DAY: MAY 26 2024
5-26-2024

AI CHATBOTS ARE INTRUDING INTO ONLINE COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO CONNECT WITH OTHER HUMANS

A parent asked a question in a private Facebook group in April 2024: Does anyone with a child who is both gifted and disabled have any experience with New York City public schools? The parent received a seemingly helpful answer that laid out some characteristics of a specific school, beginning with the context that “I have a child who is also 2e,” meaning twice exceptional. On a Facebook group for swapping unwanted items near Boston, a user looking for specific items received an offer of a “gently used” Canon camera
5-26-2024

MICROSOFT’S AI CHATBOT WILL ‘RECALL’ EVERYTHING YOU DO ON A PC

Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you’re doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next. The software giant on Monday revealed a new class of AI-imbued personal
5-26-2024

AI RELIES ON MASS SURVEILLANCE, WARNS SIGNAL BOSS

The AI tools that crunch numbers, generate text and videos and find patterns in data rely on mass surveillance and exercise concerning control over our lives, the boss of encrypted messaging app Signal told AFP on Thursday. Pushing back against the unquestioning enthusiasm at VivaTech in Paris, Europe’s top startup conference where industry players vaunt the merits of their products, Meredith Whittaker said concerns about surveillance and those about AI were “two framings
5-26-2024

THE ‘DEAD INTERNET THEORY’ MAKES EERIE CLAIMS ABOUT AN AI-RUN WEB. THE TRUTH IS MORE SINISTER

An example of a shrimp Jesus image on Facebook with no caption or context information included in the post. Credit: Facebook If you search “shrimp Jesus” on Facebook, you might encounter dozens of images of artificial intelligence (AI) generated crustaceans meshed in various forms with a stereotypical image of Jesus Christ. Some of these hyper-realistic images have garnered more than 20,000 likes and comments. So what exactly is going on here? The “dead internet theory” has an explanation: AI and bot-generated content has surpassed the human-generated internet. But where did
5-26-2024

WHAT ARE DEEPFAKES AND SHOULD WE BE WORRIED?

Deepfakes are creating havoc across the globe, spreading fake news and pornography, being used to steal identities, exploiting celebrities, scamming ordinary people and even influencing elections. Yet a worldwide survey found 71% of people have no idea what deepfakes are. Deepfakes are digital photos, videos or voices of real people that have either been synthetically created or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) and can be hard to distinguish from the real thing. You’ve probably seen a deepfake video or photo without even realizing it. Computer-generated Tom Cruises,
5-26-2024

META INTRODUCES CHAMELEON, AN EARLY-FUSION MULTIMODAL MODEL

Chameleon represents all modalities—images, text, and code, as discrete tokens and uses a uniform transformer-based architecture that is trained from scratch in an end-to-end fashion on ?10T tokens of interleaved mixed-modal data. As a result, Chameleon can both reason over, as well as generate, arbitrary mixed-modal documents. Text tokens are represented in green and image tokens are represented in blue. AI researchers at Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and many other products, have designed and built a multimodal model to compete with
5-26-2024

ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES MAY YIELD SIGNIFICANT HEALTH AND CLIMATE BENEFITS, COST SAVINGS

Replacing diesel school buses with electric school buses may yield up to $247,600 in climate and health benefits per individual bus, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The researchers found that these benefits—including fewer greenhouse gas emissions and reduced rates of adult mortality and childhood asthma—and their associated savings are strongest in large cities and among fleets of old (2005 and before) buses. The study, “Adopting electric school buses in the United States: health and climate benefits,” was published in the
5-26-2024

WEARABLE DEVICES GET SIGNAL BOOST FROM NEW MATERIAL

Strain-invariant stretchable wireless system enabled by dielectro-elastic composite. A new material that moves like skin while preserving signal strength in electronics could enable the development of next-generation wearable devices with continuous, consistent wireless and battery-free functionality. According to a study published today in Nature, an international team of researchers from Rice University and Hanyang University developed the material by embedding clusters of highly dielectric ceramic nanoparticles into an elastic polymer. The material was reverse-engineered to not only mimic skin elasticity and motion types, but also
5-26-2024

AI DOMINATES ANNUAL PARIS STARTUP EVENT VIVATECH

Vivatech will host more than 150,000 guests, 11,000 startups and 450 speakers over four days. Thousands of tech enthusiasts filed into Europe’s self-declared biggest startup event VivaTech in Paris on Wednesday, with artificial intelligence stealing the show this year. Over four days, the event, now in its eighth year, will host more than 150,000 guests, 11,000 startups and 450 speakers, according to the organizers. The star turns will take to the stage on Thursday—former US climate envoy and secretary of state John Kerry is expected to make a push for
5-26-2024

AI POISED TO USHER IN NEW LEVEL OF CONCIERGE SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC

AI concierge’s fundamental forms. Credit: Journal of Service Management (2024). Concierge services built on artificial intelligence have the potential to improve how hotels and other service businesses interact with customers, a new paper suggests. In the first work to introduce the concept, researchers have outlined the role an AI concierge, a technologically advanced assistant, may play in various areas of the service sector as well as the different forms such a helper might embody. Their paper envisions a virtual caretaker that, by combining natural language processing, behavioral data
5-26-2024

AGE VERIFICATION FOR SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD IMPACT EVERYONE—RESEARCHERS ASK PARENTS AND KIDS IF THEY ACTUALLY WANT IT

by Justine Humphry, Catherine Page Jeffery, Jonathon Hutchinson and Olga Boichak, The Conversation This month the Australian government announced a A$6.5 million commitment to trial an age-verification program that will restrict children’s exposure to inappropriate online content, including pornography and potentially social media. The announcement came out of a National Cabinet meeting geared towards addressing gender-based violence in Australia. Much has been said about age-checking technologies in the weeks since. Experts point out implementing these tools effectively (so they aren’t easily by-passed) will be complicated—and any such system could come
5-26-2024

IS IT SAFE TO FLY? AIRLINE SAFETY EXPERT ON MODERN COMMERCIAL FLIGHT

In light of recent news regarding congressional action on aviation safety, Penn State News spoke with Amy Pritchett, department head of aerospace engineering and professor in Penn State’s College of Engineering. Pritchett previously served as the director of NASA’s Aviation Safety Program and currently chairs the National Academies committee chartered to research and advise federal regulators on emerging trends in aviation safety. In
5-26-2024

USING SMART DEVICES TO SCHEDULE ON-DEMAND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION CAN SAVE TIME AND MONEY

Suburban residents often face challenges receiving reliable and accessible bus transit—riders often complain about infrequent schedules and long waiting times. Often, transit agencies are unable to provide additional buses because population density in such areas is usually low. On-demand transit (ODT) is an innovative transportation approach that enhances the accessibility and quality of service while reducing operating costs. Despite the rapid growth of ODT services in various cities across Canada and the United States, the mechanism of
5-26-2024

UNDERWATER SIGNALS GENERATED BY OPEN SEA AIRPLANE CRASHES COULD BE KEY TO DETECTING FINAL RESTING PLACE OF MH370

Location of the CTBTO’s hydroacoustic stations H11N and H11S (white triangles); the impact location of three aircrafts (indicated in yellow): F-35a, Transair Flight 810, and Asiana Flight 991; and the distances and bearings relative to the hydroacoustic stations (presented in magenta). The cyan star shows the location of earthquake M 4.8–9 km S of Y?kaichiba, Japan, 2014-03-07 18:34:20 (UTC) 35.611o N 140.552o E 23.9 km depth. Signals captured on underwater microphones could be key to locating airplanes such as MH370 when they crash into
5-26-2024

SURVEY INVESTIGATES AI TECHNOLOGIES IN THE CLASSIFICATION AND CREATION OF ART

A comprehensive survey has looked at the intersection of art and artificial intelligence (AI). The team has focused on how AI technologies are employed in the classification and also the creation of artworks. Andrej Šimi? and Marina Bagi? Babac of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Zagreb have analyzed and categorized a number of research papers in this field to understand the methodologies, techniques, and outcomes in this emerging field. They discuss
5-26-2024

CYBERSECURITY LABELING FOR SMART DEVICES AIMS TO HELP PEOPLE CHOOSE ITEMS LESS LIKELY TO BE HACKED

Smart devices like baby monitors, fitness trackers and internet-connected appliances will soon be eligible for labels certifying that they meet federal cybersecurity standards. Federal officials said Wednesday that the first “Cyber Trust” labels could appear in time for the holiday shopping season. The White House announced the labels last year to help consumers avoid devices that are vulnerable to hacking. Credit: AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File Consumer labels
5-26-2024

WORLD LEADERS STILL NEED TO WAKE UP TO AI RISKS, SAY LEADING EXPERTS AHEAD OF AI SAFETY SUMMIT

Leading AI scientists are calling for stronger action on AI risks from world leaders, warning that progress has been insufficient since the first AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park six months ago. Then, the world’s leaders pledged to govern AI responsibly. However, as the second AI Safety Summit in Seoul (21–22 May) approaches, 25 of the world’s leading AI scientists say not enough is actually being done to protect us from the technology’s risks. In an expert consensus paper published in Science, they outline urgent policy priorities that global leaders
5-26-2024

MICROSOFT’S AI CHATBOT WILL ‘RECALL’ EVERYTHING YOU DO ON A PC

Microsoft wants laptop users to get so comfortable with its artificial intelligence chatbot that it will remember everything you’re doing on your computer and help figure out what you want to do next. The software giant on Monday revealed a new class of AI-imbued personal
5-26-2024

AI TRAINED TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM IMAGES, NOT COPY THEM

Powerful new artificial intelligence models sometimes, quite famously, get things wrong—whether hallucinating false information or memorizing others’ work and offering it up as their own. To address the latter, researchers led by a team at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a framework to train AI models on images corrupted beyond recognition. DALL-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion are among the text-to-image diffusion generative AI models that can turn arbitrary user text into highly realistic images. All three are now facing lawsuits from artists who
5-26-2024

AI CHIPS COULD GET A SENSE OF TIME WITH MEMRISTOR THAT CAN BE TUNED

Tunable composition and structural disorder in single-crystalline ESO thin films on epitaxial YBCO electrodes. Credit: Nature Electronics (2024). Artificial neural networks may soon be able to process time-dependent information, such as audio and video data, more efficiently. The first memristor with a “relaxation time” that can be tuned is reported today in Nature Electronics, in a study led by the University of Michigan. Memristors, electrical components that store information in their electrical resistance, could reduce AI’s energy needs by about a factor of 90 compared to today’s graphical
5-26-2024

WHAT GOOGLE AI MEANS FOR YOU—AND YOUR SEARCH RESULTS

Google recently unveiled plans to integrate its search engine with artificial intelligence (AI). The company is debuting a new search engine feature called A.I. Overviews, which generates an overview of the topic a user searches and displays links to learn more. Traditional search results still appear underneath, but A.I. Overviews, Google says, will parse various pieces of information to give you a quicker answer. The new feature has raised concerns from some web publishers, who worry it will deal a heavy blow to their site traffic. Currently, A.I. Overviews don’t
5-26-2024

RESEARCHERS ANALYZE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AI-GENERATED DEEPFAKES

Credit: AI-generated image Most of the deepfakes (videos with fake hyper-realistic recreations) generated by artificial intelligence (AI) that spread through social media feature political representatives and artists and are often linked to current news cycles. This is one of the conclusions of research by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) that analyzes the formal and content characteristics of viral misinformation in Spain arising from the use of AI tools for illicit purposes. This advance represents a step towards understanding and mitigating the threats generated by hoaxes in our society.
5-26-2024

INTERDISCIPLINARY GROUP SUGGESTS GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF AI IN SCIENCE

(AI) generates texts, videos and images that can hardly be distinguished from those of humans—with the result that we often no longer know what is real. Researchers and scientists are increasingly being supported by AI. Therefore, an international task force has now developed principles for
5-26-2024

IMPERCEPTIBLE SENSORS MADE FROM ‘ELECTRONIC SPIDER SILK’ CAN BE PRINTED DIRECTLY ON HUMAN SKIN

Researchers have developed a method to make adaptive and eco-friendly sensors that can be directly and imperceptibly printed onto a wide range of biological surfaces, whether that’s a finger or a flower petal. Credit: University of Cambridge Researchers have developed a method to make adaptive and eco-friendly sensors that can be directly and imperceptibly printed onto a wide range of biological surfaces, whether that’s a finger or a flower petal. The method, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, takes its inspiration from spider silk, which can conform and
5-26-2024

BREAKTHROUGH OR BOAST? THE QUEST FOR COMPARABLE RESEARCH RESULTS

More international attention is being paid to the importance of common standards for performing scientific experiments and measuring their results—a field called metrology. In late 2019, physicist Dr. Lorenzo Pattelli was part of an Italian-Chinese scientific team working on a cooling technology that is fast gaining attention as the Earth gets hotter from climate change. Called passive daytime radiative cooling, or PDRC, the technology uses engineered materials to reflect away the sun’s radiation. The idea is that, amid heat waves, PDRC panels would cool buildings without the need for energy-intensive
5-26-2024

AI-ENHANCED COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TOOLS COULD HELP GIG WORKERS SOLVE PROBLEMS

Researchers at Northeastern University have created artificial intelligence tools to help gig workers organize, collect their own job-related data, analyze their work problems and come up with a strategy to implement solutions. “Building solid AI-enhanced solutions to enable gig workers’ collective action will pave the way for a fair and ethical gig economy—one with fair wages, humane working conditions and increased job security,” says Saiph Savage, assistant professor and director of the Civic A.I. Lab at Northeastern’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences. Gig work is typically performed by a freelancer
5-26-2024

AI-POWERED TRADING STRATEGIES TAME MARKET SWINGS

Average financial indicators feature importance. Credit: Quantitative Finance and Economics (2024). DOI: 10.3934/QFE.2024007 The dynamic landscape of cryptocurrencies, marked by rapid growth and high volatility since Bitcoin’s inception in 2009, has attracted significant attention from investors and traders. The emergence of new digital currencies challenges traditional financial models, necessitating advanced analytical tools to navigate the market’s unpredictability. The quest for effective trading strategies has led to the exploration of AI and machine learning techniques, which promise to enhance decision-making in this speculative yet lucrative field. Researchers from the University of
5-26-2024

NEW ROBOTIC PALM USES SOPHISTICATED TACTILE SENSORS TO MIMIC HUMAN TOUCH

“I’ll have you eating out of the palm of my hand” is an unlikely utterance you’ll hear from a robot. Why? Most of them don’t have palms. If you have kept up with the protean field, gripping and grasping more like humans has been an ongoing Herculean effort. Now, a new robotic hand design developed in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has rethought the oft-overlooked
5-26-2024

SCARLETT JOHANSSON SAYS A CHATGPT VOICE IS ‘EERILY SIMILAR’ TO HERS AND OPENAI IS HALTING ITS USE

Scarlett Johansson poses for photographers at the photo call for the film “Asteroid City” at the 76th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2023. OpenAI plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after some drew similarities to Johansson, who famously portrayed a fictional AI assistant in the (perhaps no longer so futuristic) film “Her.” File OpenAI on Monday said it plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices that “Her” actor Scarlett Johansson says sounds
5-26-2024

AI HEADPHONES LET WEARER LISTEN TO A SINGLE PERSON IN A CROWD BY LOOKING AT THEM JUST ONCE

A University of Washington team has developed an artificial intelligence system that lets a user wearing headphones look at a person speaking for three to five seconds and then hear just the enrolled speaker’s voice in real time even as the listener moves around in noisy places and no longer faces the speaker. Pictured is a prototype of the headphone system: binaural microphones attached to off-the-shelf noise canceling headphones. Credit: Kiyomi Taguchi/University of Washington Noise-canceling headphones have gotten very good at creating an auditory blank slate. But allowing certain sounds
5-26-2024

NVIDIA’S PROFIT SOARS, UNDERSCORING ITS DOMINANCE IN CHIPS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Nvidia reports earnings on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg Nvidia on Wednesday overshot Wall Street estimates as its profit skyrocketed, bolstered by the chipmaking dominance that has made the company an icon of the artificial intelligence boom. Its net income rose more than sevenfold compared to a year earlier, jumping to $14.88 billion in its first quarter that ended April 28 from $2.04 billion a year earlier. Revenue
5-26-2024

EIT-BASED TACTILE SENSOR PROVIDES NEW APPROACH TO FINE MOTOR SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Researchers from SIT Japan showed a peg-shaped sensor for classifying adult pinching motions. Reconstructed images reach 79.4% accuracy, while voltage vectors achieve 91.4%, hinting at automated finger motion analysis potential. a) The microcontroller and sensing device are connected by a wire. (b) Hand model pinching the sensing device with two fingers from the horizontal direction and the reconstructed image. Credit: Hiroki Sato from SIT, Japan. Fine motor skills play a crucial role in human cognition, influencing everything from daily activities to the development of advanced tool-based civilizations. Yet, quantifying and
5-26-2024

EUROPE’S CLIMATE LAWS COULD SPELL THE END TO LOW-COST FLIGHTS—BUT WHAT ABOUT PRIVATE JETS?

The era of low-cost air travel in Europe may be over for good, thanks in part to recent EU environmental policies. All in all, this is good news for the climate. But many low- and middle-income people who used to travel around the EU will no longer be able to do so, or at least will be able to do so much less often. Yet the same policies will have little or no impact on the use of much more polluting private jets, which typically cover distances served by commercial
5-26-2024

ROBOT-PHOBIA COULD EXASPERATE HOTEL, RESTAURANT LABOR SHORTAGE

Using more robots to close labor gaps in the hospitality industry may backfire and cause more human workers to quit, according to a Washington State University study. The study, involving more than 620 lodging and food service employees, found that “robot-phobia”—specifically the fear that robots and technology will take human jobs—increased workers’ job insecurity and stress, leading to greater intentions to leave their jobs. The impact was more pronounced with employees who had real experience working with robotic technology. It also affected managers in addition to frontline workers. The findings
5-26-2024

TWO TYPES OF LLMS FOUND ABLE TO EQUAL OR OUTPERFORM HUMANS ON THEORY OF MIND TESTS

Performance of human (purple), GPT-4 (dark blue), GPT-3.5 (light blue) and LLaMA2-70B (green) on the battery of theory of mind tests. a, Original test items for each test showing the distribution of test scores for individual sessions and participants. b, Interquartile ranges of the average scores on the original published items (dark colors) and novel items (pale colors) across each test. An international team of psychologists and neurobiologists has found via experimentation that two types of LLMs are able to equal or outperform
5-26-2024

SANOFI ALLIES WITH OPENAI, FORMATION BIO FOR AI USE IN DRUG DEVELOPMENT

AI is playing an ever greater role in developing new medicines, as well as identifying new applications for existing drugs. French pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced Tuesday a partnership with ChatGPT-founder OpenAI and US biotech firm Formation Bio to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in developing drugs. AI is playing an ever greater role in developing new medicines, as well as identifying new applications for existing drugs. It can be used for example to find new molecules more quickly and to improve clinical tests by vetting which patients would be
5-26-2024

USING AI, MASTERCARD EXPECTS TO FIND COMPROMISED CARDS QUICKER, BEFORE THEY GET USED BY CRIMINALS

A sign indicating MasterCard credit cards are accepted is posted at a New York business, Jan. 21, 2015. Mastercard said Wednesday, May 21, 2024, that it expects to be able to discover that your credit or debit card number has been compromised well before it ends up in the hands of a cybercriminal. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File Mastercard said Wednesday that it expects to be able to discover that your credit or debit card number has been compromised well before it ends up in the hands of a cybercriminal.
5-26-2024

NEW FLEXIBLE FILM DETECTS EYELASH PROXIMITY IN BLINK-TRACKING GLASSES

When attached to eyeglasses, a clear, flexible sensor can detect how close eyelashes are to the lens, enabling blink tracking. When another person’s finger hovers over your skin, you may get the sense that they’re touching you, feeling not necessarily contact, but their proximity. Similarly, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have designed a soft, flexible film that senses the presence of nearby objects without physically touching them. The study features the new sensor technology to detect
5-26-2024

GAMERS SAY THEY HATE ‘SMURFING,’ BUT ADMIT THEY DO IT

Online video game players believe the behavior known as “smurfing” is generally wrong and toxic to the gaming community—but most admit to doing it and say some reasons make the behavior less blameworthy, new research finds. The new study suggests that debates about toxicity in gaming may sometimes be more complex and nuanced than is often acknowledged, according to the researchers. Online video games use what are called “matchmaking systems” to pair players based on skill. “Smurfing” is when players cheat these systems by creating new accounts so that they
5-26-2024

HUMANS BARELY ABLE TO RECOGNIZE AI-GENERATED MEDIA

AI-generated images, texts and audio files are so convincing that people are no longer able to distinguish them from human-generated content. This is the result of an online survey of about 3,000 participants from Germany, China, and the U.S. This is the first time that a large transnational study has examined this particular form of media literacy.
5-26-2024

CAN AIRPLANE TURBULENCE REALLY KILL YOU? AIRCRAFT PROPULSION EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON SINGAPORE AIRLINES DEATH

One person was killed and several dozen more injured Tuesday when a flight from London to Singapore encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” and plummeted roughly 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes, according to The Washington Post. All told, there were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, according to Singapore Airlines. The deceased passenger reportedly suffered a heart attack during the mid-air tumult. The Boeing 777-300ER operated by Singapore Airlines diverted to Bangkok, where it landed at 3:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday following the in-flight incident. The New York
5-26-2024

HOW INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES’ ARE CAUTIOUSLY EMBRACING GENERATIVE AI

U.S. intelligence agencies are scrambling to embrace the AI revolution, convinced they’ll otherwise be smothered in data as sensor-generated surveillance tech further blankets the planet. They also need to keep pace with competitors, who are already using AI to seed social media platforms with deepfakes. But the tech is young and brittle, and officials are acutely aware that generative AI is anything but tailor-made for a trade steeped in danger and deception. Years before OpenAI’s ChatGPT set off the current generative AI marketing frenzy, U.S. intelligence and defense officials were
5-26-2024

3D PRINTING ROBOT USES AI MACHINE LEARNING TO CREATE A SHOCK-ABSORBING SHAPE NO HUMAN EVER COULD

Inside a lab in Boston University’s College of Engineering, a robot arm drops small, plastic objects into a box placed perfectly on the floor to catch them as they fall. One by one, these tiny structures—feather-light, cylindrical pieces, no bigger than an inch tall—fill the box. Some are red, others blue, purple, green, or black. Each object is the result of an experiment in robot autonomy. On its own, learning as it goes, the robot is searching for, and trying to make, an object with the most

I’m currently 20 years old and in college, my goal to increase in size pretty substantially. Currently I weigh 152 lbs and stand at 5’10. I would like to see my weight go to 165 to 175 pounds before next summer. Today is my 8th day on the blueprint full stack and it’s been great so far, all the food is good, and my favorite part is the Longevity Mix. I was wondering if anyone else here is working out with the goal of building substantial muscle and is taking blueprint? I need many more calories but I’m not sure how I can effectively get enough calories without eating foods that would work against the point of blueprint protocol. So if you had any meals or advice for lifting/bodybuilding with the stack I would really appreciate it.

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In the next moment, as if not yet finished and unwilling to merely counter her martial art move, Ji Wuye began to imitate her posture with uncanny precision under Song Jia's shocked gaze, her mouth agape in disbelief. His movements mirrored hers flawlessly, resembling her reflection in a still pond.
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Taking a slow, deep breath, Song Jia watched transfixed as Ji Wuye relaxed his stance to mirror her position perfectly— his knees bent, balanced on the balls of his feet, with his wooden sword arm held loose yet ready, every muscle poised to strike.
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The way he held himself, the subtle shifts in his breathing, all echoed her own with eerie accuracy.
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‘It’s too perfect!’ she shouted inwardly as her fingers trembled slightly as she pointed them at him, still unable to believe what her own eyes were witnessing. "Y...you..." She stuttered, taking an involuntary step back, her mind reeling.
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Shaking off that useless thought, Song Jia solemnly met Ji Wuye's gaze once again before executing her sword art with fluid grace.
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Pulse of Blade - First Move, Gentle Breeze! 

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...
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From Ji Wuye's perspective, he noticed Song Jia's form once again disappearing, her body turning blurry as she harnessed her Qi. But he could sense the subtle shifts in her breathing and posture, closing his eyes slightly to immerse himself in heightened focus.
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Opening his eyes, he was greeted by Song Jia initiating a circular overhead slash towards him, her blade whistling through the air.
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The wooden sword, now mimicking a real sword, gave the impression of a razor-sharp edge aimed at his forehead. Yet, even as it descended, he observed the slightest change in trajectory, with her wrist subtly adjusting the angle of attack.
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In response, he moved in perfect tandem, channeling spirals of Qi from his Lower Dantian throughout his body, guiding his movements with preternatural precision.
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CLANK-!
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Their wooden blades met, the impact sending a gust of wind that blew dust into their faces.
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Song Jia's finely arched eyebrows raised slightly in surprise at Ji Wuye's accurate imitation of her opening Gentle Breeze technique.
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The disbelief etched on her delicate features deepened as her body once again seemed to blur, the swords spun through the air in mirrored rotations, neither gaining an advantage. ‘Not yet!’ she shouted inwardly.
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Meanwhile, Ji Wuye's brow furrowed in intense concentration, carefully observing every minuscule move Song Jia made, his eyes tracking the intricate dance of her sword like a hawk stalking its prey.
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Beads of sweat formed on his brow from the intensity of their exchange, glistening in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.
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Across from him, frustration tightened the corners of Song Jia's mouth as her finely honed techniques were matched at every turn by this mysterious stranger. Her brows knitted deeper with each clash…
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CLANK-!
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CLANK-!
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CLANK-!
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Their wooden blades colliding, the force of their blows even sending tremors up her arms.
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The battle raged on, the clashing of wooden blades echoing through the courtyard as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.
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Song Jia launched technique after technique at Ji Wuye, varying her speed and angles of attack with dizzying complexity, but he continued to anticipate and mirror her movements perfectly, as if he could predict her every intent.
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“Ha…ha…ha…” Exhaustion gradually took hold of Song Jia's body, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as sweat poured down her flushed face. Her swings became sloppier, her footwork less sure as fatigue set in.
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Meanwhile, Ji Wuye showed no outward signs of tiring, his movements remaining fluid and precise, an unshakable calm settling over his features.
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Until at last, after what seemed like hours locked in their deadly dance, the sky turned an inky black, glittering stars adorning the night sky like tiny jewels strewn across a velvet canvas.
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Ji Wuye stood beneath the night sky, calmly looking down at Song Jia, who lay sprawled on the ground, stretching her hands out and breathing heavily, her chest heaving.
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"I…i-I'm l…lose!" she admitted at last, her gaze filled with a mixture of pain and unwillingness as she bit her lower lip, tasting the tang of exertion. The words felt like ash on her tongue, bitter with the sting of defeat.
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In stark contrast to Song Jia's disheveled state, with her white martial robe covered in dust and disarray, Ji Wuye's clothes remained neat and pristine, and his breath steady, as if he had merely been taking a leisurely stroll.
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He withdrew the wooden sword from where it had been pointed at Song Jia's neck, the implicit threat now lifted.
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"Thank you for your guidance, Sister Song," he said, cupping his hands together and pointing the tip of the wooden sword downward in a gesture of respect.
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With surprising gentleness, he reached down and helped the exhausted Song Jia to her feet, and they exchanged bows.
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...
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Meanwhile, from Song Jia’s perspective…
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She remained on the ground for a few moments longer, catching her breath as disbelief swirled in her mind like a tempest.
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How was any of this possible? In all her years of rigorous training, honing her skills to a razor's edge, she had never encountered anyone who could so flawlessly match and counter her Master’s sword art.
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The implications of Ji Wuye's uncanny abilities made her stomach turn.
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As she finally stood on shaking legs to return his bow, her thoughts raced, a maelstrom of questions buffeting her from all sides.
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Who or what was this man? She stared intently at Ji Wuye, searching his composed face for any clues, but it revealed nothing out of the ordinary, a mask of polite calm.
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A million questions bubbled up within her, desperate for answers, but bone-deep exhaustion overwhelmed her in that moment.
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After exchanging bows, she turned and left without another word, unable to even broach the subject of how high is Ji Wuye's martial realm or how he could so perfectly imitate and defend against her Master’s sword art.
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...
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Back to the present…
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Ji Wuye watched as Song Jia's figure slowly blurred into the distance, a small smile curling upon his lips. "That's a nice sword art," he murmured appreciatively.
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[!] You have successfully analyzed and replicated Pulse of Blade - First Move, Gentle Breeze sword art!
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[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION(F)]<<] The proficiency of your passive skill has been increased by 0.01%! 

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[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION(F)]<<] The proficiency of your passive skill has been increased by 0.01%! 

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[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION(F)]<<] The proficiency of your passive skill has been increased by 0.01%! 

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[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION(F)]<<] The proficiency of your passive skill has been increased by 0.01%! 

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[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION(F)]<<] The proficiency of your passive skill has been inc... 

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...
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As the transparent notification screens flickered rapidly before his eyes, Ji Wuye felt a strange influx of information pouring into his brain, as if knowledge were being directly imprinted onto his consciousness.
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His gaze trembled slightly before he took a deep, steadying breath and sat down cross-legged on the ground.
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"Ha!" He exhaled heavily, his breathing suddenly becoming erratic, his heart pounding in his chest as his body temperature spiked. The sensations washed over him in an overwhelming wave before subsiding just as quickly, leaving him slightly disoriented.
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[>>[INFORMATION]<<] Congratulations! The skill Quick Adaptation(F) has evolved into -> Quick Adaptation(E)! 

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"Heh... That's quite a leap," he thought to himself, a smile forming inwardly as a sense of satisfaction blossomed within him. The next transparent screen began overlapping the current one, displaying the upgraded details of his newly evolved skill.
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[>>[QUICK ADAPTATION (E) ]<<] Type: Passive skill 1st: You can copy and analyze all the attack patterns of your opponent! 2nd: Your vision will not be affected or obscured by any environmental or elemental changes! 

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Upon seeing the greatly enhanced effects of the Quick Adaptation skill, Ji Wuye paused for a moment before bursting into delighted laughter that rang through the courtyard. "Hahaha! So this is what they call a fraudulent skill!"
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A wide, excited smile stretched across his face as he felt a surge of exhilaration from how far his abilities had advanced.
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His hand trembled slightly, the thrill of excitement coursing through his veins as the true extent of his newly upgraded abilities sank in. His chest felt tight, constricted by the sheer weight of happiness and anticipation for the new heights his powers could reach.
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Unbeknownst to Ji Wuye in that moment, caught up in visions of his boundless potential, he found himself lying on his back on the cold, unforgiving ground, gazing up at the vast tapestry of glittering stars that blanketed the night sky.
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His eyes shone with fierce determination, alight with the flames of ambition stoked by the profound evolution he had just experienced.
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"This is only the beginning..." he murmured, the words carrying a weighty finality as they escaped his lips in a hushed exhalation.
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My TMJ has had every muscle from my collarbones up so unbelievably tight and so painful for a couple months. I recently decided to try a tablespoon of AnxioCalm magnesium in water (be careful. It tends to mess my stomach up as a trade off if I don’t watch it) and once I have that in me for about an hour, I stretch all the muscles best I can. For stretches you can hold, it takes 60-90 seconds for muscles to release into a stretch so hold each for at least a minute if you can bear it. And then gua sha my face and head muscles (I use a lot of pressure with it) and this routine can help me feel better for about a day and a half. It still feels tight and all but the pain is greatly helped. Also, I’m trying to stop slouching and looking down at my phone, and laying on my back when I need to use my phone instead is very helpful. I also see a chiropractor for upper back pain, and my jaw and other TMJ areas often feel better after an adjustment. Just a reminder that everything in your body is connected, and seeing a chiro or another physician to see what other joints and muscles are problem areas and treating those could be very helpful! I will often pop my own back by laying on a softball when I can’t get to the chiro quickly. But if it’s off to one side, seeing a chiro is best.
If you can’t tolerate magnesium and aren’t prescribed a muscle relaxer there’s plenty of other natural options. Let me know if you’ve found any of those others helpful in the replies as well!

Hi all! Going on our honeymoon first 2 weeks of September and would like to spend most of our time in Croatia. A Slovenian friend highly recommended Mali Losinj as its much less touristy than other places. We are looking for beach, sun and relaxation mixed with some sightseeing and hiking but not so much touristy cities on this trip as we have been to Europe on other occasions!
So far thinking of coming into Zadar for 1 night, ferry to Mali Losinj, stay 3 nights (based on Ferry schedules unfortunately but we could do a day trip to Cres maybe) Back to Zadar for 1 night so we can rent a car and go see Plitvice Lakes for a day trip the following day, then drive to Split for 1 or 2 nights and maybe one more short island trip around there? Brac? Korcula? Vis?
Am i doing too much?! it's so hard to pick what to see! Was interested in Hvar and Dubrovnik but they just seem so so touristy. Would love input and ideas! thanks in advance!!

I just finished the final fight/dungeon crawl and have no-one else to share it with so im going to vent here. I'm on mobile and don't know how to hide spoilers so I'll try to be vague.
I am currently on my first play through with a Vengeance Paladin Tav, while attempting to avoid as many spoilers as possible, with mixed results. I have been playing so far on balanced, and absolutely crushing all combat encounters, the only difficult fight ive had was the ambush by the Baldur's Gate road waypoint, and thats only because my party was on fumes, so I decided to move to tactician before the final push in Act 2.
Coming into the initial stage I had my vengeance paladin, Shadowheart (trickery), Lae'zal (battle master), and Halsin (moon) all lvl 9. Maybe not the most optimized party, but made lore sense for the upcoming fight. I had not rested since partway through the trials just before, so the first floor encounter and the upstairs fight were a bit tricky but manageable. it definitely didn't help that I went rushing forward through the main door, after all there is no need for stealth when you have righteous vengeance on your side. (As an aside, I loved that an earlier dialogue option meant I had 3 surprise allies, unfortunately only 1 survived, I wonder what happened to it afterwards...) After securing the base of the tower I took a long rest to prepare for what I thought would be the final battle.
For the fight I had my party, plus 2 others due to previous choices, so I figured it would be a good decent fight. I had Tav misty step to Thorm and went all out with lvl 3 smites. Shadowheart threw up some guardians and went on crowd control with Halsin and controllable story companion, while Lae'zal fought her way to Thorm. The other ally did her own thing against Thorm. While it wasn't a cakewalk, it wasn't that bad. Until cutscene, and I realized it was going to be a long crawl to finish him up. At this point I traded out Halsin for the new companion, and got her leveled up, but didn't have much gear to give her at that point. Again maybe not the most optimized, but made sense lore wise.
At this point everyone is above 50% health, with a fair amount of spell slots so I figure I can safely manage most scrub fights without dipping into resources. I start exploring and find kitty locked up, talk to the nearby NPC and tell him I will save him, and he agrees. So why does it become a fight if he agreed to me saving him? Anyway fight is a little harder than I expected, but nothing too challenging. I get a new pet, and think, "maybe it will help blend in". continue exploring and run into giant room full of undead. Noticing the main boss of this encounter, and remembering how annoying it was fighting it in the mountains, I misty step and smite it. Lae'zel makes her way forward clearing a path to assist, while the other two through up guardians and uses lightning blasts making their way forward. things go south, because of course they do, with Tav surrounded by 4-5 enemies, Lae'zel unable to make it quickly, and the flyers attacking my spell casters. Tav goes down, but gets back up due to half-orc, with some high level healing being applied to party. Battle ends with low health, resources cut significantly and no more Smites available. A short rest and a spell elixir for Tav, and im ready to continue exploring. I conduct the double rescue, with an annoying but manageable fight, losing a couple spell slots, but saving everyone... I hope. One more fight against some cultists and im in trouble. still only 1 smite remains, got to save it, and attempts at plant field control are useless against cultist misty step. Have to wild shape to keep one companion alive, limiting some options. But I manage to win and use my last short rest. I'm in trouble, Ive got barely any resources and I still have to find Thorm, hopefully he hasn't recovered much health since the last fight. Find a healing thing, think okay at least I will have full health before the fight, the short rest had not fully healed everyone. Realize it gave back all spell slots, but not long rest abilities, but I will take it, especially since it didn't wipe long rest buffs.
Great cutscene, while some of the higher level stuff had been spoiled, ie knowing of the dead 3's involvement, it was still great to get more context in how everything fit together. And I can't wait to get more of lore and context in the next act. I get a view of the area, noticing my trapped ally in the back, and prioritize her as my first objective. Again, who needs positioning when vengeance is at hand so up I march to confront Thorm at last. And everything goes south.
First round, everyone is stun locked but my wild shaped owl bear, but she can't do much but move forward a bit. next turn still stun locked and take damage. 3rd round, Shadow and Tav finally are free and Dimension door to my ally, and help her break free. Lae'zel is also free and knocks out a couple pods before moving forward. Owlbear still doest have much to do but take out some mooks, think she can be crowd control. things finally look good. Lae'zel puts illusionary butterflies on Thorm, giving advantage, Tav can GWM/smite, while everyone else can crowd control heal as needed. 2-3 rounds later and finally take down Thorm, with melee fighters slightly bloodied but still strong. I start to celebrate and relax when HOLY F**ING SHIT! ( I not only beat Shadowheart's exclamation, but I was way more colorful too, be better smh).
First attack, my ally is immediately down, realize I have to win in quickly as I can't have her die now, wouldn't that be ironic? Tav and Lae'zel are also damaged but are what seems to be a manageable state. Go all in attacking, throw up my vow to gain advantage and start smiting. first round I deal 2 criticals! Wishing I still had a bonus action to attack a third time. Shadowheart "heals" everyone and throws a spiritual weapon to help attack. Owlbear is still killing pods on the main floor. next turn notice that my melee are severely injured, and think that he must deal massive amounts of damage, since I had just healed them. Shadowhearts turn, use most powerful healing spells available, both action and bonus action to heal everyone. Finally notice that neither Tav or Lae'zel get healed! actually read boss's abilities, and realize what has happened. Next turn, enemy misses Lea'zel but hits Tav, only got single digits now, plus 5 bonus from heroism. misty step away and lay on hands, with Shadow healing me on her turn. get back into the fight with only lvl 1 smites available but actual health. Mooks get to boss and have another "oh shit" moment. get more aggressive at taking out mooks. Decide to end wild shape to deal more damage, next turn goes down. I get the boss to 30 HP, he heals back up to 70. Shadow heart is down to last spell slot, ally is still alive somehow, and my downed party member has failed 2 and succeeded once, Lae'zel is somehow still kicking, due to rally and good defense, Tav back to critical health but still init, hank you heroism! Next turn 2 mooks will get to boss and I will most likely wipe. Shadowheart actually makes her guiding bolt, Lae'zel hits once and misses. Tav has to kill it or else. Get a critical with my last smite, attack again, and it's down to 15hp. GWM bonus attack and I kill it!
That was such a great encounter! For the first time in the game I was actually mindful of my resources and that I couldn't just rest between every fight. I was so caught up on exacting vengeance that I forgot about the classic "not even my final form" of bosses. This entire section truly felt like the table top version with managing resources, battle objectives, having a "powerful NPC ally" who goes down comically fast so that PC's are the "big damn heroes". culminating in a fight where you aren't quite sure if you won honestly or if the DM was fudging a couple rolls so you dont TPK. I can't wait to do another run and see how different classes fair, would range attackers be better? would Wyll and Gale have unique options?
TLDR: decided to increase difficulty before the final section of Act 2 due to all previous combat being too easy. Was on the edge of my seat during the entire final fight(s) and dungeon crawl. It actually felt like DnD with limited resting and resources. And I was not expecting the final form of the boss, and nearly TPK'd! I can't wait to get to Act3, as well as do another run with different classes and companions.

Race Information:

• Name: Ottawa Race Weekend
• Date: May 26, 2024
• Distance: 21.1km
• Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Time: 2:30:29

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Finish sub 2:20	No
B	Personal best	Yes
C	Just finish	Yes

Background

This was my third time running the half marathon at Ottawa race weekend. My first year, I passed out from heat exhaustion only about 500m from the finish line and finished very late after a visit to the med tent. My second year, I wanted to finish without incident, so I focused just on staying cool and having fun. This time, I wanted to improve my time significantly and tackle training with more organization.
Another important piece of information is that I have a muscle disorder called myotonia congenita, sometimes known as fainting goat disease. It's quite rare, and affects only about 1 in 100,000 worldwide. If you've seen the Youtube videos of people scaring goats and making them freeze and fall over...that's the disorder. Basically all my skeletal muscles lack sufficient chloride channels, which causes them to tense and take a long time to relax. (Legs, hands, face, anything voluntary really). Once I'm moving I'm generally ok, but any major change in movement will cause my muscles to lock up completely for a few seconds and slowly move again. Why do I choose to run races with a disorder that makes me an actual zombie? I don't know. I figure all of us are at least a little bit crazy, and I like the accomplishment of a good run, so I accept the challenge.

Training

I got a Garmin watch right before this training block and decided to try a Garmin Coach plan. I chose Coach Jeff. The run/walk strategy I think initially helped me build slowly and I avoided shin splints or other overuse injuries. The downside was that I think it didn't ramp enough as I got closer to the race. The plan had me do one day a week of 800m race pace runs, then 3 minutes of recovery walking, 4-6 times. The 3 minutes of recovery was pretty long and I started to shorten it myself by the end, and I think it prevented me from getting enough runs in that had me going without stopping for long periods of time. The other days were either a short sprint or hill repeats, or a long run that started at 8km and went up to 25km. I think this plan might work well for others, but I don't think I'd use it again - I realized that the nature of run/walk just doesn't work with my weird muscles.

Race Day

I woke up around 6:30, had a tortilla with peanut butter and some coffee, and headed to the race start. Unlike the other two years I've done this race, the weather was perfect. Not hot, and initially nice and cloudy. It was a great day to try for a fast time! I started off strong and the first 11km flew by. The course was great, I was on my pace, and I felt really good. I did the first 10k in 1:03 and started to feel very positive about completing my A goal time. The course also had a ton of supporters cheering along most of the route!
Unfortunately things took a turn around the 14km mark. I started to feel a blister forming on my foot and my legs were feeling the fatigue. There were some long uphills that sucked my energy and the sun came out and started beaming down on us. My myotonia tends to begin to act up more about 2/3s in to the race as well; it takes a ton of effort and stumbling to move from walking to running, my chest and arms begin to get really tight, and my legs begin to react more slowly. I look like an actual zombie with my hands stuck in weird flexed positions and it's like someone tied resistance bands to every muscle in my body. On a good day I can mostly work around this, but I was feeling it more acutely at this point than normal and realized I was going to be finishing this race on a bad muscle day.
At the 17.5km mark, disaster struck. I was down to a shuffling run and working on keeping moving forward when a runner behind me tapped my back. I don't know if they were trying to be encouraging or if they were trying to alert me that they were passing me, but it caught me off guard. I jerked away and the sudden movement triggered my myotonia and caused all of my muscles to completely lock up. I fell like a tree, unable to catch myself with my stiff arms, and my face hit the pavement. My hat brim took the brunt so my forehead was fine, but my orbital bone around my eyebrow and my cheek took a hard hit. I was helped up by some very friendly runners and a volunteer elected to stay with me. I walked slowly with them for a while while I got my head back in the game and assessed the damage, then decided I was in good enough shape to finish. I ran/shuffled/walked with my amazing new volunteer friend until the finish line and crossed the line, not hitting any of my goal times but still beating my personal best by about 3 minutes!

Post-Race

I checked in with the med tent after finishing to make sure I didn't have a concussion. My eye was beginning to swell up so I grabbed some ice and my post-race beer and spent some time recovering. I woke up this morning with a very exciting black eye that has gotten an increasingly violent shade of purple throughout the day. My coworkers were all a bit bemused that I look like I was in a brawl and it was fun explaining that really, I promise, I just went for a run. I'm also much more sore than I have been post long runs in a long time; I'm guessing either from the adrenaline of the whole experience or from pushing myself harder in the first 2/3s of the race yesterday.
I'd like to dial in my training better next time so that I don't fade in the end stage, but I'm also pretty happy that I was able to finish despite all the challenges I faced!

Summary; you’ve been having trouble sleeping- so a moth girl comes to comfort you! But she doesn’t seem to be very good at it.
Check out my other scripts here, and how to support me here! Scriptbin link here
Terms of Use
This script is opened to be monetized and used, all I ask is that credit is given in your video description. If you choose to fill this script, comment a link to your recording on the reddit post. Making small changes to the script and to the gender of the speakelistener is okay. Changing the title is okay- in fact encouraged- I’m just like cinematic titles.
Plain text for speaking.
(tone suggestions)
[SFX and description]
[SFX: Door knocking]
[SFX: window being opened]
Oh, hello. I was sent on behalf of the Nocturnal Beast Help Service? I hope you don’t mind the interruption, but I see you’re struggling to go to sleep… again. According to your file, it’s been exactly 780 days since your last night of full sleep. That’s a long time.
[Short Pause]
You’re unusually calm for someone who just had their house broken into too, this is a real situation I have on my hands. Let me get the guide book-
[SFX: moth girl pulling out a large book from under her wing]
Have you tried different methods to help you fall asleep? Meditating? Reading? Limiting your screen time an hour before you go to sleep? Maybe leaving your phone far away from your bed, so you aren’t tempted to look at it when you’re struggling to fall asleep.
I see… you’re a tough case to crack. But don’t worry, I’ll be here to help you, whether that’s with going to sleep, or waiting for you to pass out from sleep exhaustion. Preferably from the first one. It’ll look bad on my record if you do the second one.
[Small Pause]
Now, it’s important to let go of muscle tension, whilst keeping a tight grip on your unresolved anger issues. Close your eyes, and keep a deep, deep breath in 3-2-1.
(take a deep breath)
Do you feel a bit better now? Not let go of anything you shouldn’t have? Is your need for physical touch still there?
[Small Pause]
Good. Speaking of the need for physical touch, would you like some? You can lay your head on my lap, or you can come in my arms, I’ve been told my fluff around my neck is comfortable to rest on.
Or to wrap you up in my wings- it is not as soft as a harpy’s, more delicate, so if you move around in your sleep it is best you don’t sleep in my wings. Or anywhere near me. Moths are delicate creatures.
Now, do you want to rest your head on my lap or should I start listing other ways that could help you fall asleep? Maybe prepare you a lavender tea? Or lavender scented stuff? It says in the handbook those help humans get sleepy.
[Small Pause]
Very well, come, [LAP PATS] You can rest your head on my lap, just for a moment, whilst I can list more relaxing things I can think of.
[sfx: listener placing their head on moth girls lap]
There is listening to those ASMR things, I never quite understood them, but I hear some humans find them relaxing from previous humans I have helped. Voices smoother than butter, or rain sounds to wash the day away. Soft, warm voices, or perhaps more daring tales to fill your brain with something to dream about.
Tales of possessive lovers, fights a couple may not heal from, a relationship that can never be, or perhaps a softer tale. A budding romance, a long awaited confession between friends- or enemies, if that is more your tale.
Humans do seem to show a liking towards those tales- the idea of someone loving you not in spite of your faults, but perhaps intrigued by them. To hate someone, and then to fall for them, and the faults being the very thing that drew them in.
Or that waiting, longing for the perfect moment to confess. That slow build up over days, months, or even years between a couple destined to be.
Or those couples forced together, arranged marriages, then argue every moment, until they snap, and confess their unavoidable attraction to one another, enjoying every moment they argue and battle one another with their sharp insults.
But what am I to say, I simply observe what helps humans fall asleep, and listen to their tales.
[Small pause]
If this conversation is boring to you I can read from my book “How to make a human fall asleep for dummies”. I have found it helpful in my work. It has all the best tips and tricks. How to help a human relax, what positions they find most comfortable to sleep it, the perfect environment for them to rest in, all those kinds of subjects.
[Small pause]
Ah… well it’s a boring conversation you want. I can tell you information I have learnt from my book. Let me think, boring subjects to talk to a human about… from my book, about humans relaxing.
For example, a warm blanket, a weighted one, helps the human feel as if there is a pressure on them, forcing them to stay in bed, a feeling that may reflect on their emotional needs too. The urge to stay in bed and not sleep is a powerful one for humans, or so I hear.
But then one might find more comfort in plushies, large or small, but it never really is about the size, more about the comfort it brings. Whether that be in the form of an animal, or character plush. They hold away the loneliness, even for just a moment. The sense that they are not alone in this world, or this room.
[Small Pause]
Well, some humans do like being alone. Prefer it. But no one can deny that sometimes, the touch of another is all some of you humans need.
[Short Pause]
I’m glad this is helping you, human. Although, and don’t tell my bosses this, I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad if you were not to fall asleep tonight. You could go to sleep during the day.
Being nocturnal isn’t too bad when you really think about it. You humans like the light, and well soon you could come to replace the suns light with the moons light- which is just the suns light reflecting on the moon.
You could have a dozen stars in the sky all at once, rather than just one. The sky is blue in both, just one a deeper shade.
And it’s not like you wouldn’t be sleepless- you’d be getting plenty of rest, I hope, just in the day rather than the light. Would make shopping in person a pain, but you could still do it. And would get harder in the summer time with there being more daylight-
[Short Pause]
Right, getting off track. Keep the conversation boring and easy to fall asleep to. But that seems to have been working. Your breathing has steadied, your eyes are closed, and you haven’t been moving around as much on my lap.
All of those are signs that you’re ready to fall asleep- which means I am doing my job well.
Since you are ready to fall asleep, I suppose I should be off now.
[SFX: moth girl trying to leave]
Oh- I almost forgot you were on my lap… um… This is a predicament. I need to make sure you fall asleep, so I guess I’ll have to stay whilst you rest on me. I’m sure my boss won’t mind, since I’m technically doing my job.
[Short Pause]
Very well, that settles it. I’ll stay here whilst you sleep, watching over you. Follow that light, human. That light into your dreams, where endless possibilities await for you~
Goodnight, human. I’ll be here whilst you finally get some sleep.

TLDR: Lower back and hip pain for 2 years, mixed diagnoses, desperate for suggestions for a way forward.
I’ve had lower back pain for the last two years and I feel at rock bottom. I feel like I’ve wasted so much money on physical therapy etc and still have no answers or improvements.
My symptoms are a sharp pain at the lowest part of my back on the right side plus a sharp pain and pulsating in both hips and down the front of my legs. Sitting relieves it all and I feel fine but as soon as I stand up or move around the pain starts. I’ve had an X-ray of my right hip which was all clear. Bloods all fine and no numbness or groin related issues. It’s ruining my life and really impacting my mental health now.
I saw a physio for 6 months. He thought sacroiliac joint inflammation at first, then suggested it could be a disc bulge. He gave me exercises to do to work on my core but there were no improvements. I then saw an Oesteopath who said it was the Quadratus Lumborum muscle inflamed. He used a massage gun, minimal hands on work, and gave me similar exercises, again no improvement after 4 months. I’ve tried a few sessions at a chiropractor who said my pelvis was a bit misaligned but no improvement after the sessions and even she suggested I go back to a physio. My latest Oesteopath is saying it’s probably lots of general inflammation and weak muscles so again I’m not feeling hopeful. If it’s of any relevance, I find the yoga position of Cow to be fine but the Cat really hits the exact painful spot and I can’t do it at all. Also I’m female, 40s, overweight by about 100lbs and have a desk job. I do gentle yoga most days. U.K. based.
My doctor was so reluctant to send me for any scans as previously I had to have multiple chest exams due to a serious infection. Eventually she allowed one X-ray on my right hip but that came back perfectly fine. All blood tests were also fine. She won’t send me for any other tests or scans and says just to continue with physio.
I’m at my wits end and am desperate for some answers. Would anyone suggest a specific exam that I could pay for privately to see what’s causing this? Or is there a specialist who would do a more thorough diagnosis than a PT or Oesteopath? I just want to know what it is and start to see even the smallest of improvements. Any thoughts, ideas or suggestions on where to go next would be very welcome! Thank you and apologies for the long post.

Hello one and all. A heads up for the coming weeks. I will be traveling quite a bit, so I may have days where chapters are delayed. I've done my best to build up a backlog in preparation, but there's always the chance I won't have the time to work on them. That aside, I hope you've all been enjoying the story so far, and look forwards to bringing you more!
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Memory transcription subject: First Officer Recel, Federation Fleet Command Date [standardized human time]: August 2, 2136
[Elapsed Time: 16 minutes, 12 seconds]
My head hurt. My whole body felt heavy and weak. Even the act of awareness was tiring. I could hear noises around me, slowly rousing me from unconsciousness. Despite the weariness, I slowly forced my eyes open. The light in the room was low, reminiscent of twilight. My vision was fuzzy, though I could make out a majority of the room was white. I felt like I was in a bed of some kind with pillows under my head and a soft blanket over me. There was a rhythmic beeping next to me, which I eventually identified as some kind of heart rate monitor. As my vision slowly sharpened, I could see that all around my bed were curtains that blocked my view of anything else in the room. Faint memories of where I was and what happened slowly returned, but I felt so tired that I could hardly feel anything more than deep dread. I was glad that I was alive, but that meant that the predators had reason to not eat me right away. My heart rate monitor started to beep quicker along with my slowly growing feeling of fear.
I must have made enough noise to draw attention to myself. One of the curtains was pulled aside, and the Skalgan in a white coat stepped up to my bedside. “Oh, good. You’re awake. I was a little worried that the bump you took to the head had done serious damage, but the fact that you’ve come around so soon is a good sign.”
I was confused by this prey’s presence. I was surely on a predator ship, if my memory was correct, so why was a prey walking free? Why were they here among a predator crew? My crew. I’d forgotten about them. Were they okay? Did they get killed? I was so drained that the best I could do was weakly speak. “Where is my crew? Did the predators get them?”
The Skalgan huffed. “If you’re referring to the humans, they’re the ones who brought you to the medbay after you passed out. Your crew is getting some time in the brig to cool off while we figure out who you are, what you are, and why you’re here.” She walked over to the monitor next to my bed, taking notes on her holopad. “From what I heard, your subspace trail was traced back to Venlil Prime, so we assumed you were some sort of Venlil operation and knew about the humans already. So color us surprised when out of the ship comes three aliens that immediately start freaking out like the devil was after them.” Her ears flick in annoyance. “Honestly, we were told you Federation folks didn’t like meat eaters, but I never would've believed it was this extreme. Had we known, I’m betting the captain would have sourced a few Skalgan from other ships to make up the welcoming party. There’s not exactly many of us on every ship to begin with.”
Her words brought me a mix of surprise, confusion, and doubt. This was not the way I expected predators to respond to prey walking into their domain. The Arxur would have eaten us or dragged us off to cattle pens. Passing out would have been my death. I couldn’t understand why we were still alive, assuming the Skalgan was being honest. Not only that, but why had the Venlil not said anything if they know about the predators. “...Why are you here? Do the predators keep you here since they don’t know medic-”
“Okay, you need to stop with the ‘predators’ label. It might be my job to make sure you’re healthy, but that doesn’t mean I have to stand for your bigotry.” She huffed, ears pinned back on her head. “First off, humans and skalgan have been living together for centuries, so you can forget any ideas you might have about them eating other sentients. Second, I work here under my own free will. It’s my job to take care of my patients, no matter who or what they are. I trained at the University of Pennsylvania, a human run school. So you can take whatever notions you seem to have about humans being savage, unintelligent, uncaring, or whatever and stamp it out of your consciousness. Yes, they eat meat, but there is no correlation between that and how they behave. Okay?”
I stared at her in shock, taken aback by how certainly she was defending the predators. Clearly she trusted them. Maybe she was a special case and had been hand picked to fill a role outside of the cattle pens, but why would a predator even bother with teaching a prey? Were these predators smart enough to even teach? I was getting left with more and more questions, but I felt like asking more would only invoke the doctor’s ire. “...Okay.”
“Good. Now, we got a couple of things we need to go over. And just so you know, my name is Kirith.” She hopped up and sat down on the edge of my bed. “First off, who and what are you and your crew? Like I said, we’ve never seen aliens like you before.” For a few moments, I thought of lying. I didn’t want to give these people information that could be used against the Federation. If these predators are as smart as the doctor says, then they might know the value in having knowledge of our kind. Yet they were in contact with the Venlil. It wouldn’t be hard for them to check their sources, and any lies I’d say might easily be uncovered. I decided that I’d only give the bare minimum.
“...I’m a Kolshian, the small one of my crew is a Dossur, and the spiny one is a Gojid.” I said. Kirith waited a few moments longer, but after a prolonged silence, took a few notes on her holopad and lightly nodded her head. “Alright, I guess we’ll get names later. Secondly, why are you out here?”
“We’re a survey team that came out here after we heard word that there were potentially habitable planets in the dead zone. Many species are always looking for planets to colonize, and some would pay a good sum for the coordinates of habitable ones. Of course, it’s illegal to fly into restricted space, so we hid as best we could when we came out here. We thought that we could follow the Skalgan ships that came to Venlil Prime towards habitable space, and then from there search outwards.”
The doctor shoots me a judgmental look as she continues typing. “Using us to springboard off of. I don’t think any of us would take kindly to being used.”
“Used? But, isn’t it the duty of all prey to help each other?” I asked. This again seemed to irritate the doctor. “Okay, drop the 'prey' label too. That implies weakness, something many Skalgan would take offense to. Seriously, the more I hear about your beliefs of predators and prey, the more I wonder how your society could have ended up so ethically backwards.”
“W-what?! We’re not! We do what is needed to keep our people safe and alive! What’s wrong with that?”
“What’s wrong is that your mind is so ingrained with these beliefs that when there is living, breath proof to contradict what you believe, you refuse to acknowledge it. Tell me, why do you think humans and Skalgan live together? Be honest.”
With me suddenly being put on the spot, I found myself speaking before I could realize what I was saying. “B-because you’re catt-.” I barely cut myself off before I spoke my mind, but it was to late. The doctor’s eyes narrowed. “...Cattle? Like what those monstrous, children eating, sociopathic, psychopathic Arxur do? That’s what you think humans are?” Her voice was starting to rise in volume, making me shrink back in the bed as she ranted. “The only reason I’m not dragging you off to the brig here and now is because I understand your people have generations of trauma inflicted on you by the Arxur, but the fact that you keep tying physical traits to behavior is straight up wrong. If you talked to a human without ever seeing them, I’m willing to bet that you’d assume they were any other ‘prey’ species. Humans aren’t monsters. Forget about appearances, and perhaps put more stock in what they do, rather than how they look.”
I was again left without words. Yet another passionate defense for the humans, something that no prey would ever dare voice. I tried rationalizing why she would say all of this, tried to think of an explanation. The thought of predator disease came to mind, but that wouldn’t explain the contradictions I’ve seen between how I thought a predator would behave and what’s happened so far. If these humans were like the Arxur, I'd be dead right now or trapped in a cattle pen. Something was going on that I was missing. Something made these predators not act like predators. “...Can… can you tell me about the humans?” I asked.
The doctor blinked, looking a little surprised at first, though eventually relaxed. “If it helps you come to understand them better, I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. But do note that you and your crew will likely be staying here for a while as we figure out what to do with you all. The top brass have been working out how to introduce humans to the galactic community without everyone freaking out, and we don’t want anyone blowing the whistle before we have a chance to speak for ourselves. However, I can promise you that you and your crew will be treated well in your time here.”
Maybe it was because I was desperate to believe her, but hearing we’d be okay put a lot of my worries at ease. It also helped that I was talking to a fellow prey and not one of the predators. If she was willing to talk about the humans, then they must not be trying to hide anything. There was still the matter that humans weren’t brought up during first contact, but considering how the Federation would react, perhaps they wanted to avoid a war breaking out. I didn’t look forward to essentially being a prisoner, but it was better that the fate we would have faced had these humans been like the Arxur.
Despite all the assurances though, I still had my worries that there was a lot being hidden from me. It felt like all I had to do was pull back the curtain and I'd see all the human evil, cruelty, and malice that the Skalgan were trying to hide. If that was the case, they were doing a good job so far keeping it hidden. Maybe it’s because the humans grew up with sentient prey that they were capable of keeping their instincts under control. It would explain why I wasn’t attacked when I passed out. There of course was a lot more I needed to learn. Perhaps I’d learn something that would be of use to the Federation after my release.
If the humans were secretly like the Arxur, than I could bring a vital warning to the Federation. I just had to make sure I didn't ask the wrong questions.
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Hello everyone, I have recently started tracking my macros and partaking in a caloric deficit equating to about a pound and a half a week. I am a bicycle commuter, I ride about 8 plus miles everyday, my deficit factors in expenditure of calories commuting (2000 calories, 180gs of protein). I am visiting my friend in the Netherlands August 1st. I'm confident I will look amazing as lean as I could be within reason, nothing less than 9% because of my athletic background. I haven't strength trained over a year and a half, but I went to the gym with my little brother and I could bench 135 easy and I can squat a lot and I've been eating intuitively more than 150 g during my time not training. I'm 5'10 190lbs with a massive ass and legs, and broud ribs and shoulders. I have vascularity in my chest, shoudlers, and biceps despite not training strength.
Boasting behind, my question is towards the idea of "waisting newbie gains". Is this real? Am I waisting this "golden window" of growth starting training if I began weight lifting on this deficit? Obviously I will benefit from an aesthetic standpoint by margin, but I am confident in where I will look based on my frame and vascularity by not trainin. I am looking closer for the handsome rave boy Pinterest look not the intimidating gearz of war look (badass, feeling like I'm in that direction).
A. There no such thing as waisted newbie gains and go gym four days a week while cutting
B. There is such a thing as wasted newbies gains- focus on getting lean for Europe, building muscle down the road
C. I'm directing my mindset wrong, this is actually Body Recomposition, which has mixed evidence pending further research

Hello everyone, I have recently started tracking my macros and partaking in a caloric deficit equating to about a pound and a half a week. I am a bicycle commuter, I ride about 8 plus miles everyday, my deficit factors in expenditure of calories commuting (2000 calories, 180gs of protein). I am visiting my friend in the Netherlands August 1st. I'm confident I will look amazing as lean as I could be within reason, nothing less than 9% because of my athletic background. I haven't strength trained over a year and a half, but I went to the gym with my little brother and I could bench 135 easy and I can squat a lot and I've been eating intuitively more than 150 g during my time not training. I'm 5'10 190lbs with a massive ass and legs, and broud ribs and shoulders. I have vascularity in my chest, shoudlers, and biceps despite not training strength.
Boasting behind, my question is towards the idea of "waisting newbie gains". Is this real? Am I waisting this "golden window" of growth starting training if I began weight lifting on this deficit? Obviously I will benefit from an aesthetic standpoint by margin, but I am confident in where I will look based on my frame and vascularity by not trainin. I am looking closer for the handsome rave boy Pinterest look not the intimidating gearz of war look (badass, feeling like I'm in that direction).
A. There no such thing as waisted newbie gains and go gym four days a week while cutting
B. There is such a thing as wasted newbies gains- focus on getting lean for Europe, building muscle down the road
C. I'm directing my mindset wrong, this is actually Body Recomposition, which has mixed evidence pending further research

25, f, normal weight. Upfront - I've already been to an orthopedist, had an x-ray done, and got told he can't see anything on the x-ray except that I have a hollow back. His recommendation: Train your back muscles. (Fair ofc but also not very insightful)
Every time after doing sports (I do badminton, dancing and ice skating in winter, all at low amateuhobby level), I get immense one sided pain in my hip/ lower back area. This has been the case ever since I started working out regularly, about 18 months. It's a dull sting when I walk and it makes me limp, because I can't step down with my left foot without collapsing my leg because of the pain. It actually never occurs during sport activites, but when I get home after sports, it starts setting in. I can trigger this pain any time by elevating my hip area while laying on my back and then relaxing into the position - (which I can't cus it hurts). Since the pain feels like the sort of tension that builds before cracking your joints, I thought it I might be able to receive immediate relief after just cracking the right spot - which is why I tried leaning into it on my foam roller. Doesn't work though, just hurts. This is the only position I know of where I can replicate the pain at all. Other than that, it's usually gone the next morning and doesn't affect me outside of that or appear at all. Except after sports...
Since my doctor didn't really say much and I also couldn't get a prescription for physio therapy or chiropractor (which I thought could've possibly helped), I dont know what to do or think now. Especially since I still don't know what this actually is. So if anyone has a possible, biological explanation, that would be great. Dr said it's probably muscular, although it doesn't quite feel like it... more like a pinched nerve because it's so "occasional". But I don't know.
Any advice or ideas? I mean there's gotta be something wrong and have some reason.

unreleased bun xapa ina .wav
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unreleased Its Alright (Jaquet Remix).wav
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unreleased Colle - Something to Believe (Original Mix).wav
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unreleased Moojo - Oui (FINAL MASTER).wav
unreleased Marasi - Sweet Dreams.wav
unreleased Marten Lou - Radiohead 4.0.wav
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unreleased Moojo, Demaya - Hot N Fun.wav
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unreleased Technotronic - Pump up the Jam (PÆDE & Mousik Remix)
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unreleased Black Coffee - Juju feat Zakes Bantwini (Chaleee & Sammi Ferrer Escalation Remix).wav
unreleased Feid - Classy 101 (Maz, VXSION Edit).mp3
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unreleased Craig David - 7 Days (Alex Wann x Sparrow & Barbossa Remix)
unreleased LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN [David Mackay & Hoax (BE) Remix]
unreleased Rui Da Silva - Touch Me (Peace Control Remix)
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unreleased MOSY - If You Want Me To Stay (Uh Ooh) (Extended Version).wav
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Born In Blue(Chambord Remix)
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unreleased Chris IDH, Adam Port & Adassiya - By Myself
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unreleased Moon J, Nani - Quema.wav
unreleased Coldplay - Viva La Vida (Choujaa & Epsylon Remix).
unreleased Home-Came lPhat Samm Ajna Remix.mp3
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unreleased Cher - Believe (Super Flu Remix)
unreleased Samm & Maxi Meraki - Everybody Get Up
unreleased Regard - Ride It (FromParis Remix) Unreleased.mp3
unreleased Moojo - Ms. Jackson.mp3
unreleased Gunna - Fukumean (Dave Andres Remix
unreleased Bob Sinclar World Hold on Soubeiran & Sasson Remix
keinimusik SiiNA – Memento mori-Original Mix- (320 kbps)
unreleased Jorja Smith - Rose Rouge (Moojo Remix)
unreleased Goodmorning V2 (Rampa Edit)
unreleased Out Of My Head - &Me (AXEL Edit)
unreleased Downstream - Makèz, Life On Planets (Lazare Remix)
unreleased nostalgia - smack that
unreleased Angus & Julia Stone Big Jet palacci remix
unreleased Travis Scott - Modern Jam (Sammi Ferrer & Chaleee Remix)
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unreleased Moojo ft Gabsy - Ze Roberto [FINAL
unreleased Moojo - I Want Your Soul.wav
unreleased Billie Eillish - Everything I Wanted (Marten Lou Remix)

I've been severely depressed for months. Sleeping a lot and isolating. Now I'm agitated and half depressed so I can't sleep. It's like torture. I can't relax either but I have no energy or motivation. Is this a mixed episode? I'm going out of my brain. What to do?

My husband and I have decided we would like to travel back to Spain for our 5 year anniversary. Trip will be first week of October for 8 days plus one day on either end for travel. We could add an extra day by taking a red eye. We are currently between the following options but are very open to suggestions including any that would take us between Spain and another country.

• current plan: 2 nights Barcelona at Edition Barcelona, 7 nights in Pollença at Hoposa Pollentia. We will take the ferry to do a day trip to Menorca.
• skip Barcelona and spend the entire time in Mallorca spending part of our time in Pollença and the other part elsewhere in Mallorca or spend the full trip in Pollença. Will take ferry to Menorca for a day trip.
• skip Barcelona and spend 4 days in Málaga 4 in Pollença. Will still do day trip to Menorca
• skip all of the above and spend the entire time in Canaries, likely Tenerife.

Last year we did a fast paced tour group with my aunts to visit Lisbon, Seville, Málaga (stayed in Torremolinos), Granada, Madrid. I LOVED Málaga - it’s the first place I’ve been outside of the US where I’ve legitimately thought I could live there.
We are mid 30s and child free. Looking for a mix of relaxing and sight seeing hence desire to either go to Mallorca or Tenerife. It’s ok if the water isn’t warm enough to get in as long as it’s warm enough to still enjoy being at the beach. I’m not a hiker - this is part of what’s making me reconsider Mallorca. We don’t want to be somewhere like Palma where it’s mostly clubs and parties, but we do like the option of being out at a bar until midnight or so. We love history and really enjoyed learning about the history of Spain and viewing the architecture on our trip last year. Food is important - we had some of the best meals of our lives on our trip last year. We are ok with renting a car and plan to do so if we are in Mallorca. While we won’t be doing any big hikes, we aren’t adverse to driving scenic routes or easy hikes to enjoy nature.
Suggestions on what we are considering above? If not our current plan, recommendations on where to stay (will also research and Google hotels but recommendations appreciated!)

By a strange twist of Fate, one day you wake up and learn you have gained entry into a famous "game" called RPG WORLD. Before starting your journey into this new world you must chose your main Stat, which you will primarily use to create your 'Character' and rely on to survive!
You have Six Options:
• Endurance: This Stat is a mix of Stamina and Strength, Endurance also affects a 'Player's' overall Vitality, or how much damage a body can survive. A Supremely useful Stat for close combat fighters, or anyone that wishes to improve their chance of survival!
• Dexterity: This Stat is a mix of Skillfulness, Agility, strong Reflexes, and general explosivity of muscles. Allows dodging and attacking quickly, improves Stealth and also Flexibility. This Stat is perfect for those that dislike direct confrontations, and like to outmanoeuver their enemies!
• Willpower: This Stat is mix of Ambition, Determination, and Decisiveness. It represents a Mental kind of Endurance, which will keep a Player not only sane, but push them to find success and happiness. This Stat is extremely useful for Strategists, Merchants, and generally players that like to fight with their mind and seek Power. It provides resistance to mental attacks, and can strengthen the abilities of Magicians (increasing Mana Pool)
• Intelligence: This stat is a mix of Memory, Knowledge, Imagination, and Problem Solving ability. A Player with great inteligence can easily understand new situations, come up with plans, and learn new skills and ideas faster. This Stat is necessary for Strategists and also Magicians, as it allows Players to learn new Spells faster and it improves Spell Power. Inteligence can also be used in physical combat, allowing a person to predict moves and trick their oponents!
• Clarity: This Stat is a mix of Wisdom and Strength of Sensual Input. It improves Vision, Hearing, Sensing, and also INTUITION, making it very useful for Rangers (Archers) and Spiritualists (Spirit Mages). Priests and Paladins can also benefit from this Stat as it improves one's contact with The Unseen, whether that be Spirits, or Gods...
• Spirit: This stat is a Mix of Emotional Inteligence, Empathy, Morality, but also much more... One's Spirit is their Vessel of Divinity. Spirit can be corrupted or purified and made Holy, and then used as a Catalyst to strengthen Physical or Magical Attacks (with Divine or Demonic Power) This Stat is necessary for Priests, Paladins, useful for Warlocks, and generally any player that seeks to stain their hands with Good or Evil. SPIRIT Strengthens Mental Attacks as well!
(Spirit can also remain Unstained and Pure, and used solely as a powerful source of magical energy, much like Will, but more Extraverted and Ephemeral.)
Notes: If you desire you may also chose your Secondary Stat, and also invest Stat Points in more than just your Primary or Secondary Stats. But 'officially' that is for later. This post is only the benninging..
(for stat points you can roll a 6D 6 times and allocate the points at Will! Primary Stat gains [+2] Secondary [+1])
Build Example: If I wanted to become an ILLUSION MAGE, who used mental magic, I would chose Willpower or Spirit as my Primary Stat, as those are the Stats most related to Mental Power and Magic Energy Quantity. I would also invest in Inteligence as my third choice. Feel free to share your ideas or questions in the comments ~
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Age: 34 Sex: trans man (all original parts intact and taking testosterone for several years) Location of symptom: mostly abdomen and thighs but really everywhere
So I have a long history of eating disorders and relapsed recently, and I've lost about 30% of my body weight in the last few months. I'm trying to get better, but the ambivalence is constant, and so I'm trying to work with it as best I can.
Sometimes with mental illness, you have to talk back to your own thoughts. For me, a lot of fighting anorexia and bulimia has come down to telling it to fuck off, to mixed results.
But if I can reason with it, sometimes that's an appropriate adjunct strategy. And I feel so deeply unattractive because of the loose skin on my stomach and thighs. I obviously need to eat to build muscle, but I get in my head like, "What's the point, if I'm going to gain weight and end up hating my body even more?"
So I don't know, but I'm just reaching out to see if anybody has some advice about this. Are there lotions or creams or supplements or anything like that I can use that would help my skin firm up again at all? Obviously I don't expect miracles, but short of a tummy tuck -- which I would totally do if I had the money -- do I have any options to improve things?
I'm talking about this in addition to getting my nutrition where it should be. I just want to make that clear: eating disorders are not good, and I don't recommend them, nor am I trying to say what I'm doing is okay.
I'm trying to get into treatment, taking a multivitamin and my regular prescriptions, going to the doctor and psychiatrist, looking for a therapist, and so on. My partner's mom gave us a box of those fruit and veggie vitamins, a Balance of Nature knockoff, and I'm taking a couple of those each day, too. Couldn't hurt.
What I know for sure is that I don't know enough about it right now, so I'm trying to fix that. Thanks for your help, anybody who has any insight on this <3

My fiancé (33M) and I (32F) are planning our honeymoon to Thailand for 18 days at the middle/end of January 2025, flying from California. We are hoping for a good mix of nature and beach, are interested in adventurous activities such as boats/swimming and experiencing the culture of the country but want a couple days to relax. We are both well traveled.
Our non-negotiables are Chai Lai Orchid near CM and a private pool villa somewhere in the south. With this being our first time to Thailand we are looking for advice or recommendations to our very vague itinerary we are starting to piece together! If at all possible, we want to try and limit our super touristy spots (aside from those we consider cannot miss)
We have already noted that travel often takes longer than anticipated so our current itinerary we think will look something like this:
Fly January 15th Wednesday, land in Chiang Mai Friday January 17th 1/17-1/20 Chiang Mai •cooking class (looking for recs) •Doi Inthanon park
1/20-1/21 Chai Lai Orchid •arrange travel in am for earlier arrival •have heard one day here is good amount if you arrive early?
1/21 head back to Chiang Mai to fly to Krabi - travel day
1/22-1/26 Krabi •have heard good things about Ao Nang and Railay, looking for hotel recs. •want to spend this time checking out the area, beach days, live music, beach bars
1/26-1/29 Koh Phi Phi OR Koh Yao Noi •this is where we’d like to splurge on nicer accommodations, private hotel villa, spas, sunset dinners just us, one day for long boat around islands
1/30 travel day back to Krabi, fly to bangkok where we plan to stay through 2/1 or 2/2 •we are less interested in city travel for our honeymoon but still want to have a day to explore some before we leave. Would just hit our top 2-3 things, maybe a rooftop bar one evening
MAIN Q’s: -biggest concern is being too rushed / spending TOO much time in one place that we A.) get bored or B.) feel we could’ve fit more in -is Chiang Mai OK regarding burning season that time of year? -are we keeping islands too touristy? Are there better options for honeymooners? -hotel accommodations for any area -cooking class recommendations -if you honeymooned in Thailand, what were your takeaways / must do’s -did you buy / reserve a SIM card for phone or just use your American data plan?
In advance, thank you so much for any advice or tips!