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So I'm behind on content as I have a 6 week old daughter that rules over me now. The podcast has been great to put on at 3AM when she won't sleep, or 6AM when she won't sleep or heck why not 1AM when she won't sleep. But either way I'm watching it behind schedule and in chunks. With that in mind, I'm like 2/3 of the way through the St. Patrick's Day After Dark craic (that's Irish for fun and is pronounced Crack).
Anywho, there was a bunch of stuff I was hearing that wasn't really getting answered. I'm from the UK, but have Irish parents. I also work in the video games industry so I've moved a lot. I've actually lived in Scotland (Dundee) previously and spent 5 years living in Galway on the west coast of Ireland. I thought I'd take a bit of time to answer some of the questions that were asked and not properly answered during the ep, about these 3 places.
1 - Do Irish wear Kilts? Yes they do! However it's not 100% certain when/where it all started happening. Some say it was the 1900s and military related. Some say it's as far back as 1590. However they treat the tartan differently - having the colours related to the regions in Ireland, rather than the families/clans like they do in Scotland. Saying that there are some families with registered tartans. 2 - What's up with St. Patrick and the snakes? This response could be a long one. So I'll keep it short. Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England all have their own "patron saints". It's questionable whether any of them ever actually existed. St. Patrick however, is the most likely to have existed. He was a Christian Missionary that came to Ireland to spread the "good" word. At the time, Ireland was almost entirely Pagan/Druidic. St. Patrick was banished by the druids for attempting to convert people. He was banished to a small island cluster where he built his first monastery and began housing people that were homeless/shunned by local towns and villages. Eventually, the work he began ended Druidic religion in Ireland and the "snakes" in the story are an analogue for pagans. There's actually a few kinds of snakes that can be found in Ireland. One of my dogs was actually bitten by an Adder when I lived there! 3 - What's the link between Ireland and Scotland? Another long answer that I'll try to keep short. Actually this could be a very long answer. But Scotland as we know it today was essentially formed by two ethnic groups - the Gaels and the Picts. The picts inhabited what is now Scotland for the most part before the Gaels arrived. The Gaels had been coming over from Ireland as far back as 500AD. Gaels (Gaelic speakers - the Irish/Scottish language) were a society based on Clans. Some of those clans - one of whom was called The Scots - were aggressive. Due to their aggressive nature, they were avoided by other clans and eventually decided in the middle ages that they wanted to create their own society. So, they began taking land on the west coast of what is now Scotland. At the time, the Picts inhabited a lot of that area of the country, with some Germanic tribes on the east coast and some Norman (kinda English) settlements towards the south of what is now Scotland. The Gaels came over and slaughtered a lot of the Picts and their society, taking the land and settling new villages. They eventually took most of the country, combining some Picts and Normans into their society, but essentially driving most cultures out. So, essentially, the Irish and the Scottish are ancestors and share a common language. No one really talks about Pict culture any more, but they were quite fascinating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picts. This is obviously an incredible simplification of hundreds/thousands of years of culture and societal change. But yeah, there's more to it than just hating the English. 4 - Who actually likes the English? No one. Not even the English like the English. I'm from the Midlands, who are hated by northerners and southerners, simply for being from another part of the country. Self loathing and sarcasm is at the core of a lot of English comedy. We "take the piss" out of ourselves and each other as a form of flattery. Heck, as a people, we keep voting the Tories in - that says as much as it needs to about self hating. 5 - Russell Brand and how to alienate yourself from the average human. Oh man. Where do we begin. I've never really liked him. He used to be one of the biggest names in British comedy. How far he's fallen. He was "cancelled" in 2008 after calling a guest live on radio (the Andrew Sachs, who played Manuel in Fawlty Towers) and leaving a series of terrible voicemails about Sach's granddaughter, who Brand briefly dated. It ended his career on the BBC and other channels wouldn't touch him. He then tried his hand at alternative shows and channels, but the damage was done. He was outcast. He was also a massive drug addict and spent a long time in rehab - coming out almost enlightened. He created a YouTube channel and started something called "The Trews" which was a play on The News crossed with Truth. All of this content was very much left leaning, but through the lens of "everyone should live a free and happy life". There was actually a (I thought brilliant at the time) show where he hosted Jordan Peterson and the conversation was really engaging. This was pre-Peterson meltdown mode before he went completely down the Nazi rabbit hole. Anyway, that kind of just died out as he went away from talking about Buddhism, freedom, meditation, essential oils, yoga and fairness - and more into the COVID style conspiracies. I think a lot of "lost" left wing types saw familiar arguments with things like vaccines. It's an easy jump to go from "I think we should all be allowed to do our own thing" to "you can't force a vaccine on me, you fascist". Given the proximity of that sort of content to right wing media and Brands rapidly declining popularity, it doesn't surprise me this is where he's ended up. He IS right wing now, but like others, he's been lead here without realising, but now he's dug his heels in because he's 100% ego and no common sense.
If Brand does come on the podcast, be ready for a rollercoaster of madness where he might even have a psychotic episode. Honestly. He's a mess now and neck-deep in the world of conspiracies.

By best I mean the best hope for the restoration of the world and civilisation.
Let’s go through the main factions, the brotherhood are mostly a force for good but their primary goal is weapons technology and maintaining a strong army, obviously a strong technologically advanced army is hardly a complete society. Sure they help wastelanders from time to time, but they stay wastelanders and so they don’t actually contribute anything except some protection. This makes them basically a lesser of two evils compared to the enclave.
Now the railroad, good intentions, but really have zero goals beyond “free the synth”. Their ending is the most contradicting and ludicrous of them all, destroy the only means for reproduction the synths have, to save them? Way to make them the last of their kind. And of course they don’t actually do anything else for helping anyone in the wasteland except coincidental removal of threats.
Lastly the minuteman, while the most obvious “good” faction, that is they only exist to help people, they run into the same problem that Mr. House offers. An autocracy where the sole survivor is the end all leader for the entire nation. When the sole survivor dies? The minutemen fall apart, which mind you they already did once before. The minutemen also do little beyond establishing a nicer status quo, with wastelanders living more comfortable wastelanders lives. They aren’t proposing better systems of government, or technology.
Therefore while the institute is highly flawed and morally dubious on more than one occasion it’s obvious their end goal is not “kill everyone” like the Enclave, nor is it “just make the best army” like the brotherhood. Their technology while unfocused and sometimes dangerous, can be best compared to the situation at Big MT on the west coast. Mad scientists, who after having some proper guidance from a good leader, are able to gradually disperse the beneficial technologies to the people in the outside world eventually contributing to humanity in a more significant way then maintaining the status quo or “protection”.

As eCommerce becomes a more popular method of doing business, an increasing number of businesses are looking to build their eCommerce websites. However, with so many platforms and options available, it can be difficult to know where to begin.
The eCommerce industry has grown interestingly during the global pandemic. Electronic commerce refers to the buying or selling of goods electronically using an online marketplace or the Internet. Computers, tablets, smartphones, and other smart gadgets can be used to do e-commerce. E-commerce transactions make almost any good or service accessible, including books, music, airline tickets, and stock trading.
The growing demand for convenience is driving the emergence of a digital-first culture, which is causing a rapid expansion of the e-commerce sector. According to analysis worldwide, e-commerce sales will reach US $6.3 trillion in 2023, supporting this upward growth trend.
This growth opens up a massive market for companies looking to sell their goods or services online. Traditional brick-and-mortar companies are quickly embracing change and creating online outlets for their interests, while some still have physical stores.
Businesses need to be nimble, to stay ahead of the competition and focus on the best tactics to accommodate the latest developments. In this article, we will discuss How you can start your e-commerce store and what strategies you can use to enhance your e-commerce store.
Also Read, How To Develop E-Commerce Mobile App Like Noon

How To Start A Successful E-commerce Business?

Step 1: Choose the most effective e-Commerce solution

The first step in launching an eCommerce business is determining what products or services you will provide. This can be difficult, especially if you don't know what kinds of online products people want to buy. Conduct some research to determine what people are looking for. Once you've decided what you're going to sell, you can begin creating product listings and designing your store.
Before you begin designing your store or adding products, you must first determine who your target audience is, and it will assist you in deciding what products to sell, how to market your store, and how to lure your target audience through website design.

Step 2: Decide the type of e-commerce you want to start after researching e-commerce models.

Given the size and level of competition in the modern e-commerce market, it is crucial to plan your e-commerce company model. There are four fundamental kinds:

• Business-to-customer (B2C)

A typical business strategy in which an organization sells products to customers, starting from spices to shoes. B2C companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba can sell several brands under one roof.

• Business-to-business (B2B)

Businesses sell goods or services to other businesses, in business-to-business (B2B) models. Orders frequently involve repeat purchasing. Rakuten, Alibaba, and Amazon Business are a few examples.

• Customer-to-customer (C2C) models

Online marketplaces that link consumers to trade products and services are a common feature of C2C models. Online C2C companies like Craigslist, Etsy, and eBay are available.

• Customer-to-business (C2B)

In a C2B transaction, people provide their products and services to businesses. Upwork, which enables companies to recruit independent contractors, is a good example.

Step 3: Plan Your Business.

You are prepared to create a business plan after laying the groundwork for it. The written document outlines your goals and a path for operations, finance, and marketing. It can help you arrange yourself and draw in possible investors.
Discover the market environment and present rivals for your product or service by conducting some research.

Step 4: Choose a company name and begin developing your brand.

Your company requires a name and a distinct brand identity next. The brand is essential to the success of your company if you are beginning a white-label e-commerce business.
Though it might be enjoyable, picking a company name necessitates some strategic consideration. You should make sure the web domain, social media handles, and legal name are all available in addition to having a distinctive yet simple name that accurately describes your product. Do your homework to ensure that it is culturally inclusive, especially if you want to expand internationally.

Step 5: Incorporate Your Company

Before starting your firm, you must register it by deciding on a legal structure, requesting an employment identification number (EIN), and acquiring any further permits and licenses required by the business model you have chosen.

Step 6: Create a website for your online store.

The next stage is constructing an e-commerce website when the necessary paperwork has been signed and your company has been duly registered. Your company's website serves as the "storefront" where customers can come, browse, and add products to their shopping carts. Your success depends on the operation of your company website.

Step 7: Choose the platform

It is difficult to choose the best eCommerce platform for your business. Any business owner must take into account numerous crucial platforms such as Shopify, Bogcommerce, WooCommerce, etc., given the abundance of options.
Choosing the ideal platform for your business will be crucial to determine its success. You can choose the best platform that can help you with your e-commerce development process. To simplify the process, you can reach out to web developers of Hyperlink InfoSystem to leverage their expertise and knowledge about the perfect web development platform.

Step 8: Find suppliers and create your goods or services.

You can start adding the names, descriptions, and images of your products once you've put up a prototype of your website. Additionally, you'll need to acquire your products, whether that entails developing them yourself in production or sourcing them from a wholesaler.
You should make enough inventory, if you're a craftsperson, to last the first several months. This could entail producing 20 pottery pots in each color and size or one of each color and size of a garment line. This figure will fluctuate based on your labor capacity and your marketing approach, such as how much traffic you're bringing to the launch of your website.
After that, logistics including branded packaging, warehousing, shipping, and inventory management will need to be set up.

Step 9: Start your business and market it.

Once your firm has been established, you can start tracking your metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) as it expands. To increase visitors to your brand, keep experimenting with different digital marketing strategies.
You'll want to make sure that your shipping and fulfillment operate successfully for every customer among the inventory management, logistics, and marketing. It is a good idea to create backup plans in case something goes wrong.
These are the steps to start an e-commerce business. You can follow these steps to build your e-commerce company.
If you want to build a successful e-commerce brand, we will explain how you build the best e-commerce brand. E-commerce website development is the best thing. With an e-commerce website, you can raise your business. Moreover, it helps market your brand and services.
Now that we have established the concept of e-commerce brands, let's discuss what factors you should consider for E-commerce development.
Also Read, Top 5 Ways Virtual Reality Will Transform ECommerce

Factors to Consider For E-commerce Development

We have outlined successful e-commerce strategies that can help you develop your eCommerce brand. They are necessary for any e-commerce company that wishes to differentiate itself from the competition.
Take a look at some powerful techniques for building your eCommerce brand;

• Put Emphasis On Product Quality

In all honesty, modern buyers won't tolerate inferior goods! The most well-known and well-liked eCommerce businesses produce and market high-quality products and services.
If you are starting a new eCommerce brand, you may focus on just one premium product. This is because it is simpler to give your product's overall quality and performance more attention.

• Deliver Top-Notch Customer Service

Customers are what drive a business to success. Because without customers, you don't have a business! Giving feedback is made easier for customers by excellent customer service. It enables you to understand what your clients are considering and how you may improve their lives.
Responding to customer complaints will assist your eCommerce brand in figuring out where its business is falling short.
Moreover, Chatbots are revolutionizing e-commerce and empowering companies to provide superior purchasing experiences. The use of AI chatbots in business is rapidly expanding. By 2024, the global market for chatbots will be worth more than $1.3 billion, predicts Global Market Insights. Chatbots streamline a broad matrix of complex interactions and advance enterprises as part of a larger transition to automate corporate processes and technologies that support customer care in the e-commerce sector.

• Brand Integrity

To effectively represent the brand in daily operations, your eCommerce brand should have a single narrative and a unified identity. A crucial step in achieving consistency across all mediums is creating style guides.
Avoid employing several styles or voices when representing brands with all available tools. They have the potential to erode consumer confidence and render your brand generic. Develop a website that reflects your brand voice with the help of a web designer who understands your brand voice.

• Target Market

Any eCommerce business must focus on the correct core population to be successful. For you to connect with their demands, you must accurately define your target market's reachable size and availability.
A new eCommerce company may be tempted to think that any web user is a potential customer. Despite being optimistic, it might not be feasible.
A vast resource that is increasingly gaining in popularity is social media. There has never been a better opportunity for an eCommerce business to leverage social media platforms for brand building.
An eCommerce company might establish a social media profile that emphasizes engagement and client support. You can hire web developers with prior experience that can understand your target audience and build a website accordingly.

• Create Your Visual Identity

You want something original, memorable, and pertinent to your business while developing your brand's style. It should be determined by the objective of your business and consumer purchase patterns.
Because they are simpler to comprehend and consume, visuals are essential for building a brand online. They also aid in product branding. You want people to be able to identify you with one glance at you.
Additionally, consumers respect honest marketing. The aesthetic of your company must be acceptable and dependable. To achieve the best outcomes, use a good style that accurately reflects your company's mission. You can hire the best web designer for e-commerce web development and they can help you create your visual identity and make your brand successful.

• Keep Your Website Well-Maintained

The process of maintaining a website optimized, operating efficiently, and performing at its best is known as website maintenance. The secret to a successful online presence is routine website maintenance, which may help you prevent problems that could harm your business, including hackers, poor SEO rankings, data loss, unsightly design, and many more.
You should keep your website updated and enhanced to ensure that it meets all the trends and technologies to give your users a better experience. If you want to provide a rich experience to your customers then, VR-based shopping allows users to view 3D images of the product and also see how the product will appear on them when they wear it.

Success E-commerce Strategies In 2023

Among the many successful e-commerce strategies and trends to watch in 2023, here are the top ones:

1) Mobile Friendly

According to mobile-focused marketing strategies, they are on their phones when you need to reach your clients. According to Statista, By 2025, it is estimated that the value of e-commerce retail sales will reach 8.5 trillion U.S. dollars on a global scale. Therefore, for e-commerce firms to remain competitive, you must optimize your consumer experience for mobile.
With huge font sizes and buttons, a mobile-friendly e-commerce site will always adapt to the user's screen size. It loads quickly and has a simple design. Order updates, automatic two-way interactions for things like product recommendation quizzes, and accessibility to customer care can all enhance the customer experience.

2) Customer - First Policies

Customers are more likely to try your items when you have customer-first rules in place, which helps to increase customer satisfaction. For the customer's financial protection if the product is a failure, don't forget to offer free shipping and returns. Customers will feel more at peace and have more time to decide if there is a 30-day or longer return period.
By implementing a guarantee, businesses may assure that customers can easily return or exchange a product if they are dissatisfied with it or if it malfunctions. This can be crucial because consumers are becoming pickier about where and how they spend their money. Furthermore, it will allay any worries concerning product durability.

3) Omnichannel Approach

An omnichannel approach is yet another amazing strategy for e-commerce businesses. You might have heard about this so many times all these years. One of the reasons omnichannel is going to rule 2023 is its sales-focused approach.
Omnichannel offers tons of benefits for various segments whether you consider it for marketing, Sales, or even service strategies. It allows you to offer unique user experience and customer support through multiple channels such as the website, social media, phone, live chat support, and more while streaming all of them together.
Omnichannel allows your customers to reach out to you through the medium they are most comfortable with rather them forcing them to choose one of the assigned ways only. All you have to keep in mind is to keep your customer data synchronized through all the channels. It will not only allow you to offer a unique user experience but will also minimize the chances of rework you might have to do to manage the customer data.

4) Personalization

Another tenet of a successful eCommerce strategy is personalization. If you want to stand out in a crowded market, make sure your company customizes the buying experience for your customers. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as making product recommendations based on their previous purchasing patterns or sending them tailored discounts and offers.
Another way to personalize the purchasing experience is to use consumer information to create a more specialized experience on your website or mobile app. You could, for example, use their location to display items relevant to them or their purchasing history to display comparable goods that they might be interested in.

5) Google Local Inventory Ads(LIA)

There is no denying that over the past few years, Google LIA has grown in popularity. In 20 nations, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US, Google has launched this project since it began in 2017.
Your eCommerce company needs to take action as Google keeps expanding its project to more and more nations. Check to check if Google LIA is available in your country.

6) Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The ability of eCommerce businesses to provide better client experiences and come up with innovative solutions is significantly impacted by AI. There is a lot of potential for AI solutions to assist eCommerce businesses with their daily operations and make them more focused and effective.
According to a HubSpot poll, many AI solutions are now so simple and convenient that 63% of people need to be made aware they use them. This demonstrates that you may inadvertently utilize AI without your users realizing it on your eCommerce website.
Your clients will be more likely to choose the proper item the first time if AR is used to preview products. Additionally, AR enables online shoppers to preview goods or use services in their own space and at their own pace before deciding whether to make a purchase. The realm of augmented reality shopping could appear to be a sci-fi future. However, firms are already utilizing augmented reality to market items.
We have discussed the above key e-commerce trends to look out for in 2023 based on the global e-commerce market.

Conclusion

The first hurdle is setting up your internet store; the second is expanding it. Consider incorporating some of these trends into your online plans for 2023 if you want to outperform the competition and make your store stand out from the crowd.
You do not have to make a significant investment in something that you are not confident will succeed. Try to start small with a limited number of clients and then iterate from there.
Customer experience is the one overarching trend that all others fall into in some fashion. You must give your customers the finest possible experience. Having a website that looks excellent on all devices, providing them with enough ways to finish their transaction, or providing total transparency and flexibility with their delivery options are just a few examples.
With the proper e-commerce growth strategy, your brand can adapt to the shifting global e-commerce market and prosper in the upcoming year. To optimize the customer experience, integrate your marketing and customer service software ecosystem. To help you develop your plan, use time-tested capabilities like automatic two-way chats, dynamic audience segments, and white glove services.
You should consider all e-commerce growth strategies to make your online store successful. Also, you can hire dedicated web developers to build e-commerce websites.
The Hyperlink InfoSystem has an expert team so you can hire web developers and take your business to new heights!
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Originally published on Hyperlink InfoSystem

I couldn’t believe that he said it. My own brother, who I’d known for years as a kind, compassionate – and most importantly - accepting person. To my knowledge, he’d never said anything remotely critical of an entire group of people; had never once expressed a belief or even a joking sentiment of hatred or bigotry. And yet, in front of my best friend, he said the word: The one you just don’t fucking say.
Naturally, I tried to intervene. I pushed my brother away, apologizing to Jackson even as I advanced on my monumentally stupid sibling. My brother – Craig – then had the audacity to ask what my problem was, as if he hadn’t just said the word in front of Jackson, who’d never even so much as looked wrongly at Craig.
Behind me, Jackson tried to assure me that it was fine; that I didn’t need to react so strongly; that he was sure my brother hadn’t meant it. But as if he were going for an award in callousness – or perhaps just stupidity – Craig repeated it; this time with face-cringing emphasis on the G-sound.
I punched him – or at least I tried to. He’d anticipated it, moved out of the way just as my fist neared his face. I grazed his chin, and stumbled forward, eventually falling into the rain-filled curb. My brother laughed and danced around me, like a maniacal little imp.
Being my best friend, having always had my back regardless of the circumstance, Jackson stepped up. He shouted for my brother to back off and came to stand between him and me. Craig is twenty-five, two years older than me, but he’s much larger; built like a linebacker, even though he’s never played sports. Jackson is my age, but of a comparable build to my brother. Seeing them lock eyes, I was sure that there’d be a fight; that things would come to blows there in the street; but to my shock, my brother stepped back, and Jackson helped me up.
“You’d probably call your friends and have them jump me, anyway. Not worth it.”
I shouted, “That’s enough!” and told my brother to go home – that I was staying at Jackson’s tonight. I live with Craig in a house a few blocks away, and we’d met up with Jackson earlier in the day to see a classic horror movie at the theater in town.
Seeing as how Craig had had more than a few beers from the theater’s bar, we’d figured it was best if we walked home together. I wanted to believe that he was just drunk, that his unprompted derisive outburst was simply the result of a few too many movie-theater beers; but that word wasn’t something you just said, especially not around someone whose people were the primary targets of its derogatory usage.
Glassy eyed, with that wicked sneer still on his face, Craig glanced at the sky and said, “It’s getting pretty late. Moon’s coming out. Soon your friend here will be practically invisible in the dark. Unless he smiles.”
I was certain that I could actually feel the heat of Jackson’s blood boiling beside me. With clenched fists he told Craig to go home. With my temper already flared beyond reason, I flicked some of the water from my rain-sodden jacket onto Craig’s devilish face. He flinched, but stayed put; his grin even wider, now.
Even I wanted to fight him, but I knew that it’d be a fight I’d lose. So, I begrudgingly turned away and started walking toward Jackson’s house. He followed.
Just as we were about to round the corner to Jackson’s block, Craig called out, “Be careful, bro. You know how they are in their own neighborhoods. Stay inside once you get there.”
And that was it. Jackson stopped, did a 180-degree turn, and started full sprint toward Craig. By this time the moon had come out and was casting a large swathe of its marmoreal brilliance onto the street. Craig had entered the broad scope of light, ready to face Jackson head on. I followed, unsure of who to assist if things got really bad; but knowing that I’d let Jackson at least get a few good hits in before attempting to break them up.
Jackson entered the celestial spotlight and transformed.
His clothes practically exploded from his body, blown away to flimsy shreds as if nothing more than tissue paper. His muscles expanded with supernatural spontaneity; the thickly corded thews and tendons inflating to Herculean proportions, becoming almost sickeningly vascular. Dark sable fur sprouted from the overly taut flesh, blooming atop every exposed surface. The bestial transformation occurred in a matter of seconds, and then he was on Craig; who’d not so much as shifted in surprise.
Jackson howled monstrously as he mauled Craig. I couldn’t see my brother beneath the hulking horror, but I heard his half-crazed laugh. He was amused, or at least pretending to be. This only served to further enrage Jackson, who slashed and clawed at my brother with demonic fervor.
I’d never seen Jackson in such a state, had never witnessed a Lycanthropic transformation. The snarling beast he’d become was terrifying. And the thoughts I’d had of coming to his assistance were dashed upon the rocks of reality as he roared triumphantly to the moon, my brother’s blood glistening on his ultra-canine face.
Craig had stopped laughing and was now insensibly gurgling on his own blood. His eyes – distant and bloodshot – came to meet mine, and I prayed that he was still acting; still taunting Jackson, now with feigned weakness. I’d been pissed at Craig, but I didn’t want him dead.
Thankfully, I was right. With a glottal chuckle and almost imperceptible swiftness, Craig sat up, gripped Jackson by the waist, and suplex’d him onto the sidewalk. There was a horrible crunch of bone, and Jackson let out a loud whine; like a dog struck with an unexpected kick. Craig deftly rolled away and regained his composure – his throat and most of his chest still hanging in bloody ribbons through his tattered shirt.
Dazed but by no means deterred, Jackson reoriented himself and leapt once more. Craig casually stepped aside, and I was suddenly face-to-face with that abominable werebeast.
There was a moment of horrific awe – of grotesque spectacle, and then terror sank my heart like a stone. My brother and I are what most would refer to as vampires. We are far more durable and physically capable than the fittest of humans, but werewolves are even more formidable. And Jackson is an exceptional genetic specimen of his kind.
He towered over me, with intermixed streams of saliva and blood trailing from his wide maw. A savage, supernumerary arrangement of teeth promised a death of untold agonies; and eyes blood-red with feral hatred assured me that that death would not come quickly. I held up my hands, hoping that in his lunar-enhanced state he’d still recognize me; would still show mercy to the one who’d been his friend for nearly two hundred years of standard human time.
He sniffed, examining me with flared, steaming nostrils; and then mercifully turned away. Relief washed away some of the terror that practically incapacitated me; but I was still frozen in place; more petrified than a fatally curious victim of Medusa.
Again, Jackson charged at Craig, only this time my brother met the ferocious challenger head-on. They locked in mid-air and came crashing down onto the street, where they proceeded to engage in the most brutal, blood-letting melee I'd ever seen. Throats were slashed; muscles were torn from limbs; teeth broken and scattered. It was midnight ultra-violence, darkly accompanied by fiendishly inhuman shrieks, screams, and growls. Dogs and other things howled supportively or antagonistically, and a few porch lights flicked on – but no one dared to come out.
Finally, things came to a grisly end when my brother – doubly delimbed and thoroughly eviscerated – kicked Jackson’s jaw clean from his skull, eliminating his most lethal method of attack. Already severely debilitated by my brother’s dexterous use of kicks, and his outright surgical employment of elongated nails, Jackson finally surrendered. He scampered away into the shadows, whining wolfishly. Craig, more than likely as tired as his opponent, nodded in acceptance.
Spurts of steam and bloody mist blew skyward, signaling Jackson’s detransformation. He re-entered the circle of moonlight naked, but otherwise unharmed – his wounds having healed in the process. Craig’s regeneration would be much slower, but none of his still-bleeding wounds were fatal – at least not to a vampire. They’d both sustained injuries that would’ve killed a human three times over.
In a moment of battle-induced sobriety, Craig extended his hand. Jackson accepted the peace offering and they shook as gentlemen.
Craig, regaining a mischievous glint in his eye, then said: “I'm sorry for calling you a mongrel. I know I shouldn’t use that word, but I’d never fought a werewolf before, and really wanted to –after the movie we’d just watched. I figured you’d be my best opportunity, and knew that the only way to make you really go hard would be to say the M word.”
Jackson laughed, the hoarse tiredness of his voice making him sound a little too close to his other self for my liking. He told Craig that it was fine, that the fight was fun. But that going forward, he’d only need to ask – wouldn’t have to throw slurs around.
Craig responded, “sounds good, haha.” and then they both turned to me, as if I’d have something to add to their newfound brotherhood. I just said that I was tired, and joked about how I’d probably need a new change of underwear, after what I’d seen.
Together, we headed to Jackson’s house and – for the fun of it – re-installed Bloodborne.

MODS please don't delete this, I had a post that reached front page before it got deleted and people are still inboxing me for updates.
Hi everyone, if you haven't seen my first two posts, one here one of nice guys, please ignore this, none of this will make sense. To everyone that was involved in the posts, hi again. My posts got deleted because even though I blacked out all the names, people kept trying to guess the parties involved and so both posts got deleted for doxxing. Never the less, I have an update.
I went in on Monday with full intentions of having my HR meeting, but instead, HR had a meeting with ALL OF US. Turns out our boss who's been with us for 30 years was fired for sexual harassment and sleeping with another employee. Then they pulled in one of the women who was having a consensual affair with him and tried to fire her based off her performance and the fact that she is highly mentally unstable and picks fights for absolutely no reason, however, she threatened to off herself right then and there so they gave her the number to a hotline and told her they'd deal with this later.
In the meeting about my boss, our HR and corporate reps made it very clear that sexual harassment or harassment of ANY kind will NOT be tolerated and personally handed out their business cards to all of us. The whole meeting I felt THE GUY's eyes on me and it made me super uncomfortable. However as soon as the meeting ended, my old supervisor (who was now fully our manager) pulled me into his office. He said that he noticed the guy staring at me in the meeting and wanted to talk to me. He asked to see the texts between us as my other coworker told on him and said that it makes HER uncomfortable to see how startled I've become and how I seem depressed and isolated, especially since I'm always laughing and smiling. I consented and showed him my messages (the ones that you all say on the Nice Guys post). He asked if he could scroll up since, like you guys, it seemed like messages were missing. I told him that he could scroll to a completely random time in the last two months and they would seem just as out of context and weird. As you guys saw, the guy can ramble on and on and seem like he's having a conversation with himself. My manager did that three times, scrolled to random days and each time he was baffled by how this man was having full blown arguments with himself and then begging me to love him, and then saying that I'm acting like a child etc.
This manager is very nonchalant and doesn't show emotions a lot but for the first time he actually looked at me with pity and pain. It looked like my dad was looking at me after learning someone fucked me over. He told me that he's not going to confront the guy on this harassment. I was shocked but it actually made a lot of sense. He said now that my boss is fired and he is stepping up to that roll, he's getting rid of all the employees that don't do their jobs and have been warned. The guy is one of them, he doesn't do his job very well. My manager stated that if he were to do a whole HR thing or call the guy into a meeting about me, he fears that the guy would turn dangerously angry at me. Especially since he lives right next to the college we work in. He told me that when he gets fired, it will be performance-related and he'll have no idea that it also had to do with his treatment of me.
My boss also said that it will take a week or so to do that because he needs to make sure that everything is resolved when it comes to my boss and there is an awkward transitioning period. He can't just start firing people day one. He said, he doesn't want me around the guy until then so he's going to use me as a personal assistant. However, that means my hours will change a little bit, so he will be paying for my rides to and from work (I can't drive due to medical reasons). The thing is when the weather is good I take the bus home, and he wants no chance of this guy finding out where I live. Since the guy isn't allowed to drive by law, the chances of him following me are min.
So, I will be by my boss' side all day at work, I will get home safely and I'll have to text my boss when I get in, lock the door, and turn on my alarm. I know it's not the great justice some of you were telling me to get, but with a person like this, you've got to think things through. I will be going to the police this week to make sure that if anything escalates, I have records of me going to the police and filing a complaint and stating that I fear for my safety and that I, by all accounts, have a stalker.
Thank you everyone that reached out to me. I got all your messages asking if I was murdered or not lmao. I figured this would be the easiest way to let you all know.
And yes, he is still trying to contact me, yes I am screenshot-ting everything and printing them out.

I (19M at the time) while I was living in another province got a deal with my mom and my grandma to move into my grandmas for the summer to look for a job to find an apartment to live in with my mom.
My mom told me the cost of rent and I calculated I could afford that cost doing part time so I said yes. I moved in to grandmas and I find out afterwards the rent is twice the amount she said on the phone.
I have autism and borderline personality disorder so I can’t work full time. I can barely even work part time. (She knew about the autism but didn’t know about the BPD because I wasn’t diagnosed with it yet)
After I realized I couldn’t afford the rent without doing full time I talked to my mom about it and she said “she didn’t know prices got higher since she last checked.” I got super depressed and stayed in my room most of the time after that. I didn’t even look for jobs at all mostly just played games. This situation sparked a lot of arguments about silly things between me and mom. My grandma got into daily drunken rants at night shouting things like “There’s an asshole living in my house!!!” from downstairs.
After all of that I moved back to where I was before and was qualified for Persons With Disabilities (financial assistance) and haven’t really talked to them much since.

In the 8 years we have been/lived together, not once has any member of my fiancé’s family visited except when he graduated from college. They live on the east coast, we’re on the west coast, and the burden of travel is solely on us as we struggle to make our way in the world. Not super relevant, just annoying.
Anyway, my fiancé’s step-mother is flying in alone and has requested that our pets (1 dog 1 cat) stay overnight in her hotel room with her and the special-needs cat she’s adopting while she’s out here. We don’t have kids, and I know she loves animals, but…they’re animals. The cat is a cat. She (the cat) will NOT have a good time and will likely find it a very stressful experience. She has not demonstrated a lot of flexibility to change, and does not play nicely with other cats at all. Our dog is extremely devoted to us and will likewise not be very comfortable in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar person overnight. Not to mention the adoptee cat and how it may feel around our angry demon-cat and 90lb American Akita.
This is 100% nowhere near the most egregious thing in this sub. I wouldn’t say my MIL is from hell, but I do find her request a little bizarre. I don’t want to insult her by suggesting that I’m not altogether comfortable with it, if only because I don’t think the pets would be.
What do you say? Just go with it? Maybe send in the dog and not the cat? Do you find my MIL more sweet/eccentric than bizarre?

So the title of my post is not clickbait, I truly do believe that. By broken I do not mean literal game breaking issues such as performance related issues or cheating, etc. What I mean is, every COD game in the past that is regarded as top tier has had a number of broken mechanics. I'm going to compare MW2 to MW2019. Note this is from the perspective of a player who is definitely not a pro or anything but also not a casual, as you can probably tell from my essay lmao.
MW2019
Mw 2019 is regarded by many die hard cod fans, as well as fans of fps in general as one of the best current gen cods, yet it is extremely unbalanced at its core. The movement was completely busted, guns were extremely unbalanced.
Warzone 1
In warzone's peak, Verdansk was very poorly spread out and unbalanced, while the buy stations and economy allowed one to buy an unlimited number of killstreaks, as well as early loadout/perk access. The majority of snipers/marksman rifles were one shot kills and had what felt like instant ADS. The vehicle system was extremely barebones and were very easy to control.
Conclusion on MW2019/WZ1
However, the culmination of all of this was that you ended up in one of the most fun multiplayer (aside from some really awful maps) and battle royale experiences to date. Despite this, players kept pushing to make the game more balanced (as they should) by advocating for changes like removing one shot capabilities for snipers, nerfing certain movement mechanics, adjusting the buy station prices, increasing ttk, nerfing recoil and damage range for certain guns, etc. We got some of that near the end of warzone and saw the game die. We got all of that in warzone 2.
MW2/WZ2
In the sequel to MW2019, we saw IW bring about a plethora of changes that for the most part reflected the wants and needs of the COD playerbase. The game definitely caters more toward controller players now, as they make up the bulk of COD players. TTK particularly for automatic weapons in both Warzone 2 and multiplayer have been reduced, and movement has been reduced to a shell of what 2019's MW had, as the casual playerbase got tired of dealing with KBM sweats bunnyhopping and slide-cancelling constantly. This makes it so that controller players can relax a bit and don't have to learn any movement techs to be successful as aim and tactics are largely what matter now. PC players on the other hand are kind of screwed as playing with a mouse naturally lends to worse shot accuracy, and they can't depend on good movement to counteract aim assist. So now the game has reached a state where you absolutely cannot miss a shot if you want to live, even in warzone, which is very difficult to do on a mouse and keyboard without warming up. BUT, these changes are what the players wanted and definitely balances game mechanics, as movement was definitely busted, and recoil was too easy to control in the past; the game was definitely arcadey.
Now moving on to Warzone 2 specifically, we saw damn near every change that players pushed for implemented. We received a larger, evenly spread and fairly balanced map, definitely more than Verdansk imo. Buy station got heavy nerfs, making things like UAVs extremely rare and expensive, loadouts and perks extremely difficult to attain, and increasing the price of most items in the shop. So now, players actually have to use groundloot and rely on game sense instead of looting for a few minutes, buying a loadout a UAV and rushing every player in the lobby. So these are definitely changes that balance the battle royale experience.
Vehicles received a major overhaul and are now far more complex, making them difficult to drive and kill other players with, as well allowing players to shoot the passengers of vehicles much more easily. Again, further balancing.
Snipers for the most part cannot one shot kill, and damage range for most guns have been reduced significantly. The looting system has also been made more complex, similar to other BR's like apex and PUBG. This is my point.
Summary/Conclusion
All these changes have resulted in the game being more balanced, and trying to be more like other FPS like PUBG, RSS, even Tarkov and Apex, games which are known for not necessarily being perfectly balanced but at least being much more balanced than the average COD game. And I'd honestly be fine if we got a game that was just exactly PUBG or Tarkov but with COD gunplay and movement. However, it is still COD and the core mechanics will never change. These balance changes have created a game that tiptoes the line that divides a standard COD game and other popular, more competitive FPS. What we've ended up with is a game that has received so many changes that balance the game while also having traditional COD mechanics which are naturally broken. A much stronger than average aim assist, easy to control recoil, unlimited and busted class setups, perks, broken spawns, are just some of the main COD mechanics which truly are unique to COD. Trying to balance a game that has so much bullshit, fun bullshit, at its core really only results in what I along with my circle of friends, and seemingly most COD players (proven by record low player retention), a very weird and mediocre COD experience.
What MW2019 did was deliver the most perfectly amplified modern warfare experience. A warzone map with crazy dense hot drops, constant meta shifts, and incredibly fast pace with its core mechanics as well as economy, kill streaks, buy station, perks etc. A multiplayer that was incredibly broken and had some shit maps, but at least classic maps like Rust and shipment, as well as the new map shoothouse were at most times incredibly fun and just peak COD imo. Running around abusing spawns and meta weapons, dodging bullets with crazy movement and quickscoping players with a kar98 was so fking fun yet unbalanced.
Anyways, sorry for the essay, my friends and I were discussing this for a while and I just thought I'd share our conclusion, controversial as it may be, on here. I don't post often so my formatting definitely sucks but if you don't want to read all of it:
TLDR; MW2022 received many positive balancing changes from MW2019, but balance is not what a COD game needs, and that's why many players including myself have grown bored of it so quickly.

1 or 2 Christmas' ago I received an Express gift card. On January 10 of this year, I went to an Express store to browse around and also check my gift card balance. An associate confirmed the card had a balance of $40. Unbeknownst to me, 5 days later (Jan 15, 2023), an individual somehow accessed my gift card funds and used them in entirety in store in Newark, Delaware.
I did not realize any of this until Monday evening when I attempted to make an online purchase, but my gift card kept showing a balance of $0. After several calls, I was able to obtain the fraudulent buyer's receipt and most importantly, the store location (Newark, Delaware). I am located in the West Coast nor have I been in any Express store since January 10th, so it definitely was not me.
If anyone is able to assist or has any speculations, I have a few questions:
1) Without having the physical card with them, how were they able to pay using my gift card in store? Does that imply the associate manually entered the card number and security pin? I didn't even peel off the pin code until Monday evening when I attempted to make a purchase online.
2) What is the likelihood that Express will send me a replacement card / credits? They last told me they are not liable for theft, but I argued that I never lost the card and it always has been in my possession. I emailed them a number of screenshots verifying where I was on the evening of January 14th and the entire day of January 15th.
3) What are the chances they will actually review the store video footage from January 15th at 2:52pm when the transaction took place? As the buyer purchased a men's top in a size XL, I am fairly confident they are a male, larger body build; whereas, I am female, size XS. Without reviewing the video footage, I don't believe a thorough and actual investigation take place.
Thanks in advance for any information or insights :)

It’s around 8:00 in the morning when you get to the small marina. It’s right off the highway that runs down the Florida Keys, with sand flats and mangrove shoots and gnarled rocky banks just a few yards off the side. At some points it looks like a strong high tide might just flood the road. Videos of salmon crossing flooded roads in Alaska come to mind, except now they’re bonefish, or maybe tarpon or mangrove snapper. The lack of sleep must be getting to you, and you shake your head slightly to re-focus your mind. You shut off the GPS on your phone as you pull into the gravel parking lot and find a spot in the shade of the small white shack that offers food, beer, live bait, and all kinds of smells foreign to your midwestern nose. You shove the wrapper from your breakfast into a rental car cup holder, and step out into the warmth. Your brain, used to the dull winter sights and sounds at this point of the year, feasts itself on the surroundings for a moment. The bright green mangroves, the palms rustling in the steady wind, the sound of a boat bumping against a dock.
This is why you are here.
You scan the dock as you grab your stuff from the trunk. Not much going on, but you see someone rustling around in a skiff behind some equipment, so you shuffle over. Are you the guy I’m looking for? Sometimes they’re old and crusty and wise looking, even sage-like. Sometimes they’re young, strapping, and serious looking. This guy is somewhere in between, but seems friendly enough. “As long as he can get me on some fish” you think. You talk briefly about the conditions, and he probes, trying to gauge your experience and get a feeling as to how much he’ll have to spoon feed you. You know the drill though, and without being too cocky, you’re moderately confident that with access to a boat and some local wisdom, you can make something happen.
10 minutes later you’re bouncing across a flat, clothes wrapped tight around your frame in the wind, hoping you don’t lose teeth as your bottom gets repeatedly slammed against the seat. A couple hundred yards or so to the right is an island, and you spot a small park as you zoom by. To the left, nothing but open sea. After a seemingly long ride, the guide cuts the throttle down to idle, then nothing. You feel relieved to not be in the high winds anymore, and can more thoroughly absorb your surroundings. The entire area seems to be waiting expectantly. It feels fishy. That means something, right? You stand up, quickly having to get used to the rock of the boat.
This is why you are here.
The guide grabs your rod from the storage spot on the side of the boat, and begins to rig it up to his liking. You pay close attention like an attentive student. “You’re gonna need to replace this line soon, the core is exposed at the loop” he says. You know, and you mention that you’re planning to replace it soon. He ties on a generic looking tan pattern. It could be a crab or a shrimp, you just hope it looks like breakfast to a hungry bonefish.
Soon you’re hunting. And that’s what it is out here on the flats. The guide poles along, you get used to the steady push provided by his effort. You know that at any moment, he might call out a fish. You remind yourself that 12 o’clock means straight ahead, 3 means right, and 9 means left. Once while out for redfish, you got so flustered after missing easy shots that you started looking the wrong way as the guide called out new opportunities for humiliation. You shudder at the thought, and refocus your mind on scanning the water. Speaking of, it is clear today, and about 3 or 4 feet deep on the flat you’re fishing. The bottom is split between large deserts of sandy bottom, and dark jungles of turtle grass. You hope that your bonefish comes on the sandy part, cause you can’t see jack in that grass. “There’s one, one o’clock, 40 feet moving right to left” comes the call out. You look (straight and a little right) and sure enough, a small dark shape is moving across the sand, coming slowly toward you. Your entire world shrinks down to this one moment.
This is why you are here.
You feel yourself going through the motions of casting, but your brain is in the water with the fish, willing him to eat as hard as you can. Strip, strip, strip, the fish is on it, following close behind. You keep stripping quickly in short bursts, trying to channel all your being into emulating a panicky crab on the end of your line. It’s right at the boat now, and the fish suddenly darts forward and turns, within a moment he is 30, now 40 feet out. Your finger burns, a new mark you will quietly admire later is scorched into you as the fish sears across the flat. The feeling of being attached to such a quickly moving creature cannot be described. Once you feel like you have a good shot at landing him, you break into the biggest smile you can remember ”…living as never before” is a line you recall from a Thomas McGuane chapter, and that seems about right. After several impressive runs, the fish is in the net, your first bonefish. You hold him up for a quick picture, feel his surprising weight and admire the dark banding on his back that makes them so hard to spot. In a moment held under the water the fish kicks off, disappearing almost immediately into a patch of grass. All is right with the world.
This is why you are here.

I'm looking at going to Vegas in September to meet a friend that lives on the west coast. I've been looking at flights, and unsurprisingly everything is expensive, except for Spirit. Not only is Spirit the cheapest option, but it is the only way to get a direct flight to Vegas from Cleveland. I am aware of the hidden fees and crap, but is Spirit really as bad as people point it out to be? I mean, it can't be worse then Frontier, right?

Home and Hospital Nursing Care: An Overview of Kefi Home Health Care
Nursing services are critical in healthcare and cannot be understated. Nurses are essential in giving care and support to patients both in hospitals and at home. Kefi Home Health Care in Chennai understands the importance of nursing care and offers it to patients in both settings. In this blog, we will look at the nursing services provided by Kefi Home Health Care as well as the benefits they give. KEFI Home Nursing Services Chennai treatment recognizes that many patients prefer to receive treatment in the privacy of their own homes. They provide a variety of nursing services to patients with different health conditions.
Skilled nursing services at home in Chennai: Kefi home nursing care services in Chennai provide skilled nursing services such as wound care, medication administration, injections, and catheter care. These services are critical for patients who require ongoing medical treatment at home.
Home health aide services: Kefi home health care services in Chennai also offers home health aide services, which include help with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, and grooming.
Rehabilitation services at home in Chennai: Kefi Elderly care nursing services in Chennai provides rehabilitation services such as physical therapy, vocational therapy, and speech therapy. These services assist people in recovering from injuries or surgeries and improving their quality of life.
Palliative care: Kefi Elderly care nursing services in chennai offers palliative care to patients suffering from serious illnesses. Their palliative care services are aimed at relieving discomfort and improving the patient's quality of life.
Kefi Home Nursing Services Chennai offers individualized pain management options that allow people to control their pain in the privacy of their own homes. Home healthcare nurses can enhance the quality of life of people suffering from chronic pain by providing services such as medication administration, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling.
Patients who have had serious surgery or a severe sickness require a significant quantity of time to heal completely. The healing process can be long and difficult, but it can be made more comfortable and effective with proper care and attention. Post-hospitalization care at home in Chennai can provide patients with the required help and direction during this crucial period.
Patients with heart illness who have had operations may require Wound Dressing at home. Wound treatment can be provided at home by a registered nurse, lowering the chance of infection.
Hospitals are notorious for harboring infectious illnesses that can damage patients with compromised immune systems. Post-hospitalization care at home can decrease the chance of infection, and our wound dressing at home chennai will provide the patient with a healthier atmosphere.
The patient and their relatives receive mental support from KEFI patient care services in Chennai. They recognize that controlling heart illness can be difficult, and they provide therapy services to help patients and their families deal with the condition successfully.
IV infusion is a medical procedure in which fluids such as electrolyte solutions and therapeutic medications are injected straight into the vessels. It is accomplished using an infusion set, which consists of a liquid tumbler or a plastic vacuum bag/bottle. A needle in the vein connects the plastic conduit to the restorative pack or container. Our KEFI IV therapy at home in Chennai will help you out you there.

You are to the point where on your lives you look uncomfortably unhealthy. Just the look of your struggling to do certain things without being winded or breaking out in a sweat should scare you. You know you’re unhealthy.
You truly need to go to a dr. I know you got some type of insurance with all the other gvt assistance you have. Go get your labs drawn. Your cholesterol is probably high, your cortisol levels are probably high, and the way you drink alcohol is benefiting you in no positive ways on top of those things.
If you truly care about those boys try to get healthy for THEM if not for yourself. Your health is terrible for you to be 28 years old. Imagine yourself in 5 years if you continue at the rate you’re going:
3x the size you are now… having to do lives on a couch vs a chair… still punching the phone… Myson and Alijah raising themselves even MORE than they do now. As much as you swear you have haters how about you prove them wrong by trying to do right!!!! Or do you truly not care and love the struggle you’re in and the attention you get from it?

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