#AND BY DESIGN THE ONES AT THE TOP GETS OUTSOURCED TO REGULAR PEOPLE JUST TRYING TO DO GOOD

[youve-always-had-me-cas]

The Reddit blackout is really funny because I fucking hate Reddit, I can't stand it, I will rant about the flaws in Reddit's Moderation system at the drop of a hat and as someone who used to mod a >300k subreddit believe me there are so, so many of them, but finally the admins of the website who have been profiting off the unpaid impossible labour mandated of their moderators by the structure of their website for years are getting the exact same treatment mods get every day. Your users are demanding an impossible thing of you. They hate you. They hate you. They want what you are offering them but their sense of justice is irreparably skewed and they will not listen to a single thing you have to say anymore. But unlike the people stuck trying to hold a community together under these absurd constraints they do not control you made this horrid mob of people and fostered this culture for decades this is entirely one hundred percent your fault.

[isthatmanahimbo]

Continuing on with a previous entry’s rugged-mountainous aesthetic, we have fan-favorite Hashibira Inosuke!

Inosuke is a deuteragonist of the smash hit animanga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, first published in Shounen Jump in 2019 and promptly rocketing to the top of sales lists worldwide in the years following. Inosuke was abandoned in the woods as a child and raised by a family of boar, and part of his character design is the boar head that he wears more often than not – this further reinforces the overall theme of family and foundation in Demon Slayer as Inosuke strives for more strength to carve out his place in an ever-expanding world.

Even discounting the boar's head that he wears, Inosuke's design is striking – where other characters choose to wear the standard uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, with their own distinctive patterned haori, Inosuke chooses to go bare-chested, pelts slung all over the lower half of his body. Although the main cast are all shown to be physically at their peak due to their profession, Inosuke is notable in that he is the only member of the younger half of the cast whose physique is noted on by his peers – it is remarkable, Zenitsu wonders upon first meeting him, that someone so fucking shredded could have such soft facial features. Inosuke's physicality gets him into and out of scrapes, as his fighting style centers around instinct, sensations he can pick up on his bared skin, and good old-fashioned bullheadedness. No fancy breathing styles for this guy when shredding-gnashing-tearing will do the job just fine.

At his introduction, Inosuke starts out quite selfish in his stated desires and in his perception of himself, not putting any sort of sense of justice or hatred of demons as his motivations for joining the Demon Slayer Corps, merely the desire to get stronger. Upon meeting Tanjiro, Nezuko and Zenitsu, and others along their journey, Inosuke promptly face-heel turns into a more magnanimous worldview. Heart-Full can't be stated as his greatest character trait, but he makes long strides in that area very quickly upon being shown even the barest kindness, and it becomes clear that his selfishness has nothing to do with any underlying maliciousness, it is purely his inexperience with an outside world. He may have to outsource his moral compass from time to time, but the important thing is that he knows when to ask.

Another result of this isolation in his upbringing is his less-than-refined mental acuity. Some of it can be written off as naivete or inexperience, for one example believing that a never-before-seen steam train is a forest spirit and lord of the land (and wanting to jump out of the window to see if he can win in a footrace), other instances are less optimistic. What else should one do when one is dropped by a headbutt than run headfirst into tree trunks to try to harden one's skull? The logic is infallible.

Luckily, Inosuke has a gang of closeknit friends that he can outsource that mental heavy-lifting for him – and boy is Inosuke smitten with his chosen people. We get regular instances of Inosuke going googly and heaving dreamy sighs when someone close to him (usually Tanjiro) does something impressive or hands him a compliment. He isn't picky on gender, either – Inosuke makes mental grabby-hands for the slightest hint of affection whenever anyone speaks to him, and it is not difficult to impress him. This boy Chads and is Chadded in return, like any good polycule.

Comin' through, comin' through – we got a grade-A Himbo comin' through!

Total Himbo Score: 19

[zemomo]

How Can I Automate My Design Uploads to?

I was just a regular guy trying to set up a second income stream to make my life a little bit better.

Let me tell you about how it all got started.

You see, I’d already tried the whole build a brand, hold inventory and ship it to customers. However, with that approach there’s just too many variables to manage that take up time.

You really need to be on top of the ball.

Then I found the print on demand space and realized these marketplaces do all of the fulfillment work for you…

All you have to do is upload designs?

Awesome!

Now from the outside looking in, I’d always assumed like most people I’ve spoken to that making money with Print on Demand is as easy as clicking a button or two.  But after creating an account, uploading my first few hundred designs I was exhausted and burnt out.

The processes and pain of putting the designs onto these marketplaces was causing me serious “brain damage”.

Everytime I picked a design I’d have to resize it, reformat it, change the background color and a million other little things.

Which is technically pretty “easy” but all that time adds up quick.

specially when you’re trying to find hundreds of designs that sell a few products each… rather than one product that makes hundreds of sales.

Each design was taking me anywhere from 10-15 minutes to upload…

Multiply that by the 100 designs I was doing per week and I was spending 16 - 20 hours per week stuck at my computer uploading.

What’s passive about that?

I knew if I kept this up eventually I’d start earning royalties from my merch sales but I didn’t know if I could handle spending THAT much time uploading designs.

So I tried outsourcing it…

But that didn’t go as planned… The whole “team” thing wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be.

That got me thinking of ways to solve this mind-numbing upload problem.

I thought if there was a way for you to upload your designs in one place, have the right formatting for each marketplace taken care of and not have to worry about wasting time uploading things…

I’d be able to get more designs out there quicker and have a better chance of finding a few winners.

So I got in contact with my development team who were currently working on another project of ours.

Our goal was to create a platform that made uploading designs the easiest part of the entire Print on Demand game.

All someone would need to do was upload their designs, select what merch they want it printed on and then sit back and relax while it did the work.

After a few weeks of running this program in my own business I couldn’t believe how much easier my life became… Soon enough I was uploading more designs to more marketplaces and earning MORE royalties.

I knew that there had to be more people like me out there… people who can’t stand wasting time uploading their designs to these marketplaces.

And that’s how Merch Titans Automation was Born.

Maybe you’re trying to make your print on demand work after you finish your job and only have a few precious hours to spend on the business…

Or you’ve hired a team to do the uploads for you but are spending a lot of time and money training them…

Maybe you realise how important it is to get MORE hooks (designs)  in the water in order to find merch that pays you SERIOUS royalties.

Whatever the case, it’s our mission to make your Print on Demand business as simple as possible.

If you think you could benefit by having all of your design uploads taken care of in a single, easy to use software, so you don’t ever have to spend more than a few seconds per design, then go here and check out the Merch Titan’s Automation. 

[sasa-gay-yo]

Just Us (Chapter Eleven: Break Up)

← Chapter Ten

“A little higher, yes, right there! Now to the left, put the nail right below that truss. Perfect! I’ll hand you the sign.” I reached down and picked up the newly polished piece of wood with the cafe’s name on it in a fresh coat of paint for the year-end opening. 

Flynn’s 

Jonas took it in his hands and hung it up on the new wooden post. This time, it would hang off over the street so that people could see where we were. Before, the sign was nailed next to the door and was now fading drastically. While I kept the old sign there for memories, the new sign was a fresh red color and had been sealed by the carpenter to make sure it lasted longer than the last one. It was something I had meant to do for years, but never got around to it. Now that I was just sitting and making bread for the refugees, I had time to design the shape and font I wanted. The sign was a light wooden rectangle with dark, red cursive lettering and had another small circular sign with a cup of tea attached to it, indicating we were a café. 

“It looks nice, Eva. You picked a good wood to contrast the letters,” Ben marveled up at it as Jonas came down from his ladder. Whenever I had added or changed something about the café, I asked Ben his thoughts about it, seeing he was the only one, second to me, who cared the most about it. When I went to him saying I was buying a new sign, he rejoiced. 

Jonas shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at it too. He couldn’t grasp why this was such a monumental change to Ben and I who had to fight Mr. Flynn to even make a sign in the first place. There weren’t many visitors to Trost when he had built the café, but when we came along, things were changing and he hated it. The first time Catrin gave out fresh squeezed juice, he grumbled about it for weeks saying a café should just have bread and coffee. It was funny, but if we left Mr. Flynn alone with his precious café, he would have ran it into the ground.

“You think he hates it?” I looked up to Ben and he nodded and mirrored Jonas’s stance. There was almost some undertone of weirdness being friends with Jonas because when he hit puberty, he morphed into a younger version of Ben. It was also a bit awkward that the mirror image of my brother still had feelings for me. Maybe that was one of the reasons I didn’t see Jonas as someone other than my best friend or another brother. They looked too similar.

“Most definitely. The old man is rolling in his grave right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if a strong winter wind knocked it down.” We stood there for a few, marveling at the sign as the sun went down. Jonas was the first one to whine it was too cold and we took that as a sign to go back into the café. I still had to clean up and get ready for opening tomorrow. Ben and Jonas had promised to help me run the café tomorrow to hold off the rush of people coming. 

When I took out an add in the paper to announce my holiday hours, people had flocked to my door, there to confirm if the newspaper was right. When I told them I was, in fact, opening back for year-end only, people were already trying to put in orders. I think the people of Trost wanted normal back, and my café would give them some of it. 

“So the Garrison just dropped you like that? Without any warning?” Jonas swept some dirt into the dust pan. 

“It wasn’t like, out of the blue. I knew it was coming. They have nothing to give me for pay and I demanded pay. I would have done it for a few more weeks as well, just for the refugee’s sake, but with the allotted flour for year-end, I just couldn’t continue without them giving me their stores. I wish they did it a little after year-end though so I could have brought pastries to the refugees. Maybe next year will be a better harvest.” Ben looked up from the book he was reading and moved his feet so Jonas could sweep under them. Jonas mumbled something under his breath about his father not doing anything, but he left it unnoticed. 

“Could you just show up with some things? Maybe you could make enough to give the children?” Ben had also worked closely with the refugees, trying to help outsource jobs and employment opportunities for them when people still trusted them. By now, no one would take in refugees for work. 

“No, they aren’t letting any outsiders into the stockyards now. That might be another reason I can’t make bread anymore. I have no idea why they’re doing that, and I hope it’s not another isolation policy because Trost citizens are complaining again. I even asked a person in the Garrison who likes me, and he said he couldn’t say.” Jonas, again, grumbled something under his breath, probably about the refugees, and I threw a rag at his head. 

“Hey!” 

“You are almost thirty years old and have no regard for other human lives. Tch!” He threw the rag back at me a little harder and glared. Ben just looked on, smirking at the two kids he was used to bickering back and forth. Ben had said the first day he introduced Jonas to me, he knew we’d be best friends and perfect enemies.

“Well, we always seem to forget that two refugees attacked you and that our food supply is little to none because we have to give half of it to them. It’s not just Trost either, Aunt Catrin told us that Stohess is also struggling with the weight of a whole district. We’ll be starved by next spring, the titans won’t even want to eat us!” I put down my rag and just sighed, glaring at him as he swept quickly, wanting to get out of the café. Jonas had broken up with his third girlfriend of the year and he wasn’t in the mood to have a heated argument session with the girl that was still pushing him away. That was the reason she had broken up with him: he still had feelings for me. I was afraid to bring up Levi to him because of this, but I wanted to tell him. Everyday, I would get more and more uncomfortable lying to him.

“I’m sure the titans don’t want to eat you anyways, Jonas.” He stopped sweeping, glaring at the ground. Uh oh. 

“I guess no one wants me then.” It was Ben’s turn to widen his eyes at his son’s sadness. He had spent a few minutes lecturing Jonas about how long it took Ben to find Analee, but it didn’t help soothe his sadness. In all honesty, Analee was Ben’s first girlfriend and he got her pregnant before they were even married and both eighteen. He wasn’t the right person to give his son advice and neither was I. We both agreed to just forget Jonas said that and move on with whatever we were doing. 

“Well, you two, I’m going to get back home. Your sister was adamant I help her build that new desk before tomorrow. I’ll be here tomorrow at opening, Eva, like old times. Don’t come back late Jonas, or you’ll wake up your mother.” I smiled up him, casting away the mood Jonas put me in, and waved to my brother. Ben and I were the closest, probably because of our locations too, and I always felt calm when he was around me. He was the most like Mr. Flynn. Jonas was such the opposite, and I’d always wondered how Ben had made him.

When he left and the bell stopped ringing above the door, Jonas and I just let the silence consume us. At this point, he wasn’t even sweeping up dirt, but he didn’t want to talk to me in the bad mood he was in. Did she really have to break up with him when I was about to spend every day of the next week with him? It had nothing to do with his feelings for me, but everything to do with the awful mood he’d be in. Last break up, I had to pull him from the bar at least three times, waste a pale of water to sober him up, and he fell asleep completely on top of me, cutting off my breathing. I had told Levi about this and he threatened to break off his fingers in letter form, even if it was back when we were eighteen. Levi gave Jonas no chances.

“How many people do you think will be here tomorrow?” He broke the silence first and I was glad he’d changed the subject. I could talk to a regulars Jonas.

“I couldn’t say. I’ve had at least thirty come to the café in the past week asking. I don’t think there will be a lot of people at the tables, but most will be coming in and out.” He nodded and set the broom down, sitting with it. He’d probably swept the floors twice, but I guess the extra cleaning won’t hurt. 

“My dad’s been on my ass about learning how to work at the café. Something about character building…” Sounds like Ben. Well, sounds like Mr. Flynn, but same person. 

“I wouldn’t mind the extra help. Elias can’t really count money reliably enough to let me bake while he runs orders. I let him just take things in and out of the oven and to customers. Sometimes, I’ll even let him use the mixer. Elias is getting that vital character development. I’ve also thought about giving him this job when he gets old enough so he doesn’t have to work under his father.” I jumped back up on the counter and forgot I had just cleaned it. I’ll do it more tomorrow. 

“I hated this place as a kid. Grandpa always forced us to clean if we were staying with him and Duran tried to always beat me up for no reason. When I was old enough to get my own job, I was ready to leave it behind. Funny to think the kid likes it here. I guess since you’re basically his older sister, it’s probably a you and dad situation.” Jonas and his younger sister were forced to come help at the café since Mr. Flynn was getting older. Duran would always run off somewhere and I stayed and baked, so Mr. Flynn needed some others to do the dishes and lift heavy boxes. Jonas stayed because I stayed. The café work at least helped Jonas prepare for delivery work at Reeve’s. 

“I loved this place, still do, but you know that already. It wouldn’t be mine if I didn’t like it.” He rolled his eyes, knowing how much I stupidly fell in love with the bakery at one point. It was during secondary school when Mr. Flynn’s lessons of life actually go through to me. I was finally getting out of the Underground depression and having a purpose fueled me. The bakery was something I did every day, almost every hour, and sometimes neglected my school work to do it. I had finally found something that was mine and I wasn’t going to let any amount of slacking take it away from me. 

“Do you think you’ll stay here forever? I mean, like Grandpa did. Pass it on to your kids and what not.” I nodded, looking out at the hanging sign in a crack of the front window blind. 

“There’s nowhere else I want to really go. I have everything I need here in Trost and I can go visit the other districts when I want. Plus, we’ve already lost four places I can go, so it’s slim pickings for retail locations. If I somehow don’t end up having kids and Elias takes my offer, I’ll give it to him probably. ” He hummed in agreement and leaned back in his chair, tilting the front legs of the floor. This reminded me of when we were in school and Mr. Flynn would make us close up for him when he wanted to sleep early. We’d clean and then sit here talking for hours about anything. I’d force Jonas to help me with math homework and sometimes pay him to do it. After Jonas got a job, it would be just me closing. It’s been a long time since this ex-tradition has occurred, so it was mildly comforting. We sat like that for a while, just staring somewhere in the café, probably thinking about when we were young.

Mr. Flynn acted like he hated us, but I knew a day never went by when he didn’t smile down at us and was thankful we were there. Jonas, Duran, and I were a lot to handle sometimes, but it was just the joys of youth. I would pay to go back them, too. Just to be able to tell myself that I needed to remember times like this, because when I was older, it would all change. I would be alone in the café.

“You know, Dad wants us to get together. He said it’s the thing that makes the most sense.” I sighed. There goes the comforting feeling that we’d just developed. Goddamn it, if he didn’t have to mention that, I would have had a great night, even a drink or two to celebrate opening. Now, his attitude changed and he suddenly wanted to talk about feelings. Didn’t you just get broken up with?

Ben had even taken me aside after Wall Maria fell and mentioned to me what he thought was right. Humanity’s time seemed to be fleeting and it wouldn’t be fun to die without a family. I fended him off, not telling him that I was not alone and very much in a relationship, but he would still leave hints here and there. Today was one of those days talking about keeping the café in the family and remembering the times when little kids ran around the tables. He’d even start telling us stories of how him and Analee would take care of the café as it’s first employees and how they fell in love. He was hoping the same thing would happen to Jonas, and that’s why he was forcing him to work here now. That was probably the only thing Ben and Jonas agreed on. 

“He’s mentioned it to me a few times. I’ve always told him no, but I guess when he gets his mind set on something you can’t tell him to lay off of it.” I looked warily at Jonas, trying to gage where this conversation was going. Why does it always have to be around year-end when he tries to pull all of this stuff? Wasn’t he just crying about his girlfriend breaking up with him yesterday? Now he’s talking about how bad Ben wants us to get married? 

“You know what I think about it. If you gave me a chance then may-” I cut him off before he could dig himself into a deeper hole. How could I tell him he wasn’t the one for me without telling him about Levi? While Levi and I weren’t nearly as serious as our time together would allow, his letters have shown me no reason to think we’d be ending our relationship soon. I was busy with bread and the café, he was busy with training, and at the end of the day we would sit down and write letters to each other, looking out at the same moon over Trost. It wasn’t the best situation, but it wasn’t one that was so hard I’d give into Jonas’s easy way. 

“Jonas, you also know my opinion. You’re like my brother or my cousin. We were raised together and you look almost exactly like Ben. I don’t need to keep listing out reasons to hurt your feelings more.” He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. 

“I know, but it’s just… Actually, I don’t know what it is. Never being able to advance your relationship with someone you have feelings for? Always getting into relationships you know will end because you don’t really like the girl? Maybe, I’m just tired of doing that.” 

“You’ll find someone, Jonas. You just aren’t looking in the right places. What was the girl’s name? Nana? Nora? Whatever it was she was annoying and self-centered.” I laid back on the counter looking up at the ceiling. I wasn’t going to be able to cheer him up like this forever because it’s always at the expense of me not liking him. He makes me feel like all of these breakups are my fault.

“She wasn’t you.” There it is. The direction we were going to. 

“You need to stop thinking about me, Jonas. What do you need me to say or do so that you move on from me?” I put my arm over my eyes, trying to stop the headache that I knew was about to come soon. I guess he was holding this in for a few months since he was dating that girl. It started with an N, I know that for a fact.

“No clue, Ev, but when I find it, I’ll tell you. If knowing that you’re in love with the Captain of the Scouts doesn’t deter me, I don’t know what will.” My eyes snapped open. 

“If knowing what?!” What the hell does he know? There’s a very serious possibility that he was sneaking around and found the letters in my desk. Maybe he saw Erwin’s letter carrier handing me the envelope? It didn’t make sense that he would know from Levi and I’s actions because he was pretty cold to me when Jonas was around. We’d taken most of the precautions we needed to. It had to just be his hunch… but his hunch was right. 

“I heard you that one night when he was bandaging you. There was just… something didn’t sit right with me when I was leaving. I sat there outside of the café listening to you two for what felt like hours. That confirmed it for me, but I still can’t believe it until it comes out of your own mouth. I guess I’m not good enough for you, Eva, but how could you fall for a Scout? I didn’t think you were that stupid.” The anger enveloped me as he said that, but I knew what he was saying was from deep down inside. If he knew this long, his heart beat with anger at every and any mention of the Scouts. His unexplained hatred for their presence in the last few months now made sense. Every time he saw a Scout he was reminded that even though they die young, are never around, and go on suicide missions, I’d rather pick that over him.

Laying there on that counter with Jonas’s eyes on me… it made me uncomfortable. Every layer of privacy and secrecy was shed in front of him now knowing that he knew for that long. That means he must have noticed the letters. Noticed how I always cleaned Levi’s table twice and had peppermint tea stocked even when the café was closed. He might have even heard me crying at night over how much I just wanted to see Levi again when he’d crashed on my couch… and every time I did that, he wanted it to be him. 

I couldn’t deny our relationship and try to make him feel better about himself. He knew and had heard everything we had said to each other that night. I’d have to face this feeling head on and I didn’t want to. I just didn’t want to tell Jonas that it will never be him. It was better to have him in limbo and still have my friend then to break his heart completely and never see him again. Jonas was my first friend and is my best friend. He was there the first day I was above ground. He was there for me when Samias broke my heart. He knows almost everything about me, but here I was about to lose him over something I couldn’t control. I wasn’t going to give up Levi so that Jonas would feel better. 

That probably hurt him even more though; me lying to him about Levi. 

“How much are you going to hate me after I tell you everything?” I was hesitant to tell him anything. I know deep down he wanted to know all about Levi and I. He wanted to see where his shortcomings were and judge Levi’s actions and intent. He wanted to be able to reach deep down and find some string of hope in one of Levi’s downfalls. However, this emotion he’s had was pent up for months.

“I’m never going to hate you, Ev. That’s the problem.” I let the tears fall then and curled up into a ball on the counter top. This wasn’t the Jonas I liked talking to. This was the Jonas that made you feel every emotion he was going through too so that you gave him pity. You wanted to love Jonas because you didn’t want to see your best friend hurting like this. It was my fault that he was hurting and I couldn’t fix it. I couldn’t do what he wanted me to.

I knew he was in pain when he didn’t move to comfort me like he usually does. Whenever I would cry, he would always be next to me, a soothing hand on my back. I would never shy away from it before, but looking at the situation now, I wish I would have created that distance. It was good that he didn’t do that because it would have made the situation worse. We just sat there and I tried to mute my cries with my arm. It wasn’t working. 

“One day he’s going to die, Eva. If he doesn’t leave you before that.” Now he was trying to hurt me directly. Maybe he thought if he broke me enough, I’d go to him and not Levi. 

I didn’t answer him as I was too busy choking on my tears. 

“He won’t marry you. He won’t give you kids. He can’t give you anything you want in the future if he knows someday he won’t have one.” I wanted to beg him to stop. He doesn’t think at night, when all I have are the thoughts to pull me out of loneliness, I don’t think about all of this? Will I be happy with just Levi or will I want more and he can’t provide that? Can I not be up to his standards? After Hange mentioned kids, I thought about how horrible it would be for them to live in a world like this. We’re fighting to stay alive and to eat, and their father would be gone for months on end. I didn’t want to think about the future and Jonas was forcing me to. All the negative emotions I tried to push back in these past months were coming to the surface with every word. 

“Does he really like you or are you there just to fulfill his fantasy of a relationship? What man leaves the woman he loves alone for six months?” I clenched my jaw hard. His words started to stab too deep.

“Shut up.” It was soft and muffled by the sounds of my tears, but he heard it. He was waiting for my response. He wanted to see if I agreed or not; to see if he broke me enough. 

“Eva, I know you know what I’m saying is the truth.  It’s best to stop this game of pretend before it’s too late.” 

Pretend. 

I pull my hands into fists and shot up on the counter. I was angry again now. He didn’t get to call my relationship a game. Whatever feelings of loneliness or sadness that Jonas wanted to make me feel had left instantly as he mentioned playing pretend. 

“You are the one who’s playing pretend! Pretending that I’ll come around and pick you. Jonas, if I wanted you, it wouldn’t have taken over ten years to realize it!” This time his face contorted into some type of negative emotion. His plan didn’t work. I didn’t cave like I normally do. 

“You’re pressuring me into something that I don’t want to do all because you don’t like that Levi makes you feel inferior. He’s stronger, smarter, and now he’s taken your girl from you. You know why? Look at this,” I gestured to him with both of my hands, “Levi has never talked to me at me like this. He would never call me stupid or try and insult me enough to change my mind. You’re right, I haven’t seen him for six months, but in that time he’s written more sincere words than you have ever said to me. I don’t care what Levi does and doesn’t give me, and I know you won’t be able to give me what I want either. Not like this!” I threw my left hand to my side and took the silence to catch my breath. 

“Eva.” It was angry and heavy. He wasn’t ready for me to come back at him like that. He never thought I could talk to him like he talks to me. 

“I have supported you through everything you have done. The countless girlfriends, the times when you were kicked out of your house, when you didn’t have a job; I was the one who comforted you and took you in. Now, I make a decision that hurts your feelings and you can’t live with it? You have to degrade me for who I choose to date, only because it’s not you?!” He stood up too, the chair flying back and hitting the floor. He stood almost a foot above me, but I wasn't backing down. 

“You will never understa-” 

“You’re right, Jonas. I will never love you the way that you love me, and I will never understand how you treat someone you love like this.”

It was tonight. I had always thought about when this would end. When Jonas and I would stop playing pretend. When I would stop pretending not to see how he looks at me across the café. When I would stop pretending that my best friend didn’t only have feelings for me and wouldn’t choose anyone else. When I would stop pretending I didn’t have to hurt him like this one day. Tonight was the night this friendship ended because he couldn’t pretend we were just friends anymore. 

“How long have you been with him?” The air had quieted and so did his voice. His face was now a mixture of anger and sadness, and he turned his eyes to look at the ground. I didn’t know what he wanted me to say when answering the question, but I was done hiding it from him. Even if it hurt him, he had to know. He had to stop playing pretend and be snapped into the reality he lived in. 

“Around Spring Equinox till now.” His fist clenched harder. 

“So you missed Spring Equinox with us to be with him?” I thought about this moment the day I didn’t show up. He never asked me where I was when he saw me and he must have assumed I just didn’t want to go out then. I’d even told Levi that I was going to be in a weird situation if Jonas asked me where I was and he helped me make a plan. A plan to lie to him. I guess that plan just flew out the window. 

“He was injured and I was taking care of him. I wasn’t going to leave him,” I let the last line out, underlaid with some remorse. I was angry with what he was saying and how he was coming at me, but I was at fault too. I should have told him sooner or at least tried to distance myself. 

“I don’t think I’m going to be in tomorrow, Eva.” He said, still not looking up at me. This was the softest he had even been. I think now he knew he couldn’t sway me towards him. He was giving up.

“Jonas-”

“No,” he held his hand up, finally looking at me with the faint gleam of tears in his eyes, “I’m going to be sick tomorrow and maybe the next day. So, don’t come looking for me.” He turned his back and I had to stop my hand from reaching out and touching his shoulder. I was angry at him, but unlike him I didn’t see this as a reason to end our friendship. It was coming, yes, but it didn’t have to end here. We’d change something. We’d adapt. He was acting like he’d completely given up that. 

“Jonas, you’re still my best friend.” He stopped at the door and straightened up. He was stiff and lifeless when he answered. It was fake and he was hiding his true emotion. If he turned around, what expression would I see on his face? 

“I know.” 

The door opened and closed, the bells ringing twice above it. With the windows closed, I couldn’t see if we walked away and I didn’t go up to the door in fear of him just sitting on the stoop. I didn’t want to hear his tears. Jonas rarely cried and I didn’t want to know that I was the person who did it to him. 

I turned to look at the clock at the back wall. It was nearly one. 

Anger. At him. At myself. Sadness. For him. For losing my best friend in some shape or form. Regret. For not telling him any sooner. But, if I told him, wouldn’t the situation still end up like this? He would yell at me, I would cry, and he would tell me how irrational it was to love someone like Levi. A fantasy he called it. It set the seed of doubt in my head. Levi hadn’t loved or liked before as far as I knew, not to the capacity we’ve set up. Was he really just using this as a test run? 

I put my towel down on the table and decided I didn’t want to be in the café anymore. I wanted to be in my bed, two blankets over me, thinking over and over again the conversation I had with Jonas. Where did I go wrong? When? I wouldn’t sleep tonight and I would be sluggish in the morning when Ben came. Ben was smart, too. He would probably connect the dots between Jonas’s absence and my attitude, but at least he never questioned. 

Walking up the back stairs, I tried to listen to see if Jonas was still there. Maybe something would pull me to go back to him and try to talk it out. I don’t think this issue can be talked over though. It was going to be the way it was. As of now, it was Levi and I, not Jonas and I. It would take Jonas months to turn around or feel like talking to me. It may not go back to normal. 

That thought stopped me on the last wooden step. What would I do if Jonas and I never went back to normal? He was a big part of my day and of my life. Every holiday, every arithmetic question I couldn’t answer, every broken heart; I was with him. It made so much sense to be with him permanently, but that’s not how life wanted it to be. If I was to be with Jonas, I was sure, it would have happened already. I would have feelings for him to the same degree he has for me. 

Maybe we shouldn’t go back to normal as that normal was fake. Pretend. Would it hurt Jonas more to act that way, knowing that Levi was one step ahead of him in every regard? Or, would it be better for him to keep distance and ignore me so he won’t have to deal with the pain he feels every time he’s around me now?

I shook my head and walked in. This was for me to think about, slightly drunk, and in two hours. 

“Here, for you.” Levi handed me a single flower as we sat in the meadow. He had found it on the ground next to where we were sitting and I laughed a little at the gesture before putting it on my ear. He looked at it too and smiled faintly, going back to look at the Scout HQ that was quite a distance away. No one would see us on our way back to Trost. 

I told Levi that I wanted to stop and sit since it was such a nice day. The spring was bringing warm winds to our area, and the whole time I had been with him we were inside his dimly lit office. We were far away enough from Trost and the HQ to be alone and outside. I thought of Jonas and the Equinox today. Where would he be sitting out here? 

“Thank you, Captain.” He laid back, still wincing a little at the pain in his ribs. The horse ride was a bit too much for him to handle, and we had to walk our horses out here to the open meadow. No doubt he would bear the pain to get me to the gates of Trost before we parted. Maybe I would convince him to walk so we had more time together. 

“After this expedition, I would like to start.” I looked over to him, putting a piece of the Scout’s cracker ration in my mouth. Did he have some hobby? 

“Start what?”

“Trying to be yours. I have no experience being in a relationship with someone, therefore, when I can give you my full attention, I will do that. I’ve never made you food. I will do that first.” It made my heart strangely warm, him always announcing his intentions. Maybe he felt that they needed to be approved. He was so apprehensive about anything, and he was not used to being wrong. In this uncharted territory, he needed to make sure he was right before he executed anything. So, I nodded. 

“I’m not picky when it comes to food.” Once he got his confirmation, he went to stand up. I just looked up at him as he did it. 

“Yes?” He put out his hand for me to take it. I just stared up at him again, smiling. I’d tease him a bit more because he was leaving soon. 

“So does that mean we’re really dating?” He rolled his eyes and his hand dropped. The nice gesture went away. 

“Did I not make it clear before? I said I required monogamy.” I shook my head, no.

“You have to ask me. You can’t just command me into a relationship with you.” He cocked up an eyebrow. 

“Ask? Why do I need to ask you when you already know?” I rolled my eyes at him and took another bite of the cracker. 

“We aren’t dating until you ask me to be your girlfriend.” He scoffed. 

“Girlfriend is a word for teenagers. We are almost thirty.” 

“Ask me.” 

“No.” 

“You have to.”

“No, I don’t.” I huffed and turned my head to the other side, faking anger. I knew he probably wasn’t going to do it anyways, and I didn’t really care, but it would be fun to hear. 

“Ask me or I’ll just sit here all day,” I said, folding my arms. There was no protest, or huff of annoyance. He was probably standing there with the same pose I had, just waiting for me to get this idea out of my head.

Huff. Huff. Huff. 

“Don’t tell me you-” I turned and screamed, scrambling to get away from what was to my right. It stood there, his body broken in it’s mouth. His eyes were stained with blood, and were looking at me, begging me to do something, anything. 

The titan crunched down once more on Levi’s body, and only a puff of air came out of his mouth. Not a cry for help. His body went limp, eyes wide staring into my soul. 

Help. Help. Help. 

I shot up, holding my head. My body was shaking and I was afraid to open my eyes. The bustle of customers could be heard below and I knew I had fallen asleep late in the morning and overslept till now. Ben would be holding the customers down fine, and I needed the extra minutes to calm myself down. 

Was that dream an omen? Was he dead? 

It left a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn’t shake, so I got up to get water. I needed to get this taste out of my mouth. Once I drank the water, I leaned over the sink and it came right back up. The shaking of my body stopped after I’d thrown up, but the feeling in my stomach was still there. Maybe I was just hungover. I had a whole bottle of wine while thinking my life away last night. Usually I was fine, but the emotions tied to the amount of alcohol I had could be making my stomach twist and turn. 

Setting the cup down, I quickly went to put on clothes and try to put something on my face to cover the dark circles. The clock was at ten, and I knew that soon Ben would hear my footsteps upstairs using his years of training his ears to identify the creaks of this building and yell up at me to come down. If Jonas really wasn’t here, he was having to remember how to make various coffee drinks himself. 

One day he’s going to die, Eva.

I help my stomach again, trying to position myself over the bathroom sink and not get the face powder all over the floor. When nothing came up, I tried to push that thought out of my mind and finish covering the dark circles under my eyes. To a trained eye, aka Ben, you could easily see through the layer of powder. Hopefully, it will last all work day so I won’t get comments on my tiredness. Those were my least favorite. 

“Eva!” It was muffled by the floorboards, but with one quick look in the mirror, I went to walk to the door. 

Does he really like you or are you there just to fulfill his fantasy of a relationship? 

Stopping on the stairs, I leaned over the railing, hoping that if I did vomit again, it would be away from a window so the customers didn’t notice a projectile falling from the sky. I’d have to get another drink of water before I started or else this hangover was going to kill me. 

I pushed the back door open, taking a look at the plastic one that separated me from the café. People were in there, sitting, talking, and buying pastries. I could hear them and it scared me. My first day open, and I’m in this condition? That wasn’t going to be the best look for business. I was also scared because this was the first customer rush I had in months. It was like my first day running the shop all over again. 

This time my stomach bubbled up with nerves and before I could turn back outside, Ben opened the door peeking in at me. He definitely saw the condition I was in, and had to take a double take. Now, the dots started to connect in his head. Did Jonas look like this to when Ben tried to wake him up only to discover he was “sick”? 

“There’s a line of people out here waiting to be served and to talk to you. I suggest you hurry out, yeah?” I just stared at him and nodded once, tying the matching apron around my middle. 

“Yeah.” Even my voice was shaking. He closed the door again and I picked up a random cup, filling it with water from the sink, and downing it in a few seconds. I coughed once, hoping it would help my throat, and despite my stomach, I walked out into the main café. 

“Eva!” 

“Miss Eva, it’s been so long!” The crowd of people at the counter greeted with smiles, and I did my best to give one back. It was comforting, their words, but my stomach still felt like shit. So did my head. And my arms. And legs. Either way, I willed myself to the crowd that was blocking my view into the café. Ben had done a good job curbing them because he didn’t know how to make a latte. 

“It’s a good thing you’re here, Eva. Ben’s a little rusty.” I smiled to the man who’s order I had memorized, but not his name, and took the personal cup he had in his hands. Ben tended the money while I turned my back to make the drinks. 

“I’ll pass, you make, pass back?” I turned over my shoulder to nod at him and this new angle made me catch a view of the table. The Wings of Freedom were draped over the chair and he was leaning back with the new addition of a book in his hand. There was no cup in front of him, nor was he staring out at the window anymore. 

Six months. 

My stomach churned again and before I could answer Ben, I had to run into the back, past the plastic door, open the regular door, and throw up in front of the trash can where the stray dogs like to eat our scraps.

I’d have to pass it off and I took another big gulp of water before picking up some random milk jug to bring it up. I hoped I didn’t wipe off the face powder that took ten minutes to apply. When I walked back in, people seemed shocked I had run so fast into the back, but once they saw the milk jug, they settled back down. Ben didn’t let it get past him that I’d set the new milk jug next to a completely full one on the table and went to work. 

We went back and forth for what felt like hours. He’d collect the money, write the order on a piece of paper, I’d make it, and he’d go set it down on their table or give it for them to go. We didn’t talk at all while I did it, and I only engaged with other customers. When I looked at him, he never looked back, just down at the book. When I looked at him… my stomach churned, but with a different feeling now that I was pretty sure all the alcohol was in my sink or by the trash in the back. I wanted him to look at me, or to come hug me, but he was Captain Levi right now. 

My dream. What was my dream about? He was here and he was alive, so it couldn’t have been an omen. Was it triggered by my fight with Jonas? Levi dying? It was a simple memory, but it had morphed into something graphic and depressing. He’d asked me to be his girlfriend, reluctantly, but why didn’t my dream get to that part? Why did it cut it off there? I just tried to mock it up as another drunken dream, ones I used to have often, and maybe a few times in the past months, but something wouldn’t let me mark it as that. 

“Eva!” I turned at the little boy’s call and saw all three of them at the counter. I was zoning out so much. Elias, June, and their father were there and I smiled at them, starting their orders. Elias and June: steamed apple juice. Their father: a cup of coffee, no cream, two sugars. 

“Where’s the boy? I thought Jonas said he was working today.” I froze up at their father’s question and I saw Ben glance back at me before answering.

“He felt really sick this morning and could barely get out of bed when I tried to wake him up. He slept at our house last night and came back really late, so he might have been out and drank himself sick,” he tsk-ed his son, but I knew that his message was really meant for me, “Dark circles, a bad attitude, and his face was all red. I’m glad he didn’t show up today.” I turned to them, handing the two steamed apple juices. Before I could turn back around, they started a conversation with me. I could barely focus on it with Ben’s gaze boring holes into me. 

“Eva, Mr. Chapel said I could start on my own books now! Isn’t that exciting?!” I smiled down at her and nodded. In the place in my brain that could still process a little emotion this afternoon, I was happy for her. 

“That’s amazing, June. I have some books upstairs that need to be rebound.” Ben had given their father his coffee and he was now pulling the kids to go. He probably had some cult stuff to do and just wanted to stop by for his morning cup like he normally does.

“Eva, do you need help on year-end? Like last year? With Jonas?” Elias’s face begged up at me to say yes. He wanted to know if we would do something like last year. With no festival, it would be hard to entertain them… and with no Jonas… 

“I don’t know about it his year, Elias.” His face dropped and he was pulled away by his father before he could ask why. I saw June looking disappointed as well as they walked out the door. When Ben turned to greet the next customer, I felt another pair of eyes on me. I looked up at him and felt my heart flip as we locked eyes. His were filled with concern and I knew he’d heard the exchange Elias and I just had. I had always taken the kids in for year-end, so why not now? 

The day went like that. My stomach never settled down, and I could barely keep up the energy of the people coming in and out to talk. Ben would mostly fill that job, but whenever the customer wanted to talk to me directly, I stared at the back wall, mustering a smile, and turned to act. I was glad that I’d decided to close earlier than usual so I wouldn’t have to go through a dinner rush either. My mind was tired from thinking over and over again about last night and the dream I had, that I could barely handle any more stimulus. 

Levi had sat there all day, reading through the book at least twice. I could feel his eyes on me throughout the day, but if I looked back into his eyes, my dream would play over again and my stomach would fight with me. He must have noticed, but he never approached me. Ben and the wave of people coming in and out must have stopped him, or he was waiting for me to go over and serve him tea. It was sitting right on top of the coffee filter box, ready to be made, but I could never pull myself to do it. I wanted to go over and talk to him, but with the amount of people here, I would be talking to Captain Levi. I decided to wait until close, knowing he would stay, so I could talk to the real him after months of waiting. The dream made my stomach feel awful, but the idea of having Levi back to me again made the butterflies stir too. 

“Alright, what’s up with the two of you?” Ben put the small bag of flour back up on the stock rack as I mopped the flour on the back room’s floor. It was closing, and I insisted that he could leave the cleaning to me, but I knew from the second I walked in to the café, he was ready to corner me and ask questions. I still feigned innocence.

“Two of whom?” He huffed and wiped off excess flour on the apron I left him. It didn’t help my case that I couldn’t look him in the eyes when I answered. I didn’t want to stare into Jonas’s eyes. 

“Jonas comes to our house drunk, red face, and mumbling things under his breath. He almost broke Analee’s favorite vase trying to take his shoes off. I thought it was a bit weird because he’d have to come back from your place, but maybe you two decided to do something. I didn’t care. Then, I drag his dead body weight onto the couch and he tells me he can’t come to the café tomorrow and starts crying. I mark it up to him being drunk off his ass. Come today, and you’re not up early like you usually are. I guess I thought you’d be as drunk as Jonas, and gave you a few hours. You come down here, looking pale as a ghost, go throw up outside by the trash can,” He pointed his thumb to the back door, “and anytime someone mentions Jonas, your face goes pale over and over again. You probably drank at least thirty glasses of water today… I really don't want you to answer this question, but I have to ask it. He’s my son, sure, but you’re also my little sister… also weird to say, but you know what I’m trying to get to…” Ben didn’t want to have to finish his statement and trailed off, trying to get me to fill in the blank. Did he think we… ? I pulled my face into a look of disgust, but still didn’t look at his face. 

“Are you trying to ask if he and I had-” He frantically waved his hands at me.

“Please, please, please. Spare me. I realized I don’t want the answer to that question anymore right as it came out of you mou-” I stopped him there. 

“We fought. That’s what happened.” He dropped his hands and let out a big sigh of relief. He was happy we only fought, because he could deal with that. He’d been dealing with that for years already. Mediator Ben was about to come out. 

“Thank gods. What did you fight about this time? Both of you look very upset.” He leaned against a random table, and I had stopped sweeping at this point. I didn’t want to tell Ben, but there was just something about him that made the words flow out. He’s always been like that, regardless of the situation. Comfortable to talk to about any and everything. When I first got my monthly cycle, I went to him and not Catrin, who was the obvious choice. Then later in life, Jonas started to take the same position in my life that Ben had. That made me feel worse again, losing him over something I had to be selfish with. If Jonas felt he couldn’t let go of whatever it was, I would permanently lose him. 

“I think this is the final time, Ben.” He sighed, probably not knowing what that meant. If I told him what the fight was really about, he would have to learn about Levi and I. I shifted my gaze to the plastic door separating us from the main café. Was he still sitting in his chair, waiting for us to kick him out? Waiting for me to lead him up the stairs to my apartment? 

“Did he bring up marriage again? When we were walking to meet up with you, I had mentioned something about it and he seemed to get quiet. Usually, he denies anything like that would happen.” So it was mentioned previously, that’s why it was on his mind. When Ben mentioned it to him, did his mind go to Levi and I?

“Yes,” I whispered, and set the mop against the wall. I was ready to spill all of my feelings to Ben like I always do. 

“Then, is it that man out there?” He pointed at the door and this time I looked him in the eyes. It was like admitting everything to Jonas all over again and it made my stomach twist and turn. I knew Ben’s opinions on the matter, too, so it was worse having to go against his wishes. 

“Yes,” I whispered again, waiting to see a streak of disappointment in his eyes that never came. He just sighed again and walked over to me, putting a hand on my back. 

“He was the first customer today and seemed annoyed that I was standing there instead of you. I was the one who gave him the book. I told him he’d have to wait a few hours to see you, and then another few to get to talk to you after lunch. I’m not going to pretend I didn’t see the way he kept looking at you either.” I clasped my hands together, looking at them. It made me a little less sad that he could see Levi’s emotions as well. Ben didn’t think it was fake like Jonas did. 

“I had a bad dream last night, too… and a few too many drinks. I’m just so… I don’t want to lose Jonas. This felt like it was it, Ben.” I put a hand over my heart and rubbed my collar bone with one finger. Ben shook his head ‘no’ and patted my back. 

“The kid can be moody, but he’ll come around. It may take him a bit longer than usual, but you two are best friends. He’ll just have to deal with the fact that it’s going to really stay like that now. I guess I didn’t help either, talking about you two the way I did.” I shook my head, making sure Ben didn’t take the blame away from me. 

“No, I did this. I didn’t tell him about… I didn’t distance myself from him and-” 

“Do you really think that if you tried to distance yourself from Jo, it would’ve worked? He once came home from secondary begging me to ask the teacher to transfer him to your class. He can’t be away from you for too long, no matter what emotions he has tied to it.” I laughed once at that comment, remembering the day Jonas randomly showed up at a desk next to mine. I reached up to wipe a tear off of my cheek. 

“I still feel awful. It’s my fault I made him feel like this.” Ben rolled his eyes. 

“I’m going to go home and he’s going to have this same conversation with me. You both fight like cats and dogs, and then feel bad that you said anything in the first place. He could have broken your arm and you’d still feel like it was your fault.”

“Yeah.” Ben did make me feel a little better, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling of regret. We sat for a few more minutes as I calmed down and my stomach hurt a little less. 

“Now, that boy out there. He’s the Captain of the Scouts, but I have to threaten him. I know he’s still sitting out there, if you just let me-” 

“Ben.”

“I’m serious. I was close to going over and telling him to stop looking at you. It’s annoying. Like that one kid you dated in the past.” It was my turn to roll my eyes at him. 

“Ben, I’m twenty seven.” Before I could protest more, he lunged at the door to open it. 

“Hey, you.” I quickly raced out of the back room, watching Ben walk his way over to Levi who had grabbed a rag and was cleaning the tops of the tables. 

“Ben-” Levi turned to give me a confused look as to why the giant man was walking towards him. They’ve probably only spoken two sentences to each other and now Levi was going to get reprimanded by Ben. 

“You’re dating my sister, correct?” Levi’s eyes widened a little bit, not expecting Ben to come right out with it. He probably also didn’t expect Ben to know anything, but with how obvious Levi had acted today, it wasn’t a surprise. Ben picked up on things probably to the same degree Levi did. 

“U-u-uh, we are?” He did the same thing I’d done to Erwin, and when he looked over at me again, confusion painting his face, I just nodded once, “Y-yes. We are…” A faint tint of blush painted his pale face. Mine was probably the same way. This was the first time he had admitted that out loud to someone from my world. 

“If you hurt her, I’ll beat you up. Her last boyfriend, he couldn’t walk for two days after Jonas and I jumped him.” He pointed his finger at Levi who didn’t seem that concerned about the threat. Ben was also lying, because he wouldn’t lay a hand on anyone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ben swat at a fly, let alone a human. 

“My intentions are not to hurt her.” Ben took off his apron and slammed it down on the table Levi had just finished cleaning. Flour dust went everywhere. This was quite the show he was putting on. Levi, however, didn’t know he was playing with him. He was trying to keep his face as neutral as possible, because he didn’t want to, in some way, offend Ben and make him angrier, but he was also getting annoyed with the man’s display. If Ben was to come at him, would he be permitted to slam him on the ground, or would that just make this whole situation worse? Levi didn’t want to beat up my brother, which was nice. 

“What are your intentions then?” Levi was not going to like expressing his feelings aloud to a stranger, so I saved him from Ben who I knew was trying his hardest not to laugh. 

“Ben, just let him go. I have to clean more and you’re keeping me from dinner.” I think Ben was also glad I gave him an out because I heard that Analee was making porridge for dinner and that was Ben’s favorite. 

Ben walked a bit forward, using his height to tower over Levi. This time, Levi’s face hardened. If I did get Ben away from Levi, Ben might end up on the ground. 

“Next time, Captain.” Ben retreated back and grabbed his jacket, turning to me with a smile. 

“Have a nice night, Ev! I assume I won’t need to come tomorrow?” He glanced over at Levi who was now extremely confused at Ben’s 180 degree flip. 

“No, I think I can handle myself tomorrow. Thanks Ben!” He raised his hand up and waved once, exiting the café. There was a moment of silence as the ringing of the door bells finally stopped and Levi turned to me, that expression still on his face. 

“W-wha..?” I smiled at the door, not disregarding the butterflies that came to my stomach now that I was finally alone with Levi for the first time in six months. 

“That’s Ben, my brother.” His face dropped to his regular look and nodded. 

“I can tell.” I huffed and grabbed Ben’s apron, hanging it up behind the counter. I decided to clean the counter and wait to see what Levi was going to do. Heaven knew I wanted to run up into his arms, but again, the vow I took held me back. 

To my surprise, he moved to behind the counter after cleaning the flour from the last table. He put the rag down on the back table and stood there, staring at me for a bit. I just disregarded his stare and kept cleaning the counter and glass case which was ridden with Ben’s handprints from the amount of times he leaned on it. 

“I’m going to hug you.” I left out a huff of laughter and didn’t move, signaling that he could do what he wanted. 

“I told you, you don’t have to say it alo-” His arms went around my waist, chest touching my back, and his head nuzzled into my neck. I also melted right there and then. Who taught him how to hug like this? I used my free hand to reach up and play with his hair, leaning my cheek onto the top of his head. 

“Hi,” I said, breathing in his scent. It’s been so long, the shirt he gave me had lost its smell, so it was nice to have it back. It was also nice that he had given me such an intimate display of affection after how long he’d been away. It told me that he missed me as much as his letters would insinuate. Maybe even equal as much as I missed him. 

He lifted himself up, leaving one arm wrapped around my waist. 

“I thought I’d personally deliver this letter to you,” he handed me the envelope with my name written on it. 

“Do you come with the letter?” I turned to face him and blushed at our closeness. He looked down at me slightly, examining my face. I’d cried the face powder off in the back, so my dark circles were at full force.

“You haven’t been taking care of yourself again.” It was low and had a tinge of disappointment in it. I looked up at him, examining his face. Tired. Large dark circles. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I could still yell at him for it. 

“I can say the same for you, Captain.” I reached up and put my hand on his cheek like the last night we had together. I figured that wouldn’t be off limits and I felt his face heat up a little before pulling back to lean against the back table across from me. He had hit his daily cap for affection and needed to cool off. 

“Erwin gave me the rest of the month off. So, I guessed that the best place to stay was here. He also told me to go see you after my work was done, and then proceeded to give me one more month’s worth of work.” He crossed his arms, his face pulling into one of annoyance for Erwin’s actions. 

“I did ask him to give you more breaks, but he didn’t promise me anything.” His eyes narrowed at the mention of our meeting. 

“Don’t think you three can keep it a secret about what you talked about. I told them I’d get you to tell me.” I smirked back up at him. 

“They aren’t telling you what we said?” 

“No details. I just know they asked you about us and to support the Scouts, and you accepted. I know that they left out everything important and Hange always laughs when I try to get her to tell me.” I guess I’d have to keep up this secret promise with Hange and Erwin. 

“Well, if they aren’t telling you, then I guess I can’t either, Levi. It was a confidential meeting, you know how that goes.” He shot off the table, pushing my stomach into the one I was cleaning. His arms were on either side of me, trapping me against the wood. My heart beat shot up at this sudden, aggressive touch, and I almost jumped as I felt his breath on the right side on my neck. This was the first time he had done something like this. Intimidating, aggressive, and very exciting. My heart wasn’t the only thing that fluttered when he whispered into my ear. 

“I have ways of getting you to tell me, Eva.” He lingered there for a few moments before pushing away and going back to rest on the table. I had to take at least ten breaths to calm myself down, and my face was still definitely the color of a cherry. That was the first time Levi had done something so… hot. One moment, he was pushing back because he was getting uncomfortable with the affection, and another he was shoving me up against the counter, making my brain race a million miles a second with the things I was imagining. The ways to get me to talk. Levi wasn’t like that was he? Did he have experience with that? He did live in the Underground and was extremely good looking, I’m sure he had girls at his feet at some point. It made me curious about his life in the Underground again… and what or who he did there. 

“I-I’m… done cleaning. We can go up to the up, upstairs.” He didn’t even hesitate and slung his cape around his shoulders, following me to the front to lock the café. 

We walked upstairs without saying anything, Levi walking a few steps behind me. He had retrieved a bag from the side of the alleyway and my eyes widened. I didn’t think he’d be staying here the whole rest of the month. That was almost three weeks. I remembered how dirty I had left it this morning and the empty bottle of wine next to my bed. 

Once we got inside, he set his bag on the couch and took off his boots and cape, hanging it up. I was a bit upset he didn’t take off the ODM gear straps, because now that he had done that little act downstairs, my mind was thinking about them. I had felt the buckle of the one on his chest dig into my back ever so lightly. 

“Did you really forget what I looked like? Stop staring at me.” He mumbled it, but it made me blush a bit and stare at the ground. Did he know what I was thinking about him? How did he get so bold in the last few minutes? 

“Can I shower? The ride here was long, and I sat in the back of the cart on some dirty hay.” 

“O-oh. Yes, you can. It’s that door right there, but you knew that already didn’t you. Sorry.” He smiled and laughed once, digging through his bag for his shower supplies. I just watched him as he did it, staring at the mundane task and letting my mind run wild. I don’t think he’s ever taken a shower here before. 

Without saying anything else, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I instantly let out a breath of frustration, but the room did cool down after he left. 

“He’s bold when being like that, but he’s still afraid of sleeping next to me?” I shook those thoughts out of my head and blinked when the bathroom door opened a little bit, the light shining through my dark apartment. 

“I forgot soap for my body, do you have any?” He yelled out. 

“Uh, there should be some in the cabinet below the sink. It’s Jonas’s.” I heard the cabinet open, along with a little grumble about ‘Why is he in your shower?’ before I heard them close again. 

“I don’t see it.” I did not want to go into that tiny bathroom and show him, but I knew that’s where this was going to end if I sent him on a hunt. I’d just let him use mine. 

“There’s a bottle in the shower. It’s glass and has pink liquid in it? You can use mine. I hope you don’t mind rose.” I heard the shower curtain rip back and a tiny laugh. 

“There’s about twelve bottles with pink liquid in them, Eva.” That was simply false. All of my shampoos, conditioners, and soaps were different colors. He wanted me to come in there and show him. I started walking slowly to the door. 

“It should be on the second shelf.” 

“Just come here and show me, I don’t have the patience.” There it was, and I was already halfway to the bathroom anyways. Ignoring my heart, I opened the door. 

“It should be in…” My eyes widened as he leaned against the sink, giving me access to walk to the shower as the room was only meant for one person at a time. My eyes widened as he leaned against the sink shirtless. I instantly flushed and something churned in the pit of my stomach. I glanced for one more second, and pushed on after seeing his smirk. I shoved myself up against the other wall, so there was no way for me to touch him as I walked past to the open shower. There the soap was and it was even labeled. I gripped hard around the bottle, turning to shove it into his hands. I tried so, so hard to only look at his face. When I glanced down at his chest again and back up, his smirk got deeper. It made me angry, but it also made me want to look even more. 

His body was completely toned and looked like it had no ounce fat on it. He was completely lean like I predicted in our last encounter in a bathroom. Every single possible muscle was defined in a sleek way that was easy for him to hide this… this Adonis of a figure beneath a regular shirt. His waist was probably smaller than mine and shoulders broad from carrying the heavy ODM gear on them for years, but I didn’t try to get another look at it as I walked past him, pressing up against the wall again. 

“I told you I’d let you see it when I got back,” he said jokingly as he set the bottle down on the sink. My face was burning and I didn’t dare turn around to look at him again as much as I wanted to. I had a free pass to look at him all I wanted if I took it, but I was too embarrassed right now. This combined with what happened downstairs wanted to make me scream. How long had he thought of doing this? The first time he’s seen me in six months and this is what he planned. 

“I-I’ll make food!” I half yelled, getting out of the small bathroom that was heating up to a hundred degrees. I could hear him laugh a little bit before closing the door behind me. The air outside was so much cooler, it gave me goosebumps and I stood out there for a bit, waiting to hear the shower turn on. When it did, I went to the kitchen and instantly sat in front of the open ice box trying to cool down my face. 

“Why are you like this, Eva? It’s not like you haven’t seen a shirtless man before. You’ve seen more than one and you’re never like this.” I hit my cheeks over and over again, trying to get them to cool down. No man I’ve been with before could go from sulky and hesitant one minute to making a heat pool in the depths of my stomach in thirty seconds. 

The shower stopped and I closed the fridge quickly, taking out eggs to act like I was using them. I had no clue what I was going to make to eat and I’d spent ten minutes staring at an open fridge. 

When he walked out, I almost broke the egg in my hand. He walked over to his bag on the couch, searching for clothes. The heat that I’d gotten rid of came back, and I finally turned away from the indecent sight. Just a towel?! 

“Sorry, I forgot to grab another pair of clothes.”

Chapter Twelve →

Chapter Masterlist

[radramblog]

Some longer thoughts on Pokemon BDSP

I think at this point the absolute vitriol-fest thrown at the upcoming Sinnoh Remakes has largely died down, people moving onto greater things like the upcoming New Pokemon Snap release (I’m probably not buying it) or…whatever it is the #mainstreamPokemonFandom does when they aren’t spewing outrage about trees and dexits. It might be a bit early for me to do this considering the games still don’t have a release date, but I figure with the hype dying down a bit I can afford a few of my own thoughts as to what these games should look like.

Of course, we’ve all been burned before, and I’m not expecting an awful lot. But hey, it’s just my two cents.

I think the first thing that made people immediately bounce off of the BDSP reveal is the artstyle. And, I get it- it’s certainly A Choice. The models look kinda awkward, almost hearkening back to Gen VI’s first attempts at full 3D overworld but with a more deliberate style. The short, round characters look awkward against the more detailed overworld. And the full sized models aren’t especially impressive either- all the previous remakes updated the original’s character designs somewhat, as did third versions Emerald and Platinum, but BDSP doesn’t seem to have made any changes outside of model-ifying them.

And the thing is, I don’t care?

On the one hand, aesthetic in a game obviously does matter, and having the protagonist you’re going to be staring at all game look like that is going to be an issue for people. On the other, I actually really like how the overworld looks. On the other, other hand, I’m really not convinced that the artstyle of this game should make or break it, as it certainly doesn’t for me. Pokemon’s graphics have been arguably behind the curve for like, 8 years now? I remember all the complaints about Sword and Shield’s graphics, and that obviously didn’t kill that game. And like, I don’t want to go for the throat of a game I haven’t played, but, people don’t seem to mind Colosseum and XD’s artstyle from what I’ve seen, and those games kinda look like shit. They do have those dynamic pokemon animations though, and I hope we get to see that in BDSP- those (and that of Battle Revolution) were a result of outsourcing, I believe, and this game is outsourced to another studio.

More importantly, in my eyes, is the gameplay. Doesn’t matter how good the game looks if it plays like garbage. And herein lies the biggest sticking point, and potential blunder, of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Diamond and Pearl are like, easily some of the worst games in the series from a playthrough standpoint.

The pacing is all over the place, with backtracking that seems to be trying to emulate RSE but not quite making it. The level curve is messy, with the Elite Four being such a massive spike that they had to tone it down 4-5 levels on each Pokemon in the intentionally harder third version, Platinum. The regional Pokedex is sorely lacking- while Elite Four Flint’s infamous 2/5 “Fire” team is eminently memeable, Electric Gym Leader Volkner is just as bad (2/4, though he could technically be running…Pachirisu…), and of the 28 new Pokemon related to previous games’ evolutionary lines, 17 cannot be obtained in a regular playthrough. HM use is especially egregious in this game, with 6 of them being mandatory to complete the game (Victory Road alone requires 5) and of the other two, the games’ sprawling map and frequent backtracking basically necessitate Fly while without Defog the foggy parts of the map are absolutely miserable both to navigate and fight through.

How BDSP handles these issues is kinda my make or break with the game. See, a lot of the issues were solved in Platinum, and Heartgold and Soulsilver (the best remakes the series has had) solved much of the issues in GS by taking notes from Crystal and tweaking things in the transition. The thing is, the last remakes we got, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, did not take Emerald’s tweaks in mind, making them substantially worse games than they could potentially have been, and I’m worried BDSP are going to do the same. A particular sticking point for me is the HMs, interestingly- outside of the aforementioned Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire sticking too closely to outdated design, Pokemon for the last 4 generations has had light to nonexistent HM requirements. Black and White only had one mandatory HM use period (Cut in the Dreamyard after Gym 1), B2W2 and XY both only require Surf off the top of my head, and Gens 7 and 8 remove them completely from the game. Because that’s kind of what they are, outdated game design- I think the Alola games handled it best, where the interesting level design these obstacles can lead to is still present but tackling them is less restrictive on your party and is based on progression through the story. That’s the kind of design that makes backtracking interesting, something Gen 8 really lacked in the long run.

The final thing I want to bring up is kinda a combo of two things- postgame and connectivity. One would argue that the Battle Frontier is also outdated design based on development priorities, but it’s removal in ORAS was kind of a kick in the taint to fans- it’s a beloved part of the game, and it not being in BDSP would be a terrible shame. The other thing is whether or not the games will have online connectivity with Sword and Shield as far as trading and battling goes. While I’ve heard quite a few people express doubts that BDSP will do so, I’d be shocked if, unlike every other main series title, competitive battling stayed a primary function of Sword and Shield and BDSP didn’t get it. I’d also be surprised if the games weren’t able to trade with each other, considering that’s been a core facet of the series since day 1- not being able to trade would make Dexit feel more permanent almost, considering many, many of the Sinnoh Dex mons aren’t available to play at the moment, even with the expanded DLC Pokedex in Sword and Shield. In fact, one thing I noticed that leads me to believe that trading between games is absolutely going to happen is related to said DLC dex- namely, that the Crown Tundra added every single Fossil Pokemon to the SwSh Pokedex- except the Sinnoh ones, Cranidos and Shieldon.

 At the end of the day, we’re just waiting for more information to come out for these games either way. I can tell you right now, though, that I’m not preordering them (last time I did that was Y, I think), and whether or not I get them is really going to base around many of these factors.

[digitalmarketingagencysworld]

Should You Hire a Software Development Company for Your Project?

With the planet becoming more and more technologically advanced, it's become imperative for businesses to possess a digital presence. this is often why the demand for knowledgeable and adept software developers is on a continuing rise. After all, businesses often lack the in-house capabilities offered by software development firms. Entrepreneurs are constantly looking to rent app development companies that concentrate on the type of project they require.

In this article we'll be covering many aspects of hiring a software development company and why you would like to rent one.

*How to seek out the proper software development company

To start with, let’s cover the struggles faced during the hiring of a software development firm. numerous development firms are present out there, but it's tough finding the proper one. It takes tons of your time to travel through the appealing designs and sales pitches of development firms that claim to be experts in only about everything. One must not get distracted and instead focus to seek out the proper development partner, who won’t treat your software project as just another one.

*Know that software development may be a lot quite just writing code

Software development isn't almost writing an extended line of codes; developers are liable for tons more. When a software development firm is sweet , it'll transcend , crafting a useful product, contributing to style and assisting within the deployment.  Most of the adept and experienced software developers are in high demand, mainly within the mobile app development field. However, later on, many entrepreneurs become frustrated to find out that 60% of mobile coders delivered but five applications, whereas 20% delivered between five and nine.

*Software projects are expensive

Most software projects run over budget, usually by 50% or more. Usually, the value range for a mean project is $15,000 to $150,000, and a mean project takes around 1,000 hours. this will become costly when the typical hourly rate is between $50 and $400. Usually, software development outsourcing is assumed to assist reduce costs, but most development firms offering cheap rates are weak. And thanks to the various goof-ups on their part, the companies find yourself paying quite decided.

*Software outsourcing might fail

In the year 2020, due to a failed software update, a myriad of RBS bank customers did not access their bank accounts, and even the bank couldn’t conduct any transaction for a couple of days. This demonstrates how critical software is. Unfortunately, 25% to 50% of software outsourcing projects tend to fail. the explanations might be many. for instance , business operations might be out of sync with the project requirements or the specifications for the project might be inaccurate. Often the error is that software development firms outline documentation in many pages then hire junior coders to only blindly follow these pages sans any creativity.

What to seem for during a software development agency

There are a couple of basic items to stay in mind before hiring a software development agency. There are a couple of differing types of outsourcing, such as:

1 Onshore software development: These development firms are located within the same country and might even be in your own city.

2 Offshore software development: These development firms are located aboard.

3 Nearshore software development: These are the event firms located in neighbouring countries.

4 Hybrid development outsourcing: These are the projects with onshore management and offshore or nearshore software development teams.

Mainly the onshore development firm offers the simplest quality services, with face-to-face meetings. These are considered an honest fit short-term projects with large budgets. Offshore development, on the opposite hand, benefits firms that have clearly defined projects and are trying to find more of an economical solution.

Frequent communication and shut collaboration is important

It is vital to make sure open lines of communication and shut collaboration. you want to convey your ideas properly and clearly then offer regular supervision. an honest relationship must be maintained with people you're working with. So, see thereto that the event team is hospitable communication. Also once you interact with the team, there are chances of arising with creative solutions & ideas.

 Set defined expectations and communicate them well

There are some ways to code the precise same thing, but entrepreneurs tend to be unaware of that fact. They often believe that a programmer is well-versed with every technology, but that's not true. There are often different tools, frameworks, coding styles and more that different programmers use. For this reason, it's crucial to require care of certain aspects while hiring a software development firm. Choose a corporation with a particular field of experience , sort of a JavaScript development team, as they typically have a unified command of all processes. so as to select the proper technology, it's essential to understand the functionality that you simply expect from your appThis helps in knowing what sort of firm you would like to seem for.

The more prepared and defined your project, the better company selection and hiring are going to be . Your strategy are often defined by asking an issue like: what's the aim of your app? Who will use it? What platforms will it run on? Who are your competitors? What field will it belong to? Accordingly, an inventory of required features are often created then you'll prioritize them. you'll even make an annotated design, outline UX, navigation, user flow and technical requirements.

 Costs may vary

Next, you would like to understand what the value are going to be . If you search on Google what's the value to create a software of an app, you'll find this general answer: “Apps that are developed by top companies may cost somewhere between $500,000 to $1,000,000. Then apps developed by onshore companies may cost somewhere between $150,000 to $450,000. therein case, you'll expect a professionally developed application to cost anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 and it's bound to take around four to 6 months."

Factors to stay in mind when hiring a software development company

What are the aspects you would like to seem at while hiring a software development firm? Once you sift through the Googled options and private referrals, it's now time to make an inventory of 10 to fifteen firms. Have a glance at their websites for an initial assessment. concentrate to the red flags, like complaints, lawsuits and bad reviews. Then study all the problems and see how those issues were resolved. Following this process, you'll shortlist three to four firms. Then get in-tuned with them and request a quote for your project or idea. Finally, access their communication, expertise area, tech stack, staff questions and therefore the current state of the corporate so as to settle on the one that works best for your business and objectives.

Next comes negotiations and preparing a contract. It can even be a group of contracts, including: a masters service agreement (MSA), a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and statement of labor (SOW). Ensure to incorporate a non-compete clause and property rights clause within the contract. Also, the payment terms should even be a centre piece of all outsourcing contracts.

Ask the proper questions

Once you've got found the proper software development company, there'll be tons of questions and communication happening , where there might be tons of buzz words and tech terms. there's such a lot to travel through, like people questions, process questions, business questions, schedule questions, also as questions on technology, costs and more. The firm should take you thru their entire development process during a manner that you simply completely know it.

Tips to rent software developers

Here is that the list of belongings you must know of before hiring the developers:

• Define your requirements: What problem is your product getting to solve? what is going to the precise duties of the developers be? What technologies and skills would be used? what proportion budget would be required?

• Create a shortlist: Find a firm that does the sort of labor you would like . as an example , a React software development or JavaScript development firm. Then have a glance at their expertise and client reviews. Narrow them down and leave those that don’t list the clients’ references.

• Time to negotiate: Organize calls, personal meetings or whichever mode of communication works for you determine about their standards, their workflow and costs .

• Follow up: there's no got to rush a choice even when everything seems fine. it's time to verify references, past work, study candidates, think through the budget, team arrangement and other crucial aspects.

• Say "no" if needed: just in case you're not fully satisfied or there are obstacles, then walk off instead of later regret having spent an excellent deal of cash . There are numerous other development agencies out there and you'll find one that most accurately fits your requirements.

*What are the advantages of hiring a software development company?

Focus on long-term client relationships. Huge resources are spent by software development agencies to seek out new customers. Thinking from the financial aspect, it works best for a firm to create trusted relationships with their customers and continue developing projects for them for an extended time. These firms are constantly striving to create a robust reputation, in order that they make the simplest efforts to satisfy their clients and there's a coffee probability of any delays.

In order to compete with the opposite software development agencies, each of the organization follows current trends and implements pioneering technologies, development standards and methodologies. Software development agencies are constantly evolving to take care of a high-level of produced software.

When a software firm is hired, there are variety of individuals involved within the development procedure. Also the wants are documented, along side design elements, mockups and other crucial information. this suggests that albeit the foremost unexpected events occur, the whole procedure won’t be stuck. the event process will continue with the collected data and albeit a development team member leaves midway, they will easily get replaced .

Software development firms are far more responsible compared to freelancers, and that they work their best to deliver high-quality software to all or any of their clients. there's testing happening at every stage of a project lifecycle, which ensures proper internal control of the ultimate product. There are quality analysts within the firm who work on the projects from the beginning . This takes care of the wants gathering stage and completion with the deployment stage. this type of approach is useful in creating user-friendly apps that meet all the wants of your audience .

When a development firm is hired, there's a software development agreement between customer and development company, and this states the quantity of tip that might inherit the possession of software development firm. The agreement even mentions an inventory of deliverables that the event firm is meant to realize for the client. this type of agreement assures that your software would be developed, designed and tested during a stipulated timeframe. this manner there are fewer risks associated here, as compared to once you hire a freelancer.

 Hiring a software development firm will add your favour in every aspect and just in case you're trying to find software development services then get in-tuned to receive the foremost favourable results.

Are you searching for MLM Software Development company in India. Object developer provides multi-level marketing Software. Is used for marketing strategy for the sale of goods and services.

[heavenage08]

Delhi Federal Government Bans Over-The-Counter Sale Of Nsaids Without Prescription.

Having Lenses Replaced Into Existing Frames

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Content

What Causes Ocular Pain?

Looking For A Reduced Vision Help To Eliminate Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Test.

Common Eye Disorders.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

Nose Pads Maintain Glasses Comfortable.

I Have A Disability Can Lenscrafters Accommodate Me?

It's inevitable that somewhere along the way they will obtain scrapes or break down. Axelrad M, Tosh M. Stacking up the leading 50 optical retailers. Walmart is today the third leading provider of optical products in the United States. Your optical method can inform you how much your NHS optical coupon is worth. Glues used for repairing the frames of glasses are not the like the ones utilized by youngsters for their arts as well as crafts tasks.

If you shed your specific fabric you can also make use of an additional microfiber towel. If you're using Felix Gray glasses or other glasses with anti-glare finishing the top priority is to prevent your glasses from ever before obtaining scratched. If you have any kind of more queries you can figure out just how to call us below. If your purchase was online you can find our full returns policy is outlined in the Legal Policy area.

The greatest grievance I have regarding this item is the UV light, which, I assume, is not solid enough. You can adjust the nose pads to ensure that they keep the glasses frame in the best place.

What Triggers Eye Discomfort?

In fact, you can locate a lot of the products that you need in your house. Eyeglassescan break or bend when you bring them without a case, lay them on the table or accidentally drop them.

Looking For A Reduced Vision Help To Combat Vision Loss? Take The Irisvision Trial.

Yet be very cautious, due to the fact that even a tiny change of the nose pads will certainly change the fit dramatically. If you have actually acquired glasses online, before you begin your glasses fit modification, make sure you recognize exactly what it is you intend to accomplish. Both most common goals are to tighten frames while keeping the optical facility of the lens directly before your students, as well as to make using the glasses feel a lot more comfortable on your face. There are https://top-specs.co.uk/frame-and-lens-range/ of frame products, memory plastic frames as well as cable frames. It calls for treatment as well as persistence, and we warn that you must be very mindful.

Obtain a superglue that, other than being excellent at bonding plastics, can additionally stick together porcelains, wood, paper items, and also also steel. The glues also deal with non-porous materials like plastics, metal, and others.

Now, you require to readjust your eyeglasses frame so that it will always be properly positioned. If you need to wear glasses to compensate for your poor vision after that you recognize exactly how tough it is when your frames obtain accidentally damaged.

Unlike regular college glue, superglues dry and collection completely in secs. You seriously require to locate the most effective glue for glasses frames so you can do the repairs yourself. Even simply getting your spectacles frames skillfully repaired will set you back fairly a great deal of money.

Nonetheless, as soon as used and also cured, this stuff will certainly not be damaged and will certainly not give. It is due to the fact that because situation, you just require to wash the surface area with some soap as well as water and you are fine. It is not such as a superglue, which bonds to the skin and takes permanently to eliminate.

Widening the nose pads goes down the glasses lower down on your nose. Bringing the nose pads more detailed with each other elevates the glasses up on your nose.

Do not go back and also forth with your old glasses, also if your old set is extra comfortable. The switching will only make it harder for you to adapt to your new specs, and that will make the procedure take longer.

In a blind (or low-visibility) test, they operate nearly the same as brand-new. The hinge offers really little play and also they fold up perfectly for storage. The new joint is a tiny, attractive brass joint sold for usage on precious jewelry boxes or various other little wooden crafts. The bundle included two joints and also small brad nails, which will be conserved for later tasks. The brand is National with a component # V1810, Size 5/8" x 2-3/4".

Second, I utilized a basic BIC design lighter to heat the tip of the pliers' jaws. Nose pads are held together by tiny screws, usually like the ones from thetemple hinges. Think it or otherwise, toothpaste is effective in removing scrapes. You can fixsmall scratcheswithout needing to go to the facility.

Common Eye Disorders.

Silicone nose pads are more durable and also comfortable, and also protect against the glasses from slipping out of area. The majority of people that wear them don't typically require to recognize the components of glasses by name. But if you're ordering a new set or have issues with your existing glasses, recognizing the temples from the nose pads will certainly be valuable. As well as it's not a poor idea to know the feature of each different component of your glasses in instance they break and you require replacement parts. Glasses and also Sunglass Nosepads commonly deteriorate with time and also require to be replaced with a fresh set in order to maintain the comfort and also appropriate adjustment of an eyeglass frame.

If your acquisition was made in shop just return it to the store you bought from who will have the ability to assistance. If you experience lightheadedness or nausea or vomiting when wearing your brand-new glasses, it's likely that you're likewise dealing with deepness assumption concerns.

Review the section above to find out exactly how to tighten plastic frames or metal frames. You can additionally make a very mild change of the pad arm, the tiny metal little bits that hold the nose pad.

You will certainly have a difficult time sticking things with bigger surface areas with each other using superglue due to the fact that there is very little air between part to promote the treating procedure. Your glasses will certainly not be the only thing in your house that will certainly need fixings, specifically if there are young kids around.

I located that as soon as dried, this adhesive comes to be completely waterproof and also heat-resistant. This brings about so many various applications not simply repairing broken glasses frames.

Most of the times you will not need to fit spectacles, but if you do, you can take them to a local optical store for a suitable. Look into these quick suggestions to readjust your spectacles frames. If you have wire frames, your glasses will have nose pads. These can be readjusted with an easy pinch or tug of the fingertips.

Can the optic nerve heal itself?

Damage to the optic nerve is irreversible because the cable of nerve fibers doesn't have the capacity to regenerate, or heal itself, when damage occurs. This is why glaucoma is an incurable disease at this point, and why early detection is so important.

This has actually lowered the amount of in-office customization which suggests that less as well as fewer opticians are performing these tasks.

As laid out in various other blog posts on this site, a giving optician might be called for to finish official education as well as training depending upon the state in which they function.

This is generally done to enhance office efficiency and also rise economic efficiency.

Those who appreciate dealing with individuals are motivated to find out more about the laws in their state and also start trying to find prospective job chances.

States that have no opticianry demands normally permit employers to train their opticians nonetheless they choose.

Several optical stores are now outsourcing lens modification orders to specialized labs.

Press pads internal if your glasses slide and also exterior if your glasses rest uncomfortably high or explore your nose. If you have plastic frames, you can bend the temple arms in or bent on aid change the means your glasses sit on your nose.

In most cases, the more you use your glasses, the quicker you'll get used to them. I wish I would certainly understood about this a year ago when my toddler tore my glasses apart. I liked your home heating the pliers suggestions as well as not heating up the plastic directly. All I considered while reviewing this is how much it should have drawn to do without glasses on. As a fellow four-eye I've bodged a number of fixes in time.

Who can diagnose eye problems?

Health professionals who are qualified to diagnose and treat eye diseases are optometrists and ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologists complete 4 years of medical school and perform 4 years of residency training.

What Is Glue For Glasses Frames.

Additionally, when it concerns the strength of their bonds, superglues are organizations in advance of regular ones. The very best glues for eyeglass repair show off the fact that they can hold numerous extra pounds of dead weight. Although using this item to fix damaged eyeglass frames can be a bit tricky since you require to mix it extensively before you can use it.

Most of polyvinyl chloride PVC nose pads are made of a soft firm plastic material that gives comfortable assistance of spectacles frames over the facial nasal area. As with all nose pads fabricated from any kind of material, nose pads need to be appropriately changed to make sure that the nosepads fit flush against the skin, otherwise the weight of the glasses frame might leave pressure impressions on the skin.

To do that, first stand in front of a mirror as well as look straight ahead, neither up neither down. Put on your glasses and also place the center of the lenses directly before your eyes. This reveals you the put on your nose that you want the glasses frames on your face.

Nose Pads Keep Glasses Comfortable.

Eyeglass frames have temple arms, holy place corners, nose-bridge as well as nose-pads and also they are all designed for modification. Glasses are created to be gotten used to fit if required, to fit most any kind of face framework. When you ask a neighborhood optical specialist to adjust glasses for you, it is called a fitting.

Can an optometrist diagnose glaucoma?

All optometrists, no matter their level of licensure, are expected to diagnose the condition or at least to recognize that a problem exists and refer the patient to another practitioner. It is in the area of the diagnosis that most referrals by optometrists to ophthalmologists related to glaucoma occur.

try it out was split at one end to allow for the insertion of a lens, as well as the split was closed by a piece of copper cable. The frames were very light, yet the stress in the rivet would certainly have loosened in time making them not able to remain on the nose. Paintings illustrating such frames day from as very early as 1392 CE. Superglues are usually utilized to affix tiny pieces, like damaged eyeglass frames, scale design parts, and take care of broken ceramics, damaged dentures, and so on.

You simply require to be more cautious with your glasses later. If your glasses frame does not have nose pads, you only need to change the holy place tips in order to accomplish your goal. The nose item on plastic frames is made to fit many nose bridges. find a job might be the tiniest noticeable components of eyeglasses, yet they guarantee a comfortable fit while holding the glasses in place.

Replacement nose pads used in fundamental spectacles repair are available at moderate cost as well as maintain your glasses sanitary and comfortable no matter. The earliest kind of eyewear for which any type of historical record exists originates from the middle of the 15th century.

By obtaining a good superglue to make use of on your broken frames, you are conserving a lot of cash, which you can utilize on more vital points. This item provided by the brand is the best glue to deal with glasses. It has a gel-like uniformity so when you position a grain on one part of the eyeglass frame, it will not run. Either way, it is essential to make certain that the optical center of the glasses lenses remains straight before your eyes.

If you make huge changes, or frequent changes, the arms will damage or the weld to the glasses frame will damage. Glasses frequently glide down the nose bridge for different factors. The very best method to stop glasses from gliding down your nose is to flex the rear of the holy places tighter around your ears.

Visual Skill Examination.

You require to repair your eyeglass frames as soon as you can and also the very best means to do so is by utilizing extremely adhesive. These are the scenarios that necessitate using superglue. It is since these products can make fast and also simple work of damaged eyeglass frames. You just require to use the superglue on the components that need to be reattached and after that press them back with each other.

Frequently, a nose pad or nose pads likewise get removed from an eyewear frame and also need changing. Nonetheless, with the help of the purchasing guide and recommendations stated over, your opportunities of obtaining the best very adhesive for plastic spectacles frames will considerably boost.

The issue I have with UV cured glue to fix glasses frames similar to this one is that you need to make sure that it is totally revealed to the light. Although the bond toughness of this adhesive for steel glasses frames is not that solid, it is enough for most glass fixing requirements.

What does OD mean after a doctors name?

An optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school, preceded by three years or more years of college.

I Have A Handicap Can Lenscrafters Accommodate Me?

Nose pads are connected to nose pad arms, which are welded to the spectacles frame. You need to make just tiny fit adjustments to the nose pad arms.

Can You Place Lenses In The Frames I Bought At An Additional Shop?

It is a primitive pince-nez whose frames were made from items of either metacarpal bone from the forelimb of a bull or from big pieces of antler. The two items were each paddle-shaped and also were joined by an iron rivet which offered the stress over the nose and also permitted the lenses to be folded up together. The objective of the 3 openings at the location where the deal with connects to the joint doubts, though they may have been made use of for pinhole vision, a principle which was recognized from old times.

[allthewayuphere]

Websites and Content

How good are your internet marketing and websites copy-writing skills? Web page copy-writing is something that you have to learn from scratch. This is not something that is as basic as composing a love letter. Internet marketing and websites copy-writing are abilities that are mastered, and then applied to your business for optimum effectiveness. The question is, how do you master these 2 topics?

When it pertains to online marketing and web page copy-writing, you need to understand that even if you have actually went to service school at college - you won't acquire the important understanding needed to make a website rewarding. Why is websites copywriting so crucial? It is essential due to the fact that if you can't write in a way that forces individuals to think and trust in your product, you will not get sales.

The unfortunate part is that when it pertains to the online marketing elements of things, most people believe it's all about generating traffic and knowing marketing techniques. They never recognize the value of knowing their numbers. They attend a workshop or purchase an internet marketing course, and then go off and start creating items and running ads. If you ask these people what their expense per lead and cost per sale are, they can't tell you - and they can't tell you why it's so crucial that they require to know this information.

This resembles the websites copy-writing side of things. When most company owner get their site produced, they usually outsource it to a web designer or 3rd party agency - simply since they don't have the technical knowledge to do it themselves. This is easy to understand. What isn't understandable nevertheless, is the weak sales copy on the pages that are expected to be utilized to encourage individuals to buy items, or produce a lead query.

Because of this, it's vital that you choose a web designer or agency who has experience in writing efficient sales copy. And it's also necessary that your web designer or firm has experience in the field of internet marketing likewise. Even if someone is good at designing a website does not suggest that they're proficient at marketing a site. It took me six years to figure that out.

What you DON'T want to take place is having individuals pertaining to your website - and after that getting bored from checking out your pages, and then wind up never ever coming back to your site again. This is detrimental to your company since daily, you could be potentially losing out on consumers and customers who could be worth thousands of dollars over the life time of working with you.

This is something that you can see straight yourself without any laborious research. Just take a look at your monthly traffic logs and your regular monthly income. So what are some things that you can do to improve your online marketing and websites copy-writing? I'm going to give you some ideas of what to do so that you can gain take advantage of in your organization and accomplish the edge over your rivals. Here's the first thing that you can do to enhance your internet marketing and web page copy-writing efforts:

1) Determine the people who are probably to buy from you

Worldwide of internet marketing and web page copy-writing, this pointer is something that goes extremely ignored. You see, many people believe that marketing consists of "getting exposure" and getting individuals to "remember your name". Sadly, this only causes incredible quantities of wasted marketing, and no one caring about your message because it does not relate to them.

You need to promote and interact to individuals in a way that gets their attention, and gets them to do something about it. And the very best way to do this is by structuring your advertisements ONLY for people who are perfect candidates for acquiring your products. So before you run your next advertisement, ask yourself, "Who are the group of people who are probably to buy my products?" This concern has profound implications, and is something that isn't thought about when we speak about websites copy-writing.

Since along with targeting, when it concerns internet marketing, you likewise need to take care that you're not offering to the masses. If you do pay per click advertising (Pay Per Click), and you offer a $100 ink and toner cartridge set, who do you think would be best prospects for this product? Now clearly the first concept that enters your mind are services. What businesses precisely, and in what areas of the country - or the WORLD for that matter?

Not only that, what keywords do you select to target and acquire clicks for that resonates for people who are trying to find what you need to sell? How do you write an advertisement that plainly interacts the benefits of your ink and toner cartridge set, and why these companies should buy it? Likewise, what's your prepare for earning a profit if you end up losing money on the very first sale to every client that you get? These are things that you have to think about prior to you invest a single dollar into advertising.

Here's the 2nd thing that you can do to improve your online marketing and websites copy-writing efforts:

2) Invest in a swipe file

When it comes to writing effective websites sales copy, it's best that you do not start from scratch. It's always best to have actually proven advertisements and content available that you can imitate (not plagiarize) so that writing the advertisement or item description for your website is simple. This is called a "swipe file". There are lots of swipe files on the internet that you can buy for a small amount that will benefit you greatly in this area.

If you do choose to hire a web designer to produce your site for you, ensure you provide your swipe files as ideas for word usage in relation to your product information. If you don't, they will more than likely usage dull company lingo such as, "Number 1", "Top Quality", "We're The Best", "We Care", and etc. None of this plainly communicates the advantages that your customer will receive from purchasing your services and products.

Take and study your swipe files and attempt to understand why the copywriter writes particular words at specific locations of the ad or sales letter that you're looking at. This will give you a great idea of where insert comparable words and call to actions in your own advertisements and sales letters. This is something that many people would say is unimportant, however these are normally individuals who have no genuine experience with online marketing and websites copy-writing, and more importantly ... no genuine experience in generating income with a site.

Keep these 2 internet marketing and web page copy-writing tips in mind every day in your company.

[letswebdesignraleighfan-blog]

Picking a Web Designer

Several small enterprises have trouble with selecting making a good choice regarding developing their particular internet site. They will lookup the internet regarding assistance with their particular internet site and discover the selection will be more difficult as compared to they will considered. At present you can find (literally) countless sites which state being specialist web site designers. Nonetheless, a single has to be mindful inside selecting the most appropriate particular person or perhaps folks where to be able to rely on their particular business graphic. In this post, I am going to try to categorize web site designers directly into controllable teams, and also educate the particular audience the particular variation involving the sorts.

Web site designers belong to several basic classes: freelance beginner, freelance specialist, Web site design Business, Net Advancement Company.

Freelance Beginner

Many web site designers you would run into, specifically seeking the net, are usually the self employed. Which is, people who carry out web site design yet usually are not used by any web site design business. Several are usually self-employed specialists yet these types of the self employed are usually amateur-hobbyist sorts. They will locate a replicate regarding FrontPage™ was included with their particular MILLISECONDS Office™ Selection. They will identified just how entertaining maybe it's to produce website pages so they really started out showing their particular close friends which they can "design" website pages.

The particular "pros" regarding having an beginner will be they are really cheap. The particular "cons" are usually also quite a few to cover, yet I am going to mention a couple of. They've got simply no education; they've got tiny familiarity with why is an excellent internet site perform; they cannot comprehend Html page or perhaps CSS yet simply FrontPage level and also simply click; they cannot comprehend basic layout and also structure principles and so they have got tiny genuine knowledge. The prevailing concern that they must be averted for your significant business person, will be in which their particular perform seems amateurish, helping to make your business seem amateurish. Who would like in which?

Freelance Specialist

A specialist is frequently identified by getting paid out. Folks believe in case you are covered one thing, you then are usually specialist. Possibly which is correct inside the Olympics, but also for the business enterprise companies planet, you're not a specialist and soon you are usually proven and also respectable together from your consumers and also colleagues. Freelancer specialist web site designers certainly are a large step from your beginner inside they've proven any collection regarding respected perform. They've got some type of certified education and also knowledge and so they have got experience which can be tested simply by calling recommendations. They've got an excellent popularity making use of their consumers as well as other specialists. Generally speaking, an excellent freelance specialist website design web design raleigh company may be excellent particular person to own doing all your web site. Nevertheless they are usually tough to tell apart from your beginner if you are merely seeking the internet.

The particular benefit will be, if you learn an excellent a single they may be substantially less costly when compared to a web site design business. Yet which is typically the sole benefit. In the event the price range restrictions an individual, then the freelancer can do to get a tiny venture. Yet anything at all significantly crucial needs to be still left with a specialist business.

Several drawbacks to be able to employing a freelance expert are usually they are typically part-time, that means they may be constrained inside simply how much moment they could dedicate to assembling your project. They're also constrained inside just what they could carry out to suit your needs. Many the self employed are usually experts in a location and also generalists inside the rest. Several haven't any expertise inside anything at all with the exception of their particular a single specialized and sometimes you will need to locate other folks to be able to load tasks. Furthermore, the self employed usually are not constantly low-cost despite the fact that many are usually aspiring to generate their particular business; several are usually very popular and also demand $100 hourly or maybe more for perform. My own assistance the following is, when you have very much to pay, choose an organization with a staff regarding specialists to be able to finish the same job in the timelier way.

Web site design Business

Here is the alternative over and above any freelance specialist. The internet layout business supplies the "whole show". They supply genuine venture supervision and possess taken with each other any staff regarding net professionals to acquire a larger array of careers completed. An organization provides any greater amount of experience inside web site design, development, articles advancement plus more.

This kind of business is normally tiny, but huge adequate to deal with greater level jobs. When compared to the many very certified freelancer, an organization features a range regarding skill and also cooperation doing work for these. The particular end-result can be quite a greater top quality merchandise.

The sole downsides are usually around the a single palm, the internet layout business will be higher priced when compared to a freelancer due to the fact there are numerous a lot more folks face to face. Nonetheless, you obtain everything you buy jewelry correct. Alternatively, regarding huge jobs or perhaps lasting advancement, web site design organizations could be also tiny and also will not hold the individual recourses to allow for in which $500, 000 deal. In the long run, regarding significant internet marketers trying to find top quality and also professionalism and trust and also which can not spend the money for huge company, that is the ideal solution.

Net Advancement Company

Because the subject indicates, any net advancement company is similar to virtually any standard business. They've got an employee regarding workers in offices, they've got masters and also representatives, and so they use a staff regarding skilled specialists that are paid out an excellent wage for perform. They often times use a sales staff that inside of and also exterior revenue. The grade of their particular perform should go with out declaring, when you cannot become thus well-established simply by carrying out poor perform. These kinds of organizations offer you clubs regarding extremely skilled specialists which work with assembling your project and also finish the same job in the regular and intensely successful way. In addition, they generally protect almost all areas of web development which includes advertising. They could have got clubs regarding experts they can release in your place and also perform in-house beneath any momentary deal. The number of choices are usually countless.

When value will be easy as well as the finest quality perform is important, next that is which you should do the work. Regarding more compact price range organizations, any estimate coming from an existing net advancement company may well bump an individual away from the couch, yet understand that organizations that have venture specifications in which attain thousands regarding money realize the particular report. Hence, the sole downside to get a net advancement company will be they are typically extremely expensive. However ,, expense will be comparable and also greater organizations just like to do business with greater organizations.

In conclusion, the decision will be the one you have. I recommend for your significant business person, which you price range a respectable amount regarding money to be able to appropriately layout and also carry out a specialist internet site. I might prevent the beginner and also outsource to a personal or perhaps business together with excellent knowledge and also affordable costs to generate my own web site. When funds have been simply no thing, however would certainly simply handle proven organizations and also pay out some money to be able to finish the same job proper and also completed properly.

[aytendirier]

Organic Search Engine Optimization For Local Business Owners

I have been online marketing for over a decade and I have seen first hand the changes that have occurred especially with regards to Google and their algorithm updates and I'm sure that many of you will be running scared of how to optimize your website or blog anymore. There is a lot of talk about Search Engine Optimization, however not so much about Organic Search Engine Optimization itself. So, I want to tackle that subject first. So, what precisely is Organic Search Engine Optimization? Organic Search Engine Optimization is much like regular Search Engine Optimization event because it is the procedure of optimizing the design of your website so that search engine results, after paying attention to your content, utilizing your prepared list of keywords. The search engine will rank your website higher in the non-paid or natural listings. You will often see these appear below the paid ads at the top of the page on Google. Organic Search Engine Optimization often referred to as Natural Search Engine Optimization, has a slight distinction from normal Search Engine Optimization in specific aspects however the focus here, is to work towards getting the best ranking in Natural search engine results. If you are new to this area of Website Optimization it may be worth your time to invest some money with a Small Business SEO Specialist. They will initially carry out a Website review for you usually Free of Charge then they will create a report detailing the areas that they believe need attention in order to improve your position. You should find the costs reasonable and better yet it gives you the chance to learn a little and focus on your own business rather than trying to learn several new methods at the same time, its just not worth your time, in my opinion. Your chosen SEO team will assess your website thoroughly to see how best to enhance your website's capacity. They will then try to determine any technical issues which could pose a problem and stop your website being indexed properly during the Organic Search Engine Optimization process. One of the methods they will no doubt wish to address is to find the optimum low competition keywords or phrases which you could target and realistically win for yourself in order to rank for and therefore improve your flow of visitors. Keyword analysis must be genuine however, it must look natural, otherwise you end up with a non sensical sentence. You should work your long-tailed keywords into a paragraph and contain the usual content thereafter. It should include details about the function, services and products provided through your website. It must also remain aligned with your goals for marketing your website (getting extra traffic). This is trying to get the best Organic Search Engine Optimization influence possible from the search engines and end users. Some Organic Search Engine Optimization experts will offer you a list of target keywords and phrases that have been ranked previously showing you how commonly they have been used by Internet searchers in the past. Organic SEO starts with picking the right Title and Meta tags, development of on-page text with focus on content and design, and after that is complete you can begin to build your internal links which will go back and forth within your web pages linking Articles with other pages or content so that your visitors can find their way around. If guide is followed by yourself or your team, keyword importance and correct page formatting will increase your natural ranking. Many SEO companies still like to manually submit websites to the various search engines individually, but this is not an essential step and I don't believe that manual submission is any more effective than automated submission. I think automation wherever possible can help get the job done more effectively freeing up time to carry out other Organic SEO activities. Your SEO Firm must rely on creating ethical link structure techniques, not only to safeguard the security of your rankings but to permit your site descriptions to be positioned under the ideal directory site and classifications. Ethical Organic link structure will help your website users to be able to find just the right resource on your website. Once your SEO Team has got you this far, it would be easy to think that you have finished but unfortunately the optimization of your website and its standing in the search engine rankings does not end there. You or your SEO Team will need to continually check to ensure your website maintains of improves its position in the rankings and that there are no errors that may appear on your website like broken links etc. One of the key tools that you or your SEO Team will no doubt do is to set up Google Webmaster Tools to ensure that you take advantage of your free Google My Business Listing as well as submit a Sitemap for your website, this will help the search engines to crawl your website to rank it. Using their webmaster tools can also give you some insight to what is happening what pages have been indexed and to see if any problems have occurred. In business, online and offline, local business must have a website presence, they must also have a social media presence too in order to improve their standing in the community as well as their branding. But the problem most business owners face if that they don't always have the time or the expertise to properly manage their business website and social media campaigns whether they have one or not presently. With my background and experience, I decided to set up my own Digital Marketing Agency for this same reason, small business owners need to outsource their SEO requirements and let these digital agencies take over their social media management and then report back every few weeks with reports of what has been done and what has changed. A typical fee for such management is likely to be anywhere from $300 for a small scale set up to $2,000 for a much larger presence so each set up is likely to be different. For your ongoing SEO needs, once again it depends really what level of cover you are going to need, it maybe possible to bring everything under one team so the work is properly coordinated and managed effectively allowing you to focus on your main business interests. What is expected of every SEO Management Team is regular updates and meetings, with clear concise reports on what is happening. We, ourselves at PixelDigitalAgency.UK only deal with the smaller firms, we can create Fantastic Mobile Friendly Websites which load fast, yet another area of concern for many of the older websites. Then people are accessing the websites using all manner of mobile devices, Smartphones, Tablets, small laptop and desktop PC's so your website must be able to be seen across the range of devices. We can do this using our new software, so whatever your area of expertise we can accommodate you. Organic Search Engine Optimization aims to assist you generate more visitors than you were getting previously, so that your prospective sales will be made the most of in the process. You need to avoid illegal practices and favour Organic Search Engine Optimization more because: 1) Unscrupulous Marketing practices (often illegal or at the least dubious) will never last and will not reflect well on you. There are no shortcuts! 2) Organic Search Engine Optimization does work when done in the right way. 3) Organic Search Engine Optimization does not hurt the search engines, so build it correctly and reap the rewards knowing it has been set up properly. 4) Organic SEO is firmly set in the camp of doing things correctly and to using best practices that have been accepted by most of the Internet world. Organic SEO requires many tools and pieces of software in order to run, manage and monitor what is happening to their campaigns, these all cost substantial amounts of money on a monthly basis for many, which would most likely be prohibitive for most small business owners, so doesn't it make sense to farm out this activity local digital marketing agency? How do you select a suitable local digital marketing agency? Well, I would say just as you would with any other business out there, location is almost irrelevant because the internet is so widespread and the connections via skype help too because you can look and listen to what the agents are saying and how they look. I say this because I've had articles in the past from people who were not natural English speakers, but when the articles came back I had to scrap some altogether and re-write the rest it was a total waste of my time and money so, it's an important point to remember. Cost. is an important factor too and so is value for money, so think it through, ask yourself if you feel that you are getting what you pay for? Time. Things do take time in the SEO world, if you are promised overnight rankings, I would be wary and be asking exactly how, in my experience fast rankings are usually short lived. Contracts. A contract will outline what you can expect what is going to be done and for what price. Plus, it will protect you if things go wrong which they can from time to time, but you need at least some form of get out clause. I would expect an initial contract should be from 3 to 6 months with the option of continuing afterwards if things are going well. Information. Obviously, when you meet after agreeing on a contract you are going to be asked for information about yourself and your business, including this like do you have a list of keywords prepared? Together with a run down on your business, dealings services etc, etc. It will take a while before you get acquainted with your new partnership and like all partnerships honesty and integrity are paramount to its success. Be open to suggestions and outlook and don't be afraid to ask any questions. If you think that things are not working well for you speak up and find out why, if your SEO company has made an error give them time to correct it but monitor them very closely. You can always renegotiate the fee if you are not satisfied. But above all, don't worry, most Local Digital Marketing Agencies maintain a healthy and stable customer base for several years. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10173016

[toprankedseoagencie-blog]

Finding a Good SEO Agency

Well done se optimization often called SEO for brief, is made to allow websites to show up browsing results when people seek out products and services rather than company names. The idea is that folks looking for things online are able to find a business website without the prior knowledge of the business or it's named. There are all method of tricks and techniques which come under SEO, but the good sustainable methods (also sometimes called "white hat SEO") is based around the notion of making your website easier for se to read and understand, meaning they rank you higher in looks for appropriately relevant terms.

It's not uncommon to choose to outsource top ranked SEO agency to external marketing agencies and other companies, but there are quite a few dodgy types on the market who like to take companies seeking SEO - especially local and small businesses - for a very expensive ride. How then does one actually begin finding a good, honest and legitimate se marketer?

It is actually incredibly simple to find a significant best ranked SEO agency online. Visit a site like Google or Bing and key in "SEO agency." Ignoring the paid ads towards the top, whichever firm has landed at the top of the search email address details are what you would like - they must be decent at SEO or their particular website wouldn't be so full of the natural listings!

To narrow things down somewhat, you may try extending your search. Say your home is in Essex and want a local agency - just key in "SEO agency Essex." Or if your website is specialized and you want particular help with it you could add your industry or site type - "SEO tourism" or "SEO eCommerce" for example. This can be a good way to locate niche SEO agencies who have specialist expertise in your field.

Sometimes SEO agencies (or at the very least people claiming to be SEO agencies) attempt to solicit companies by sending them emails or submitting contact forms with various enticements and offers. However, in the event that you see something such as this can be found in then it is most beneficial to ignore it - if your company which supposedly specializes browsing engine optimization is reduced to spamming inboxes to obtain business rather than, say, doing SEO so their particular website ranks highly and people can locate them anyway, chances are they aren't very good. The exact same is true of SEO services advertised on paid ads towards the top of search engines or on banner ads on other websites. If their search marketing is worthwhile, why are they paying out for his or her placements?

Another thing to remember is to steer well free from any SEO agency that promises you "top position for x keywords" or something similar. The majority of modern search engines used personalized searching, meaning that everyone sees websites in slightly different ranking positions depending on their personal search history. Absolute rankings really are a thing of yesteryear, and anyone claiming to supply this kind of service is lying through their teeth. Modern SEO use sustainable "white hat" techniques in order to bring useful traffic to your website, not use exploits and dodgy tricks that may constantly have they slapped by SEO updates like Google's infamous Panda and Penguin algorithm changes.

Once you've found an SEO company that looks mostly okay you will need to question them some questions when you leap into their services. Along with the most common checks like existing client list and testimonials, it's a good idea to talk to someone entirely on the device or in person. Below are a few good questions to ask them.

Would their search marketing work? Is it handled by in-house staff? Do they do any outsourcing, especially to foreign companies? A lot of agencies outsource to cheap link builders in Asia who tend to create really low-quality work that may have a negative affect website in the medium to long term.

How often do they report, and what format do these reports take? Any professional SEO agency should really be providing regular updates to all or and it's clients, along with written reports detailing actions taken and progress made. What sort of skills and qualifications do they have? Take a peek at their existing client lists for any recognizable big names, and see if they have anyone who's Analytics qualified. Some companies even use quality standards like ISO 9001 which is an excellent sign.

What else do they do? A lot of these companies are primarily website designers who are resellers for outsourced SEO services to enhance their profits. It is better to look for an on the web marketing specialist to ensure you get a top quality service.

If you do not have the amount of money to hire a professional SEO agency there are additional options available? Some companies enable you to purchase one off website review to make recommendations on how best to improve your internet site from a research marketing perspective or you may research current techniques and ideas to accomplish SEO for yourself.

Many online marketing methods are in fact startlingly simple. Raise your domain authority by getting other relevant sites to link back once again to yours. Get yourself backlinks boost along with general marketing benefit by utilizing social media marketing like Facebook. Keep your website high in regularly updated and top quality content to encourage individuals to link for you along with growing the site's visibility and importance. Make use of a good, solid SEO plugin for the content management system, and make sure your website's code is error-free.

[betterbinderproject]

Hi, when you say that you understand completely the reasons why people don't like the better binder project you're being very presumptuous. It's not the same as well-meaning but ignorant abled people attempting to solve highly complex and expensive problems of access for disabled people. And furthermore, the way you talk about this is really condescending and frankly just...you make assumptions that you understand the intimacies of how people think and feel that are just not true or analogous.

Like I mean this in the nicest possible way, but cisgender people’s relation to trans people is just not the same, and it would be a lot less patronizing and transphobic of you to *not* characterize every possible negative and/or critical reaction to this blog as being a reflexive anger and automatic rejection instead of being a justified and/or reasonable wariness. Like I absolutely hope this project succeeds, but there’s no reason to think that you’re qualified to make it succeed.

I’m going to use this also as a way to respond to your post, which didn’t show up on my Acitivity, so I’m glad someone pointed me to it.

1. My ability to listen to criticism

For the last couple weeks, I’ve been monitoring the activity of my posts, especially looking for people saying things like, “This will never work”, “this is a bad idea”, “won’t work for me” and so forth. Then a lot of the time I’ve messaged them to say, “Hi, I want to hear about your thoughts and experiences, do you have time to talk?”. I’m in a little bit of a backlog with this because some really smart and informed people have been commenting on it but I’ve been busy. For example, if I got the chance to listen to @the-scottish-costume-guy at greater length and in greater detail in the next couple days, I’d be really happy.

So while some criticisms have been reflexive rage or despair, others have been completely on point and I’ve already integrated them into my design (for example, recommendations to slope the boning diagonally down and to the outside). And others have been logical on the surface, but don’t apply to the specific thing I am trying to do (eg. “corsets are expensive”)

2. My credentials

I’ve been sewing seriously for the last 20 years. In some of that time, I’ve been paid for my work. For much of it, I’ve both been reading academic sources on the topic, and sewing in the workshops of vastly more experienced sewists. Over and above all my other sewing experience, I’ve made and worn numerous corsets. There is no set certification for a “professional tailor” but yes, if I wanted to do that as a job, I do have the resume and portfolio for it.

Tailoring isn’t actually the field you want here, though. Since beginning this project, I’ve located and contacted several researchers in the fields of human ecology, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering, who have relevant expertise. None have yet gotten back to me, probably partly because it’s summer. If someone more qualified than me wants to work on this project, I am 100% willing to collaborate with them, or hand the project off to them.

3. My profiting from this project

I’ve already made some very particular and pointed decisions about this. If I wanted to significantly profit from this project, I would:

Keep my R&D process secret

Patent and license the design

Sell patterns of the design I made for individuals wanting to make their own, individual, copy

Sell binders I myself made, or possibly outsource their production and then sell the result

Send cease&desist letters threatening to sue anyone selling copies of my binder, or any other binder on similar design principles, or any pattern for such a binder

Demand that anyone wanting to profit from the use of my design principles pay me a licensing fee.

Meanwhile, my plan right now includes:

Publicizing my concepts and progress in a way freely accessible to anyone with an Internet connection

Maintaining a record of my progress to keep anyone else from claiming to be its inventor and licensing it in exploitative ways

Encouraging feedback from as many people as possible and seeking out trans, nb, and genderqueer perspectives 

Coming soon: Creating a survey about wearer experiences and health outcomes, asking anyone involved in this project to report back so the data can be disseminated and analyzed. If this project and my design are a failure, I will say so.

Making design concepts, and in the future, patterns and tutorials, freely available to anyone with an internet connection, and agreeing to their republication to reach other audiences

Only receiving donations from people who understand that this is an experimental venture, posed as the question, “What if I tried this thing,” and only profiting from items that I have ensured people could get for themselves some other way. (eg “Here’s a free tutorial on making this binder using items from the dollar store. However, if you want to buy a $20 kit of high-quality items pre-cut for your convenience, here’s my Etsy”)

Providing prototypes to their intended wearers for free in return for feedback about the wearers’ experiences, instead of selling half-baked designs for a profit

Openly encouraging other sewists to suggest design improvements, make their own versions, or make binders for other people without paying me

In the future, I’m very open to stepping back in my own role in this project, and handing it off to trans people who have taken the idea and run with it.

From a legal perspective, I have probably already ruined my chances of making big bucks from this project, and I did that on purpose. From the beginning, I realized that it is very possible for me to be exploitative in how I handle this project. 

I honestly asked for money because I can’t pay for medications, groceries and utilities right now. I got about $300, which was enough to cover most of my monthly medical expenses. Most of the clients I see as a psychotherapist are disabled, living on extremely limited incomes, and cannot pay me much more than the cost I pay to rent the room we meet in. I’m trying to survive and find a better job. If I had a full-time job and made a decent income, I would be funding this project out of my own pocket. I know how to market and monetize a project like this, and have, from the first, deliberately chosen not to, in large part because I’m cis and this isn’t my issue.

4. Binders over top surgery

This project has largely been inspired by a trans person with whom I have worked, whose parents were involved in a custody dispute beginning when they were 14. At 14 they realized they were trans, but they required the consent of both parents for medical procedures until the age of 18. One parent was extremely transphobic and would not consent to top surgery, although they didn’t see their child on a regular basis and didn’t know how they dressed and presented. During those 4 years, they used a binder as a way of dealing with the dysphoria that made them suicidal. Despite its negative physical health effects (pain, trouble breathing, rashes, etc) the binder was an essential aid to their mental health.

Yes, binding is a “stopgap” method compared to top surgery. However, one of my major areas of work is as a mental health therapist with LGBTQ people, especially teenagers. Not everyone can get top surgery, and not always as quickly as it is needed. Sometimes there is a gap you need to stop.

5. Why do we need better binders at all?

I didn’t go into this because I, frankly, had considered the need for improvements in binder technology so well-documented as to be completely obvious. Just today someone tagged this blog talking about how much they want it to work because “binding gives me rashes, makes my already shitty lungs hurt, makes my back hurt, and doesn’t actually work for me“ Would you like me to curate the research and accounts of people who have problems with the current models of binder available? Is that proof you in fact need?

7. Corsets are unsuitable/super gendered

Yep! That’s why I’m not making corsets. I’m trying to use the engineering elements from corsetry that would make the binder better, and make everything else as un-corset-like as possible. 

How possible this is is an open question right now. For example, corsets need to be fitted so precisely because they go from the bust to the hips, and therefore need the correct bust, waist, and hip measurement, and the correct height, and the correct ratio of all things to each other, and to have the correct vertical profile. My current hypothesis is that by making a binder that covers only the bust, I can eliminate many of these complexities. However, many informed observers of the project have told me that they think I’m wrong, and that the binder will need to extend to the waist to more evenly distribute the load of compression, and a garment that only goes around the chest will cause too much back pain over the long term. This is a question I think can honestly only be answered when I ship my prototypes to my genderqueer friend in Georgia, who shares my measurements and is eager to try each model out for hours/days/weeks and report back.

At present, I am experimenting with adaptations to sports bras, which I also know can be too gendered and induce dysphoria. I’m using them because my current project is aimed at people who have very little experience sewing, and therefore would benefit from only having to add a few elements to an already-constructed garment. After this, I want to see if I can transition those adaptations to something less gendered, like a tank top. After that, I can begin work on drafting a binder entirely from scratch, which, one hopes, I can make as ungendered as possible.

My askbox is open!

[songofmysnark]

The Bullshit Industry That Is Women’s Clothing

We’re gonna have a little talk, friends.  We’re gonna have a talk about the state of women’s clothing and how much it sucks.

I’m talking off-the-rack clothing aimed at adult, working women.  Your Ann Taylors.  Your J.Crews.  Your Banana Fucking Republics. The Nordstroms of the world. You know, the companies that are trying to get us to buy their most recent monstrosity of polyblended horror and the subject of plenty of thinkpieces, this one included.  “Are millennials killing the clothing industry?”  Yes, because you deserve to die, but also now we’re naked so can we please strike a plea bargain?

Before any of you get your panties in a twist, I’m counting stay at home moms as working women, because domestic labor is work, childcare is work, and juggling logistics is work.  If you can outsource it and the person who is doing it would reasonably expect to get paid, it’s work -- so don’t tell me being a SAHM isn’t work just because nobody’s paying her to do the job of a nanny, line cook, housekeeper, administrative assistant, executive director, coach, motivational speaker, teacher, or community organizer.  And also, no SAHM should have to resort to the MLM hell that is LueLaRoe in order to clothe her body.  Put the valentine heart printed butter leggings down, Karen.

So, working women, clothing ourselves is hard.  It has gotten worse over the past two decades.  Let us break this shit down:

Declining quality.  Don’t gaslight women over 30 and tell us that the decline in quality is all in our heads and that our expectations have increased as we’ve gotten older and more critical or educated.  A lot of us still have our blazers from J.Crew that we bought in 2007 -- at least I do.  I saved them because they’re gorgeous and sentimental, and now I save them as a physical reminder that clothing currently available to me as a retail consumer has sharply decreased in quality.  

Fit issues.  Between the unreasonably sloppy, inconsistent sizing (sometimes between two of the exact same garments), bizarre proportions, limitations on size ranges, and a seemingly universal refusal to cut garments for women larger than a B cup, women’s clothing fits horribly.  The solution to this problem seems to be to sew everything in stretchy, cheap materials that are clingy, unflattering, and translucent, which translates to...

...Awful styles.  Since the solution to lazy fit is stretch, the industry makes a lot of clothing styles that are not suitable for most women’s daily lives because they’re too cheap to use decent fabric in making clothing to account for the fact that they’re too cheap to invest in fit and quality construction.  Oh, you can’t wear a cold-shoulder top and a pair of stretchy black leggings to your corporate job?  Too fucking bad, that’s what’s in stock right now.  If we call it “Athleisure,” it’s all good!  And if you look shitty in it, it’s because you’re not athletic enough to be wearing it.

It’s funny how when women abandoned the corset, it was liberating -- until style started demanding that women become their own corsets.  No lumps or bumps or bulges allowed, but unless you want to wear Spanx (read: a girdle), you better diet yourself down to a flawlessly smooth size 2 if you don’t want to look horrible in a simple tshirt.

Sure, good style is available to those who have enough social or economic capital to access it -- and by social capital, I am including people who are thin.

The state of plus-sized fashion has always been appalling, but as the country tumbles into greater income inequality, the concentration of jobs paying a living wage into traffic-jammed cities with a lack of reasonably affordable or accessibly housing, the masses are not going to be getting thinner.  The workday has been getting longer, either by extending hours or by making it very clear that people who leave before 6 are slackers, or by tethering us to email in the spirit of “leaning in.”  Sorry, when you spend 1-3 hours/day commuting to your soul-sucking job that doesn’t pay enough to afford help to outsource all of the shit you have to do on weekends in order to function as an adult, the “obesity epidemic” is not going to end.  How about we call a spade a spade: the “obesity epidemic” is a side-effect of the confluence of income inequality and late-stage capitalism.  “Calories in, calories out, it’s so simple!” say people who are able to prioritize and afford to be thin, and are rewarded in kind with clothing that at least isn’t punishingly ugly or uncomfortable.

Let’s talk about uncomfortable clothing: there’s a lot of it when you get out of the stretchy-spandex land masking the laziness of corporate clothing behemoths behind 2% spandex in an already forgiving knit.  Wovens, friends, let’s snark on wovens.  Wovens are the fabrics that are stiffer -- think jeans without spandex, chinos without spandex, button down shirts without spandex, your wool coat without spandex, etc.  

Believe it or not, young people, most of these items didn’t stretch 10-15 years ago, or if they did it was a tiny amount -- enough so that you could comfortably drive a car while still wearing a garment that was purposefully cut and constructed so that it would lay close to the body.  Instead of spandex, clothing was constructed with more ease -- more space, looser in areas where a normal human body needs space to move.  And nobody looked shitty, because the clothing was made so that the structure of the garment kept it from looking like a sack of potatoes; that structure comes from quality fit, construction, and materials.  

And of course, companies will retort that if they did anything the way they did 10-15 years ago, costs would skyrocket!  Materials are expensive and skilled labor isn’t cheap, especially if paid a living wage in a country with labor regulations to protect workers!  To which I say: bullshit.  Costs won’t skyrocket unless you expect customers to pad the pockets of your shareholders and executives to make up for increased production costs that narrow the profit margin.  Essentially, you want the same profit margin that was established and became the norm when you switched to shitty quality while raising prices.

The problem is really of your own doing, Mr. Mall Fashion Executive Dude; you trained your customers to expect good quality clothing for decades, rested on your laurels while increasing your profit margins by cutting production costs, got everyone on the corporate end used to booming profits based on this giant margin, and then got confused when shit went south.  You went for short-term profits, banking on the reputation of your brand to carry the company through a quality control nosedive.  And now we’re rubbing your face in it.

So here’s some advice to the corporate powers that be: 

Make some fucking decent clothing.

Make the entire line in a wide range of sizes, 00-24+ with no differentiation between “plus” and “misses.”  

Give women’s clothing the attention, quality, consistency, and detail of men’s items.

Stop putting random shit on your clothing.  I want a goddamn tshirt without a sequin, weird design, picture of a bird, a saying, etc.

Don’t “bring back a classic” and mark it up 200%.  Take a hint: we all still have that item from 2003, don’t think we won’t compare them and put the videos taking you down for both an outrageous markup and a comparatively mediocre product.  Looking at you, Lululemon’s “full on Luon” (i.e. regular luon from a few years prior with a new name and higher price).  Looking at you, J.Crew icon trench from 2003 (i.e. the old trench marked up higher than it was before but with a shittier fit and cheaper materials).  

If your wovens look like shit on the average American woman, that means you need to hire people who know how to design a decent garment, use better materials, and learn about ease, drape, and tailoring.  

If your pants don’t fit women with hourglass figures, the problem is your pants.

And finally:  Listen to the women screaming at you on Instagram every time you roll out a crappy collaboration.  What do they want?  Natural fibers, better fit, a size range that is inclusive and reflects the general public without arbitrary cutoffs, good design, cohesive collections, solid basics, durability, functional pockets that can hold a fucking iphone, classic lines, and comfort.  

If that is too much of an order, maybe get the fuck out of the industry that makes clothing for women, because there are actually companies that have demonstrated that it is possible to do it right:  MM LaFleur (pricey, but excellent), Boden, Land’s End, etc. are all examples of companies that manage not to completely screw the pooch on selling clothing to women.  Hell, I’ll even give you Eileen Fisher.  Give me some linen and a functional pocket, Ms. Fisher, I’ll gladly look like a sexless therapist who moonlights at an art gallery.

But seriously, fuck right off with this cold-shoulder, poly-blend, lazy bullshit.

[stridec05]

Finding A Good SEO Agency

Well done search engine optimisation, often called SEO for short, is designed to allow websites to show up in search results when people search for products and services rather than simply company names. The idea is that people looking for things online are able to find a business website without any prior knowledge of the business or its name. There are all manner of tricks and techniques which fall under SEO, but the good sustainable methods (also sometimes called "white hat SEO") are based around the idea of making your website easier for search engine to read and understand, meaning they rank you higher in searches for appropriately relevant terms.

It is not uncommon to decide to outsource SEO to external marketing agencies and other companies, but there are far too many dodgy types out there who like to take companies seeking SEO - especially local and small businesses - for a very expensive ride. How then does one actually go about finding a good, honest and legitimate search engine marketer?

It is actually incredibly easy to find a decent SEO agency online. Go to a search engine like Google or Bing and type in "SEO agency." Ignoring the paid ads at the top, whichever firm has landed at the top of the search results are what you want - they must be pretty good at SEO or their own website wouldn't be so high in the natural listings!

To narrow things down a bit, you could try extending your search. Say you live in Essex and want a local agency - just type in "SEO agency Essex." Or if your website is specialised and you want particular help with it you can add your industry or site type - "SEO tourism" or "SEO eCommerce" for example. This can be a great way to find niche SEO agencies who have specialist expertise in your field.

Sometimes SEO agencies (or at least people claiming to be SEO agencies) try to solicit companies by sending them emails or submitting contact forms with various enticements and offers. However if you see something like this come in then it is best to ignore it - if a company which supposedly specialises in search engine optimisation is reduced to spamming inboxes to get business rather than, say, doing SEO so their own website ranks highly and people can find them anyway, chances are they aren't very good. The same is true of SEO services advertised on paid ads at the top of search engines or on banner ads on other websites. If their search marketing is any good, why are they having to pay for their placements?

Another thing to bear in mind is to steer well clear of any SEO agency that promises you "top position for x keywords" or something similar. Nearly all modern search engines used personalised searching, meaning that everyone sees websites in slightly different ranking positions depending on their personal search history. Absolute rankings are a thing of the past, any anyone claiming to deliver this kind of service is lying through their teeth. Modern SEO will use sustainable "white hat" techniques in order to bring useful traffic to your website, not use exploits and dodgy tricks, which will constantly get them slapped by search engine updates like Google's infamous Panda and Penguin algorithm changes.

Once you've found an SEO company that looks mostly all right you'll need to ask them some questions before you leap into their services. As well as the usual checks like existing client list and testimonials, it is a good idea to speak to someone directly on the phone or in person. Here are some good questions to ask them.

Who does their search marketing work? Is it handled by in-house staff? Do they do any outsourcing, especially to foreign companies? A lot of agencies outsource to cheap link builders in Asia who tend to produce very low quality work that can have a negative impact on websites in the medium to long term. How often do they report, and what format do these reports take? Any professional SEO agency should be providing regular updates to all its clients, along with written reports detailing actions taken and progress made. What kind of skills and qualifications do they have? Take a look at their existing client lists for any recognisable big names, and see if they have anyone who is Analytics qualified. Some companies even use quality standards like ISO 9001 which is an excellent sign. What else do they do? A lot of these companies are primarily website designers who are resellers for outsourced SEO services to boost their profits. It is better to look for an online marketing specialist to ensure you get a good quality service. If you don't have the money to hire a professional SEO agency there are other options available. Some companies will let you pay for a one off website review to make recommendations on how to improve your site from a search marketing perspective, or you could research current techniques and ideas to do SEO for yourself.

Many online marketing methods are in fact startlingly simple. Boost your domain authority by getting other relevant sites to link back to yours. Get a backlinks boost as well as general marketing benefit by using social media like Facebook. Keep your website full of regularly updated and good quality content to encourage people to link to you as well as grow the site's visibility and importance. Use a good, solid SEO plugin for your content management system, and make sure your website's code is error free.

Remember you'll get a natural boost from modern search engines if your website is

Well designed, easy to use and nice to look at

[tiktokdownloaderzz]

Shopify home

With more than 1,000,000 online stores presently utilizing Shopify, internet business is authoritatively the best and popularity based method of getting your item available

As of February 2020, around 20% of all retail deals in the UK happen on the web. Furthermore, with online deals income developing year on year, the proof is there that internet shopping is more universal than any other time.

Also Visit Click here

That is the reason track down the right stage to advertise your item, and Shopify offers the speediest and least demanding method of contending with the huge young men to make yourself a benefit.

Yet, with such countless clients, what's the most ideal approach to get your item seen in any case? What's more, whenever you've begun to assemble steam, how would you keep on developing?

Here are 10 different ways to get seen and keep your image important.

1. Sell a scope of various items

Alright, so it's undeniable you're not going to have the option to sell everything. Amazon appears to have essentially cornered the market on that, and recruiting a clerk adequate to keep on top of $280 billion worth of yearly net deals may be interesting.

There is proof to recommend, in any case, that learning a bit about how Amazon functions may be valuable. They utilize what's referred to in the exchange as the 'long-tail procedure', which is essentially the executives represent 'give individuals what they need'.

It is not necessarily the case that in the event that you have some expertise in selling print on request generations of Impressionist artistic creations, for instance, that you should turn your hand to hardware. It simply implies that you should consider investigating what your rivals offer and change your image as per what your clients need.

Branch out from generations of Impressionist compositions into banner craftsmanship. Or on the other hand if your specialty is selling picture books for foot stools, what about spreading out into general book deals or present a free scope of pads?

Know your market. Assuming you will adhere to your specialty, attempt to build your scope of items inside that specialty. Broaden!

2. Give print a shot interest (you will not think back)

The way in to any effective business is standing apart from the group, and the most ideal approach to ensure that you get seen rapidly is to mark yourself.

What a great many people don't understand about print on request is that it's really a beautiful savvy approach to develop your image tasteful. You simply pick an item, transfer your plan and modify what it looks like. At the point when your client has satisfied their request, you hand it over to the print on request administration and they handle the rest.

You don't hold any stock. Print on request utilizes an outsourcing plan of action. So you don't need to manage the cerebral pain of requests or amounts. You simply discover your crowd, let them make their request, and when it's been satisfied you take a cut of the benefit without taking care of or printing any of the stock. Excellent, correct?

3. Market your product utilizing Facebook

You've perused the insights previously. More than 2 billion month to month dynamic clients. Almost 70% of US grown-ups are presently Facebook clients. You're on the cusp of a conceivably boundless market, and you don't have a clue where to begin.

What you ought to know about is that on the off chance that you choose to share your marketing content the conventional way, "natural reach" on Facebook is restricted. That is the reason keep your posts quick and painless, and post substance from other intriguing sources where you think there may be a renumeration all together.

On the off chance that you have a superior thought of who your optimal segment may be, then, at that point there are custom alternatives which you can use to focus on your crowd all the more correctly.

4. Be older style (use email advertising)

As far as internet business, email advertising can here and there appear to be a little… 2004. However, the explanation it remains so powerful is on the grounds that it's basically the one ensured steady about the Internet. Facebook, Twitter and (particularly) Instagram are just helpful in case you're attempting to focus on specific socioeconomics. Google traffic is too vigorously weighted on SEO and in the event that you don't have the specialized expertise, it tends to be overwhelming.

However, email stays a consistently reliable and successful way for making yourself clear to countless individuals at some random time. What's more, a decent method of building an information base is by catching subtleties through designated pick in structures.

Obviously, the substance you convey from that point must be succinct and beautiful enough to command the notice of whoever chose to give up their email address!

5. Upgrade your store for individuals purchasing in a hurry

In this way, we realize that in the US cell phones represent around 44% of all online deal traffic. What's more, we likewise realize that in 2018, around 80% of grown-ups in the US got to the web through their cell phone.

The inquiry is the means by which to exploit this. With a simple to-utilize application like Shopify, the appropriate response is, obviously, that you make your store as effectively open, vivid and easy to understand as could really be expected. Furthermore, Shopify has the right layout devices available to you to make this a simple change.

This super-supportive Shopify article spreads out 5 hacks to assist you with upgrading your store for portable – it's definitely worth a read!

6. Keep your regulars cheerful

You've differentiated your item range, you've fostered an intelligible brand stylish, you've even dominated the compelling artwork of tracking down your segment. However, how would you keep this load of new clients faithful?

Stay in ordinary contact with your client base. A decent method to do this is to take part in customary email correspondence. These cause the client to feel esteemed, and can appear as anything from new offers, customized messages dependent on advertising data, occasional offers and declarations about new items.

7. Ensure your substance is eye catching

It ought to be clear at this point that in the present online market, the best method to urge individuals to buy your item is to outline your image with drawing in content.

However, knowing what sort of content to create in an always advancing web based business market can be precarious. That is the reason you ought to be centered around these four key regions to reinforce an item's ROI:

Video

Picture Content

Audits and Recommendations

Item Description

As indicated by Forbes, almost 66% of all online purchasers are bound to buy your item subsequent to watching an all around made data video. Picture content has been demonstrated to viably shape client discernments about a given brand, and item portrayals and surveys.

8. Make it individual

Everybody loves the sensation of opening a by and by tended to letter. The essential thing to recollect about your clients is that they're people, and as people that little bit of carefully conceived wistfulness goes far.

At any point buy anything off a non mainstream creator on Etsy and they send you one of those cutesy little postcards? Doesn't that cause you to feel exceptional? Presently envision consolidating that individual touch with the sort of smooth bundling offered by some bigger corporate contenders. Wouldn't that make you believe that the brand behind your buy is by one way or another both mindful and expert?

That is the picture you need to outfit.

9. Try not to be reluctant to put resources into paid advertisements (where proper)

No one loathes handing over superfluous cash more than the enormous business players do. However, they didn't get to where they are today without contributing a little en route. Now and again delivering out early can procure profits later.

Accepting the US for instance, 64.6% of individuals click on Google Ads when they are hoping to purchase a thing on the web. That is huge. Also, contingent upon how well known your industry is, that could mean much more clients and significantly less migraines.

10. Get intuitive

We live in the period of intuitiveness, and intelligent substance can be an incredible method to connect with your crowd. Yet, you're presumably thinking, isn't excessively costly? Indeed, it tends to be. Be that as it may, Gleam.io shared an illustration of intelligent substance which could truly work, regardless of whether you're on a tight financial plan.

They expounded on an opticians organization called Zenni Optical, in which clients can take an intuitive test (9 straightforward inquiries) to distinguish their ideal casing. They figure this assisted them with creating 1,000,000 dollars in income – not terrible!

A last word. Presently that you're ready for action and (ideally!) acquiring some income, consider giveaways. Be as responsive as possible via online media. On the off chance that you can, give faithful clients limits on specific items. Also, critically, draw in with your crowd in a way which causes them to feel appreciated.

[escalonservices]

Up-to-date financial records are critical to the success of any business. But as a startup owner, your time is valuable and should be better spent developing your business and focusing on other core tasks, instead of inputting numbers into a spreadsheet. And usually, startups don’t have a large enough financial services team on staff to deploy all of the growth strategies that will help them expand.

As a solution, outsourcing accounting, bookkeeping, and chief financial officer (CFO) services are becoming a popular choice among firms that are looking to reduce their overhead expenses and increase efficiency at the same time.

What is outsourcing, and why do it

In simple words, outsourcing is the practice of getting certain job functions done outside an organization. When a business decides to outsource, it essentially delegates a part of its company’s work to a third-party contractor or agency. Outsourcing is typically undertaken by enterprises as a cost-cutting measure.

Let’s take a look at six top reasons outsourcing critical functions like accounting, bookkeeping, and CFO services can be a strategic decision for your startup.

You’ll save money: One of the driving forces behind outsourcing is the need to keep your company afloat by watching your costs. Outsourcing allows you to cut overhead costs because you don’t have to spend on salary and benefits like retirement, vacation time, and health insurance — outsourced workers usually cost less than regular full-time workers. In addition, you won’t need to spend money on software and the equipment essential for handling the accounting and finance processes.

By nature, outsourcing is flexible: By selecting an outsourcing company specializing in finance and accounting, you can benefit from a tailor-made solution for your company. You can also add or remove financial and accounting processes depending on your needs. For instance, if you need seasonal help, you can choose to outsource for a few months only. As demand wanes, you can scale back and pick up again when you need it.

You have improved internal control: According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner’s study from 2012, the most common victims of fraud are small businesses that employ fewer than 100 employees, and the median fraud amounts to an astounding $147,000. This is because most small businesses don’t have access to an accountant or CFO who could spot abnormal activity in the transactional and billing data. Outsourcing accounting helps you reduce the possibility of fraud, as you’ll have a dedicated team of accounting experts who will accurately check your books and transaction reports. It also lowers the risk of having your books manipulated.

If you work with an outsourcing company, you won’t face this issue, because the outsourced firm will put cybersecurity programs in place to ensure that your data is encrypted, protected, and secure. If you ever need access to your documents, you’ll be able to find them on shared servers or the cloud, but it will take place over a secure connection so they can’t be breached.

The added benefits of outsourcing CFO services

An outsourced CFO does a lot more than an outsourced accountant and/or a bookkeeper. By profession, an outsourced CFO is a finance expert who offers high-level, strategic services on a project basis or a part-time basis; for example, working on systems design and analysis as well as operational optimization. Here are eight additional benefits of outsourcing CFO services that can help you enhance the financial health of your business.

The future belongs to outsourcing

COVID-19 has caused many business owners to review their business’ core operational processes, from spending to remote working arrangements. Entrepreneurs have realized that they need to maintain a laser-sharp focus on lean operations, which means that it’s the right time to outsource for many of them.

The pandemic has also made outsourcing several functions more important than ever, as firms try to scale down their full-time workforces and find ways to save money while still stimulating growth.

There are times when it can be tough to see a future without COVID-19 happening around us, but the reality is that the pandemic will eventually subside, and your company will get back on track to fulfilling its goals again. When that happens, your needs in the areas of accounting, tax compliance, accounts payable and finance will likely grow as well. The outsourcing firm will be able to provide additional hours or even more people to meet your growing business needs, with no lag time. If you require four hours’ worth of accounting help on Monday but you realize you’ll need nine hours’ worth by Wednesday, that can happen in just one phone call, rather than negotiating with staff members and putting out recruiting ads.

This also means that you won’t need to spend time hiring accounting and finance staff members when your business expands. You’ll instead just let the outsourcing firm know that your needs have changed, and they will scale up your operations accordingly to ensure that they accommodate all of your requirements.

Originally published at https://escalon.services on July 23, 2021.