How long do rancho shocks last

I’m really curious how everyone calculated their return when they are continually adding to their holdings. Just as an example lets say i start the year with $24k and my ending balance is $48k. Obviously its very different returns if i contributed $12k in jan, dec, or $1k/month. Contributing in jan was close to 33%, dec 50%, and the last case which is more realistic to what everyone is doing is much harder to calculate.

How does your hypomania manifest? What does it look like to you?
My hypomanic epsiodes usually consist of the following:
-Starting a very weird hobby that usually makes me spend a lot of money (this last time it was perfumery, i bought a bunch of material and was about to become the next best perfumer in the world)
-finding a new business idea (sometimes multiple) that i pursue very strongly for a week or two
-A 100 google searches after 12 AM (racing thoughts and ideas)
-Applying for so many jobs
-Creating samples of artistic work (I don't work professionally in an artistic field) for hours, which usually makes me stay up all night.
-Walking for more than an hour at a time in the street without a goal in mind (not for fitness)
-Making so many plans with friends and being way more social, i usually make conversations with strangers when i'm in a high (i'm not normally social like that)
-Being so irritated with people for talking slowly or being in my way (either when i wanna talk, or walk, or do anything)
-Feeling so happy and excited for my life and the future.
-The final Euphoric day before the crash.

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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
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Chapter 25: Daily Grind
I found Apple chewing at the door handle to the alchemy shop. He raised his head when he saw me, snorted, then went back to chewing the wood.
I shooed him away, then gave him the last apple from the saddlebags instead.
Today had been a productive day for the both of us. I'd done away with miscreants and mages both, and he'd done away with everything green in a large circle around where he was tied up. Given enough time, I was certain he would have chewed through the door handle as well, and then the door itself.
It would have been marvellously useful. We needed to go through it.
Coppelia and I had unfinished business here. Officially requisitioning Apple back into my employ as my noble, if rather slow steed was a must. But so was ensuring that any evidence of Marina Lainsfont's crimes was secured, as well as hints on where she could have gone.
Neither of us expected to find Marina in the shop itself. But it was the abode of a powerful mage. And that meant the possibility of unforeseen danger.
We'd need to be respectful of potential traps, and that meant discretion.
“[Coppelia Kick]!”
Prooowwph.
Thus, the door to her shop flew inside as Coppelia roundhouse kicked it with a smile.
“What happened to discretion?!” I said, aghast at the damage it could have caused Coppelia's shoes. They were the nicest things she owned. “You said you were going to check the door for traps!”
“I did check the door for traps!”
“Then why is it now on the floor?!”
“There are two ways to check for traps. The dumb way and the Coppelia way. Dumb people cast counterspells and fiddle with locks until eventually, their spells and fancy hands fail one time and they blow up. Poof! If I kick the door down, then there's nothing to open and nothing to trigger.”
“You don't need to say the Coppelia way. You can just say wanton violence.”
“It works, though!” Coppelia stuck her leg past the doorway, paused, then skipped inside while pretending she hadn't just waited to see if she blew up. “And besides, it was a door. What are doors for if not to kick down?”
I raised an eyebrow. I also didn't walk in after her.
“Your library doesn't have any doors, does it?”
“Not anymore, no,” she said cheerfully. “Coming in?”
I waited five seconds for any explosions to occur, then followed after her. If Marina Lainsfont had planted a trap to detonate after more than five seconds, then she deserved her victory.
Inside, I was now experiencing my first act of breaking and entering a private property. Regardless of the criminal status of the owner, this was still trespass.
Luckily, laws didn't apply to me!
As a princess, any property was my own should I deem it to be. I could name a bench in the middle of a city as my private abode and anyone who sat on it would be charged with lèse-majesté. But while the option was available to me, it was problematic since I was currently masterfully incognito.
Fortunately, that problem had just solved itself.
I wasn't just here as a princess. True, I was 99% here as a princess as anything less would make me irredeemable in my own eyes. But I was also here as a newly inducted adventurer. And while that 1% meant shame and disappointment on my family name and royal heritage, it did come with a useful advantage.
Namely, that if anyone asked me why I was committing a host of minor offences, I could direct all liability onto the Adventurer's Guild!
Ohohohoho! Those fools! I'd bleed them and their reputation dry! It wasn't often I had the opportunity to plan the demise of the Adventurer's Guild, but now that I did, I took it with gusto.
I would brazenly ignore the law as usual, but now it would be the guild and not my family that were the target of the peasantry's vitriol!
My carefully constructed plan to diminish the Adventurer's Guild in the eyes of the people was taking shape. And it'd start with the ruckus Coppelia and I caused as we made our way through the narrow shop.
“The odour has become more pungent,” I noted, wrinkling my nose as I eyed the ingredients on the walls. “I thought it would become more bearable without anything green or purple or skull shaped simmering in the background.”
“Actually, I think that simmering helped overpower our senses so much that everything just became warm and hazy. Without it, we get everything as it is. Natural and raw and full of wholesome goodness.”
“I think I preferred it when it was an alarming miasma.”
“Get used to it. Adventurers dig around all the worst smelling places. That's where all the lost cats are.”
And that's where all the lost cats will stay.
Ohoho … unfortunately for our feline friends, I wasn't a cat person. I was a me person. And I cherished myself and my sense of personal hygiene dearly!
“I'll remind you that I'm an adventurer in name alone. Rest assured that any task I complete is for my own benefit, and that the Adventure's Guild is merely a fund to draw from.”
“By finding lost cats, right? I mean, they must have a huge fund for that.”
“Then it simply means there will be plenty of wide-eyed adventurers who are willing to degrade themselves with such menial tasks.”
Coppelia ceased her stooping around just to grin at me.
“And I bet they'll climb the ranks way faster than you because of it. How terrible would that be, huh? You might be F-rank forever!”
I winced.
F-rank! The … The indignity of it! The sooner the Adventurer's Guild were removed as a force in this kingdom, the better! And it had nothing to do with the sheer absurdity of the rank I'd received!
“I have no care for the arbitrary ranking system of the Adventurer's Guild,” I said, valiantly keeping the shame at bay. “Both you and I have more pressing matters to attend to than rescuing cats.”
Why, even the thought of doing a single commission which wasn't related to saving the kingdom filled me with horror. I would rather shame myself by returning to the Royal Villa with my head cowed than do anything to risk normalising fetching lost pets. That was for people like … what was his name?
Something Oddwell. The strange adventurer who'd dropped on his knees to beg for my time.
Rising through the ranks concerned people like him, not me. I was no commoner who saw prestige in adventuring through the wilderness for plaudits. Rather, to be viewed as an adventurer was abject humiliation! Who would become a wanderer of cellars and sewers if they had the acumen to seek fame and fortune through wit and diplomacy?
“I'm almost a little jealous, you know?” said Coppelia, her hands ransacking through bags, drawers and shelves. She wasn't even looking at what she pulled out. “If I wasn't an assistant librarian, I'd definitely want to see what all the fuss concerning adventuring is about.”
“Only the unimaginative fuss about adventuring. For me, this is a financial transaction. Nothing more.”
“Ooh! Who's buying what?”
“I'll sell an iota of my time as I tear down a notice for solving a kingdom-wide calamity, and in return, the guild will spill out its coffers for my assistance.”
Coppelia let out a laugh. It stopped as soon as she pulled out the strangely shaped skull from a barrel. Then she put on a huge grin as she started playing with its eye sockets.
“A reluctant adventurer,” she mused. “First time I've heard about that. I thought every wealthy girl and boy wanted to become one. You know, to get away from your stifling duties and horrendous expectations?”
I hid my smile behind my hand.
Ohohoho … my fair clockwork maiden, how little she knew!
I was not my siblings, cursed to trade smiles with the firstborn sons of mere barons as though they were worth a morsel of our time! No, my responsibilities were far more important! And gratifying!
“If you must know, I happen to be extremely fond of my duties. My orchard is the pride of my life.”
“Okay, well, I don't know what your duties are, but I'm already pretty sure they're different to what most other people do. Even the rich ones.”
Well, naturally!
I was a princess. Only my sisters could compare to me. And even amongst ourselves, none of us shared the same passions. Clarise was enamoured with her inventions and her observatory, while Florella was joyfully causing strife wherever men gazed at her.
Neither of them were quite as normal or level-headed as I was. But I cherished them nonetheless.
Suddenly, Coppelia's expression took on a serious hue.
“I don't know what you're thinking, but I feel strongly that I disagree with it.”
“E-Excuse me! Please don't claim to know what I'm thinking! That's a realm of insight and constant philosophy which would beguile the minds of all others!”
She stood up, blew some dust and dead things from herself, then purposefully eyed my idle hands.
“Is it because your mind's busy that I'm the only one looking for stuff?”
“You barrel through belongings with such disregard and nonchalance. I was enamoured. I believe you have what it takes to become an adventurer, should you ever choose to adopt the profession.”
She laughed at that. I wasn't sure why. That wasn't a joke.
“Saving kingdoms sounds like a pain. But if I finished my reading list and was a bit bored, sure, I'll do what you're doing. You know, the super embarrassing F-ranked thing.”
I gave a flick of my hair in response, resolutely standing still and not helping to sweep my hands through all these … rotting objects.
“A means to an end. Nothing more.”
“It might actually be useful, though? As an adventurer, you get more than crowns. You get information, too. That's important. The Adventurer's Guild is a useful tool. It's one of the first places I asked around in when looking for my book.”
I turned to look at Coppelia, my mouth wide.
Of … Of course!
This is why she was my future handmaiden!
The Adventurer's Guild was more than a bag of crowns! They had assets at their disposal beyond merely coin. Why, they parasited themselves not just in Tirea, but almost every other nation as well—including our neighbours to the east and south.
That meant this was an opportunity to weed out every last drop of information I could about Granholtz, Weinstadt and the Sands. What courtly information could I glean about the Grand Duchess's designs? How lost was the Royal House of Carx to revolt? Where next did the Dune King turn his golden knights and golden eyes?
Knowing how indispensable I'd become, the guild would surely bend over backwards to accommodate my every request!
Indeed, I could make use of this!
“Zilch here,” said Coppelia. “Want to look in the back with me or just stare open mouthed at how graceful I look while tearing through stuff?”
She did a spin for fun, tossing up a bundle of dried petals and herbs as she did so. I closed my mouth, then remembered I still needed to reply.
“You may look. If you still can't find anything, then endeavour to retrieve anything rare and expensive and stuff it in Apple's saddlebags. We've a great deal of expenses to cover and little time to be picky.”
“Rob everything!” Coppelia pumped her fist in the air. “Indiscriminate looting! Fill our pockets! Let's gooo~!”
I went to the counter, then began scouring it for crowns.
Rifling through drawers to expand on my personal funds was certainly a novel experience. But despite Coppelia's assertions, this wasn't robbery or looting or pocket filling. No, no, not at all.
Ohohohoho …. why, this was merely adventuring.
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(this has been copied off of AmItheAsshole )
I (F15) visited my Family for the holidays. (16th - Jan 1) Recently (31st of Jan) me and my brother decided to play a board game with my older grandmother. They started talking about how to play the game and they decided to do a “Practice round” they said it would probably be 30 - 20 minutes. 1 hour later they were still playing this “Practice round“ so I ended up taking out my Nintendo switch and playing a game I bought myself for Christmas. Next it’s almost 3 hours later and they’re almost done. I was surprised with how long this took and almost angry.
I asked them what pieces I would play in the next game. They ended up saying that there wasn’t enough time and we could play a “Card game or something.” I waited about 4-5 hours to play this game with them for them to say we could play a short game of cards. I reasonably get mad and my grandmother pulls the ”Talking back” card. I only waited because I wanted to play with them. My father ends up getting involved and him and my grandmother argue about it for a long time.
I think I might be the asshole for getting them in trouble with my brothers/parents.
EDIT: Many people are asking why I didn’t join this practice round. I wasn’t allowed to. They told me they should understand it first. (Edit to this edit) I was told to stay and wait for them to be done and not be “Inpatient“ as well as getting either ignored or angry at when I tried to ask how long it would take.

had to post it somewhere, very happy which what i have done, the build used watchdog staff and a very optimized stat allocation that goes as follows (for lvl125)
vigor:50 mind:20 endurance:25 strength:51 dextery:12 inteligence:22 faith:15 arcane:9
this and the haima glinstone crown means i have just enough int to use carian phalanx and 51+2 strength plus 2 handing the staff means i reach the 80 soft cap. also 15 faith plus the tear that gives 10 faith and you are also able to use golden vow (the other tear is 20% magic damage). the rest of the equiptment consist of two armor pieces that make me reach 51 poise and spelleblade gloves for extra 2% damage with the AOW. last interesting data is that haima´s reduces yout fp by 10% but with 20 mind you have 108 fp, and casting golden vow + four AOWs is 107 fp, plus one cerulean and you can use the AOW exaclty 7 times with 2fp left, which makes it incredibly convenient use of all resources
Carian glintblade staff and a 0 weight seal complete the setup
as for talismans, erdtree+2,greatshield,shard of alexander and magic scorpion
i have gone for 22 int but in reality if you intend on not using any sorceries the build still works, and you can put those points into str or faith. still, at least 18 int so that with haima´s you can cast terra magica is probably a good choice
the build itself is quite powerful have to say, managed to adquire the staff and the like before any bosses and when around obtaining the rest of the gear as i played. for the most part is a very good setup because if bosses or mobs give you time you can spam the AOW, which btw doesnt take too long to do, you can do it between godskin fireballs for example. if something is more aggresive, like maliketh, you can 2 hand the watchdog staff and do some damage there.(and gurrang can be 100% dealt by using only the AOW, so you reach maliketh basically at full hp)
also is quite fun since you have a lot of options, you have access to a lot of sorceries with 24 int, and you also can use incantations, but you are perfectly fine at melee by two handing the watchdog and having actual good damage reduction with the armor and 51 poise and 1772 hp (of course sorceries arent going to do much damage with only 24 int, but they have utility)
for the most part mobs arent a problem and no boss has been a problem... until radagon/elden beast. the rest of them have been like 1-3 tries but on those i have been for a while, so if someone wants to try the build, that is the one point where the build seems to struggle a little (there was one try where the invisible wall in elden beast arena prevented me from exiting the rings at the end, have to say, that was a low point)
but i will say this also, the try were i beat them, i actually did a flawless run and they went down very fast so if you know how to evade the damage is there to back you up. radagon when down in less than 20 secs and elden beast didnt even do the second ring attack

So four nights ago, I (36f) saw that my bf's (45), facebook status had changed to single. I confront him about it, he says he didn't change it. I had a previous boyfriend that did the same thing. The next day, I feel all my insecurities in full force and I cave (or come to my senses, depending on how you see it). I start talking to him again and he's mad at me for being insecure and not trusting that he really didn't change his facebook status on purpose. I apologize profusely and we get back together. (I love this guy.)
Two nights ago, we were all made up and back together, when I see that he had recently friended a cam girl and another local single lady (could be innocent, but still) Now his standard excuse for friending models (which he does frequently) is that he doesn't know who these people are, he just accepts friend requests. That combined with the fact that he has absolutely no pictures of us in his photos, yet does have a picture of him and his ex from Christmas, pushed me over the deep end and I decide to leave him again.
I found all of this after he had gotten off of facebook for the night. I send him a breakup text. We've been together for about two months, and I seriously think he's cheating on me, otherwise I would have done it in person. After sending the break up text, I block him and consider myself to be in no contact with him.
Last night, or sometime yesterday, he texted me from a different phone than usual. I didn't open it, but the preview text was asking me if I was drunk. I had three shots when this whole ordeal started four days ago. But I was 100% straight when I went no contact.
My question is, is there any possible way I am making a mistake here? I do have big bad insecurities, but I've never heard of facebook changing a relationship status on its own. And he could have an explanation as to why there are no pictures of us on his profile, when he used to have several. And I understand that friending a model and a local single isn't the same as cheating.

I’ve peggggeddd 7 guys now and it’s the best thing ever I can’t explain how much I love watching a guy bend over and lemme take him from behind the words are just unexplainable
And I am good. I mean really good. All of them give some silly ultimatum like “oh ok but if you get to peg me then I get to do anal too!” Guess what, nobody has ever wanted to do the anal afterwards. They just get the best orgasm of their life and can barely walk and then they can’t think about anything else and they come right back for more. I’m happy to give it to them too, any time and any place.
I’d say I have 3 regulars who ask for it about once a week. I do extra special stuff for those boys because they at least admit they love it. Then there’s 1 that will never ask for it but asks to hang out and then spends the whole time talking about what we did last time until I go get the strap then he becomes a nice obedient little boy and bends over for me. Then of course there’s the other 2. Reluctant to admit how amazing I am but they’ve both had it more than twice now and every time they say “ok cool I’m only doing it cause you’re hot though, I wouldn’t normally do this” but weirdly they just keep coming back. Silly guys.
Being penetrated is a very intimate sex act that everyone should experience, regardless of your gender or perceived sexual orientation. Being a woman, I am obviously quite familiar with being penetrated during sex but first time I was the one doing the penetrating… it was a life-changing experience and such a rush of emotions.
The first time I used a strap-on was with a woman and, emotionally, penetrating her was so beautiful that, afterwards, I was a changed person. We held each other and, frankly, a was a little teary eyed. The most profound detail was how she lovingly took me inside of her, such grace in that beautiful act of femineity. I felt so special to be the one inside of her. When I’m penetrated, and I take you inside of me, I’m giving all of me to you. I had no idea that when you penetrate, you can feel your partner giving themselves to you and just how very special that moment is for you both. Now, the other side of penetrating is the control I got to experience. I decided how she would be fucked. My thrusts ventured deeply inside of her body… inside her most delicate and guarded area. I felt intoxicatedly powerful

Link to the original prompt.
And so it came that Amber chose sleep. Blissful sleep, of a kind that feels like a wonder as you dwell in it, of a kind that rejuvenates mind and body upon waking up.
Amber decided never to wake up again. Hell offered little in the way of second-rate mortality, only in strange aeons could death die, but both Satan and God were too old for weird Old Testament stuff and had cast off Cthulhu a long time ago.
Toby - previously named Satan but unsatisfied with the mismatching expectations of the newly dead meeting him - took note of Amber's fate. He wrote with a Montblanc pen, the notebook had been crafted with the finest leather and marketed at ridiculously inflated price, but you had to admit that the absence of noise it made when you opened it had something classy to it.
So here was Toby, dressed in his impeccable and absurdly expensive suit, standing on the lush grass of Hell, taking note while looking at the verdant hills rolling in the distance. It was a warm day in hell, but a fresh breeze kept its dwellers fresh.
Wonderful workplace, but it made customers think they got to the Heavens when they most definitely didn't. Sartre once wrote L'Enfer, c'est les autres - Hell is others. As Toby could testify, Sartre was full of it, and Toby made him cry a lot until Sartre accepted to write the sign:
Hell is others, actually no, it isn't, sorry. - Sartre
It hung at the entrance of hell right under the following sign:
Arbeit macht frei. Nein, eigentlich nicht, entschuldigung. - Rommel
Which itself hung right underneath this one:
Ye who enter here, abandon all hope. Or not. How was I supposed to know? I'm an artist, not a theologian. - Dante
Somehow, this got customers even more confused.
Currently though, this didn't matter too much, for Toby had decided to give Hell a new spin recently.
To newcomers, he gave the following speech:
"Hello there, fellas," eventual confetti would be thrown here, "welcome to Hell with a capital H," flamethrowers would melt the confetti in mid-air right there, "but it's not what you think it is. You can pick your poison. Wealth? Women? An unending buffet? A successful invasion in Afghanistan? The sky is the limit... But wait, we're already there."
At this point, Archangel Gabriel dressed in a Giorgio Armani suit, would join the conversation and say "I'm the archangel Gabriel, and this is my favorite Hell in the afterlife."
After the first speech, it was noted that the flaming confetti diverted the customer's attention away from the spoken words, and a customer asked if there isn't supposed to be only one hell anyway, which vexed Gabriel immensely. Schedule conflict made it hard for him to be there for each arrival anyway.
So instead, Toby sat on leather chairs with the newly dead around a mahogany desk, he offered them tea, and explained the situation.
And that's how Amber chose sleep.
They walked out together, to the open fields under a cloudy sky. Little need to find a bed inside, the grass offered ample comforts, the temperature was always just right.
"Good night," said Toby, tipping his luxury pen against his chin.
Amber. She had suffered a lot. Admittedly, her dossier contained a surfeit of excuses for why she would turn into a horrible person. Broken household, terrible neighborhood, all the little things life puts together to make existence just a little bit worse. And excuses were worth something. She was human, no being was expected to behave perfectly, except God and Toby. Others could - no, had every right - to falter, to be weak, to be exposed, to fail to learn a lesson, to reach an epiphany.
But excuses only take you that far. Circumstances of birth matter little, it is what you do with a life that makes the difference. Even the Pokemon movie got that part right, and Toby was the first to criticize it.
Leave life a little bit better than you found it, for yourself and others. There, that's all it takes to reach Paradise on the first try. What belief or lack of belief you have matters little, as long as you sincerely try to do things right.
Being blinded by belief and deluding yourself into thinking you're doing the right thing doesn't count though.
Amber didn't get that part. Turns out, there's a long swath of scorched Earth built on good intentions behind her. Poor kids.
Naturally, she would pick sleep. All her life, she only ever aimed to have a sanctuary to herself. A place where she'd feel safe, secure, where the world outside couldn't touch her. A perfect sanctuary doesn't exist, but it's a part of escapism that's essential to the human condition, it helps a mind to recover, provides place and time to grow. She never got that.
And now, in the best sanctuary of them all, she chose to sink into the cushion a little further.
Toby took his jacket off, rolled his sleeves up and sat under the shade of a nearby, lonely but tall and large tree.
Archangel Gabriel was doing his daily jogging, he saw Toby's muscular forearms and whistled.
"Fuck you," said Toby, "and come by at the office, I still owe you a snooker game."
Amber stirred in her sleep. What else could she do but dream? First she dreamed the usual happy nonsense. She had lots of material to make things up, an entire human life of experience and imagination.
This was eternity.
A mind can only mull over the same subjects over and over again before getting bored. So the mind goes deeper, to the parts that are never remembered upon waking up, because they hurt. The mind dreams about life. Not from imagination, but from memory first, with all the rose tinted glasses. The life is gone through a hundred times.
A thousand.
An innumerable number of times.
And with each passage, with each revival of what was, life is honed.
First comes the rose-tinted glasses. The good and the bad, polished into a more digestible story. Until, somewhere in eternity, the glass slips, and is lost in the great nowhere. Other tricks are used, wishful thinking as if it had truly been so, double thinking, re-framing words and select moments to influence a narrative.
But with each passage, what was not and what was becomes clearer, almost brilliant.
Until memories cease to be. And what's left is the naked truth.
In her unending sleep, Amber cannot rely on the forgetfulness of waking up. She'd scream in the void, no, that's not how it was, that's not what I did. I did better, I gave them something I never had.
Ah Amber, Toby thinks, now you know. You know you only deluded yourself into thinking you gave a safe home the likes you never had to those poor kids. No, Amber, you couldn't provide it to yourself, you certainly couldn't provide it to them either. Not with the veneer of that fake smile, not with this self-righteous belief to top it off. At least your own parents weren't nearly as hypocritical.
Sobs.
"Woken up, have we?" Toby asked.
Amber had buried herself under the weight of the truth. It's hard to sleep with heavy rocks compressing your chest.
"How long have I been asleep?" she asked.
"Who knows in this place," Toby shrugged.
"You're a sadist," she said between sobs.
Toby's voice became mellow.
"Amber. I haven't done a thing."
"I didn't... I didn't want that, not like that. Not like that."
"No point telling me that. A swig?" Toby handed her his flask, a shiny and clean metallic flask indicating that no matter how far this person is addicted to alcohol, at least they do it with class.
Amber took a sip, felt her throat burning, spit it all out.
"What the hell is it?"
"An expensive drink," mumbled Toby, "can't even trust these heathens to appreciate the good stuff. Anyway! follow me, we have somewhere to be and I got appointments soon."
"Just... just let me vanish."
Toby loomed over her, his shadows expanded, for the span of a singular moment, his faces showed the ugliness of eternal torture, horns made of calcified wants and disappointments, wings of cold and despair. And in that singular moment of dark glory, the devil said:
"No. Now get your ass up. Pretty please?"
Toby walked, and after some uneasy second-guessing, Amber stood up and followed him.
Hell was lovely as always. They went beyond hill and dale, crossed a forest where the smell of pine was an invitation to sit by a tree and look at the squirrels playing in the branches, they crossed a bridge over a lazy river, they walked in a prairie of dandelions.
"Where are we going?" asked Amber.
"To the foot of a mountain in Paradise."
"I don't deserve Paradise."
"Who cares? We crossed into it when we passed that bridge."
Amber pondered the information for a moment.
"That rickety old thing?"
"Yup. People are always surprised how close Heaven and Hell are. Anyway..."
It came into view. The mountain. A pillar to carry a universe, impossibly wide, the top disappearing among the stars, infinity made stone.
"Now," started Toby at the foot of the mountain, "normally I'd give you the whole speech about you're pardoned, God loves you, Santa Claus actually does exist. But," Toby opened his notebook, "I've got an appointment with... a little girl? Gabriel must have mixed the schedules again. So anyway, congrats. You're worthy or paradise, hurray, you're forgiven, yay, bla bla bla. But there's something after Paradise, Hell and the purgatory. There's more. I tried explaining that once with a powerpoint, but your minds can't really grasp it."
Toby started to walk away, while a surprised Amber was sort of hoping he would finish the explanation.
"Up there, there's transcendence, the real stuff, and incidentally why we haven't seen many people because Heaven and Hell are just a pit stop. That's where you're headed, it's where we're all headed."
Toby became smaller and smaller in the distance.
"How do I get there?" shouted Amber.
Toby turned around and extended his arms.
"What do you think?" he shouted back, "You climb!"

I've started going to the gym recently, six days a week, and i decided to start bulking. The only thing is, I've been eating around 900-1400 calories for the last five years, on and off. After calculating my bulk calories (2500, i am young and AFAB) i feel absolutely terrified with proceeding with this after being in a calorie deficit for almost as long as i can remember. How can I make it a bit easier on myself?

I am 16f and my boyfriend is 16m nearly 17 We’ve been together for nearly 2 years but I’m noticing cracks in our relationship :(
He’s turning into a guy I don’t really recognise anymore as he’s started supporting Andrew Tate and he knows I’m extremely against this as I’m a very open feminist
I’m also noticing misogynistic comments from him more frequently
He’s also showing 0 motivation for his future and that’s also not something that aligns with me as I’m very academic and motivated to do well In life, but he refuses to put in any effort into anything and it’s really frustrating because I feel like I have to hold his hand and push him to do anything with his life and that isn’t sustainable for me long term
He also hates everything about me while simultaneously telling me that I’m so beautiful and perfect ? I have piercings, dyed hair and I wear makeup and he constantly tells me how much he hates all 3 of those things but then tells me that I’m perfect?
He also refuses to meet my family I’ve asked him countless times to come over for dinner but all he says is “I don’t like family gatherings” I’m just confused how he can love me but also hate nearly everything about me and refuse to meet my family
I feel so undervalued because I’m putting in 100% effort in our relationship and I feel like I’m getting maybe 15% back and then 15% I am getting is gifts and “you’re so beautiful” he puts in 0 other effort
I’m also a very independent person and I have been since I was a child but he relies on his mother for everything and I mean everything like picking up after him even though he’s an adult basically
I just don’t know if I can be with someone who is turning into a misogynist and who pretends to value me but doesn’t actually reflect that, I still love him dearly so please any advice is welcome

Post a goal for a defined period (next three days, next two weeks, rest of the month, etc). If you're not used to setting goals, I recommend you make it stupidly easy to start, something you KNOW you can achieve. Examples: "I will do three pages of freewriting per day." "I will spend 30 minutes per day doing a close reading of a poem." "I'll write 1000 words this week." "I'll spend Saturday afternoon reading that book of poetry I bought last month." I had an instructor once who aimed to write one good line per day.
Or, request support from other subscribers as you see fit (either in this thread or a standalone post). Please note that all promotion posts need to be approved first (contact me via modmail), with the exception of people participating in the goal thread posting links to what they've accomplished (celebrating your new publication if you're a regular is fine). But aside from that, given the low engagement here right now, the bar is high as it's easy for the subreddit to fill with what users likely would consider spam. This is definitely not a place to post your work without engaging first.
The intention is for this to be a very interactive place. While this subreddit is small, if you post a goal, expect me to ping you to ask how it's going! I encourage other members to ping each other as well, especially if you notice someone hasn't been heard from in awhile. You of course don't owe anyone here anything. No one here will do anything if you don't meet your goal. But I know in my own life, nudges have worked wonders for getting me to stick to an intention or to be honest with myself about what I'm doing.

Hey guys,
Weird little post here. I was in a pub with my friend one night and she talked me into sending my mix to a local club I like.
Lo and behold, they offered me a spot in two weeks (next Friday as of writing this) for 2AM after the local Friday headliner of the event. They bumped me to 3AM after one of the other people confirmed but this place is full on Fridays and I am terrified I am not good enough.
You know, the usual. Zero experience performing or even mixing on something else than the FLX4. I asked and they will be doing a sound check the day before so I will have time to adjust but I am not sure how many hours or even minutes I will have. I think they expect me to be seasoned (even after hearing my mix I made in my underwear in a dark room lmfao). They have three XDJ-1000MK2s and I already went through the manual and everything.
What do you think would be the best approach to this? I believe I am at max mediocre. I sent them a bass house/bassline mix and the main talent on the night plays tech house so I will probably be there to make things a bit more spicy. I did not even expect a reply.
The mix was pre-prepared and I am currently obsessively working on an hour long one that I can pull of live.
Pls advise

About me: I'm a caucasian male, black hair, brown eyes, approximately 5'8", roughly ~140lbs range. A bit of pudge but I think I wear it well. I'm diabetic, and some diabetic neuropathy has lead to nerve damage in my lower half. Minor hit to performance which causes some concern, and part of my inclination to go to this degree to find someone as I'm afraid it's only a matter of time until I lose performance entirely and would have to rely on medications.
I've never been tested for it, but I believe I'm somewhat on the autism spectrum. I have some social anxiety issues when it comes to talking to people, some days are certainly better than others but when it's bad it's bad. I can also be pretty dour at times due to depression, and unfortunately the root of that isn't something that can easily be resolved.
Interests: Spend a lot of my time playing video games, since it's something I can do alone that doesn't require me to arrange with other people, most of the time. Been going through a big backlog of titles lately since I've decided to actually start checking off titles. I occasionally pick up an anime every so often but I don't follow any near as much as I used to.
I spend a lot of time on tabletop roleplaying games; Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons and the like. I've been DMing games in various systems for near on 22 years now. It's one of my major means of social interaction with people and something I find it very easy to bond with people over as the experience of a long-time campaign can make it pretty easy to foster a kind of kinship with people that you start to see as battle buddies that have been through some real grueling shit.
I'm also something of a writer, if this autobiography in progress isn't any indication.
Likes, Desires, Expectations: I'd like to find a woman within 21-36 range, 21 is hard minimum but upper range is flexible to ~40s range. Preferably also a virgin so we can both fumble through things together, but I know that's pretty unlikely and just me wanting to avoid a bit of the embarrassment that's sure to come about. Body type isn't much of an issue, I like slim and toned as much as I like plus and curvy and honestly lean more towards the heavier side if it comes down to a choice. I'm also not opposed to being with a transwoman, but with the additional caveat that I'm going to be a little more demanding on appearance. There's a line of femininity that has to be crossed before I mentally register someone as a woman regardless of their equipment, and that line is important because if I don't register someone as feminine enough it just won't work.
If this goes in the direction of a relationship, I'd like someone that doesn't mind being with a homebody that likes indoor activities, though I'm not against taking trips out to nature or visiting entertainment venues, I'm not a bar guy and being around large amounts of people makes me nervous and anxious after a while. I would make a prime househusband though and I like a specific kind of organization for peak efficiency when it comes to daily routines.
I'm down to just be V-crushed if it comes to that, but I would hope to meet someone who might be interested in more than just swapping fluids and a crisp handshake to end. I feel like there's so much more to experience in sex than just the physical act and the greatest component I want is the emotional connection of two people who care for each other as more than just something to make them feel good. I'm also kind of worried that I'd catch feelings and having such an experience with someone who is just going to then walk out of my life might just hurt, so I'd prefer if they're someone who will be around with me afterwards. If I really just wanted to dip my wick I know women that take payment for that, but that's not the experience I want.
Arrangement Concerns: I could host as I live alone but I don't know how soundproof the walls are here, though I'd also be fine with a hotel as it would probably be a better atmosphere. Unfortunately it would be too complicated for me to travel out to meet someone elsewhere as I don't have a cell phone, once I leave my apartment to go somewhere I am unable to be reached until direct in person contact is made and in today's day and age that's made it practically impossible to exist, and trying to arrange a meet outside of my city is taking a huge risk in case something goes wrong and I don't know if my anxiety could take it. The best I could possibly do is arrange to get out to Oasis in Toronto, but that's a long-term preparation kind of situation I'd only commit on with a rock solid plan in place.
In summary: Overly verbose nerd seeks a woman looking for a house gremlin that'll keep the place clean. I want help ending my feelings of solitude but I can't go far to find it. Reaching out in hope there's someone else out there looking to end their loneliness, or at least notch their post one more time. If nothing else, I hope I can find some new people to talk to. Every new face in my life is one more strand in a social web that might finally link me to someone that can fulfill my dreams.
If I sound like someone you'd like to take a shot with, send me a DM, not a chat. I dislike the chat system and probably won't notice it any sooner than a DM anyway. Tell me a little about yourself and what part of my post convinced you to message me.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

TL:DR; FDS provides financial info like Bloomberg. Bloomberg announced their own AI. AI only goes up.
FactSet (FDS) is well-positioned to take advantage of the current AI hype in the financial data analysis space. With over 96 APIs in their catalog, FDS has a vast array of data and services that could be enhanced by partnering with an AI language model like ChatGPT. Moreover, FDS has already made strides in natural language processing (NLP) with their Factset Query Language (FQL), which allows users to make natural language queries to financial data. However, FDS could further improve their NLP capabilities by leveraging the recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) which Bloomberg has recently done with BloombergGPT. This could enable FDS to develop more sophisticated natural language interfaces and improve the accuracy and speed of financial data analysis. Additionally, FDS has a strong reputation in the financial data space and is one of the few publicly traded companies that provide financial data, making it an attractive partner for AI language models and financial institutions looking for reliable data sources.
FDS hasn’t confirmed that they’re using LLMs yet, but they probably are given that they mention GPT in a job posting. They also have several blog posts on ChatGPT as well.
FDS can leverage its 96 APIs in their catalog in a similar way to WolframAlpha’s collaboration with OpenAI. If they hook it up with ChatGPT or something similar, it can use these APIs to do financial analysis just like how WolframAlpha does math. It also allows the user to provide a query in natural language instead of needing to know how to code/read the API.
Just like the Bloomberg Query Language, FDS has Factset Query Language (FQL). FQL allows making interaction with financial data to be more natural. For example, “Show me companies with sales greater than the average sales of companies in the S&P 500.” would translate to “FF_SALES(ANN,0)>UAVG(FG_CONSTITUENTS(SP50,0,CLOSE),FF_SALES(ANN,0))”. This feature allows users to ask queries in plain language without needing to write complex code or have extensive knowledge of financial terms.
One thing to worry about is AI “hallucinations” in which the AI provides inaccurate information which would obviously be bad for financial analysts. There are two types of hallucinations: open-domain, and closed-domain. Closed-domain hallucinations refer to situations where the AI makes something up, but the information was already in its context. A good example of this is asking ChatGPT to summarize something, but it provides an extra detail that was never given. Research shows good progress on reducing closed-domain hallucinations via clever prompting and reward model training. If you watch the WolframAlpha demo, they mention working with OpenAI to create a special version of GPT4, and it shows since it is reliably using WolframAlpha’s output. The same techniques can be done for FDS’s APIs to reduce inaccuracies.
Just like every other AI stock that has gone up by an absurd amount, once FDS announces usage of ChatGPT, it’s going to moon. Some of the AI stocks are just regarded and don’t make any sense, but FDS is a legit use-case, so it has long term prospects as well.

Hey gang.
About six years ago I built my last PC and it was a Intel Core i7-6700K with a MSI GTX 1080 GAMING X 8G. I've been using that computer without any hassle or issues since then but now it's time to buy a new computer and to pass on my old pc to my son. I tend to build a computer and use it for as long as I can and then build a new computer from scratch only moving my harddrives. Since there is such a long time between my builds I tend to lose touch with the hardware trends and news, so now i'm trying to catch up in this jungle of information. I was hoping that somone here might have some good advice or recommendations when it comes to hardware and help me fill in the gaps in my build.
So my budget is 3500$ (give or take some) with a monitor. I want to build a computer that will last 5+ years that are stable and I have no interest in upgrading or swapping hardware along the way unless something breaks. My main use for the computer is gaming and surfing, mainly I play Wow, Diablo, Cod etc. I want to be gaming in 1440p and aim to buy a 27 inch 1440p monitor.
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I would like to use a Intel CPU and a Nvidia GPU but everything else is up in the air. So far I think I will got for a i7-13700K with a Noctua air cooler and a GTX 4080 with 32 gigs of system RAM DDR5.
In my current PC I went for a case with noise-dampening foam since I like the quiet so I thought I would do that same with my new build. So I spent a few hours collecting information about a good case but since the i7 runs really hot I had to rethink my approach and perhaps a Fractal Torrent that dont have any noise dampening but larger fans and better airflow in the end the noice will be lower that with a case with foam.
I feel that I get overwhelmed with all information and it gives me some kind of anxiety that I'm gonna miss a tiny detail that will mess up my build since its so much money involved. Is there a kind soul who can help me on get back on the horse again and guide me a bit on where to start?

While my daughter was 3 and 4 I think my wife and I anticipated a lot of our daughters needs all day long and she never had for much.
I think this is coming back to bite us in the form of a lack of self advocacy. Do we go all or nothing and not help unless she asks? Or do we pick our battles.
Example is she just walked to the top of the basement stairs and was visibly needing something. And of course it was someone to turn on the lights. Which she can definitely reach now. My wife went over and understood what she needed from her boy language and just did it. Had she not, my daughter likely would have stood there for awhile and gotten more frustrated and upset. I don’t think we should be stepping in and just doing these things as she will never learn how to ask.
Something’s she’s very good at asking, but others she stops and pouts until someone figures it out and does it for her. I keep telling my wife she needs to stop doing things for her without her asking. Is this too harsh a line for a 5 yo?

I've been on a daily deficit of about 400-500cal for nearly three months. I usually do a week or so of maintenance every couple of months or on certain days based on my menstrual cycle. Last week I went on a six-day backpacking hiking trip. I ate very structured home-made meals and didn't bother tracking because I was walking several hours of rough terrain each day and just wanted to keep calories high enough.
Since I've been back I tried to give myself a couple of days to eat at maintenance. I've been tracking and weighing everything. But a few days back home and I am seeing my intake going up. Today was the first day I found myself eating in a way that felt less in control than I've felt in a long time...I bought food I don't normally keep in the house (not because it's bad but because I struggle to have it in moderation), and of course ate more than I wanted to..even though I tried to keep all my typical habits of making sure I'm very hydrated and also reaching for veggies as a snack if I feel hunger pangs, plus trying to eat proper meals.
It's as tho my body still thinks it needs all those extra calories from the week of intense activity I did last week and doesn't want to adjust to the everyday lifestyle I have. Which is not inactive but it definitely is less active.
I feel like I need some better self talk or behavioural tricks or habits that can help me get back to my deficit, or help me feel less inclined to 'out of control' eating. I'm worried that having been in deficit for a few months my body wants to yoyo back or something.
This is partly a little complaint/vent and partly a question to others who have overcome this.

A plant I bought a long time ago had some type of pest I could never identify and I struggled to save it forever. Then when I went away last summer I moved all of my plants to my kitchen to make it easier for my house sitter to care for them (I can't remember if I had thought I'd cured the pest plant or simply forgot about it). Fast forward to now and I am battling the pest on every single one of my plants and I don't feel like I'm winning.
I am moving to a new house in a couple weeks and I am tempted to throw out all plants and start from scratch. However, I have several plants that I have loved for years and don't want to lose.
I have a couple problems and I guess I hoped people could help me decide...start from scratch or keep fighting.
One problem is I have a seven foot tall rubber plant. It is too big to carry outside or into my bathtub when I treat it. I don't want to spray neem and soaps because they drip all over the floor and overspray gets on other things.
Second, I haven't been able to identify the pest, nor determine if treatment is helping. They are too small to identify and with so many leaves it is hard to know if damage is old or new.
I thought it might be spider mites but I have never found any webs. I thought it might be thrips but I have never once seen a trip itself.
Whatever it is, I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

Just realized that’s where I’m at right now. So be it. I’m doing the best I can. Kind of hard to come to grips with. Wondering how long this “phase” will last. At least I’m not depressed. That’s a very good thing. Slept last night for the first time in a couple of weeks. Thanks for listening. ✌️

First of all, I did not really grow up with Nintendo, and Zelda games have been more of an acquired taste for me. Minish Cap was the first I finished; I ended up loving A Link Between Worlds and it is one of my favourite games. I wasn't sure I wanted to play this game because it is considered to be hard; however out of all 3D Zelda games this one intrigued me the most and was the first that I actually cared enough to finish.
I previously emulated the N64 game and did not like that you cannot save and could not figure out what needed to be done, so I put it down and did not want to start all over again, just to have the moon crash down on me. Enter the 3DS remake (played on a New 3DS XL). Tons of QoL changes and you can actually easily save the game now at owl statues. You can use the Sheikha stones for hints of what to do, including the first part that you need to return yourself to your Link form.
Premise of the Game:
Most Zelda games have a minimal story, you basically need to save the princess and kingdom from the villain Gannon and his plot to take over the world, etc. This one is quite different. Probably the biggest outlier out of the bunch. As you're riding along you get stopped by a skull kid wearing a strange Majora's Mask, he transforms you into a Deck scrub and you find yourself in a Medieval like town, Termina going through a cycle where the Moon crashes into the Earth and destroys everything.
It's up to you to recover Majora's Mask and stop the Skull Kid before he destroys the world. You have three days only but you can always play the Song of Time to go back to the first day, and move on to another temple/task.
Gameplay:
Similar to other Zelda games in that you need to finish temples with a boss at the end and progressively get more items, as well as doing stuff between temples. It is different in that there are three masks that you can wear and each of them transforms you into a different type of creature with unique abilities. For example, being a Goron or Deku scrub. The abilities need to be used to solve puzzles, and fight enemies. There is lots of puzzle solving involved, and there is tons of optional content. The more heart pieces you find the more health you have. There are also side missions where you can gain powerful weapons or gain more stats like through finding stray fairies in a temple.
A huge improvement is even if you lose at the boss at the end of a dungeon you do NOT need to redo the entire dungeon to get to the boss. Just save your game and stand on the mask at the beginning of the temple and you can go directly into the fight. You can also use a song to slow the flow of time giving you more time to explore, I always used it.
Unlike OOT 3D this game gives you the ability to control the camera using the c-stick on the New 3DS. Although for the Goron racing and boss battle it had the tendency to go all over the place uncontrollably.
This game has a ton of side-quests, many of these are optional but they help to flesh out the town and the story. They need to be done at specific times but all are kept handy in a journal.
Some of the mini-games like the optional Goron racing (that you need to get the upgraded sword) can be annoying and tricky but are doable with some persistence. Once you get used to it the time mechanic works well. There are many permanent items that stay with you and your temple completion stays with you after you rewind time.
Dungeons:
Only 4 of these but lots of stuff you need to do in between. They were mostly good, but I have to state my frustrations with the water Great Bay Temple. This is what made me put the game down for a while. It can be tedious and the way I couldn't see where to go I could not even see the water exit and did not figure out what to do. The in game hint was too confusing so I needed to use a guide. Next the boss at the end of that was very tricky. I only figured out later that you do not need to swim to defeat him, you can just punch his eye. I found the swimming mechanics to be cumbersome.
Twinmold as the penultimate boss was quite difficult before I looked up how he can be defeated. The boulders placed there are your friends.
The final boss also had me stumped until I looked it up online. Great Bay temple, and a few other annoyances aside I enjoyed the dungeons and world layout of the game.
Design:
The atmosphere and design here is very sombre with obvious influences from Tim Burton films. I honestly really loved it and the music towards the end of the last day. I greatly preferred this story to that of other Zelda games. Right from the get go you want to find out who this skull kid is, and why he wants to do what he wants to do. And what's the deal with the happy mask salesman. I have to say though that despite a great boss and location I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I wanted to see more of Termina and the festival they would have. Still it turned out to be simple yet moving.
Verdict:
This is one of the most unique Zelda games out there, especially in its story and mechanics. The 3DS version offers lots of quality of life improvements over the original, which makes it more playable. The hint system is also there for the confused such as myself. The game has a great but simple story, music, visuals and Tim Burton inspired (e.g. the Moon) world design and unlike other games is not overly long at around 25-30 hours of gameplay, but offers tons of additional content via side quests. So far this is my favourite 3D Zelda game. Arguably this and OOT haven't really been topped. It still does have its frustrations though, with some sluggish dungeons (Great Bay Temple) and some frustrating mini-games that interfere with the pacing. Definitely a must try though, and well played on a New 3DS XL (or I suppose emulation if you want a big screen). Holds up to its reputation of a classic and one of the best ever.
Score: 8.5/10 Great

I have disc displacement on one side, did a splint treatment 2.5 years ago and it messed up my whole posture and balance I'm still struggling today but I think I am starting to see a glimpse of positive light and I'm now able to some lower body workouts at the gym
My advice for fellow sufferers is to do your own research and figure it out yourself, unless you were chosen by the Gods to stumble upon a real TMJ specialist who knows what he's talking about you might end up like me going from one specialist to another trying treatments that for some reason made things worst... I did a lot of research and tried different things before finding a routine that works.
If your body is as messed up as mine don't go to the gym and start lifting random weights and targeting random muscles... your body is out of balance and weak which means when you try to do an exercise the wrong muscles are firing causing further pain and imbalance. I tried to hit the gym to do full body workouts with a gym friend who has a normal functioning body and ended up injuring myself each time causing flare ups that lasted weeks
One of my issues is a pronated ankle that I got after the splint therapy, my osteopath sent me to a podologist who gave me orthopaedic insoles to wear that somehow pronate my ankle even more. It's like my brain completely let go of that ankle
After reading a lot and trying a couple of stretches I figured that my whole left side is very weak, I rely on my right side that is constantly spasming, my hip muscles are weak and my left hip's external rotation is non existant. So I figured if I work on my hips muscles I might be able to fix something. I thought if I try to focus on my lower body I might get enough strength and mental energy to tackle my upper body.
I have been doing this routine focusing on my lower body for 3 weeks and today I can finally feel my ankle shifting it's no longer severly overpronated, I would say it's 40% better!! And my hip/pelvic pains and stiffness are practically gone!! This really gave me hope with my body and is kind of motivating me and helping my mental health
My next goal is to focus on my upper body (where most of my problems are) for this I asked my PT to give some isolation exercices for my lower traps and we'll see how things improve.
My current routine is the following: for at least one hour each day I do a combination of stretches, yoga poses and core workouts starting from my head to my ankles while focusing on my breathing and relaxing my jaw. I hit the gym one time per week and do leg presses and other mild leg exercices. Try something like that and be consistent it will pay off at the end