalking you at this point, following you everywhere you went, no idea how he always managed to know where you were and where you were going. He waited for you, tried talking to you and it got to a point where you felt like he would soon abduct you. So you told Hoseok, even though you knew what was going to happen.

“Maybe you could just.. you know.. talk to him. Tell him I'm already in a relationship and..-” but you knew that wasn't going to happen, when he walked over to his drawer and pulled out his gun, “Hoseok, no.. there will be an investigation and..-” “If you think the guy that is trying to hurt my girlfriend will get away with this, you don't know me very well.”

But that was the problem, wasn't it? You knew him a bit too well.

So that night, he grabbed the rest of Bangtan and tracked the creep down with the help of Yoongi's hacking skills and Jimin's informants.

He was gone for hours, while you were lying in bed not being able to sleep because you were so worried that something might happen to Hoseok.

And the second the door got opened again, you sat up straight and looked at him with wide and questioning eyes.

“He won't bother you anymore,” he said, while putting away the gun and leaning over the bed to kiss your forehead, “You're safe, love.”

kim namjoon

Namjoon has always had a soft spot for you. Maybe it was because he knew you even before he became the leader of the famous Bangtan Boys and because despite of how the world had treated him and made him into the man he now was, you had always been a ray of sunshine in his life. Or maybe it was because now, he felt like he was able to protect you everywhere and from everything.

So it was no surprise that when he found out about the guy that has been harassing you for the past month, that he was the first to show up and have a little chat with him.

The guy was currently out drinking with his buddies in this bar and the second they left, Namjoon and the rest of the boys decided to roughen them up a bit in a back alley. Most importantly the one that's been following you, though.

When he was already on the ground, holding his stomach, Namjoon towered above him, “You talk my girl (Y/N) again, us beating you up will be the least of your problems. Understood?”

He apologized, over and over again, while his friends helped him up and out of the alley.

It was only the next day when you and him met for lunch, that you told him: “Remember that weird guy that's been trying to get me to sleep with him for like the past month? And who always wanted to pick me up for work every morning?”

“Yes?” he took a sip from his coffee, looking at you from over the rim of your cup.

“It's odd but.. today has been the first time he didn't show up. Maybe he finally got the gist that I'm not interested.”

Your smile was so genuine and kind and happy.. no, he couldn't tell you the real reason why he wouldn’t bother you anymore. Because if you found out, you’d hate him.

And even though he had been through a lot, he wouldn’t be able to deal with losing you.

So instead, he just put down the cup and nodded, “I'm sure that's it.”

park jimin

It wasn't that you were doing this job because you liked it. Being an exotic dancer just really brought in the money that you desperately needed for school. And quite honestly? It was fine most of the time. There was a strict: 'no touching' rule at your club, at least for the dancers.

But there has been this one guy, that seemed to have been watching you for weeks. He was always there when you were dancing and he'd not be interested in any of the other girls. At first you were flattered, but when you left the club and he followed you, you realized that he wanted more than what you were there for.

In the meantime, Jimin was here for the first time. Him and the rest of the boys wanted to check out the club, drink, have fun and maybe enjoy some time with some girls.

But Jimin couldn't focus on anyone but you. More particularly, the guy that he knew had nothing good in mind when he kept staring at you and left as soon as you left as well.

So without knowing why, he followed him and left the club just in time to see him push you against the wall in the back alley.

He grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him back so that he fell to the ground.

“Get away from her!”

“What are you, her pimp?”

Jimin put his arm back and around your middle, when he felt you press yourself against his back for protection.

“It's none of your business. Just get out of here before I do something you and I are going to regret.”

“You piece of..-” but the second the guy stood up and Jimin pulled out his gun, pointing it directly at his head, he retreated with his arms in the air, “I'm sorry, I didn't..-”

“I'm sure you didn't. Now get out. And don't come back, got it?”

He nodded quickly, then he ran out of the alley as fast as he came and Jimin turned around to face you, not having expected you to wrap your arms around his neck.

“Thank you! If you hadn't come..-”

“Don't. Just don't think about what if's..”

He continued to hold you for as long as you needed to be held and then decided to walk you home, just to make sure you were safe.

Jimin might be in a gang and he sure as fuck was involved in some shady shit, but if he saw someone like you needing help? He’d be there.

And from that day on, he continued to be there for you.

kim taehyung

He was just on his way back to the BTS headquarters (which actually really wasn't a headquarter, just a place they all lived and plotted together), when he heard it:

“I told you, I'm not interested! What more do you want me to say?”

“But you haven't even given us another change, baby..”

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows and followed the two voices, peaking around a corner to see a guy standing in front of you, your arms crossed like you weren't scared, but rather pissed.

“You can call me pet names all you want, it won't change the fact that you're a slimy asshole. Now get out of my face, before I call the cops on you again.”

It was only when the guy's gaze darkened and he pushed you against the wall behind you, that Taehyung intervened and tackled him down without another thought.

Tae has done this countless of times at this point, that's what being in a gang got him, so the guy beneath him had absolutely no chance against him. He didn't stop beating him, until he wasn't moving anymore, only then did he get up and turn to you.

“Are you okay?”

You huffed and furrowed your eyebrows, “The fuck do you think you're doing, huh?”

“I was just..- He was,” he pointed at the guy, then back at you, then back at the guy.

“I had it under control. You think this is the first time he's done that?”

“I mean.. I just wanted to help.”

You let out a sigh and rubbed your temples, closing your eyes for a moment, “I know.. I’m sorry, I know you did. It’s just.. I could have handled him, you know?”

“But you shouldn’t have to.”

“Unfortunately, we live in a world where most men seem to think they can do whatever the fuck they want with a woman and get away with it.”

“Maybe I should introduce you to my world then. Because this is what we do in my world,” he looked down at the guy, then back up at you.

And maybe it was the frustration of it all, but you actually ended up agreeing.

And a couple of months later, you became the eight member of Bangtan. Oh, and also someone’s girlfriend.

jeon jeongguk

“Jeongguk? Can we talk?” you carefully walked into his room and he immediately smiled and nodded at you.

“Sure.. what's up?”

“I uh..,” you approached his bed in slow motion, sitting down right at the edge of it, “I could use your help with something.”

“Okay?” odd. If you had a problem, you usually went to his hyungs, not to him.

“Remember my ex-boyfriend?”

“The creepy one?”

“Yeah,” you laughed humorlessly, “That one. He ran into me this morning again and made this whole speech about why he and I should get together again. And I needed an excuse that would make him understand I'm not interested anymore and I just wanted him to leave me alone.. so I told him that I was in a relationship again.. with.. well, with you.”

“Huh?”

“Your name was the first that came to mind, to be honest. I didn't really think about it much. There is this party tonight that he's going to, so I need you to come with me and you know.. just.. hold my hand or something, so that he sees I wasn't lying and actually leaves me alone.”

He might have been surprised at first, but of course he went with you. Not only to support you, but also because he wanted to talk to the guy in private. He's almost been stalking you for about three months now, it was about time somebody told him off.

So you arrived there together, as promised, he kept holding your hand and the second the guy showed up, he apologized and followed him out in the backyard.

“So you're her new..-”

But Jeongguk already had him pressed against a wall, his arm pressing against his throat, cutting off his air supply.

“I'm going to give you a fair warning. You talk to my girlfriend again, I'll make sure you won’t be able to talk to anyone again period. Got it?”

He couldn't speak or nod, but Jeongguk still kept his arm on his throat, until he was about to pass out.

Only then did he go back inside and pull you towards him.

“What did he say?” you asked with wide eyes.

“Not much,” he grinned against your head, before placing a soft kiss against it, “Come on.. let's get out of here.”

#bts imagine #bts reactions #bts x reader #bts #bangtan #bangtan reaction #bangtan boys #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop reactions #bangtan sonyeondan #reader #mine #bangtan x reader #bangtan boys x reader

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nichoolala-blog · 5 years

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How ICT affects my daily life

Today I want to share to you about how ICT affects my life. But before everything else let’s define first what ICT is.

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. These are technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. So basically it deals with the use of different communications such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, telephones or laptops. Any gadgets or technologies that can be used to transmit, save, or gather information.

Now, let’s talk about how it affects my life.

Every single day, my life has become dependent on ICT. The moment I wake up in the morning there’s my phone beside me, ringing informing that I have to wake up. Before I leave the house, I had to check my messenger if there’s any sudden announcement at the GC. Upon arriving at school we are mandated to tap our ID’s at RFID to inform our parents that we safely arrived at school, also to monitor what time we went inside. As the class goes on, there’s an instances wherein I encounter unfamiliar words while reading, so I have to browse it on Merriam Online Dictionary to check. After the class we also have to tap our ID’s again to inform our parents that we had left the school at that time. If I ever go home late, I should inform my parents to keep them updated.

As I arrive at home, I still use an ICT to communicate with my boyfriend. Of course we have to update each other and keep in touch even if we’re miles away. Since we are already in the 21st Century, the way we do a research is through online. I’m using my laptop every time I have something to look for in the internet. ICT is very useful when it comes to school works. It is very convenient and time saving. I use it in researching for the upcoming lessons. Especially on Chemistry and Physics. Of course as a student, I shouldn’t just rely on our teachers during discussion. I also have to do my own research and to study in advance. For chemistry, I usually watch on youtube because I find it easy to understand. There are lots of videos there that discuss every lesson in an easiest way. Most of our lessons in Chemistry are really C-O-M-P-L-I-C-A-T-E-D. And I usually stay up late in night just to finish reading and comprehending a certain topic. Aside from chemistry, there’s PHYSICS!!! TBH physics is not and never an easy subject, just like math it involves complicated problems that needs to be solved in a complicated way.And I also watch youtube tutorial on solving in physics.

At facebook, I followed some medical pages that post medical stuffs which makes me entertained. It will greatly help me prepare for my college. I also followed some random pages that constantly post a funny memes aside from the fact that it is entertaining it also makes me laugh and forget my problems for a short period of time.

Whenever we have a group works, projects and reports on school we usually communicate and discuss it on messenger. It is very convenient because we can brainstorm and share ideas whenever we are. And if we have a meet ups with my friend, I can just capture the surrounding place and send it to them or I can tell them where I am so they can be informed where the exact spot I’m standing at.

Even though there are lots of school works I also want to wind up a bit. ICT is a good source for entertainment. I usually play mobile legends with CJ or with my classmates. But sometimes we end up getting defeated so instead of enjoying the game I would feel mad and stressed because of noob or AFK members Since we only have classes 3 days per week, my classmates and I use play at Mineski every time we have no classes.

Aside from playing, I also love watching videos on YouTube. Sometimes I watch a gameplay, funny videos collection, animal videos, cooking show, music videos. One thing I love watching the most is the piano covers of Rosseau, aside from watching how complicated those notes are, it also relaxes me.

If you observe well, you’ll notice that I only wrote the positive ways about how ICT affects me. For the negative ways:

I usually stay up late at night, I think that’s the reason why my face has been bombarded by a pimples. I spend my time playing Mobile legends until 2 in the morning.

Every time I got a free time, I’m always on facebook for a long period of time that I forget what I should do and end up accomplishing nothing.

And I watch gameplays on youtube, same with the facebook. I always fail to notice the time being consumed.

I’ve been doing that unhealthy thing for how many years, and I just realized recently that using too much gadgets can greatly affect my health physically, mentally and in cognitive. And I can testify that, because instead of reading something worthwhile I was being eaten up by the social media. So as of now I’m still on the process of disciplining myself. I always turn off my wifi at my phone so I can refrain from clicking any social media apps and before I went in to the bedroom I make sure I turn off the wifi.

Look how easy it is to access everything that we need. Everything is just one click away. Sometimes I think, what if ICT and internet has never been invented until now. It will probably take 5 days or 2 weeks before a letter can finally arrive and can be received. Imagine that situation in our generation. Especially for those people who are working in abroad. They have to endure their home sickness while waiting for their letters. It is really hard. It really do requires a massive amount of patience.

Before I end this, I just want to leave some points to ponder.

The wide usage of ICT has been transmitted all over the world. And social media platforms are often to be use these days wherein in fact, most of us subconsciously abuses our freedom of speech that we almost forgot that we already crossed someone’s boundaries. The fact that destructive criticisms are more likely to be use rather than constructive criticisms. The way we talk online proves what kind of people we are and how we think. Folks, we should consider the proper usage of words and always remember that never post a statement with brashness. Because we always held a liability in whatever we do. BE RESPONSIBLE ONLINE.

Anyway, this is getting long. Thank you for staying up to this point. ^_^ I hope I was able to deliver what I wanted and needed to say. And BTW, this blog is intended only for school purposes. Thank you so much and have a nice day!

#BeResponsibleOnline

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sophisticatedcelestinewings · 6 years

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10:27 pm of December 28.

The exact time I officially started my blog about whoever this person may be.

It’s her birthday today. God forgive me, I even forgot how old she is. Well, I’m quite certain she’s 40. Let me check in facebook for a few minutes. Lol. So, it’s more than a few minutes and the iPad was already lowbat and also, I don’t want to leave my room just yet not until I’ve finished this. Subsequently, while waiting for the wifi and internet to have a fast connection I ponder on these few questions: Why I am talking about these random things when there are other things to think and write about? Why do I love procrastinating so much? Does it do me good? Or does it not?

In this situation, it does not do me any good. The person who means the world to me thinks that she means nothing to us. The person I’d hate not to see the moment I open my eyes as I wake up every morning rants that what if she’s already gone. The person who was obviously offended due to her tone as she talks about how I write long messages to other people while to her I do not. But hey, isn’t it the thought that counts?

Just kidding, Mom.

When I was a child what I felt towards my mom was almost close to hate. I hated how she scolded me with her booming and blasting voice. I hated how every time she and Daddy got mad at me when I was a little kid, I wished for my death and wished to run away (so actually this was a personal issue lol; suicidal pala talaga akong bata wth). I hated how she was unfair whenever me and my sister quarreled, always telling me to understand because I was the eldest. But when in fact it was her who couldn’t understand me. Here’s the first entry I wrote about my Mom on my diary last May 24, 2014:

1st page

2nd page

I browsed through more of my entries and here are some of what I read:

· “She doesn’t know what I feel, she never does and she doesn’t understand me at all!! At times like this, I pray to the Lord that I wanna die. I know its to harsh [luh wrong grammar ako noon HAHA] and that God created me for a reason and a purpose but WHAT?! Is my purpose so they could scold at somebody? Because that’s what I think. I really hope that someone could understand me, well I know God does, Jesus does but maybe in person, someone I could open up to and someone who understands me.”

· “Really, Mommy are you seriously going to that and you really have low confidence in me ha?! You DEFINITELY DON’T KNOW ME MOM and would you please stop humiliating me in front of people, it pisses me off but you probably don’t know that because or so you could just have something to talk about!! Grr….” (So the next lines were gruesome and creepy since there was a part I wanted to chop her lips off and spray some magic fairy dust on her so she wouldn’t talk for a decade; I was definitely a sort-of awful child I’m sorry)

· “…Push her so she would stop but only if I could or maybe worst and I was really filled with anger and rage that time, I could even pull my hair out to get her attention and stop talking, only if it was possible.”

(It’s 12: 00 of December 29, 2017 already. This greeting is already late. Hayy.

Me: Should I continue?

Also, me: Yes, for multiple reasons.)

As I browsed through my first entries of 2014, I was almost close to tears. The mixture of 1% water and 99% emotions welled up in my eyes. I remember this read by Mommy a few years back without me knowing at that time. And, she was hurt. Deeply hurt. That kind of pain you could forgive but not forget. I was like stabbing her with knives, thorns and needles with my words.

Years passed by and the anger I felt died from within. It all started last year, 2016. That year was one hell of a ride for me and I really mean hell. I thought that year was the worst but it wasn’t after all. Those were my last 3 months of Grade 8 which I very much enjoyed and didn’t want to end. I might’ve suffered last year but I one monumental thing came out of it and that was my deeper bond with my Mom. I wanted to regret my choices and decisions that year. I wanted a time machine to replay all of it. I wanted another chance to change my fate. But now as I type of all of these, I’m glad all of it happened. I’m grateful for all those circumstances because without them I might’ve never been closer to my Mom.

12: 22 am

Hey, it’s not your birthday anymore but I still want to greet you. Happy Birthday Mommyy! Here’s my message:

Dear Mommy,

You are the warmth the sun gives us each and every day. You are an umbrella that shields us from the droplets of evil and wicked conspiring in this world. You are our paved and cemented road that leads us to the path we ought to take. You are a butterfly that pollinates us your flowers [children] with your ideas, advices and life lessons. You are like a book that fills us up with wisdom and knowledge we need in this long journey. You are like a brand-new mattress that might be hard at first but could give us comfort along the process. You are like a precious teddy bear we get attached to and always seek for either at day or at night. You are our dear Mommy that we ever love so dearly.

12:45 am need to sleep

7:20 of December 29 continuation…

Thank you, Mommy, for everything. Thank you for having patience with me and for never giving up on me even if you can’t handle the pain anymore. Thank you for constantly defending me and for standing up for me when I was weak and couldn’t even do it for myself. Thank you for being the person I’ve been praying to God to enter my life last 2014 when you were already a part of it since the beginning. Thank you because you always tell me to strengthen my faith and seek God in darkest and happiest moments of my life. Thank you for being one of my light in the midst of darkness Mommy. I wouldn’t have survived last year and this year without you. Thank you for helping me fight and conquer my demons. For pouring your heart and soul just to fix me until you had nothing left for yourself. For always telling me to be strong for myself, for you my parents and my family and also for the dreams and aspirations I have. Thank you, Mommy, for all the things you’ve done for me, down to the smallest actions and minimal words that has a massive impact in my life. But most of all, thank you for loving me and rest of our family unconditionally.

10:32 am of December 31. The time I opened this document to finish my blog and already 3 days late for a birthday greeting (due to parties and celebrations with my family).

Lastly, I want to say I’m sorry Mommy. Sorry for everything I’ve done and said to hurt you. For making you cry and being the time capsule or a reminiscence to the dreadful past you never want to experience again. I’m truly sorry for everything. I will do my very best to be a better daughter to you guys my parents and also to God.

I love you Mommy with all my heart and soul. Don’t ever forget that.

PS. Happy New Year everyoneeee! God bless us all!

#HappyNewYear DecemberBlog

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faceofmalawi · 4 years

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How to plan your ideal budget trip to Malawi

I was so excited about my solo trip to Malawi, so I spent a lot of time researching things to do and see. It would be my first trip alone in years, and I wanted it to perfect. I wanted to create memories that would last a lifetime so after I booked a flight from Nairobi to Lilongwe, I immediately started planning my trip to Malawi. Malawi might come across as a small country but there is so much to do, and I only had two weeks to explore. It is why I decided to post some tips you should take into consideration if you are planning to travel Malawi solo or with a group of friends I hope my research will come in handy as you make plans to go to Malawi.

What should you expect in Malawi? • The official languages in Malawi are English and Chewa. Most people speak English hence you will not face language barrier issues. • The flight from Nairobi to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi took 2 hours with a 30-minute layover in Dar es Salaam. You can always choose to land in Blantyre in case you want to start your travels from there. • The currency in Malawi is Malawian Kwacha. Use the XE Currency App to be up to date with the rate. The app works even when you are offline. Should I be worried about Bilharzia? Bilharzia is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms which are carried by fresh water snails. Read this article to understand more about it. There is always the constant fear that Lake Malawi has these snails that carry the parasite and during the trip, I met tourists who refused to get close to the Lake. I cannot blame them because there have been reports of travellers getting Bilharzia. However, I never took any prevention measures and I still swam in the lake and almost a year later, I am bilharzia free. hehe. Most resorts next to the Lake have a notice saying the Lake is Bilharzia free, but I would recommend you to take some prevention measures. I was supposed to take some pills but I totally forgot and I turned out fine but I would not advise anyone to risk it. Is the lake free from Bilharzia? I honestly do not know but I swam in the lake and I did not get infected. Read this article to understand the facts about Bilharzia in Lake Malawi. When is the best time to visit Malawi? Hot, rainy Seasons- Mid November to April Cold, dry seasons- Mid May to Mid August Hottest Months – September to November

I traveled to Malawi in October. I immediately knew I had made a mistake. I found the heat unbearable. I did not realize that it was possible for a black person to experience tan. If I had known better, I would have visited during the cold, dry season. How long should you stay in Malawi? I would recommend a minimum of 2 weeks to be able to get a taste of both the northern and the southern regions. Two weeks will be enough although you will have a busy itinerary. If you have the time and resources, you can always choose to spend more time. In fact, a month will be ideal.

How do you find things to do in Malawi? I have made videos and written in detail things I did in Malawi here. However, if that is not enough, you can go through various travel blogs on things to do in the country which is what I did as a matter of fact. I went through several blogs noting down everything that interested and I promise you, it was a long list of things. Malawi may look small but believe me; two weeks will not allow you to do everything. After coming up with my list, I started checking online the distances between the places I would have loved to go, and I would note this down. Afterward, I checked how these places were rated on Tripadvisor by other travelers to know if they were worth the hassle of going. By the end of my research, based on my findings, I had a list of must do things and I ended up eliminating some activities.

Distances in Malawi Now, unless you are in Lilongwe the capital city of Malawi, public transport in Malawi is almost nonexistent. A distance of 4 hours may take 8 hours with public transportation because there are a few matolas (mini buses) on that route. The few matolas keep stopping at every stage to pick up passengers since they have to cater to everyone. Welcome to Africa by the way. It is frustrating because you end up spending too much time on the road. If you are traveling by public transport, it would be best to set aside full days when moving from point A to B in Malawi no matter how short the distance may seem on the map. However, if you are traveling in a group which I strongly recommend, the best thing will be to rent a car for distances longer than 4 hours. It will be cheaper and faster since you are in a group. You can always choose to drive yourselves or get a driver. Here is an estimated time from most popular places by car • Lilongwe to Cape Maclear – 3.5 hours • Cape Maclear to Blantyre – 4 hours • Lilongwe to Nkhata Bay – 5 hours • Nkhata Bay to Livingstonia – 3 hours Use this site to calculate how long it may take you to drive between two points. How much will the Malawi trip cost? Malawi is probably one of the cheapest travel destinations I have ever been to in Africa hence the perfect destination for a budget traveler. I met some travelers that would cook their food as opposed to eating out which would reduce their costs significantly. I have indicated how much I spent on my blog solo backpacking Malawi posts so be sure to check them out as they will give you a rough idea of how much the trip will cost you. Traveling alone is pricier than travelling in a group because you don’t get to split some costs. In Malawi I’d spend between usd 30-50 per day depending on the activities I engaged in.

Money Problems Money is a bit of a problem in Malawi. Ensure you stack up on enough cash because sometimes the ATMs do run out of money. Some places may not accept cards, so it’s always a good idea to have liquid cash. Remember to pay with your debit card or credit card whenever you can to avoid using all your money at hand. You do not want to find yourself in a situation where you have no money, and the ATMs are not working. Camping in Malawi Most hostels allow travelers to camp for as low as 8 USD as long as you have your camping gear. The price will be a little bit higher if you do not have the equipment. Camping on islands like Likoma and Domwe is a bit on the higher side. Some hotels do allow camping, but some do not so be sure to find out from the hotels before heading out.

How to avoid spending too much money Befriend locals. Malawians are the friendliest people I have ever come across so this should be easy. Find out from them decent, affordable places to eat and hang out. Notice making friends with a local is different from having a guide. A guide costs money, a local shares with you tips on places to eat, things to see that have not been discovered by Instagrammers yet and also the prices of stuff to avoid scammers. Transportation Internal flights are super expensive. A one-way ticket to Likoma Island from Lilongwe can cost up to 300 USD! As you are on a budget then this will not be ideal you are better off renting a car or traveling using matolas. There are several companies that rent cars in Lilongwe and Blantyre and each comes with their own rules so it will be up to you to choose which company will suit you best based on your needs and budget. Be sure to check how travelers rated this company on before renting a car from them. As for bus companies, AXA bus company is one of the coaches that operate the route from Blantyre to Lilongwe to Mzuzu. However, it runs at different times; hence you have to find out from their offices the exact times the bus leaves. It means you must book your ticket in advance.

What kind of transport should you choose? I would recommend couples, group of friends and families to rent a car. Solo travelers on a budget will have to struggle with public transport which is honestly a hassle. I used the AXA bus and taxis. Unfortunately, there was no uber hence taxi rates were a bit expensive.

Accommodation I would alternate between staying in hostels and hotels. Hostel prices would rate between 10 USD for a dorm to 25 USD for a private room. For hotels, I would advise using booking.com since the app allows you to choose the star rating and the rates. Regular hotels rates start at 40 USD per night. If you choose to stay in most hostels and some hotels, you will have to pay to access WIFI. Electricity Problems You will need to carry extra chargers for your gadgets. Power cuts are usual in Malawi. We would last the whole day without power which never seemed to bother anyone. Mobile internet I bought an airtel sim card and the coverage was superb even in remote regions. Purchasing the sim card was easy, all they needed was a copy of my passport.

Malawi Packing list Malawi has a bit of everything with game drives, hikes, beaches and cultural trips so carry clothes that will suit such places. Do not forget: • Mosquito repellent (seriously, do not even think of ignoring this) • Sunscreen • Motion sickness pill if you choose to take the MV ILALA ferry • Usb cables and power banks • Hiking pants and boots • Sunglasses and a hat • Leggings and t-shirts • Long skirts or dresses • Layers for game drives • Avoid white clothes If you choose to stay in a hostel check this packing list, it will come in handy. Here’s the other list for anyone living outside Africa. Malawi is an underrated destination that is known as the warm heart of Africa for a reason. It is easy to fall in love with this country so why not make it your next African destination? If you have any more questions, you know where to find me! Source: Justrioba.com

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#Domwe #MVILALA #wifi

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travelingtheusa · 5 years

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UTAH

26 May 2019 (Sun) - I apologize. We have been so busy with the caravan that I have not had a chance to write anything in this blog. The caravan will be over on June 11. Things should return to normal then.

We have been rafting on the Colorado River, driven a UTV through the desert, and hiked/driven some of the most incredible landscape imaginable. This has been an incredible experience.

20 May 2019 (Mon) – We pulled up stakes and left Torrey at 9 a.m. with four rigs in our group. One member of the caravan, Hank & Brenda, had to dive further south to Freightliner to get their rig repaired. They’ve been having problems with power trying to go uphill. Hank changed the fuel filter but it didn’t help. Hope they can find the problem quickly and they can get back with us.

Another member of the caravan, Shirley, broke down just after leaving the campground. Our tail gunner, Jon, and another rig driven by Jim & Lida stopped to help. Group four and five were combined and sent on. Shirley had her 19’ class B RV towed to a repair shop.

19 May 2019 (Sun) – We did the laundry this morning. We went to one building but it was locked (reserved for housekeeping – they wash the linens for the cabins). We went to the second building which had two washers and two dryers stacked one on top of the other. Both washers had laundry in them. As we started to leave, Steve (a fellow SMART member) came up and moved his clothes to the dryers. We loaded our clothes in the two washers and when we put in the coins, one machine broke down. We had to unload that washer and just let the one washer go. When we came back, we moved the wash to the dryer and put the second batch of clothes in the washer. It took longer to do the wash than usual. Ugh.

At noon, we drove down the road to the general store. We couldn’t find most of what we wanted so we just got travel tissues and post cards for the grandsons. Then we went to the Wild Rabbit Café for lunch. They had a very limited menu – two sandwiches or a salad. We both got BLTs.

It was back to the campground and finishing up with the caravan materials. At 5:00 p.m. we had a potluck dinner. Paul managed to hang a tarp over one of the open doorways to cut down on the wind. Jon brought over his propane fireplace, which added a nice warmth to the pavilion. The food was, as usual, good and plentiful. At 6:30 p.m. we had our travel meeting. The weather turned nasty and cold. Some kind of cold weather system blew in. Brrrrr.

18 May 2019 (Sat) – At 9:00 a.m. we pulled out of the campground with 8 cars following; 19 of us looking forward to a great day of exploration. The temperatures were warmer than yesterday and most of the clouds were gone. With John Denver songs playing on the stereo, we led the group down Route 12, America’s Byway. The scenery was very lush. As we moved into higher elevations, forests of pine and aspen lined the roadway. Soon, whole sides of the mountain were filled with quaking aspen waiting to explode into their springtime bloom. We stopped at several overlooks to admire the grandeur spread before us.

When we reached the end of Route 12, one couple turned back and four stopped to tour the Anasazi Village Museum. Four of us turned left onto the Burr Trail. John Denver done, we slipped in a CD of music of the American Southwest. The sound of screaming eagles and howling coyotes joined in with flutes and drums. We drove along the two lane road, admiring the ever changing scenery before us. The variety of colors and shapes was incredible. After about two hours of driving, we pulled onto a turn out that overlooked the Black Canyon and had lunch. For half an hour, we gazed out over the land below and were filled with awe at the Creator’s handiwork.

Lunch all done, we continued on the Burr Trail. That’s where things got really interesting. A little after turning heading out, the pavement ended and we were driving on a dirt road. A little further on, we came upon a series of switchbacks with deep downgrades. It was an adrenaline pumping ride! We turned off Burr Trail on to Notom Trail and the road soon found pavement again. The entire ride was about five hours long.

At 5:00 p.m. we all drove to the Capitol Reef Inn & Café. There was some confusion and the group wound up arriving too early and ordering things that were different than the pre-ordered food. Most of the food was good and the service was excellent.

17 May 2019 (Fri) – We packed up and left Bryce Canyon City at 9:00 a.m. We led four other rigs on a 110-mile route to Torrey. The scenery was absolutely beautiful! We had free range cows wandering in the road, there was a skunk walking on the side of the road in the bushes, cows grazing in wide open grasslands, and hawks flying overhead. The weather was cold when we started out and got colder. Eventually, we had sleet and snow in small spurts. The wind was really cold.

When we arrived at the campground, I went in the office to pay the bill. The clerk gave me campground maps to hand out to everyone and informed me that ten sites were 50-amp and eleven were 30-amp. That is bad news in the camping world. You always want 50-amp. I waited until Jon got in and then we went in to talk to the manager about the situation. I couldn’t believe she didn’t see any difference between 30-amp and 50-amp sites except if you needed to use air conditioners. Ugh.

The group tried to have social hour at 4:00 p.m. but the weather was cold and the wind was blowing so we all retreated to our rigs. I hope tomorrow is nice for our ride on Route 12.

16 May 2019 (Thu) – Paul and I drove part of the route for tomorrow’s move just to ensure everyone would be able to negotiate it alright. There were two herds of cows wandering on the roadway and a creek was very full and touching the roadway. If we get rain tonight, the road may be flooded when we try to drive it. Otherwise the drive was pleasant. We stopped in Panguitch and looked at the boyhood home of Butch Cassidy. It was just a log cabin with a storyboard outside. Not much to see. We had lunch at the Cowboy Café. Their roasted red pepper soup and cole slaw were so good that we bought more to take home.

We had social hour at 4:00 p.m. and travel meeting following. The wind was blowing fiercely and the temperatures have dropped dramatically. We have a freeze warning for tonight. Also, it rained heavily for an hour. Paul will have to get up early and drive tomorrow’s route to make sure the road is open. Otherwise, we will have to use an alternate route.

After the meeting, we went to dinner at Ruby’s Inn Restaurant with Rick & Brenda and Hank & Brenda. The food and company were good.

15 May 2019 (Wed) – The National Park Service provided a special bus for us to take a tour of Bryce Canyon. The bus arrived at 10:00 a.m. and we took a three hour tour. The driver drove all the way to the end of the 17-mile loop then stopped at various overlooks on the way back. He was a retired vet and provided an entertaining and informative ride.

At 7:00 p.m. we went to a cowboy dinner show at Ebenezer’s Barn & Grill. There was food and music and lots of clapping and singing. We had a very good time.

14 May 2019 (Tue) – We moved from Zion to Bryce Canyon City today. We packed up and left at 9 a.m. with four rigs following behind us. The ride was easy and we arrived around noon. The campground is very nice. We are in a new part where the campsites are very roomy and each has a large grassy plot. The interior roads are nicely graded.

Bryce Canyon City is an interesting town. It is owned entirely by the family of the original founder. The entrance to the National Park is just a block away.

13 May 2019 (Mon) – We got up at 4:30 a.m., fed the animals, and packed up for a sunrise hike to Zion Canyon Overlook. We met Rick & Brenda at 5:30 a.m. and they drove us up the route through the Mount Carmel Tunnel. We climbed up the trail

We had a potluck dinner and travel meeting today. The food was so plentiful. It was a delightful day. The cell phone serve and wifi in this area sucks! Whenever I try to send a message, I get an error message saying the message could not be sent. The jet pack can’t connect to the internet. I have been unable to connect to Tumblr or to post anything on Facebook. I don’t know what it’s so bad. It’s hard to try to download anything or to make calls. I can’t wait to get out of this area.

12 May 2019 (Sun-Mother’s Day) – Jan & Nancy gave all the ladies a red rose this morning. We all drove into Zion National Park today. Some hiked trails and others drove scenic routes. We rode with Rick & Brenda into the park. We left the car at the visitor’s center and caught the shuttle to stop 6 where we hiked to The Grotto. Then we hiked to the lower Emerald Pools. The upper Emerald Pools and Kayenta Trail were closed due to recent flooding.

I checked in at 12:15 and got tickets for everyone. At 12:45 p.m. everyone gathered at the foot of the stairs to the Red Rock Grill. I turned in the tickets to the head waiter and we were all seated on the second floor. The restaurant served a taco salad bar. The choices were plentiful.

Afterward, we returned to the campground and worked on caravan stuff.

11 May 2019 (Sat) – We left Boulder City, NV, at 8:00 a.m. and drove 170 miles to Zion Canyon. We are staying in Zion River RV Resort in Virgin, UT. It is a very nice campground with pool, spacy sites, grass at each site, concrete pads, picnic tables, fire pits, wifi (poor), and asphalt roadways.

We had group 4 follow their GPS rather than the prescribed route and they wound up driving through Las Vegas. Sadly, they missed a very scenic route through Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Everyone was finally arrived by 3:00 p.m.

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