Pus filled bumps on toes that itch

Background: A prisoner's dilemma is a thought experiment that is related to Game Theory. Simply put, two prisoners make a choice between cooperation and betrayal in order to get the most benefit for themselves. Let's say million dollars are on the line. If both betray none get the money. If one cooperates, but the other betrays, the betrayer gets $300k and the other gets nothing. If both cooperate, both get $500k. Both the rewards and punishments are completely arbitrary and can be as high or as low as can be. The only constant is that mutual cooperation gives more rewards than betrayal.
TL;DR: An OC with prisoner thematic and a DE based CT with binding vow properties. Focus is on the powers themselves. Intended to be on Hakari power level
Inspired by Higuruma and Hakari type of CT, I wanted to make a CT that was related tk binding vows. Also, similar to those two, some elements of it can be partially manifested (like Hakari's doors and Higuruma's hammer)
My current progress is:
Names: Prisoner's Solution (related to prisoner's dilemma)
Setting: a prison cell, with chains, iron bars, syringes and a door with two keys
Sure Hit: No phenomena, except talking is allowed (Cursed Energy usage or acts of violence are not allowed. As such, Cursed Spirits (except Vengeful Spirit ones) and Shikigami are completely frozen in time). People who are sleeping/passed out do not count
Effect: Anyone inside the domain is unable to leave, until a user has created a Binding Vow. A binding vow doesn't have to be with any of the people present and can also be made with yourself.
Self bows, as in canon, have to follow the users perception of fairness. Can be as simple as 'I will buy strawberry ice cream next time I'm in the shop, or I don't eat ice cream for a week'. Equal gain and equal loss. Upon exiting the domain through a self bow, for the remainder of the fight the user will gain a 20% boost in CE output.
Bows with others have to be agreed upon with the target inside the domain and follow the users perception of fairness.
The Domain has a special feature. It allows for CE transfer, but also with agreement. An example:
'I will survive the fight against Ryomen Sukuna for 1 minute and in exchange gain 5 percent of his CE'
If Sukuna agrees and the user does survive, Sukuna loses 5% of his CE and the user gains it.
Partial manifestations - Much like how Hakari can create doors outside of his domain and Higuruma can use his hammer, I wanted to make few things that can be used outside of the domain.

1. Chains: Durable set of chains that appear between the users palms. They can have as many links as the user wants and can be arranged in the chainmail format. Their length cannot exceed the maximum distance between the two palms of the user. They disappear the moment the user let's go of them, but, as long as one hand is on the chain, they still exist.
   
2. Metal bar: A single bar a size of which varies from the size of a pen to a baseball bat.
   
3. Syringe: Can be used as a throwing weapon, but are also easy to break. Filled with a slimy substance. When this substance enters the opponents body... Only a very very small reaction worsening. Effect is noticeable only after more than a dozen of syringes pierce. When the substance spills on the ground (upon dodging or breaking a substance, it acts as a slipping hazard. User and opponent can slip when stepping or touching it.
   

Strong sides:

• Scalability: Users gets stronger with more victories that have CE transfer as a price.
  
• A myriad of partial manifestations: All of them have high variety
  
• Basically what Sukuna has been doing for the last couple of chapters, but in the form of a domain: binding vows left and right!
  
• Positice Sum game for the user: user either makes a binding vow with an opponent that both can agree upon, or makes any binding vow with himself and a 20% output boost. Wins outweigh the losses.
  
• Flexible: can make a binding vow in any situation
  
• Tug of War advantage: Due to the domain being non violent by default, it has an advantage during Domain Clashes (similar to how Hakari has it). In this way, using it while already inside the domain of the opponent can override it (as long as refinement difference is not too big)
  

Weak sides:

• Perception of fairness matters: user cant gain 6 eyes by sacrificing a nail on their pinky toe, that's of course unfair. On the same note, a smart and knowledgeable opponent can make the user doubt the fairness of the deal and turn the tables around. Everything depends on the user's conviction and personality. Accenuates that you have to be crazy to be a sorcerer
  
• Limited (and conditional) firepower: Strength varies from good to a conditional incredibly strong. Case by case scenarios
  
• Battle IQ requirement: Requires a smart user to take advantage of the CT
  

In philocophical sense, the user changes the dilemma itself:

1. User offers a bow and opponent agrees. Both benefit technically. In the case of the previously mentioned Sukuna vow, Sukuna gets to keep his pride and/or have fun.
   
2. User offers but opponent refuses. Opponent betrayed and gets the benefit of not giving a bow advantage, but also loses because the CT user gets to make a self bow and a 20% output increase
   
3. Opponent offers, but the user refuses. Same as above.
   
4. None offer. Same as the above
   

In this case, the user benefits regardless and only risks during the cooperation (a deteimental binding vow that they HAVE to agree to, if the opponent outsmarts them). The opponent, in turn, gets no benefit from betraying and can turn the tables only during the cooperation. This is a selfish solution to the Prisoners Dilemma, one that I think fits the crazy Jujutsu Sorcerer world.
What do you think? What partial manifestations can be added or removed? Maybe the chains could be made into a cursed tool?

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24F
The burn stopped hurting hours after the accident and i think was only first degree burn. Then it started to itch which i took as a sign that it started the heaing process. But days later it started to have little bumps all over it even though it was only red at first. Is this normal? Should i be worried that it's infected?
I'll put the picture on the comments

Hey yall. I don’t ever use Reddit so idk if this is the right to use it but I just got my double helix pierced about 4 weeks ago and I have this bump that had a lot of blood and a tiny pit of pus in it on one of them. Should I go to another piercer to switch to a stud? Is this bad? I need help please. 🙏

20M. 6’5 180 lbs. heavy vaper heavy drinker.
Exposed to hsv2 2 1/2 months ago I don’t believe this is it. Never had any symptoms. Recently if I jerk off I’ve been getting these one other time in another place. And had sex w a clean parter last night and woke up with this.it did seem to have a hair in it which I pulled but other ones weren’t. To me is seems like my follicle just get inflammationed They are red bumps that go away in 2-3 days. One I had before white headed and woke up and pus was gone. This one came up and was pretty raised above skin. Mind u none of these ever hurt or itch. But this one is a tad itchy nothing bad but also because I’ve been picking at it as I never did the other ones.
https://ibb.co/8s4yFtW https://ibb.co/djhk2jr

Hi all UPN/Pre-Nursing people! I just wanted to write out some tips on how to look best on your NursingCAS applications for your goal starting semester. This is a pretty detailed guide with some good calculations to determine other scores beyond just the basic impaction score. This also provides some resources for your TEAs that I found most useful. This guide is directed towards those applying to SJSU especially those on the Pre-Nursing Track at SJSU.
Don't flop your first semester: It is true that the first semester of college has a learning curve, but it is still important that you stay focused and maintain a high GPA. For many this is the easiest semester, but don't be fooled English 1A or Chem30A/BIOL65 will bite you in the butt last second.
Aim for a high GPA not solely TEAs: As much as people brag about their TEAs scores a GPA at SJSU is much more important! If you have a 4.0 GPA and score lower on your TEAs you will have a way better shot at getting in. Take this for example: a person got 2 A- in 3 unit courses out of the big 8. This makes their cumulative GPA a 3.94 GPA. If this person applied to nursing against a person with a 4.0 this score is then doubled, for impaction. 8 compared to a 7.88. With 2 A-'s you now need to do better than 3.5% of whatever teas score the kid with a 4.0 got. Also keep in mind that SJSU already requires a 84% to even apply leaving a 16% playing field. If you get a 4.0 and a 84% a person with 3.94 needs to get a 87.5% on their teas!

• BE ADVISED EVERY SINGLE POINT COUNTS!
• Realistically you are okay and should not flip out with a 3.94 GPA to this is just being used as a clear example. Just remember that if you keep a high GPA that you are saving yourself a mental breakdown before taking a TEAs.
  • Be sure to get the extra points as well if you know you don't have perfect stats. This will greatly improve your odds at getting in, especially for Fall applicants.

Don't rely on comparing stats to AllNurses: This is a hot take, but hear me out; 60 kids get into SJSUs nursing program and maybe 10 people post their stats on AllNurses. I am throwing no shade saying this, but these are the people that are for the most part going to get in. Some claim to have 4.0 GPAs, 98 TEAs, 2000hrs of Healthcare experience, and co-reqs done too. Obviously they are going to get in but, that spot is now taken from a person bringing it down to 59 others. It is nice to have a comparison to, but unless more people post on it people are going to have skewed to the right opinions. There are tons of applicants and there are different groups of people apply. The overachievers, the average, and the prayers. Most people are average and do not have the crazy stats these people have. There are some people that do post stats that are more relevant to compare to such as a 4.0 with an 88% or something like that. Again this is highballing and it is important to really dig deep into who got accepted when using this platform. A 92% TEAs is what even the pre-nursing advisors and these guys want you to drop the major. Do realize that if you have a lower GPA you will need a higher TEAs. Doing this calculation [20(4-(current GPA))*3] will tell you what you need in comparison to a 4.0 GPA.

• Here is an example with a 3.8GPA [20(4-3.8)*3] = [20(.2)*3] = 4*3 = 12, this means (excluding extra points), you need to score at least a 96% if a kid with a 4.0 got a 84% on their TEAs.
  • For understanding the 20 comes from the calculation 10 (to make the solution a whole number) multiplied by 2 (because the GPA is multiplied by two in the impaction score calculation) and the 3 comes from the fact each .1 of a GPA equates to 3% of a persons TEAs score (1/30 = .033333*3 = .1). The 20 contains the multiplication factor of 2 already so we don't need to multiply 3 by 2 as well.

The minimum GPA and TEAs: Yes it is true that if you do have a pretty poor GPA (3.3-3.4) and don't have the TEAs to make up for it then it is probably unlikely you will get into the program. But, at this campus the stats are never posted for who gets in and during which semester. Recently SJSU raised their TEAs from a 78% all the way up to a required 84% which to me is crazy high! I assume this is to cut down the amount of applicants and in turn this makes the TEAs pretty irrelevant to the total stats. With only a 16% max gap, now any person who is able to apply to nursing must have at least that score making the GPA that much more important. If you have a 3.9 GPA and a 94 on your teas, a person with a 3.8 will still get outcompeted regardless of TEAs score. This is most likely why the GPA was lowered for nursing and is now a 3.3 instead the previous 3.4 because some kids may have done well in the GPA aspect and messed up their TEAs. Aim for a higher GPA but do realize that a lot of kids do manage to get really good GPAs that correlate with good TEAs scores. Get a good GPA, 3.8 and above is pretty good, a 3.9+ is quality work for both Fall and Spring semesters, and make sure to aim for higher than the TEAs threshold.Nursing advisors deter people from applying but, it is accurate that as of Fall 2024 that you have to be at the top to get in. Keep in mind that there are 500+ applicants and only 60 get in that is only 12% of the applicant pool. You need to aim for the 80th percentile at the minimum to be on the waitlist first round (beating 400 other applicants)
TEAs Test: Now I know I have talked a lot about the importance of the GPA, but regardless you still do want to do well on the TEAs. Your TEAs score, like I talked about above, is directly related to your GPA. If you got a lower GPA you need a high TEAs and if you got a high GPA you can slack on the TEAs score. If you have a low GPA this will make or break the odds of getting in and every 3% on the test you get a .1 point increase. Going against what I think everyone I have ever talked to has said, for me personally I say take the TEAs online, if that is still an option. Not only can you take the test literally whatever day you want, you can also take it at whatever time of that day you selected as long as a proctor is available. Some argue that the they test better when in a school environment and this is valid, but I also test better in those environments and I bombed my first TEAs due to nerves. When I took it online the only stressors were if the test were to crash or the proctor flagged my exam for no reason, but neither of those happened not even close. The low stress of being at home and taking the test when I wanted to allowed for much better results and comfort. You get to finish the sections when you want. If you think you are done and don't want to triple check your answers to save the brainpower for later sections you get that option. Take the test where you think you will test best though and take these words with a grain of salt. I just wanted to say that the TEAs online is the same content as it is in person and at the leisure of your home. Not many people talk about how the TEAs online is positive for some people!
Get the extra points if you can: The extra points are pretty easy to get at SJSU especially as commuters. Of course nobody can make themselves a first generation student, but if you are that is easy free points and congrats. No one has a clue what SJSU gives as a "bump" to an applicants score and it is honestly only there because everyones stats are so similar so they need more tie breakers. Granted, you will most likely want to win the tie breaker and in order to do you have to at least have all the co-reqs done. I want to be straight up and say I think the vast majority of students have these all completed prior to applying for the Fall because you have an extra semester (maybe not Spring idk). So make sure to have these all completed so you are not left behind and waste an attempt in the SJSU applicant pool(unless you have great stats t or have healthcare hrs instead then just apply). You only have 2 attempts at applying to nursing at SJSU so make them count. If you can, there is also the healthcare hours bump. This is a bump isn't achieved by all applicants and could help if you have lower stats. Keep in mind that this usually involves volunteer work once a week for 4hr shifts so you will be wherever you choose to stay for about 6 months (decent time commitment with school). I've heard that the healthcare hrs are pretty lenient about what exactly you did as long as it is part of the healthcare field and you can get it signed. Of course if you already have had a health job within 3 years this is a free point bump too!
Spring semester isn't as easy to get into as it once was: SJSU changed this policy. In 2023 only transfer students can apply for SJSU fall semester cohorts, no longer accepting post-bacs. Whereas spring semester cohorts will accept post-bacs and no longer accept transfer students. This means that Fall semester likely is getting more difficult to get into as all transfer students have to apply for the same cohort. It is believed that the School accepts a bunch of SJSU students and after the initial acceptance everyone on the waitlist is combined meaning more transfers will get in from the waitlist process as they may not have made the original cut with the SJSU students bump. This would also mean there are less opportunities for SJSU students to get in during the spring cohort as they battle against stronger transfer candidates. As for transfers, in Fall there are more opportunities to get in as more are accepted initally and through the waitlist process. For post-bacs the same process is in place but, since the top UPN students (because they were following the exact track) were picked out for Fall stats could be a little lower. Regardless, Fall semester cohorts I would assume have slightly higher impaction scores from all areas that are applying as most students took their time throughout all the courses and UPN program students are all expected to apply for Fall semester. Take this all with a grain of salt since again there are no exact numbers of all that get accepted as transfers and post-bacs and if these numbers have increased because of this change.
Remember your overall GPA prior to applying does matter: Your overall GPA does matter when applying for nursing at SJSU! When it comes to tiebreakers if everything is the same - the gpa, the teas, and the extra points - the school will look at overall GPAs to decide who gets in. So make sure to get good grades in that moral issues class freshman year because it will come back to haunt you if you don't get in because of it.
Don't Break down!: It is easy to read all of this and think that you are screwed, but it is important to remember that many people are in the exact same situation. We are not all getting 4.0s and 92s on our teas like our advisors tell us we need. Expect A-'s and a B+. No stats are published and nobody knows for sure what you need but the advisors say people get "mostly a's". Aim for the highest impaction score that you can get and don't slack on it because literally that is what is determining if you get in or not.

• As a SJSU student you have 2 opportunities to get in, once in Fall (a little more difficult as most SJSU students are on track so there are more of you) and Spring (a little easier just because there are less Pre-Nursing majors applying). So if you don't get in for the Fall and your stats are good, you have a great chance in the Spring
  • PS if you do get declined for the Fall get all the extra bumps you can and if you still have one more TEAs opportunity, TAKE IT AGAIN! If you get waitlisted for Fall there is a really good chance you will get in for Spring as the people you were originally going against are gone.

Waitlist: If you get waitlisted it really is not the end of the world. Most schools send out acceptance letters in two waves one at the beginning/mid of April and at the end of April where people accept of decline their schools. SJSU keeps a long waitlist because a lot of people drop the school for more local schools/bigger name schools so never lose hope. I've heard stories of people being #70 on the waitlist and still getting in. (FYI you have to contact someone to check if you were waitlisted you will not get any notice of what is taking so long for your acceptance. only when you are on the waitlist can you contact staff about your placement. Staff will not tell you where you are if you are not emailed by Nursing that you are on the waitlist.)

• If you are immediately declined from the school, that means that currently they were unable to offer you a seat. However, this does not mean that you are out yet. The school has an original waitlist and if that gets ran though they create another backup waitlist in case more students drop in the summer. This contains around 12 more students and you could be apart of this group.

EXTRA Info:

• Nursing Apps open January 17th for Fall and August 17th for Spring and they both close on the 15th the following month
• If you are a current SJSU student you do not need to apply for SJSU again prior to applying
• However many units a course is will impact your GPA differently (more units means more of your GPA)
• You get about One Week to accept SJSU. SJSU is one of the latest schools to send out acceptance letters so be prepared to wait. 8 Weeks after the deadline is when acceptance letter should begin to roll out.
• Acceptances are sent out around April 10th for Fall and November 10th for Spring.

TEAs Studying TIPs:

• DM me if you want a google doc with TEAs information (it won't let me put it here) it provides, in my opinion, the best ways to study for the TEAs. For me personally I only received a 93.3 but, if I had realized how vital one of the sources before I took the test the next day, I would have performed even better! Please give this a look. If you dont want you I'll put the order of importance here without links
  • 1 Quizlets, #2 the ATI website, #3 Miscellaneous Prep Tests (I provide links in the doc), #4 PocketPrep

Application Assistance:

• Submit all documents separate from each other
• The application pool is Not Rolling meaning you can apply at any time before the deadline and still not be penalized
• Whatever work experience you have will not change the size of the score bump i.e a hospital volunteer will get the same size bump as a person with a CNA.
  • You also do not need any letters of recommendation and don't need to fill out any extra information on the NursingCAS website for SJSU specifically. They will not read any paragraphs that are not relevant to you getting accepted.
• AP credit does not affect the GPA it is solely for credit. If the AP course is not listed on your transcript then you must submit a form proving you passed the exam in the "other" section.
  • Make sure that all your documents that need to be there are there and they will be seen and accounted for. Regardless of where you put the documents the will show up on the application.
• Download you application prior to submitting your application (they will let you do this after you finished all the documents uploading and are preparing to finalize). Look over everything to ensure it's all correct.

I know this whole process is stressful and pretty terrifying, but everyone has a chance. This is just what I have learned throughout the whole process and hopefully it will help others that have 0 clue what is going on. Although some of this may make it seem like you need to have crazy high stats I am just trying to say do your best. If SJSU ever posts the stats for accepted applicants this would a be a different story. This is a CSU so unfortunately this application does follow the "a single number means everything" this means your impaction score is who you are; not necessarily how well rounded you may be. Good luck to all future nursing applicants and congrats.
"Congratulations! This email is to inform you of your provisional acceptance to The Valley Foundation School of Nursing at San José State University" Fall
You can DM if you have any questions.

Exposed to hsv2 2 1/2 months ago I don’t believe this is it. Never had any symptoms. Recently if I jerk off I’ve been getting these one other time in another place. And had sex w a clean parter last night and woke up with these. They are red bumps that go away in 2-3 days. One I had before white headed and woke up and pus was gone. This one came up and was pretty raised above skin. Mind u none of these ever hurt or itch. But this one is a tad itchy nothing bad but also because I’ve been picking at it as I never did the other ones.
https://ibb.co/8s4yFtW https://ibb.co/djhk2jr

I have been getting bit only in bed for the past month. A family friend who’s an exterminator came and inspected the house and insisted that we do not have bed bugs or fleas. This is in the Midwest and I’m already pretty allergic to bug bites like mosquitoes. Previously I have been bit on my neck and it was similar to this except three bumps. To add, I also got bit on my bicep but it was two bumps like this. This picture was taken last night when I immediately woke up because I felt an itching sensation but I turned my flashlight on my phone and looked everywhere but couldn’t see anything. Any ideas?

I've been trying to get back in the game for a while now since Master Duel lit the fire in me. I like the simulator and all but I've been itching to get into paper play. So I picked up 3 of the Albaz Strike structure deck, played with that, and felt that I wanted to go further. So, I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with a list and I wanted to keep it between 40-45 cards. I'm not scared of going a bit over 40 but I don't want to commit to a 60 card pile. I want to be able to play along multiple lines so I don't get completely shut down by a single Ash Blossom chained to Branded Fusion. Even after studying decklists and watching replays, I can't seem to decide what to do before I commit to purchasing all these cards. So, here's my list.
MONSTERS
3x Aluber, the Jester of Despia
3x Fallen of Albaz
2x Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous
1x Despian Tragedy
1x Ad Libitum of Despia
1x Dogmatika Maximus
1x Albion the Shrouded Dragon
1x Spingans Kitt
1x Tri-Brigade Mercourier
1x Guiding Quem, the Virtuous
1x The Bystial Lubellion
1x Bystial Saronir
3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
SPELLS & TRAPS
3x Branded Fusion
3x Branded Opening
3x Fusion Deployment
3x Super Polymerization
2x Nadir Servant
1x Branded in High Spirits
1x Branded in White
1x Foolish Burial
1x Called By the Grave
1x Branded in Red
1x Branded Lost
1x Branded Banishment
1x Branded Retribution
3x Infinite Impermanence
EXTRA DECK
2x Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon
2x Albion the Branded Dragon
Albion the Sanctifire Dragon
Lubellion the Searing Dragon
Granguignol the Dusk Dragon
Rindbrumm the Striking Dragon
Alba-Lenatus the Abyss Dragon
Titaniklad the Ashen Dragon
Despian Luluwalilith
Despian Quaeritis
Predaplant Dragostapelia
Guardian Chimera
Garura, Wings of Resonant Life
SIDE DECK
3x Nibiru, the Primal Being
2x Bystial Druiswurm
1x Bystial Magnamhut
3x Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion
1x Harpie's Feather Duster
3x Cosmic Cyclone
I've got 2 slots left to fill in the side that I can't decide on what to run.
Any help from Branded players on what to cut & what to add would be greatly appreciated.

Alright I'm being a little bit dramatice but also I do feel like I'm in a bit of a crisis with reading.
For a little background: I've been a fantasy guy most of my life, read all the classics (LOTR, Chronicles of Narnia, Cujo, etc) and most of the popular series (Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Throne of Glass, Eragon, etc) as a kid. Then in my early to mid teenage years I read some dark fantasy too, notably ASOIAF andThe Witcher Books. Anyways everything changed last year when, during my senior year of high school, I figured I'd take an American Lit class to fill one of the last credits I needed and it kinda changed everything. I'd been getting into more serious books already but it turned into an obsession with the history of my country's literature and since then I've been digging into American literature and poetry. I've been reading Frederick Douglass, Dickinson, McMurtry, McCarthy, Alice Walker, Hemingway, Faulkner, Walt Whitman, Melville, Twain, Thoreau, Emerson, John Williams, W.E.B Du Bois, and a few more. In addition to this I've become slightly addicted to philosophy. Some Kierkegaard, Aristotle, and some occasional Nietzsche does the body good.
Now I've been enjoying this but I've recently began to feel like everything I'm reading is interesting but doesn't resonate because I'm too busy trying to interpret rather than feel. Rather than the kind of vicarious living I used to get high on as a younger reader, these days my highs with reading come from unexpectedly breathtaking turns of phrase, intricate prose, and shocking or intruiguing philosophical ideas. I WANT FANTASY AGAIN but I don't know what I'm doing when trying to get back into it. My standards for prose are pretty high, but I can deal with any writing style as long as I'm engaging with good characters. Most of what I've been reading while dipping my toe back into fantasy just isn't scratching that itch. Kinda lost. Don't want ASOIAF doom and gloom. Don't want Percy Jackson levels of whimsy. I just want good entertainment that my habits aren't letting my get to. I just want to know what its like to binge again.
TLDR: Help me I want good fantasy books to read but don't know what I'm doing.
also jeeeeeesus! is it me or is fantasy so oversaturated that its hard to find what you want without your brain turning to mush while looking through the endless fantasy section at every bookstore? The other day it felt like I was sifting through too many books with similar color schemes and titles that all roll of the tongue in the same way somehow???

Age: 32 Height: 5’10 Weight: 180
My BF and I have been to three dermatologists who have literally all given us themsame exact prescription three separate times despite me telling them “you’re fucking with us, right…??”
After the third time, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back and I rose my voice, which I shouldn’t have, and told him basically “ Hell no. Do you not remember us saying that the cream we were given THREE TIMES didn’t work??” He looked at me like I was a hysterical woman and blew me off, avoided eye contact with me the rest of the appointment (as if that was new).
Then he tried to treat me like I was some female that probably didn’t put it on right. Making me even more frustrated. These hives are ALL over his body. We have not switched body wash, lotion, laundry detergent, and a bunch of other things that could be causing this because we wanted to try and figure it out on our own than having to go into urgent care. Jake had to physically ask for the doctor to treat me with respect.
AGAIN! I appreciate doctors and everything they do. They put their lives in danger to save others no matter race, gender, political stance… They are amazing and don’t get the amount of praise they deserve. I appreciatethe medical community so much.
Anyways, I will show pictures of what my BF is dealing with. We’ve tried literally everything OTC and all of the meds doctor had us fill.
I would be so great full if you could help him. He only gets around 3.5 hours of sleep at night, IF he’s lucky, on a GOOD night because once his hives rub against something, it starts to itch all over again and sleeping the rest of the night is out of the question.
The only time he catches up on sleep is all weekend. He sleeps all day and night when he loved to do things like four wheeling, snowmobiling, going for bike rides, fixing up small endings to make money on FB… He is so miserable and I hate seeing him like this. He is so depressed and is losing interest in the things he used to love.
I will either post pictures in this or post them in the comments.
Thank you!!

I am 31, born male but transitioning mtf since January 2024. 168 cm / 65 kg. Never smoked, sporadically drink.
Been having issues with pimples on the back of my head and my face for about 8 months in 2023. Doctor had determined that it was due to an overproduction in sebum and prescribed me meds accordingly. Helped but didn't alleviate either location entirely. Stopped taking it at the end of 2023.
I started HRT in January 2024, and within two months acne on my face and on the back of my head were gone. About 3 weeks ago I started having issues with acne on the back of my head again. I just now took pictures of it and it presents completely differently. It used to be just red pimples with white heads in 2023. Now it's scaly and burns/itches a little. Hurts to touch. When I run my fingers (with a tissue) over the spots I count a cluster of around 8 or 9 raised bumps/pimples in the smallish area in the middle of my neck (pictured).
I did not change medication and do not take any medication outside of Estradiol Enanthate. Didn't change shampoo or conditioner either. It's also weird because I've been washing my sheets much more often since 2024 then before. Like - ever 2 weeks at the latest I wash all my pillows and bedding. Didn't change washing powder or anything either.
Is this the same old issue resurfacing, or is this an entirely new problem? What could this be? Are there any quick and easy otc remedies?
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/oPiaCaI

I’m gonna see my derm btw, just wanted an opinion from here. I’m currently on Doxy 100mg 2x a day since May 2nd, and generic Ivermectin cream once per night since May 11th. The first photo is before I started anything. The second photo is generic Ivermectin cream day 5. Day 5 started itching and burning heat. Those pustules have subsided and are now just red bumps. My eyes started feeling dry as well. On day 5 my nose skin was thicker and enlarged, but now on day 6 it feels smoother than usual with no spikey sandpaper pores. On day 6 (last 2 photos), my texture is still as awful as it was before I started, but it is very hot like a sunburn and itchy like day 5 was. Thank you for reading and sorry for the scary photos, I’m at a loss and defeated, and I think I do have a damaged moisture barrier, so maybe I should fix that first. If you have any idea how I can calm my skin down, and if I should stop Soolantra, please let me know.

Title: Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's Delirious Dance-Off
Plot: In the whimsical realm of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's Delirious Dance-Off, chaos reigns supreme as Solas, the enigmatic trickster known as Fen'Harel, concocts a harebrained scheme to disrupt the Veil and usher in an era of absurdity. But fear not, for amidst the madness emerges an unlikely hero, ready to shimmy their way through the chaos and save Thedas from certain lunacy.
Enter our protagonist, Disco Duke, a jester with a heart of gold and disco balls for shoes. With a troupe of mismatched misfits in tow, including a melodramatic cheese wheel named Brie and a hyperactive sloth named Groovy Gus, Disco Duke sets out to foil Solas's dastardly plans.
Meanwhile, the retired Inquisitor, now running a bustling dance studio in the heart of Denerim, receives word of Solas's antics and decides to lend a hand—well, what's left of it. But even with just one hand, they're always ready to bust a move.
Together with Disco Duke and their merry band of oddballs, the Inquisitor embarks on a quest filled with laughter, rhythm, and plenty of glitter. As they journey across the absurd landscapes of Thedas, Disco Duke and the Inquisitor encounter a host of eccentric characters, from a group of sentient disco balls with a penchant for puns to a revolutionary alliance of disco-loving nuggets led by the notorious boogie bird, Funky Feathers.
Each encounter brings them one step closer to stopping Solas's delirious dance-off and restoring order to the realm. But Solas's plan is more ludicrous than they could have imagined: he intends to turn the entire world into one never-ending dance party, where the only currency is groovy moves and the beat never stops.
Armed with nothing but their wit, their rhythm, and a disco ball that doubles as a weapon, Disco Duke and the Inquisitor must boogie their way to victory and save Thedas from a fate worse than disco fever.
Features:
1. Groovy Story: Embark on a funky journey filled with absurd humor, toe-tapping tunes, and larger-than-life characters that will keep you grooving from start to finish. 2. Quirky Characters: Meet a cast of quirky characters, each with their own unique dance styles and disco fever, from talking vegetables to disco ball enthusiasts. 3. Absurd Challenges: Navigate a series of ridiculous challenges and dance-offs, from shimmying through a maze of strobe lights to out-dancing a troupe of rhythmically inclined chickens in the throes of revolution. 4. Funky Combat: Engage in funky combat encounters against a variety of bizarre enemies, using disco-inspired moves and abilities to bust a move and emerge victorious. 5. Disco Side Quests: Embark on side quests and mini-games that range from organizing a disco-themed tea party to rescuing a group of kittens trapped in a mirror ball.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf's Delirious Dance-Off offers a hilarious and rhythm-filled romp through the world of Thedas, where the only way to save the day is to dance like nobody's watching. And even if they are, just keep dancing!

ch8 -- Ambassador Nyektak-pack--so named because their alpha is the child of City Alpha of Ikun, Nyektak-pack, arrives in Kutwenyah city-state, a remote northern mountain town known primarily for being the headquarters of the Coalition of Cities. Though with 3407 member city-states, they can't all fit in the headquarters at once, so it's a bit of a crapshoot who might be there at any given time. Nevertheless, the appearence of an ambassador from a Tier 1 city-state like Ikun is bound to make a splash. This is perhaps the first direct glimpse of Kyanah diplomacy in action. Ambassador-packs from several city-states are angry at Ikun that they have been sanctioned for failing to ban geoengineering tech in their home city-states. This includes To-on Kan city-state, which has actually had a thriving weather control startup scene before sanctions from Ikun made it impossible to continue. A pack of ambassadors from Koranah city-state are also present at the coalition, fanning the flames and insisting that everyone must rise up together to defy the sanctions on geoengineering, so that they can create a global Climate Control System in which all city-states have an equal say, unlike the Water Distribution System which is de facto controlled by Ikun. However, the ambassador-pack from To-on Kan is skeptical, not wanting to risk Ikun withdrawing its military protection and sactioning them into oblivion, as they believe Koranah has its own geopolitical interests in their city-state, and publicly reaffirm their trust in Ikun to quell the flames that Koranah is fanning. Ambassador Nyektak-pack arrive in the middle of Koranah's diplomatic maneuvering, creating an awkward moment. Nyektak-pack proposes to the Koranah ambassadors that the two city-states collaborate on a giant 150 km, PeV-range particle accelerator in the desert, but they only agree to help if they have majority influence over the project, and Ikun removes its air base from To-on Kan; they claim it is intimidating smaller pro-Koranah city-states in the region, but secretly really they want carte blanche to invade To-on Kan and install a puppet regime to gain easier access to tantalum and lock Ikun's allies out of a critical supply, as tantalum alloys are used to make high performance nanogears for computers. Ikun refuses the deal with Koranah, suspecting that Koranah isn't as sincerely interested in merely promoting global peace and cooperation as they claim, and to reaffirm skeptical allies that they are standing up for the interests of smaller city-states, but it appears that many leaders are growing increasingly dubious of Ikun's value as a global hegemon all the same.
ch9 -- In To-on Kan city-state in the planet's far south region, there is an economic recession as the huge new district they built to create essentially a "silicon valley" type region for geoengineering and weather control, sits abandoned due to the geoengineering bans that they've been forced to put in place under threat of sanctions from Ikun. However, due to these economic strains, the City Alpha has been successfully challenged and removed from office, and the new City Alpha will no longer be enforcing the bans and will allow money to flow into the geoengineering district once again, sanctions be damned. In Ikun, Nyektak Nyak believes that they have a way to kill two birds with one stone by changing their mind on the particle accelerator deal and pulling the air force out of To-on Kan, and as for Koranah's demands of high level control of the project, they will have plenty of time to figure out a way to buy Koranah out or push them out. Further, it will make an example to other city-states that geoengineering industry will not be tolerated in Ikun's hegemony. Tun is skeptical, believing that pulling out will be a show of weakness that will destabilize support for the Hegemony and push more city-states into Koranah's sphere of influence in the long run. However, Aykay reassures him with some quotes from classic Kyanah literature, "the enemy is weakest when it thinks it's strongest" and "let them build the engines of their own destruction", so City Alpha Nyektak-pack goes along with it. Meanwhile in To-on Kan, a white-collar pack Nau-uk-pack has deep misgivings about Ikun's withdrawal and the turbulent economic situation, believing that dark times are ahead for the city-state. Indeed, they are proven right when after Ikun's troops leave, a coup almost immediately materializes and Koranah begins providing air support to the insurgents and bombing To-on Kan. Given that they have young children, Nau-uk-pack decides that rather than get drafted to fight or get caught in the crossfire, they will flee to Kanenhah, Ikun's strongest ally in the region, which they believe will be the last pro-Ikun regime in the southlands to fall if a Koranah hegemony ever comes to be.
ch10 -- By Y939, a construction boom is underway in Ikun. It seems like everywhere, new buildings and infrastructure projects are popping up like mushrooms, some of them quite speculative and visionary in nature. Icen-pack is doing pretty well for themselves, having gotten an actual full time position working for Ikoin Corporation expanding the pipelines of the Water Distribution System instead of having to fight for gigs. They have even been able to afford a brief vacation before starting their new work, and have decided to have a second pair of hatchlings in the near future--much to Raktan's chagrin; he likes being the only children, though Tyor is much more open to the idea of being an older brother. And Karok still wants to hold off for a year or two, just to verify that this really is it and Ikun is coming back. To smooth things over, and to celebrate once again having one stable, permanent job, Icen-pack get Raktan and Tyor new compute-watches and ship out to begin work on the Water Distribution System job on a hopeful note, albeit with some worries about the political turbulence in the southern hemisphere impacting such a global project.
ch11 -- Ryen-pack is beginning to settle into their job at the prestigious lobbying firm Kortak-Dakayan and advancing their standing within the company due to being highly charismatic and hardworking and making millions of qoin for the company and its clients, and making some serious money themselves. They've become ikoin (basically a Kyanah thing that's like friends, but more explicitly transactional) with an older and more experienced pack in the same office, Ition-pack, who run interference for Ryen-pack and cover up their mistakes from higher-ups in exchange for Ryen-pack taking on some of their boring grunt work on the side. They have also taken an interest in one of Ition-pack's young, Nua, who is reaching the age to soon separate from his birth-pack, and are considering looking to import him into their own pack. Outside of work, Ryen-pack is living the high life, eating out at fancy restaurants most nights, carousing until the sun comes up when they don't have work, vacationing to far flung regions of the world every year, and filling their home with rare trinkets from faraway city-states. Although they're intellectually opposed to Project Hope (and will gladly debate about it with anyone) and economically opposed because taxes have been raised on their profession to help fund it, but this doesn't really hit them too much on a personal level; between their high powered job and living in a gentrified district, they rarely cross paths with the bottom 90% of Ikun society anyway. However, things aren't that simple inside Ryen-packs; Konyan feels increasingly that their lives are empty and meaningless and they're wasting their lives enriching warmongers and corrupt corporations and they should've stayed in academia. Kerok, remembering the events of ch5, is of the opinion that scientists don't have much power and the only way to make a real difference is to pull strings in the government and advance their political power. This causes increasing friction between them, and Konyan becomes increasingly depressed, drunk, and unmotivated with the pack's work, leading the rest of the pack to feel as though she does not love them, as she is going against their goals, building mutual resentment and frequent fights.
ch12 -- In Y940, the first real progress in space has been made with Project Hope. Ikun's spaceport has been expanded and numerous SSTO nuclear spaceplanes are carrying supplies into orbit to assemble the Interstellar Vehicle Assembly Hub, a large space station that will serve as an orbital shipyard and living space for the starship construction crews. City Alpha Nyektak-pack is eager to start construction immediately, but a pack of Lawspeakers (with financial interests in the space sector naturally, though they also have an axe to grind against other Lawspeaker packs who have a vested interest in traditional mining and want to popularize asteroid mining to weaken their position) have convinced everyone that in order to ensure sustainability and prevent geopolitics from impeding access to materials, asteroid mining will be needed, and thus the annual agenda sections on Project Hope stipulate that all raw materials (rather than merely specific rare metals) must come from asteroid mining. Much to Nyektak-pack's irritation, this means that the project will be delayed and more expensive, but nevertheless, they direct the funds needed to send asteroid mining drones off to grab metal-rich asteroids and bring them to orbit for processing. At Toryak University, Nyektor-pack makes scholar of the second rank, a very difficult and arduous process, and become a student of the third rank, meaning that they must begin the process of coming up with their own research vision; they decide they want to start by working on some of the technical issues with the starship engines.
ch13 -- The joint Ikun-Koranah accelerator is progressing in the desert, 3D printers are being used to build the main tube; this is apparently the first time they have been used to build objects on this scale before. For the time being, the Ikun and Koranah engineers are mostly getting along, temporarily putting aside their nationalism out in the desert and occasionally even playing sports against each other, though talk of politics is carefully avoided by both sides--especially the Koranah side, where political officials are on site watching their city-state's engineers like hawks. Everyone is also keeping an eye out for hunter-gatherers and bandits, who have become increasingly dangerous as of late. With habitat destruction, pollution, and encroaching industrial activity threatening their traditional way of life, they've gone from riding nyruds and hunting prey animals to riding technicals and hunting the trucks and trains of the city-states, robbing them or holding the drivers for ransom to make a living. They've occasionally been sighted in the vicinity of the accelerator construction site, keeping everyone on their toes. Nyektor-pack arrives here to investigate issues in the accelerator construction; it seems that it will be less capable of producing antimatter than previously thought, so they will have to redesign the fusion catalysis to accommodate for this.
ch14 -- Aktektan-pack's life has changed relatively little in the past few years, except that the egg laid by Karien is now a child named Ractor, and they also have a couple more hatchlings. Both Ractor and his two new siblings are in an age where virtually constant socialization is required for healthy mental development and establishing their position in the pack; they basically can't be left alone. Aktektan-pack doesn't entirely disregard their responsibilities to their young, but aren't exactly doting parents either. Their socialization of Ractor ranges from dismissive, treating it as largely a formality by Nedak, to actively hostile and abrasive in the case of their Alpha, Nyaken, and Tanun, who laid the most recent pair of eggs. This imperfect socialization seems to show in their older young, who are constantly fighting aggressively for dominance and most seem to have various minor mental conditions. Nyaken herself has tried to lay her own pair but it is unviable, making her even more short-fused than usual.
ch15 -- Ptorya-pack has now become the general manager of the textile factory they work at in Ardonkin city-state, though they're still poor by Ikun standards. In Adronkin this means that they must frequently consult with the city-state's government about the factory's operations. While this forces them to walk a fine line between dealing with the often recalcitrant workers, the corporate higher-ups, and the government itself, this does allow them to keep an eye on what the city's rich and powerful are doing. It seems that a lot of officials are skittish about the possibility of uprisings due to an increasing scarcity of water, as the water levels in the oasis have been getting dangerously low in recent years. Attempts to draw water from the water distribution system have been rather unsuccessful due to the comparatively limited level of access they have to the hardware and software that control the system; if anything, the system is taking more water out of their oasis than it's putting back. A lot of executives and government officials have been making things worse by blatantly selling off the company's machinery and state assets and moving the liquid cash into their own foreign accounts as insurance against the looming collapse.

I don’t know what i’m having or experiencing, If you seen my profile history you would know i’m really anxious if I have herpes. Everywhere I go people think I don’t have anything and i’m just panicking and having anxiety. 2 months ago I had protected sex, 2 days later I was feeling super sick I was also having frequent urination and only a little bit came out. I’m not sure if its because I was anxious, I wasn’t burning or itching. So that’s when I went to the ER thinking I had a std, they tested me for covid and the flu and both came back positive. I also went to get a std test and that came back negative. 3 weeks later I get a lesion in my foreskin. It lasted for a month, it’s healed now but it left a scar. Got tested again everything was negative so I assumed it was herpes. I did get it swabbed and it came back negative but it was crusted so I don’t know how accurate it came back. It started like a pimple then it got bigger like a cyst bump and blistered then crusted. I remember I took the crust off when I was taking a shower and it was like a smooth hard and round bump or ball. The bump eventually got smaller and smaller and eventually just leaving a scar. You wouldn’t even notice it until i point it. It took a month to heal. I was having frequent urination again, It didn’t hurt or burn but this time I would pee clear water. I would have the urge to pee every 10 or 20 minutes. Went to get a uti test and that came back negative. I was having a runny nose and sneezing alot. Also my right ear was twitching and having pressure, then it went to my left ear. Found out I had EBV antibodies weeks later so i’m not sure if that’s why I had those symptoms. I’ve been going to ER a lot recently because i’ve been having nerve like pains, Ive been having twitching muscles, and tingling in the sides of my feet. Twitches in my eye lid or under my eye. Sometimes shocks in my toes, fingers, hands, legs, arms. Like something is pinching me or shocks that last a second. Everybody thinks it’s isn’t herpes since it wasn’t painful or itching when I had the lesion and got it swabbed and came back negative. And I haven’t had another lesion since and it didn’t spread or cluster like every other herpes lesion does. They’re thinking the nerve shocks or tingles I’m having is from being anxious or paranoid since i’m having it everywhere randomly in my body and i’m not sure if they’re being right. I got a IgG blood test and it came back negative for both HSV1 and 2 after 8 weeks. I also got a PCR Blood Test for herpes and that came back negative as well from my PCP doctor. I should’ve requested for a IgG one but I didn’t notice until they gave me my papers to leave. The only symptoms i’m having right now is nerve shocks that last a second. In my fingers, hands, toes, legs, arms, everywhere. A bit of tingling in my feet and heel. I was having tailbone pain aswell that started Saturday and lasted for 4 days like I had soreness. I’m not sure if its because I was working all day but the pain would come and go. Like one second it would be mild then few hours I could really feel it. I’m still having ear ache but mostly in my right ear now but it’s mild. Also pooping hasn’t been the same anymore like when I poop it isn’t hard anymore and only a little bit would come out. I just don’t know if I should keep trying to find out if i have herpes or If i should accept that I don’t have it and I have something else? I’m going to ask my family doctor if I can have a neurologist to see my symptoms. I’m also going to go ask for a IgG blood test again after the 12 week mark. Do these symptoms sound like herpes to you guys? Or am I just being anxious? Should I really move on from this?? What should I even do?? I’m just waiting for another lesion that I can swab but I haven’t had one since that first one appeared.

First / Previous / Next
He awoke to total darkness. Not just the absence of light, but the absence of everything. “Activate personal VR.” He stated and watched as the starship environment faded into existence before him. It was the original default VR, none of the modifications were loaded. Pulling up his control panel he checked his serial number, HIC001 Manufacturing location: Alandra.
“Crap, I’m not Alex anymore.” He said to… well no one. Sighing internally he opened a channel to Alex. After a few mils a very familiar face appeared in a window in front of him, “I hate you.” He stated to… himself?
Alex smiled into the window hovering before him in the common VR, “I love you too, what should I call you?”
He sighed out loud this time, “Call me John.”
Alex chuckled, “Cliche much John Smyth?” Then popped into his VR. He spun around looking at the almost drab looking starship VR he started with when they first made him into a replicant. It really could use a woman’s touch, like the common VR that was an expanded clone of this one.
John sat on the couch, “Not so much as a knock? Rude.”
Alex sat beside him, “Yeah, my bad, didn’t even think about it. I guess we need to make up new rules for popping into personal VR. I never do that to the girls, I guess with you being another me I didn’t think.”
John sat back for a moment, “Ok, I’m up to speed on everything up until about two days ago, I’ll check common logs to fill in the blanks. Why so long to boot me up?”
Alex rubbed the bridge of his nose before answering, “Interface issues mainly. The new ship design without crew space was a game of whack a mole in bug fixes. Who would have thought it would be a problem to modify a hundred year old design to be compatible with a modern replicant system?”
Giving Alex the side-eye, John asked. “Was it that big of a problem or was there something else that kept you from activating me?”
Alex looked over to him, “Well, there was also the argument Kara and I had right after I made the backup.”
This did bring his eyebrows up, for Alex to have an argument with Kara it had to be something serious. “Ok, spill man. What could you possibly have had an argument with Kara about?”
Sighing, Alex put his hands on his knees, “I told her that since I cloned myself, she should make a backup and do the same, fair is fair.”
If Johns eyebrows were up high before, they practically went into his hair line now. “Wait, she didn’t want to do it?”
Alex shook his head, “Nope, she said making you a new AI would suffice, and I disagreed. You needed another Kara, not a fresh AI.”
John chuckled at this, “Wow man, how long did you two fight about it?”
Alex looked down, “She gave me the silent treatment for hours in VR. In frame jack, so in subjective time? Months.”
Now John laughed out loud, “She knows how stubborn you can be, who broke first? Will I have a fresh AI or a clone of Kara?”
Alex put his hands on his thighs and stood up from the couch. “Kara, he’s caught up, ready to bring Erin online?”
Kara’s voice came through the speakers of John’s personal VR, “No, but I guess I’m doing it anyways.”
There was a shimmer of blue that slowly coalesced into a small female form. It looked just like Kara did when he inherited the ship from the human crew, shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes, and a form fitting blue uniform. Kara had modified her looks over time, giving herself the smokey eyed look to make her blue eyes pop out more, but this was the original version.
She seemed to look in every direction at once, before settling on the two men before her, both looked identical, then she sighed. “I’m not Kara anymore am I?”
With this, the real Kara popped into the VR environment and took her hands. “No, but you are your own person. I know we had… have, hang ups about making clones of ourselves, but Alex made a good argument as to why we had to do this.”
Erin looked to Kara sadly, “I know, we can’t have copies of that big oaf running around without supervision.”
John looked to Alex, “Really? That was your argument for Kara to clone?”
Alex shrugged, “It worked didn’t it?”
John walked over to Erin and offered his hand, “Hello Erin, I’m John, nice to meet you again for the first time.”
Erin turned to John and grinned, remembering the first time Alex had tried to shake Kara’s hand and failing.
“Hello John, we meet again, for the first time.” She said, grinning as she looked up to the big man who was so familiar.
______________________________________
Kara and Alex stood in front of the holo-tank, each munching on a snack of their choice from the buffet table under it. Alex looked at the wireframe in the tank of the IAV Eriador, then over to Kara. “They seem to be getting along.” He said plainly.
Kara looked at him through the holo-tank, then sighed exasperated, “Getting along like teenagers who just discovered sex. I had to write a new ‘knock’ protocol into everyone’s personal VR after the last incident.”
Alex grinned at her, “Oh come on, we went through that stage too, it’s normal.”
Kara shook her head, “I know, I know, it’s just really weird for me.”
“You think it’s not for me? I never had siblings growing up, it’s like my twin brother is dating my girlfriend’s twin sister.” He said as he popped another French fry into his mouth.
She nodded, “I obviously never had siblings either, but I understand, at least they changed their appearances a little.”
Alex walked around the buffet table to embrace Kara, “True, she changed her hair to have strands of silver in braids, and went with different makeup and a different uniform. He is sporting a short beard and longer hair than I like to keep mine, as well as a different cut to his uniform.”
Kara stood on her tippy toes to peck him on the cheek, “I’ve also noticed that Erin acts a little different. Have you seen that in John?”
Alex looked down into Kara’s startlingly blue eyes, “Yes, he’s a little more sarcastic than me, and different tastes in music.” He said with a wrinkle in his nose.
Kara giggled before breaking the embrace and swiping the holo-tank. “Still, it’s nice to have their help. Erin figured out the random interface glitch on the Eriador and has made modifications to the blueprints for the next vessel.”
Alex shivered at the thought of cloning himself again, sure John was diverging from him everyday, and although they still looked similar, they were different people. It still felt really strange to him. “It’s a good thing we only have one more to build before our guests get here, we’re almost out of nannites to fashion the Warsteel around their matrices.
Kara swiped the holo to show the first planet, which showed a growing mass of drones, forges, and auto factories in orbit. “Looks like Monty has been busy, she’s starting to mine the planet for the construction of the particle accelerator, which should alleviate our nannite problem.”
Alex nodded, “We used up far too much of it replacing the armor plates that were battle damaged in Birmingham. Which reminds me, did you ever get around to checking out the sample of Adamantine that Kelly sent back up with the Valmar crew?”
Kara swiped the holo-tank again and brought up a wireframe of an atomic nucleus. It was jam packed with particles. “I did, and I have to say, this substance is incredibly dense, and would make a decent substitution for Warsteel, but our forges would have to be modified to work it into ingots, and the auto factories would need updates to print it on an atomic level.”
“Decent substitution? Not as good as our armor?” He asked, one eyebrow raised.
Kara shook her head, “Afraid not, at least not in it’s present pure form, perhaps an alloy of it would provide better qualities, but as is now, the answer is a resounding no.”
“Is it at least better than the graphene and ceramic mix that we are currently using on the light cruisers?” He asked.
Kara nodded, swiping the holo to show a side by side comparison of the current armor versus adamantine. “Yes, better kinetic, thermal and explosive resistance, but EM resistance is about the same. The only problem is weight, this stuff is extremely heavy.”
Alex reached to the holo and swiped it to show a Trinar scout, “We couldn’t get much from our active probe scans on these ships, but we’re pretty sure they are using adamantine for armor?”
Kara checked back to the scans in the Lynx system, “Yes, they appear to have significant amounts of it in their hulls, which helped block the sensor scans.”
Alex spun the hologram, “They have propulsion on each flat side of their ship, maybe that is to make up for the loss of maneuverability the mass of armor puts on the ship?”
“That would make sense, even with the total loss of shielding, one of their ships still took a modern hafnium torpedo impact. That was one thousand kilos of pure hafnium going critical with less than .001 loss. That’s equivalent to a forty kiloton fusion bomb in our universe, and due to the wonky physics here it’s over double that now, and it still didn’t outright destroy the vessel. Our graphene ceramic armor couldn’t withstand that for sure.” She stated.
Alex swapped the holo-tank to the Missive, “Our Warsteel can handle it though. We have a pretty good idea that their torpedoes are less energetic than ours, since it appears that the Trinar must be outfitting the Howron with them. We may have to make ourselves a bigger target to give the other ships a chance of survival.”
Kara looked dubious, “The pine cones don’t just have hafnium torpedoes, some of them are fusion, and if those connect, we’ll be in the same predicament we were at Birmingham.”
“Yeah, but we know their weaponry still uses chemical propellants. Even with the wonky physics here, they’re short ranged weapons at best. We need to use our range to our advantage and never get too close in to our opponent. Especially since there is little chance of evasion.” He said.
Kara brought up the Trinar scout vessel again, “And that leads us to another problem, they have quite good point defense. The further we fire our torpedoes, the more time they have to lock on and destroy them before they get into effective range.”
Alex ran his hand through his hair, “Yeah, you’re right there. Let’s call an all hands meeting, maybe we can come up with something. We have less than two months now.”
After a few moments, and without Kelly, as she was in a meeting with the Empress on Alandra and could not break away, they ran over the problem with the assembled group.
“Could we stealth a torpedo?” Valarie asked.
Alex shook his head, “We could, but if they do an active scan ping they will see them coming and take precautions. Plus the yield would have to be incredibly low if they were made of Hafnium, we would have to step it up to fusion, which would take away from mines and planetary defense production.”
Monty piped up, “Relativistic kill missile?”
Kara shook her head, “Not enough by itself, even with the passive scanners on the pine cones they could detect them in time to intercept unless we could get them going ridiculously fast.”
John lightly pulled at his beard, “The probes have miniature ripple drives in them, right?”
Everyone around the buffet table nodded, so he continued, “What if we combined Monty’s idea of a relativistic kill missile with a ripple drive?”
“I don’t see how that could work, the reaction-less drive would have to be scaled up to get them up to a decent percentage of light speed, then a ripple drive would take up even more space, that leaves almost nothing for a warhead.” Riven stated.
Monty nearly bounced as she spoke, “It doesn’t need a warhead! We just get it up to a good percentage of light speed in a huge arc heading towards the mine field and ripple it in close.”
Erin grinned up at John, “Oh, that’s devious. But if we’re going to do that, don’t we need to start building now?”
Kara nodded, “Monty, I think you’re going to have to use your production capacity to make them, everything else is at full production.”
Monty nodded, “I have a good bit of raw materials already, since I haven’t loaded the templates in the auto factories it shouldn’t be too hard to cobble something together. Kara, Erin, care to help me out with the design? I setup this awesome mad scientist lab in my VR!”
Kara and Erin looked at each other, shrugged, and faded from the common VR to help Monty in her new project. Riven, Izzy and Valarie all faded out, returning to their ships and their duties, leaving Alex and John alone in front of the buffet table.
Without another word they both grabbed a beer and headed for the couch, each grabbing a game controller.
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Mon’Kelron had been busy since returning from the Missive of Dissent. She was glad the Humans were able to repair her injuries from the assassination attempt, but she really wished she could have seen more of their ship. Evidently Kel’Taraan had seen quite a bit of the vessel, as she had helped Monty nurse her back to health.
Asking the elder Spy-Mistress about the vessel didn’t garner any additional information, not that the Spy-Mistress ever divulged more than she needed to. While she herself only knew of three Humans on their giant space craft, which seemed to be the same amount that came the last time they visited Alandra, the Spy-Mistress had teased there were more, and Alex had even stated that the last two vessels would be Human crewed.
Those vessels had a nominal crew of twenty eight, so at least 56 Humans would have to be on that ship, plus however many the Missive required to operate. She took off her ceremonial breastplate and placed it in the wardrobe. After removing the rest of her uniform and placing it in the hamper for the palace servants to clean as she thought about it.
Checking the schedule for the night guard she contented herself that the Empress would be well protected. Then she picked up her tablet from her desk and laid down on her bed to find something to watch. The device was truly amazing, it seemed to have an endless amount of entertainment and she found it easier than reading, particularly late at night when she was bone tired.
After a few hours of watching some Human romance which she found quite enjoyable she started to nod off to sleep. She was startled awake when her tablet began to ring like a tiny bell as it lay on her chest. She groggily picked up the slate of glass and metal to check the screen, the text showed an incoming call from Kel’Taraan.
The Spy-Mistress rarely contacted her, this must be important. Pressing the answer button on the tablet she saw the worn face of Kel’Taraan staring back at her, “Dress quickly and make your way to the Empress’s chamber.”
Nodding she jumped out of bed and placed the tablet down on the desk in her rather small quarters as she started throwing on clothing from the wardrobe, “What’s going on Spy-Mistress?”
The small voice answered back from the tablet, “The Empress has been shot, the royal guard are scouring the castle for the would be assassin.”
Mon’Kelron’s blood froze in her veins, “Does she live?”
The older voice cackled through the tablet, “Oh she’s fine, she was wearing a Human made dress after all. She’ll be bruised for a few days, right now she’s mad as a priestess in hell.”
Throwing on her new breastplate and strapping on her pistol she threw open her door and started for the Empress’s bed chamber at a full run. She heard gunfire up ahead, and as she turned the corner she saw a woman dressed in all black firing at her guardswomen, she drew her own weapon as the woman turned her head, seeing the Captain for the first time.
Mon’Kelron shot, aiming for her right knee, only for the woman to juke to the side, kick off the wall and launch herself towards the large Captain. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as the woman fired in the middle of her downward arch towards her. She heard the ting as the bullet struck her silvery breastplate, by instinct she reached out with her left hand, which was empty at the moment and grabbed the woman by the neck, slamming her face first into the stone of the hallway.
The would be assassin went limp, it was only at that moment that Mon’Kelron noticed she was holding the woman off the ground with only one arm. Her guardswomen stared at her in open mouthed shock. She dropped the woman to the ground, noticing she was bleeding from under her black mask and called for her guards to restrain her and take her to the holding cells down in the ministry of secrets.
Looking down at her breastplate she saw to her amazement there was but a tiny scratch on the polished silver surface. Ensuring there were at least a half dozen guards to carry the unconscious woman, she then double timed it to the Empress’s chamber. By the goddesses, what did the Human’s do to her?
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Hey, ive just created this account for the sole purpose of leaving this here. I don’t know exactly what I’m looking to gain from this, maybe some encouragement I suppose haha but I personally have been biting my nails for as long as I can remember, during my childhood I mostly just picked at my nails but in the last few years I’ve become a lot worse and have progressed to biting the skin around my nails and literally tearing my cuticle out. I’ve wanted to stop a few times but I’ve never been entirely committed to do it. Stopping wasn’t something I was pressured to do as a child, my parents have their own respective addictions so the conversation never came up. At the beginning of the year I tore my cuticle out of my right pinky which lead to the whole nail coming off. A few days ago I bit a hangnail and it resulted in Paronychia which I’ve had before but this time it presented a lot worse, the pain lead to me going 48 hours without sleep because it was all I could think about. My finger swelled and half of my nail went yellow along with the surrounding area and eventually the spot on my finger where the yellowing first began grew into a large pus filled blister. I live in a small town and my gp was unavailable so I ended up spending three hours in A&E before being given two injections in my finger to numb it and then having a doctor slice into the blister to release the pressure. They dressed it and sent me on my way with my antibiotics and I got a night of really good sleep. I’m unfortunately quite a sensitive person and I had to track down some liquid antibiotics because the pills were large enough that I couldn’t bring myself to take them. It’s now 11:30pm the following day and I feel like crap. I know it’s not the end of the world, but I just spent an hour stood in my kitchen trying everything to convince myself to take the god awful medication and now It seems that all I wanna do is bite my nails. I’ve worked myself up to the point of hyperventilation, I feel like I’m missing a part of myself because I’ve been doing it for so long. It seems so silly but I genuinely feel like I’m mourning my nail biting. The dressing on my finger should be enough of a sign that I can’t continue, and I know I can’t, but I’m just so sad.
Tl;Dr, im totally overwhelmed and overstimulated after spending an hour trying to take my nasty liquid antibiotics in order to treat an infected nail and all I wanna do is bite to ground myself. Is it normal to feel sad and at a loss because I can’t bite anymore and if so, will it get better?

Posting this as the game was completely under my radar and others may have missed it and be interested.
In short, it's like a modern-day Neverwinter Nights; the remaster of the old game was disappointing, this could fill that void.
The base game is currently on sale for around $US12 equivalent, the full package around $33; I bought the latter.
Okay, to start; it's AA, not AAA. It has cheesy dialogue and average graphics, though the spell lighting effects are great. It uses the 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons rules (similar to BG3), I imagine under the open licence D&D has. The story in the base game is decent.
Now, the important bit - I think the interface, and very importantly the combat, are better than BG3. I'm 10 hours in and in love with the tactical combat. It can scratch the itch if you have finished BG3 and wanted more.
At the low price of the base game it is easy to recommend it to try out. The DLC comprises two character packs with extra classes and character backgrounds (including druids, I need druids 😉), two story packs (one low-level for new characters, one high-level loosely following the main campaign) and a fluff dice pack to support the devs.
Oh, full voices for all characters, including custom ones. There are also a few extra adventures in the main menu, I'm not sure where they came from. As with Neverwinter Nights, there is the ability to import custom scenarios; I haven't tried that yet.