Hello, I was the recently retired 63 year old anesthesiologist who asked about a week ago about possibly doing a reverse mortgage on my house for retirement income. This was my post (https://www.reddit.com/fatFIRE/comments/11su80a/house_rich_reverse_mortgage_for_income/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3), where I also listed my current assets. After reading the comments I learned a lot and was not as financially literate as I thought. Also received plenty of private messages, including one from a fee only fiduciary financial planner from South Florida. Some of the messages were also not great, someone wanting me to invest in a film production company and one saying they were an underage girl asking me to send them money, among other beggars. Also I don’t need a realtor, I have one, thanks.
After looking at the reviews of the financial planner who messaged me, I ended up hiring him and we had a 2 hour meeting yesterday to make a plan for me (I will still be managing my brokerage account). He started out explaining to me how bad of a deal reverse mortgages are, so I won’t be doing that. Now my wife who passed 4 years ago from breast cancer, was also a physician, and between the 2 of us we were making about $1m/year. She was the one who managed most of our investments, was more financially savvy than me and encouraged saving. Without her I would still be in the OR dealing with the rude ASA 3+ patients that populate the South Florida area. Our income and previous lifestyle and the fact we had over $5 Million in stock market investments, led me to believe for whatever reason that I could spend $35k/month in retirement indefinitely. After our meeting and from the comments on this forum, I learned that was reckless and not sustainable.
Also, a lot were asking how much I spend on women a month. It is around $7.5-10k/month. Around $2.5k/month at the strip club and $5-7.5k/month to my sugar baby all in, whom I see 3-4x a week and travel with. It should also be noted she is in her late 30s who is not financially dependent on me, a lot were suggesting I was some creep dating college aged women or paying their college tuition. Another big part of my budget was Poker, I’m apparently not a great player and playing pretty high stakes, playing $5/$10 no limit holdem, where I could lose or win $3-5k/night, but now I’m just gonna start playing $2/$5 no limit holdem instead. $5-$10 Stakes make no difference in my lifestyle if I win and should reduce my monthly losing now that I’m lowering stakes. Poker is my only gambling, I’m not one of the old timers at the slot machines and thankfully don’t bet on the Knicks.
So this is the plan that we formulated. I’m going to sell both of my houses and my boat, which will be listed by the end of April after I return from my vacation in Bonaire. I will also join a boating club instead of owning, as i'm getting older, this is a better option. The sale of these 3 things will reduce my monthly expenses greatly, they are money pits. I am hoping to gross $6 Million from the sale of these 3 things. After realtor fees and long term capital gains taxes our goal is to net a minimum $4.5 Million on all 3 things, possibly a little more. I also realized there are condos that I like in Miami that aren’t overly expensive. I live by myself, I don’t need a huge place. I found a beautiful condo overlooking Miami’s Margaret Pace park in the Edgewater neighborhood, 2 bedrooms, for only $750k. This move by selling those 3 things and buying this condo or something similar, will save a minimum of $7000/month. This will also leave me an excess of $3.75 Million to invest.
Now for my monthly budget. We decided that we are going to reduce my $35k/month budget to a very strict budget of $250k/year (around $21k/month), which I intend to follow. I should be able to continue how I am living but now not throwing away tons of money on property/boat maintenance. Now there was also a lot of talk about how it was unfair I was blowing a lot of money on women and not my daughter. I do have a different view on inheritances, where you should be able to get maximum enjoyment with your money and anything you die with is a bonus for your heirs. However, I see other peoples point and I decided after all 3 things sell I’m going to gift $200k to her to pay off her condo mortgage, hopefully by September for her birthday, I’m sure it is also what my wife would’ve wanted and won’t make a big difference in my financial situation.
After buying the new condo and the gift, this leaves me with roughly $3.5 Million, which we decided will be invested in the following. $1 Million- VT, $1 Million- SCHD, $1 Million- DGRO, $250k- VOO, and $250k- VXUS. His goal for me was to have a diversified portfolio that would give me good dividend income but also have the potential to grow in share value. I asked about bonds and treasuries, but he told me at my NW diversified ETFs would be the better investment as they have better growth and it is unlikely even with a 30% stock market drop I would ever go broke. This should increase my taxable account from around $4.2 Million to the $7.5-$8 Million range. My taxable account should also be producing roughly $125k/year or $10.4K/month in dividends, plus my $2.5k month social security payment. For the remainder I’m gonna be withdrawing from my 401k, the plan is to withdraw $15k/month (current value around $1.1 Million in SP 500 funds), obviously, however this is taxable income. Should give me a gross of roughly $28k/month before taxes. This should give me at least 7-10 years, where I’m living off 401k withdrawls, taxable account dividends, and social security. So hopefully in this 7-10 years my taxable account appreciates as do the dividends.
He also recommended to diversify from my HCA holding, however I’ve decided to pass on that. It would trigger a lot in capital gains taxes, which I will be paying a shitload this year on the house, and with the current valuation and the fact we have an aging population I’m confident on the position, think it will easily double in the next 10 years. If it goes down 50% that would be my own fault and I’ll have to deal with the consequences and decrease my monthly budget. However this stock isn’t crazily overvalued compared to earnings, like a Tesla stock or a Bit Coin, so I feel safe with it. Also he said the MSGS position isn’t the smartest, but once again it’s a company I like, I grew up watching the Knicks game every night, and he understood that, plus it’s a small position.
Once the 401k is depleted I will start selling the HCA first, if dividends aren’t covering my expenses, as that has the least diversification. For now I’ll keep the BRK.B, as it is diversified, but is possible over time I’ll convert it to a dividend fund, like SCHD, if I need the income, if not my daughter can inherit it. Ideally don’t sell because that also has decent unrealized gains. Hopefully everything appreciates in the meantime, my planner said in 7-10 years, once the 401k is depleted, it is very possible my taxable account could be valued in the $15 Million range, if I don’t sell anything. Regardless, it looks like with my new plan I will have a good retirement, how I want to live it, which is large, and also have a good chunk left over for my daughter and possible future grandkids. Thanks again to this Fatfire Reddit community and also my financial planner I met due to my previous post on Reddit.

I(21M) am a college student in a big major(that I’m switching after this semester because I’ve realized that I hate it) and most of my time is spent working on these projects, but at the same time it’s impossible for me to get things done. I’ve always been a slow worker and there’s just so much to do in a short period of time that I’ve had to skip classes just to get things done. Even with all of this I still only get so much done and it makes me feel that I’m not doing enough even though I work all the time and i gaslight myself into thinking I don’t deserve free time or happiness and that im lazy. Does anyone else ever get this feeling?

Ok so I will do about 6 killers per post so that way it can be some what enough. Also don’t be mad if I say something about your main
Trapper: Ok so I said roast but…..can we just give them a pat on the back? Like they have to work so hard just to play the game. Everyone says “Oh your just doing it because he’s the poster boy.” But does that really have any meaning? Your undermining how much effort they throw into this game by simply saying that.
Wraith: Everyone who plays him wants to be oppressed. They act like everyone is out to get them or if they have a flashlight it’s to seek you out when really everyone collectively agree’s that everyone likes him? He has some of the most fun add on’s to customize with and as I said before really liked by the community.
Hillbilly: It wasn’t overheat it was the add on changes. Also can we just get mad at the fact that one of the most well written character has the most goofy cosmetic’s? Like take a look at the milk man cosmetic and tell me it is scary. You can’t.
Huntress: Ooooh look at those muscles! Tall lady step on me ha ha funny! This character was ruined by the community. Constantly made out to be fun to play as but actually? She’s not all she’s cracked up to be. But if you say otherwise to her then your wrong and in need of correction because you have no taste in good character design. (Actual argument I had)
Nurse: Everyone makes them out to be this monster that has it’s vice grip on the game. But not really. I don’t see that many people play her and the one’s that do are just…..really not the best but can you blame them? Nurse takes alot of skill to know where your going to end up and where your going to just fizzle out.

Anyone who follows the MCU already knows that Scott Lang is the accidental superhero, a fact that Rudd emphasized with his “aw shucks, who me?” take on the character. Forcing gravitas upon Scott feels like a decision made because Quantumania is responsible for introducing the MCU’s next Big Bad. We can’t have a goofball be the first person to face off against Kang–let’s go dark. The approach is misguided and makes the movie a joyless experience for long stretches. As Marvel villains go, Kang is as dull as they come. (Ronan the Accuser can now breathe easy.) How Marvel managed to turn a charismatic actor like Majors into an irritable grump is a feat to behold. (Watch Devotion for ample evidence to the contrary.) Little effort is made to explain who Kang is or what motivates him to do anything. Veterans Douglass and Pfeiffer turn in surprisingly blase performances. Quantumania is a busy movie where not much of consequence seems to happen, the cinematic equivalent of performance anxiety. Not Recommended.
https://detroitcineaste.net/2023/03/20/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania/

I have been friend with my closest friend for nearly ten years. There has been some gaslighting in our friendship when I bring up behavior she does that is hurting me but then she turns it around on me and say I do the same.
Recently there’s a combination of two behaviors that are very frustrating for me to navigate:

1. She is very hot and cold with other friends. One day she hates them. One day she likes them. And it’s up to me to roll with it and accommodate her. My other closest friend she decided she didn’t like and went on a big rant about it and it ended with her saying she still wants me to ask her to all hangout because sometimes she does want a girls night. (She doesn’t have any other close female friends besides me)
   
2. She has very unhealthy repetitive behaviors with guys. She loves to start a romantic intense relationship then flip a switch to non stop complaining about them. She also likes to lead people on then complain or act like she didn’t show interest when they like her back. Any honest feedback about this she tells me she hasn’t lead anyone on and that I’m not happy for her.
   

Basically idk what to even categorize this behavior as. It’s so frustrating and draining to keep up and hear about someone who does so little real self reflection on her own actions?
I just feel as though I’m being manipulated and am not sure how to approach this friend about her unhealthy behaviors.

This seems to be part of the nature of the game since its very first relevant meta. Hand Control, Yata-Lock, Chaos turbo, Teledad, Rulers...
The better deck is always waaay too better and more expensive usually favoring going first players.
I know that standard MTG and Pokemon can also get pretty oppressive, but it usually takes some time and the chances to brick or need to slow down seems to be much more prevalent in these and other games.
I started playing it competitively in 2020 and I saw unbrekable Dragon Link Dragoon, unfair Calamities, Drytron Negate party, Unbeatable Tearlaments and now Nonsensical Kashtira.
Will we ever have "A day of peace" format with handtraps and traps as the sole type of interruptions/negates and interaction? This can be expensive as well and also way more diverse.
Dont most players who spend the most with this game want this as well?
I know it is fun for many players to break boards with Superpoly, Dark Ruler or Evenly Matched but wouldnt it be nicer if we used more balanced cards instead?
Everyone says that Arise Heart is the only issue with Kashtira, but damn, before Fenrir, Pankratops was considered too good to be unlimited and it still is. It just doesnt make any sense other than it is all about selling the next best card. It is crazy to think how fast we got rid of Ishizu cards. Konami always knew they were broken, expensive and necessary.
For a moment I was surprised they banished Mystic Mine, then kinda ended Tearlaments on the very next list and I thought we would have a moment to breathe and be more diverse and create, but oh boy, I was not aware they were doing it solely for the next best thing.

About me
Hello there, my name is Coach Chesster(Yes, an obvious Chess reference, which is, by far, my favorite game). I've been playing League of Legends since season one, I've experienced everything from full AP Yi one-shotting my entire team to Tryndamere mains spinning around with a needlessly large rod instead of a sword. You could say I've been there during all the important historical moments of the game. I've been at the top of the ladder in Season 6 (Going between high Diamond and Challenger, based on how much time I've had to invest). I've competed in various tournaments, even being able to win a number of them, before I decided to get myself into coaching.
Coaching
I started the entire coaching thing during season 7 when one of my friends asked if I wanted to help him get out of that Diamond 4 hell. Ever since then, I was having a consistent number of sessions on a weekly basis, with my network of people slowly increasing(One of them actually gave me the idea to advertise on Reddit, which I did eventually accept!) I've coached more than 700 individuals ever since I started and I can proudly say I've had more than 500 sessions this year alone! So, if you are looking for someone who is around for more than 5 days actually add me.
Some of my personal coaching achievements include
Getting a player from Silver 1 to Platinum in just 5 weeks
Getting D2 to Masters in 2 weeks
Bronze 1 to Diamond, yes, this one happened as well, though it took slightly more time
Helping Duo players on NA reach Gold(They were actually stuck in Bronze 2 prior!)
Creating a coach from hard-stuck D2 after he got GM
Contact
You can add me on discord Chesster#7323, and also join our community down below!
Community
In addition to my services, I am proud to present to you our Educational community, which is steadily growing on a daily basis. Aside from Coaching, it is an amazing place to connect with other people, find friends and talk about the game all of us love and enjoy. Various events are held on a weekly basis, from 1v1 tournaments to Team Contests, with nice rewards being given out! Hint, you might win a free session!
All of our coaches have been vetted and verified, being certain all of you guys get the best service available! Every single one has peaked at least Grandmaster, with a minimum of 250 Coaching Hours to their name.
Discord Community: CLICK HERE
- Upon joining, message me in order to have a Role assigned!
Prices?
Prices for my sessions are negotiable and I can guarantee, they fall onto the affordable part of the specter!
My coaching sessions are oriented and tailored to each student's specific needs, and they do cover everything from theory to live coaching, in-game mentality, etc.

**Introduction**
​

1. Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

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**Yes, it will be my very first dog ever. I have never had any experience owning dogs at any point throughout my life, but have helped to take care of my grandmas Shih Tzu for a couple of weeks when I was younger and she would go on vacation.**
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2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a [reputable breeder]( http://ownresponsibly.blogspot.com/2011/07/identifying-reputable-breeder.html)?
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**I am open to either of them, but am leaning more towards going through a reputable breeder to get a puppy due to having more predictability of temperment and hopefully fewer unexpected behavioral issues. Also many adoption agencies make it difficult to adopt due to requirements like fenced yards. **
​
3) Describe your ideal dog.
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**My ideal dog is one that loves to cuddle, loves to be by my side when I am home but can be left alone during the day while I am at work without resorting to destructive behaviors or separation anxiety. I am a teacher, so I have pretty typical hours and will also have decent breaks throughout the year. Friendly with people, other dogs, and children. One that doesn't mind chilling around the house but can also go hiking with me.**
​
4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?
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**Wire Fox Terrier- Not sure how much exercise they need on a daily basis and if they would be happy with one to two hours a day.
Toy Poodle- Not always a fan of how scraggly they can look.
Yorkie- Have heard they're "yappy."
Mini Schnauzer- Have heard they are prone to oily coats, not sure how much they shed.
Italian Greyhound- worried that they can't be left alone for eight hours, not sure how much they shed.**
​
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5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?
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**Basic behavioral commands and simple tricks.**
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6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?
​
**No.**
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**Care Commitments**
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7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?
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**At minimum, an hour every day.**
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8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?
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**At minimum, an hour every day. I would take it on walks and hikes, probably not to a dog park because I have read that they can be unregulated and dangerous.**
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9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?
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**I would prefer a dog that does not shed. I am willing to do regular brushing, trimming, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, etc. I do not mind paying for grooming either.**
​
**Personal Preferences**
​
10) What size dog are you looking for?
​
**A small to medium size dog. Basically from the size of a chihuahua to the size of a Wire Fox Terrier would be my range.**
​
11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?
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**Shedding: I would prefer a dog that does not shed, or sheds so minimally that it is not noticeable. I would also prefer not to have that typical "doggy odor" or for people to be able to know I have a dog just by stepping into my house.
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Barking: I would prefer a dog that does not bark incessantly.
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Slobber: Not a big fan at all.**
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12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?
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**Not important.**
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**Dog Personality and Behavior**
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13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?
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**The snugglier the better!**
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14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?
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**Definitely eager to please.**
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15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?
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**I would prefer the dog to be calm, interested in the visitors but not overly excited. I am pretty sure this comes down to training as well. If there is an unwelcome stranger in my home it would be great if the dog could alert me, but I am not looking for a watchdog per say.**
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16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?
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**No**
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17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?
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**Agression towards humans, food guarding, agression in general, etc.**
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**Lifestyle**
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18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?
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**I am a teacher so on average eight hours.**
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19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?
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**N/A I live alone.**
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20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?
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**No, the dog will be my only pet.**
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21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?
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**No, but they will be seeing my cousin's children on holidays.**
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22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?
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**I am planning to rent, I will ensure that my dog will be accepted wherever I end up.**
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23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?
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**The US, I am not interested in the breeds that are typically on those lists anyways.**
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24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?
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**I live in Ohio so temperatures vary.**

I have tried to date online but it seems like it's not for me, it's very difficult to get a match. (I know one girl receives about 60 messages per week on average.) doesn't matter how much money I spent in the app the result has been always the same for the past 2 years. I'm honest with my profile, I don't have a pic wearing a expensive suit, a fancy car or working out without a shirt pretending I'm a hot catch, I'm straight forward on what I'm looking. My range age is 5 years gap. All I got some girl trying to convince me to buy her a washer, another one to try to tell her how much money I make so "I'm worth her attention". I feel disappointed

context: I am playing basketball. if i had a 57% chance of making a free throw, would it make more sense for me to shoot the ball out of 12 times, or out of 24 times? does an increased number of shots increase the likelihood of me making at least 57% or more of my shots? each individual shot i have a 57% chance of making, it doesn't fluctuate.
lets say that the goal of the competition is to make the most out of however many you shot, so if someone shot the ball 8 times, and they made it 6/8 times, they would win the competition over someone who shot it 20/40 times. continuing on from my situation, if i have a 57% chance of making a free throw each time, would it make more sense for me to shoot more shots? to have a greater chance at winning the competition.
before entering the competition the contestant needs to declare how many attempts they will be shooting. so if i shoot 57% from the free throw line, would it make sense for me to aim to shoot 12 times, 24times or more? in order for me to get the best opportunity of making at least 57% or more from the line?

So I’ve been wondering this for quite awhile now. Does anyone know the origin of Comfort’s album cover? Who the little girl is, how they got the demon cow silhouette in the background and all that? Would love to know more if anyone has any info on this..

This happened about 10 years ago when I was in a rather epic campaign, played over the course of about 2.5 years in a persistent setting. Plot: An incredibly powerful dracolich, imbued with an aspect of an evil god tried taking over the world with his undead armies.
It was my first campaign with these guys but it was awesome. The GM knew how to capture our hearts and feelings, amazing roleplaying ensued, memorable moments happened and all. I played a female wizard, the others were mostly martial characters. Due to the nature of our enemy being magical, there was quite a spotlight on my character, as I was the only one really trained in the skills to research this. Also a few other predicaments happened that I was able to solve with unforeseen use of my magical spells, which might have made a few of the other players feel uncomfortable.
Now, during the campaign over the course of 2.5 years realtime, we forged alliances and weapons to use in the climatic battle against our enemy and his undead hordes while also researching his origins and bond to the god. While doing the latter, it turned out that in all likelihood his link to the god was so strong, he may just turn out to be completely invulnerable, and all of our combined efforts to defeat him might be doomed.
Our research was not entirely conclusive, but it might be possible to cut the link with the evil god before the battle, by transferring it upon yourself, however that would involve making a pact with the evil god and selling your eternal soul, which of course was out of the question for pretty much all the god fearing characters. That is, all except my wizard, but I was unable to tell my comrades about my plans as they would have surely slain my character on the spot for even thinking about it. So I talked with the GM in private, and he was thrilled by the idea, ran a solo session in secret with me about forging a pact with the evil god and I prepared some sequestered spells for use during the battle.
The day of the battle came and armies of tens of thousands came together to defeat the dracolich and his armies. During the epic battle with the hordes, our enemy made his appearance and with valiant effort we were able to bring it down to the ground, but we were not actually dealing any kind of significant damage to it. That was when my wizard invoked the pact she made in the night before to take the aspect of the demon upon herself.
It worked! The aspect was transferred to my character in a literal light show of special effects and (almost as expected), all my former friends turned around and targeted my character with their strongest attacks. That is when she invoked the sequestered spells prepared beforehand, hiding behind a force wall and teleporting to safety, the evil god's aspect still inside of her. The dracolich and his armies fell swiftly after that but the former friends of my character swore revenge on her for betraying them.
All in all amazing campaign and in the end the heroes saved the day and my old character, now a possible future antagonist, surely soon to be overpowered by the gods influence ruled over newly resurrected undead somewhere far away. The End...?
So next we were about to start a new campaign, I rolled up a new character (a roguish non spellcaster this time, as I didn't want to be the focus yet again). When we met for the first session of the new campaign, the other players gathered and let me know that they decided that I will no longer be part of this group, nor any other group any of them played in. Their reason being: I had shown my true colors by forging a pact with their enemy, so they would never be able to trust any character I played anymore.
Furthermore I was informed that they have decided to remove my old character from history of the campaign world and retconned that their old characters defeated the dracolich on their own terms. The GM later told me in private that he was outvoted by the other players and that he really loved what I did. In fact, it would never have been possible for all of our combined efforts to take the dragon down had I not done this (there originally were other ways to defeat our enemy, but we did not go that route for various reasons), but the other players were too adamant in their position and he didn't want to lose his group, so joining the others in kicking me out was the way of least resistance.
I was pretty devastated at that time as the role play and interaction I had with this group was so amazing, but I got over it eventually. So in the end my character saved everybody by pretty much turning herself to the "dark side" and I got booted from one of my favorite groups for it.

But without ignoring the benefits or drinking lol. Honestly I'm not a huge drinker save socially anymore so that one isn't necessary. There is something about chilling out with a mixed drink or bottle while watching something, listening to music, shooting the shit, or gaming though which is hard to beat. What's your favorite thing to unwind with?
Due to my work schedule and location it's hard to socialize and build up those connections in standard ways, plus not many places to hang around here would have the kind of people I would get along with anyway. But if you're in the need of good company and/or a stiff drink you could do much worse than me haha. With my aforementioned situation I also haven't been able to have any real fun or intimacy in a long while, and I just miss it you know? The flirting leading to making out on the couch and getting handsy. So anyone who's open to it be it one time or a proper friends with benefits situation should hit me up. You'd be doin me a solid at this point. And I'm down for seeing where it goes.
We can always discuss particulars and all that once we got a feeling of each other. And even if part of it isn't your thing and the other is don't be shy, just lemme know off the bat what you're interested in.
I'll bullet point myself a bit and I invite you to do the same for yourself:

• bit over 6ft tall, wide, bearded, with a bit of extra fluff
• focused on being more active lately and it's working(so gym buddies maybe too)
• still into your average internet culture kinda stuff
• love getting to understand how people tick
• have a favor towards tattoos and piercings though I have none
• bad at making lists

Anyway if you've read this mess thanks for your time and I wish you the best.

Just to provide some context: I have a bachelor in CS. I worked for a year as a programmer and stopped so I could focus on my masters degree, which I will finish this year. With all the fuss and news about the advances of ChatGPT and its capabilities, I’m really afraid I’ve been wasting my time and brain studying CS. I believe Junior devs will be gone in a near future because of this AI. What a junior can do, this AI does it much better and faster. What is needed is business logic and seniors/higher calibre devs can provide it. Please tell me I’m wrong and that my logic is dumb. It’s been some tough days thinking about this.

I usually play DR classes, and I'm currently at just over 680GS (286AP/395DP). And I'm having considerable difficulty against evasion builds who can hit 1100-1200 (or higher) evasion at a similar GS, so I have a few questions:

1. What is the 'tipping point' of dodge rate where evasion is no longer helping much in PvP?
2. I'm currently running Bronte's Bolt, Expose Weakness lightstones and accuracy artifacts. I can't really afford the AP loss of swapping to accuracy accessories yet (Bronte's is my only concession to this so far and the Ap difference is very noticeable), but I do plan to eventually. In the meantime, is there anything else I can reasonably do to improve my accuracy?
3. How bad is the DR-Eva matchup at 700GS+?
4. I'm about three week's dungeon runs away from being able to get the weapon exchange coupons from the Dekhima tokens, and I am planning to re-roll. I'm currently on succession guardian, but I've tagged succession Dark Knight and I'm very much enjoying her (and faring better vs evasion classes - landing guardian's black blood circle debuff in PvP vs a grab class is exceedingly challenging whereas DK's accuracy on-skill allows me to fight in a much less risky manner). Are there, however, any other classes which have very high on-skill accuracy? Particularly asking in relation to DR and Melee classes.

Answers to any and all questions would be most welcome.

This title reads like clickbait, or a phony testimonial, but I am just a person who's come here over the years to find community as I navigate diagnoses of mental health and neurodivergence. I have been deep in the alcohol use subs lately, but I wanted to pop over here to share my experience with benzo addiction and recovery. In fact, it was my successful taper off benzo's, over the past year, after ~12 years of daily use and a raging addiction, that prompted me to consider that maybe I actually I do have the strength and the tools to address my problematic relationship with alcohol as well. That is journey I have just embarked on just recently but with encouraging early progress. I wouldn't have even begun if it weren't for my experience beating benzo's.
I want to be the rare person who logs returns to a forum/support group to share a success story. We most seek support when we are struggling deeply-- as we should-- but that leaves our collective successes greatly underrepresented, an imbalance which can make recovery feel all but impossible. I'm here to remind you that it isn't. Recovery from benzo's Absolutely. Is. Possible. In fact, with the right tools, you stand a very excellent change of recovery. Truly, I did not believe these words myself even one year ago, but now I want to shout it from the rooftops: You can do this. There are tools to help you. It's called the Ashton Method; It works, and it's easy. There is hope. A lot of hope. I promise.
........
A year ago I thought I was doomed to a life forever in service of clonazepam-- obtaining it, taking it, withdrawing from it-- if not an untimely death. I'd been prescribed clonazepam for anxiety attacks since 2011, with daily use since soon after that. I relied on my own prescribed pills and never took more than I felt sufficiently relieved my anxiety. It worked like a charm-- until it didn't. Rebound symptoms between doses eventually led me to take the occasional extra tablet until I was regularly taking more than my prescription supplied, gradually running out earlier and earlier each month. Withdrawals before my next refill grew worse and landed me in the ER more times than I can count. Once I even went by ambulance, my EKG showing a worrisome heart arrythmia. My boyfriend started lending me doses lorazepam when I was having a particularly hard time; Before long, I started asking for them, then sneaking them. I resorted to taking shots of tequila when my prescription ran out, leading to a further compounding of problems. I'd been a "responsible" benzo- user for years until suddenly I found myself, to summarize, in a bad, bad place.
I don't remember when or where I first learned about the Ashton Method. I had read that people often used diazepam (valium) to taper off of benzodiazepine drugs; I may have even heard the method's name. I'd considered asking my psychiatrist about a longer-acting medication, but the idea of tapering off benzo's remained antithetical to me, a still more terrifying prospect than the imminent withdrawals awaiting at the bottom of my Rx bottle. My next refill would bring incredible relief, after all. I kept my doctor in the dark, lurking on message boards in shame and terror. The cycle continued in a downward spiral for a long time.
I vividly remember the day things changed. I came across, in the NY Times, the 2020 obituary of the woman whose life's work would later save me. I always enjoyed reading the science sections, especially accounts of the groundbreaking female scientists whose work remained previously under-recognized. British psychopharmacologist Dr. Heather Ashthon was a truly remarkable woman who dedicated her career to helping benzo-dependent patients, but it wasn't an earth-shattering obituary that struck me. For whatever fate or reason, i followed a hyperlink within the article, which linked not to another news story or research foundation, but directly to the primary, foremost published work of Dr. Ashton, "Benzodiazepines: How they Work and How to Withdrawal". This is The Ashton Manual. If you are struggling with benzodiazepines, heck even if you were prescribed a benzo for the first time yesterday, you should read this book. It's available as a free ebook download on Amazon, and probably countless other places on the internet.
Whats remarkable about The Ashton Method is that it doesn't require willpower. It doesn't require you to confess your deepest flaws to a room full of strangers. It doesn't even require detox/withdrawal or abstinence I will expand on this below, but first I want to speak to how, for me, reading the manual was life-changing medicine all on its own. By reading the science behind how benzodiazepines work, and the mechanisms driving physical dependence and addiction, I came to realize that my problem was not only a normal consequence of human physiology, but also simply-- not my fault. You might be here because you've made mistakes with these powerful drugs, mistakes which can have severe and debilitating consequences. These mistakes are also not your fault. The manual is written with such a compassionate yet matter-of-fact tone, I'd never before felt so validated and seen, represented right there in the very data of that publication. Layers of shame fell away. I came to realize the real mistakes where things went wrong: benzo's should never have been prescribed to me as a daily medication, not for more than a few weeks at a time. By the time I recognized I had an addiction, I was too far in its grasp to make "good" choices. I was simply trying to survive.
Not only does she envelop you in compassion and hope, The Ashton Manual also is your step by step out of a benzo's ever-tightening grip. Its full of statistics showing you how very achievable tapering completely off benzo's actually is. Reading this boot will make you *want* to taper off, not because you are an addict who needs to get clean, but because you'll learn that doing so is remarkably possible, requires no withdrawals, and will bring you immense relief. If you're like me, as soon as you start the proces, you'll begin to feel a lot better right away.
In addition to the Ashton Manual itself, there are many excellent summaries of the basic strategy and its principles across the web. I won't attempt to do so here other than outline the most major points.

• you will switch to a long-acting benzodiazepine, most likely diazepam (aka, valium). This switch is made based on dosage charts of estimated benzo equivalency. The longer acting drug will even out the amount of benzo in your bloodstream throughout the day. You will no longer experience rebound symptoms or mini withdrawals between doses. Instead of taking the drug "as needed" , you will take the diazepam at the same dose at the same time or times each day. This is the most difficult step, but none of them should be all that hard. It may feel like like your "baseline" anxiety level is somewhat greater than you're used to achieving from a dose of more potent short acting drug, but the relief you soon experience from the extremes of panic and relief will be sweet.
• From there you will taper the amount of valium you take each day/week/month very very gradually. Dr. Ashton recommends step downs of ten percent at self-directed intervals. That means that a prescriber should never force you to drop your dose before you are ready, and never more than about 10-20% or an amount you are comfortable with .
• A good physician will help you assess your progress and to realize you are ready to step down even though it's probably scary. You likely suffered traumatizing withdrawals in the course of benzo addiction. These wont happen with small reductions, but its natural to be afraid. In practice, its actually quite manageable. After the first dose reduction, the next one are less and less of a big deal.
• Even if you mess up and take extra tablets of diazepam (addiction can be slow to relax it's grip, after all), you may experience some distress but should not undergo symptoms of severe withdrawal. Diazepam is "self-tapering", meaning that its half-life is so long that if you were to stop cold turkey, it would still leave your system in such a gradual manner as to spare you the worst repurcussions. This is why it is used in emergent settings to help people undergoing alcohol detoxification. Id love to preach 1000% adherence, but the fact is that even after switching to diazepam, I continued to run out of pills a bit early each month for a while, but this wasn't the end of the world when it did happen. Several months in the process it became more natural to take my tablets as prescribed. Do your very best.
• You will inevitably run into times when, in the past you, would have taken extra tablets or otherwise increased your dosage. These will be challenging blips, but they will be manageable and nothing compared to the vicious cycle you were trapped in before. It is fine to pause your taper for a while when it feels too tough, but you should never go back up to a higher dosing regimen.
• Most people taper off the drugs completely over the course of several to many months. You will probably be surprised by how great you actually feel on a low dose of valium and it may begin to feel unnecessary. You may find that after completing all but the final step of the Ashton Method (a complete taper to zero) that you are able to continue with a small prescription of diazepam to use sparingly for cases of acute anxiety, the long half-life of drug and low overall quantity of medication take will allow you exercise more control and as-needed use of your monthly prescription shouldn't send you spiraling back into addiction. This is something to decide with your doctor when you have almost completed the entire taper over several months and are feeling released from the control the benzo used to have over you

In my case, I tapered down over 8 months until i got to half a 2mg tab of diazepam a day (diazepam doseages are huge by comparison to many benzos like ativan or xanax). An acute anxiety attack, which are less frequent for me now than anytime in the past 5 years, for requires about 4mg to fully treat. My doc has me held me at ten 2-mg pills a month, with permission to use this supply however helps me feel best. I now have the control to save those pills for times I know I'll kick myself if I had them, such as an upcoming trip involving plane travel. At the same time, I no longer recoil in horror at the idea that soon, perhaps I could survive without any benzo's at all.
After reading the manual, I "came clean" to my psychiatrist. It was scary, but I knew that change was not only possible but would make me feel a lot better. My doc is an older, curmudgeonly guy, pretty strict and cautious with my adhd stimulant prescription (no early refills , not even the time an airline lost my luggage). So when I admitted I could no longer control my clonazepam use to the point of extreme duress, I was prepared with research papers in hand, to ask about diazepam and the possibility for long slow taper as per the Ashton Manual. It turned out, not only was he familiar with the technique, he was scribbling down a diazepam script before I even had the chance to ask.
So if you're struggling, I can't encourage you enough to read the manual. Get yourself to a psychiatrist who is willing to work with you using the Ashton Method, even if you have to pay out of pocket, you will likely save yourself many times over in (ineffective!) future rehab or emergency room visits. I was in a terrible place and felt *truly* hopeless and helpless. The Ashton method worked exactly as described in the manual. The hardest part was getting up the courage to ask my doctor for help. If I can help you do that or to clarify details of what i've written here, I absolutely welcome direct messages.
I'm just a person on the internet who stumbled across an incredible solution to what once seemed like an impossible problem. I'm messaging the folks over in the alcohol use subs all the time ;) Together we got this.
​
*If youre worried about having your benzo prescription yanked away from you entirely, you may wish to inquire about a switch to diazepam an Ashton-style taper while keeping the reasons vague. This is an understandable instinct. Know that experiencing troublesome rebound symptoms between benzo doses, even if you're taking meds at exactly the dosage and intervals prescribed, is a sign that the drug may no longer be serving you well. Rebound symptoms are a perfectly reasonable cause to seek a change in your benzo treatment, whether the problem has progressed to dependence and addiction or not.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2

Genre: Open-World 3D Action-Platformer
Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen)
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Review:
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a family-friendly Open-World 3D Action-Platformer released in 2017 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This is the yet another entry in Traveller’s Tales’ long-running LEGO crossover franchise of family-friendly 3D Action-Platformers, and the third major Marvel crossover for the series.
This time around, that crossover is somewhere in-between the comics versions of characters and the film versions. The game starts off with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who are clearly patterned after the film versions. Meanwhile, the game’s main antagonist is Kang the Conqueror, who only just recently made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. Kang’s choice as villain gives the game’s designers the chance to make this game a time- and dimension-hopping adventure, allowing the designers to tie together all sorts of disparate locales. However, at its core is the same game we’ve seen countless times before.
Okay, so how does this game compare to prior releases? Well, we seem to have lost multibuilds from [LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens](LINK) and [The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game](LINK). We don’t have the great combat of The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game. We also don’t have the fun team-up maneuvers of LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (Rocket Racoon riding on Groot notwithstanding).
Okay, so what interesting features does LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 have to offer? Well, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game’s 4-player co-op has returned, along with a new 4-player competitive mode that’s not particularly compelling. There are tighter controls for flying characters too. And... hm... I’m having trouble thinking of anything else here.
Beyond that, this is just... well, more of Traveller’s Tales’ usual LEGO 3D Action-Platformer stuff. Fight a bunch of enemies, destroy everything in the room, and use it to build something to help you solve “puzzles” to progress. Wash, rinse, repeat.
In terms of visuals, LEGO Marvel’s Avengers looks great, with a lot of detail in its 3D environments and a lot of mayhem going on on-screen at any given time. However, this isn’t too far ahead of what we’ve seen in prior games in the series. Likewise, because this game isn’t directly based on the films, we have a voice cast of sound-alikes. And that’s fine, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Again, please don’t take any of my lack of enthusiasm here to mean LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is bad. It’s quite good, actually. But it’s quite good in the same way we’ve seen in numerous other prior games, with little to truly make it stand out. If you enjoy LEGO games and/or Marvel’s world and characters, you’ll likely enjoy this. But if you’ve grown burned out by the Traveller’s Tales LEGO games, this game won’t change your mind about that.
*tl;dr – LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is yet another game in Traveller’s Tales’ family-friendly franchise of LEGO Open-World 3D Action-Platformers. *

Grade: B-

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I'm curious if anyone else can relate to this. I'm not only talking about mere dislike of being told what to do, but it's an unbearable build up of anger that makes me hate the person I'm speaking to and wanting to go out of my way to oppose them. I don't necessarily want to hurt them, but I get the feeling of wanting to oppose them by being overly sarcastic or dominant to make it clear that they can't tell me what to do or how to do something.
I know acting upon my feelings in this regard isn't okay, so I make an effort to control myself. Sometimes I cannot, and I've put myself in some terrible situations because of it. It is not something I wish to encourage, but I can't bring myself to feel bad about it either.
I don't get this feeling as much if someone logically explains the reasons for why they're telling me to do something and why, but it still happens a fair bit.
Is this a commonality in autistic people, and how do all of you experience this?