How much is robby benson worth

• Complementary video
• Previous "Day 0" threads

READ THIS FIRST! HOW THIS WORKS & FAQ

INTRO

Refer to Day 0 - Creating Your Own Server in the Cloud for more.

Signing up with Azure

Sign-up is fairly simple - just provide your email address and a password of your choosing - along with a phone number for a 2FA - a second method of authentication. Azure can be a bit funny about 'corporate' email addresses, eg using a work address or your own domain. Create a new @outlook or @gmail.com account if so using the link on the sign-up page. You will need to also provide your VISA or other credit card information.

• Click 'start building in azure'
• Click 'Deploy a virtual machine'
• Click 'Create a linux virtual machine'
• Search and select Ubuntu Server LTS
• Use the Standard _D2s_v3 size - this should be comfortably covered by your trial credits for the duration of the course
• Ensure 'SSH Public Key' for authentication and 'generate new key pair' for SSH Public Key source are selected
• Leave 'allow selected ports' as 'ssh (22)' for now
• Click 'Review + Create'
• Azure will generate and download the private key file to SSH onto the box -
• (Windows) double-click this to open on Windows and it will be added to your cert store on the machine
• (Mac OS X and Linux) run the command 'sudo ssh-add -K /link-to-downloaded-file'
• Note: if the above command doesn't work for you then try running without sudo. If you get any error related to permissions then try running 'chmod 400 filename' first.
• Connect to the machine using ssh [email protected]

Now to fully expose the machine and all ports to the internet:

• Navigate to https://portal.azure.com/#home
• Select 'Virtual Machines'
• Select your created virtual machine and select 'Networking' from the settings pane
• Click 'Inbound Port Rules' and 'Add inbound port rule'
• Set 'source port ranges' and 'destination port ranges' to '*' and set 'Source' and 'Destination' to 'any'. Ensure protocol is set to 'any' and action is set to 'allow'. Set the priority to '100' and create an appropriate name
• Click 'Outbound port rules' and 'add outbound port rule'
• Set 'source port ranges' and 'destination port ranges' to '*' and set 'Source' and 'Destination' to 'any'. Ensure protocol is set to 'any' and action is set to 'allow'. Set the priority to '101' and create an appropriate name

This opens all ports and protocols to access from anywhere. While this might be unwise for a production server, it is what we want for this course.

Remote access via SSH

Ensure your machine is 'running' (if not, click 'start') and connect using the 'connect -> ssh' dropdown and following instructions
You will be logging in as the user azureuser. It has been added to the 'adm' and 'sudo' groups, which on an Ubuntu system gives it access to read various logs - and to "become root" as required via the sudo command.

You are now a sysadmin

Confirm that you can do administrative tasks by typing:
sudo apt update
(Normally you'd expect this would prompt you to confirm your password, but because you're using public key authentication the system hasn't prompted you to set up a password - and Azure have configured sudo to not request one for "azureuser").
Then:
sudo apt upgrade
Don't worry too much about the output and messages from these commands, but it should be clear whether they succeeded or not. (Reply to any prompts by taking the default option). These commands are how you force the installation of updates on an Ubuntu Linux system, and only an administrator can do them.
To logout, type logout or exit.
Your server is now all set up and ready for the course!
Note that:

• This server is now running, and completely exposed to the whole of the Internet
• You alone are responsible for managing it
• You have just installed the latest updates, so it should be secure for now

Trying to offload some of these books. Shipping not included Willing to workout a deal depending on how much you want to buy
Everything is G5 condition, most of these never read. Except Seven Deadly Sins which has a little bit of yellowing. I can provide more pictures upon request. PayPal G&S only please.
pictures:
Bakuman box set (extras included) $65
Seven Deadly Sins 1-11 $40
GIGANT 1-5 $50
One Punch Man, Black Clover, Moriarty, ALL ARE $6 PER VOLUME
Monogatari S1 Box Set $60

I have just got and am about to send back an MR UA21. On paper the bag looks fantastic and the build quality is amazing, but for some reason the bag just felt uncomfortable on my back.
The straps seem a little short, and the back panel however feels like it cuts into my lower back and rubs by lower lumbar region as I walk and the bag moves side to side slightly. Its almost like it cuts into the curve of my spine instead of hugging it. I’m unsure how to fix this, Im 5’11 and only had the bag loaded up with about 7kg/15lbs at most.
The load lifters make it much more comfortable but I cant help but feel the bag is too long and the plastic hardware gets crushed in my armpits - not ideal. This one isn’t an adjustable harness but I still have heard good things about Mystery Ranch comfort, should I take the frame sheet out (I would have to cut it out I think). Does anyone know what I might be doing wrong because I heard MR harnesses are the best?

Feel free to ask any SWTOR related questions in this thread! New & Returning Players are also welcome to post their introductions here too.

SWTOR Frequently Asked Questions

• Is SWTOR Worth trying?
• Should I Subscribe to SWTOR?
• Common Technical Issues (crashing, black screen, etc)
• Which Class Should I Choose? Best class? Viable classes?
• What should I spend my Cartel Coins/CC on?
• Free to Play / Preferred / Subscriber Differences
• Find a Guild/Group to Play With
• How do I start the next quest or expansion? What's next in the story?
• Ultimate 6.0 Link Guide

The State of SWTOR

• Expansions and Updates
• Major Game Changes & the Current State of SWTOR
• Story Order Guide & Solo Guide
• The State of Player vs. Environment (PvE): Dailies, Flashpoints, Uprisings & Operations
• The State of Player vs. Player (PvP)
• The State of Galactic Starfighter

Free Stuff

• Free Pet, Mount and Flair Codes: Go to https://account.swtor.com/usecodes Enter these codes separately to get some free mounts and pets! NYCANTINA19 (free flair), SWCELEBRATION17 (M8-3R Droid Pet). Note these codes eventually expire, but we don't know when. Please contact the mods if they no longer work.

My dad disowned me for being affirming towards the LGBTQ community, which was one thing. He's always been domineering and cruel, and was a big apart of my deconstruction from Christian nationalistic beliefs in the first place. I've only mattered to him as much as I could perform as a perfect Christian.
But then my brother, who is quite a bit younger than me and who I've always looked out for and tried to protect from my dad and from the drama and crazy of the family, said he considered disowning me too. And that. Really cut. I feel so betrayed, unvalued and unloved. He backed down and said he'd decided being affirming wasn't enough to leave, but the implication is that there is something that would be enough. We kinda worked it out, and I was very honest about how hurtful that was. I love him so much and I understand that he is the way he is because of being raised in our family. He's barely 21, and I was in a similar place to him at 21, so I understand and have grace for him, but it hurts so much. I don't know if I can ever really trust him again, and even that makes me so sad. Just needed to share with a group I thought might understand.

I’m trying to go back to school (readmission) after failing over and over again due to migraines and other spiritual-wellbeing issues arising from this. They rejected my application to return citing that I haven’t proved my readiness to return and that I’m not bringing back any credits. I have already explained that I can’t bring back credits because of a bad home situation and no money to do so. I plan to appeal.
————— I wrote this post originally seeking for a “spiritual advisor” to write me a letter saying I’m doing good to try and sway them to let me go back. The official requirements to return are to come up with a feasible academic plan and to gain credits somewhere else but they cited lack of elaboration of what I have been doing away from school and that I haven’t demonstrated my readiness to return on top of not bringing back credits. They said if I can’t bring back credits that I can talk to my advisor but they have not helped and basically guided me through the reapplication process without clarifying if the school is willing to overlook my not bringing credits back. I have come up with a good plan but have not been able to take classes to bring back.
What should I do? Is it a good plan to show up with some testament to my spiritual healing?
The rest of my post is below:
————
In my defense, I have been focusing on my mental and spiritual health, meditating, and have gotten into tarot reading which I enjoy very much and alternative medicine. Also I have found ways to mitigate my migraines significantly even though this is a chronic lifelong issue and only gets worse with age.
I know it’s somewhat disingenuous to have a stranger vouch for my spiritual wellness but they refuse to even let me try and do better. I don’t see a good life for myself without a college degree, I am genuinely better now and in a position to excel, and I honestly don’t know how to meet their requirement that I take classes somewhere else to transfer back given my psychologically/emotionally abusive home life and having no money to support myself. I guess I can leave home and try being on my own but I don’t know how long it will take given that I only have 3 years to return and they have denied my petition to return next fall bringing it down to 2 years. Additionally, I don’t have the strongest connection to my birth religion and am wary of seeking spiritual guidance from the Catholic Church.
I welcome your thoughts and advice below. Please let me know if you’re willing to write a strong letter of rec and vouch for me I know this is kind of ridiculous.

In my last playthrough of bg2(first time), I took jaheira, minsc, imoen, keldorn and Jan. I was a kensage. It was a lot of fun, mages are amazing, but I missed out on clerics.
I finally got around to do another full playthrough but I don't know what companions to take. I don't care much for what's meta and far more interested in party Interactions. I'm a chaotic good cleric/ranger. Specializing in Flails and hammers(I realized later that crom is wasted on my character but oh well).
Viconia's inclusion is non-negotiable because I'm super curious to see how the romance plays out. Will she still stick around at 20 reputation? Also who else does she have good interactions with?
Thanks in advance!

Obviously this isn’t actually a new trait, but I put some things together this week while spiraling slightly in my journal after a date that went well only for me to end up getting ghosted. Has anyone else noticed these types of patterns or behaviors? What do you do to navigate them?
I’m reallllllll good at hyperfocusing on things in terms of memories. But I realized this week that part of my issue with moving on from this stupid freaking breakup that happened more than two months ago is that I’m totally fine when I have something else to be hyper focused on. But then something will remind me of him/a pleasant memory we shared/whatever and then boom! I fall right back into that hyperfocusing on the good stuff and then I’m romanticizing things. It’s become less acute and lessened in terms of being a total gut punch, but it’s real tender.
What kills me is it wasn’t a long lived thing so I don’t have a lot of negative things or annoying traits or icks that I can focus on. Not that that would actually be helpful. And also it’s been done for almost as long as it lasted. I genuinely really enjoy this man as a person but he also made me feel very seen in a way that was wholly new for me as far as romantic relationships go. I felt like I got to show up as myself by this partner who really got it. I have them in some close friendships but it was just very different in a non-platonic relationship.
The other layer here is that I’m a deeply empathetic adhd girlie and I’ve gotten to a place of enough distance that I’m getting into new weird patterns of think about him and being concerned and wanting the best for him. I have enough distance from my own hurt that now I’m like “oh no he got hurt too and I wasn’t as understanding of that as I could have been!” Like knowing that calling things off was also difficult for him and he was also hurt and then I’m like “oh no I’m sad/worried about how he’s feeling!” and I’ll get to wondering how he’s doing. How is he coping with date of that thing that didn’t workout coming up? I’m a worry wart and so I’ll see a social media post that’s like “car crash at xyz intersection” with a photo and I’ll be like oh man he drives a red car, that’s by his work.
It’s mentally very draining. And fueled by going off my Vyvanse again because of issues getting the script filled. My friends are really trying to be supportive but also are understandably ready for me to stop being such a heartbroken baby. They haven’t said this but the vibes there. And I had this great date that made me hopeful there are other good people I can connect with meaningfully only to get totally ghosted. I know there are plenty of other great people out there. But damn. Insult to injury am I right? And even with these wonderful friends surrounding me, there is a layer of connection and feeling seen that came with him also having a similarly difficult parental relationship/the same flavor of childhood trauma and I didn’t know how much that was missing until it was there and then gone again.
If you’ve survived the wandering bumper cars of thought on hyper fixation and breakups you’re a trooper. Now tell me how to make it better please!!

I (21F) am at my wit’s end about the skin of my lips. So I’ve had a chronic picking/pulling habit my whole life. When I was in elementary school, I pulled out my eyebrow hairs until one day I had accidentally pulled out my entire left eyebrow. For a short couple of months in middle school, it was my eyelashes. From middle school to now, it’s been my scalp and unfortunately, the skin of my lips.
For the past 3 weeks I’ve tried to curb my habit of biting off the skin of my lip, because I realized how sensitive my lips were without the uppermost layer of the skin. I’ve been successful with not biting off the skin, but unfortunately I’m struggling with the healing process.
I’m on my fourth attempt to let my skin regrow and it’s been difficult. The first attempt, the skin was so dry and hardened while growing that I resorted to wetting my lips with water before adding Vaseline. The skin at that point had grown in 3 sections
Here is a quick drawing of what my lips kind of look like.
This is the best I could draw. Pretend the red is the skin that’s trying to regrow. At first it was growing properly, but then they broke apart, I assume because of my mouth movements. Another weird thing I noticed is that the skin was also peeling upwards and was disconnected from my actual lip. I tried to use Vaseline to stick the skin down but it didn’t help. Eventually I had used so much Vaseline that the skin peeled completely off while rinsing out my toothpaste from brushing my teeth.
My second attempt was mostly the same, with the same failure. My third attempt, I put squalane oil from The Ordinary on my lips but that was a mistake so I just resorted to using as much Nivea lip balm as possible every night. The skin was also peeling up like the past attempt. My third attempt failed the other day when I rinsed out my toothpaste with water and the skin peeled off.
I’m on my fourth attempt and not much skin has grown back yet.
What exactly do I do? I’m so beyond frustrated when the only advice I get from friends and Google is to make sure my lips are properly hydrated. Keeping my lips properly hydrated doesn’t seem to work because the Nivea lip balm is overly moisturizing the skin, which makes it more susceptible to peeling. I’ve tried purposely drying out my lips, but it was extremely uncomfortable and it’s not doing much for the skin that’s peeling up.

Today I've moved $3300 worth of ltc & btc from my ledger to my coinbase account.
I had to pay transaction fees for moving my funds from ledger to my coinbase account, but luckily that all was below $5. (It was shocking for me because recently fees were so high, idk why)
Once I got my crypto on coinbase account, I had to sell it for fiat. It was not mentioned what's the fee, but I calculated it's 2,5% from swaping crypto to FIAT.
Then I had to move my FIAT from my coinbase account to my bank account, fee rate was not mentioned anywhere again, but I calculated it's 2%.
Once I transferred my FIAT from my coinbase account to my bank account, I've received 0,41% less than I was supposed to. I want to mention one important thing. I live in EU and while selling crypto I can sell it for euro only. The thing is, I live in EU, but currency in my country is not euro, this is probably why my bank taken 0,41% from me from transfering euro to my local currency.
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In total, I've paid 4,91% fees from exchanging my crypto to fiat and then moving it to my bank account. The thing is, I had no chance to know how much it will costs me before doing that.
Also I've calculated all of that myself, but I also want to mention one important thing. While I was swaping crypto to fiat on my coinbase account I was able to see exact amount taken by coinbase, it was described as "coinbase fee", but the thing is, it was only 1,5% and at the end 2,5% was taken, so it's 1% more, not mentioned anywhere. Can someone explain it to me?
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Do you guys know any good method for calculating fees for moving crypto from one wallet to another, then swaping it for fiat and then moving it to the bank account?
Do you know how to reduce all these fees to the minimum?
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I've calculated it myself and I feel kinda lost, because I've already done it plenty times in past and I never realized what's the fee for doing all of this, I've calculated it for the very first time
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I know I also need to pay taxes from this, but this post is not about taxes.

I'm curious how long until you started to see your symptoms improve after getting on prozac? Long story short, history of a bit of depression, no anxiety, never on meds.
I sustained a significant concussion about a month ago and developed pretty severe anxiety and depression (suicidal, panic attacks, etc.) on top of my other concussion symptoms. I managed to get into a provider and started on 10mg prozac. Within 4 days, I started to feel better (not normal, but could function again). From everything I've read, it seems hard to believe that was the prozac kicking in.
I'm supposed to go up to 20mg tomorrow, but I'm more tempted to see what happens if I get off of prozac altogether. Obviously I don't want to go back to the hole I was in, but is it really possible that mood improvement was from 4 days of prozac at 10mg?
I think I'm tolerating it well, I think. My head is always foggy, sleep is hard, and I have a headache from the concussion, so it'd be nice to take prozac out of the equation.
(of note, I don't really care about discussing this with my psychiatrist that much. He is pretty terrible and burnt out, he was just he only person I could get in to quickly). Thank you!

I suppose I’m posting this because I need to get things off my chest but I’m also looking for some sort of support from you kind strangers. Long story short, I’m (26F) a diplomat kid (tho we’re not well off or anything) and I immigrated to the US recently, moved to NYC 8 months ago for more opportunities, and left my family behind in in Southeast Asia. I’m kind of doing the whole finding a job and a place to live thing on my own, and I’m struggling. My mom is my best friend, and with a slew of family issues (she had a stroke last year, and her sister is dying) I feel that I can’t tell my mom about my struggles, because of what she’s going through. I feel immense pressure to support my family (and of course I want to) and it’s pressure I give to myself, they absolutely do not put that on me. My parents have always taken care of me, and now I feel very alone and very scared and I have no idea what I’m doing. Living in this country is hard, and being an adult is harder. I find myself calling anyone I know and just chatting with them so I don’t have to be alone. I’ve struggled with depression since I was a teenager, but I’ve gotten so much better in the past few years. Lately it’s gotten worse and I always find myself wanting to end it all, and the only thing that holds me back is knowing how broken my family will be. It hurts me that I can’t be with them during this difficult time, I know I have to be here not only for me but for them. Though all I seem to be doing is accruing debt, making mistakes, ruining relationships with people and crying all day. Part of me so desperately wants to move back home, or back to the South with my distant relatives (I moved there when I first immigrated and insisted I move to the city for better opportunities) and just give up. If anyone could give me some words of encouragement, or some advice on simply adulting and dealing with all these grown up challenges alone, that would be wonderful.

So generally when trying to find the bottle neck in your system, it’s the thing that’s at 100% usage. You will commonly find people in this subreddit and discord claiming their cpu usage isn’t maxed out, but a single core is probably maxed out while other cores are idling so cpu utilization claims 40%.
This mod pack is very cpu heavy . If you have a good system and can’t run it well, it doesn’t mean your system is bad, it just means that you need a really good cpu to play it well. I have decent performance on the modpack but my fps is still lower than ANY other game I have.
I’m not complaining or advocating for changes. The pack is called all the mods 8 so I’d expect it to make even the best systems struggle a bit. I just don’t want people that don’t know much about computer hardware thinking they need a 4090 and 7950x3d because Minecraft is so unoptimized.
Here are some things you can try: 1. Turn down render distance 2. All graphics settings lowered/switched to fast 3. Make sure the modpack is getting 10-12gb of ram 4. Try the Java arguments (you can find in atm 8 discord by typing !args) 5. Mipmap level 0
I hate recommending this one but it honestly helped me iron out any remaining performance issues in my pc so I think I should mention it. Google ram latency calculator and use it to find faster ram for your build. I upgraded to 3600 cl14 ram which has faster latency than most ddr5 options and I got rid of some really bad stuttering in this modpack and r6 siege. My old ram could have just been bad, but it’s worth mentioning. Just beware the fastest ddr4 ram is still more expensive than the midrange ddr5 options (~200USD for 32gb)

My father-in-law passed away last year and his will stipulated that all of his possessions should be split between his children (my wife and her sister).
Some background, my wife and sister are not really close but while my father-in-law was sick and living at home my sister-in-law moved in to help care for him. She was managing all of his finances, which my wife was ok with because we live out of state and her father really didn't want to go into a care facility and preferred to die at home when the time came.
After he passed my sister in law said she wanted to move into his old home and was going to sell her own home. She had rally been living 95% of the time at the her fathers house for almost a year and we had implored her to sell her property while the market was hot. She is a bit of a hoarder and was also dealing with a lot of emotional stuff including the death of her husband from cancer several years earlier.
So once my sister-in-law said she wanted to live in the house she started saying based on zillow it was only worth around 200,000k which was way under the market value. Zillow didnt have the square footage or number of bedrooms correct. We requested that she get an appraisal done on the house which she said she did but we hadn't seen it until recently. She also asked my wife if she could wait and pay her portion of the house money until she sold her own home (385000 no idea how much she owed on it) which my wife agreed to (not the best idea but she feels bad for her sister). I think her goal in all of this was to get out of her house and into the house of my father-in-law without a mortgage.
Appraisal was done in November of 2022 and we now know the house was appraised for 345,000. Appraisal noted that it needed an estimated 25k of estimated work fix up the house.
Sister finally sold her house at the end of May and reached out to my wife saying that she is ready to settle the fathers house but the market value (in her opinion has now changed) and its only worth 300,000k. Additionally, she has had a bunch of work done on the house to resolve some significant issues with electrical, relocating an LP tank, repainting the exterior, but also done a lot of cosmetic stuff such as new flooring. The total for all of this work she has had done is ~52k, i'd guess about 35k of that was legit things that needed to be fixed to get the house in a state where it could be sold, so we are not disputing that part.
Sister also included about 12,000 for repairs to a barn on the property that haven't been performed yet but says my wife is responsible for half of that as well. My wife has no intention of paying for as it doesn't impact the price of the house and also are improvements that her sister is wanting to make so she could use the barn. I think this entire amount is totally optional.
So, I guess the question is how to proceed with this mess. I have tried to stay out of this as it's not really my business and my wife has tried to be flexible as she feels bad for her sister and feels that she did take the brunt of caring for her father.
At this point my wife is leaning towards saying the house is valued at the original $345,000 and she will pay her half of the 52k (not the additional 12k for the barn. 293,000/2 = ~146,000 vs only receiving about 102,000 based on the sister's proposal and after all the expenses.
The other option would be to get another appraisal done on the house with the improvements and repairs and just spilt it 50/50 based on the new appraisal and not pay anything towards the expenses.
She feels that the sister is taking advantage of her, and we are taking on the burden of trying to help her out by basically paying to fix up the house for her to live in.
Would love some advice on how to get out of this mess. I know this was not a good idea to begin with and things should have just been split up at the time of death but lots of emotions involved in this.

Preface:
I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan; I re-read the books typically once a year. I also adore the movies, and find all of Tolkien's legendarium absolutely awesome. Truly one of my favorite hobbies so I'd like to offer some critiques and excitement of flavor gems from Tales of Middle Earth. I won't do every card, but I'll comment on some individual cards and how WOTC did on it. I will comment on the cards abilities but only insofar as it impacts the flavor; i.e. what the card is doing not power level, etc.
To be clear: I understand there are sacrifices you need to make for the greater game, and sometimes those come first. For these articles: I am looking at each card in a vacuum, so if I seem harsh it's because I am using a single lens.
Next up: Saruman the White!
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https://preview.redd.it/4vnvcgku634b1.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=2631de76b2ea2251619c61e4829c6743c37bb60d
Flavor Preface
OK, at first I thought I would judge every character together, but I've since decided to switch it up; I've come too far on some individual cards to do them together. They already spoiled another version of Saruman, which I have some problems with, but we'll get there eventually. That being said, Saruman is a complicated character and he goes through some transformations which I think are worth discussing.
First, Saruman (like Gandalf) was sent to Middle Earth by Aule one of the Valar in Valinor and was appointed chief of the order of Istari (wizards). In the beginning: Saruman was true to his mission and worked to disrupt Saruon. He traveled first East and then after his return took up residence in Isengard, a fortress built by the Numenorians. At first he was a friend to Treebeard (Fangorn) and Rohan, but over time turned to evil. Saruman's downfall was his arrogance. He used the knowledge is Isengard for his own ends and eventually used the most dangerous tool: a Palantiri left behind. It was the Palantir which brought Saruman to Sauron, who ensnared Saruman and showed him the power he had amassed in Mordor. It was this power which convinced Saruman to become a power of his own (NOT, I might add, a servant of Sauron).
Then, Saruman worked to become a power in his own right. Becoming Saruman of Many Colors, or Saruman the Ringmaker (and indeed Saruman made a ring of his own). He raises an army of orcs, breeds men to orcs to create mighty Uruk-hai and attacks Rohan. It is in this stage that Saruman attempts to capture Gandalf, raises his army and attacks Rohan. This is the version we are most familiar with, and is the most prominent in the story.
Finally, after Saruman's schemes fail his staff is broken, he is stripped of much of his power, and eventually leaves Isengard on 'parole' by convincing Treebeard he isn't a threat. He then goes to the Shire and scours the Shire making it a partial industrial wasteland. This scheme fails and Saruman is killed.
Color
It's not clear to me what version of Saruman this is, I think it's meant to be Saruman at the beginning of the books (where Saruman confronts Gandalf), but I am not sure. If there is one thing Saruman is though: it's blue. Saruman is a learned lore master who years to discover deeply the mysteries of the world. Furthermore while Saruman is undoubtedly arrogant: his monologue to Gandalf is telling (to convince Gandalf to join him):

The Elder Days are gone. The Middle Days are passing. The Younger Days are beginning. The time of the Elves is over, but our time is at hand: the world of Men, which we must rule. But we must have power, power to order all things as we will, for that good which only the Wise can see.
And listen, Gandalf, my old friend and helper!" he said, coming near and speaking now in a soft voice. "I said we, for we it may be, if you will join with me. A new Power is rising. Against it the old allies and policies will not avail us at all. There is no hope left in Elves or dying Numenor. This then is one choice before you, before us. We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Gandalf. There is hope that way. Its victory is at hand; and there will be rich rewards for those that aided it. as the Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to direct its courses, to control it. We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be, any real change in our designs, only in our means."

Saruman is arrogant, and believes that he (the wisest of the wise) can control or direct Sauron's new power to better ends. He is, in many ways, a deeply blue character. Other colors join him later (black most of all) as he goes deeper towards Sauron (and eventually betrays him to attempt to become the Power himself). As the initial version: blue is fine.
Abilities
I would have done the opposite of what, I think, Wizards is doing. I would have made the most powerful version of Saruman mono-blue and a version of him before (or right before) his fall (at mythic rare) then made a White-Blue-Black version of "Saruman of Many Colors" as he is when he betrays everyone, and then a final version of Saruman as "Sharky" in his attempt to conquer the Shire. The most important power of Saruman is his voice. His power to persuade others, Tolkien describes it at length in the chapter "The Voice of Saruman" here is a brief description:

Suddenly another voice spoke, low and melodious, its very sound an enchantment. Those who listened unwarily to that voice could seldom report the words that they heard; and if they did they wondered, for little power remained in them. Mostly they remembered only that it was a delight to hear the voice speaking, all that it said seems wise and reasonable, and desire awoke in them by swift agreement to seem wise themselves. When others spoke they seemed harsh and uncouth by contrast; and if they gainsaid the voice, anger was kindled in their hearts of all those under the spell. For some the spell lasted only while the voice spoke to them, and when it spoke to another they smiled, as men do who see through a juggler's trick while others gape at it. For many the sound of the voice alone was enough to hold them enthralled; for for those whom conquered the spell endured when they were far away"

I don't mind the "second spell Amass 2" thing, but I think it completely fails to capture Saruman as Saruman. The other version of Saruman spoiled (Saruman of Many Colors) does not do any better in my opinion. I would have gone with a version of Saruman which steals creatures either when Saruman blocks the creature, or when Saruman attacks. Perhaps with a rider like "so long as Saruman's power is greater than the creature it remains under your control" to mimic the idea that stronger willed creatures are more able to resist his voice.
Overall this does invoke the idea that Saruman is amassing an army, and that isn't terrible, but it's a very surface level reading of the character which is not particularly appealing to me. We shall see if other versions or cards capture Saruman's voice better.
On a side note: I wish that Saruman and Gandalf were planeswalkers (perhaps even Sauraon) as they are not humans but more like angels. Furthermore, they in some ways 'travel the planes' by going from Valinor (where mortals typically cannot go) to Middle Earth and back. That's not quite Planeswalking but its close.

let's say, you're a vampire not far into your transition. you still pass as your birth sex- much to your displeasure.
Do hormones work? how would you get them? Can vampires have gender affirming surgeries?
I guess it's kinda different depending on what vampire rulebook you're using. Is this a twilight vampire? a Vampire Diaries vampire? What ARE vampire rules? Dammit I wanna write a trans vampire without creating plotholes please.

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I’ve been managing a 24 unit apartment complex for approximately 8 years. I like what I do and I have a very flexible self employed schedule. I get a 1099 at the end of each year that doesn’t amount to much unfortunately. I was recently told the owners might be selling. That’s their prerogative and it’s business…I was complaining willing to help to process go as smooth as possible but everything has turned sour. The current owners have never been involved. They let me run it how I wanted and what worked for me and they paid whatever invoices came. It was very nice for everyone involved. I didn’t make a dime off of the people I hired. They earned that money. Now that they might be selling I’m feeling extremely unappreciated and used. To have worked my ass off and not be shit at the end I don’t know how to even handle that. I need to approach current owners about the bottom line but not sure how to word it professionally and respectfully. Any advice is appreciated. Thank u.

With the payment pause ending relatively soon and assuming student loan forgiveness doesn't happen, I'm wondering how I should approach my remaining debt and am trying to gauge how much I'll owe as my circumstances have changed quite a bit since March 2020. I'll also plan on posting to personalfinance
About me:
33(F) and as my name suggests in a HCOL city so factor in expenses (I'm not always the most frugal and enjoy going out especially since things have reopened) plus rent and utilities are around $1400. I don't own a car, have little to no other debt (just the occasional bit in CC debt that I pay off each month). Not married, but partnered with no desire to ever have kids.
In March 2020 I was earning around $69k and had ~$85k in 5 different loans from grad school. I was on the Revised REPAYE plan at the time. I belive my payment amount was around $350 (I can't confirm as I'm in the process of transferring to Nelnet and don't have my account yet).
Currently earning $113k (about to increase to $117k from a salary adjustment) plus a little extra (~$5k) from a second part-time job. I've paid off my PLUS loans and have the following remaining:
$12k Unsub Stafford (pre-pause interest rate of 5.8%)
$22k Unsub Stafford (pre-pause interest rate of 5.3%)
Loan repayment plan:
I stopped paying on my balance in the spring to take advantage of interest in my savings account and have enough saved up to pay off the $12k loan once I get my Nelnet account/before payments resume leaving me with just the 22k loan.
Barring a SCOTUS miracle in which I'd have $20k wiped, my plan is to continue to throw at least $1k (and up to $2k a month) as I have been this whole time during the pandemic as I want out of this debt ASAP so I can prioritize saving more in my 401k and setting aside funds for a condo downpayment. I also don't know when I'll recertify but I know my repayment amount will go up proportinate to my income. However, I wonder if having 4 less loans also affects my repayment amount?
Just wanted to see what others would do if they were my shoes and if my plan makes sense. I realize I have made a ton of progress with repayment (I was at $114k at one point with my undergrad loans included) and realize I could be more frugal with expenses to get over the finish line but the thought of cutting back on things I enjoy right now is hard to fathom (I have a bit of travel planned for this year for example) plus things are just more expensive than they were 3 years ago. Also with my salary and interest rate I feel like I would need to pay more anyways so I might as well get it over with as quickly as possible.

Spanish occupation of Lima, Peru in the 16th century led to a large amount of wealth amassed in the city during the centuries thereafter by the Roman Catholic Church. In the early 1800s, Spain began to experience difficulties in its South American colonies as revolts took place. Peru followed suit and an evacuation took place in 1820. During the evacuation, the viceroy of Lima ordered the riches collected there to be transported to Mexico for safekeeping.
Captain William Thompson of the Mary Dear was entrusted with this cargo and agreed to transport it. However, it never reached its destination. Captain Thompson and his crew killed the Spanish guards onboard and set off for Cocos Island off the coast of present day Costa Rica, where they were said to have buried their cargo and split up to later reconvene and divvy up the spoils.
After the cargo was offloaded, the Mary Dear was captured by the Spanish and the crew was executed for piracy. Thompson and his first mate were spared in exchange for the location of the treasure, but when the Spanish took them to the supposed place it was hidden, the pirates escaped into the jungle never to be seen again.
It is said that no clues were left behind as to the location of the treasure, lost to time. However, what if there were? What if the pirates left clues so discreet that they could only be found and deciphered by the most clever of treasure hunters? Well that’s where this story begins.
.
Hello! First of all, if you’ve read this far, thank you. I’ve gotten the itch for a globe-trotting, action-packed treasure hunting story in the last couple of days and this is my attempt to scratch it. I realize this is a little barebones, but I was hoping we could flesh out the details together!
I am a literate roleplayer, usually typing around 3-5 paragraphs in 3rd person past-tense. On days I am off work, I can get multiple replies in as I usually don’t do much. However, on days I’m working replies may be more sparse depending on how busy work is. I’m a bartender who keeps an odd sleep schedule so it really just depends.
As far as what I’m looking for, mainly just someone who can supply a good time writing a cool story as well as someone I can get along well with ooc. It’s always a plus to make a new friend.
18+ only, and preferably 21+ as I am 26.
Look forward to hearing from you!

Hi I bought my car in 2020 with 72 monthly payment for $281. I thought I could manage it but I was only making $30,000/yr at the time so I’d say it was a huge financial mistake. This was also before I knew of the 15% rule for cars which now says I have a budget of max $534 because my take home income is $3624.
I recently came to realize I spend over $335 a month in phantom costs (gas, insurance, parking). So in total I spend around $616 per month for a car that’s used for commuting around town.
My idea: Trade-in my 2018 Hyundai Elantra for $10,000-13,000. I would get $0-$3000 positive equity towards a new car and go with a cheaper model with 48 month payments of no more than $190. My credit score is 755 so interest won’t be too high.
I’m at $70,000 now so I could afford it if I cut into my savings and spending money but after 3 years of being broke behind this car I’d rather just start over with lower payments for a car that I’ll keep forever (which was my intention with this car initially). I have 3 years of payments left which feels like a lot.
If I sell my car and lower my car payments to $190 a month that would lower my fixed costs every month. They currently take up 70% of my paycheck every month so saving is really hard.
Would this be beneficial for me financially in the long run? Or even in the short term?
I’d rather be able to save more money than continue to pay for this car. I’d be perfectly happy driving something from 2012. I just don’t want to wind up paying more money. I have about $10,000 left on my loan and my car is worth about $13,000. I think I’ve paid around $7,000 for it so far.
I’m looking to get a used Honda Civic or Toyota Camry. I have $2000 for a down payment.
If I keep paying my loan will that result in more positive equity for me? I would ideally make a purchase in October or around Black Friday.
TLDR: spent too much on car payment initially. will it be beneficial to sell my car for a used one to get lower car payments?
I live in Baltimore btw.

I own a digital ad agency with 15 people and I need some advice. Our company has been around for 4 years with great case studies and results. I’m really proud of our ops team.

• I hired an experienced VP of Sales (20+) years in corporate roles (sales) but not directly in the same industry.
• He just reached 90 days with us
• His flat comp is 150K/year with a commission share on top of the base that’s substantial
• He hasn’t brought in any deals. Not even a single pitch call.
• I’m concerned because he doesn’t know how to use cold email software or any other automations

He is doing manual cold email and LinkedIn outreach but he’s not getting much traction. He’s averaging 25-30 prospects per day with “somewhat” tailored messages.
I think I made a mistake of hiring the sales role before hiring the B2B marketer role. I was planning to have the sales person bring in at least a few deals so they can generate a bit more cash flow before investing in B2B marketing.
Our cash flow is running negative for the last 3 months and I need to figure out if I cut some employees or cut sales and replace quickly.
We were getting most of our clients from word of mouth but I have to admit things have been slow for the last 7-8 months.
Should I give him more time or is it time to pivot and make a change?