Difference between peak and peak pro

TLDR: 1 year into fund admin role after 4.75 years Big 4 experience. Looking for advice on future career path into the funds industry.
Hello all - qualified ACA here based in the EU. Between internships and training contracts, have about 4.75 years of Big 4 experience. After that, I moved to my current role in a fund administrator focused specifically on PE.
During my time in Big 4, I worked on a variety of fund structures and strategy types, so gained a wide range of experience there, and having taken the leap to the fund admin side, have gotten much more in depth oversight of PE funds specifically, how they operate etc..
Client base I’ve worked on is reputable (i.e. anyone working in financial services would know who they are - globally some of the biggest players going).
Current role is as a senior fund accountant, but the reality of the role is more an oversight role of fund accountants / operations who would make day to day bookings. My main role is around reviewing the work of the former, and then preparing quarterly NAVs, FS & investor statement preparation and other ad hoc requests, processing capital events and deal with auditors.
I like working in funds which is a bit different to some who end up in this industry. My main question is what do people on this sub think is the path forward over the next few years?
I’m well aware of potential pigeon-holing in specific roles if not being active, so my intention is to only stay another 2 years max in my current place.
From reading other similar threads, it seems the potential route is to look at specific investment managers / management companies as the next step, as this is closer to where the action is ?
Long term I’d ideally like to maybe pivot a bit from financial reporting / reporting roles in general and get slightly more involved in the investment analyst side of things (basically more direct involvement in a fund’s decision making).
I’m currently pencilled in to do CFA L1s too to build on knowledge obtained from my work experiences to date.
Any comments or input would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Talking about British English.
In the Oxford Dictionary, the /ɔ/ in the words 'talk' and 'all' sounds different to me, even though it's the same. 'All' sounds like 'ul' to me. 'Talk' is how I usually pronounce it.
There's no problem with /ɒ/ for me.

I've been having a lot of chamber issues recently w/ my Peak Pro (OG chamber; <300 dabs) and have come to realize this is a pretty common problem. For the people that have run into this issue, did replacing the chamber help at all? Also, if you put in a warranty ticket for the chamber in the past, did Puffco make you send the whole device in?
I'm going to end up buying a 3D chamber either way but want to know the best course of action or if anyone had experience with their warranty process.

I've been taking my 14-week-old pup to a nearby dog park, and she's been doing great. She wants to meet everyone-- dog and human alike. This is great, but I still need to figure out a few things:
Today, after a 30-minute walk and another 20 minutes of her just running around and playing with other adult dogs, I decided to start heading home. Just before we leave, another pup runs up and starts to play-fight with mine. This other dog was much larger than mine and seemed to be an adolescent. My dog rolls on her back and lets the other dog do his thing. I let this happen for a few seconds until I noticed that my dog's body language hadn't changed at all; she was just lying there on her back with whale eyes.
It's clear to me that the bigger dog just wanted to play, but it also seemed like my dog wasn't comfortable with what was happening because she was behaving very differently just a few minutes ago with other dogs, so I picked her up and tried to remove her from the situation but the other dog kept chasing her to play. The owner comes to get the other dog and tells me that "picking up is not best practice"...
I set my dog down and started walking away again, only for the same dog to charge at my dog from across the field in the same way. My dog rolled on her back again, and I picked her up. The other owner comes to get her dog again, and I calmly ask her to get her dog, and she flips out-- tells me that her dog is a pup and just wanted to play cus my dog is a pup too, and that I shouldn't come to the dog park if I don't want to socialize my dog.
A quick Google search after the event suggests that I should use my best judgment in these situations, and that's what I did, but after the reaction of that other dog owner, I'm second-guessing my decisions.
- Should I have let the pups do their thing even if my puppy seemed kind of uncomfortable?
- Given my description of events, was my puppy uncomfortable to begin with?
- Was there a better way for me to interrupt their play session?
- Is it ok to pick up my pup if she seems uncomfortable or there is an unsafe situation?
There have also been other times when older dogs that are not very patient with an overly friendly puppy like mine get snappy with my pup. I've always removed my pup from those situations (by leash rather than picking up), but this thing today makes me wonder if I'm wrong about that. My puppy doesn't know the difference between a dog that wants to play and a dog that doesn't. She just thinks every dog is a playmate.
- Is it ok to remove my puppy from interacting with a dog that doesn't want to play?
- Should I try to find a place that's exclusive to puppies for her playtime, or is it ok to keep going to a dog park where she's one of the younger dogs there?

Hey everyone. I'm a owner of a really bad Galaxy S22 256gb and i want to Switch to a new one becuase of really poor battery Life (especially when using Mobile data) and also i'm really tired of lags that pops everywhere even Simple swiping in the home screen results in a stuttering animation and this make me really nervous. I'm looking around for a new Device because i use it 6/7h a day and i want a really good one not this s22. Initially i was looking to Google Pixel 7 pro because I've owned a goregous Nexus 6P in the past and it was the best smartphone i ever had so far. I really want back the "pixel Experience" but i have many doubts. Pixel 7 has The same SoC of s22 that is the worst part of this Phone so i don't want the same chip again even if optimized by Google it runs way better i guess. And i know that it suffer of battery draining problems exactly Like s22. So not picking pixel 7. I moved out to waiting the Pixel 8 Pro, and searching around the net there are many rumors but the only real one is that the SoC is again manifactured by Samsung and i can't trust them anymore, moreover I've saw a geekbench 5 score about tensor g3 that is literally 10% faster than My exynos 2200. I'm not The one that cares about benchmark but if 2 years later with new Arm architecture, new 4nm process and different set of Cores and other stuff runs into just a Little upgrade i'm even far into trusting them anymore.
I'm looking for something really fast and responsive without anylag, with good battery Life and good specs in general maybe able to run some games without too many problems Like now with s22 that you open a heavy game it runs bad and after 3 minutes Phone gets super hot and throttle as hell resulting in impossibile to play cause 5fps or lower.
I wont buy another Samsung even if i know that the new S23 with the snap 8gen2 is waaaaaay better that s22.
Any suggestions please?
Thanks for Your time.
P. S. No iOS.

Marvel Comics !Here’s downloading or watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch the anticipated Pixar’s Movie at home. Is Lightyear 2023 available to stream? Is watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 on Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix, or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found a faithful streaming option/service.
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If you liked Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse when it came out in 2018 like practically everyone else on the planet did, you've undoubtedly been waiting for the sequel. It won't be long before Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is out, so don't wait.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will let Marvel fans worldwide to visit the cartoon cosmos once more after a torturous five-year wait. The forerunner of the upcoming sequel doesn't need an introduction because Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only captivated viewers and reviewers but also earned a significant Oscar win for Best Animated Feature. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), "New York's one and only Spider-Man," is already well-known, and fans of the original movie eagerly anticipated the day they might see young Miles swing into the Spider-Verse once more.
Thankfully, the wait is almost finally over, as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will return to screens soon. This time Miles will not only be reunited with Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) but he'll also be introduced to an entire multiversal society of Spider-people created and led by a particularly pessimistic variant of Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Though some of the other variants in this secretive organization view Miles as a nuisance more than anything else, they'll have to learn to put those apprehensions aside if they hope to save the multiverse from an all-new terrifying threat. As the release date for the sequel to one of the most celebrated Spider-Man films ever made crawls closer and closer
Everyone's favorite web-slinger from an alternate dimension returns for a second theatrical outing. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues the multiverse-spanning adventures of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), one of the youngest and newest iterations of Spider-Man in his home dimension. A year after the events of Into the Spider-Verse, Miles is introduced to the Spider-Society, an immense organization of different Spider-People who hail from countless alternate dimensions.
The much-anticipated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is only one day away, and fans can’t wait to see the new adventures of Miles Morales. Once the Sony Pictures-produced movie ends its theatrical run, it will come to the most popular streamers, including Netflix and Disney Plus. But when is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse coming to Netflix and Disney Plus? Here is precisely where and how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse online Free.
When Is the Release Date for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was one of the many films to get hit by a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, moving from its original date of April 8, 2022, to October 7, 2022. That's the date seen in the above trailer, but the film has since seen another significant delay since then. Now the film is officially set for release on June 2, 2023. Hopefully, we won't see another delay, but if it means getting a sequel that lives up to the sky-high heights of the original, we'll gladly wait.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Theaters?
Not only was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse the subject of rave reviews, but it also pulled in some gargantuan levels of cash at the international box office, with a final tally that quadrupled the film's ninety-million dollar budget. With incredible success like that, it's only natural that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse would also be taking advantage of a theatrical release. That is the case, as the upcoming film will be exclusively available in theaters when it premieres on June 2nd, 2023.
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The home distribution rights for Across the Spider-Verse are in a rather interesting place. In April 2021, it was reported that Sony Studios had signed a multiyear deal with both Netflix and Disney for shared streaming rights to Sony films coming out between 2022 and 2026. This deal includes Across the Spider-Verse as well as the third film in the series, Beyond the Spider-Verse, due out in March 2024.
As for releases like Across the Spider-Verse, the film will be available on Netflix with "first-pay-window-rights" for the first 18 months of its home media release. While it will not be streaming concurrently with its theatrical release, it will be available on Netflix following its theatrical run.
Some of the films are not currently available on the service because Sony has pre-existing partnerships with Starz, as that's where most of the absent films are available to stream. That is except for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which is instead only streaming on Fubo TV and FX Now.
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At the moment, you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at your local theater. But like most movies these days, it should hit a streaming website in the near future.
Like its predecessor, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a flick produced by multimedia conglomerate Disney. What's more, the production studio owns a number of other famous franchises, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. Titles made under these umbrellas have both hit Disney+ sometime after arriving at the box office. Fans may also know the original Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is currently available to stream on the site as well. So, if the 2023 version follows the same pattern, folks will likely get to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney+ later this year too.
As for an exact release date for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, that's more complicated. Most movies produced by Disney often go to its streamer site within three months after debuting in theaters, like the most recent Marvel film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. If this is the case for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it will probably drop in late August 2023 or sometime near Labor Day in early September.
When the time comes for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to splash onto Disney+ though, make sure you're all prepared to watch it. If you don't have access yet, you can opt into a 30-day free trial before choosing a plan that start at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. After your account is all set, click on the title page on Disney+'s official website or the Disney+ app.
As you wait for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to hit the streamer, why don't you watch the animated version and its sequel Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse? Or if you want to immerse yourself in another live-action version, click on the 2019 ABC TV special Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live!. Enjoy!
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online:
As of now, the only way to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is to head out to a movie theater when it premieres on June 2, 2023. You can find a local showing on Fandango.
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Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon, Vudu, YouTube or Apple, or become available to stream on Disney+.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse coming to Netflix?
Yes, around December 2023, Netflix will begin streaming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Netflix received exclusive first-pay-window U.S. streaming rights for Sony Pictures films after their theatrical and home entertainment windows as part of a five-year agreement that Sony and Netflix agreed to in 2021. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be available on Netflix six months after the movie's theatrical debut, or in December 2023. Given that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse debuted on Netflix on June 26, 2019, six months after its American release date of December 14, 2018, the release date looks reasonable. The pay-one window typically opens roughly nine months after a movie's theatrical debut, though it may do so earlier in some circumstances.
Once Spider-Man: Homecoming is absolutely, positively confirmed, this post will be updated.$InshaAllha$

Hello everyone, today ill be telling all of you why (if you're not already) you should be watching rl esports. Firstly, It's really cool. I remember the first time i ever watched It and it was amazing, pros where pulling off the most ridiculous stuff that i couldnt even dream of. It can also help you with your own gameplay, I got a lot better at ones once i got a better grasp on when to challange and whatnot. Now you may have seen the title and gone, I'm above that, it will be a bunch of sweaty teens playing the game really well, but its so much more, if you havent watch pro rocket league, or RLCS (Rocket League Championship Series) then i emplore you too.
If you think that it all sounds too confusing, then you can join RocketLeagueEsports which is one of the most friendly subs i am on, any question you have will be answered. If you are still not convinced, then i ask you to do one thing. I will post the match of pro rocket league that i think is the best for players entering the viewing experience and shows all the best aspects of the rlcs. My choice for the series is This one, Karmine Corp vs Moist Esports at the 22-23 fall major, It has a little bit of everything, want awesome goals? It has it? Want storylines? oh believe me it has it. Ill do a brief summerised version of the storyline to show how intense this is.
(Feel free not to read the below if you don't care about the storyline)
So In the 2021-2022 season (Last season), there was a team called moist esports, which consisted of the players Rise, Joyo and Vatira. Now going into the world championship they where the favourites to win it all as they had just won the last big in person event, the spring major. These 3 players are all exellent, with Vatira to this day considered the best in the world. Unfortunately, Things didnt pan out the way they wanted, with a tragic quarter final loss to the south american giant in Furia. So after the season, controversially Vatira left the team to join Karmine Corp, Teaming up with the players Itachi and Exotiik. To replace Vatira, Moist esports signed Aztral, a player known for his excellent mechanics and someone who was atually teammates with Itachi last season. Now going into the fall major there was a very interesting dynamic between moist and Karmine, with Karmine reaching the finals in all 3 online events leading up to the major, and coming out as the top team from europe, moist on the other hand struggled and made the major by the skin of their teeth. During the tournament Karmine was dominant, Making it to the top 8 by dropping only a single game in the 3 best of 5 series they played, Including a dominant 3-0 over moist esports. Moist also made the top 8, but again by the skin of their teeth, they where literally one game away from not making it. And that is the storyline going into this match

I have a few different Gen 1 and 2 tamas I like to switch between playing, does anyone have advice on the best way to store the ones I'm not currently using? Taking the battery out will make my current tama disappear but I'm afraid of corrosion ruining them. I also heard that removing and putting the battery back in too much can ruin the metal connector.
​
Thanks!

Recently, I have seen on Reddit about CamelAGI. After reading that, I have created this post.
Introducing CamelAGI, a groundbreaking method that brings AI agents to life, engaging them in real-time conversations, collaborations, and problem-solving. 🗣️
💡 Imagine watching two agents discussing, brainstorming, and working together to tackle a specific task, all tailored to your topic of choice. Get ready to be enthralled as the world of AI comes alive with CamelAGI! 🤖🌟
At its core, CamelAGI combines the best elements of role-playing, loop architecture, and the brilliance of BabyAGI and AutoGPT. This fusion gives birth to a remarkable innovation that harnesses the power of collaboration in the AI realm.
​
With CamelAGI, you can assign special roles to two agents and observe as they forge dynamic partnerships, leveraging their unique perspectives and skills to accomplish the task at hand. 🤝🧠🎯
The applications of CamelAGI are vast and varied, limited only by your imagination. Here are just a few examples of how CamelAGI can revolutionize different domains: 🌍🔥
🤖 Conversational AI: Elevate dialogue systems to new heights by infusing them with dynamism and context-awareness through the collaborative efforts of specialized agents. 💬🚀
🎮 Gaming: Immerse players in rich, interactive gaming experiences with non-player characters (NPCs) that possess the ability to engage with players and fellow NPCs in complex and captivating ways. 🎮🤝🌟
📚 Education & Training: Simulate engaging discussions between experts to facilitate comprehensive learning experiences, allowing students to absorb knowledge from diverse perspectives and thought processes. 🎓🤝🌍
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The possibilities with CamelAGI are as limitless as the expanse of the imagination. The era of AI collaboration is upon us, where agents can team up, brainstorm, and conquer tasks together. Prepare to witness the true potential of AI unfold before your eyes with CamelAGI. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in this transformative field! 🌟🚀🔥

Hi all, firstly apologies for any typos, I'm on mobile.
So myself and my partner have been together for 11 years, we have 4 children aged 12(f), 10(f), 3(m) and 20 months (m).
Do the maths and you'll work out the eldest isn't mine and this is the news we need to break.
She starts secondary school soon and there will be kids there from families that knew her biological father and we're keen she learns the truth from us first.
So I guess a bit of back story will help...my SO and the guy were together several years, he had a long term affair which came out only when my SO found out she was pregnant. He soon eloped and once the daughter was born my SO reached out to him and his family and was told by all to leave them alone. I come along 6 months later and raise her as my own and we grow as a family together, everything is good.
Our daughter thinks in a very black and white way but also suffers a little from anxiety. I'm very keen to not make it a huge deal and be very factual about it. We have several examples of other families we can discuss to clarify the situation and I'd like to approach it from a scientific way as he may be biological but I'm still your dad type thing.
Myself and SO have a difference of opinion and this is where I need some advice. My SO wants to tell the eldest first to give her space to digest and ask questions etc. before we tell the second eldest, the boys are too young to understand at this stage. I feel that approach may lead to the younger one feeling separated and not involved when the news actually does affect us all, albeit the eldest more. I also don't want it to drive a wedge between them and the older one to treat it as a 'my problem' type thing - siblings being siblings (pre teens more) they do bicker about who has it worst and everything needing to be fair etc.
So any advice or opinions on how we break this news?
It's causing a bit of friction to the point I'm almost at the stage of telling my SO to do it however she wants but I'm also very reluctant to allow it to just blow up into a huge storm.

What are the differences In perks between global go fest and the city specific event?

Both have the same spiral design and was just wondering if they're the same or different?

Please don't forget to check out the Official Subreddit Resource Guide.
Hi Folks,
"Does anyone else [experience this symptom]" is one of the most commonly asked questions on the sub, so this weekly sticky is to create a dedicated space for users to relate to each other and ask questions about questions they might have.
DPDR is, unfortunately, an under-researched disorder with many strange symptoms. As a result, its sufferers are often left between confused and experiencing a full-blown existential crisis. Symptoms may overlap and vary in intensity. "Keep in mind that two people might describe/interpret the same symptom (and its effect on their own functioning/cognition) very differently."
We just want to emphasize this thread, both questions and responses are completely subjective and not of a medical nature. If you haven't already, please try searching the sub (and "Symptom Question" flair) to see if your question has already been asked.

PREVIOUS
In the following week there was much work to be done. I left Eric in bed most mornings and had breakfast sent to my room for him. He needed time to recharge the energy in his leg so that he could walk properly again. That was never a specific limitation I imposed, it was simply that no magic is without limitations. Nothing is endlessly powerful, although some creatures come close.
It was the day after Eric returned that I received a letter from the enforcers and I opened it with trepidation. Only twice before had such a letter ever arrived, and neither of those times had I been the one to deal with it. Unfortunately for me, it stated that I was to meet with one of them in a very short time.
“Of course.” I muttered to myself. They’re an impatient species. When fae make plans it can take months, years or decades before we follow through with them, afterall time moves differently for us than most. But when the enforcers decide on something, it must happen immediately. I would hardly have the time to dress appropriately.
As it was I was still buttoning my vest as I left the castle grounds. Rarely do we permit other species to enter the castle, especially not when we are not familiar. Because of this there is a temple in the woods, just beyond the castle shield, that is a traditional place of negotiation.
I arrived shortly and trotted up the marble steps making no effort to conceal my presence. The temple was clean and well maintained, human monks are responsible for its upkeep. They are not more than a small group, but they understand well that we exist.
“You’re late.” an unfamiliar voice chastised me the moment I entered.
“I was given unreasonably short notice. It’s fortunate I saw fit to come at all.” I replied dryly. I hadn’t even told anyone where I was going, perhaps that wasn’t wise.
“Watch your mouth, Faeling. Where is Lazarus?” Ahead I could hardly make him out from the darkness of the temple. He was a dark, feathered creature hiding in the shadows with an array of glistening eyes and mass enough that the tips of his wings touched the ceiling.
“My father is no longer responsible for these territories.”
He paused for a moment, as if contemplating, “...Very well. Then you are the one responsible for maintaining discretion within your territory. As such, you should be aware of an incident on your northern boundary?”
“I’m afraid you will have to be more specific, the northern boundary is extensive.”
“Two from your castle attended the scene. A small town was decimated.”
My heart began to race, I hadn’t sent anyone out, so he must be referring to Eric and Charles. “Yes. I sent peacekeepers out to investigate, as per treaty laws; all instances of mass human interaction must be investigated and settled. There were no witnesses, and I have already begun implementing cover up steps.” I lied calmly.
“Are you aware of its cause?”
“...No.” I admitted reluctantly. If I were to lie in that instance, it would be easily disproved.
“So then it would seem you don’t know everything.”
“I have never claimed omniscience.”
He chuckled, it was a deep reverberation that rattled my vertebrae. “It seems the old ones have returned to the area. Ensure all matters regarding species confidentiality are handled appropriately, failure to do so will result in unpleasantries.”
“That is inequitable. We cannot be held responsible for the actions of another species.” I argued firmly.
“If they are on your lands, it is in your best interest to do so. Otherwise, we may have to investigate further into your operations, there’s no telling what we may find then.”
“All of Dunkel’s activities are within treaty terms. You are welcome to review the paperwork yourself, if you wish.”
“That won’t be necessary at this stage.” he replied calmly, “Keep a handle on your territory, little fae, or else.”
He vanished without allowing me the opportunity to respond. ‘Or else’, if I didn’t understand that it was a genuine threat I could have laughed at the irony of it. Gradually I realized I had been holding my breath, and I let it out slowly. It’s not often that I’m reminded how little my power is compared to ancient beings. The last time they were near was in 1926.
I only remember it because it happened close to the borders of Dunkel, and our father was concerned enough to visit. It seemed the old ones had been destroying towns haphazardly across the north, until they reached a mining town. For whatever reason they left a single witness alive, an elderly blind woman, and that broke treaty laws.
From what I was told, the family responsible was eliminated entirely in a single night. No man, woman or child was left. They were used to set an example. Before that the last time the enforcers needed to step in was the witch trials.
***
I returned to the castle quickly and began making arrangements immediately. The first step was to understand what human authorities knew of the matter and compulsion would grant me the records easily. Second, I needed to ensure the narrative of what happened was ‘nothing unusual’ as far as humans were concerned. That was easy enough, I sent out a small publicist team. They had handled such things before.
After that I sent word to all alliances, and more reluctantly a letter to my mother at Leúchtend. It was not because I wanted to speak with her. Rather that despite my personal grievances, she was still the current leader of our sister castle and needed to be informed regardless.
Next I needed to secure the borders of our lands better. We needed to know the moment something crossed the boundary, and for that I would need to coordinate with the spell writers. Although I was sure Tóru would be more than happy to express her skills, she almost never let it rest that she wished to do more.
Of course the additional work this incident created was only compounded onto my usual responsibilities. Infirmary reports, construction progress check in’s and permissions, maintenance and repair requests, deliveries and orders. I was grateful when my brother took care of the interpersonal requests, contracts, marriages and so forth.
However when the human interaction documents came in I was ready to quit. Reports from law cases, correspondence from the publicity team - Achaicus could have the castle. I almost didn’t care.
Admittedly most of it is as simple as signing it. Still it all at least needed to be read. It’s important that I know about everything that’s going on both inside and outside of the castle. Unfortunately, when I at last remembered the time I realized I had missed dinner, again.
I sighed, rubbing my eyes, the paperwork was never ending. I would have to come up with a better way of handling it. Achaicus had arranged all the documents so neatly that I couldn’t find anything anymore and I was sure I was going to be the first fae to need glasses at this point. Our eyes aren't designed to focus so close for so long.
“You missed dinner.” my brother commented as he came to stand in the doorway.
“I had realized as much.” I replied bitterly without looking over to him. So when he pushed aside the paperwork and set a plate down in front of me I was caught off guard. “Oh… Thank you.”
“Of course, if you starve, that means I have to take up all the paperwork again.”
“You don’t have to do anything, assign it to someone else, abandon the castle. You’ve got options.”
He ignored me, commenting instead. “You know you missed your appointment with Markos as well. And Jórn has been requesting and audience with you.”
“I’ll see Jórn tomorrow, that matter is unimportant.” I muttered, Markos was going to be pissed with me though.
“And your appointment?”
“I’m fine. I don’t even need it.”
Achaicus sighed exasperated, “Fine. What of your pet then?”
“What of him?”
“He didn’t make any appearances today, is he away?”
“No. He’s probably just still in my room.”
“Your room?”
“Yes, he sleeps there and he needs time to recover from his work.”
He was quiet for a moment, as if deciding something before he spoke more gently. “Brother-..” he began but I cut him off.
“Not you as well.” I groaned.
“Are you and he…?” he continued regardless of my objections.
“What does it matter?”
“If you prefer men-”
“I don’t prefer men.”
He rolled his eyes and I could tell he didn’t believe me. “Whatever, I don’t care what you prefer. However, you could have anyone you wished. Choose someone else, anyone else, choose a thousand others, Nathaniel, just not him.”
“What is it that you have against him? There was a time where you rather enjoyed his company.”
“I only enjoyed his company because he would drink with me without chastising me for it. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good person.”
“Tell me then, which one of us are ‘good’?”
“He will hurt you, and I cannot bear to see it.”
“Eric has never hurt me.”
“He will betray you.”
It was difficult to place the feelings of simultaneous irritation and pure astonishment that he would even dare speak to me about this. “He won’t.”
“How can you be certain? I implore you please, listen to reason. He has a thousand reasons to hate you and he is not the type to forgive.”
“I am certain because I know what betrayal looks like.” I stated coldly and my brother paused. I could see him connecting the meaning behind my words as I continued. “You betrayed me to father, several times. Do you not remember holding a blade to my throat? You wanted to kill me so badly I could see it in your eyes. I loved you most of anyone. When Father sent you away it hurt me so deeply most days I could hardly breathe, and when you returned all you felt for me was hatred. If you believe that didn’t break something in me you’re mistaken.”
“You know how deeply I regret that… You’re my brother, I could never hurt you.”
“That didn’t stop you from trying.”
“Brother I-”
I held up a hand to silence him, “It’s fine, it’s in the past. Which is entirely my point. I trust you regardless of your actions and your intent. It’s not men I like, it’s only him.”
“It’s not real, it’s a trickery.” he insisted, “Believe me, he can make you feel any way he wishes you to feel about him.”
“He’s just a man, how exactly do you believe he has any way of compelling me to feel anything about him?”
“Because I know it!” he exclaimed exasperated, “Because he has used the same charms on me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you remember the night you came to find him drinking with me?”
“Yes.” I answered simply. That had been the night Eric had kissed the palm of my hand.
“It was as if I were under a spell. I told him a great many things that not anyone but you or I knew. I told him how I had tried to kill you, and that we had switched. I told him how father killed Raisa and your manticore… I told him everything. I wanted to tell him. There is no natural reason for that, and before I knew it I was on the floor with him.”
“You and he slept together?”
“...No. He left before it got that far… I don’t know where he went from there.”
“Why did you not tell me of this before?” I muttered annoyed.
“Because he was not my property to be doing such things with… I feared you would be mad.”
“I am mad. You were so drunk you couldn’t keep from telling him secrets others were not meant to hear! What else did you tell him!?”
“N-nothing else…”
I felt ill. Those were things I never wished for anyone to know, especially not for Eric to know. “Get out.” I warned coldly. I was just like our father. When I was upset I wanted to hurt something and my temper was rising. As if I hadn’t dealt with enough things that day.
He left as requested and I chose to sleep in my office. Partly because I didn’t want to see Eric knowing what he knew about me, and secondarily because I didn't want to take my anger out on him. The amount of times I had almost hurt him previously were too numerous, how could I claim to have changed only to revert to the same behaviors?
***
In the time that followed I did my best to maintain a certain level of composure. Our mother, sister and two of our nieces arrived with their escorts not all that long after I had sent the letter. With them they brought word of more attacks near to their borders and with that information we were able to track a path downward from Leúchtend toward us.
“It’s almost as if they’re testing the line.” Alvíss commented looking over the map.
We had gathered in the war chambers to discuss the matter and had been doing so for some time. My brother and I sat across from one another while Markos, Alviss, Baltzar and Killian sat down the length of the table.
“Or they could just be traveling in that direction.” Baltzar countered. They had been politely disagreeing for hours, it was clear they didn’t like each other all that much.
“All this speculation is useless.” Markos spoke up at last. “If they are testing the borders, they would strike next beside the lake, if they are simply traveling south they should cut the corner toward the west boundary.”
“If I send guards toward the lake townships, and station look outs near the west border, would that be advisable?” I asked, trying not to sound as tired as I was.
“Yes, I believe that would be wise.” Alvíss agreed and Baltzar nodded. If they were in agreement, that was wonderful. Now this dreadful meeting could end.
Each day had been just as exhausting as the day the enforcer visited. My brother still treated me with unnecessarily apologetic behavior, though I had tried to assure him that it was days ago and I had already resolved it. There’s no point harboring unpleasant feelings and quite frankly, no time for it.
In the early mornings I trained with Charles, and in the afternoon I handled the paperwork. I received notification that Tougo wished to investigate the matter independently from us and I granted the request. While Sofie from the fae to the south replied with a curt letter stating that whatever our troubles she wished no part in our affairs. It was thankful that I heard nothing more from the enforcers at least.
Eric was still unable to find his cane and, after seeing how much distress it caused him to be unable to walk, I had Jórn make a simple wooden cane for him. It was not as fine as his original, nor did it hide a sword within it, but it was enough to settle his complaints.
Unfortunately that did not settle his mood of late. Since returning he had been particularly on edge. He woke in the night more than once sitting straight up in a cold sweat and instinctively reaching for his sword.
“Eric.” I complained groggily as he disturbed me. That was another reason I hardly slept, he could not make it through the night without waking and I had half a mind to order that he leave to his own room.
“Go back to sleep.” he muttered, pushing the hair back from his face as he gradually calmed.
“This happens too often.”
“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose.” he snapped back, irritated. Exhaustion was getting the better of him as well and it took everything in me not to give in to anger. Yet still he refused to tell me what was causing him such distress.
I allowed myself a moment to breathe out slowly before I pulled him closer to me, wrapping my forearm across his eyes as I did. “Nathaniel..” he complained half-heartedly trying to push my arm off before settling.
“Relax… nothing will harm you right now.”
“…You can’t know that..”
“But I do.” I assured, he was so warm against me and I was almost asleep again.
I couldn’t say how much time passed before he spoke again, “…Are you still awake?” He asked quietly. I thought I answered, however I must not have for he continued, “Do you think you could ever forgive me..?”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, or what he meant. I wasn’t even sure I had heard him speak, or if it was nothing more than a dream. However in the morning he was still beside me, and I assumed I must have misheard.
During the day he no longer attended training with Calla and Charles, instead he disappeared each morning until evening. I hadn’t asked him where he was as I was doing my best not to be so controlling, however, as far as I was aware, no one knew where he went.
Still he was in attendance at dinner each day, so I supposed he wasn’t going too far. Perhaps the most disturbing thing I noticed was that he didn’t speak to Calla, and she didn’t look in his direction. After dinner they went their separate ways and Eric no longer secretly took any additional sugar cubes from the table.
Of course I approached Calla about it. By this time it was clear something was wrong with Eric and it had gone on long enough that I needed to know, “Calla, might we have a word?”
“Yes.” She answered with a small curtsy, “How may I be of service?”
“What's going on between you and Eric?”
“Nothing.” That was a frustrating answer.
“Why are you not speaking to each other?”
“Because there is nothing to say.”
I got the feeling she was being purposefully blunt with me. It was almost rude, and it’s not often that Markos’s well trained doll acts out. “Is there nothing to say, or is it that you don’t want to talk to him?”
“It is both.”
“Why..?”
“He’s not who I thought he was. He cannot be trusted.” she stated simply. For Markos or Achaicus to say it was one thing, but for her to say it gave me pause.
“Did Markos ask you to say that to me?”
“No. May I be excused?” Her eyes met mine and I felt uncomfortable. I recognised the expression, pure deep anger, covered over by a complete lack of caring.
“Yes…” I agreed more softly and she left without another word.
I had enough on my plate, Eric somehow pissing Calla off wasn’t what I needed. Perhaps Charles would know better what was going on. Naturally he was the next person I tried to speak with. However I was interrupted as Jórn approached.
“Lord Nathaniel!” He greeted me in a jovial manner and far too loudly. He is slightly shorter than I, and well built from centuries of forgework. His hair is a long tangle of braids woven into one single larger braid down the length of his back. His eyes are deep purple, and he is older than most, perhaps my fathers age.
“That’s unnecessary.” I complained and he smiled
“I have completed the task you assigned me.”
“It was a request, not a task-”
He hardly allowed me the time to correct him before he presented two velvet boxes to me. I will admit the rings in them were beautiful. Rather traditional upon first glance they appeared to have a simple elegance, but as Jòrn insisted I look closer I noticed fine details.
The groom's ring was traditional; a single ring, with engravings on the inside and subtle textures across the surface. While the bride’s rings were a set of two intended to interconnect and had the same inscriptions.
“The diamond is natural, almost flawless, and all rings are made from the same gold nugget.” He began explaining eagerly, “You can see here, the tiniest inscription for the spell. So long as there is love in their hearts for the other the rings will remain a comfortable warmth and if there is deceit in the union the rings will turn ice cold. Are they to your liking?”
“You’ve outdone yourself.” I assured, of course I realized by now he wanted praise.
“I’m sure your lady will be very pleased. I’ll admit I had heard no word that you were with anyone. Can we expect a wedding? Children?”
I couldn’t help but smile tightly. He was fishing for information, I knew it well and it was exactly why I disliked speaking to others. “They are in fact not for me. But I appreciate the time and effort you put into them nonetheless.”
“Who are they for then?” He demanded more irritably.
“A close friend of mine. I’m sure you will learn who in a short time.”
He folded his arms unhappily. Jórn values tradition and has worked at Dunkel for several centuries. Like many of the older generation he is irritatingly nosy and dislikes being incorrect in his assumptions.
“Fine. They had better admire my work.” he grumbled disapprovingly.
“I’m certain they will be able to appreciate it even better than I. Thank you.”
Jórn nodded gruffly before allowing me peace. Claire was going to owe me doubly for that.
I found the time to give the rings to Miss Walsh shortly after receiving them and did so by dropping the boxes on the table beside her. Just as she had dumped herself on me when she asked I have them made. Initially she looked up from her sewing confused, then seemed to understand and a broad smile spread across her face.
“Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!” she half stood, reaching up without hesitation to wrap her arms around my neck and pull me into an uncomfortable hug.
I suppose I should have expected as much by now as I struggled to push her off. “Claire-” I began disgruntled but when she kissed my cheek I froze.
“Thank you so much Nathaniel, you’re a gem.”
“Please control yourself.” I muttered in response and she gradually let go of me.
“I’m not sorry, oh, and I haven't forgotten I know I owe you one now. Ahhh just nothing, like, horrible yeah?”
“I never agreed to that.”
“Well, if it’s horrible I’ll defer your favor.”
“That’s not permitted.”
“Did you put it in writing?” she countered and I clicked my tongue in annoyance. She’d spent far too much time with Markos it seemed. However, with my silence she continued. “Do you think he’ll say yes?”
“How should I know?”
“You’re friends aren’t you? You talk? Does he ever say anything about me?”
“No, usually he prefers to scold me instead.”
“That’s just because he loves you.”
“Yeah, alright. Don't lose your rings.” I muttered dismissively. Her endless cheer was simultaneously irritating and becoming. Whatever she thought, whatever emotion she felt it all poured out of her without any filter. I supposed she was good for Markos in that way, no way he could mistake anything she wanted or needed with his overthinking.
[NEXT]()
Chapter List
I'm waayyyy too nice this week.

I'm not sure how, but I managed to get scammed while using goods and services.
I bought a camera lens on facebook marketplace for $1200 using goods and services; the deal was very good, and my excitement over it made me overlook some red flags.
Red flag #1 - the seller had no issues accepting paypal goods and services, didn't argue when I negotiated a lower price, and didn't make me pay the fee or shipping
Red flag #2 - the seller's name on paypal was different than their FB name
Red flag #3 - after the transaction went through, the seller asked me to forward them a copy of the transaction confirmation email.
I'm not sure how, but the seller immediately filed a dispute on the claim under my name stating that the item hadn't been received. I can only assume they did this using the email I forwarded them. I then closed the dispute, as it was the same day, and I wasn't worried about the item not being shipped as it couldn't have yet. The seller provided me with a tracking number the next day and all seemed well.
The tracking number shows the item as having been delivered yesterday, but nothing was delivered. I tried to contact the seller, but they blocked me on FB, deleted the original listing, and I can't contact them through paypal. When. I reached out to paypal, they said that since the case was closed, it can't be reopened or escalated to a dispute for any reason and said that I should contact my bank to initiate a chargeback, and that they'd work with my bank.
I use my debit card with citibank to back up my paypal, and citibank told me that since I'd authorized the charge, there was nothing they could do. It feels like I'm stuck between both sides here, does the scammer win or do I have any recourse?

The action takes place in Poland. Robert is a 28 yo happily married man. He works as a pe teacher in a public primary school. Suddenly he finds out that his wife is cheating on him. During the divorce he claims the apartment but his ex-wife claims their car (they only had one). The rumor starts in the school he teaches in that he was the one cheating. Experiencing hate in his workplace, he decides to change the job. He finds an offer from a tiny private school. It already has one pe teacher, but they need another one. Everything is going ok in his new workplace, until he has to give his first lesson with the other pe teacher, Sebastian. They turn out to have completly different views on how to teach. Robert doesn't go easy on his students, and prioritizez self-defence. Sebastian prefers lighter more health-focused exercises. But the more they argue, the more unexpected feelings appear in Robert, and the weirder Sebastian acts around him. So Robert has a decision to make: should he trust his feelings for Sebastian or should he thing logically and avoid another heartbreak? He chooses the first oprion. The plan is simple: he invites the other man to a coffee shop to talk about the conflict between the two, but instead he confeses his love for him. But before he can do it, there's an unexpected situation. They have a swimming lesson, when a student begins to drown. Sebastian saves her, and when he changes, Robert notices weird scars on his chest. When he googles it, he finds out they are scars left after top surgery, witch means Sebastian is trans. While Robert knew he was bi since secondary school, he doesn't understand or accept trans people. He separates from Sebastian, barely even talking to him during shared lessons. He doesn't last like this for long though. Soon he starts doing research about trans people and after a week or two he finds himself understanding the topic more and more. Finally, he finds the courage to go back to his previous plan. During the meeting in the coffee shop, he confesses his feelings for Sebastian, the other man isn't sure though. He does have a crush on Robert, but since they teach in the same school, he things it's a bad idea to start a relationship. Robert doesn't care though, so he invites Sebastian to his place and says, that he'll make him sure. Y'all know what happens next ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ). So yeah, they start a relationship, but they agree to go on they own pace and most importanyly keep it a secret. But after some time they get caught. Since Robert doesn't have a car and since the divorce he was commuting by the bus, Sebastian agrees to drive him to work. One day when he gives Robert a kiss goodbye, someone takes a picture and shows it to the school superior. She gives the men an ultimatum: one of them is fired or them both. Robert tries to encourage Sebastian to quit the job on their own and succeeds. They take part time jobs for the time they are thinking about what to do in their futures. Finally they agree on a crazy idea: they're gonna open their own lgbtq-friendly school. OMG thanks for reading!!! I'm open to any suggestions or criticism.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
  
• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /ModCoord.
  
• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
  
• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.
  

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /ModCoord
  
• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /ModCoord.
  

Thank you for your patience in the matter,
-Mod Team