Shinyrock

His glitching system crashes and shuts down before he can even figure out wtf is happening, leaving sy stranded in actual primitive society, now cursed with immortality.

After all, he can't be allowed to die until his first mission begins. So what's the mission? Right... He has no idea because his system died before he could finish reading the message.

All he knows is that it has something to do with lbh.

So he goes about trying to figure things out. He has no special powers, but is quite literally indestructible--which he finds out the painful way. Multiple painful ways. Very very many painful and strange ways, over the tens of thousands of years during which he sits around waiting for the protagonist.

He may or may not have accidentally started a cult at some point. Got dragged into some political kerfuffles. Built some cities here and there, because he went through an engineering/architecture phase, out of sheer boredom. He might have invented paper or something, because he once watched some videos about historical paper making--or was it about block printing? He doesn't even remember any more.

Anyway, he waits and waits, and lbh just would not fucking show up. He's lost all sense of time. He can no longer tell if something happened a hundred years ago or ten thousand. He's worried even his memories of pidw would start to fade, so he writes down everything he can remember, and makes multiple copies, hiding them all in secured locations.

And over time, he's... built a bit of a reputation. Legends from multiple cultures all tell of an old, fallen god, forced to roam the mortal realm forever.

Oh yeah, despite his millennia of cultivation, he cannot ascend. It's like something is blocking him from it, probably his stupid mission that just. would. not. start.

No big loss, he supposes. He still has no idea what even happens once you ascend. Everyone who does is never seen or heard from again. What if it's just a big scam?

But his immortal existence can also be pretty depressing. Friends come and go. Kids he's adopted grow up and die within the blink of an eye. He stops adopting, not even pets. The early heavenly demons are somewhat more durable, but even they aren't truly immortal. Sometimes sy would accidentally fall asleep for centuries, then wake up bleary-eyed, unsure where or when he is, before he eventually ventures out again to go on some new adventures.

And some of those adventures are... um. Look, he gets really, really bored sometimes, okay? And somebody like him obviously shouldn't get romantically involved with mortals (and when did he start thinking of other people simply as "mortals"?) So, the responsible thing to do is to just have strictly casual relations. And since sy ain't no player, he limits his options to other men. Like, he's not gay or anything, but it's just the sensible thing to do. It's just a bunch of men helping each other out, getting some physical release together. And he's weirdly popular with men for some reason? Maybe they all got the same idea as him. Cool, cool.

And thus, the legend of an unfathomable immortal who cruelly toys with the hearts of men is born... Beautiful beyond comparison, ancient beyond time, but oh so terrible. Beware, O mortals, of the temptation that would be your ruin!

And sy, of course, assumes its just some funny story about a powerful succubus, or something.

And so he waits. And waits. And waits. And waits. And waits.

And during one of the century-long naps he takes, somewhere on the Luo River, a newborn is sent floating downstream in a basket...

_

Luo Binghe has not expected to see his own name written on an ancient scroll, locked inside an even more ancient fortress in the demon realm.

The fortress is in ruins, so old and battered it's barely recognizable as one. The scrolls are only preserved by some powerful magic, likely of heavenly demon origin.

Except, none of the characters on the scrolls look ancient. They're almost the exact same writing lbh himself uses.

All this weirdness pales in comparison to what the writing describes.

It's a exact, detailed record of lbh's own life.

Thing's no other soul should know. Things from his early childhood. From his disciple years. From those nightmarish years in the abyss.

Moments of his greatest shame. Moments of his greatest triumphs.

Then, there are the things that have not yet come to pass. Some are even accompanied by crude illustrations. There are sketches of *him*, not quite accurate but still recognizable.

And the scrolls claims he will go on to rule the three realms, even though lbh's world domination ambitions are still in their infancy at this stage.

What is this, some ancient prophecy? So many things feel so awfully *off* about these scrolls, but as lbh continues his bloody wars of conquest across the realms, he can only admit that they have their uses.

They tell him who would help, and who would ultimately betray him. The traps laid out for him. The damsels waiting for his rescue. Lbh feels like he is cheating fate. He feels like he's toying with something dangerous beyond comprehension, but he is not one to fear such things.

But where do these scrolls come from? Why were they created? Just *who* created them? As his power grows, lbh puts everything he can spare into the discovering the secrets behind the scrolls that have inadvertently defined his life.

But he also has another more immediate problem to deal with. There are whispers that there is an ancient, elusive god in slumber, who is the only being that may be able to put a stop to lbh's supposed tyranny. Lbh wants to dismiss such myths as mere make-believe, but his scholars are less certain.

Well, if some ancient being does exist, then lbh will certainly root them out, and then either slaughter or subjugate them, like he's done with all the other false gods that dare to make noise in his domain, which at this point encompass the entirety of the known world.

Though, it's said that this one is also some sort of deadly seductress. Lbh snorts. Yeah, he's met plenty of those, too. Maybe this would be prove to be the *fun* sort of subjugation after all...

Hanahaki, but it's someone whose friends have started ghosting them.

Hanahaki, someone's wife is cheating on them.

Washington Post is paywalling the article but it looks like Taylor Farms — a consumer bagged salad brand that also supplies produce to grocers and fast food chains like Taco Bell, Walmart, McDonald's, Chipotle, Burger King, KFC, and Meijer —may be at least one of the sources of the current cyclosporiasis outbreak.

➡️ Take a typing test here (and you need an actual, physical keyboard for this):

➡️ 'Typing classes' refers to computer skills classes you might have had in school; you can also count games or other related typing training your parents might have had you do.

➡️ Across 3 different typing test websites*, the (english language) world average typing speed is 40 WPM.

Instead of becoming caught up in it, it is possible to learn to observe it, acknowledge it, let it move through you in its own time. The last part may not be pleasant. But if you can let go and allow it, then you are not creating an extra layer of distress: fighting it.

It is like being caught in a riptide. You did not choose this. You do not control it. You can only control your response, to whatever degree you have learned to do that.

If you have not learned what to do when caught in a riptide, you may try to swim against the current towards the shore. This would be the obvious choice. But the riptide is stronger than you, and will wear you out before you can reach land.

If you know what to do, you will either try to float without resistance and call for help if you are not a strong swimmer, or swim parallel to the shore until you are free of the riptide. Then you can either be rescued, or swim to shore.

100% of donations are dedicated to supporting Namaygoosisagagun emergency response and community recovery efforts.

Donations go towards making sure communities have access to menstral products during times of crisis.

True North Aid has a Wildfire Relief program and provides practical Support to remote indigenous communities.

Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is helping with emergency food, supplies, transport, and first aid for displaced animals and are helping families keep their pets when they are displaced.

-Don’t use “buy now pay later.” The fine print isn’t what it seems.

-The fine print on medical financing, store credit cards, and contactless payment is also not what it seems.

-Payday loans are still predatory, even when offered by your employer

-Rewards programs are an income stream for the companies that run them. The points systems are manipulated so that the house always wins. They depend on people leaving money in rewards accounts and not in interest-bearing traditional bank accounts.

-Electronic payment apps like VenMo are not banks. You don’t earn interest. Your money is not protected.

-Your financial information is not private if your money is not kept in a regulated bank.

-None of this is regulated by the FDIC. Your money is not protected if it is held by a non-bank doing banking business. Our economy is not protected from the collapse of financial institutions that are not banks.

 A third of younger Americans hold their savings on nonbank tech platforms like Venmo

PEOPLE! DO NOT LEAVE YOUR MONEY IN VENMO OR APPLE PAY OR ANY OF THIS SHIT. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GO FIND A REAL BANK OR A CREDIT UNION.

If Venmo were to close tomorrow all your money would vanish. There's no insurance or guarantee on any of these things. I know banks aren't great but legit banks will have the "FDIC insured" logo on their doors and websites, which means if my bank goes under tomorrow I still get my money back. Also I guarantee you there is a credit union somewhere in your town, go find it.

your funds are insured up to $250,000 by the FDIC in the event Green Dot Bank fails

In the event Green Dot Bank fails. Meaning the only time your money is protected is if Green Dot goes under. Not if Apple goes under (unlikely, granted). Or if Apple changes its terms (entirely possible). Or if you got scammed. Or if Apple freezes your account because they think you're the one scamming. Or any of the other countless mishaps your money could suffer. Green Dot is insured, but Apple Cash is not.

This is the disclaimer (highlighted) you see before you set up Apple Cash:

For the love of god get an account at a federally insured institution. Look for FDIC (banks) or NCUA (credit unions) insured and regulated financial institution. They are legally required to have this status publicly available and accessible so it's not hard to find.

The FDIC and/or NCUA will insure your accounts up to $250,000 PER AUTHORIZED SIGNER and per account type. These are factors to max your coverage to even higher than $250k but the key point is that if something happens to your bank or accounts there, that first $250k of your money is secured anyway.

Banks are for profit. Credit Unions are exactly what it sounds like: unions. They are not for profit and member owned.

Bigger institutions have more money and resources at their disposal; they have the fancier apps, 24/7 phone banking and more locations. But watch out! They are no different than any other large corporation you've heard of when it comes to ethics. Smaller institutions have more limitations, and lesser size is not an indicator of morality, but it's something to consider when choosing where to keep your money.

These institutions, regardless of what kind you choose, will offer interest bearing accounts. Money Market Savings and Time Accounts (also called Certificates of Deposit,) are popular choices to put the money you already have to work for you. You can earn money just for having your money in an interest bearing account type.

All financial institutions charge fees of one sort or another. They are offering products and services, after all. Nothing is free! They will also disclose options to avoid paying those fees, usually based around meeting specific criteria such as minimum balances or direct deposits.