Pain to touch behind right ear

Hello everyone I finally had a danny dream and wanted to share it. In the dream i was at some hotel with my friends and there was a balcony outside but there was a massive "spider" and my friend went up to it and said " its not a spider... it has 10 legs" he went to kill it and then off from the roof above danny jumped out of the darkness and said "dont touch my LOVER" and then stabbed my friend to death. I dont remember much after that as dreams are hard to remember perfectly but I distinctly remeber right before I woke up he was in my face smiling and I woke up hyperventalating in the middle of the night.
Btw i didnt make this clear but when he said dont touch my lover he said it with a wierd voice. It sounded like kurtis doing a crazy voice but distorted.

Hey everyone!
I’m in a somewhat unique situation. I bought my current house 2.5 years ago in a somewhat developing area with a 3.5% interest rate. It was a good price for a solid house, and the value has gone up quite a bit and I’ve made a lot of upgrades (brand new appliances, brand new AC and Hot Water heater).
The problem is, that I’m in a decently high crime area. It’s starting to make me very frustrated when there are a lot of car break ins, drug deals right behind my fence and loud noises all times of day. I’m in a gated section so the risk of crime inside is low, but my fence faces a giant parking lot and it stresses me the hell out. I’m an avid runner and I love to go out for a run and I haven’t been able to do so for years without getting in my car and driving somewhere. My girlfriend who I’ve been dating for 6 months (and who I plan to marry) says she feels unsafe in my area and I don’t blame her; I don’t even want to walk around. I used to travel 180+ days a year so I wasn’t super bothered before, but now that I’m home all the time I have started to hate it.
Me and her aren’t ready to move in yet; we’ve talked about this, and we want to eventually buy a house together, but she’s still under her rent contract for at least another year and a few months. But I am sick of my house now and the whole area. Stuff breaks down and I have to go and fix it all the time to where it’s very annoying.
My thought is I can sell my house now, invest the money in a HYSA or index fund, rent for a year in a better area (for likely less than my mortgage since I will not need nearly as much space) and then a year and a half from now be able to buy a house with my girlfriend.
I’ve heard from people this is a stupid idea and once you’ve bought a house you shouldn’t rent again, but it would do wonders for my mental health in the now and make it a smooth transition to move in together later.

🎵 “The Frozen Miracle” 🎵
(Verse 1) In the heart of icy silence, where the southern winds converge, A city lost to time and frost, where ancient secrets surge. Antarctica, veiled in white, its glaciers whisper tales, And there, one dawn, a figure stood, where frost and sunlight trails.
(Pre-Chorus) His footsteps left no trace behind, no prints upon the snow, Yet hearts of those who saw Him there would forever glow. Jesus, risen from the tomb, His wounds now scars of light, Came to this frozen wilderness, where day and night unite.
(Chorus) Oh, the frozen miracle, where faith and frost entwine, In an ancient city’s ruins, where hope and love define. He walked among forgotten stones, His presence like a flame, In Antarctica’s hidden heart, Jesus whispered each soul’s name.
(Verse 2) The penguins paused their waddling dance, the seals raised curious eyes, As Jesus spoke of grace and love beneath the polar skies. He touched the ice with nail-scarred hands, and glaciers sighed in awe, For here, redemption’s story played out on frozen shores.
(Pre-Chorus) The ancient city’s crumbling walls bore witness to His grace, As Jesus shared the mysteries of life beyond death’s embrace. The auroras danced above, a celestial symphony, And hearts thawed in His presence, warmed by eternity.
(Chorus) Oh, the frozen miracle, where faith and frost entwine, In an ancient city’s ruins, where hope and love define. He walked among forgotten stones, His presence like a flame, In Antarctica’s hidden heart, Jesus whispered each soul’s name.
(Bridge) The whales sang hymns of resurrection, their voices echoing far, While albatrosses circled high, bearing witness to this star. The icebergs leaned in closer, as if to catch His words, And seals gathered on icy cliffs, their eyes like liquid pearls.
(Chorus) Oh, the frozen miracle, where faith and frost entwine, In an ancient city’s ruins, where hope and love define. He walked among forgotten stones, His presence like a flame, In Antarctica’s hidden heart, Jesus whispered each soul’s name.
(Outro) And when the sun dipped low, and shadows stretched across the ice, He vanished like a fleeting dream, leaving hearts both warm and wise. The ancient city held its breath, its secrets now complete, For Jesus had graced its frozen streets, making eternity sweet. 🌟
Inspired by Luke 24:36-491 and the wonder of an imagined encounter in the icy heart of Antarctica. 🌏❄️

Let me begin by saying that I’ve been pretty healthy for most of my life. My first real health scare came in 2021 when I was diagnosed with Covid pneumonia and had to spend 5 days in the hospital. They gave me remdezevir and nightly stomach shots so that I wouldn’t get blood clots from the meds. Then, In November of 2023 I was diagnosed with diverticulitis after a CT scan revealed the infection. The night before I noticed unusual swelling in my rib cage that wrapped around the left side towards my back. I remember the pain actually started in the center of my spine about 2 months prior to going to the emergency room. It felt like a burning sensation and sometimes it would twinge. I mentioned that to my primary care physician and she ordered an X-ray of my rib cage. All was normal. Two weeks later I had my colonoscopy and all came back clear. No divirticulitis but I still didn’t feel good. In January 2024 I asked my gastroenterologist if he could do an upper GI. He went one step further and ordered an ultrasound too. In February 2024 I was also diagnosed with Gastritis and IBS. In March of 2024 I thought I had a dv flare up and ended up in the emergency room but the dr said no flare up just gastritis and gave me some pantaprazile. Here we are now May 2024 and I still feel terrible. Nausea mainly in the morning , not feeling rested, and still with stomach pains but now the pain has spread to my legs, arms , and ribs. Today I was holding a gallon of milk in my right hand and felt a pain in my middle finger. I can’t really move it now without having pain. Not only have I lost like 30 lbs since November but my Dr has refused to send me a referral to the endocrinologist because my weight has remained constant for a month. Even though my blood work was supposedly normal there were some irregularities like an amnion gap below 4 and high neutrophils and low lymphocytes. I feel like even though I know I have these three illnesses I feel like I’m not getting a full diagnosis. I’m constantly having a new pains in my body not related to the GI. I’ve had insomnia, eye pains, unexplained swelling/pain in my mouth, face, nose, jaw, neck, throat,chest, arms, legs, joints, testicles. I can honestly say I feel pain in just about every part of my body. I feel like I’m falling apart and Im half the man I use to be. 49 years old but I feel like I’m 79. I’m not able to stand for too long without feeling pain and fatigue. I can’t wear a belt because it feels painfully uncomfortable around my waist. Sound , especially in the morning is annoying. I hate wearing socks because it hurts my legs. It takes a lot of energy out of me to even do the simplest things. I use to enjoy mowing my lawn but now it’s impossible to complete. Ib guard has become my best friend as I find that is the only med that gives me relief besides ibuprofen and aleve. I just find it hard to believe that my health can diteriurate so fast in such as a short time. So many days I ask God to take the pain away and to make me feel like I use to feel, Alive!!!. Every day is a constant battle of mind , body and soul. If anyone else feels similar or would like to share their story I’m all ears. Maybe if enough of us share our stories we can find some type of therapy in the words and hopefully we can also find what we are all looking for ….peace , hope, health, and a normal life again.

I am 22 female and around 3 months ago my right boob in the area between the boob and my armpit started to hurt. My grandma and her sister both had breast cancer so I am really scared. 3 months ago the male doctor that did an ultrasound examination said there were only some harmless cysts on my right boob and the pain was caused by that, he said there is nothing to worry about, he also said the pain is caused due to my period coming soon. However after 3 months the pain is still there, all days during my cycle, and that is not normal, in addition my right boob has become a bit bigger and also very hard on the inside. It wasn’t like that before. It hurts all the time especially when I touch that specific area on the side. I have another appointment with a different doctor that after examining my boob they put me for another ultrasound, I hoped they would do mammogram or MRI. I need to push them to do that after my ultrasound exam, I want to be 100% sure it is nothing. I am scared it could be IBC since I also noticed my right boob has become more veiny, as well it feels heavier and very hard. Should I be this scared?

I've had a large cyst in my right breast that I've been worried about since last year. I've had multiple mammograms and ultrasounds of it and have been told it's a simple cyst, nothing to worry about.
In March I started to have bleeding from my right nipple and the cyst became extremely painful so my doctor sent me for another ultrasound, which I was told was normal (again) and the radiologist recommended draining the cyst.
I had the cyst drained for the first time on April 22 of this year, but it seemed to immediately refill; there was still a big, hard lump like it hadn't been drained at all. 2 weeks after the procedure this hadn't changed, so I went back for another ultrasound. The radiologist said the cyst had filled with blood after being drained the first time and recommended draining it again.
I had it drained for the 2nd time last week (May 23) and a different doctor did the procedure. While she was draining it she looked at the ultrasound and said it seemed to be refilling with fluid while she was still draining it, and so she took a biopsy of the area around the cyst and put in a titanium marker.
I got the biopsy results today and they told me I have a complex sclerosing lesion (radial scar) in the area where the cyst was drained and that it will have to be surgically removed because it can develop into cancer.
I'm terrified.
What started off as something I was told is just a simple cyst is actually something that can become cancer? WTF?
I have an appointment to meet with a breast surgeon next week, but I'm freaking out. Has anyone else had something like this happen?
Does anyone know what the surgery and recovery is like for this? Can the surgery be done with just local anesthetic? I'm really worried because there's no one I could really rely on to drive me home from the hospital if I have to have general anesthesia, and my experience with general anesthesia overall has been really bad anyway. I'm also self-employed with no PTO so every day I'm not working is a huge hit to my income that I can't afford right now.
Any helpful advice is welcome; I really don't know how I'm going to hold it together and get through the next week until I meet with the surgeon.

Touched 100 qns at roughly the 2hr mark and exam ended.
I did more than 2000+ qns from learnzapp, 50 hard cissp questions video from youtube, osg and other internet sources.
However i was still shocked by the questions, especially the first 50. I really had no clue or confidence as to what were the right answers, similar to the other test takers here.
What i understd from reading the isc2 exam guide several times:
First 100 questions, 25 are unscored. The passing mark is around 70%. So you need to get about 53 questions correct in the first 100 questions. If you fail to you continue up till 150.
So exam taking tip: don’t panic. Keep reading the question and answers, 2-3 times and decide on the answer. Dont worry too much about the time: this exam is not about finishing all 150 qns in 3 hrs.
Pay close attention to words like ‘prevent’,’most’,’best’ and things like ‘security’,’cost’ in selecting the best relevant ans. I tried to adhere to the think like a manager mindset but its tough with the vague ans and limited time.
Resources used: -osg (just read key areas like osi, incident mgt, encryption, firewalls) -cbok (similar) -learnzapp (73% preparedness) -Internet sourced questions - destcert audio files, mindmaps and question app
Anyway just glad its over and all the best to the rest taking the exam!

Hi I am 19 year old white male. I weigh 175 lbs and I am active. I smoke occasionally and have had no prior medical history. I have recently been feeling a lump about 1 inch under my eye where my cheek meets my nose. I have been feeling this bump or lump for at least 2 weeks and it has not changed in any way. It is hard and doesn’t move under my skin and it is not painful to the touch. I am asking for what it may be because I do not have any medical insurance and I am not sure how worried I should be over it. It is half of a pea size and is invisible until you feel it. I am wondering if anyone knows what it may be.

Cover Art!
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 217] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 219 June 11 or see the next chapter now on Patreon]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
***
Ginger makes an offer to Lakadara. The rest of Telkandra's remaining brood discuss the fate of their allies.
“Not good?” Sara asked as Helias strode into the tent and made his way straight to the bottle of wine.
“Not good,” Helias muttered.
Sara nodded woodenly. “Privacy spell?
The tauroll waved his sheathed Fangroar and after pouring himself and his wife a drink, sat down. “We’re safe. Oh Galena, this is really not good.”
“How dead are we?” Sara asked, her tone light.
“We’re not dead. We’re just in a lot of danger and even if we somehow force the humans to retreat, we’ve lost this war,” said Helias.
“Explain.”
Helias drank deep, noting that Sara was also drinking deep as well. “Thorgoth is going after the humans. That part of the plan is as good as it gets. We’ll be attacking them, and using the dragons, whilst our forces hold off Titania. Our objectives are also well-chosen.” Helias buried his head into his hands and let out a deep groan. “But winning this doesn’t change anything.”
“If we can defeat the humans, why won’t that change anything?” Sara bit her lip. “Unless it renders us unable to beat Titania?”
“Yes. Even on the chance we beat the humans we won’t be able to invade them, we won’t be able to defeat Titania. We’d be at a stalemate and both armies would have to withdraw.” His hands dropping to the table, Helias stared at his wife. “And we don’t have any reserves left. We’re going to lose the war, even if Thorgoth lives.”
“If we defeat the humans—”
The general shook his head. “By defeat, I mean we’ll hurt them but we can’t prevent them from withdrawing. We might kill a few of their leaders, their important mages and Otherworlders, but they will still have soldiers. After coming so close, they won’t surrender. They’ll keep attacking until they kill enough of Thorgoth and Berengaria’s supporters that nobody will help them, or until both of them die.”
“Alright so, what do we do?” Sara asked. Helias looked at his wife, noting how still she sat. Her wings were clamped tight to her back and her lips were drawn tight.
“Sara, I don’t have good answers.”
Sara steepled her trembling fingers as best she could. “They’re going to be better than mine. I don’t know anything about war.”
“Right. Well, you need to surrender to the humans if you are captured. Present yourself as a non-combatant. Cry, scream, anything to declare that you don’t mean any harm,” Helias said.
“Why not Titania?” Sara asked.
“She has every incentive to kill you off and far less compunction about doing so. Killing our family off would allow her to have more land to give away to her loyalists. In contrast, the humans have Erlenberg troops fighting with them along with those of the Lightning Battalion. They’re going to be far more friendly to Alavari civilians,” Helias said.
Soft hands, grabbed onto Helias’s waist with a surprisingly firm grip. “What about you? I can get away, but how are you going to survive this?”
“I don’t know. I—”
“Don’t you dare! Our daughter needs her father and I need my husband!”
The general stared at his wife. “Sara, I can’t surrender to the humans if we win. They want me dead.”
Sara refilled Helias’s glass. “Then you need to help Thorgoth defeat them.”
“Then what? We’re never winning this war. Thorgoth is going to be invaded and—”
Cutting him off with the clink of her goblet against the table, Sara hissed, “And what? Why think that far? We can plan for that after this battle, so long as you are still here and with me.”
Letting out a breath Helias pushed his hair back and allowed himself a sigh. Reaching across the table, he took his wife’s hand.
“Sara, you’re right, but you know you can escape this if Thorgoth is defeated.”
The harorc placed her other hand on top of his. “We’re partners. I need you. We need you. So promise me that you’ll do your damndest to live.”
Helias closed his eyes and nodded. “I promise. First things first, before we turn in we need to talk to the dragons.”
***
Fennokra stalked slowly toward the camp. This wasn’t the collapsed side-passage where she and Yolandra had some privacy. This was the main camp where Thorgoth and their army were preparing for what had to be the final battle.
It was also where her siblings were swallowing the last of what seemed to be a side of salted pork.
“Velkandra, Makentra, we need to talk.”
Their second-eldest sister licked her lips, her neck rising to Fennokra’s level. “I am assuming you mean in private?”
“Of course.” Fennokra could see Velkandra’s haunches tensing to raise herself higher. Her sister was trying to look down on her. Allowing her head to dip, she held her height.
“Alright.” Velkandra flicked her tail and Makentra, licking his lips, followed them.
Since their enemies had set up their siege camp behind them, the Alavari camp had been reduced in size. Still, there was the alcove of the collapsed tunnel. Whilst couriers and soldiers crossed across this natural cavern to the defenses on the other side, they kept a good distance away.
Yolandra was waiting for them, scratching something into the cave wall. Fennokra let out a rumble in her throat and her sister turned from the wall suddenly, shaking her head.
“Velkandra, Mankentra—”
Velkandra puffed a cloud of smoke out. “What’s this all about?” she hissed, lips drawn back to show teeth.
Fennokra took a step away from her sister to take Yolandra’s side, her eyes narrowed. “Are you joking? Do you not think we should at least discuss what is going on?”
“And what would be the point? It is a bit late to be having this discussion. The course of the winds have been chosen,” said Velkandra.
Yolandra rose to her full height on her four legs, but even so she was still shorter than the silent Makendra. “The winds can be fickle, Velkandra, and where we are is proof.”
Velkandra pursed her lips, eyes for the first time, looking toward the ground. “The survival of our family is tied to that of Thorgoth. To abandon him would be death by the hand of the Stormcaller and her allies or by his hand.”
“Besides, if we were to abandon Thorgoth’s cause, that would be dishonorable. We promised to assist him,” said Makendra.
Fennokra blinked at her brother’s tone. It was quiet and yet there was a touch of a deep growl to his voice. His claws were ever so slightly digging into the ground.
“We are dragons. We can think and make decisions for ourselves. We are allowed to consider other options, are we not?” Fennokra asked.
Velkandra’s tail flicked violently side to side as her neck turned to her younger sibling. “Then why does it sound as if you wish to follow in the wingbeats of our elder sister?”
“Who we killed. I was there. I lost a claw striking her down!” Fennokra raised one clawed hand, flexing the remaining digits.
“On that, why did we have to kill Lakadara?”
All golden eyes fixed on Yolandra, who held the gaze of her siblings with a contemptuous scowl.
“Lakadara betrayed us,” said Velkandra, almost growling.
“I’ve been thinking over what happened. Lakadara said nothing about betraying our mother. She merely was questioning if Thorgoth was trustworthy,” Yolandra said.
A scowl flaring his nostrils, Makentra growled. “He fed us, trained us in how the humans and their allies fought. Hid us from their eyes—”
“And now Caldra is dead!” Yolandra exclaimed.
“Which is why we must kill the Stormcaller and her friends! So we can avenge him and our mother!” Velkandra almost completely unfurled her wings. Only the tips slapping the stone forced her to pull them back.
“Then what?” Yolandra asked.
Velkandra frowned. “Then what? We’d have our revenge—”
Yolandra’s tail cracked against the ground. “Then what? You all must have heard of what Thorgoth is capable of. What he’s done to others.”
Makentra rolled his eyes. “Sara’s story is just a story. She might have been just trying to turn you.”
“She was honest and she is not the only tale I’ve heard. You must have heard rumors of what Thorgoth did to his own son, Teutobal,” said Fennokra.
“Propaganda,” Velkandra hissed through her gritted teeth, while smoke wafted through the gaps. “In any case, we have no other option. We fight or we die.”
Fennokra, her claws grinding against the floor, had had enough.
“Velkandra, Makentra, have you ever considered that Thorgoth is perhaps using us for his own goals? We have not even considered what he might do to us after we’ve destroyed the humans and their allies. How do we know the Stormcaller and her allies might treat us better? Besides in the first place, she never intended to kill our mother—”
Fennokra blinked. She was flying backwards, something hard was bearing her into the wall. Dizzy as if struck by one of the Stormcaller’s spells, she realized that the force was the foreclaws of her elder sister. Mad rage lit those golden eyes that were the exact same shade as hers. Horrified, Fennokra tried to throw Velkandra off, but her sister was larger and heavier than her.
“Say that again. I dare you to say that again—ARGH!”
Velkandra rolled off, forced off of Fennokra by the Yolandra shoving into her side. As the elder dragon recovered, the smallest of Telkandra’s brood hissed, “It’s the truth! You are a fool to deny it!”
An ugly sneer on her lips, wings quivering with fury, Velkandra snorted. “The truth? Oh right so we are speaking the truth then. Well here’s the truth. Our kind is doomed!”
Makentra blinked. “Sister?”
“Of course Thorgoth is going to get rid of us or try to after this campaign. He has to, but right now he needs us and that’s what we need to rely on until we gain more strength. Of course, whether he wins or the Stormcaller’s allies win, how can we expect to survive in a world dominated by these lesser species hm? How could they ever not see us as a threat?”
Velkandra stalked toward the wide-eyed Fennokra and Yoandra. Her head turned side to side as she fixed her sisters with wild wide eyes.
“Well? Tell me Fennokra. Speak the truth Yolandra. Or are you both too afraid to admit that our kind are doomed and the only thing is to live as long as we can and hopefully avenge those that hurt us as we do so.”
“You’d have us fly to our deaths?” Makentra asked.
The stammering voice brought Velkandra around. Extending a wing, she touched its tip to her brother’s. “I would at least have us fly together.”
Fennokra shook her head. “We’d knowingly fly with a murderer of children and someone who would want to kill us after we’ve stopped being helpful to him.”
“And we have no other options,” said Makentra. Letting out a breath, he rose to his claws and walked away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sisters.”
Velkandra, without another word, turned for the exit. “You know it’s true, Fennokra, Yolandra.”
Fennokra closed her eyes. Yolandra, though, narrowed hers. “Doesn’t change that Lakadra’s blood is on our claws.”
Velkandra flinched and left. She strode away so quickly she nearly stepped on Helias and Sara as they came to the cave. She gave the pair no acknowledgement other than a growl.
“See you tomorrow, General,” said Makentra, his tone curt. “We will talk to King Thorgoth ourselves for the plan’s details.”
“Of course,” said Helias. He bowed as the pair left before turning to Yolandra and Fennokra. “I believe we missed something important?”
“Be honest, General Helias. Even if we succeed tomorrow, your king has no use for us after we help him kill the Stormcaller, am I correct?” Fennokra asked.
Sara and Helias didn’t say anything. Their slight move to stand closer so they could hold hands was enough.
“I thought so,” said Fennokra. She let out a sigh and glanced at Yolandra, who nodded. “We will be on the battlefield tomorrow. Where are we going?”
“You’re going with me. We’re attacking the forces sallying from Kairon-Aoun. The plan is that you dragons breathe flame over their army to soften them before we attack.
“Understood. Any questions Fennokra?” Yolandra asked.
Fennokra shook her head. What could be asked anyway?”
Yolandra flashed the pair a joyless smile. “For what it is worth, you two have been good caretakers to us. Even if it was to preserve your own lives.”
Helias didn’t bow. Instead he extended a hand. Yolandra stared at him, but Fennokra, recognizing the gesture, extended a single talon.
“May you always be able to see the sun.” At the dragon’s blink, Helias smiled. “It’s an Alavari saying. It may come from when we used to be enslaved by the Goblin Empire. It means good luck.”
Yolandra nodded and Fennokra found herself smiling.
“Our mother taught us a saying as well. May you never fly alone. I wish that for you both,” said Fennokra.
“Thank you,” said Sara in a quiet voice. She curtsied and the two dragons dipped their heads. They watched Helias and Sara leave with placid smiles.
Then, when nobody was looking, they turned from the entrance to hide their bulks as best they could. The gloomy light of the alcove their only curtain of privacy.
***
Frances slowed slightly as they approached Lakadara’s enclosure. However, Ginger did not slow down.
“Hold on, Ginger, what’s the plan?” Frances asked.
Adjusting her new crown mid-stride, Ginger said, “I’ll show you. I’m certain it’ll work, though.”
Frances’ eyebrows rose. “Is that crown getting to your head already?”
The new Queen of Erisdale flashed a slightly nervous grin over her shoulder. “Yes actually, but I think that’s a good thing in some way. Don’t you?”
Frances found herself nodding. It was strange to see her friend even more confident than usual and so comfortable in the regal crown that she wore atop of a standard Lightning Battalion light blue uniform. Yet she rather enjoyed the new gait that Ginger had.
“I do.” Frances smirked. “Your Majesty.”
Ginger rolled her eyes. “Fuck you.”
Giggling, Frances stopped herself as they drew even closer to Lakadara. The dragon was drawing herself up, placing her massive foreclaws over each other.
“Lakadara. I am Ginger, the new Queen of Erisdale. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
The dragon coughed, blowing out a puff of smoke. “Greetings Ginger, Queen of Erisdale. I’m sorry for your predecessor’s demise.” Lakadara’s golden eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”
Ginger dipped her head. “Thank you and as to why I’m here. I have a proposition. If you accept it, I will grant you and your kin, the domain of the Erisdalian mountains marked by the Kwent River Valley, Freeburg and Athelda-Aoun as your home in perpetuity, so long as you do not attack humans unless in self-defense.”
“I am unfamiliar with human geography. From the Stormcaller’s expression, I assume that is a lot.”
Frances swallowed and closed her mouth, but she didn’t question her friend. Ginger, still smiling slyly, nudged her. “It is. Frances, can you lend me a hand here?”
Nodding, Frances closed her eyes and imagined a rough map of Erisdale and its territories. With a wave of Ivy’s Sting she created an image of Erisdale, highlighting in red the expanse of the mountains that bordered Alavaria and Erisdale. The area that Ginger had described sketched a rough red triangle between the three points. It was a fairly sizeable area with a low and Alavari human population.
“My husband is in negotiations with Queen Titania and I’ll have to talk to Frances and Prince Timur, but we are quite certain that Athelda-Aoun will also be included in this area,” Ginger said.
Lakadara’s golden eyes were flickering as she examined the land. Suddenly, she turned, long neck arching toward the Erisdalian Queen. “And what must I do? Fight on your kingdom’s behalf?”
Ginger shook her head. “No.”
“No?”
“Nope. If you would like to do so we can renegotiate the agreement, but my husband and I fully intend to grant you this land.”
The dragon’s tail lifted up as her eyes narrowed. “Explain yourself and the favor you seek. This is far too generous.”
“Let me explain myself first. If what I’m told by my experts is correct, you can lay eggs by yourself without a mate, but it takes time right? A few decades?”
“Yes. Still, that doesn’t explain—”
“Here me out. This war is going to end. We may lose, but if we win, banishing you to the north is making you Queen Titania’s problem and she’ll have more than enough problems to deal with. You might just end up coming south again and we know how that ended. I’d prefer to avoid that so that means we need to make an agreement. You need a new home and I need peace for Erisdale. If the kingdom has to give up some poor agricultural land then I’m all for it.”
The dragon nodded. “I see, but why so much land? Why not just give me a cave? Or request my service as Thorgoth did?”
“And how will you eat? Hunt? Where will your grown children go? I’m making an agreement that will last for decades, not just a few years. As for service? I was tempted, but you wouldn’t agree to that anyway and why should you? We haven’t given you any reason to agree.” Ginger gave Frances a wave to dispel the map. “Maybe in the future we can work something out, especially if the dragon population increases. Your service in return for more food, but again, I want to start us off on the right path, not the left path.”
“Left path?” Lakadara asked.
“Erisdalian expression. It means the wrong path,” Frances said helpfully.
Lakadara nodded slowly. “You still ask for a boon, though.”
Ginger nodded. “Yes. I want you to speak to your siblings. Before the upcoming battle starts, tell them of my deal with you. So long as they choose to accept that deal and defect, then I will have it so our forces will not hurt them. After that, you may leave. I will not request you to fight with us.”
“You want me to show myself to Thorgoth? To the siblings that tried to kill me?” Lakadara asked, mouth agape.
Ginger stepped closer to the dragon, who lifted her head away from the queen. “I want you to save your siblings. I want you to save yourself from becoming the last purple dragon in existence. I would rather you not be alone, stewing in hatred for my kingdom and our allies who brought down your family, even if we had just cause. I want peace. What do you want?”
“How do I know I can trust you?” The dragon suddenly grimaced. “Ah, right, you want a lasting peace. You have every reason to want peace.”
Ginger, arms crossed tapped her foot. Frances could see how stiff her friend was, but the action was also comforting. That her magic-less friend had such control over the situation, despite being faced with the dragon was rather…badass.
Letting out a puff of smoke that slowly drifted into the cavern, the dragon pondered the queen’s proposal. Frances held her breath and yet the dragon remained silent, only her tail moving from side to side.
Ginger waited, still content to wait for the dragon’s answer. Frances couldn’t. The tension coiled in her chest, waiting to explode.
“Lakadara, what do you want for your future?” Frances asked.
The dragon glanced at Frances, golden eyes wide. She turned back to Ginger, who continued to stand tall, awaiting Lakadara’s answer patiently.
“I accept your offer, and your promise for the future,” said Lakadara, dipping her head.
“We are glad that you wish the same as we do,” said Ginger. She extended her hand and Lakadara, took her claw and put the tip of it on the queen’s palm.
*Author’s Note: Queenly Ginger was really neat to write 😀 *

I (19m) think I’m scared to grow older. Sorry this will be a little rant, I just have to get this off my chest so tune in.
All throughout my life my parents were emotionally abusive and there were many mental issues I had to face. I been put down a lot and oftentimes just felt unloved and unseen. That made me live through some tough times but since a few years I got better and better and by now I would say I’m emotionally healed. I don’t know how I feel about my family, but that’s okay I still got time to figure that out one day. However, every now and then I feel in a way I can’t explain. In that spirit for the last few days I just been randomly crying with no particular reason. Today I just wanted to make an end to it, so I listened a little more closely.
So many times, I feel that my time is running out. It’s very difficult to explain. I know I’m still young and there’s so much more to discover. Aside from that I’m taking a gap year of travel and work and I even got a rough idea what I wanna do work wise (first choice would be music wish me luck lol, otherwise probably medicine). And you know I think all that ties in with me sometimes not feeling good enough or in need of controlling other people. I know it’s messed up but it’s almost like an addiction. The reason behind that I believe is in my childhood.
All throughout my life my parents were very nostalgic. They only listened to old music, only watched documentaries of their youth and so on it’s crazy. Especially something that comes up till this day when talking to my dad is that he says he had a good youth and not much more. He always told me that being young is the best part of your life. Especially the years I’m in right now, so the late teens would be the most important ones and ever after it would only go downhill. So with every birthday I was told that this would be the best year of my life life, consequently I believe that’s a big reason why it feels so frightening to let time pass. After all I only ever been told that this means letting the best years of my life fly by. It’s actually crazy to me it almost feels like tomorrow I’d suddenly grow wrinkles and settle down with 6 kids lmao.
It only makes sense that for people my parents age time flies faster - they simply experienced more years of life. Yet, I think I have to understand that I still got a lot of time left and being young doesn’t mean living your best life. I just wish I could really internalize that. Still writing this really made me feel a little better, thank you if you stayed this long, love u!

In 1982, I and six buddies went bear hunting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We were staying at some cabins near Twin Lakes at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula. When you hunt most critters you go out before dawn and sit until an hour or two after the sun comes up and late afternoon until dark. Most bigger game animals hunker down during daylight hours, so it doesn't pay to sit all day. This means you have a lot of time between hunts; this part of the UP has some remote areas; it is also where a lot of copper mining went on in the old days; the mines are all closed now and mostly full of water. There are a lot of big paper mill holdings there also that are still being logged, so there are a lot of logging roads built by the paper mills; they are good enough roads for large double-trailer logs trucks filled with many tons of logs to travel on. One thing you learn quickly when you use these roads is to get the hell off the road when a truck is coming because they take up the whole road and they don't even slow down for civilians because the mill owns the roads, not the state or county and you are on their land, but as long as you don't get in the way they don't care. Most of the bridges across streams or rivers just consist of huge piles of large rocks with smaller gravel on top of the road. These things look like dams, but because of the large bottom rocks, the water can flow through the "bridge." It's a pretty cool thing to see. We spent a lot of time driving and exploring these logging roads. On one particular day, we went down a new road that led to an actual state park at the bottom of Misery Bay on Lake Superior. It's a park maintained by the state on paper mill property, there are several very rusitc camp sites at that park. We spent some time at the park and messing around on the beach. About noon we headed back down a different road, you see alot of small shacks that usually have smoke coming out of the chimneys, they are apparently used by the loggers. We eventually ended up way out in the wilderness with no signs of logging or logging trucks, it's usually like driving in a tunnel because the trees come together over the road. After a long while, we came into a clear area, and around a bend there was we came upon what we thought was a small town. The road basically went right down "main street," and as we drove through the place, it became apparent there were no people to be seen. We came to a building that was a kind of store, so we stopped there. The "store" was completly empty, looking in the dusty windows you could see it had been empty for a long time. We walked around "main street" checking out the houses, a lot of them were in pretty good repair but they were completley deserted, dust on all the floors had been undisturbed for many years and ther were no signs of foot traffic anywhere. We eventually got back in the trucks and moved on we were all pretty intrigued by the town, we didn't go in any of the houses because it just looked like the owners might actually come back. The "main street" went up a pretty big hill, at the top of the hill was a large building that was obviously some kind of industrial use building covered in that old galvanized corrugated metal sheeting. We stopped at the building and found an opening in the siding. The inside of the building was wide open, and it was very tall, like 30-40 feet tall, with a lot of supporting steelwork; everything was very rusty and obviously hadn't been touched in many years. There were large windows with no glass, just open to the outside high up in the walls that allowed the sun to light it up pretty well inside. At the center of the place, there was a large hole in the floor, like 15-20 feet square. We peered down into the opening, and it was a deep dark hole; somebody dropped a stone down the hole, and it was a long time before you could hear a faint splash of water so we dropped a stone and we had a couple of those old Casio watches with a stopwatch function so we dropped a rock and timed it to the splash, it took almost exactly ten seconds. there were no guard rails or safety measures of any kind, it was really scary thinking about falling into that deep black hole. There was some old equipment left that looked to be like turn of the century type stuff, we assumed it was a closed copper mine.The whole time we were exploring we had two 35mm film cameras taking a lot of pictures, this was 30 years before cell phones and 35-40 before smart phones. After exploring the place for a while, we decided it was time to get going because we had only a few hours before dark. After miles of running down those unmarked roads, we eventually made it back to the cabins, and we all went out to our hunting spots. After it got dark, we all headed to the local bar where we usually went to get something to eat. One of the guys asked the lady bartender if she knew anything about that shut-down mine and abandoned the town; she got kind of a funny look on her face and went to the kitchen pass-through window and said, "hey Dave, these guys went and visited Peterson, we all looked at each other like WTF is she talking about, the kitchen door opened up and the a the cook apparently called Dave came out dressed in typical bar cook clothes. Dave came over and said what did you see in Peterson we said first of all, we never saw a sign with a name on it, but it was just an abandoned town with pretty decent-looking buildings and a closed-down copper mine up on the hill. Dave said yep that's Peterson some people see the signs going into town and some don't, the thing is there never was a Peterson it never existed. Whh......What the fuck are you talking about? We were there, looked into the buildings, dropped rocks down the empty mine shaft, and took many pictures. Dave said yep, you and many other people, but if you try to return, you won't find it. What? We know the road we took. We can get back there, he said go ahead and try. You won't find it. Dave asked did you, by any chance, drop a rock in the hole and time it to the bottom? Yes, actually, we did it took almost exactly ten seconds, Dave said yep, I did, too, and I looked it up. A falling rock or anything falls about four hundred feet in ten seconds; he said Peterson is a real ghost town the whole place is a real ghost town; he said I was there and saw the same things years ago, but I've tried many times to go back and I've never been able to find it, me and a lot of other people who live in this area and know it like the backs of our hands have seen it once and once only. Dave said to go to Houghton Hancock and get your film developed, and let's see the pictures. The next day, we decided to take off from hunting and go up to town and get the film developed. Houghton Hancock is home to Michigan Tech so it's a college town with all the amenities it had a quick film developer place so we dropped the film off and went to see the sights, it's a really picturesque place. About an hour north east of HH is Copper harbor at the very top of Michigan were it ends into Lake Superior, it to is a really cool place. When we got back to HH, we were dying to see the pictures, so we went and got the film and tore open the envelopes. There were lots of pictures, beautiful pictures, but not a single picture of "Peterson"..........Now just a goddamned minute, this is not fucking possible a couple of the guys went back to the film place and asked where are the other pictures that were on those rolls? There were no other pictures. You have all the negatives. We don't keep other people's pictures. We see thousands every month. There's a park in town, and we stopped there, and all sat at a table, just kind of in shock, not saying much for quite a while. In 1982, I was 23 years old. At 23, you think you know it all when you are hit square in the face by something like that; it shakes you to the core; everything you think you know is now suspect because you were in that abandoned town; it was just a cool old abandoned town, you saw it with your own eyes in the wide open sunny broad daylight, not on some dark foggy creepy night and nothing creepy happened, we took pictures that don't exist. That changed my life from that point forward. After that, we went back to see Dave and gave him the stack of pictures of the woods, the Big Mac bridge, Misery Bay, the park on the bay, logging trucks, the rock bridges, some of the shacks, one of which was just about two miles from "Peterson." Dave just kind of chuckled and said yep, that's our "Peterson" alright. For the next two days we totally forgot about hunting, we split up in two trucks and drove those roads over and over and over and never re-found "Peterson." That is my high strangeness story, we found a town that never existed, that other people have also see but only once. As I look back on what we are now hearing stories about, stuff like different timelines like this fucked up one we are in now compared to the real one we branched off from on January 20, 2016. Is Peterson a place close to a spot where two different timelines come very close together? Is it possible that when all the conditions in the universe are just right, and you happen to be in the right place when all those conditions are right, you can visit Peterson? What would happen if you were in Peterson and the universal conditions changed? I wonder if we will ever find out. If you can only go there once, how will it be studied? The mind-warping question is, who keeps track of who has been to Peterson only once and who hasn't?

Holy crap, the scabs peeling is no joke man… no joke at all, I’m on day 5 right now and the scabs are staring to peel away and it is insane the little stabbing sharp pains that happen. I’m glad I saved the majority of my pain meds cause I bet the next fe days are gonna be crazy.

I just read a post about how Eunchae should be protected more, and I could not agree more in that the vitriol towards her has gotten way out of hand.
In that post, I noticed that people kinda brushed passed the controversy of her teasing high school students as a non-issue (which, don't get me wrong, it definitely is), but I'd like to provide some cultural context because it was this specific moment that garnered the most hate for her among Korean kpop stans. Coachella doesn't even come close.
I want to explain why her comments generated so much outrage, and in particular, how her words were taken out of context and purposely made to sound so much worse.
The Situation (and the context)
On a 3/17 Weverse ~11min, Eunchae made a bit of a joke where poked fun at students having to get up early, saying that "That must be hard~ I had to do that too at one point too~~" and the conversation then continues onward with the other members about how difficult it was to get up that early during their student days.
This was combined with another live on 9/07 ~27min (though the context starts a few minutes prior) with Kkura. In it, the two of the discuss conversations with their non-celebrity friends. Boomer Kkura tends to just talk or text, which surprises Eunchae, since she almost always prefers to facetime instead (don't worry Kkura, same). Kkura mentions that the first thing she asks her friends are, "you haven't gotten married yet right?" whereas Eunchae says that her friends have been recently talking about becoming high school seniors. That topic closes with Eunchae talking about a recent conversation she had video call she had with her close friend, who complained that she had to get up early, upon which Eunchae teased her and says, "I start at 11 tomorrow! Hella lucky~"
Maybe a bit of a crass joke in the first clip, but nothing too major, right?
The Attack (and the twisting of facts)
This is where the usual suspects come in: Twitter.
Disclaimer: I'm going to be completely honest here. I don't follow Pann or FMKorea or all the other niche online communities except since the HYBE/MHJ situatio, but while researching this topic, I searched Eunchae's name on both sites to see how the situation unfolded (I can't really search theqoo very well because that site has the worst user-friendliness I've ever seen).
The situation blew up on March 15th (as far back as I can find), with this Twitter post blowing up and a Pann post (now deleted, restored w/ Wayback).
(Note, regarding the deleted Pann post, it was referenced in this YouTube video by one of those trash drama Youtubers and had 150k+ views at the time of their video)
There were also some pretty weird posts on Pann around this time, nitpicking her response in an EASY interview to say she thinks LSF was successful and spreading twitter posts of private documents to prove that she didn't get accepted to Hanlim (I will not be sharing this one.) Many comments at that point on Pann are still quite sympathetic to Eunchae, with the top comments defending her and telling the twitter bitches to go away (although the doxxing post still got 600+ upvotes and 300k+ views)
After this though, the narrative began to change, combining the clips above and turning it from Eunchae teasing students, to Eunchae teasing High School Seniors. And things began to take a huge shift.
After this began to spread, March 23rd, comments started to become more negative (example posts on March 17th and March 23rd).
Alright, I can hear you saying, students, high school students, so what?
Korean Seniors and the Suneung
If you're at all familiar with Korean culture, you know where I'm going with this.
The Suneung is the Korean equivalent of the American SAT, except it is so much more than that. If I had to explain it, the Suneung is your entire life. Imagine your college application, except screw your class grades, your extracurriculars, your letters of rec, your essay. The only thing that really matters is your SAT score.
It is a huge deal. The entire nation BBC article falls silent on the day of the Suneung. Stores close, construction stops, traffic is redirected, the stock market opens late. On the day of the Suneung, there are no flights.
It happens 1 time a year. Just once. If you miss it or get a bad grade, you repeat a year just to get a chance to retake it.
And high school seniors carry all of that stress. They are studying for a test that is the culmination of their entire education and determines their entire future. There are many, many stories of students falling into deep depression, even after doing well on the Suneung, because studying for that test consumed them to the point that they don't know what to do after it's over. These students study in excess of 15 hours a day, from 7am to 10pm.
You do not touch high school seniors, ever. There is a saying that even parents tiptoe around their kids once the test date nears.
Also, keep in mind that the primary demographic for kpop are young adults. People that are in school, preparing for this test that they will eventually have to overcome. Some of those people might be repeating a year (or two or three or four) while studying for that test.
And so, when the narrative shifted from Eunchae teasing a close friend about having to get up early to Eunchae making fun of High School Seniors for having to get up early, things turned ugly quick.
And then Coachella happened. And then MHJ opened her big mouth. And you guys know the rest.
So that's my little story. I hope this provided some insight as to why it seems like the hate for Eunchae seemed so particularly loud on the Korean side, and how she suddenly switched from nearly universally loved to the opposite.
In conclusion, fuck Twitter yo.
P.S. Is this post worth posting on the kpopthoughts subreddit? I'm split because it provides context, but also this has kinda flown by international eyes and I don't really want to accidentally add fuel to the flame. LSF and Eunchae have it hard enough as it is.
P.P.S. Sorry mods, I noticed the other post was removed. If this post breaks the rules, feel free to remove and I'll repost it in the weekly thread or something.

I'm especially interested in hearing from women since it's often said that traumatized boys are more likely to get angry and act out while traumatized girls internalize their pain and become people pleasers - but that wasn't my experience. I was full of rage as a child. I threw tantrums, I talked back to adults, I deliberately provoked my mom, I got in trouble at school, I even had homicidal thoughts as a young kid. My mom took me to these spiritual healer types to cure my "bad energy," and once she took me to the police station because my behavior had become so violent and disruptive.
I've struggled a lot with feeling like I don't have the right to call myself an abuse victim. I wasn't innocent. I hurt people. I took my anger out on my siblings and traumatized them too. I feel like anyone would have trouble raising a kid such as myself. Does anyone else have a similar story?

You’re lucky, You're reading this because you’re one of these three people:

1. You've been told your idea sucks by a friend or someone you look up to.
   
2. You’ve even consumed multiple million-dollar business idea videos on YouTube or TikTok that only give you vague advice like “put yourself out there” or “you need to market.”
   
3. You’ve probably wondered if you should quit your job, I mean you’ve seen multiple $1,000,000 success stories, it can’t be that hard, right?
   

Well, let's just say you’ll be surprised. But trust me getting it right is easier than you think. You’ll soon see how easy it is to validate any idea!
1/ As someone who has consumed hundreds of vague pieces of content telling you how to start that $1 million startup without actually giving you anything concrete, I want to make validating your idea easy and practical for you. I'll be using Refro, a team management software we are in the process of launching, as a visual guide. Lastly, I want you to pay attention because I have a reward waiting for you at the end of this write-up.
(x)
2/ The first thing you need to do is to list out your network. Yes, network… network… network… and what I mean is the people that are immediately connected to you one way or the other. Relax, remember it's meant to be easy. Let me clear your doubt, pause for a minute, and ask yourself “How many contacts do I have on my phone?”. I’m sure it’s over 100 and this is me being modest. You’ll be surprised how much people are willing to help even if your immediate contact doesn’t have the information you need, get them to refer you to their network... This way, I went from having no network to speaking with university professors, folks at big companies like Oracle, and participants in startup incubators and I got to identify with their ideas and pain points which helped me form the base ideas for Refro.
3/ Now you're wondering, is that all? No relax a bit, good things take time. You need to gauge interest and if people have any interest in your product you trap them by collecting their emails, trust me they are your lifeline. How you communicate with your “trapped” audience is key as they’ll be first to use your product and also give you feedback. Here’s a protip to trapping your audience, use a waitlist website, it is the most natural and unsuspecting way. Here’s an example of mine - https://www.refro.space/ -. fancy, right?
4/ With the waitlist, it is extremely easy to get feedback on must-haves on your product and to communicate with your audience to validate the demand of your product. What you’ll need next is more people for your waitlist, so you need traction. What I used to gain more eyes on Refro project is product Hunt, This is the best starting point for SaaS(Software as a Service), Trust me you cannot go wrong here. As proof, My Refro project even got among the top product launches for the day,
With the waitlist, we identified must-have features and validated the demand. Next, we needed to find a platform for our target audience and build traction. If you’re a SaaS, a good starting point is Product Hunt. Not to brag, but guess who had one of the top launches for the day on Product Hunt? Refro.
5/ Now this is the final step to solidify your product image, build your MVP. An MVP is the simplest version of your product that allows you to test your concept with real users. It’s crucial because it helps you validate your idea with minimal resource
If you ever want to check out our MVP, you can always sign up on our website. And remember, I am here to help – reach out to me anytime if you have questions or need clarification. We're in this together!

For context I am 28, female, 150 lb I am taking no medications besides what my ent has been prescribing
I went away in June 2023, and dove into a pool, my ears were clogged from the dive and we left the next day via airplane. They cleared up a bit before the flight and I got home and everything was fine (it felt so).
About a month later, I had a tooth extraction, and right after I felt totally off. I attributed this mostly to the meds I was on at the time, but once all was healed, I still didn't feel normal. I noticed that my ear felt full and I felt a sort of off balance feeling.
Before going away on another trip, I went to urgent care to get my symptoms checked, they looked in my ear and noticed I had water in my right ear. They recommended mucinex and Flonase, which I took.
While away again, I noticed my right ear popped and drained, and I thought I was cured! A few hours later, I felt the fullness and off balance-ness again.
The day I got back from the trip, I went straight to an ENT. I was ordered and MRI which came back normal. I tried a round of steroids, which didn't do much. I tried a nasal steroid, which caused me to almost pass out and see stars. I took a VNG test and confirmed I had vertigo in my left ear (which I knew) and through vestibular therapy I was luckily relieved of the vertigo symptoms.
However I do still feel "off" almost like my eyes aren't catching up with my body and I get a dizzy feeling, but not vertigo like, almost a lightheaded dizziness. I went to vestibular therapy where my therapist said that she believed the issue is with my sinuses.
My most recent visit, my ENT checked my ear pressure after I told him my ear feels stuffy still, I feel like I can hear myself back when I talk sometimes, when my ears do pop they squeak like hell, I feel like I am seeing floaters and that I constantly have draining down the back of my throat. My ear pressure was -22 in my left ear and -94 in my right ear. He said this could be causing my symptoms and he has prescribed me things that should relieve any eustacian tube dysfunction.
I have been on the nasal spray azelastine for about a month now, and while it initially helped with some mild popping and a pop with a squeak that woke me up from my sleep, I still feel like things are not better.
I am at a total loss. I see my ENT Friday, please help!

Hi! I’m looking for recommendations for an AMAZING setting spray that will help someone that touches their face a lot throughout the day. At work I’ll be on my computer and often find myself leaning on my desk with my face in my palm as I work. By the end of the day my foundation & contour will be completely off and I look like a crazy person! I know that nothing is going to solve this completely (besides stopping doing this while I work) but need recommendations for a setting spray that’s good for not rubbing off ur makeup & less about fighting against sweat. Right now I use NYX matte finish. Not a fan. Doesn’t seem like it does much for me at all. I use elf power grip primer (idk if that matters).
Let me know if you have recommendations! Thanks!

Dear friends, I'm thrilled to share with you a fitness app I developed four years ago called CounterUps, which helped me stay active while stuck at home.
With no way to exercise outdoors as usual, maintaining my fitness routine became a challenge. As an avid fitness enthusiast, the lack of physical activity was taking a toll. The dry indoor environment at home only added to my discomfort. To address this, I decided to create an indoor workout app that would allow me to do aerobic exercises right from home.
After a few days of development, overcoming technical hurdles along the way, I successfully launched CounterUps on the App Store. Here are some of its key features:

1. Utilizes the iPhone's distance sensor to accurately track the number of push-ups performed.
2. Syncs data with iCloud and Apple Health for seamless backup and integration.
3. Allows users to view historical records, share achievements on WeChat, or save them to their photo library.
4. Streamlined, user-friendly interface for a hassle-free experience.

To use the app, simply place your iPhone on the floor. As you approach or touch the on-screen circle during a push-up, the app records the rep. To make the workout more engaging, I invited my father to join me. We'd challenge each other to see who could complete more push-ups within a set time, with my mother acting as the referee. Afterward, we'd share our scores in the family group chat, encouraging and motivating one another.
After consistently using the app for over ten days, I completed an impressive total of over 1,000 push-ups, though my father's score outshined mine. If we can maintain this momentum, I'm confident that by the time I return to work, I'll have achieved a remarkable level of fitness.
I encourage you all to give CounterUps a try. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please don't hesitate to share them with me.
App link: https://pushups.bigbeefit.com/

Why am' I doing this? Short answer, lack of anyone to talk to. Most will probably say or at least think something along the lines of. You have no one to blame but yourself. Truth is you are right. I do have a choice.
With that said. I am a 48 year old straight male cd. The thing is my friends, family and coworkers do not know and would not be understanding. To be honest I don't have many friends and could do without them. I don't really care what my coworkers think but It would make my job harder. I have to work with people outside the company that I have heard make comments about other people. So I know they wouldn't be happy about it. It's my family that I couldn't stand to lose. They would most likely disown me but even if they didn't I couldn't stand to see the pain in their eyes when they saw me. The sad thing is my friends, family and coworkers like me now and nothing would change.
Also it makes it almost impossible for me to have a relationship. Even if I can find a woman who not only accepts what I do but is willing to date me. I would have to tell them from the beginning. Which is hard to do because I have to trust that they would tell noone, before I really got to know them. Then if I do find someone and then it ends on bad terms. They could tell everyone.
So I guess your thinking easy just stop. Could I stop? Yes, but let me ask you something. These things may not keep you from a relationship but I hope you see what I am saying here. Are you a golfer, hunter, fisherman,reader, or gamer? Do you want to give it up? My thing isn't really a hobby or something I do for fun. It's a way of life. I have more confidence and I feel whole more at peace with myself when I am dressed. So I can give it up but I would also be giving up a part of myself.
I know most people look down on people like me. So I don't expect a lot of encouragement. Just please be respectful. Thank you