#1/4 drop in anchor set tool

[high-priestess-house]

𝕿𝖆𝖗𝖔𝖙 𝕯𝖊𝖈𝖐 𝕭𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌

NOTE: you do not have to do this. however, if you're looking for a tarot deck blessing ritual, this may be for you.

Materials Needed:

• Your tarot deck

• A white candle

• Incense (such as sage, lavender, or frankincense)

• A small dish of salt

• A small dish of water

• A crystal (such as clear quartz or amethyst)

• A piece of cloth or a special box for storing your deck

• Optional: Essential oil (like lavender or frankincense)

Steps:

1. Preparation:

• Find a quiet and clean space where you won’t be disturbed.

• Cleanse the area by lighting the incense and walking around the space, allowing the smoke to purify the environment.

2. Create a Sacred Circle:

• Place the candle, salt, water, and crystal at the four corners of your space to represent the four elements: fire, earth, water, and air.

• Light the candle and place it in front of you. This represents the element of fire and the light of your intention.

3. Center Yourself:

• Sit comfortably and take a few deep breaths to center yourself. Close your eyes and focus on grounding your energy. Imagine roots growing from your feet into the earth, anchoring you.

4. Cleanse Your Deck:

• Pass your tarot deck through the incense smoke, visualizing the smoke removing any negative or stagnant energy.

• Sprinkle a small amount of salt over the deck, symbolizing purification and grounding.

• Dip your fingers in the water and flick a few drops over the deck, representing emotional clarity and cleansing.

5. Invoke the Elements and Spirit:

• Hold the crystal in your hand and place it on top of the deck. Visualize the crystal’s energy infusing the deck with clarity and spiritual insight.

• Say a prayer or invocation to the elements and any deities or spirit guides you work with. For example:

Elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water,

Bless this deck with your strength and clarity.

Spirit guides and guardians, lend your wisdom and protection.

May this deck be a tool of insight, truth, and light.

6. Set Your Intention:

• Hold the deck in your hands and close your eyes. Visualize a bright white light surrounding the deck, filling it with positive energy.

• Speak your intention aloud. For example:

I bless this tarot deck with love, light, and divine guidance.

May it bring clarity, wisdom, and insight to all who seek its counsel.

7. Store Your Deck:

• Wrap your tarot deck in the cloth or place it in the special box. This protects the deck and keeps its energy intact.

• Keep the crystal with the deck to maintain its energy.

8. Close the Ritual:

• Thank the elements, spirits, and guides for their presence and assistance.

• Blow out the candle and allow the incense to burn out naturally.

• Take a moment to ground yourself by touching the earth or a grounding object.

Your tarot deck is now blessed and ready for use. Remember to periodically cleanse and recharge your deck, especially after heavy use or significant readings.

[visual-sculptors]

Enhancing Safety with Double Lanyards: A Look at Improved Stability in Fall Protection

Lanyard Design: Key Questions Explained

1.What is a lanyard in safety?  

A lanyard in safety is a flexible strap or cord used to secure tools, equipment, or personal protective gear to prevent them from falling. It often attaches to a harness or anchor point and is essential in construction or industrial settings to enhance safety by minimizing the risk of dropped objects that could cause injury.

2. How is a lanyard made?

A lanyard is made by cutting a strip of fabric or cord to the desired length. The ends are often sewn or heat-sealed for durability. Additional features like clips, loops, or attachments can be added for holding items like ID badges or keys. Finally, patterns or logos may be printed or woven onto the fabric for customization.

3. What is a Class B lanyard?

A Class B lanyard is a type of safety equipment used in climbing or work-at-height situations. It is designed to secure a worker or equipment, typically featuring a breakaway mechanism or a specific strength rating. Class B lanyards are often used in conjunction with harnesses and other safety gear to prevent falls and ensure safety.

4. What is a type 1 lanyard?

A Type 1 lanyard is a safety device used in climbing and fall protection. It typically features a single length of webbing or rope with a connector at each end. Type 1 lanyards are designed for general use and are often used to secure tools or as part of a personal fall arrest system.

5. What is a double lanyard?

A double lanyard is a safety device used in climbing or work at heights, consisting of two lanyards connected to a harness. It allows the user to remain secure while transitioning between anchors or during movement, as one lanyard can be attached while the other is detached. This reduces the risk of falling and enhances safety.

Visit: VS Website See: VS Portfolio

[ib-blogs]

What is Spam Score? Key Insights and Tips to Improve Your Website’s Health

In the ever-changing world of SEO, website health is a critical factor that can determine your success online. One metric that often goes unnoticed but carries significant weight is Spam Score. Understanding what Spam Score is and how it affects your website can save you from penalties, lost rankings, and reduced credibility.

In this blog, we’ll break down the concept of Spam Score, why it matters, and how you can improve it to keep your website in top shape.

What is Spam Score?

Spam Score is a measure developed by Moz to assess how “spammy” a website appears based on several factors. This metric is expressed as a percentage, ranging from 0% to 100%. The higher the Spam Score, the greater the likelihood that search engines may view your site as unreliable or potentially harmful.

Spam Score Ranges

0-30%: Low risk (healthy)

31-60%: Medium risk (needs attention)

61-100%: High risk (spammy signals detected)

While Spam Score itself is not part of Google’s ranking algorithm, a high score can indicate problems that may lead to penalties or a drop in rankings.

Why Should You Care About Spam Score?

A high Spam Score can hurt your website in many ways:

SEO Penalties: Search engines may penalize websites with spammy characteristics.

Loss of Traffic: A drop in rankings leads to fewer visitors.

Credibility Issues: Users may lose trust in a site that appears spammy.

Brand Damage: A negative reputation can impact your overall online presence.

Factors That Influence Spam Score

Several factors contribute to a high Spam Score. Here are the most common ones:

Low-Quality Backlinks: Links from spammy or irrelevant websites can harm your score.

Thin Content: Pages with little value or duplicate content are seen as red flags.

Keyword Stuffing: Overloading your pages with repetitive keywords can trigger spam signals.

Overuse of Exact-Match Anchor Text: Using the same anchor text for backlinks excessively can appear manipulative.

Unsecure Site: Not having HTTPS encryption may harm your credibility.

How to Check Your Spam Score

To check your website’s Spam Score, use tools like Moz’s Link Explorer.

Enter your website’s URL in Moz’s dashboard.

Review your Spam Score and see a breakdown of contributing factors, such as backlinks or other spam signals.

By identifying potential problems, you can take action before your site is penalized.

How to Improve Your Spam Score

If your Spam Score is higher than you’d like, don’t worry. There are steps you can take to lower it and keep your website healthy.

1. Audit Your Backlink Profile

Backlinks are one of the biggest factors in Spam Score. Regularly review your backlink profile using tools like Moz or Ahrefs.

Disavow Bad Links: Remove links from spammy or irrelevant sites by using Google’s Disavow Tool.

Focus on Quality Links: Build backlinks from reputable sources relevant to your niche.

2. Create High-Quality Content

Search engines reward websites that offer valuable and unique content.

Avoid Duplicate Content: Make sure every page adds value and is not copied from elsewhere.

Update Old Posts: Regularly refresh your blog posts with updated information.

3. Secure Your Website

A secure website builds trust with both users and search engines.

Install SSL Certificates: HTTPS encryption is now a necessity for all websites.

Regular Maintenance: Keep your website’s CMS, plugins, and themes updated to avoid vulnerabilities.

4. Use Anchor Text Strategically

Overusing the same anchor text can appear manipulative.

Diversify Anchor Text: Use a mix of branded, generic, and descriptive anchors.

Relevance is Key: Ensure your links and anchor text are relevant to the content they point to.

5. Monitor Regularly

Spam Score isn’t a “set it and forget it” metric. Regular monitoring is essential.

Run Routine Audits: Regularly check your site’s health, backlinks, and content.

Stay Alert to Warnings: Use tools like Google Search Console to detect issues early.

Why a Healthy Spam Score Matters

Keeping a low Spam Score isn’t just about avoiding penalties; it’s about creating a strong foundation for long-term SEO success. A healthy website attracts more organic traffic, builds trust with users, and stands out as a credible authority in your niche.

By reducing spam signals and following best practices, you’ll protect your website from penalties while improving its performance.

Conclusion

Spam Score is an essential metric for website owners who want to maintain a healthy SEO strategy. By understanding what Spam Score is and taking proactive steps to manage it, you can protect your website’s credibility and rankings.

Focus on building quality backlinks, improving your content, securing your site, and monitoring regularly. A clean and credible website not only improves your Spam Score but also strengthens your brand’s online presence.

Want more SEO tips to boost your website’s health? Check out the resources at iBarts and take your SEO to the next level!

[devoqdesign]

Building User-Centric Web Pages and Apps with Elementor: A UI/UX Guide

Designing user-centric web pages and apps is key to achieving high engagement and satisfaction. Elementor, a powerful drag-and-drop WordPress builder, offers the flexibility and tools needed to create intuitive, visually appealing, and functional designs. Here’s a guide on how to use Elementor’s features to enhance user experience (UX) and create web pages and apps that truly meet user needs.

1. Understanding User-Centric Design and Its Importance

User-centric design revolves around creating digital experiences that prioritize the user’s needs, expectations, and preferences. A user-friendly design improves engagement, reduces bounce rates, and boosts conversion rates. With Elementor, you can achieve a seamless user-centric design that both engages and retains users.

2. Key UI/UX Principles for User-Centric Design

Before diving into Elementor’s tools, it’s essential to understand core UI/UX principles that lead to user-friendly design:

Consistency: Keep design elements consistent throughout the site for a cohesive experience.

Clarity: Avoid clutter by focusing on clear and concise messaging.

Responsiveness: Design for different devices, especially mobile, as mobile traffic continues to grow.

Accessibility: Ensure that users with different abilities can navigate and use the website easily.

3. Getting Started with Elementor

Elementor provides a vast set of widgets, customization options, and integrations that empower designers to create unique and user-focused pages with ease. To start:

Install Elementor: Download and install the plugin via the WordPress dashboard.

Choose a Template: Elementor has pre-made templates that can be customized for various page types.

Add Widgets: Drag and drop widgets to add functionality and elements like text, images, videos, and buttons.

4. Designing an Engaging Homepage with Elementor

The homepage is your users’ first impression. To make it engaging:

Hero Section: Use a clear headline, short subheading, and a CTA (Call to Action) button to capture attention immediately.

Eye-Catching Visuals: Add high-quality images or videos that represent your brand’s message.

User Testimonials: Incorporate a testimonials widget to showcase social proof and build trust.

Navigation: Keep the navigation simple to guide users to the next steps without overwhelming them.

5. Creating Smooth Navigation with Menus and Anchor Links

User-friendly navigation is essential for UX, as it guides visitors through the page seamlessly:

Sticky Menu: Use Elementor’s sticky menu option to keep the navigation accessible as users scroll.

Anchor Links: Anchor links allow users to jump to different sections on a page, making it easier to access relevant information quickly.

Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs help users track their position within a website, aiding navigation, especially for sites with a lot of content.

6. Using Elementor’s Responsive Design Features for Mobile Optimization

With mobile users forming a large portion of web traffic, it’s crucial to design pages that perform well on all devices:

Responsive Editing: Elementor allows you to adjust design elements specifically for desktop, tablet, and mobile views.

Tap-Friendly Buttons: Ensure that buttons are large and well-spaced so that mobile users can easily click them without accidentally pressing nearby elements.

Mobile Menus: Use the “hamburger menu” style for navigation on smaller screens, creating a more user-friendly experience on mobile.

7. Enhancing Readability and Accessibility

Accessibility is a major component of user-centric design. Elementor has tools that make your website more accessible to everyone:

Adjust Font Sizes: Use Elementor’s font options to ensure readability, especially on mobile devices.

Color Contrast: Choose contrasting colors for text and backgrounds to ensure readability, particularly for users with visual impairments.

Alt Text for Images: Always add alt text to images, which helps visually impaired users using screen readers and boosts SEO.

8. Personalizing the User Experience

Personalization improves user engagement by tailoring the content or layout to individual preferences:

Dynamic Content: Elementor Pro allows you to display dynamic content based on user profiles or actions, creating a more personalized experience.

User-Targeted Popups: Use Elementor’s Popup Builder to create popups based on user behavior. For example, you could show a signup form for first-time visitors or a discount offer for returning customers.

Geolocation Content: Display region-specific content with geolocation tools available in Elementor Pro, tailoring content to users based on their location.

9. Optimizing Load Speed for Better UX

Slow-loading pages frustrate users, leading to higher bounce rates. Optimize speed in Elementor by:

Minimizing Image Size: Use compressed images and the “lazy load” feature to improve loading times.

Reducing Animations: Limit the number of animations to maintain focus and prevent slowing down the site.

Caching and Optimization Plugins: Use caching plugins compatible with Elementor to boost page speed.

10. Using Elementor Widgets to Boost Engagement

Elementor’s widgets enhance interactivity and engagement on your website. Here are a few must-use widgets:

Forms: Add contact forms, subscription forms, or feedback forms to capture user information and keep them engaged.

Sliders and Carousels: Use image carousels or sliders to display multiple images or testimonials.

Accordion and Toggle Widgets: Organize content into expandable sections to avoid overwhelming users with too much information at once.

Conclusion

Building user-centric web pages and apps with Elementor involves more than simply arranging elements; it’s about understanding user behavior, prioritizing accessibility, and enhancing engagement through thoughtful design choices. By following these UI/UX best practices, you’ll be well on your way to creating digital experiences that are both functional and enjoyable for users.

Visit my Upwork project catalog :  Elementor Developer

[seocompany1010]

How to Use Analytics to Measure SEO Performance

In the world of digital marketing, measuring SEO performance is crucial for understanding how well your strategies are working and where improvements are needed. Analytics provides invaluable insights into various aspects of your SEO efforts, helping you make data-driven decisions to enhance your online presence. For businesses seeking professional guidance, partnering with a SEO agency Singapore can further refine your analytics approach. Here’s how to use analytics to measure SEO performance effectively:

1. Set Clear SEO Goals

Before diving into analytics, define what success looks like for your SEO efforts. Clear goals could include increasing organic traffic, improving search engine rankings, generating more leads, or enhancing user engagement. Align these goals with specific metrics that you’ll track using analytics tools. If you work with a SEO agency Singapore, they can help you establish these goals and align them with your overall business objectives.

2. Use Google Analytics for Traffic Insights

Google Analytics is a powerful tool for measuring SEO performance. It provides detailed data on website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. Key metrics to monitor include:

Organic Traffic: Track the number of visitors coming from search engines.

Bounce Rate: Measure the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page.

Average Session Duration: Evaluate how long users stay on your site.

Pages per Session: Understand how many pages users visit in a single session.

A SEO agency Singapore can assist in setting up Google Analytics correctly and interpreting the data to guide your SEO strategy.

3. Monitor Keyword Performance

Tracking keyword performance is essential for assessing how well your SEO efforts are resonating with your target audience. Use tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to:

Identify Top-Performing Keywords: See which keywords drive the most traffic to your site.

Track Keyword Rankings: Monitor changes in your keyword rankings over time.

Analyze Click-Through Rates (CTR): Measure the percentage of users who click on your site’s link after seeing it in search results.

An SEO agency Singapore can help optimize your keyword strategy and ensure your content is aligned with high-performing keywords.

4. Analyze User Behavior

Understanding how users interact with your website provides insights into their experience and how well your SEO is performing. Use tools like Google Analytics to analyze:

User Flow: Visualize the path users take through your site, from landing pages to exit points.

Behavior Flow: Identify common paths users take and where they drop off.

Conversion Tracking: Measure how well your site converts visitors into customers or leads.

By evaluating user behavior, you can identify areas for improvement and work with a SEO agency Singapore to enhance user experience.

5. Assess Backlink Quality

Backlinks are a crucial component of SEO, influencing your site’s authority and ranking. Use tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to:

Monitor Backlink Profile: Track the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to your site.

Analyze Anchor Text: Evaluate the keywords used in the anchor text of your backlinks.

Identify Toxic Links: Detect and disavow harmful backlinks that could negatively impact your rankings.

An SEO agency Singapore can help you develop a robust backlink strategy and manage your backlink profile effectively.

6. Review Technical SEO Metrics

Technical SEO plays a vital role in ensuring your site is crawlable and indexable by search engines. Use tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to:

Check Site Health: Identify and fix issues like broken links, crawl errors, and duplicate content.

Evaluate Site Speed: Measure page load times and optimize for better performance.

Assess Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your site is optimized for mobile devices.

Working with a SEO agency Singapore can help you address technical SEO issues and improve your site’s overall health.

7. Track Competitor Performance

Understanding how your competitors are performing can provide valuable insights into your own SEO strategy. Use competitive analysis tools to:

Compare Keyword Rankings: See how your keywords stack up against competitors.

Analyze Competitor Backlinks: Identify where competitors are gaining their backlinks.

Evaluate Content Strategies: Review the type and quality of content competitors are producing.

A SEO agency Singapore can help you conduct in-depth competitor analysis and leverage insights to strengthen your SEO efforts.

8. Report and Adjust

Regularly generate SEO performance reports to track progress and make data-driven adjustments. Look for trends, successes, and areas needing improvement. Based on your findings, refine your SEO strategies to enhance performance. An SEO agency Singapore can assist in creating comprehensive reports and recommending actionable adjustments.

Conclusion

Using analytics to measure SEO performance is essential for understanding the effectiveness of your strategies and making informed decisions. By leveraging tools like Google Analytics, monitoring keyword performance, analyzing user behavior, and evaluating technical SEO metrics, you can gain valuable insights into your SEO efforts. Partnering with a SEO agency Singapore can provide expert guidance and support, helping you optimize your analytics approach and achieve your SEO goals.

[fast-safety-nets-chennai]

DIY Guide to Installing Bird Spikes at Home

Installing bird spikes is an effective way to prevent birds from landing and roosting on your property. If you're considering a DIY approach, this guide from Fast Safety Nets Chennai will help you through the process with practical tips and expert advice.

1. Gather Your Materials

Essential Tools and Materials:

Anti-Bird Spikes: Choose spikes suitable for your needs (stainless steel or plastic).

Measuring Tape: For accurate measurements.

Drill: If you’re using screws.

Screws and Anchors: For securing spikes (if drilling).

Adhesive: For surfaces where drilling isn’t possible.

Screwdriver: For tightening screws.

Clean Cloth: For surface preparation.

Safety Gear: Gloves and safety glasses.

2. Prepare the Installation Area

Clean the Surface:

Remove Debris: Ensure the surface is free of dust, dirt, or old bird droppings.

Ensure Dryness: The surface must be completely dry to ensure proper adhesion or drilling.

Inspect the Surface:

Surface Type: Determine whether the surface is flat, sloped, or uneven. This will affect your installation method.

3. Plan the Installation

Measure the Area:

Determine Length and Width: Measure the area where the spikes will be installed to ensure you have enough spikes.

Mark Placement: Use a pencil or marker to outline where each spike will go. Ensure even spacing to prevent birds from landing between spikes.

Spacing:

Typical Spacing: For most birds, spacing the spikes about 4 to 6 inches apart is effective.

4. Install the Spikes

Drilling and Screwing:

Mark Drill Points: For surfaces like wood or concrete, mark the drill points where screws will go.

Drill Holes: Use a drill to create holes at the marked points. Ensure the holes are the right size for the screws and anchors.

Attach Spikes: Align the spikes with the drilled holes and secure them with screws. Use a screwdriver to tighten the screws.

Adhesive Installation:

Apply Adhesive: For surfaces where drilling isn’t an option (e.g., glass or painted surfaces), apply a strong adhesive to the base of the spikes.

Place Spikes: Press the spikes onto the surface and hold them in place until the adhesive sets (follow the adhesive manufacturer's instructions).

Ensure Proper Coverage:

Check Placement: Make sure there are no gaps between the spikes and that they cover all the areas where birds might land.

5. Final Checks and Maintenance

Inspect Installation:

Check Stability: Ensure that all spikes are securely attached and that there are no loose or wobbling spikes.

Adjust if Necessary: Add more spikes or reposition them if you find gaps or insufficient coverage.

Clean Up:

Remove Excess: Clean up any debris, adhesive residue, or leftover materials from the installation process.

Regular Maintenance:

Inspect Periodically: Check the spikes regularly for signs of wear or damage and make any necessary repairs or replacements.

6. Expert Tips from Fast Safety Nets Chennai

Choosing the Right Spikes:

Material Matters: Stainless steel spikes offer durability and resistance to rust, while plastic spikes are generally more affordable but may not last as long.

Installation Tips:

Weather Considerations: Avoid installing spikes in extreme weather conditions to ensure proper adhesion or stability.

Safety First: Always use safety gear and be cautious when working at heights.

Professional Help:

Consultation: If you’re unsure about the installation or need custom solutions, Fast Safety Nets Chennai offers expert advice and professional installation services.

Get Started

For high-quality anti-bird spikes and professional assistance, contact Fast Safety Nets Chennai. They can provide the products and expertise needed to effectively deter birds and protect your property.

[super-fast-safety-nets]

Key Steps for DIY Bird Exclusion Netting Setup

Setting up bird exclusion netting is an effective way to protect your property from birds, such as pigeons, which can cause damage and hygiene issues. If you're considering a DIY approach, Super Safety Nets Bangalore provides high-quality materials and this comprehensive guide to help you successfully install bird exclusion netting yourself.

1. Gather Your Materials and Tools

Before starting, ensure you have all the necessary materials and tools:

Bird exclusion netting (polyethylene or nylon)

Mounting hardware (hooks, brackets, net clips, ties)

Ladder or scaffolding (for high areas)

Measuring tape

Chalk or marker for marking areas

Scissors or utility knife for cutting netting

Drill and screws for securing hardware

Safety equipment (gloves, goggles, and harness)

2. Plan and Prepare

Site Assessment

Inspect the area to determine where the netting will be installed.

Identify potential entry points and measure the dimensions of the space to be covered.

Clear the Area

Remove any debris or obstacles that could interfere with the installation process.

3. Install Mounting Hardware

Mark the Perimeter

Use chalk or a marker to outline where the netting will be installed.

Attach Anchors

Secure hooks or brackets along the marked perimeter. Ensure they are firmly attached to the structure to support the netting.

4. Install the Netting

Start at One Corner

Begin attaching the netting at one corner of the area. Use net clips or ties to secure the netting to the installed anchors.

Stretch the Netting

Gradually stretch the netting taut across the installation area to avoid sagging.

Work your way around the perimeter, attaching the netting securely at each anchor point.

Secure Edges and Corners

Ensure all edges and corners of the netting are tightly secured to prevent birds from finding entry points.

5. Trim and Adjust

Cut Excess Netting

Use scissors or a utility knife to trim any excess netting, ensuring a neat fit.

Inspect for Gaps

Carefully inspect the installation for any gaps or loose areas where birds could potentially enter.

Reinforce Weak Points

Double-check and reinforce any weak points to ensure the netting is securely fastened.

6. Maintenance and Care

Regular Inspections

Periodically inspect the netting for signs of wear, damage, or bird activity, especially after severe weather.

Cleaning

Clean the netting with mild soap and water to remove dirt, debris, and bird droppings.

Prompt Repairs

Repair any tears or damages promptly to maintain the effectiveness of the netting.

7. Safety Tips

Always use appropriate safety gear, including gloves, goggles, and a harness, especially when working at heights.

Ensure your ladder or scaffolding is stable and secure before climbing.

Conclusion

By following these key steps, you can successfully install bird exclusion netting and protect your property from bird-related issues. Super Safety Nets Bangalore provides the high-quality materials and expert advice you need to ensure your DIY installation is effective and long-lasting. For more information or to purchase bird netting materials, contact Super Safety Nets Bangalore today. Enjoy a bird-free environment and peace of mind with your well-installed bird exclusion netting.

[jenniferwanderlust]

Unveiling the Art of Staying Motivated and Focused- Tips for Thriving While Working Remotely

In the vast and varied landscapes of remote work, maintaining motivation and focus can sometimes feel like a journey through an enigmatic forest, where each tree represents a potential distraction or a drop in inspiration. For those who traverse different locations, the challenge intensifies, yet also blooms with opportunity. At DigitalSpellCraft LLC, we understand the unique dynamics of this modern work style and offer you a guide to harnessing your remote work rhythm.

1. Creating Rituals that Resonate

Begin by establishing rituals that anchor your day. Whether you’re nestled in a cozy café corner or perched at a makeshift desk in a bustling city, rituals act as the lighthouse guiding you through foggy mornings. Consider aromatic invocations—use an essential oil diffuser with invigorating scents like peppermint or lemon to awaken your senses and set a vibrant tone for the day. As you arrange your workspace, let each action be both methodical and mindful, transforming your space into a sanctuary of productivity.

2. Designing a Nurturing Workspace

The environment where you work profoundly influences your mental clarity and creativity. Even on the move, strive to replicate a setup that speaks to your soul’s need for beauty and order. Invest in a portable kit that includes items like a supportive laptop stand, a wireless keyboard, and noise-cancelling headphones. Adorn your mobile office with a small, inspiring artifact from home—a photograph, a figurine, or a small tapestry—that serves as a visual cue of stability and serenity.

3. Embracing Technology Wisely

In the realm of remote work, technology is both a servant and a siren, offering infinite resources while also tempting us with endless distractions. Use technology to your advantage by employing apps that enhance focus and organization, such as Pomodoro timers or task management tools like Trello or Asana. However, be vigilant about the time spent on digital devices; schedule regular tech-free intervals to refresh your mind and reconnect with your immediate surroundings.

4. Scheduling with Flexibility and Intention

When working from various locales, the unpredictability of environments can disrupt even the best-laid plans. Adapt by designing a flexible schedule that aligns with your body’s natural rhythms and the nature of your current setting. Perhaps mornings are for deep work while afternoons are better suited for meetings and collaborative tasks. Listen attentively to your internal clock and respect its tempo, aligning your tasks with moments of peak energy and creativity.

5. Connecting with Community

Isolation can be a silent specter in the life of a remote worker. Counteract this by forging connections with a community of like-minded nomads. Whether through virtual co-working sessions or joining local meetups, surrounding yourself with others who share your lifestyle can invigorate your spirit and spark new ideas. Sharing challenges and solutions with peers can also significantly uplift your motivation.

6. Reflecting and Adjusting

Finally, dedicate time to reflect on your work and well-being. Keep a journal to explore what environments and habits yield the highest productivity and satisfaction. Be honest with yourself about what isn’t working and courageous in making adjustments. Remember, flexibility is your ally, and each location offers a chance to learn something new about your work preferences and personal needs.

At DigitalSpellCraft LLC, we believe that remote work, when approached with intention and creativity, can be a profoundly fulfilling experience. As you adapt these strategies, remember that each step taken in nurturing your focus and motivation is a brushstroke in the masterpiece of your professional life. May your journey be both productive and enchanting.

[scaffoldingtodayinc01]

Scaffolding Safety Tips

The main priority when operating at a height is safety. It is concerning to note that every year, occurrences involving scaffolding cause over 4,500 injuries. In addition to commonly resulting in bodily harm, accidents can also bring major financial problems. This includes possible fines, increased insurance rates, and lost workdays expected to cost $90 million.

Thankfully, there are several strategies available to businesses to shield staff members from these avoidable mishaps. When working at heights, the following scaffolding safety advice can help lower the chance of an accident.

1. Employ the Appropriate Safety Gear

Working in any industrial or construction environment requires the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), particularly while working at heights. When using a scaffold, it's imperative to wear a hard hat to prevent damage from falling objects. When working on platforms, non-slip footwear and, in particular, appropriate fall arrest equipment are also necessities.

To improve working at heights safety even further, tool tether lanyards and gloves that protect the hands must be used. Gloves with anti-slip properties increase tool grip and reduce worker drop rates.

Additionally, tool tethering lanyards safely fasten tools to employees, averting falls that can injure those below. This set of fall protection tools increases both operational effectiveness and safety.

2. Recognise Load Limits

Scaffolding equipment is designed by manufacturers with particular load-bearing capacities and load restrictions in mind. If you overload scaffolding structures above their specified design capacity, there could be a significant danger of injury to your personnel. Workers on or around scaffolding run the risk of suffering possibly fatal injuries if scaffold platforms crack, fail, or collapse. Thankfully, scaffolding components are built with a 4 to 1 safety factor that offers a sizable capacity safety cushion. However, before placing concentrated loads on the decks, it's always a good idea to find out the true load capacity of your scaffold structure. 

3. Be Aware of Applicable Rules and Guidelines

Every industry has unique rules and specifications of its own. Before building any platforms, make sure to understand the precise criteria set forth by OSHA, the industry, and the customer site. Scaffolding laws are typically governed by Federal OSHA for various Industry categories, and specific customer locations may additionally have project standards over and above OSHA.

Scaffold structures that are constructed and used by applicable standards and regulations can, at the very least, reduce the likelihood of accidents and employee hazards and shield the builder from liability for failing to fulfil standards. Furthermore, as mandated by the Competent Person inspection requirement for all scaffolding users, your employees must get training in identifying and mitigating the risks associated with the specific type of scaffolding you choose for your project.

4. Examine the Materials for Scaffolding

You need to check all of your stuff before you set up your work platforms. Verify that none of the components contain any flaws or damage that would jeopardise the scaffolds' structural stability. Mismatched parts can cause structural failure and present a serious scaffolding hazard.

5. Construct Well

When assembling your scaffold, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Make sure you're assembling the scaffold by the manufacturer's specifications by reviewing the kinds of bracing, fasteners, and anchor requirements. Avoid cutting corners or creating a haphazard design.

When constructing your scaffold, you also want to make sure the workspace is completely safe. Although it is ideal to have a level ground surface, scaffolding can be safely erected on sloping terrain with the correct parts. There are safety precautions to follow when working near power lines, but you must maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet or more from the lines. When working close to power lines, always get advice from a trained scaffolding specialist. Furthermore, it is mandated by rules that a Competent Builder Person be present to oversee the erection and dismantling of scaffolding. A competent individual possesses the title and authority bestowed by their employer, has completed training authorised by OSHA, and has been trained using scaffolding manufacturer equipment.

Check for the following, please:

Leg braces need to be correctly fastened to the scaffold's structure.

To produce a solid and secure scaffold structure for workers to perform work on, the standards, planks, decks, and scaffold structure are all "level, plum, and square."

Decks, planks, brackets, toeboards, and tubes must all be installed securely, and installers must also make sure that all connections are firmly fastened.

Base plates and mud sills should be fastened firmly to the scaffold frame and feet, and they should be the appropriate size.

OSHA regulations state that there must be a minimum of ten feet of space between electrical dangers and scaffolds. If the distance is less than ten feet, you will need to de-energize the line or have the electricity provider wrap it.

6. Inspect the Site and Equipment

Once again, when the scaffolding is up, inspections are still necessary. Regularly inspect the region for potential dangers, flaws, debris, and other issues.

Skilled User Every morning before work, people do inspections to make sure the location is safe for that shift. To make sure that all safety components are verified each day, think about utilising scaffolding safety check-lists.

7. Make room for cars and large machinery

Always keep heavy machinery and cars away from the scaffold base. Putting up barriers can prevent the entire building from collapsing. in circumstances where having large equipment close by is essential. Verify that the equipment is cleared.

8. Retain Order

"Good Housekeeping" is more than just a magazine you pick up at the grocery store register. Scaffolds must be kept neat and organised for everyone's safety. It is crucial to make sure the scaffolding is clear of any waste, surplus scaffolding planks, equipment, and debris.

These objects may present a trip hazard or put excessive strain on the scaffold structure, which could cause it to collapse. To reduce these dangers, plan regular clean-up days and urge employees to organise their workspaces.

9. Pay Attention to the Weather

When working at a height, you want to make sure the environment is safe. There is a higher chance of serious injury when working in inclement weather or in an environment that poses other risks. For example, strong winds may put workers on the scaffold at danger of harm. Another possibility for a scaffolding hazard is if a storm has brought down a power line.

Scaffold safety is seriously jeopardised by meteorological conditions such as lightning, snow, ice, and severe rain in addition to wind. Scaffolds should not be climbed, used, or built, according to OSHA requirements.

Employees should be aware of these risks and refrain from using the scaffold in inclement weather. An unsafe workplace is guaranteed by keeping an eye on forecasts and obeying weather safety regulations.

See how Scaffolding Today In, the Scaffolding companies in Houston addressed concerns about strong winds during the scaffolding installation process on an aviation hangar.

10. Possess a complete licence

Injury prevention is aided by using contractors and employees who hold valid licences. This guarantees that everyone present is aware of safe scaffolding procedures. It takes education, time spent in training, and practical experience to obtain a licence. Your staff can carry out their responsibilities safely and competently thanks to this thorough preparation.

11. Climb Cautiously

Climbing techniques need to be carefully considered for scaffold safety purposes. Either two hands and one foot or one hand and two feet must always be at three points of contact with the scaffold for the worker.

If scaffold erectors tie themselves off securely, they can climb both vertical and horizontal bars during assembly or dismantling. For climbing, everyone else should utilise stair towers, ramps, or ladders.

12. Safety Tags for Scaffolding

The presence of scaffolding tags indicates if a scaffold is safe to use. The scaffold structure needs to be inspected and tagged by a competent individual, as stipulated by OSHA. Three varieties of scaffolding tags exist:

Scaffolds with green tags indicate that they have been examined and found to be safe for use by a qualified individual. The initial check should be finished, and each access point should have a green sticker.

Scaffold tags with a yellow colour indicate that scaffolds have had parts or structural changes made to meet specific work requirements. Still, there's a chance that these modifications will bring up new dangers or hazards. All users are required to abide by the usage rules or particular safety precautions indicated by the yellow tags.

Red scaffold tags: A red tag indicates that there is a risk and that using the scaffold is dangerous. These tags are frequently used by labourers who are building or taking down scaffolding.

Use These Scaffold Safety Guidelines to Reduce Risks and Accidents

Accidents and liabilities are considerably decreased when employees are trained to identify scaffolding dangers and adhere to safety precautions. To further reduce accidents, it is essential to give them quick access to tools and personal protective equipment.

Scaffold safety is something we at Scaffolding Today Inc, the best Houston scaffolding companies take very seriously. For compliance, our knowledgeable staff maintains up-to-date on the most recent standards and laws. Every crew member receives thorough training that gives them the skills they need to properly identify possible hazards and install scaffolding.

[fixdex-fastening-technology]

Gr2 Gr4.8 Carbon Steel M10*40mm Blue Zinc Plated Drop In Anchor

click here to see more of this product

[bridgeportbritt]

Sims Canva Templates - Follower Gift by BridgeportBritt!

Hey guys! Let me start of by saying thank you! Thank you to each and every one of you who follow me, Bria, Diana, and my Royal story! I’ve met so many amazing peeps on here and hanging out with you guys and talking about Sims is a highlight of my day!

So, I wanted to show my appreciation with this little follower gift! If you’re like me, you’re photoshop-challenged, but still want to create cool graphics and things for your sims. That’s where Canva comes in! Canva is a free drag and drop graphic design tool. So, you can make a lot of cool stuff with it without having design skills!

I created a few templates that you can use for your gameplay, story, etc. They help things feel more real! All you have to do is drag and drop your own photos, text, etc. Included in this set is:

1) News Broadcast - This template is for your sim news stories and broadcasts. You can customize the story, news station logo, background, colors, fonts and add your favortite sim anchor!

2) Simstagram Post - Even your Sims want to do it for the gram. This template as shown above looks like the one uses in the Snowy Escape trailer thanks to @cilkey​ for the template! I made it editable for Canva so you can add your sims profile pic, post pic, and even tag a sim in the post!

3) SimTube - Catch up on your latest SimTube creators with this template! This video player template allows you to add your video, title, profile picture and of course edit the text and colors.

4) Snap a Pic - Taking a photo of your sims but want to show the behind-the scenes-moment? This template is so easy because all you need to do it add your own photo and you’re done!

5) Newspaper template - Sims don’t just get their news online. For the old-fashioned sims who love getting their news from the paper, this template allows you to add an image and your text to create your story!

Once again thanks so much for your support and I hope you find these templates helpful! If you think of other templates, you’d like, let me know!

{Download link under the cut!}

Download {Free, No Adfly}

Please let me know if you have any issues with these templates! I have Canva Pro, but I did my best to make sure these templates can be used for the free version of Canva.

How to Download

Click the link to get to below screen and select “Use Template” to get to the editing screen on Canva. Note: you will probably need an account to save and further edit your design.

Canva Tutorials 

In case, you’re new to Canva, these might help!

How to Add Fonts (Need Canva Pro)

This isn’t required, but I recommend downloading the Simlish Font which you can upload into Canva by @ajaysims. Give your templates the Sim feel!

[idris-hunts-the-mando]

Right place, Right time  \the departure pt.1/

Rating: Mature

Words: 6.1k

A/N:  this took me the bulk of a week to complete, i think ill make a few small bite sized works for a while, working on the next part in a week or so, once i get myself back together. give me all the love you as a reader can, I’m fueled by praise/hj 

pairings: none yet

Warnings: series typical violence, hard swearing, moderate gore

I woke up sore and hurt in the bunk room, the cold cot felt like frozen river stones under my tired bones. I could tell we arrived at our destination from the frostbite settling into my fingers and nose. The slow neutral hum of machinery was a tell tale sign that the ship was at ease, the noise usually deafening. Pulling my threadbare scarf up over my neck and chin, i started regretting choosing this particular cargo ship going to a frozen planet for a runaway plan. I braced for the aggravating beginning to the tiresome day and sat up from my cramped bunk space. sleeping in a room with a dozen oily work worn men didnt make any part of the trip to Maldo Keris easier, not to mention the fact they all saw me as more of a womp rat and less of a sentient being. keeping my eyes to myself, i shoved my tattered boots over my feet buckled my tool belt to my hip and hurried out of the barracks before the bulk of my crew mates woke up. stepping out onto the loading dock,i took a breath in. the smell of poorly filtered air irked my mechanics brain. It would be such an easy fix if they payed me to care. But alas, for this particular voyage, i was bunked out like a stowaway, giving in return my fix-it help around deck for passage off my planet of origin. Sighing out the musty air, i checked my stations. Navigating the hold was like a womp rat through a maze, you had to be rather nimble and graceful to get through the makeshift corridors without issue. Unluckily for me, I was neither nimble nor graceful. When i got to the panel, i took out my key ring and unlocked the rusted metal door to expose the intricacies within. the wiring looked tip top shape, but the fuel lines needed a bit more attention than the other tangle of electronics, so i took out my multi-tool to tighten the fittings. The liquid distilled Rhydonium that flowed through these particular lines was a less explosive substance than its pure form, but dangerous nonetheless. the multi-tool was a newer model, so it didn't fit this type of bolt all the way, but it was better than nothing. Better than allowing it to loosen over another voyage and have the ship explode mid hyper-speed.

  My mind was so stuck in its own world, the training I had over the many years in a scrappers shop spewing all of its knowings about rhydonium and fuel lines that I didn't have time to notice the first lieutenant Maegs stalking his way over to me. I jumped a moment before he spoke, tightening the last half inch of the bolt down maybe a bit too aggressively.

  "We the captains crew appreciate the helping you've been do'en for this ol beasty of a ship," he mentioned, one his independent eyes viewed me separably, while the second one was monitoring my work. I froze for a moment out of fear, but i didn't think he took notice. "You're more than welcome to stick 'round 'an see what else you can fix up for this rust-bucket." the first lieutenant never gave me much of a hard time, unlike most of the crew. But I had made up my mind the first night in hyperspace that I would haul ass out of this suffocating ship as soon as a habitable planet was spotted. I finished up closing and locking the wires box, shaking my head slowly and turning to face him.

  "I do love the sentiment, lieutenant. but maybe another time if our paths cross again." I forced an obligatory smile, avoiding making eye contact with him at all costs out of fear for not having the attention span to pick and stick to a wondering eye. If i could ever force myself to say something nice about the ship and its crew, it would be the acceptance of short interactions. A conversation rarely surpassed the 'how are you doing today' phase, by the moons it never got to that phase in the first place. And I was a person of not many words, and not much of a filter.

  Maegs nodded slowly, clasping two of his 4 arms behind his back and turning away. I felt the need to repay his unprompted kindness with some suggestions for the ship before I left it for good. Call me sentimental, but this ship, albeit mostly composed of literal blood sweat and spit, was my ticket into a new life. "don't let yourself get caught without changing the air filtration system, them new republic scouters are picky about what type of poison you use for cremates." I remark with a little smirk. Maegs paused, narrowing his eyes, amused by the backhanded remark. He had surely gotten complaints about the smell before. He gave a thoughtful nod toward me, and allowed himself a small smile. I looked down in my hands, the key ring still hanging off my index finger. I tossed it towards him and was relieved when he caught it. he turned with no further words needed. On his way to the control room, he pushed the cargo bay door release button. My line of sight was clear from the opening door to the nearby port town and when the frosty air stung my face, I knew in my soul that this was a good thing. Taking in a breath of the salted frozen air, my body naturally recoiled. I'm not one for cold. 'Ah well, way to go picking the nearest ice planet than idiot' I scolded myself, pulling my cloak back over my shoulders to take the first step out of the ship held together with sticker line and bantha spit. 'Good riddance'.

  Walking into town was harder than expected, the ice on the ground blended into the ice of the horizon, making spacial reasoning a thing of the past. The only anchor I had to the planet besides its heavy gravity was the stark grey buildings stapled to the sheets of ice about 10 meters in front of me. I never could have guessed the sky of Maldo Keris could get any uglier, but planets like these have a way of surprising a person. I tucked my hair and ears away with the hood of my raggedy travelers cloak, bracing myself from the heavy winds by retreating further and further into my cloths. I stayed on the worn path from the ship's dock port, hearing from previous crew mates that this was the warm season, that the ice was thinner and the creatures lurking underneath had no sense of remorse. Now nervous at the revival of that pleasant memory, I kept a close eye on my surroundings, not having the most faith in my feet for staying their course. The wind stung at my exposed skin, reminding me I was wearing only my work cloths that weren't  meant for the sudden change in climate. The cloak I had was best at protecting my human skin from the suns above. Beyond that, my tatterd outer layer didn't do much for the safeguarding of my body heat.

  I was relieved to have stumbled to shade from the wind so quickly, the heavy kit bag on my back was starting to feel more like a boulder taped to my body than a simple means of containing my tools and spare cloths. Paying attention to the signs overhead, i quickly located the nearest cantina and rushed towards it as fast as any human Popsicle can. Opening the circular doors with the press of a button took me into what felt like a summer time resort. Hiding my appreciation for the warmth from the patrons staring at me, i collected my composure and swiftly found an open table. The electronic doors closed rather harshly behind me. I recognized the sound of faulty pressure hinge and eyed the door for a moment when i took my seat. That door was a danger to customers who get caught in it, it could cause some serious injuries for larger species and even fatalities for humanoids.

  Sitting down at the frosty old wooden chair was a relief on the fatigue in my joints. It was neither a comfortable seat, nor a relatively stable one, but it gave me time to take off my pack and study the small, rather ugly, room I found myself to be in. It wasn't too long before I would have to order something, or I feared starvation. The crew mates on the cargo ship were kind, if the bare minimum counts. Food once a day (as per average in the parsec), and as much sleep as necessary per species or race. For humans in particular, that amount of time was annoyingly low. tired and hungry was a bad mix for me as it is, but add cold to that mixture, and the first person to get on my nerves would be the last. i checked the contents of my bag to make sure everything looked as it should and moved up from my chair, replacing the spot with my hefty bag. I was rather confident that if any Kung Nerfhearder tried to run off with it, it would be too weighted for them to get far. I may be rather small compared to other sub species of humans, but i pride myself on my strength often.

  Making my way to the bar counter, I lean up between two silent patrons sitting a few seats away from each-other. I get the barkeep's attention with a wave of my fingers, calling him to me. "What kind of meal do you have on the stove top right now?" I ask with my flattest low tone. In port towns like this its important to be as emotionless as possible in order to not draw attention to yourself. Colorless, shapeless, uniform and mad was always the role you had to play to make it through the galaxy.

  "We got a silver weed in the radiator, it'll be 3 credits." He replied, picking up a glass and wiping it out with his rag covered hand. I pulled the amount needed out of my pocket and set it down on the bar counter. he swiped his hand over the credits, picking them up quickly. nodding, he left the sight of the bar for only a spit second before returning to the table with a small bowl of mush. I tried my best to smile and be thankful for the meal, but as the bowl transferred to my hands I had to focus on not gagging. I hurried back to my private table in the corner and settled back into my seat, dropping my bag on the floor between my legs to keep it as safe as possible. The last thing I want is a soup that tastes like the scrapings of a persons shoe into street worn snow, but what can you expect on a planet such as this. Prodding the gelatinous mass in the bowl with my spoon, I ponder the ever growing question of 'what in the hell is in this shit'. my mind wonders deep into its personal wonderland while my environment continues to be less and less favorable.

     Hostile voices from the other side of the cantina rise louder and louder, as if at the warm up stage of a slowly progressing screaming match. The feeling of sourness in my heart rose with a predictable inclination. The tension in the air grows as yet again the same scene unfolds before my and all other patrons of the cantina's eyes. I strain my neck to see what was happening. At the far end of the room, closer to the door than I am, I saw the oddly familiar face of a poor amphibious creature's head being slammed on the table he was sitting at. The oldest and most primal of situations, the strong picking on the weak. Three tall imposing figures towered over the poor humanoid looking fellow who was obvious to any idiot to be lacking in intimidating features. Seeing this obligatory show of power for any insecure creature with anger issues never sat right with me. It reminded me too much of where I came from, the slums of sand and glass where bullies like these were treated like royalty without challenge from the ones they harassed.

     'Dank ferrik, don't do it' i challenged the assaulter internally, as if pleading with them to harm their victim any more so I would have a reason to put in use my blade skills. i had no idea where I've seen that face before, but as they say, curiosity killed the Cathar. And there it happened, the final action in the escalation. The largest of the assaulter lifted the poor guy to his feet and the ring leader lifted his knife to the throat of his victim. A cry of anguish and fear came from the poor fool being restrained, and that was my last straw.

     I stood from my chair, kicking away my bag and drawing my vibroblade from my thigh holster, walking over to the group across the tavern. I growl, squaring my shoulders and stiffening my legs to make me seem bigger. I must have looked pretty wild, my tattered cloak drawn over my body like a dark fog, and my scarf still pulled up like a mask over my nose with only my furious green eyes over the top. Just as I started my warpath towards the men, the heavy ring shaped door to the cantina opened abruptly, startling a few of the onlookers. I knew what type of situation I had put myself in and how important focus and intimidation was, so I didn't take any time away from the assholes with blades to gawk at who had happened to stroll in. With my attention solely married to the poor bastard and his assailants, I noticed all of their attention was stripped from their target and glued to the newcomer. Evaluating my surroundings, I saw most of the other patrons in my sight were enthralled too. This piqued my interest and I felt it safe enough to turn and check out the royalty.

     Standing soberly at the bar counter, the figure of a mandolorian stood in silence, facing the bar keep. My heart dropped first, than my jaw. Only legend, only in the oldest fables and the scary stories my nan would use to scare me into not stealing the sweets late at night, had I ever heard of the likes of him. from the bescar armor forged in the heart of a black flame forge (or so i've been told) to the galaxy known creed of mandalore, this being was the stuff of leadgeneds. To be feared and adorned wherever they so chose to walk. but not anymore. Not since the planet turned to glass a hundred years ago, destroying much of what was known of the infamous warriors.

     I don't think the aggressors saw me and the dangerous piece of weaponry clasped in my hand, instead they looked drunkenly amused at the new patron, like sly cats with a new toy. surveying his surroundings, the warrior's expressionless visor swept the room. He inspected the threat levels of the patrons, the bullies, the amphibious humanoid sucker that was caught under it all. The mandolorian made no comment as he momentarily swept over me, with my clenched fist around the vibroblade. Rather he ignored me entirely, leaning against the bar counter and staring absentmindedly at the wall ahead of him. The scum saw this as an odd mandolorian intimidation tactic and took it to heart, growling a string of multilingual insults. I couldn't quite understand all the words from their  chosen dialect, but something about a drink spilling and how it was somehow the mando's fault.

     when they didn't get a response, they snorted, puffing their chest out and stalking towards the armored newcomer. Continuing to talk in another language I didn't understand fully, the bar keep attempted to translate, feeling the tensions rise in the air. "He says you spilled his drink." a moment of silence, with the smell of anger wafting from the half intoxicated bantha shaggers, And the barman attempted to diffuse the situation by offering the men drinks to hopefully get them to settle down. And by the two suns it did not. The drink slid from the barkeep's hand and down the table. The mandolorian took it out of its trajectory and started the assault, smashing the creature's head on the counter to his right and simultaneously twisting the louder man on his left arm until the knife in his hand stabbed himself in the ass. As the third attempted to run out the front door, mando caught him with his grappling wire and pulled him back. The tangled creature got his blaster from a thigh holder and shot a round at his would-be captor. The blaster fire ricochet off the bescar Armour, bringing the mando's attention to his own firearm. With the tangled assaulter in the right position, mando fired a single shot at the door of the cantina, Forcing the wiring to go into hyperactive shut down, closing the doors around the alien. The doors struggled for a moment, and so did the thing caught in it, but nothing stopped the metal and electricity from slicing through the meat of its body. The legs of the now dead man fell to the ground at the door with a sickening thump.

     After this, the silence in the room was so thick you could swing at it with a hatchet and not make a dent in the shock factor. unsurprisingly enough, every patron went back to their own businesses with each other as if nothing had happened. A pair sitting at a table close to the door went swiftly to the half body to move it away to continue the flow of traffic as they then scurried out the doors, carrying the top half between them. Scavengers i bet, black market womp rats' i thought, sighing at how quickly the circle of life can flash before your eyes. death isn't something to be dewlled on in a universe like this, now back to the issue at hand.

     recollection hit me like a half ton of bricks when I remembered where I saw the face of the teal looking bastard with a knife previously on his neck. Spite flooded in my blood as I narrowed my eyes at my next target, shoving my vibroblade back in my thigh holster aggressively and stomping towards the useless excuse of flesh. "You're a dead man now, Mythrol." I said to myself. he must have heard me, or possibly sensed all the rage walking swiftly at him. His eyes upturned towards me, full of fear, but I now remember there is an ugly smugness to him too. I made it to the table, putting my hands down in front of him, leaning my top body weight on my palms. "You better have a divine excuse for not meeting me at that port you Druk Nerfhearder, or you'll be seeing the wrong side of the ice ocean outside in 30 seconds." I could barely contain my frustration with this sniveling worm, he was the reason i had to bunk with the disgusting oiled engineers for a week in hyperspace. The reason I had only 12 credits in my tech vault and less than that on hand. He scammed me out of a decent ride and my entire years savings. It was a genuine miracle how well I kept myself from not leaping over the table he sat at and giving him a new meaning to crazy bitch.  

     "H-hey, hey you, long time no see huh, man am I sorry for missing out on that meting we had that one time, sorry pal I kinda slept in-" but before he could make up any more exuces, any more lies, my vibroblade was at his throat right where the other man's was just a moment ago. He hissed and recoiled back in his seat, opening and closing his mouth a few times, trying to breathe, to speak. whichever it was, it wouldn't matter soon. He had talked enough in his lifetime to anger hundreds of poor victims throughout the parsec, letting him one last word would be a dishonor to all of them.

     Before I could press the blade into his flesh, a firm leather covered hand wrapped around my forearm, pulling it away carefully. I looked at the arm, attached to it was a shoulder, and atop the shoulder sat a gleaming bescar helmet. I felt my heart sink into the depths of my stomach, the anger switching places with feral panic that I tried my absolute best to contain. No words came from the mandolorian, a simple shake of his head was all i got. he loosened the grip on my arm, letting it recall back to my center of gravity.Ii looked down at the arm, looking for any obvious signs of damage, but his grip was closer to gentle and firm than harsh. A soft metallic thud brought my attention to the table, where the mando has tossed a puck. A bounty puck. Today was certainly a day for emotions, because T felt as pleased as a jawa coming across the flashing screen of Mythrol's face on the holographic screen projected by the puck.        Mytrol looked between me and the mandolorian a few times before painting his face with a fake smile, the wheels in his head turning into overdrive trying to make a lie up to get himself out of this one. "Is that me?" he questioned, the forced denial barely hiding the fear in his eyes. "Aw come on, I can pay you more than that pitiful bounty, a whole new cruiser," he pleaded, bargaining for his life. "on me, waddaya say."

     The mandolorian doesn't waste a breath to reply, his electronically filtered voice filling the getting-to-be awkward silence. "I can take you in warm." he placed a hand on his hip holster, bringing attention to the deadly gun strapped in it. "Or I can bring you in cold." Mythroll's face turned pale with fear, looking like a sort of pale blue spirit. Gulping down what could have been vomit, or another plea for life, he couldn't move at all, just staring at the mandolorian's unfeeling visor.

     The mandolorian slaps restraints on mythrol's wrists, pulling him up and out of his chair in one swift motion, the disparaged lump following along with his hands bound together. He seemed resigned to his fate as he was pulled out of the cantina, leaving in his wake and eruption of whispers and a few sobs of relief from the clientele of the bar. I myself was in a state of shock by what had happened and the intense speed at which it had occurred, Standing in front of a table with drops of blood on it not knowing what to do next. Mythrol had cheated me out of a lot of money, and he was just walking away, atoning for crimes he didn't commit against me. that in and of itself felt somewhat fair, fair to any of the galaxy he had screwed over so far.  

     My body flew back to my table mostly on its own, smashing into the chair at which I had just been sitting less than a minute ago. I hauled my ridiculously large bag over one shoulder, the extra strap free in the wind. I knew i had to at least try. for myself. Running back to the door panel where the halfed creature had met his end, I slammed the controls urgently, opening the door back out to the wild wind of Maldo Keris. Scanning the nearby environment was hard without protective goggles to shield me from the dust and yuck in the wind, but I spotted a pair of hulking figures 15 yards from the cantina, moving at a steady pace away. Try for me, I can do this one thing for myself. I sprinted as fast as I could with the pack over one shoulder, making me surely look like some sort of lame bantha to any possible onlookers. "Wait! wait please!" I called out to the mandolorian, my tone accidentally becoming demanding, but I think that helped to get the mandolorian's attention. They stopped and Mythrol looked at the mando, as if he was pleading to get him away from me in fear I had came back just to fight a mandolorinan for a chance to stab him again. As tantalizing as that thought was, the actions I were taking were purely selfish. I deserve justice just as much as any poor sap sad enough to cross paths with the scamming womp rat or the mystery person who called for the bounty.

     "Please let me come with you for when you collect his bounty." I asked somberly, stopping my chase a few paces away from the pair standing together. "I swear I wont take the credits from you, I just want to see him pay for what he's done." Tiny beads of sweat pearled at my brow, my breath was labored in my throat. Even walking with my bag was hard, but I had just chased down a bounty hunter and his captive. Strands of my hair stuck to my forehead and I wiped them away with the back of my forearm once they crept into my eyes.

   Mytrhol had to get his two cents in of course, holding the bounty hunter by the cape and making his eyes go wide with worry. "I don't know who this person is, don't let them come along, they could try to hurt me!" He plead, tugging on the cape like a whiny child. Now the anger came back, a cold rage in my fists, ready to start brutalizing someone at the drop of a pin. I narrowed my eyes at Mythrol, who didst bother to return the look. the mandolorian stared for a moment, looking off behind me in thought. The worry then set in, a fear whispered in the back of my skull 'You'll never get your closure and die alone on this hell planet.' My eyes went to the obsidian visor of the mando, creasing my brows together, subconsciously chewing on my lip as he made his decision. Loosening his shoulders, he slumped his head downward, as if morally defeated. I was taken aback by the conflict he was having about weather or not to let a weird stranger aboard his ship or not. oddly enough I understood his seeming frustration, I wouldn't let me go if I were him. He picked his head up after a second, looking me up and down as if to study me entirely. I felt eyes over my body, it was weirdly intimate. When he made his way back up to my eyes, he stood in silence for a moment before asking. "Do you have any weapons on you besides the blade?"

   Certainly a different question than what I thought was going to be asked, so for the answer, I had to think about it for a moment, mentally going through my bag and person. "n, no. I have my vibroblade. and a sack full of my electrician's tools, but they arn't traditional weapons." I responded earnestly, my tone going flat again. Another moment of silence, Mythrol looking quickly between the bounty hunter and myself.

   "If you truly wish to see the bounty delivered, I can take you to the trade. In exchange for the ride there, my ship needs mild internal repairs. If you try to cross me," He paused, a hand went to his blaster as a warning. A flashback to the cantina entered my forethought, the image of his hand on his blaster the same way as it was now moments before a man got cut in half. The warning was received properly, I felt thoroughly intimidated. "You'll be dead before you could pray to any gods." damn. That was intense. thoroughly intimidated, to the core. i took a breath in, almost allowing myself time to rethink my request in its entirity. but i responded with a quick nod. I knew my way around most ship interiors, if the ship wasn't rusted and breaking in half on take off, i knew i'd be able to mend it.

   The mandolorian gave no other word to me and turned, walking towards the ice flats docking crew. I allowed myself a cheeky smirk, fulfillment at the succession in my pursuit gave my heart a good warm squeeze. Following along behind the mandoloian a pace, he negotiated with the docking crew, asking oddly enough for a live pilot, not a droid. Some harmonic whistling came from the ferryman, hailing over a rust bucket of a speeder. As the speeder came to a stop to collect its haul, rusted pieces of under backing fell from the rear, clanking to the ice annoyingly. We all loaded into the speeder, I sat in front with the driver, the mando and his bounty in the back, a gloved hand around Mythrol's bicep at all times. We reached out frozen destination, the driver of the speeder calling one last warning to the three of us after collecting his dues and puttering off towards the port.

   I took a moment to asses the hull of the razor crest, it wasn't too bad for a pre new republic vessel. Some battle scars here and there around the landing gear, a charred blaster fire mark on the windows of the cockpit. This was truly the ship of a bounty hunter. Turning to follow the speeder's course, I couldn't help but feel a deep unease, he had warned about the ice planet's personal creature of death, Ravanack. Just then, the entire rusty hull of the speeder and its driver were swallowed whole in a single angry bite. The ravanack retreated back into the ice just as Mythroll let out a girlish scream of terror. He booked it twords the mandolorian who was opening the hatch to the belly of his ship, screaming for dear life to let him in. The ice where the speeder was swallowed started cracking in the direction of the ship, very quickly speeding directly at Mythrol.

   My instincts kicked in and I hopped out of the way, swinging myself onto the floor of the cargo hold of the ship with the momentum of my bag. Just as i got out of harms way, the mandolorian swung himself out of the ship to grab the petrified blue idiot only moments before the jaws of his early death lunged out of the ice, driving sickeningly deep into the landing gear of the razor crest. I winced at the damage done, scrambling back away from the flying Mythroll the mando had haphazardly chucked at me. The mandolorian seemed to ignore me entirely, herding his bounty into the cockpit with him. As the engines revved and the propellers blasted their heat down towards the ice at max capacity, the beast clung tightly to its prey of metal and paint, determined wholeheartedly to bring the ship down to its frigid death. The mando hopped down the ladder, rushing to the cargo bay door with his riffle. he stabbed the bayonet into the beast's head, sending a current of electricity into its skull. the beast roared furiously, releasing the ship and sinking back into the inky ocean.

   I collected myself and scrambled up off the floor. the cargo bay doors closed quickly, leaving the mandolorian and myself in the ambient humming of the bay. His breast plate rose and fell, getting less an less noticeable as he calmed down. turning towards me. He nodded at a upturned metal basket with a weather worn blanket tossed over it. I took the hint and put my bag on top of the makeshift stool, retrieving from it my more universal tools. Going from one job to another wasn't my ideal, but this was a more opportunistic adventure. My original goal was only ever to get off the sun bitten planet i was from, beyond that was up to fate, and I can't really complain about where it took me today. Now i'm headed to gods know where with a mandolorian and his bounty who single-handedly ruined the last year and a half's hard work I had done. turning my head towards the mandolorian, I saw him stand in the hallway between the cargo bay and the cockpit, eyeing his bounty.

   Words hung on the end of my tongue, ready to ask millions of questions out of pure adrenaline fueled thrill. But I stopped myself from spilling over, taking notice of the details in the mando's body for the first time. For the most feared warrior in the galaxy, this man looked as any other bounty hunter. His armor was chipped and dented, highlighting the flaws in the outer most shell of himself. A deep rooted curiosity took roots just then, desiring to know more of what laid under his iron and bescar plates. "Where should I start working first?" I asked as politely as possible. feeling a need to use respective words when in the presence of a man who just stabbed a water beast in the head. This got his attention away from the bounty if only for a moment. He paused for a second, going through the archives of his mind to see where needed the most urgent attention. Turning 180 degrees, he lifted a gloved hand to point at the panel of buttons and levers at the end of the metal room. It looked mostly in tact, but only mostly. There was blaster char at the center of the damage, near the bottom left hand corner of the panel itself. "Yikes." I whispered mostly to myself, reaching in my bag for a clean oil rag. Acknowledging the mandolrian's request with a glance and half nod, I got to work at the station. It looked to be the control panel for the gun hold under the main cargo bay. The possible stories tied with the maiming of this piece of equipment swarmed my mind, finding my own way of theorizing any number of adventurous tales.

   A few minutes go by, tweaking the damaged area as best I could to fit my hands into the circuitry. Mythroll passed by quickly, entering the open door of the munitions hold to the ladder down. I got nervous for a moment, than I heard him calling back to the mandolorian pilot, talking about molting and stellar seasons. What an odd being. Slimy thieving nerfhearder. Going back to work, not questioning the reasons tmythroll went down there. so wrapped up, figuratively and literally, in the wires of the control panel, i hadn't noticed mando sneaking past me, silent as death. I hadn't noticed him, that is, until I heard the thumping and crashing of combat and the pitiful yelps of the bounty rise to draw my attention toward the lower hold. Mythroll's shout cut short with an angry metallic hiss. The fear now taking a hold of my stomach, I pulled my hand out of the tangle to look nervously down the ladder, seeing the mando start his ascent. "carbon freezing." he said simply. I know his intention was to explain what had just happen in hopes to ease my worry, but no. it worried me more. Drawing my thought to the intense reality that I was willingly trapped on the ship of a proven dangerous bounty hunter. I felt rather idiotic in that moment, the crushing weight of the situation bringing me to a moral defeat. The mando slid by me, his body language more casual than it should have been seeing as how he had just half killed someone in the hold of his ship. He paused momentarily, looking over my work. nodding, He left in silence, returning to the cockpit.

   After a second, I gathered my thoughts and took a deep breath into my lungs. The reality of my life now was flipped upside down and tossed into a spinning vortex of crazy, but I know my strengths. I know myself and what i can handle. This? was obviously odd and scary and new, but the skills I cary can get me far. Exhaling, I focused my mind at the task at hand. Knowing my entire world was going to be changing from here on out was more calming than expected. The determination I felt towards my own new chapter of life soothed my aching back and fried nerves. This was going to be epic.

   A/N: i'm so glad to have finally finished this, holy hell ;-;    

[thewidowsghost]

Fox - Chapter 30

Previously on Fox:

"Good, send some -" (Y/n)'s cut off by a loud ping that even Natasha could hear, and a thump into ground. It detonates, and Natasha's eyes widen in fear, hoping that the worst hadn't happened. "Okay, that's not cool," (Y/n) says, grunting and Natasha is able to breath again.

"Shit!" (Y/n) curses as another ping sounds and then the call ends, with Natasha staring at the phone in shock.

Natasha pulls her phone off the plugin and takes a picture of the call's origin, and dials Clint's number. "Clint, we've got a problem?"

Clint freezes at the distress in Natasha's voice. "Nat? What is it?"

"(Y/n)'s been kidnapped!" Natasha answers. Clint's eyes widen in horror, Laura turning to stare at her husband, the brunette having heard since the phone had been on speaker.

3rd Person POV

All Tony Stark can hear are nightmarish, garbled voices, and sees probing lights. Tony thrashes against a belt restraining him to a table.

Then he gets flashes, a red scalpel, blood-splattered hands, a man, looking down on him. The man yells to someone in Arabic, and Tony is held down, a chloroform is pressed to his face.

Tony flickers awake, disoriented. A tube protrudes from his nose. He sees bald man, tanned skin, and brown eyes, behind wire rimmed glasses.

Tony looks over, seeing a jug of water on the table. He tries to speak, and realizes it's from the nasal-tube. Tony pulls at the tube, gagging as two feet of tubing slithers from his nose.

"...water...water," Tony whispers hoarsely.

The bald man continues humming, and frustrated, Tony yanks the IV from his arm and stretches for the water, but is stopped by a wire, under his chest bandages, snapping taut.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the unknown man tells Tony.

Tony follows the wire with his eyes and finds, to his horror, that it's hooked up to a car battery. He starts clawing at his chest bandages and the bald man turns. Tony sees an ugly chest wound, too much for the billionaire to handle and she swoons.

Hours later, the bald man is stirring a bubbling pot on the furnace, and he glances at Tony, who wakes up on the cot. Tony eyes the bulky chest-piece protruding from his fresh bandages.

"What have you done to me?" Tony asks.

"What did I do?" The bald man asks sarcastically. "I removed what I could, but there's a lot left headed for your atrial septum. Do you want a souvenir?" He tosses Tony a jar with a ton of bloody Christmas tree shaped barbs. Tony regards the shrapnel and he drops the jar. "I've seen many wounds like this in my village. The walking dead we called them, because it took a week the barbs to reach vital organs. I anchored a magnetic suspension system to the plate. It's holding the shrapnel in place ... at least for now."

Tony struggles up, sitting up on the cot, and notices a surveillance camera on the cave wall.

"That's right, smile," the bald man says. Pausing for a moment, then he continues, "We met once - at a technical conference in Bern."

"I don't remember," Tony says, looking confused.

"You wouldn't," the bald man says. "If I'd been that drunk, I wouldn't have been able to stand, much less give a talk on integrated circuits."

"Where are we?" Tony asks.

A slot in the door opens and a pair of dark eyes stares in. The bald man drops his spoon and puts his hands on his head. "Stand up! Do as I do. Now!" he orders. Tony gets to his feet, but can't get his hands up, and the bald man helps him. "Listen to me, whatever they ask you, refuse. You understand? You must refuse?"

The door opens and a man, Abu Bakar, enters with two armed Henchmen standing a little behind him. On one of the henchmen's wrist, he sees Jimmy's bright orange Mets watch from the earlier convoy.

"Welcome Tony Stark, the greatest mass murderer in the history of America," the Bakar says in Arabic. "It's a great honor." The bald man translates the main man's words for Tony. Bakar looks Tony up and down like a prized horse, then continues in Arabic, "I want you to build this for me - the Jericho missile you were demonstrating." Bakar holds out a photo, a surveillance image of the Jericho Missile launch. The bald man translates the previous statement.

". . . I refuse," Tony says and the bald dude backhands Tony across the face, going ballistic.

"You refuse? You will do everything he says. This is the great Abu Bakar. You're alive only because of his generosity. You are nothing. Nothing! He offers you his hospitality, and you answer only with insolence He will not be refused. You will die in a pool of your own blood!" the bald man screams at Tony. Bakar spoons at the bald man's food, and throws a look of smug satisfaction. He heads out, his two henchmen behind him, and he slams the door shut.

"Perfect," the bald man tells Tony. "You did very well, Stark." Tony looks utterly perplexed. "Good, I think they're staring to trust me." he returns to his cooking. "Well, that's the end of my plan."

A little while later, Tony is jostled awake by Bakar's henchmen, who wrestle a hood over his head. And he struggles as he's pulled to his feet, clutching his car battery hooked to his heart.

After a few minutes of walking, the hood is ripped off of Tony's head and he squints into the stinging daylight, his expression turning to shock as he takes in the scenery.

In a bowl of tall mountain, camouflaged tarps are furled, revealing tons of Stark Industries weapons dating back to the 80s, some of the logos faded and some new.

Tony, stunned staggers along the creates, the bald man following. "Quite a collection, isn't it?" he asks.

"How did they get all this?" Tony asks.

The brown eyed man translates for Bakar, "As you can see, they have everything you need to build the Jericho. He says make a list of materials. You will start work right away and when you are done, he will set you free."

Tony sees a heavily armed and imposing man, surrounded by several men, acting as pilot fish around him.

"No," Tony murmurs, "he won't."

"... no he won't," echoes the bald man.

Days later, James Rhodes and General Gabriel and a team of assets, along with Agent Clint Barton are assessing the remains of (Y/n) and Tony's convoy.

"Something's not right," Clint says, the blond looking up the two.

"Looks like a standard hit and run," General Gabriel says.

"Sir, I'm telling you, this was a snatch and grab," Rhodes says, a confused look on his face. "A perfectly executed linear ambush. As soon as they got what they wanted, they melted away."

"Intel's on it, we're in good hands. If they're out there, we'll get them," the General says.

"With your permission, I'd like to stay in theater and head up the search and investigation," Rhodes says.

"There's a PR firestorm brewing over this," the General answers. "Right now, the best way to serve your country is to get back there and handle it."

"Both Tony and (Y/n) Stark are the DOD's numbers one and two intellectual assets, and I can be one of value in the field," Rhodes counters.

"Duly noted, but we need you back home," Gabriel says, then he turns, walking away, adding. "Colonel, it's not lost on me that Tony Stark is a lifelong friend, and (Y/n) is your honorary niece."

Rhodey nods and heads for his Humvee as things are beginning to be packed up. Clint looks around, a look of grief spreading across his face as he realizes that it might take a lot longer than he thought to find his friend.

A few days later, Tony is sitting in a wheelbarrow by the furnace, wrapped in an Army surplus blanket, Yinsen, the bald man looming over him.

"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark, but they will never find you here," Yinsen tells him. "That car battery is running out ... and thy wont turn on the generator till you start to work." Tony doesn't say anything and Yinsen continues. "You don't like what you saw out there, did you? I didn't like it either when those weapons destroyed my village. What you just saw, that's your legacy - you life's work in the hands of the murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to try to do something about it?"

"Why should I do anything, they're either going to kill me or I'm going to die in a week?" Tony says, despair evident in his voice.

"Then this is a very important week for you," Yinsen tells Stark.

A little while later, the lights come on as the generator is started. Bakar is flanked by several guards and watches as one of their guards goes to refuel the generator, then walks the gas can to a cage, housing a fuel drum, locking that down too.

"Okay, here's what I need," Tony says, packing back and forth, barking what he needs while more of Bakar's guards carry in missiles and materials. Yinsen follows, translating as Tony assesses his work area. "S-Category missiles. Lot 7042. The S-30 explosives tritonal. And a dozen of the S-76. Mortars: M-Category #1, 4, 8, 20, and 60. M-229's, I need eleven of these. Mines: the pre-90s AP 5s and AP 16s." Bakar's men dart about, grabbing the materials. "... this area free of clutter, with good light. I want it at 12 o'clock to the door to avoid logjams. I need welding gear - acetylene or propane, helmets, a soldering set-up with goggles, and smelting cups. Two full sets of precision tools.  Bakar starts getting exasperated by the never-ending list. "Finally, I need: three pairs of tube socks, white, a toothbrush, protein powder, spices, sugar, five pounds of tea, and some playing cars," Yinsen pauses a moment during the translation at the last request. "And a washing machine. Top load."

Bakar's eyes bulge, and he gets into Tony's face. "A washing machine!? Does he think I'm a fool!?" he yells in Arabic.

Tony talks to Bakar, "Must have everything. Great Satan makes big boom-kill for powerful Abu Bakar. Big boom-kill."

After a while, the two men get all of their materials. Tony pulls open a missile-housing and removes a glass ring from the inner workings of it's guts then he leads Yinsen up to a large missile crate.

They remove the chip-rack cylinder form a larger warhead.

"You do know they've removed all the explosives before they brought this to us," Yinsen says.

"I know," Tony says. "They're crazy, not stupid." Tony walks the heavy chip-rack to teh work-bench and removes a tiny palladium strip. "This is what we're looking for. I need eleven of these."

"Eleven?"

A little bit later, Yinsen removes all of the chip-rack cylinders, bring them to Tony, and the billionaire extracts all the palladium strips.

"Heat the palladium to 1825 degrees Kelvin," Tony instructs.

Yinsen at the furnace asks, "How will I know when it reaches that temperature?"

"The palladium will melt."

Tony wraps a copper coil around the glass ring, and drops the palladium strips into a crucible on the fire. Tiny sculpts a sand-mold of melted palladium to Tony.

"Careful, careful..." Tony warns.

"Relax," Yinsen says. "I always had steady hands. It's why you're still alive."

"Oh yeah, thanks. What do I call you?"

"My name is Yinsen," Yinsen says.

"Nice to meet you," Tony nods to the brown haired man.

"Nice to meet you, too," Yinsen says.

Tony lifts the palladium ring out of the mold with a tweezer.

A little while later, Tony is plugging a cable into the generation.

"What are you shaving for? We're almost done," Tony asks.

Yinsen, taking his time shaving tells Tony, "Look like an animal, and soon you'll start behaving like one."

Tony throws a generator switch and lights find in and out. The finished RT device, wired to the generator cable, beginning to glow on the workbench.

Yinsen wipes his face and trails Tony to the workbench. He undoes the wires, holding up the glowing RT device, "That doesn't look like a Jericho missile."

"That's because it's a miniature ARK reactor. It should suspend the shrapnel in my chest and keep it from entering my heart," Tony explains.

"What an original invention," Yinsen mutters sarcastically.

"Yeah, but this one's going to last a little longer than a week."

"It's pretty small, what can it generate?"

"The gigajoules - per second."

Yinsen marvels at the words, "That could run your heart for fifty lifetimes."

"Or something very big for fifteen minutes," Tony says, and the two men's gazes meet for a moment. Then Tony says, "Let's put it in."

Back in Malibu, Pepper Potts enters Tony's office and is surprised to Obadiah Stane sitting behind Tony's desk, his head in his hands. "Sorry, did I startle you?" he asks.

"A little..." Pepper murmurs and Stane watches as Pepper swaps yesterday's unread L.A. Times and Wall Street Journal with today's. Something she did everyday, like a vigil.

Stane rises, gazing out the windows at the vast Stark Industries compound, Pepper coming up behind him.

"This was a bad idea, I should never had let them go over there..." Stane starts to break down, and Pepper places a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey... we've got to be strong, they're both going to be okay," Pepper says crumbling inside herself.

Obadiah composes himself, and nods.

Back in Afghanistan, while Tony is working on the Jericho, a certain (H/C) headed woman isn't fairing too well.

Strapped to a metal bed, a knife sticking out of her left shoulder, cuts and bruises littering her arms, legs, and face, her head lying on the cold, hard metal.

She begins drifting off to sleep, but is startled awake as a bucket of cold water is dumped on her.

(Y/n) opens her (E/C) eyes, the usual gentle eyes full of pain and anger, dark bags visible under the woman's eyes.

Bakar walks in, a nasty smile on his face. "Turns out, you father is more cooperative than we though."

"You an asshole," (Y/n) growls.

Two men advance on (Y/n), knives in hand, and she holds back her screams of pain as they cross over half-healed cuts and bruises.

Weeks later, Tony has a beard and is filthy now, cutting metal flat-stock with a torch. His shirt is ripped open, revealing the glowing RT device in his shirt. Tony snuffs the torch, looking over his shoulder at Yinsen, who is concentrating on building a backgammon board.

Tony secretly begins filling a cylinder with gas from the torch.

Yinsen glances at Tony, "Stark, tell me what you're doing, and I'll tell you what I'm doing."

"Looks to me like you're making a crappy backgammon board," Tony infers.

"Crappy?" Yinsen asks incredulously. "This is Lebanese cedar."

"Is that where you're from, Lebanon?" Tony wonders.

"I'm impressed you even know what this is. How about we play, and if I win, you tell me what you're really making."

"'A' I don't know what your talking about. 'B' I was the backgammon champ at MIT four years running."

"Interesting," Yinsen says, "I was the champion at Cambridge."

"Please don't use 'interesting' and Cambridge in the same sentence," Tony pauses. "It that still a school?" he wonders.

"It's a university. You probably haven't heard about it since Americans can't get in."

"Unless their teaching," Tony points out.

After a little while, Tony wipes his face, pulls on a pair of gloves as he goes to the furnace. He takes a white-hot piece of metal from the forge and starts pounding on it.

Yinsen, smoldering a complex circuit, looks up. "My people have a tail, about a Prince - much hated by his King - who was banished to the underworld and jailed there ..."

The hammer echoes on the anvil and Yinsen continues, "The evil King gave him the most difficult labor - working the iron pits. Year after year, the Prince mined the heavy ore, becoming so strong that he could crush pieces of it with his bare hands. Too late, teh King realized his mistake. When he struck at the Prince with his finest sword - it broke in half. The Prince himself had become strong as iron..."

Tony, sweating, holds up the metal he's been working on, a crudely shaped iron mask. He tosses the mask down, and it lies there smoking and pulsing with heat.

Back at Stark Industries, Pepper watches Stane and Rhodey in close, heavy conversation. Obadiah, grave, looks over and catches Pepper's eye, then he walks off, shaking his head.

Rhodey starts walking out, but Pepper steps into his path. "So that's it?" Pepper asks, her voice cracking. "Everyone's pulling the plug and moving on..."

"There's nothing left we can do. If there was any indication that (Y/n) and Tony are still alive," Rhodey says softly.

"Spare me," Pepper snaps. "I read the official e-mail. Thought maybe you'd have something else to say." Rhodey follows Pepper into her office. "If anyone could figure out how to beat the odds, it's those two. If it was you over there, they'd be finding a way to get you back," Pepper pauses. "Or inventing a new one."

"What do you want me to do?" Rhodey asks.

"Be a better friend," Pepper says storming out out of her office, leaving Rhodey feeling stung.

A few hours later, Rhodey slings a duffel bag in front of a C-17, is shipping out on a line of soldiers. General Gabriel pulls up in a golf cart and approaches. Everyone salutes; the General pulls Rhodey aside.

"What do you think you're doing, Rhodes?"

"Going back there, Sir," Rhodes says.

"Listen, son - it's been three months without a single indication that either of the Starks are still alive. We can't keep risking assets, least of all, you."

"Are you blocking my transfer, Sir?" Rhodes asks.

"Any one of those guys would kill for your career," the General looks around, catching sight of a blond man and a black haired woman in black leather walking towards them, the man has a bow and quiver strapped to his back. "Are you willing to sacrifice that to fly a bunch of snake-eaters on the desert patrol half way around the world?"

"I am, sir," Rhodey says, and the blond, standing a few feet away, nods in approval.

"Than I have one thing to say to you: Godspeed," the General says, then motions the blond forward.

"I'm Agent Barton," Clint says and the General nods. "This," he gestures to the Asian woman, “is Agent May. We're with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." The archer couldn't even bring himself to say SHIELD with one of his best friends missing. "We'd like to go with Colonel Rhodes, with your permission sir."

The General nods and the three turn and head up the ramp and into the loading bay.

Word Count: 3226 Words

So... Yeah...

I feel super bad about all of this, but hopefully, something good happens in the next chapter... 😣

So, see y'all!

Love,            Kaitlynn ❤😍

Imma tag peoples now: @confusinggemini612, @gay-disaster826, @thelastavenger-3000, @osugahunnyicedtea, @night-howl199, @minicastle, @happilyeverafterfantasybooks, @billiebanner, @me-and-sweatpants, @scottjudah, @scarlet-raccoon, @whore-for-charlynch, @nyx-aria, @night-howl199, @brittanyrenne2004, @juegamiri29, @minicastle, @peggycarter-steverogers, @gay-disaster826, @guitargodme, @avengers-avenging, @natashadeservedbetter2, @awesomesuperbat2universe, @witchxaf, @marvel325​, @natashadeservedmore

[amandaallen]

8 Trends That Will Shape Enterprise Software Development In 2021

Enterprise software development trends keep rolling year after year. Languages, architectures, frameworks, methodologies, and various other components related to software engineering advance with associated changes. The architecture of 2020 has changed, and 2021 is ready to experience a new language.

To lead the market, it’s not sufficient to just adopt the latest technologies. It is also imperative to keep pace and outrun the competition. For that, you must keep an eye on cutting-edge and emerging technologies. Enterprise software development is fast evolving to become the most dynamic area.

With 2021 rolling, expect some more updates in the enterprise software development trends. While some trends will continue with the pre-set popularity, others will be added. According to experts in the enterprise software industry, this field would zoom in on some new trends.

Enterprise Software Development in 2021

The realm of enterprise software development is ever-changing — annually, monthly, or even daily. In 2021, entrepreneurs can look forward to some significant defining shifts, which would shape this industry.

Gartner points out that the global expenditure on enterprise software will grow by approximately 10.8% and be $516.9 billion in 2021. Similarly, Statista has said that the worldwide spending on enterprise software solutions will be $517 billion.

With these towering figures, businesses should start thinking of ways to start investing in enterprise software.

Trends to Look Out For in 2021

Post Covid-19 pandemic, digital transformation will evolve and become more accelerated. More companies would adopt the facility of working from home. Hence, businesses want technologies supporting the current scenario for uninterrupted workflow.

Organizations want to create a prominent presence on multiple digital platforms. Likewise, there is a major shift towards developing applications using SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and Serverless.

Thus, technical innovations will also play a critical role in untangling these complexities. Adding more abstraction makes it easier to carry this out.

Another StackOverflow study reveals that, in 2020, JavaScript was the most popular and frequently used programming language, followed by SQL and HTML/CSS.

The year 2021 will witness cutting-edge technologies surfacing, which would make this industry battle stronger.

Noted below are the eight hailed enterprise software development trends in 2021:

#1: Low-Code/No-Code EAS Development

According to the State of Software Development reports, 35.05% of respondents stated that they do not intend to use a new programming language in the next 12 months.

Drag-and-drop editors are popular these days. They earned this reputation due to low-code development. Now, non-programmers can also develop as well as implement applications sans coding.

Moving ahead, in 2021, such application development methods would gain more grounds. In 2020, even people having limited programming knowledge could create large projects through low coding or no coding methods.

In 2021, the non-programmer market will grow by as much as 28.1% YoY. According to forecasts, by 2025, the market could touch approximately $45.5 billion from the current revenue value of $13.2 billion. Businesses can also reduce costs using low-code or no-code enterprise software app development,

#2: Artificial Intelligence

AI is the newfound anchor of trade. It is most prominently used in various fields of cybersecurity because AI can quickly spot malicious activities and software to identify potential threats. It can detect suspicious IP addresses as well as data breaches.

Firms focused on cybersecurity could deploy AI as the leading trend in software. It is a crucial element for hyper-automation that improves the quality of daily living and functionalities.

Lastly, conversational IT benefits marketing, sales, and customer support teams.

#3: Native & Progressive Apps

Native apps are ruling the trends in enterprise software development. It is on the radar as it allows businesses to target new and existing smartphone users. It enhances brand performance and enhances client experience considerably over Android and iOS platforms.

Progressive Web App is the new addition to this genre of app development. Also called PWAs, the designs target CX and enhance it. Any reputed app development company would explain the benefits of PWAs, which include fast loading time, greater capabilities, alleviate bounce rate, the ability to work on devices as standalone windows, and increases chances of restriction-free browser versions for apps.

In 2021, technology will become bewitching, and progressive web apps will be the future of development.

#4: Human Augmentation

With time progressing, it is evident that human augmentation would have a hopeful future. As the trends in enterprise software grow, human augmentation takes different forms, such as AR, VR, and MR,

Augmented Reality

In 2020, AR was a huge hit. It is said that AR will hold the market in 2021 as well. Much of the success of this technology is because of its use across multiple architecture industries such as navigation, retail, and manufacturing.

Once Instagram and Facebook add the AI-layered ad filters and formats, this trend will become undeniable. It will hold much potential as well. While its virtual makeover introduces a completely diverse dimension, enterprise software development cannot lag.

Virtual Reality

If you see the number of gaming and video apps mushrooming over the last few years, you would know how big this is.

Much of the growth is the result of the enhanced benefit of VR. Virtual Reality offers users the first-person perspective along with an immersive experience of progressive computerized visions.

As predicted, several enterprises tap into the potential and overcome different issues and challenges in this trending genre. VR, however, is not just in the gaming and video industries. It is helpful across varied genres, including the training and education sector. Schools, as well as other institutions, are making their way to introduce VR into classrooms.

As far as the corporates are concerned, it is the same story. User-centrism has been the major game plan for organizations in 2020. Corporates need this incentive alone to start adopting VR.

Mixed Reality

MR is the combination of AR with VR. It holds substantial prospects in enterprise software development and custom enterprise software.

According to ARC research reports, the MR market is all set to witness an increase in CAGR of an estimated 73% from the year 2018 to the year 2023. The market size is likely to grow from 1.054 billion dollars in 2017 to 9.982 billion dollars in 2024.

MR establishes the two best forms of human augmentation — VR and AR. While VR offers an immersive user experience, AR blends digital content with the actual surroundings of users.

Today, various companies are using AR and VR, including tourism, gaming, healthcare, defense, architecture, and construction. It is the best tool for custom enterprise software.

#5: Consistent Integration & Deployment

There are still concerns about making a glitch or bug fix effectively and enabling experiments-driven lenient software development practices.

Code testing confirms agile delivery. Speedy delivery and relevant code testing for the purpose is critical as it assists the development squad to chisel its functionalities and delivers products/services swiftly across a constant cycle.

This domino effect alleviates the delivery feature cycle significantly in continuous delivery through testing and continuous deployment by automatic app updates.

#6: Big Data

Called the “elephant in the room,” Big Data, also known as the Great Responsibility or Great Power, will be more influential. Whenever data becomes the most powerful tool for any organization, it experiences great hurdles. The issue emphasizes proper data tapping and utilization to have an edge in various business dealings.

Big Data plans something new for 2021 — including Data-as-a-Service (DaaS). DaaS aims to eliminate data redundancy by confirming that businesses have access to precise data at the right time.

Nonetheless, in recent times, consumers are more aware, and their journey is well documented about data security and data utilization. Thus, for the brands that cannot reiterate credibility, the question of data security arises.

#7: Blockchain

Bitcoin caused a lot of noise on the digital front, making everyone intrigued. However, that was merely the tip of an iceberg.

Blockchain offers much more than Bitcoin and Ether. Most of the companies involved in website designing and development are moving ahead with Blockchain designing.

P2P (peer-to-peer) networks can provide transparency, decentralization, distributed ledger, and robust security features by having blockchain in the list of best practices for enterprise software development.

#8: Cloud Computing

2020 saw excellent cloud computing as businesses were more dependent on the cloud servers to keep data safe.

As we move ahead, cloud computing will evolve quickly, catering to users’ changing requirements and expectations. As a result, it will enhance the functionalities of various industries.

When enterprises choose to transform their business digitally for 2020 and further, shifting to the cloud becomes necessary and the most feasible method of storing data. However, such migrations come with evolving expectations, which require innovative cloud technologies and enhanced and robust security features.

Therefore, cloud computing will take the last stride to become the top trend of enterprise software development.

Conclusion

Such trends in enterprise software development and custom enterprise software prepare a brand for impending success. Nonetheless, the final step is to implement these development trends strategically. The best step forward is to choose an experienced and proven enterprise software company to carry out this implementation process.

[jq37]

The Report Card -- Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 1

Sophomores and Spring Break 

Note: Hey guys! I decided to try something a little bit different and slightly more structured than my usual recaps for FH: Sophomore Year. I’m hoping this will be a little easier for me and a more useful tool for keeping up to date since there will be a lot more eps to keep track of and they’ll be easier to miss. Lemme know what you think and if you want raw, unfiltered opinions on anything specific, feel free to send me an ask. I’m always down to go off about literally whatever. 

We’re back, baby! It is Sophomore Year at Aguefort and the gang is on Spring Break. A lot is going down so lemme break it down. The Bad Kids, having defeated Kalvaxus last year, are all entitled to a share of his hoard and all the red tape is finally cleared so they all get 20k gold each (which is an insane amount of money converted to USD if you use the WOTC conversion rate of a gold coin being around $145 (circa 2006 when they answered the question)--which would be close to $330 with inflation). Jawbone and Sandra-Lynn are moving in after less than a year into a profoundly haunted house and it’s kind of a Full House situation because Adaine, Fig, Kristen, and Tracker all officially live there (plus it seems that Zayn has also anchored himself to Adaine’s tower--btw, Adaine took the tower that the haunted house obviously has) and you know all the other Bad Kids are gonna be there on the regular. 

More importantly, Aguefort gives the gang their big project for the year--finding the crown of the Nightmare King which was stolen at the end of last season--which is worth 60% of their grade (Adaine does a full Hermione at this information). Each of the gang has info about the NK but the trail has mostly gone cold. Luckily, Fabian just got a hot tip about where Falinel is keeping Aelwyn and she seems like a pretty good lead to start with since she was super tied up in the bad side of all the messiness of last year. Adaine is displeased to say the least. 

Going off to find the crown is super exciting story-wise for two reasons. First of all, it means the gang gets to hire, well, hirelings to help them and temporarily join the party! They ping basically every cool NPC they can think of (except for Tracker for some reason which is BONKERS because (1) she probably would have done it for free and cutting her in would still be keeping the money in the family, (2) she’s dope as hell, (3) she’s a cleric and the party can always use more healers, (4) she’s a werewolf so presumably she has skills that would help in the woods, and (5) they’re t r a c k i n g down a crown and the girl’s name is literally T R A C K E R, but I will not backseat D&D) and eventually end up with Ragh (who has been without an adventuring party all year, poor guy), Sandra-Lynn (swayed by a nat 20 rolled by Fig), Cathilda (!?) ,and, for some reason, Gilear (which Fabian is happy about, mainly for the opportunity to maybe bump him off on the way). Second of all, if you recall, Elmville is a pretty modern town but the rest of the continent is less fantasy high, more high fantasy. Horses and lanterns and all that pseudo-medieval goodness. They are gonna stick out like a sore thumb. I am very here for it. 

Everyone goes home to rest up but, after some ominous dreams, only four of them wake up. Riz and Fig are left asleep and then Brennan mic drops and ends the episode which is a power move and I am extremely upset about it but also, respect. Right for the jugular immediately. I heard Murph and Emily are on tour in the UK next week which probably has something to do with this but, in the moment, I did not know that and I really felt the hammer drop in my heart. It was wild. Cannot wait to see where we go from here. Plus, who doesn’t love watching characters freak out because their friends are in danger?

Random Thoughts

I have no idea what the title of this episode is or if it’ll even have one and not a number but I gave it a placeholder one for now. I also don’t have access to the stream yet so I didn’t get to include some info I wanted to (like a record of nat 20s, and nat 1s so I can track their stats for the school year) and I probably missed some stuff because my brain can only hold so much info guys. I’m not Brennan. 

I mentioned this yesterday during the stream, but there will never be anything better than the pure D&D joy of everyone, in character, talking over each other to clown on each other. They get the friend-group banter that’s a hair breadth’s away from bullying so true to life and it’s so fun to watch. On the flip side, the opening scene with everyone introducing themselves and affirmatively claiming each other as their best friends was also peak D&D. Found family= best trope. 

Fig and Adaine burn spell-slots at basically the same time to try and beat each other to the best room in the (Scooby-Doo ass) house--which is exactly the kind of thing that would happen in this world. It’s such an intuitive setting. I love it so much. (BTW, Fig ends up staying in the false space under the revolving grand piano because, of course).

Fabian and Gorgug went to recruit Ragh, who assumed they were propositioning him for a three-way. In his defense, they did do it in a super proposition-y way and they were in the middle of the LGBTQ student union.

Also, Gorgug gives Ragh an inspiring speech about thinking you’re your own dad which makes him burst into tears. 

Speaking of, Jawbone offhandedly says he’s poly but, like, based on some of the stuff he’s said, I feel like that’s not really a reveal. He also gets along well with Gorthalax and would be down w/ a three-way if Sandra-Lynn wanted to which, again, totally checks out. 

Arthur Aguefort uses Chronomancy to rewind time and catch a snide comment Adaine made under her breath, which is exactly the kind of frivolous use of God-like power I’d expect from him.  

I really love Adaine’s energy coming into this season. She’s in therapy. She’s in a good home environment. She’s comfortable enough with her friend group to do stuff like prank Fig (love that they’re gonna be living together now). And she’s good friends with Zayn now which I want to see more of based on their one interaction in this ep which was very cute. I am already on record as saying I would be down with her getting a ghost boyfriend--I mean, for the aesthetic alone--but I’d be happy with just more friendship. 

Fabian is also hilarious this season because you can tell he’s gone a bit soft from having friends and leaning into that (the friendship necklace with Riz) but also he’s fully aware that it’s happening so he’s, like, ping-ponging back and forth like, “These are my friends,” and, “What am I saying? I used to be cool,” and it’s very funny. Very happy the Aelwyn storyline is happening right out of the gate, both because I think Aelwyn is a very interesting character with a lot of potential for nuance but also because Fabian reacting to her and Adaine reacting to Fabian reacting to her is always gold. 

Prompted by an offhand conversation from Fig about rock and roll, Brennan--earning another feather for his Cap of God Tier DMing--goes on an impromptu five minute long improved diatribe about a bard who played such a good concert that it instantly impregnated everyone in attendance (dudes too) who gave birth to kids with sick rocker hair and denim jackets and ascended to Rock Heaven on their 18th Birthday. You truly have to watch it to believe it. At a certain point I thought he was gonna drop it but that was the moment he doubled down and kept going. Amazing. 

Watching Murph, in real time, make up a girl/boy/whateverfriend in Fantasy Canada was a gift. 

I don’t have access to the stream yet but best quote of the night that I can remember is Kristen choosing her room: This is triggering and I’ll take it. (Her line about her lesbian starter kit and the one about wanting a horse were also bangers). 

The group talks about what they’re going to do for transportation outside of Elmsville since they don’t really use cars out there and they somehow get from “disguise Fig’s tour bus” to “commission Aguefort to create a brand new animal that can hold six people plus hirelings, one of which is Fabian who is also riding his motorbike”.

I love that Sandra-Lynn’s Mom Powers work on Tracker. 

Basrar doesn’t accept the invitation to come with on the quest, but he does give Kristen a bag of infinite ice cream sandwiches, which is basically just as good, IMO. 

Oh Gilear. The man is sleeping in the Seacaster garage, being bullied by skater kids, and now he’s stuck on this quest with his ex and Fabian who actively wants him dead.  

Speaking of, I’m psyched to see more of Sandra-Lynn. She was kind of a sleeper badass at the end of last season. 

Ragh is keeping secrets which I hope the cast doesn’t forget because it could be nothing serious (like the high school drama happening with Skrank and the 7 maidens--maybe he’s just crushing on Gorgug who did full kiss him during Promocalypse) or it could be Serious Business that will blow up if the don’t stay on top of it. We’ll see. 

Oh, almost forgot. Adaine wants an emotional support frog. Every time I think I can’t love her more.   

Detention

Fig for Not Respecting Personal Boundaries

Fig goes full Emily right out the gate and, after finding out that Skrank (nerdy bird dude who apparently can get it) was not only dating Ostentasia (rich, popular dwarf) but also dumped her in pursuit of Danielle Barkstock (one of Ostentasia’s party members, the scandal), disguises herself as him with Danielle to figure out what’s going on. And, wouldn't you know it, when she gives herself away, Danielle immediately is shocked and appalled, as you would be, obviously. We also learn that she’s still catfishing Dr. Asha which is, how you say, for sure a crime. Fig, please, I’m begging you. Cease. 

Honor Roll

Fig, Riz, and Adaine for Researching the Nightmare King

Fig made both lists, look at that. Wasn’t my plan for this to be a three-way tie (also didn’t expect to use the word “three-way” this many times in this writeup) but I think their contributions were pretty much equally valuable. Rainsolo on the Discord wrote up this summary of the lore dump Brennan gave them.

[fixdex-fastening-technology]

ss or carbon steel drop in anchor

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