Gingerbread marshmallow bath and body works

The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) says that it would be prudent for the state to legalize certain psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA to prepare for a likely federal policy change allowing their use for medical treatment.
At a hearing before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last week, DOH testified on a pair of resolutions that call for the establishment of an advisory council to study and make recommendations on approving psychedelic medicines.
Members of the panel ultimately deferred action on the legislation, but there are other psychedelics bills advancing in the legislature this session, including one to create an advisory council to look into possible regulations to provide access to federal “breakthrough therapies” like psilocybin and MDMA.
During last week’s Senate hearing, a DOH representative said that the department is neutral on the separate resolutions being considered by the committee, adding that he didn’t think the department would be the appropriate body to oversee the proposed advisory council.
He also said that it might not necessarily make sense to form such a council to advise on possible therapeutic uses for psilocybin and MDMA given that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems poised to authorize their use within “half a year” after designating them as “breakthrough therapies.”
“That being said, I can already predict one of the major findings of this report that this working group would produce, which is to deschedule these substances for licensed prescribers in Hawaii,” he said. “Doing so would be a much more meaningful action than a working group.”
Descheduling would allow medical professionals to “more openly discuss their experiences” in their practices, and “the market will respond,” the Health Department official said.
“Just deschedule it,” he said. “That will accelerate the community conversation because it will be in people’s hands. People will see the cause and effects of them and that will propel this discussion further than a working group studying related research.”
Similarly, written testimony from the department says that “the quickest way to bring these promising substances to patients is to enact a bill to de-schedule them.”
“This would provoke a more meaningful community conversation on access than a working group since it would produce genuine action,” the submission says.
At the hearing, the representative also noted that DOH is supporting the separate House-passed bill from Rep. Adrian Tam (D) that cleared the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last week.
Separately, the Governor’s Office of Wellness & Resilience submitted written testimony in support of the resolutions being considered at Friday’s hearing.
“Research being conducted on use of alternative therapies to treat mental health disorders has shown promising outcomes,” it said. “Having the discussion in our state will assist in making data informed decisions on how we should address and resource attention on complex social issues, like mental health. This advisory council can provide an ongoing venue to have the continuous conversation so when new therapies become known, the review of literature can occur through this mechanism and issues don’t go unaddressed.”
“As negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to show up in our daily lives, promising interventions for mental health disorders should be included in conversations relating to trauma,” the office argued.

This is a new update on a story that has been shared here previously.
Originally posted by u/unfair_impact_1400 in relationship_advice on July 21, '22, updated August 8th, September 5th.
Newer updates, marked with 🔴🔴🔴, on Sept 27th, Dec 2nd, Dec 6th, Dec 28th and Jan 31, '23.
I (17m) don’t know how to tell my dad (32m) that my step mom (37f) hates me
Original
Hey this might be long one I’m sorry. There is a TLDR at the bottom. I really don’t know what to do about my situation and I don’t have anyone close to give me advice so I thought here I can maybe get some advice. I have an amazing dad who raised me since my mom passed away when I was 5 years old. He is my friend, my supporter and someone who I want to be like when I grow up.
When my dad first introduced my step mom to me I was 10 years old and she was very nice to me and he looked so happy that we met and hoped we could get along. They got married when I was 13 and I was so happy that me and my dad had a new member in our family. I thought me and SM were getting along until I think a few months after their honeymoon she told me one morning that we just need to pretend to like each around my dad but when he is not here that I shouldn’t bother her, honestly this shattered me but I agreed cause I didn’t know what else to do.
After that day whenever it was just me and SM she would say things to get to me and I would just not say anything. I’m introverted and don’t like confrontation so I just took it and thought overtime she would get over it but it got worse. She would talk about my height and weight and say I was funny looking version of my dad. I hoped my dad would notice but he didn’t, he actually thinks me and SM are so close and she understands me. He looks so happy with her that i maybe its worth not saying anything and giving it time.
This year my SM has started picking on me around my dad and he has either joined in or ignored it. I have voiced that what she says makes me uncomfortable and hurts but my dad says she is teasing and doesn’t mean it to hurt me. Well right now I’m at my ends and I’m scared I’m angry, frustrated at my SM and my dad. Dad was away for work and it was just me and SM at home, she had a party at home with a couple of her friends. I helped set the house up and cook dinner cause dad asked me to help out which was fine. After they ate and just hung out they were hanging out on the porch when I heard SM and her friends talk very loud outside my window while I was in my room. SM friends talked about how lucky SM was to have a nice husband and a house, when they mentioned how nice it was that I cooked for them SM told them that I was annoying and weird and she hated me and living with me and couldn’t wait till I was 18 to kick me out. I was shocked that she hated me that much but I didn’t know why? tbh I thought we were tolerating each other but to hate me I must of done something but I can’t think of what I did
I’ve been kinda down since that day which was 2 weeks ago and I thought I was pass the initial feelings but at rugby training today I bursted into tears and my coach sent me home so I drove to a beach and cried I was feel so much I honestly can’t describe my emotions, I eventually fell asleep in my car, now I’m here hoping I can get advice on how to talk to my dad about it, cause I’m scared about how he will react. I don’t want my dad to be sad cause he does so much for me but I’m not strong like him, I’m really struggling.
My question is, How can I approach this conversation with my dad about my SM hating me? Or should I tell him at all?
TLDR I heard my SM tell her friends she hates me, and I want to tell my dad about it but don’t know how.
Edit: someone questioned my dads age and I’m sorry but it was supposed to be 42 but I can’t change it sorry
Thank you everyone that provided advice and kind words, It means a lot to me I have read every comment and have an idea on how to approach this situation. Im honestly terrified of the outcome being negative but the encouragements and support are making this a bit easier to deal with.
I am going to talk to my dad on Sunday and show him this post, I hope it goes well and I hope all of you stay safe and take care.
Edit 2: I’m not sure what I am able to do what I planned cause Amy just took my car keys away and she wants my phone but I won’t give it to her so she is waiting for my dad to take take it off me because apparently I’m doing drugs but I told her I’m not I’ve been at the beach. Im not sure but I just want it to stop cause I can’t handle it I’m sorry
1st UPDATE:
Ok so my post was locked but hopefully it’s ok now I’ve posted the link and tried my best with spacing (I’m on mobile) if I can’t post it I give up
For all the support and advice received, I really appreciate and wholeheartedly so grateful for all who dm me to see how I was, thank you.
This will be long cause a lot has happened but many things are still not resolved. TRIGGER WARNING i will mention self harm, so please if it might trigger you pls don’t read further
I wish I was able to say I followed the advice that was provided and now everything is better but some things in life don’t play the way we want it to and we can either let it destroy us or make us better.
After writing my edit where my SM was taking my things away and assuming I was on drugs I started recording on my phone and she said a lot through the door, many things about my mom and me, and just plain hateful words that I don’t want to repeat on here. I fell asleep while I was barricading the door with my body when my dad demanded me to open the door, at this point I don’t remember much of what happened but my SM told me I had to leave the house and my dad agreed. I didn’t know who to call but I decided to call my coach and he picked me up, and I was a crying mess. He didn’t ask any question but just told me that I was safe and if I need to talk he was here for me, I stayed over one night when the next day, dad picked me up, SM was not at home when we got there. Dad told me we needed to talk.
We had breakfast and my dad spoke to me about many things my SM told him and I couldn’t believe all the lies she told him. It was a long talk but in summary it was:
My use of drugs and alcohol
How I disrespect her in our home
I don’t do my responsibilities like chores at home
I’m nasty to her when Dad is not around
He asked me why I was acting like this and if I had a problem with SM I should’ve spoke to him. I let him talk and when he was crying and asked if I had anything to say. I was so lost for word I knew whatever I said my dad was on my SM side. So I told him I wanted him to watch the recording of the incident that I can send through as an email attachment and the link to my reddit post and than we can talk more, I also said I didn’t want to be here when he was reading and watching so I’ll go for a drive and he can txt me when he’s done and ready to talk. He was hesitant at first but I told him it was important to me so he agreed and I left in my car to the beach and sent the email with the video attached and the link to my reddit post.
I don’t know how long I waited but many thoughts were going through my head, I was missing my mom so much and what if my dad still sided with my SM what can I do now? I fell asleep at the beach spot and was woken up by a police officer knocking on my car door and asking for my name, after confirming my name he advised me to get out my car and to hand over my keys to him and to follow him to his car, he handcuffed me and assured me that I wasn’t in trouble but this was a welfare check cause someone made a call that I was possibly suicidal, I didn’t talk after he told me that and all I remember was just crying. He made me sit in the back of the police car until the ambulance came and they took me to the hospital. I was asked many questions and was evaluated and was told I was depressed and may have extreme anxiety. The physician did say I might have other things but will require further testing and some sessions with a psychiatrist.
My dad came and visited me while in hospital and when I saw him he looked really tired. When he spoke it sounded like he was crying and he told me he called the police on me because the video recording I did, he heard everything my SM said but he also saw my cuts on my thighs and was scared and thought the worst. Honestly I never watched the video so I didn’t know my thighs were visible.
After our cry we spoke about a few things. I told my dad that I don’t feel comfortable living with SM after everything she said and done to me over the years, and I’m not sure I can handle being around her cause I don’t trust her. We spoke about arrangements and knowing my dad still loves my SM and I didn’t want him to choose between us, i told him that I could talk to Coach if I could stay with him, and after calling him he agreed. I’ve also been admitted to an agency that will support me cause I am mentally unwell. I have been to 1 session and waiting on another evaluation to be done on me and some testings with my GP so they can diagnose me.
I’m currently staying with my rugby coach who has been an amazing pillar. He has set out some house rules but I respect the fella and don’t mind following them. My coach even set a date next week for me and dad to catch up on. My coach is an awesome dude, I thought of him as just a coach who just wanted our rugby team to win but when he allowed me to stay over he showed so much care for me and I saw a side to him and understand how much he cares for my team, he has a lovely wife but I’m kinda anxious whenever it’s just me and her at their house.
That’s it right now, my dad lives at home with my SM and is trying to sort that out. I have many appointments to get the help I need and alot of school work to catch up on and rugby trainings to attend. I’ve taken a leave of absence from my maccas job. I’m gonna miss going to the beach for a while but I understand that it’s not a forever thing so I hope that the next time I go there I’m not crying my eyes out. Im kinda working on being ok if my dad and SM after those of you who shared your similar experiences, some day I’ll be ok.
Thank you all who advised me and encouraged me. Those who reached out through DM, thank you for the kind words and reaching out. I’m not sure if I’ll update again but maybe I’ll let you know if something happens in the future.
Take care everyone, also be kind to one another and most of all be kind to yourself cause you deserve it
TLDR i showed my dad my reddit post and recording of my SM being verbally abusive and now I’m staying at my coaches house trying to sort out my mental health
2nd Update I (17m) don’t know how to tell my dad (42m) that my step mom (37f) hates me
Hope everyone has been doing well.
I wasn’t going to update at all but many who reached out shared there stories and kind words it truely helped me. I wish I was able to reply but so many things were happening and I’m sorry. This will be a long one but it’s because this will be the last time I hope.
In my last post my coach sorted out time for me and my dad to catch up weekly I have met up with my dad twice and this is how it went
First catch up at the beach
We spoke and I told him alot about what happened between me and his wife. I mention how she would treated me when he wasn’t there, what she spoke to me after they got married and how she was awful to live with. I told him how I dealt with it for his sake cause I wanted him to be happy. I mentioned to him that I spoke with coach about staying there until I go to university and than I’ll move away cause I cannot live with his wife anymore cause I’m not sure what ill do. I’m never going to try and get along with her anymore. He listened and was crying and asked if I would ever get over this. I told him no and I never wanted to see his wife and walked off cause I was pissed off at what he said and drove back to the coaches house.
He messaged me later I was acted like a kid, and I responded Cause I am a kid.
2nd Catch up Dinner at the coaches house
Second catch up my coach invited my dad to have dinner and hang with me (my coach has a pool table in his man cave and a pool) I was excited to hang and catch up with my dad even after our last meet up cause I was feeling a bit better, but at the same time I was feeling anxious about the meet up like I had a bad gut feeling, but I ignored it. Dinner went great and me, dad and coach had fun playing pool, later on that night coach gave us space to talk.
Dad talked about my mom and me as a kid, just things he would tell me when I was a kid and it was just me and him, it was fun and I really enjoyed our time together. When it was time to go home I offered to drop him off since he drank but he said his wife was here to pick him up so I hugged him and he went I kinda stayed in the garage and waited for her to leave so I could walk in the house but I heard her say “How’s the little shit?” And I bolted out the door and told her to fuck off, boy was I not ready for the slap my dad gave me but all I remember was swinging a punch at him and knocking him down and my coach pulling me off my dad.
My coach told my dad and his wife to leave. After they left I told my coach I never wanted to see him again and txted my dad we were done.
It doesn’t end there.
Last week I planned to not go to school on Friday and go for a drive up the line with a few team mates to just get away from everything, they ended up bailing so I went by myself. I ended up driving to a lake and parking up and just chilling for the school day and just drive back home later on. When I got home at my coaches house I saw my dads car parked in the driveway and thought I would have to square up with my dad. When I parked up my dad ran out the house and looked like shit, he looked like he cried for days and he started hitting my car screaming to get out the car and tell him where I was the whole day. I thought he was mad that I wagged school so he ripped the door open and hugged me so hard and cried, I had no idea what was happening or what he was saying but all could understand was I’m sorry and I love you.
After what felt like forever he kinda calmed me down and I asked him why was he here, and than he told me there was an accident with a kid getting hit by a train, and it clicked my dad thought it was me. He said when he heard the news he called the school and they said I was a no show and called everyone he could think of, my mates said I went for a drive somewhere but didn’t know where and my dad said he lost it.
He calmed down eventually and said he would divorce his wife if I wanted him to but I told him, he needed to choose that for himself cause the reason I stayed quiet was to make him happy, if he is unhappy to make a choice for himself cause I don’t want to be the reason he is unhappy and that now I have to look after myself and that is getting away from her and he cried and just said more sorry’s.
He ended up sleeping over in the same room as me that night and the night after cause I think he was scared and just trying to deal, I was ok with it and coached allowed it
He left after the weekend to sort himself out back at his home. I told him that where I am is good for me and to not worry and that I’ll turn off Do Not Disturb on my phone so I could see txts.
That’s pretty much it really, I don’t know what my dad is going to decide to do with his wife but I am definitely not ever going to associate with her, ever in the foreseeable future. I love my dad too much to stop seeing him but he knows my boundaries since I’ve set them out clear as day and he knows as much as I love him I will cut him off if I feel like it’s not for me. I’m moving pass what happened between me and my dads wife for me cause I’m tired of letting her beat me in my mind so I just gotta work on me.
I’m currently happy staying with my coach and his wife, they have been amazing and have shown me so much love. They have awesome kids who I have met and they have invited me to they family Christmas. I feel bad that I feel anxious when I’m around coaches wife but I’m working on it with my therapist and I have a good support system. I know I want to go to University but not sure if I want to study Commerce or Law, but I know i am on track with my studies, I just can’t afford to skip anymore school.
Thank you to everyone who sent messages of support and reached out to share your experiences. Y’all gave me the strength to believe I could get out of this mess and be ok.
And if you ever feel down that there is help out there for you no matter where you are in life. I’m glad I shared on Reddit cause I’ve learnt so much about me and many things I won’t forget and teach to my kids.
Now I gotta go school
Take care and cheers
🔴🔴🔴
OOP posted in mom for a minute on Sept 27, '22 about turning 18 (can't repost from this sub)
Dec 2nd TrueOffMyChest
I hate that my current reality is that I don’t have people I can rely on right now in my life
I am trying to do the best to survive and better my current situation.
I’ve had so much happen to me this year and I feel like I can’t afford to take time for me, to catch a break or else I’ll lose what I currently have which is not much.
I know I’m young and have so much to look forward to but it’s hard, like so hard to want to carry on when so much shit is going wrong.
I’m trying to find a place to stay even a flatmate situation to be more independent but I can barely afford anything. My job offered me a better paying position at the expense of full time bourse and even though I would love more money that means I will have to give up my dream to go university.
I know many people have had worse situations and honestly I don’t know how they found the will and help they got. It really feels like the world just hates me and I know I’m feeling sorry for myself but I honestly giving up hope
Deleted, Dec 6th in momforaminute
What can I get the family I’m staying with for Christmas?
Dec 28th in advice
I (18m) feel indifferent about catching up with my Dad (42m) I (18m) have a strained relationship with my Dad (42m) . A lot has happened this year between us and it really ruined our relationship. He was my best friend, would be there for my rugby matches and push me to do my best.
Earlier this year I had a fall out with my step mom and my dad which caused me to move out of my home and in with my Coach (37m) who I call uncle; I have been here ever since.
We did try to mend our relationship but harsh words were exchanged and I stopped reaching out and focused on passing my exams. I have worked hard on myself by working at my job and helping out at the place I’m staying. I have made some sort of peace about my situation and focusing on my future.
Now my dad reached out last night to meet up with him to hang and we planned it for next year on the 4th of Jan, I agreed and that was that. My uncle talked to me about what me and my dad spoke about, he is kinda worried about my feelings about meeting my dad because of my feelings towards the day. I explained the best I could, is that I just feel indifferent about my dad right now. I am not excited nor scared about this meeting, I just see it as a date I’ll be seeing him and that’s it. Whether we meet up or not I’m not bothered by it at all.
My uncle and his wife care a lot and have done so much for me so I care about what they say. They think I should have a reason to meet up with him since I haven’t spoken to him in a while and worried I could get hurt. Should I have a different mindset towards the catch up with my dad?
TLDR: Dad planned a catch up next year for me and him, we had a fall out so my uncle thinks that I should be feeling something but I feel indifferent.
A commenter asks how it went
Reply on Jan 31, 23
Ok this reply took a while because I wasn’t ready to share but I’m ok for now.
My dad turned up with SM and told me that they were having a kid, I congratulated them and we spent time talking about my future and dad telling me he can pay for my university studies as long as I keep my grades up. We spoke about a lot and than we said our goodbyes and I left. I wasn’t able to drive home cause I started crying and had to call my uncle to come pick me up.
It’s been a few weeks since the meeting and now I’m not sure about my feelings about everything but focusing on getting ready for uni so I’m working alot more. My uncle and me are planning to go check out his other house that was affected by floods so that’s something to look forward too cause I need a change of scenery.
Thanks for checking on me it means alot

You'll do well OP. Go out there and be successful for yourself. Your uncle and wife are really a gem. Thats a couple you need to return the favour or love one day. So hv you decided what major you will do in uni?

OP: Most definitely. They are honestly the best support I have and I am forever grateful to them both for sharing their home, family and love. Sometimes I wonder why they do it and they always remind me it’s cause they care and love me which means a lot.
For uni I am going for a Bachelors in Commerce, majoring in Commercial Law and Accounting. Very excited about it and looking forward to it. It will take some years but that’s ok for me right now
The father is not leaving the stepmom and OOP is working to move forward. I'm flairing this concluded
Reminder, DO NOT comment on the original posts or contact the original poster. I am not the original poster. This is a repost.

I've owned an FD RX-7 for the past 4 years that I bought because it was a good deal. Unmodified, new engine. Had some issues with body and paint, some gremlins and so on, but it was running, compression was good.
Planning the build (because I'm a planner and overthinker), the amount of work required and $$ needed is a bit daunting. Considering that even after spending all that money, there's no guarantee the car would run care-free and be reliable/enjoyable, the darkness over my head was growing.
Today, it refuses to start. I've been checking a lot of things, finding a lot of previous owner bad fixes in wiring and things that don't match the workshop manual.
My estimate is that the fuel pump is dead but I am an amateur hobbyist and I cannot say that with certainty.
I feel very frustrated and dissapointed and started losing my interest in it.
Feeling that the more I let it sit, the worse it gets and I should spend X amount of money on it to get it running. It feels like a troublesome platform (the internet memes don't help and I suppose there is indeed fire where there is smoke).
So it dawned on me that maybe, just maybe I could just sell it, along with whatever I bought along for my planned build and come out the other end without financial losses (and possibly some profit as well considering what the prices are right now) and just get something else.
Could the RX-7 skyrocket in prices in 2, 5, 10 years? Lose like 50k in profits? Maybe but right now I don't care if I'm honest.
I am very close to just giving up so I wanted your opinions because to be honest, it feels very dissapointing, very disheartening and downright depressing right now.
​
/rant

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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
​
Chapter 17: Well Of Courage
Amidst a field of wilting wheat and crushed financial hopes, the most disparate thing was the well in the centre. To say that it looked abandoned was to say that bouillabaisse à l'encre de seiche was acceptable as an evening entrée. It wasn't. It was ugly and grisly. And so was this well.
I stared down into the abyss, feeling the cold air echoing within its depths. There was no hint of its bottom. No dripping or splashing of water. Only a sordid darkness resided here, giving way to a pit without end.
I looked up and frowned at Mary … Marina Lainsfont. She had the good grace to already look sheepish.
“The starflower is here?” I queried. “In this well? At the bottom?”
“I believe so,” she replied, looking less and less reliable with each passing moment.
I returned to gawking into the clear safety hazard. The well had no cover and no signage. And while the fates of those who accidentally tripped and fell to an agonising end mattered little to me, it did suggest a rather unseemly welcome for anyone who voluntarily climbed down.
Fortunately, whatever had accrued at the bottom couldn't be seen.
Unfortunately, whatever had accrued at the bottom also couldn't be avoided.
“Is there a reason you haven't collected the starflower yourself?” I asked, glancing back at the alchemist. “As ghastly as climbing down a well surely is, it must have warranted your investigation.”
“It did. I've … well, I've previously thought about climbing down, but it's not the well itself that has the starflower. It's the caverns.”
“There are caverns underneath Rolstein?”
“Only here. Underground waterways originating from a series of caverns feeds into this well. They're very old, and other than when there's an issue with the water supply, rarely traversed. However, I recently discovered records that suggest a unique ecosystem may be present down there which includes flora and um … other inhabitants.”
“And how many dozens of eyes do these inhabitants have?”
“The normal amount. Maybe. Tunnel bats are known to exit the well on occasion. The 'maybe' makes it too dangerous for me … but based on the ideal conditions, I believe that a starflower may very well be present.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“That, or some other array of rare apothecary ingredients, I imagine?”
“The thought did cross my mind, yes,” admitted the alchemist. “But whether or not a starflower is present is irrelevant if another suitably powerful curative can be discovered.”
“A fool's hope,” I replied. “Guesswork is unlikely to hand the keys to unlocking this cure.”
The woman's shoulders fell.
“Does … Does this mean ...”
“And yet, I believe that pursuing all avenues of investigation is warranted, given the severity of the Withering. As a result, I will personally order my future attendant to climb down this narrow and dangerous well and retrieve any rare medicinal reagents for your usage.”
Coppelia, who until now was content to examine the spiralling abyss she would soon investigate, looked up at me and beamed.
“Nope.”
“Now, Coppelia, I understand your apprehension. This well is disgusting. However, this is a matter of practicality. Your outrageous strength must surely confer above-average jumping and falling abilities. As there's no method for me to enter or exit without grave harm to me or my sense of hygiene, it leaves you with your unique skill set for physicality to conduct this investigation.”
Coppelia pointed at something in the wilted wheat.
“There's a ladder here.”
I leaned slightly to the side, then spotted the wooden ladder squashing what few crops had valiantly tried to remain upright.
“An excellent observation, Coppelia. Why, by spotting something unbeknownst to the rest of us, you've demonstrated your proficiency in taking on this investigative role.”
“True. I'm still in the 'nope' camp, though. I'm not valiant and brave like you. In fact, I have an idea! Why don't you use the ladder and I'll give moral support by constantly praising your courage from here?”
Tempting. But no.
I looked at the alchemist instead.
“Why is there a ladder conveniently placed here, and why are you not currently volunteering to lead the way into your own excursion?”
The woman glanced to the side as she played with her fingers. An embarrassed blush appeared on her cheeks.
“Um, well … like I said, I previously thought about climbing down … but it's … well, um, very dark ...”
I looked between the two individuals I found myself with.
One a clockwork doll, one an alchemist. Impudence with a brazen smile from one and cowardice with a bashful veneer from the other.
Then, I quietly groaned while rubbing my temples.
Ugh. But of course, what else could I expect from simple commoners? Gallantry was the realm of royalty. And as a princess, I was its champion.
If I was forced to climb down a damp and hopelessly unfitting well, then that wasn't a black mark against my standing, was it? No, of course not. It was a sign of boldness, determination and unmatched nerve. Qualities which were not only expected of me, but ones which I regularly performed each time my mother brutishly thrust me into the limelight of court to 'do some actual work'.
Indeed, I was no stranger to tenacity!
What was a well, compared to the horrors of conversing with the daughters and sons of lesser nobility as though we were peers?
A highly suspect hole in the ground was nothing! And if I told myself that, then it immediately became true!
“Ohh … ohoho! Very well. The both of you may rejoice. I will brave the darkness and scour the depths! Whatever reagents may be recovered within, I will extract for the sake of this kingdom!”
“Ooooh ...”
Coppelia began clapping her hands. The alchemist joined her after a moment's confusion. The applause was neither necessary, nor particularly fervent.
I accepted it nonetheless, smiling as I pointed at the ladder.
“Coppelia, please attach the ladder to the well. You may hold it steady while I descend into the depths.”
“I'll do better than that. Why, with a determination so fierce, how could I abandon a heroine to brave the unknowns on her own?”
“Me too! I'll join you. I told you I'll show you the way. I can't just leave you to explore on your own. I can help identify anything that may be of use.”
And just like that, my valour had roped willing servants to my side!
Not that I allowed surprise to leak onto my carefully crafted expression. Indeed, drawing the weak and the unwilling to my cause was a principle effect of my royal status, whether I proclaimed it or not!
“Ohhoho! Then let us make haste! Even as we stand, the livelihoods of those around us perishes beneath the evening glow!”
“Right!”
With enthusiasm which I already viewed as uncharacteristic, Coppelia skipped over to the ladder, then effortlessly lifted it over her head. The alchemist and I ducked as she swung it violently over the well with little heed to our heads.
“Hiee?! W-Watch where you display your brutish strength! I only have one head, and it's my life's goal to keep it on my neck!”
“Got it!”
Twirling it like a dancer with a baton, she gave a playful smile as she plunged the ladder down the well.
One thing was for certain. There was a bottom.
And one not as far as the unnatural darkness would suggest.
A frail splash echoed upwards, betraying the shallowness of the water. I peered down the opening once again, wincing as I failed to discern where the ladder vanished from view.
“Okay~” said Coppelia with a musical hum. “Lead the way, Lady Heroine.”
I frowned as I looked up.
“I'm not a Lady. I'm a Pri—ack-hack-ack-ughh.”
“Wow, you even have hacking coughs in your titles? You kingdoms really like your fancy names, huh? Where do I get one like that?”
After almost being caught out by the most fiendish of questions, I recollected myself and smiled with grace.
“The … The Kingdom of Tirea's peerage system doesn't allow those without hereditary claims to a noble birthright assume a title. It is not something you can 'get', with the sole exception of a royal proclamation.”
“… And how do I get one of them?”
I willed myself not to tut. Such a coarse question would never be levelled at me had she known who I truly was. As such, I would allow the tactlessness.
“Through significant contribution to the kingdom,” I answered, before reaching for the top rung of the ladder. “Should you wish to begin climbing that staircase of sweat and tears, I suggest you begin by making me a pot of chamomile tea.”
Indeed, as the feats I intend to perform will doubtless be recorded in the annals of our history, even the smallest contribution by those who aid me will be viewed with generous lenses … especially if they offer me hot beverages on demand!
I gingerly lifted myself across the rim of the well and planted my feet onto the ladder.
“I'm terrible at tea making,” she said, a black stain now inked on her history. “But I make up for it with my charming disposition and ability to ask questions at the worst times. For example, how are you going to see down there?”
I paused, already several steps down.
“M-My! Have no fear … that won't be an issue!”
Clearly, she believed me so focused on the task ahead that I'd neglected a vital practicality in achieving it. Understandable. But I was no clumsy genius fated to trip over her masterworks and journals. I was simply a genius.
And that meant being able to hop over every hazard even before I saw it!
For indeed … I did have a method for piercing even the darkest night.
“Voila!”
Starlight Grace shone as I carefully drew it from my sheath, one hand still gripping the ladder.
All of a sudden, the overwhelming darkness below was pierced by a light so radiant that it seemed to rebound within this small space. Each pearl of moisture was illuminated against the stone, shining like little stars painted against the damp surface.
In legends past, Starlight Grace's splendour was such that this artifact alone could pierce the foul blackness which shielded the Witch of Calamity once plaguing our fledgling kingdom. Noble as our ancestors' hearts, tenacious as the towns they founded and virtuous as the heavens which shone upon their labour, Starlight Grace was the symbol of the kingdom's spirit …..... and also my reading light.
Truly, my sword was astonishingly convenient!
What need did one have of candles and fireplaces when I was gifted the light of the heavens themselves? Yes, Starlight Grace could fell the hordes of darkness, but more importantly, it allowed me to finish the page turners that raced against my need for sleep.
I pointed my sword towards my feet.
A murky, shallow surface of water was illuminated at the bottom of the revealed well. Not one, but several buckets shorn of their rope were lying half-submerged amongst a wet collage of algae and foliage.
What were once leaves and florets of wheat blown from the fields above now formed its own habitat. I chose not to think about what ghastly species of caterpillars had opted to make their home within that mass of virulent green.
Above me, I heard a hushed gasp. I glanced up at my captivated audience.
“A-Amazing ...” murmured the alchemist, her eyes wide.
“I know,” added Coppelia, no less stunned. “I would've put money on there being at least one dead body down there.”
I redirected my gaze back down.
“If you still wish to make that wager, then you're free to.”
“Really? Will you bet against me?”
I narrowed me eyes at the pit of algae.
“No.”
“Shame. There's definitely something dead down there. So, going down?”
With that, Coppelia tapped the top rung of the ladder with her foot. I parted my lips, ready to discuss with her the non-existent notion of hurrying a princess when the alchemist let out a gulp so audible that it echoed within the well.
“Such a magnificent sword … How did you come to acquire it?”
“It was gifted to me as a young child. Not a day has gone by where I haven't had it by my side.”
“I see … then it's no wonder my father gave the task of delivering Apple to you. You must be a highly accomplished swordswoman to have earned his respect so swiftly.”
“N … Naturally! It's said that … warriors may take the measure of one another more keenly than even a merchant and their wares. My righteous soul and exemplary skill at arms is revealed to any who care to look.”
The alchemist wore an expression of fervent agreement as she studied the sword in my grip. For my part, I pressed it up against the side of the ladder as I began to climb down the well.
It was not the most dignified of activities, but I was saving the kingdom. I could easily spin this unbecoming descent into a far grander tale once the time came to pay off the bards and the minstrels. Why, this was something that would earn me the adoration of the masses! Most princesses only climbed up, and yet here I was, descending even deeper than where their knees fell as they grovelled towards me.
My, wasn't I just a princess of the people?
In moments, I heard, and felt, my far more fearful comrades finding purchase on the ladder. Accepting my natural role as leader, I led the descent with grace and maturity, never once noticing how disgustingly slimy this ladder was, or wondering how much fire would be needed to erase the smell of algae from my clothes afterwards.
“You spoke of dangers,” I said upwards, past Coppelia's graceful figure as she practically slid from rung to rung. “Aside from tunnel bats and tripping over one's feet in the darkness, what other dangers can be expected within the waterways?”
“I … ah, it's quite slippery isn't it? Um, I'm not sure. I would expect monsters to reside in the dark and wet conditions. But from what I know of the well, the only things other than tunnel bats to escape are water slimes and strangler crabs.”
“Creatures that even a newly trained soldier would be expected to readily dispatch. Is that all?”
“I believe so. It's the unknown that concerns me. But so far, I've seen no records to suggest that anything more sinister resides here. I think it'll be fine. Maybe. Probably. I would traverse these caverns myself, but, well … I don't have a glowing sword.”
The alchemist's voice faded with something between shame and embarrassment.
Of course, for an ordinary citizen, even common monsters were beyond them. Slimes, crabs and bats failed to worry me. After all, I had Starlight Grace. And more pertinently, I had a clockwork doll with enough arm strength to propel me to safety if and when required.
Still, I wondered why I could feel goosebumps beginning to appear?
And hmm … what was that ominous groaning in the distance?
“Hey, hey, Juliette?”
I glanced up and frowned. It was one thing for to be spoken to so casually, but the way Coppelia did it with such a blasé smile would have sent tutting hurtling her way in any other context.
Curiously, I didn't find it entirely displeasing. Perhaps because the handmaids who'd served my family longest were permitted in private to refer to us with a degree of informality. It was, in a limited capacity, refreshing.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Well, I just had this thought,” she said, animatedly pointing at her own head. “If we're not actually sure what's beyond this highly suspect well, would it not be prudent to pause, take stock of our limited supplies, re-evaluate the purpose of this hastily arranged venture and perhaps seek even just a little bit of information before ploughing head first into the uncharted darkness?”
I paused to consider a crack in the stone, then waved away Coppelia's concerns.
Really now! Nitpicking over plans is what my brothers and sisters did. And look where that had gotten them. Assigned to ghastly roles filled with royal duties and obnoxious responsibilities, without a minute to spend on their own whims.
That was not the life of luxury I intended to live.
… Moreover, time spent planning was time spent not doing! My livelihood was at stake and I had a long list to go through. I was here to hurry, not to worry!
Thus, I shrugged and continued climbing. But not without giving my answer.
“Ohhohohoho!! Darkness? What need do I have to fear the darkness? Indeed, it is the darkness who should fear me!”
I raised Starlight Grace ever so slightly, drawing on the last gasp of sunlight peering down the well to reflect off its radiant edge. A prism of blinding light momentarily lit up the entirety of the well, before falling solely against the bottom of the well once more.
“Ooooh …”
Coppelia applauded, not even requiring her hands to hold herself steady against the ladder. I accepted it with good grace.
That's right. I had nothing to fear!
For I was the Third Princess to the Kingdom of Tirea. And that meant even this darkness belonged to me. If it troubled me, I'd find a way to tax it!
And yes, that included the strange groaning in the distance too.
​
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I (28F) have been with my boyfriend (27M) for a year, and for the most part we have had no issues whatsoever. He's sweet, kind, and incredibly loving. For most of our relationship I've actually thought he was too good to be true, and he's treated me better than anyone ever has. We have been looking to buy a home together, and have had extensive talks about getting married. As far as I've been concerned this is the person I've wanted to spend my life with.
We really haven't had many issues throughout our relationship, and I don't think he has a single malicious bone in his body, but there have been some things that have come up that caused problems between us (I will try to give the Cliff's Notes versions):

• I value honesty and transparency over most things, which he knows, and so we had disclosed to each other about our past dating history/relationships. However, he withheld information from me regarding his ex despite telling me that he'd told me everything; that she had been living with him for months during lockdown despite having her own place, and didn't tell me until 10 months into our relationship when I had to ask him about a mysterious YouTube account linked to his TV. His reasoning for not removing the account or even mentioning this situation is because he didn't view the relationship as being serious. This situation made me uncomfortable as I don't like to be surprised/blindsided with information, but we had worked through it.
  
• He had mistakenly made a comment to me about my appearance which made me feel very insecure and bad about myself. Our sex life has always been pretty great but just not as frequent as I'd like which is due to some health issues on his part, but even so, it felt to me like our sex life had slowed down slightly too (I figure more because we're in the comfy stage). I didn't feel as desirable to him after this had been said, despite him telling me otherwise frequently. Overall I just wasn't feeling very secure in the relationship or good about myself. He's making more of an effort to give me reassurance though.
  

After having some long talks with each other and him reassuring me, I later found out that he'd been talking about all of this to his best friends. However, what he'd been telling them were lies and fabrications about what had been going on between us. He omitted any wrongdoings on his part, and had implied that these issues had come completely out of nowhere and had stemmed from my own past of being cheated on..? (which was not relevant at all to what had been going on between us, and this was also not information for him to share with his friends, as I had told him in confidence about my past experiences). He had essentially thrown me under the bus and made me look unhinged so as to not look bad in front of his friends. He portrayed me as an insecure mess of a person, and allowed his friends to speak badly of me too. I take a lot of pride in my character as I think I'm a good and kind person, but he has gone to some of the people he cares about most and reduced me to nothing more than a future crazy ex girlfriend. I now know that because of this, his friends think badly of me and have suggested that he should reconsider the relationship. This hurts because I like his friends and I care what they think of me as I know how much they mean to my bf, and vice versa. I personally hadn't spoken to any of my friends about what had been going on between us as I wanted to protect his character and didn't want anyone to think badly of him...
Reading what they had been saying about me broke me. I'm absolutely heartbroken that he would hurt me like this as I never thought he could do something like that. We've talked about it and he says he's incredibly ashamed of himself for doing this and is trying to make it right, but I don't know where to go from here. He has spoken to his friends and told them that he grossly misrepresented me as a person, and lied about what he'd said to them. I know he's genuinely remorseful and feels terrible about what he's done, but the whole thing has riddled me with so much anxiety and I'm not sure whether there is any coming back from this. I've been having panic attacks multiple times a day since this had come to light as I clearly don't feel as safe and secure in the relationship as I once did. I guess only time will tell whether this can get better, I just wish none of it ever happened and that we could go back to the way things were. I guess I'm just having trouble accepting it and moving on.
Just needed to vent I guess, but any advice/perspective is appreciated.

Hi All, I moved in to a new place 2 years ago and was doing great until about a year in.
When sleeping in my bedroom, I developed seemingly non stop post nasal drip. This later was followed by covid, then subacute thyroiditis. While working through the thyroid issue, I got to a point of feeling the best I ever had in my adult life. It was short lived however and I went slow thyroid.
I tried iodine which made me hyper again and around this time, my room started smelling musty. I became sensitive to it.
Moved out of the room and symptoms improved. Trashed the bed, got a new one but stayed out of the room. Felt good for 3 weeks and now Ive been swinging around since.
I've a host of new symptoms that I never had before April like: Sensitive to more chemicals than ever before Sensitive to bright light Panic attacks Deep depression I dont enjoy things Sleep apnea/throat closing Chills Low body temperature Inability to focus at work Tmj (had spme grinding before but now clenching with pains) Tingling tongue and lips Vivid dreams
My kids have been mostly ok except my son has some nasal breathing challenges as of 2 weeks ago.
My sump backed up and my basement stank. While investigating i found small amount of mold in crawl space. However under my bedroom, insulation fell off the wall and behind it the bulk of the panel is black! Decide to face my room and found am ice dam or leak, checked attic and found mold.
Getting it remediated but is it enough? How would I know if my new issued are from mold and not thyroid or covid? There is nowhere I can move to and will spend a fortune to fix the house. In my gut, I think it was the mold, but I can't be sure.
I will bankrupt myself moving me and the kids over a chance. What are others thoughts? I was feeling great just back in December. Feeling ok in late February until the sump pump issue. There are only 3 other housed for sale in my area and i cant afford them. Apartments are booked.
Tldr: thyroid, natural aging, long covid or mold, how does one know the difference?

Hi there! Anyone here looking for a date tomorrow night? We could watch a movie, go on a roadtrip, or just eat somewhere nice. Or you could even introduce me as your +1.
About me: - 5'5 -66 kg ave body - works out but body is still WIP - corporate slave - from big 3 (if it matters) - cute naman daw - discreet, masc, and decent - stays in QC
About you: - same height or taller - decent, discreet, masc - fun to be with - preferably w car
If this interests you, drop me a DM so we can exchange pics. See ya!

Hi,
Got a upcoming project that involves doing the same actions 600 times on different bodies of work, so finding any shortcuts is going to reduce my workload exponentially…
It’s rather simple. It’s taking scans of A4 white paper that have been drawn on with various pens, removing the white background and then exporting this as a transparent background, of which the doodles will later be used to impose on other assets
Any quick way, rather than manually magic wanding?

I've (M, 24) been thinking of the topic of modesty for both genders, but I've been especially curious about how it would specifically apply for men.
I did some research on Tik Tok to see what women go crazy for in men and common things I found are gray sweatpants (especially nowadays, or any joggers in general), rolled up sleeves (or just well fitted t-shirts in general), dress shirts, tucked in shirts, Henley shirts, wearing a hat backwards, cargo pants or any pants with side pockets, wearing a chain and having certain hairstyles or shaves/beards.
Based on my observations, apparently these are what women go crazy for in men nowadays.
Now as a Christian, I as a man wouldn't wanna cause a woman to stumble into lust any way shape or form. I feel we give modesty too much focus on women without looking at us guys ourselves.
And don't give me that "women don't lust" or "women aren't simulated by a man's physical appearance" type of nonsense. It may be somewhat slightly different for both genders but that doesn't mean that women don't lust after a man's physical appearance.
Women go crazy for tall guys and guys with big, strong looking hands. Does this mean I should wear gloves all the time or kneel when I'm walking to not cause a woman to stumble?
Remember Potiphar's wife with Joseph and the adulterous woman in Proverbs 7? They're the ones who initiated their lust first.
I've had two separate instances where girls groped my butt (harassment much). I work in retail and I've had several instances where women touched and grabbed my arms saying stuff like "big strong guy". So it's not just men who are lustful perverts.
Don't get me wrong here, I care about modesty in women as well and as a single guy, I prefer someone who leans towards the more modest side and I find promiscuously dressed girls repulsive. Like with men, I'm not super legalistic and I'm not one to just give a list of what one can and can't wear (goes for both genders). All I'll say is that pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, obey your own convictions before the Lord and don't be overly judgemental or legalistic towards others when it comes to this.
I'm not trying to be legalistic towards the guys and say don't do the things listed above.
But I just wanted to share where my heart's at on the matter.
I'm personally not too excessively crazy about my physical appearance whether it's my body, hair, accessories or clothes. I've never been shamed or bullied for my physical appearance. Quite contrary, I've often gotten compliments from both men and women of how well I'm dressed or how lean and strong I look and things like "have you been working out?" One of my female coworkers even subtly called me a "cutie".
But with me caring little about my physical appearance, I have no problem abandoning all the things that women find attractive. I wouldn't mind never wearing gray sweatpants (or any sweatpants or joggers in general), never wear a chain or watch, never grow facial hair, never wear my hat backwards or at all, never tuck in my shirt, roll up my sleeves, wear a dress shirt or anything else women find attractive if it would cause them to stumble. Or even if it causes another man to stumble in any way such as urging them to go against their own personal convictions. Although we do have freedoms in Christ. But where my heart's at, I wouldn't mind wearing baggy clothes or even a tunic all the time if I felt I needed to.
But not causing someone to stumble is the least of my concerns, but rather it's drawing less attention to myself in what I wear and bring more attention to Jesus by my words and actions. And that all starts in the heart.
Lemme hear your thoughts on this.

It's very common for students to perform more poorly on test day than they do on their timed PTs. In fact, it's such a common phenomenon that the LSAT prep world has a name for it: the Test Day Penalty.
Getting your PT average to where you want it to be is hard enough without having to deal with the test day penalty. So, how can you avoid it?
Here are some of the things I did and what I recommend for my students:
1) Prepare for LG curveballs (whether real or perceived)
It tends to be the case that, on test day, at least one of the logic puzzles will feel nightmarishly odd. It’ll feel like you’ve been thrown a complete curveball. It’s very common for students to end up missing one or two or three points on LG that they normally wouldn’t miss.
So, how do you prepare for an LG curveball (real or perceived)?
A) Take a list of the ten hardest games and drill/foolproof 2-3 each week. Methodically practicing on the oddball/ brutal games of the past leaves you better prepared to handle anything you get on test day—in terms of both nerves and actual difficulty.
B) If you do feel like the LSAT is throwing something new at you on test day: Remain calm and affirm to yourself that this game is really no different from the hundreds of games you’ve already practiced on.
2) Test Day Warm Up
Most students are mentally cold when the test first appears on the screen. This means they are mentally warming up while the clock is running. That’s a big mistake. Here’s what I suggest you do:
30-60 minutes before the test, take out a logic game and begin reading through the instructions and sketching your gameboard. Do NOT put a lot of energy into this. The point is merely to lightly warm up your brain by starting to go through the motions of reading through the rules. I wouldn’t even finish sketching your diagram or reading all the rules. You’re just starting the engine.
Next, take a couple of LR questions. Don’t fully answer either of them. Just begin going through the motions of recognizing premises/ conclusions and sketching a translation. Again, don’t put a lot of energy into it. You’re just lightly warming up.
Lastly, read through the first paragraph of a passage. Lightly apply your RC methodology to a single paragraph. Again, don’t put too much energy into it. You’re just lightly going through the motions.
If you don't have a solid RC methodology, I've got a *free* class you're welcome to attend on Saturday (DM me if interested).
3) Do a PT or Two on the LSAC Interface
On test day, the official LSAT interface will operate a bit differently than the one you're used to (assuming you don't use Lawhub). For example, some platforms allow you to use the arrow keys to move to the next question. But LSAC's interface doesn't. LSAC makes you click to move to the next question. And there are plenty of other little differences from the highlighter tool to the flagger tool. Fortunately, LSAC allows you to practice on the official LSAT interface. So, definitely take a PT or two on Lawhub before test day.
Bottom Line: Don't let the official LSAT interface come as a surprise on test day.
4) Get your heart rate up.
Studies show that light to moderate exercise before a cognitive task improves your cognitive performance. So, the morning before the test, go on a walk, do push-ups, etc. You don’t want to do anything that’s strenuous enough to tire you out. You just want to get your heart rate up for 20-30 minutes.
I also recommend doing a couple of jumping jacks or push-ups during intermission. Get that blood flowing again (nothing strenuous). And it's a good idea to be regularly exercising in the weeks/ months leading up to the test. Regular exercises can increase cognitive performance.
5) Get Your Food Right
Before the test, eat a healthy breakfast: High in protein and nutrients, low in carbs and sugars. Everyone's body's a bit different. You know yourself best. But make sure you are intentional about what you fuel yourself with just before the test.
Personally, I prepared a couple of eggs, a few almonds, and my regular super smoothie (frozen blueberries, chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, spinach, green tea extract, and a touch of Kefir).
And don't forget to be intentional about an intermission snack as well. I personally prepared a bag with walnuts, almonds, and 90% dark chocolate. And some extra strong green tea.
6) Get good, quality sleep the whole week before the test (preferably in the weeks leading up to the test)
Studies show that a lack of quality, restorative sleep seriously slows you down cognitively and increases the number of cognitive errors you make. You can’t afford that. Elite performance requires an elite lifestyle.
7) Mentally prepare for a tough test
Mentally prep for an unusually difficult test, and you’ll either be pleasantly surprised…or ready.
8) Take a break from all things LSAT 48-72 hours before the test
Relax. Enjoy yourself (but don’t damage your sleep or diet patterns). Take a break and a breather. I’m not sure what the science behind this is. But I know that my students do much better when they’ve had that brain break right before the test.
9) Get Everything Ready Early
Have your ID set out, your room prepped, your clothes and food ready to go, your equipment checked on ProctorU's website, etc. You don't want to have to be frantically getting things ready on test day.
10) Be really prepared.
PTing at your goal score once or twice and usually doing worse is not where you want to be. Going into your test, you want to be highly confident that you can do well. And that confidence should be justified by consistent performance on prep tests.
11) Don’t Take RC Lightly
Reading Comp is the highest point section on the LSAT. When your RC performance isn’t great, your LSAT score can’t help but suffer. Use whatever prep company/ resource that works best for you. However, if you are interested in the RC Hero approach, you're welcome to attend a free class this Saturday. Just send me a DM, and I'll hook you up.
12) If you get anxious, learn some meditation/ mindfulness/ breathing techniques
I personally used a breathing technique called "box breathing." I used it before logging into Proctor U, while I was waiting for the Proctor to start the test, between sections, and during intermission.

Just started back working out and was wondering what’s the quickest way to losing 20 pounds? I do have a muscles and all I just have a belly that’s annoying and roughly trying to burn lower fat to but not too much. I don’t got to a gym I do Home-Work-Outs, I do 100 pushups, 50 lunges, 100 sit-ups, 50 bicycle kicks, 50 toe touches and 5:00 Minutes planks and 50 leg push ups. I’m also cutting out a lot of sugary food and drinks, I really love drinking cranberry juices but sadly I have to let them go soon. Any recommendations for good drinks? I’m also cutting out junk food. Not eating at night anymore and trying to eat less then 1500 calories every 2 days. My body type is also mesomorph/Endomorph pretty weird body type but I’m more 70% on mesomorph side since I gain muscle really fast and it also doesn’t take me very long to burn weight, I burned 20 pounds in 2 months just trying to burn it in a month now. That’s pretty much it feel free to give me some tips what to do and what I’m doing wrong and what shouldn’t eat and should eat. Thanks for anyone who responds

Couple hours after I left the Devourer campfire, I gave up searching for the Ecologist outpost in the darkness. There was an old Ikarus bus by the road that I had passed by earlier during my wanderings. It was covered in rust and had lost most of the seats, but it would shelter me for the night. Thankfully the door could be opened, and I crawled inside, hiding on the aisle's furthest point from the door. I set up my machine gun pointing towards the door, made sure the gun was off safe and slowly tried to calm down. Not an easy task, considering there might be a pack of weird cannibals after me, but I needed some rest.
I fell into uncomfortable, far too light sleep, and woke up many times during the night as mutants or simply wind passed by the bus. Each time it took me dozen or so minutes to steady myself to the point of returning to my sleep. I greeted the first rays of day with adulation that would make Sinners or Flame worshippers look like Sunday schoolers. Getting out of the bus, all my muscles tangled up and aching after the night on its floor, I took a first look at my surroundings. Not much to tell. There were some marshlands around the road, with pines and spruces growing from the wet soil. Rocks and puddles dotted the landscape, and by the riverside a lone carcass of a dog sat, rotting in the water.
Taking in the scenery, I realized that I was none the wiser of where the hell I was. I was not even sure where I had come from, as in the dark I could've walked in circles for hours. Abandoning all plans of reaching the ecologist outpost, I decided to trudge on, down the road into what I presumed to be west. If nothing else, finding the river would lead me back to Seriy's Guard outpost. The day was beautiful, especially by Zone standards, and my rucksack felt lighter thanks to it. I passed humming gravitational anomalies, stopping only momentarily to check the area for artifacts. None were forthcoming, so my journey continued. After roughly an hour of walking, I came to a burned hamlet. To the south of it, the Torfprom factory stood alone. I had missed the Ecologist outpost, damn it.
I couldn't dwell on this for long, however, as a bullet whizzed past my head and struck a tree not far from the road. Instinctively, I lunged to cover, preparing to sell my life dearly. My Type 73 was once more filled with deadly bullets, but it was not to dispense it that day. A shout came from the village ahead to lower my gun as it had been a mere warning shot.
"Identify yourself before I follow that order. Far too many bandits in these parts to be that naive, bratan!", I shouted back.
"We're from Final Frontier, lad! Fellow stalkers like you. Listen, stay there, I'll come closer.", the man shouted.
I saw a stalker emerge from a ruins of a farmhouse, holding a rifle that to me looked a lot like Mauser 98k. The optic on it was a bit different though. The man's trenchcoat was deep red, sort of burgundy colour. He came closer with no threat in his body language, and I holstered my machine gun. Still, as this was the Zone, my hand hovered over the pistol on my belt just in case. As he got closer, I could see the patch on his jacket, depicting three bullets side by side. The man saw my Radiation patch, and lowered his weapon.
"Sorry lad, we've had trouble with the Punishers and the camp is quite anxious. Anyway, you have any business here or are you just passing by? I'm Noah Blacklung, by the way.", the man introduced himself.
"Chronicler, and no hard feelings, things are rough these days. I'm passing by, I was meaning to reach the ecologist camp but ran into Devourers in the night. I'm writing a book on Zone's factions, is your faction welcoming enough to allow me to write another entry on it?", I asked.
"Chronicler, eh? One of the Guard fellows passing by mentioned you, told us that you might come pester us with some smartass shit. And Devourers? Boy, those are a tall-tale, that's all. Either way, our bossman, One-Eye, is in that large ruin over there. Go ask him questions, he fucking hates it.", Blacklung said with a grin under his black beard.
I was a bit hesitant to bug the leader of unknown faction's unit, and slightly offended by Blacklung's dismissive tone regarding the Devourers, but I'm not one to miss a chapter on my book. As such, I wandered into the large ruined farmstead. The tallest surviving walls were at my shoulder-height, and the rest were at knee to chest height. Not much of a fortress, but not the worst defensive position either. There were crates on pallets, bunkbeds and a dugout in the largest room, where all the ammunition seemed to have been piled into. The place had roughly a squad worth of Frontiersmen, most in trenchcoats with various military helmets, gasmasks and even ammunition belts crossed on their chests and backs. Some had modified Hunter suits, painted in that very same burgundy colour but seemingly even more stripped of armour than the base Hunter suit.
The Frontiersmen eyed me as I passed by, but most of them seemed merely curious. They were a ragged bunch, clearly men who had led hard lives. Not necessarily men of criminal past, however, as they seemed more adventurers and daredevils, the types you see when looking at photos of cowboys, Cossacks and Tuareg peoples of Sahara. I asked one of them for directions to One-Eye, and he grunted something while pointing his thumb towards one of the "rooms". A guard in deep red colour exoskeleton let me in after I stated my business, and I squeezed past him and his massive RT-20 antimaterial rifle. Old-Eye was sitting on an old chair, an old man with grey hair, beard and only one eye with the second socket completely empty. He raised his eyebrow at me in a form of silent question, and I hastily introduced myself.
"A chronicler? I remember Kostya mentioning you as he passed by. You helped Seriy with the Pirate problem? Good. I'm One-Eye, name for obvious reasons, and I lead this detachment of Final Frontier. If you have any questions, which I presume to be the case by your chosen title, ask away, we are not shy", One-Eye said and took a bottle of vodka out of the drawer behind him.
I began my usual barrage of questions. First, I asked about the faction's name, as I associate Final Frontier personally as space. One-Eye replied that the name reflects their entire philosophy. Final Frontier believes that the Zone is truly the last frontier region of the world, a place where the hardy, cunning and strong survive and the weak wither away. The faction wishes to explore this location properly, to truly relive the glory days of Wild West or the Cossack lifestyle. In essence, they were all hard-working adventurers according to One-Eye. Always racing ahead of the curve, exploring lands no other stalkers had yet expanded to.
"Interesting, so you're essentially a faction of pathfinders then?", I asked, and One-Eye nodded, taking a shot of vodka.
Apparently the legendary Guide had been an inspiration for the faction's creator and primary Hetman of the Final Frontier, Khmelnytsky. They had since the creation of the faction always pushed boundaries, fought barriers for stalker activity like large mutant herds, Monolith or Sin forces or military units. One-Eye recounted one particularly nasty conflict over a closed city similar to Limansk, named Pripetyarsk-4. During the battle, Khmelnytsky had died alongside many of his men as they had fought alongside Patrol, Braveheart, Duty and Diver forces to attack the city's emitter during cooldown before Monolith could use it again. Mission was a failure, and the next Hetman, Razumovski, heavily influenced the faction's future.
"How so? Has your organization heavily changed? New alliances or something?", I asked.
"Yes. That mad dash to stop the emitter failed, and Razu realized that we are not fighters as much as we are explorers. He made some deals with bandit splinter factions, notably with the Contrabandists to get us some gear and with other minor ones like Scum, Raiders and Marauders to leave us alone until we could regroup. It wasn't easy, and many in our ranks disagreed with him. Some left, most stayed, and we rebuilt slowly.", One-Eye continued, somber tone in his voice.
"And today? You are still pushing for the boundaries of known Zone?"
"To an extent. The veterans who survived Pripetyarsk-4 are out there in the north, working with pathfinders from Clear Sky, Redemption and Bravehearts. But rest of us, many new recruits, are preparing for the return of our faction in full strength. We're gathering artifacts, escorting or guiding stalkers, hunting mutants. Simple things. Sometimes a lab or colony raid, sometimes an attempt to discover new routes.", One-Eye sighed.
I nodded, and asked a few more questions. First, about the weapons they used, which One-Eye answered to be mostly Yugoslav surplus gear acquired from the Contrabandists, with some Zastava or Croat guns thrown into the mix. Second, I asked him about their command structure, which was simple. Hetman was the main leader of the faction, while Osavuls like One-Eye led squads or platoons of 10-20 men. Sotnyks were their patrol or squad leaders. However, the faction was highly decentralized, and discipline was not similar to Duty's or Order's hierarchical command structure. One-Eye remarked that the men were far too rowdy for such, and absolute command was only granted to those who could prove worthy of it. This put Final Frontier's faction relations in a tight spot too, as the faction's men despised factions with strict command structures and authoritarian conduct.
"We're at war with the Order after one of our co-operation missions ended with Osavul Brimstone hitting an Order captain in the face, as the captain had tried to give him orders. Vendetta, Storm and Union are also our enemies for similar reasons. And we're better for it, this is the Zone, not some army garrison, anyone larping the military here can go and do army drills in a Burner pit for all I care!", One-Eye noted and let out a bellowing laugh.
I chuckled at the mental image and thanked the commander for this information. Knowing that nothing was free in the Zone, I queried about what I could do in return for the Frontiersmen. One-Eye looked at me with cunning in his surviving grey eye, and grinned. He noted that I clearly knew how things work here, and offered me a job. Apparently a bandit splinter faction called Punishers was nearby, guarding a river outpost, and for some reason, they would not let Final Frontier pass onto the other side of the river. Normally, One-Eye would have stormed the place, but the renegade bandits had three Dushkas set up and those would rip Frontier's force to shreds.
"So let me get this straight. You want me to waltz into a Punisher outpost, ask them why they don't let you pass, and then waltz back here to report that? With three heavy machine guns staring me down? Are you perhaps off your medication?", I questioned.
"Thing is, you're a loner. A free stalker. We are not, we are close but have our own relations. Punishers are neutral to loners, but clearly not to us. I want to find out why this is, we've seen Diggers and free stalkers pass through there many times. Go talk to their leader, Oleg Warmonger, under the guise of getting information for your book, and ask him what's the matter.", One-Eye ordered.
"All this for some information on your faction?"
"You'll get a reward alright, don't worry. I have a Mica artifact with me that you can get once the job is done, a writer needs something to remove toxicity after all.", One-Eye replied with a grin.
I sighed and took his offer. It's not every day that you get to interview bandits, and if this faction, Punishers, truly was neutral to us loners, it would be an unique chance. I holstered my Type 73, prepared my Walther and set on the road towards the river outpost. There were pairs of Frontiersmen in multiple crumpled houses along the way, keeping an eye on the bandits through the scopes of their M76 rifles. I saw heavy trenchcoats on them, helmets far more advanced than those of regular loners. These guys were no joke, which made it far less appealing to trudge towards the outpost. If they feared it, what chance did I have? When it came to view finally, after ten minute walk on the dirt road running through overgrown fields, I gulped.
A rusted hulk of a bus was the main part of the checkpoint. On it, floodlights had been mounted on the roof, and a Soviet heavy machine gun pointed its black eye towards me. A flag with a big red stain, a crudely drawn skull in the middle of the painted part, flowed on top of the outpost. For better or for worse, I would soon learn who the Punishers were. Would I survive? Only they knew.

Just started back working out and was wondering what’s the quickest way to losing 20 pounds? I do have a muscles and all I just have a belly that’s annoying and roughly trying to burn lower fat to but not too much. I don’t got to a gym I do Home-Work-Outs, I do 100 pushups, 50 lunges, 100 sit-ups, 50 bicycle kicks, 50 toe touches and 5:00 Minutes planks and 50 leg push ups. I’m also cutting out a lot of sugary food and drinks, I really love drinking cranberry juices but sadly I have to let them go soon. Any recommendations for good drinks? I’m also cutting out junk food. Not eating at night anymore and trying to eat less then 1500 calories every 2 days. My body type is also mesomorph/Endomorph pretty weird body type but I’m more 70% on mesomorph side since I gain muscle really fast and it also doesn’t take me very long to burn weight, I burned 20 pounds in 2 months just trying to burn it in a month now. That’s pretty much it feel free to give me some tips what to do and what I’m doing wrong and what shouldn’t eat and should eat. Thanks for anyone who responds

This will be a semi-long post as what I'm feeling is overwhelmed with everything Saxenda and weight loss related.
I started at 99 kilos (218 lbs) in January and began Saxenda on 19 February. My current weight is 94kg (207 lbs), hovering a bit towards 94.75 and its been stuck there for 2 weeks now.
When I began, I felt the appetite disappear and found it easy to eat less. I'm in a weight loss program where I work with a dietician, lifestyle coach and doctor, along with my general practitioner who all support and monitor the progress. My dietician highly recommends a plant based diet which I've tried with her before. I was an excellent candidate for Saxenda; when I first worked with my dietician, following the plant based diet and working out, I only lost the first kilo after 4 months. In addition, I have chromic asthma, severe sleep apnea and my body mimics PCOS symptoms but it was ruled out multiple times. Thus why my doctor thought Saxenda would be good for me.
When I got to the dosage of 2.4mg, it felt like my body turned against me. The nausea hit massively and I couldn't get out of bed for days. The doctor had me toggle back to 1.6mg where I stayed for 2 weeks and made my way towards 2.4mg and where this stall is happening.
I'm trying not to be too worried about the stall but I want to make the best of my Saxenda journey which is why I have a few questions.
Working out: I have yet to work out; I try to get at least 5000 steps a day; some days I get 3000 and others I'll make it to 10,000 easily depending on what I'm doing. The thing is, I've seen a lot of people mention fatigue whilst on Saxenda. This has been extreme for me. I'm already fatigued because of my asthma and sleep apnea; I'm seeing specialists for both and thats a journey within itself. Getting to a healthy weight would obviously help these conditions as well but I am finding it counterintuitive to work out when I'm so fatigued, brain fogged and dizzy a lot of the time.
I am also having problems with low blood sugar episodes. After eating, I've seen it dip down to 4.5 mmol/L or 81.08 mg/dL which isn't too low but the symptoms I feel are. I fainted on the metro the other day and once I ate something sweet and salty, the symptoms disappear. I've already mentioned it to my doctor but she wants me to push through and start working out.
How much to eat in a day? My dietician doesn't want me to calorie count which I find counterintuitive as well because wouldn't I need to make sure I'm in a deficit otherwise using Saxenda is pointless? I've used the Sail Rabbit BMTDEE calculator to figure out my numbers but it is so overwhelming! To lose a kilo a week, it says my calorie intake should be 1275 with an additional 500 to lose through exercise. Without exercise calories, it recommends 775 which I know is too little.
In regards to what I eat:
Breakfast: oatmeal with seeds, fiber powder, plant based milk and half an apple.
Lunch: 2 slices of whole wheat bread with a tofu scramble (sometimes egg whites and yes I know this is not plant based), with hummus and homemade salsa.
In between that meal I'll have the other half of the apple, a mandarin, 2 brazil nuts and maybe a cracker or two when I'm feeling dizzy.
Dinner varies but once in a while I'll have fish (again, I know not plant based but she is okay with me doing), or a meal based on beans, tofu or tempeh with lots of vegetables.
I've cut out meat completely, no sweets or chocolates after dinner, I don't drink alcohol and I don't eat past 8PM.
I feel like with doing all of this, the progress should be moving more but I just want to know what others think or have a similar experience?
So I'm asking the community: are you working out and how are you doing so? and How much do you eat in a day and if you track calories or not?

If you don’t remember what happened in the last part, you can find out here
And if you’re new to this series here is what happened.
I did do some research on Atari and Commodore, and in 1983 there was a major event going on that had Atari right in the center of it, they called it “the video game crash of 1983” supposedly it was because of the game E.T for the Atari 2600 that was such a bad game, they had invested so much in the licensing rights for it, and so many people were disappointed by the weird gameplay of the game that Atari just decided it was cheaper to go bankrupt and then drive out into an unknown location in the Nevada desert, and just bury everything…. Including brand new prototype controllers, software and systems.
At the same time Commodore was on their third revision of the, at the time, very popular computer the Commodore 64, which at the center of it had… the exact same processor… well not exactly the same, but not in a way that would make much of a difference. Meaning they can run the same instructions, though the programs would still end up being majorly different from each other, suppose however that the program could adapt and change itself, mutate like a human virus, so that when it has entered a new system, as long as there is any familiarity in that new system, it could run.. that should never happen in real life though, because that would mean that humanity would be extremely fucked… but it does happen.. let me go back a few days and I’ll explain.
I finally received the chip reader from china in the mail, so I hooked it up to my modern computer and updated all the drivers and the program, the internet has been slowing down even more lately but there was no rush, good things will come to those who wait as the old saying always goes, when it finally was done I wasted no time in plugging in the rom which the program immediately identified and I clicked read..
It popped up a window which showed the data of the first rom and then prompted me if I wanted to read another one, so I swapped the chip with the second one and clicked “yes” it began reading, after a while it too read successfully, but this time it didn’t show the data, it just popped up another window that read “Thank you” and then began playing what I can only describe as “really awful high pitched noise” at full volume. I wish I could say I recognized it as a data stream in audio form, but at the moment all I could think about was how paralyzingly painful the sound was, my entire head felt like it was going to explode, and it felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, even though I was squeezing my eyelids shut as hard as I could.
While this noise was playing, I had called down to the floor and I couldn’t move, I could barely breathe, it probably didn’t last very long, but if you’ve ever been in an almost panicked state before, you know that time seems to slow down significantly and you become hyper aware of the tiniest of details, everything in the entire room seemed to start vibrating and shaking violently. After what felt like hours of torturous noise there was a loud pop and it all went quiet, “way too quiet” I thought, as I slowly started to open my eyes to take a look around, I noticed that all my computers had turned off, I tried moving and getting back up very slowly because it felt like one thousand razorblades had grazed every single part of my skin, even if I couldn’t see any pierced skin it still hurt massively in a stinging kind of way.
I had to get back to my computer though to see what was going on, I tried turning it back on but it completely refused, no lights turning on, no fan noise, no nothing, I took a deep breath trying to think what could’ve happened but my brain felt like it was made out of maple syrup. I don’t think you’ll blame me for what I did next, I simply panicked, grabbed my coat, the commodore and my phone, I put the coat on in a hurry and went out to my car and just drove, aimlessly, that’s when I do my best thinking anyway, and I was considering just dumping the commodore like the previous owner but that’s when I noticed something, I could not hear the car engine, at all, and I happened to take a glance at my rear view mirror, red glistening liquid was seeping out of my ears “it must’ve gotten so loud that it blew out my eardrums” I mumbled to myself, feeling creeped out by the sight of the blood. I couldn’t stop staring though, as the blood started coming out my nose as well, I tried wiping it off on my shirt, but it just wouldn’t stop.
Somehow though, the sight of the blood made me remember the code that flashed up on the screen before everything went crazy, when I first saw it I didn’t pay much attention to it, but now that I was thinking about it, I did see something slightly off about it in the header section that was translated to ASCII.
“Atari inc copyright 1982” and then what looked like coordinates, I do have a very good memory for numbers, so I just punched it into the GPS and I started heading that way.
I think that the blood loss started to seriously affect me after a while, because I saw things that should not have been possible on that drive, things like angels with torn tattered clothes, scorched flesh and soaked in blood flying around on the sky, strange animals that looked like regular ones, but they looked wrong, especially considering that herbivores, like horses and rabbits, shouldn’t be chewing on corpses. They didn’t even bother to move as I drove past, so it must’ve been hallucinations right !?
On the way I did have to stop for gas, it was quite a long drive, I thought that I might as well fill up on some snacks and empty my bladder, and while I was washing my hands and face trying to get all the blood off, for a split second I thought I could hear some faint whispering, which made my head spin so much that I had to brace myself..
When I was finally done in the bathroom I went over to pay the cashier, I still couldn’t hear anything, which made it a bit clunky to pay, but I just paid through my phone as usual anyway and went back out to my car, the rest of the drive went by in a hurry, I can’t really remember much about it, more than that I saw more angels and weird shadowy figures behind the trees, but I did finally arrive at my destination and that does bring us back to more current events.
When I got out of my car I saw what looked like a big concrete bunker out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a big forrest, my only thought was : what they did here sure seemed like they really wanted to keep things secret from the public. There was a big metal door under a small overhang , so I went up to it and tried the handle, it was of course locked but I decided that I’d just knock on it, I just stood there immobile for a bit, thinking of what I should do if there wasn’t any response, however the handle eventually jiggled and the door slid ajar.
Hesitant I opened the door and entered, only to be struck by a bright light and vibrant warm feeling environment, when my eyes had adjusted I saw that the walls were covered with half height wood paneling and white wallpaper with small red Atari logos painted on them, there were chairs and sofas around the walls with plants next to them that looked so fresh and nice that I wondered if they were plastic, but more importantly there were people hunched over sitting in those sofas and chairs, they looked like they were sleeping. I did move closer though calling out to them to see if they’d wake up, no response, I moved even closer and poked one of them with my finger, he fell over on the ground and I could see that they were just mannequins.. hmm why would they have mannequins here ? I noticed that there was a reception area as well, the countertop seemed to be made out of a granite slab sitting on top of their volcano logo, I walked up to it and saw that there was a chair with yet another mannequin in it, in front of the mannequin there was a computer, it was on and I thought I could find the floor plan on it, and sure enough browsing through the files I did find the floor plan, and one area on the map showed just what I wanted to see “subliminal test area 1”.
I hurried over there running through empty corridors and glass doors only to find what looked like an operating table, with a mannequin torso and a big flat blade screwdriver on it, I couldn’t resist touching the torso, how odd… it felt like real skin when I touched it, but I was quickly brought out of my thoughts when I heard a repeated banging noice, I looked over and saw a window, and on the other side of that window, a woman was banging on it with her hands trying to get my attention.. I walked up to the it and took a look at her, she was roughly 1,65 Meters tall and had her red curly hair back in a pony tail, her pale blue eyes, were stunningly beautiful. She also had a lab coat on with an Atari logo on it. She told me that she had managed to get trapped in the adjacent room and that the mannequins were in fact robots that did most of the maintenance in this facility, and that the mannequin on the table was the one in charge of this room, so if I could just grab some spare parts from the other ones that I saw earlier and get her out of there, she would be very grateful.
Not being able to resist the request of a beautiful woman, I grabbed the screwdriver from the table and hurried back to the main lobby, when I got there I did notice that most of the robots actually were missing some limbs, so I had to pick different limbs from different robots, it was pretty easy, I shoved the screwdriver into the sockets and gave it a twisted and off they came with a squish, they were heavier than I expected though so I had to make at least 3 runs, I carried the head last, it was dripping what looked like hydraulic fluid though so I had to take carful steps but hurry so that it wouldn’t dry out.
All I did was then place the limbs on the table and robotic tendril like arms came out and put the robot together again and filled it up with the important liquids it needed.
In a jolt it came to life, sat up with unblinking eyes, walked over to what looked like just another piece of the wall, but when he touched it there was a purple glow around his hand and a concealed door opened in the wall, the woman that was trapped behind the window came running out and thanked me, she told me her name is Zoe, she also told me that she worked at this facility as a programmer, according to her, back in their heyday, she made a demo for the new Atari computers that would hold subliminal messages that would increase the cravings in the customer for their new products, but that it would adapt so that the messages would be different from person to person, however something went wrong with the program when they tested it in the 80s and the program would act more like a computer virus and jump from one machine to another adapting and mutating to its new environment, making you see what it wanted you to see, so they had to cover everything up and bury all their things in the desert so that nobody would ever find it again.
And that sent a chill down my spine, because stupidly enough when I read the roms, the computer was hooked up to the internet, I told Zoe about it, but all she said was “I know” and hit me right in the head with a hammer.. and everything went black..
Everything was dark when I woke up again, nothing looked the same as it did, more than that the rooms looked similar, except rotten and run down, the wood paneling was peeling and moldy, there was graffiti on the walls.. and is that… brain matter and blood smeared on the wallpaper ? Somehow seeing all this made a smile grow on my face and I started to laugh, hysterically, like one of those laughs that you can barely control, almost like I wasn’t even in control over my own body anymore, like all my limbs weren’t my own. With a tremendous amount of willpower though I was able to start moving my feet, it was more like dragging them though, but I decided it was best if I headed back to the main lobby to get out of here, the thing is though what I just saw in the lobby was a pretty sight, rotting carpet, blood, intestines and mold mixed everywhere, in a way that’s kinda funny, or at least that’s what Zoe keeps saying, she’s making me laugh at the dismembered corpses that was sitting in the chairs and sofas… I poked one right in the eye, he didn’t move and was definitely human, I giggled at it for a second, before I could focus and remember what I needed to do.
Giggling to myself I dragged my feet over to the door and tried the handle, of course it was locked, so now it seems like I’m stuck in here, my phone battery is running low, and the only company I have here is Zoe, I can’t see her but I hear her, she’s telling me to have fun, to rip everyone’s eyes out, to split everyone’s brains open and to paint the walls beautiful with blood and guts.. oh and Zoe wants to tell you guys on here something, “you will get a new best friend too”

Please read till end. Women are honestly so damn attractive. They have curves and their body is so smooth. They’re a work of art to the eye and to the touch. It’s like their bodies were sculpted by years and years of evolution. An engineering masterpiece by mother nature. For every part of the female body you could find a guy who finds that part attractive. The hips, the curves, the breast, the bottom, the hair. Everything. It is such a treasure. A woman naturally has all these features and doesn't have to do anything.
But us men are built like a brick wall. Our body is hard and angular and we have ugly penises that protrude out. Photography of a woman's curved/arched back is insanely beautiful. While our body is boring and bland. Now all of you will say a muscular man is equally attractive. I completely agree that muscles make a man more attractive but clearly not at the same level as a woman. A muscular male body is hot, but still it does not carry the same power if we compare it to the power of the female body. Imagine a woman reacting to a shirtless muscular man and a man reacting to a shirtless woman. The man would go much more crazy. Not to mention less than 1% of men are muscular and normally men can be seen shirtless in homes in streets and no woman reacts.
Thinking about all of this makes me feel really sad and insecure that us men are not "equally" attractive and much much less desirable. It seems that men are utilitarian, mainly built to work and withstand a storm like a jeep. While women are built like a sportscar that may not withstand a stand a storm but is attractive.
Men and women of reddit, what are your thoughts on this? Also, I am talking about male and female bodies generally. Like how they look like normally. So don't say boys don't like extremely fat woman - that's a different thing.
I am 19 male.