Acg1 grant secong year

"Good afternoon Ms. Lopez." I say, warmly greeting an elderly Cuban woman in her sixties. She smiles sweetly at me as she asks me if I am the chef behind today's food, in Spanish. I smile and nod at her, and she excitedly begins to chatter in Spanish, telling me the latest chisme regarding the latest romantic escapades occurring in her son's life.
I lightly place some ham on the sandwich I'm preparing for her as she excitedly gossips with me. I cleverly practice my active listening skills, while occasionally chiming in to let her know that I am actively aware of what she's saying. The woman is one of the last people to arrive during today's meal hour. She seems to operate on a sense of punctuality that is uniquely hers, almost like a force of nature. I almost admire it, if I'm being honest. My fellow volunteers look at me and smile as they sense the passive patience I radiate in this minor interaction.
The day has been one of the more chill ones in the soup kitchen, especially since I started actively championing the place. At our most busy we've served hundreds of families in a single day, and today we've served a few dozen. There's something quite nice about this moment of normalcy. I wonder if I sometimes took this level of mundanity for granted during this jump...
To be fair to myself a part of me is almost acting like I'm guaranteed to send myself to some apocalyptic hellscape and that's just not happening. I'm almost guaranteed to go to a place more dangerous than "9-5; a white-collar simulator", but I'm picking my next destination and after the decade of serenity I've had here I've got no reason to act like a dumbass and jeopardize my odds of long-term success in this career by sending myself to a death trap. Ms. Lopez smiles as she walks away, clearly believing she's shared vital chisme with me. To be fair, she did share gossip plenty of people would find juicy, but since I'm not some gossip I was the wrong audience for her words.
My fellow volunteers look at me and glance at my phone with curious looks. I pick up the thing and see that I've been missing an exhilarating conversation in our group chat. I skim the thing, my perfected memory allowing me to instantly catch up with the conversation the small gaggle of brave volunteers who kindly donate our weekend hours have been having before I begin to text the group back.
The rest of the day passes by in a blur. We wait for the people who've come for a meal to finish their food up and then we get to cleaning. After that we do a few sweeps of the parts of the church we've used before going our separate ways. I make my way home, and I do some light meal-prepping as well as practice a few more of my skills. At this point in my stay I've perfected my routine and could do it in my sleep... If I ever slept that is. In the entire time I've been in this setting I don't believe I've slept once. That is a nice feeling, since it means I never wasted an hour of my time, much less six.
The work week is a bit of a slog, since I am eagerly anticipating the news regarding my final promotion. I was never the sort to believe that time felt longer when you were excited about something, or dreading it, but in the time since I came to this setting I've gradually become a believer in such ideas even if they still feel a bit silly. Nonetheless. I diligently work through the week, keep my team on track, and when Friday rolls around I get the news I've waited for.
Thanks to "Gamer's Mind" I am able to keep my face even as the office's general supervisor explains this news to me and not outwardly express my excitement, but internally I am more excited than I've been about anything since I first entered this world. This news means that I'll be getting right around $3,000 dollars every two weeks just for existing! This means that in future jumps working will be optional unless I get really greedy, which frees me up to decide what I want to do in most modern settings. In medieval settings this amount of money could be even more vital, though at the same time such a thing could just... not matter, since in such a setting I could easily just avoid civilization, but this money will certainly liberate me from a lot of the struggles of wasting vast swathes of a jump at a job I don't want.
At the time that I was being told the good news I almost began to cry. Thank goodness for Gamer's Mind, I guess.
Nine years ago I was down on my luck and down to my last dollars when I got the job offer that led me here and this news means that I am free from such things. The freedom and power that comes with making enough to get by, especially passively, is awe-inspiring, and it's quite difficult for me to find the words to express how excited it makes me feel even days after it. I spend... close to a week passively smiling and being just ambiently happy, as I begin to integrate a new set of responsibilities into my work life.
During this time my decision to fix the coffee machine in the office break-room by hand after it almost burns a colleague results in me getting a new class; "Handyman" and the initial ability I receive is a simple one that bolsters my agility a touch, agility being my attribute tied to fine motor skills. I skillfully use this class to actually fix various things by hand, and I begin to steadily accrue various maintenance skills. In days I gain class levels, and with each class level I am able to repair things faster, more cheaply, and eventually my ability to fix matures into an ability to improve things, which I instinctively know will lead to some shenanigans down the line. Before I know it days have turned into weeks, which age and turn into months. My skills with leadership and motivation have continued to improve and I lead my team with my full focus and skillful decision-making. Before I know it I am in the final leg of the final stretch of my first jump.
I've been here for 119 months. Nine years and eleven months. It's actually been... even longer than that. I'm at the beginning of the final week of my stay here, and my hands idly clean a dish as I passively listen to Pastor Charlie, one of the few guest pastors the church has invited in years deliver a sermon. He has the congregants enraptured and eating out of the palm of his hand as he speaks about a miracle that "Our Lord" once performed. His voice is a pleasant distraction and one of my twin trains of thought listens and takes notes on how the man delivers his sermon. Physically I seem to be engrossed in the man's sermon when someone, one of the church's assistants, taps on my shoulder and gestures for me to walk over to the pastor's office. I stealthy get up, activating "Rogue" and make my way out of the serving area adjacent to the kitchen. I relax a touch when I'm in the long hallway leading me to Tyler's, Pastor Rhodes's, office.
As I walk down the humble hallway I feel a strange sense of finality wash over me. There's something uncommonly... real about this trek. I feel more solid, more whole than I have in a while, and I suspect that it's because this is my last time in this soup kitchen, this church. I won't be returning here, at least not for a while, and that's sad. It's not the saddest thing that's ever happened to me, but it is kind of a bummer and I allow myself to feel a touch of real, genuine sadness at the sobering realization that when I leave this place I'll be leaving for a long time.
I eventually put that thought away, shelving it and compartmentalizing my thoughts so I can focus on better, happier things. My enhanced senses allow me to spot things like faint cracks too thin for normal humans to spot, and as I walk past them I cast my handy spell on them. I watch as the walls of the hallway repair themselves and I smile, sensing the powerful potential of the spell at my fingertips. I reach the office of the man I've spent plenty of weekends working alongside, and under, and I smile, even internally, when he looks up and spots me. He greets me with a smile and motions for me to sit down. When I do what he asks, he immediately begins to speak.
"Lucas, I apologize for calling out to you but I wanted to check in. Today you seemed... Out of it." The man exclaims, and judging from the way my heart jumps in my chest I realize that some people are just.... more intuitive than others. My acting skill gets a nice little load of experience when I mask my reaction to his words and let out a small, natural sounding laugh in response to his question.
"Tyler," I begin, causing the man to wince. I'm an atheist, or at least I was pre-chain, now... well, now I'm a lot more curious about religion than I was before. I'm not sure if gods exist, but I sure as shit know the supernatural does and I'm not in the business of denying what I can see. I've made my vague religious position clear to the man long ago so he insists I call him "Tyler" which I've personally always found a bit awkward, but there's something a little funny about how it disarms him so cleanly during this interaction. "I'm doing... Okay. I AM bummed I won't be here next week." I state, calmly. This causes my friend's eyes to widen in surprise.
"You're missing a week? I'm sure some of our regulars will be disappointed. Is everything alright?" The man asks. His question is so sincere, so genuine that it's mildly disarming.
I'm... not a nice person. I'm far from mean, sure, but I've come to accept that there's a core of kindness in some people, even in many people, and I am not someone who has that core, that central, unconscious, guiding light that moves them towards kindness with the ease and naturalness of a heartbeat. At my core rests something else, something I don't know if I can articulate in just a few words.
I wouldn't say I'm mean or anything like that but I'm far more cynical than a lot of the people I've met are. In this world, especially, it seems like a lot of people are just decent at heart and I suspect that that was and is the case in the world I was born on as well. Tyler is one of the people I've met whose central guiding light seems to be centered around decency and kindness and I think in any world the man could find himself in he'd strive to be kind. It's almost like interacting with a real version of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons...
"I'm okay. I'm gonna be doing other stuff, and I normally prioritize the soup kitchen over my work or social life," I state, and this isn't a flex it's simply a very true statement. Tyler hears the remark and smiles faintly. "But I've been asked to help out with other stuff from friends who wouldn't ask if it wasn't something they really felt they could handle alone. I'm just gonna miss one weekend, and then I'll be back." I remark, and Tyler smiles at me.
"Okay Lucas. If you need any help you'd ask, right?" Tyler asks, and I consider the question. This is only somewhat an act, as I don't know if I'd ask for help if I needed it. I ultimately nod at the man and I can sense a touch of sadness as he studies my response, which I don't love but I also don't really feel right lying anymore than is necessary. The man makes some small talk and I quickly breeze through it. In minutes I am back in the kitchen with the others. And minutes after that I am cleaning with my fellow volunteers. Almost before I know it I'm stepping out of the church after we've cleaned out the kitchen. I glance at it one last time before I make my way home.
The next few days pass by in a blur, with only two minor oddities; the first being that I ask Hannah to come out with me on Friday night. I have got to see if I can stomach the idea of any sort of romance in a jump, and this is a consequence free way for me to do something along those lines. The second oddity is that I spend nearly all of my money purchasing... well, everything. Every night after work I go to various stores and spend the money that I really haven't needed all that much until now, purchasing things like weapons, food, and especially books. I buy boatloads of books, both ready and willing to use up something I won't be able to take with me into future jumps anyway in exchange for stuff I CAN take with me, thanks to the fiat-backed power of an infinite inventory.
The work week is, aside from what I do after work every night, pretty normal but Friday itself is weirdly solemn. The day passes by as quickly as any other day has, filled with minor encounters with glitches, and a few more annoyances with my small number of drawbacks but when five rolls around I clock out one last time and give the office a final look. I am weirdly slow when it comes to getting up and leaving my cubicle, in fact I'm actually one of the last office workers to leave the office but as I step out of the building I experience another burst of gratitude to Gamer's Mind, which keeps me from acting odd or even tearing up as I glance back at the place I've spent thousands of hours in.
I allow myself a beat to... honestly, grieve. I tell myself that it's okay to have feelings about leaving, even if those feelings are big and weird and are not the most fun. Nonetheless I don't linger here, at my place of employment, I have other things I both need and want to do. I use my inventory and change into a pretty casual outfit before I begin a brief walk. _________________________________________________________________________
​The park beside the office building is a rare example of a pristine location in the city. It is filled with natural greenery, and at the moment a stunningly pretty redhead glances at her phone waiting for someone to pop into view.
The redhead is wearing a pleasant looking dress and a jacket, as the weather is just beginning to take the seasonal turn towards the unpleasant. It's still warm enough that the clothes are mostly unnecessary but as she waits for her friend, a young man who has finally gotten the courage to ask her out on something vaguely approximating a date, she appreciates the wisdom of her decision to wear the slightly warmer than necessary clothes.
Her "date", mostly in her eyes though he is aware of her feelings and a part of him feels some happiness in the idea that this is a date, enters the park and spots her before she spots him. He reaches into his inventory and he retrieves something, a nice little bouquet he purchased earlier today and safely stored away. The flowers, prettily packed and all, appear as he walks towards the young woman.
Lucas is testing the waters here. He isn't testing the waters with Hannah specifically, but rather what it feels like to go on a date as a jumper. He has long had strange feelings about this, but he knows that he is going to leave tomorrow and so he wants to see if he can enjoy a date as a jumper, so he is doing a scientific experiment even if he feels... less than great about some aspects of all of this.
"Hannah!" Lucas says, calling out to one of his first, in fact one of his only, real friends in this world. The redhead excitedly turns and spots her longtime friend, waving at him and waving him over. She spots the bouquet and lets out a delighted sounding laugh, and when Lucas hears it the smile that alights his features is heartwarming.
In his day to day life some facets of Lucas's charisma-heavy build only rarely surface in ways that matter and his looks tends to be one such thing He is attractive enough that his looks can captivate and reside in one's imagination for a while after they first meet him, but right now, this early on along his chain his looks are only enough to make people have schoolgirl crushes on him and people can and do get used to his looks after a while. Still, in some moments this is enough to color the impression he makes on people. Right now, in a romantic context, his supernatural attractiveness is enough to change the sort of impression he makes on someone.
The handsome actor reaches his friend and sits down next to her. He hands her the flowers and for a moment a strange serenity washes over the two as they enjoy each other's company. Lucas looks inward and he realizes that he genuinely, well and truly, likes this moment. Hannah looks at him and eventually asks an important question.
"Lucas... how am I gonna hold these flowers?" She asks, and this makes him smile. He is quick to offer her a response.
"I'll take them when we get going but I saw them and I thought of you. I felt like I'd regret it if I didn't give you these." He says, and there is an odd, for him, level of sincerity and genuineness in his voice that makes Hannah giggle girlishly. Lucas right now is relying on his perk-enhanced instincts and the charisma he has honed through social encounters for the last decade, and he's enjoying how it feels.
Both of the figures on the "Date", though neither of them officially dubbed it that, enjoy the moment. Their passive delight and infatuation create an envy-inducing atmosphere of closeness and quiet joy that radiates outward. The park is nearly abandoned so there is no one to witness this moment other than Lucas's benefactor, and Lucas is simply at peace.
Eventually he lightly touches Hannah's hand, and asks her if she'd like to go and get dinner before they go to the movie they agreed on going to watch earlier this week. Hannah agrees, handing Lucas the bouquet and he, to her surprise, puts it in the bag he has on his person. When she asks if that will squish or hurt the flowers Lucas tells her, with a bizarre amount of confidence, that it won't. She eventually accepts this, having learned to trust that Lucas knows what he is doing, and the two of them begin a short walk to a mall they both know well.

This is weird but i need advice from the bi polar community. I have a cyber stalking order against someone who has really bad bi polar, delusions, and psychosis.
Quick backstory: she briefly dated my husband before he ever met me. Got pregnant; had an abortion. He met me and we moved away.. years later, i started realizing she would go through episodes where she wouldn’t stop calling, Harrass us, threaten us, make up things that never happened. Fast forward 3 years ago i got granted a restraining order for cyber stalking. Things went quiet.. now last week she popped up again. We got into touch with her mother and aunt who’s a police officer, found out about all her mental illnesses . Now it’s all making sense. Tho i do feel sorry for her , i am afraid for my safety. Her mother assures us she won’t hurt us, but she found out where my husband works last month .. walked into his work and punched him square in the face then ran away. Charges pending. But I’m afraid she doesn’t need jail time! She needs mental help. Her family isn’t taking it seriously. She posts on Facebook about 500 times a day . Claiming she knows celebrities. Says Rihanna stole from her, Kim k sleeps at her house. Claims she’s a god and she was pinned down and microchipped. She’s also Been writing cruel statuses about me and my children. Saying she’s going to continue to stalk us. Then she’ll say she wants to kill herself .. then after that she’ll Claim she has some sort of relationship with a celebrity again. She has multiple charges of domestic violence , injunctions , battery, you name it. I want to know how i can navigate this- i really wish her family would take this more seriously. As much as she’s hurt me i don’t think she belongs in jail.. but she really needs professional help before she really harms herself or others
I don’t know much about this illness but I’m afraid and wondering how long it lasts 🥹. I truly feel sad for herself and her family .

His birthday is in 2 days and I’m contemplating on sending him a happy birthday text on the day. I know deep down it’s probably not worth anything, but at one point he was my soulmate.
We were together for about 5 years, give or take the occasional splits we had. Engaged for a year of that. Then almost a year ago we had our big split. I moved out and even moved states away.
We’ve both left it on “don’t contact me” but we’ve both broken that rule before. He broke it for my birthday last year. (Granted he sent it a day late)
This has been on my mind, and I know on his actual birthday it will be the only thing I’ll be able to think about. So I figured I’d seek advice first

QUESTION ABOUT VISA HOURS
If anyone on here is currently on their 3rd WHV I could use your help x. I am currently working a job under a construction company valid for the 88 days but do not get paid 35 hours a week. It varies, sometimes 25 a week, 20 a week, sometimes 35 a week, or sometimes 40. From my understanding, in order to get your visa work done in 88 days, you need to be working at least 35 hours a week? I really am hoping to be done after 88 days, although do not know how strict the government is on the hours.If any 3RD YEAR VISA holder could please let me know how many hours a week they worked in 88 days in order to get their visa granted I'd really really appreciate it!! x

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

What if I apply in may 2024 and my grant is July 2024. If my degree is on the select courses list - will I still be granted 2 year extension or nah?
Thanks. Pease provide sources as well if possible.

I posted about this on my profile a while back, but my 16th birthday absolutely sucked. I’m mostly back online now, so I guess that’s good, but damn, I don’t feel happy anymore, and I don’t want to. I put on a fake smile each day.
I can’t really talk to anyone about it. There’s always this “oh, mental health awareness” movement but then when people try to talk about it, you get shoved away. The only reason they care is because it interferes with their lives. I need to clarify I’m not depressed or anything, I filled out screenings last week at my annual checkup, but it still sucks.
I’ve felt really sad lately though. I’m sad that all my friends get to experience their 16th birthday, a milestone birthday, normally, while mine went down the drain, and I will never have that experience or be this age again. I don’t wish malice on them of course, but I hope someone out there gets it. Christmas went a similar way, so now I’m dreading that too this year. Every time I seem to be happy, something always comes along and ruins it. I’m scared to relax and be happy, to the point I actually feel GOOD when I’m stressed out in some way.
My parents are acting like it was no big deal, and are trying to act all normal, especially my dad. I feel like a background character in the lives of others, like if I were to die tomorrow not much else would change. My dad can never accept he‘s wrong, he says that I cannot “outshine the master” with any form of criticism, and then they happen to wonder why I’m so distant from them and don’t trust them with anything. I don’t want to be around them, it’s literal poison yet all my needs are being met. It’s so loving but so toxic, and I have such a weak heart that is too loving and forgiving of other people. I feel so dirty when they try to give me a hug or high five, like I’m laying in a pile of mud.
I’m not being abused physically, but damn I’m tired. I made a plan previously to travel around Christmas and my birthday in the future to make up for it, but I‘m never getting that time back, so there’s no point. I’d only be doing it to remind myself of my past sadness anyway. And I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford to move out when I’m 18 given current trends. My own parents have said such horrible things to me that I can’t just move on from, saying that I’m a monster who leeches off other people, and that I am not welcome at their funerals. The only reason they want me to be successful is so that if they die early, I can take custody of my little sister. And then they boast about how they are so much better than their parents because they don’t resort to physical beatings. Granted, I’ve said horrible things too, but I was either a little kid or had horrible things said to me first.
On the subject of that, I hate the thought of my birthday so much now. The thought of someone making me a cake or saying Happy Birthday to me makes me cringe back to the prehistoric era. I’m absolutely dreading my 17th birthday, and I just simply wish there was a button to skip that entire week. I wish my family, my friends, and society collectively forgot about my birthday. I’m even contemplating deleting all my birthday and Christmas photos from the past, so I don’t have to look at them.
I love coding and making things, but even that just feels depressing now. I can’t really make anything as that’s not allowed too much after how my 16th birthday went, so I just don’t want to make or even think of anything at all. And when I do get the chance, I just feel like shutting it down and going to bed.
I just want to feel loved unconditionally. I just want to be able to embrace someone in a warm long hug, cry in front of them, and not have it be used against me down the road. I don’t want therapy (imo it’s thousands of dollars for a talk buddy who nods their head and gives generic bs) but I just want to be able to trust someone with my deepest thoughts. But everyone I’ve ever trusted either betrayed me, abandoned me, or used it as ammo in an argument.
I recently reconnected with my old best friend from childhood after nine months after he betrayed me for a girl, and it just doesn’t feel the same. It feels amazing, yes, but it’s like something is missing.
I’m just simply tired and don’t even know what to say anymore. I have so much to say but not the words to do it. I see this as the start of a new life, one I’m not seeking to alter in any way. I’m not looking for input or commentary, but I’ll go clinically insane and perhaps take my stress out on others if I don’t channel it somewhere.

I’ve never lost this much weight before. Not even after childbirth. Granted, I’ve never had this much weight to lose before, but still kind of surreal. I was steadily losing an average of 1 pound per week until I got to the 9mg and 12mg dose, then I almost tripled my weekly loss. Nausea continues every week about 24-48 hours after the shot, but zofran helps. I get dizzy often when I suddenly get up but I don’t feel shaky like a did a few months ago. I don’t think it’s low blood sugar. That’s the update. I have about 20 lbs. to go and a whole year left in the trial.

Sorry for the title that does not say much about the whole situation, but here it goes... (tl;dr at the end)
My girlfriend and I purchased her parents’ home in the city two and a half year ago. They sold us the house at a favorable price for $440K (say, 25% below market value) for two main reasons.
First of all, they were going into (semi-)retirement in their early-mid 50s, and their dream was to go live the rest of their lives up north in their chalet. They wanted peace of mind and did not want to rent the house or have anything to do with it anymore. It was assumed that they (or at least one of them) would still be working, albeit much less stressful (and lower paying) jobs.
Secondly, at the time, my girlfriend and I had relatively modest salaries and we lived in a small apartment basically throwing money out of the window, and they wanted to give us a chance to own our first home, for which we are very thankful for.
However, because we both had below average salaries, the banks would not grant us a mortgage as high as we needed to purchase the house. Therefore, we discussed this with her parents, and we verbally agreed that we would get a mortgage as high as we could ($360K), and we would have to pay off the difference of $80K over time to them without any pre-established deadline, and we wouldn’t have to pay anything on the short term.
Eventually, after a year in the house, we all discussed this again, and agreed that we would be comfortable “reimbursing” them $800 a month.
This was going well for a year, but then they started running into money troubles… I don't believe it was related to any specific event, they just realized over time that their savings were running out much faster than expected, and my girlfriend’s father was the only one with an income during those two and a half years, and that’s with an erratic schedule… so he asked us to help him financially without telling his wife.
At first, he asked us if we could give him $5K while he was waiting for the busy season at his job to start, which we agreed to do. Then a month and a half later, he asked us again for an additional $5K because the season was not as busy as he expected, and we also accepted… and then two months later (yesterday…), he asked us for $4K because he had to go to the vet urgently for one of his cats who had to have surgery to save her life… it was agreed that the amounts we pay him will go against our debt.
But now, I am a bit lost on what to do…
On one hand, during those two and a half year, my partner and I are at a much better place financially, as we both almost doubled our salaries. We also have a good amount leftover at the end of each month, but not enough to continue paying him an additional several thousand dollars like this every 2 months…
On the other hand, this is still money we owe them and we intend to honor the repayment over time... We never signed anything on that $80K, no established deadline, etc. They also have many expensive “toys”, like a pontoon and another boat, snowmobiles, four wheelers, etc. most of them being fairly recent, and costing them quite a bit of money on insurance, maintenance, etc.
We could technically ask for a loan at the bank for the $60K that is currently remaining and give it to him, but… we got our mortgage at a bit under 2% interest rate, and with today’s rates I suppose it would be between 6.5% to 12%... at best, that would mean paying 2x that amount over the course of 25 years…
Also, while I do not know the exact amount they have, I believe they have money in their RRSP but they refuse to take it out, as their “real” retirement is in 7-8 years… Then again, his wife does not know anything about this precarious situation to this day. I believe he’s too proud to tell her that they have financial problems.
tl;dr : my girlfriend and I currently owe her parents $60K without any pre-established deadline following a verbal agreement when we purchased their house (we also have a mortgage). We agreed to pay them $800 a month, but my girlfriend's father asked us twice for an additional unexpected $5Ks since the beginning of the year, which we paid him... His wife doesn't know anything about these additional unexpected amounts and their precarious financial situation, and I am unsure how to proceed as he now asks us to pay him another $4K, which is hard financially on us...

Demographics

• Gender: Female
• Race/Ethnicity: Mixed (Asian, White, Black)
• Residence: Virginia
• Income Bracket: <$70,000 (Negative SAI)
• Type of School: Public
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): URM

Intended Major(s): Creative Technologies (Animation)
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 4.0 / 4.1952
• Rank (or percentile): 6/378 (Not submitted)
• # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 2 Honors (only 2 offered), 7 AP (Human Geo, Lang, Stats, US History, Chem, Gov, and Art), 1 Dual Enrollment (English 111 and 112)
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Gov, Dual Enrollment English, AP Art, Japanese 1, Digital Art

Standardized Testing

• SAT I: 1200 (620 RW, 580 M)
• ACT: N/A
• SAT II: 1300 (630 RW, 670 M)
• AP/IB: Human Geo (5), Stats (4), US History (3), English Lang (2)
• Other (ex. IELTS, TOEFL, etc.): N/A

Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Community Service: Volunteer, Society of St. Vincent de Paul (10th, 11th, 12th; Year-long; 2 hours/week, 24 weeks/year) I packed bags for my church's food pantry a couple times a month.
2. Work (Paid): Part-Time Health and Beauty Clerk, Harris Teeter (12th; Year-long; 21 hours/week, 40 weeks/year) I worked a couple days a week during the summer and weekends during school year.
3. Academic: Active Member, National Honor Society, Leadership: Oversaw Fundraising Event (11th, 12th; School-year; 3 hours/week, 15 weeks/year) I attended monthly meetings and joined fundraising, peer tutoring, and teachestaff appreciation committees.
4. Work (Paid): Part-Time Frozen and Dairy Clerk, Harris Teeter (11th; Break; 18 hours/week, 12 weeks/year)
5. Art: Student, Pre-College Summer Course, The Art Institutes (12th; Break; 20 hours/week, 2 weeks/year) I took an 2-week online animation class where I learned animation principles and used Adobe Photoshop and Animate to create a 2D animated short film.
6. Religious: Eucharistic Minister, Church (11th, 12th; Year-long; 1houweek, 15 weeks/year) I volunteer for my church by serving communion during mass at least once a month
7. Athletics: Club Volleyball, Member of Youth HS Competitive Team, Achievement: Won a League Championship (10th; School-year; 6 hours/week, 25 weeks/year) I attended practices twice a week and played two games every weekend.
8. Other Club/Activity: Member, Film Club (9th, 10th; School-year; 2 hours/week, 20 weeks/year) I went to weekly meetings to discuss filmmaking and made individual short films outside of meetings to present weekly.
9. Community Service: VolunteeLeader, Vacation Bible School, Church, Leadership: Managed Arts & Crafts Station (12th; Break; 12 hours/week, 1 week/year) I helped set up and clean crafts station. I managed younger children and helped them when needed.
10. N/A

Awards/Honors

1. QuestBridge National College Match Finalist (National; 12th)
2. National African American Recognition Award (National; 12th)
3. Principal's List (School; 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
4. AP Scholar Award (National; 12th)
5. Student of the Year (School; 9th, 10th, 11th)

Letters of Recommendation

• Guidance Counselor (?/10): I didn't meet with him a lot so he doesn't know me too well, but it seemed like I stood out to him because of how well I always do. I never saw his LOR, so idk how good it was, but I'm sure it was good.
• AP Statistics Teacher (10/10): junior year teacher; I always had an A in his class but didn't talk much. He was kinda awkward so I avoided talking to him lol, but his LOR was actually really good. He said that he wanted his daughter to grow up to be like me!
• AP US History Teacher (8/10): junior year teacher; I always had an A in his class but never talked either. His LOR wasn't bad but he basically rewrote the resume I sent him
• Art Teacher (9/10): teacher during sophomore and senior years; she chose to enter one of my pieces in a local art show and I won an award. She kinda overhyped me but it was good nonetheless.

Interviews
N/A
Essays
I think I spent about a month on my essay, but I can't remember. I felt like my essay was pretty good, but I thought it might be controversial depending on the reader so I was a little nervous. I'm not that good of a writer, but I think the content made up for it. I basically talked about my experience growing up mixed race and how I won't let race define me. I thought it might be problematic because I said a black girl was being racist to me by mentioning how a black girl once told me I only got straight A's because I was "white" and that I realized that some people use race as an excuse for their failures. I said that I thought it was sad she was raised to think that way and ended by saying I wouldn't let my race dictate what I should like or how I should behave and that I would decide for myself rather than following others.
Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)
Acceptances:

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)!!! (EA) - Presidential Scholarship Initiative Recipient (approx. $17,000 per year to cover rest of tuition and room and board)
• Virginia Commonwealth University (EA) - Virginia Merit Award Recipient ($4,000 per year)
• Longwood University (EA) - Presidential Scholarship Recipient ($8,000 per year)

Waitlists:

• N/A

Rejections:

• University of Southern California (ED through QuestBridge)

Additional Information:
Let me just start by saying that I'm extremely grateful for how things have worked out for me. I feel so lucky and fortunate to be in the situation I am. I know I had my GPA and low income going for me, but I got so much more than I ever expected and I still can't believe this is actually happening!! QuestBridge didn't work out, but I still ended up getting what I was looking for: a way to go to college without taking out loans.
So to explain me being able to "go to Virginia Tech for Free," I have multiple sources that are paying for my first year; I didn't just get a full ride from VT (although it basically is when combined with everything else). I got about $15,500 in govt. grants, the scholarship from VT to cover the rest of tuition and room and board which is about $17,000 this year, and $12,000 in outside scholarships. And that's way over the COA, so I don't have to worry about paying anything!! Now I can follow my dreams of being an animator at my dream school without worrying about how to pay for it!!!

https://youtu.be/DmRWHdJwtGw?si=kGHsqmZyGV2Wdnej
I usually quite like SciShow, but they kinda dropped the ball on this video (they, as well as the rest of CrashCourse, tend to be very "woke" at times, I think they even had a video years ago saying calling your girlfriend "baby" is bad because it causes women to think of themselves as "babies"/submissive/childlike... which is not only ridiculous on the face of it but it of course conveniently excludes the fact that almost an equal proportion of men are called "baby" by their SOs)... first of all, are you seriously telling me that trans people (which they of course lumped in with NB people) are three percent of the population now? That would mean *checks notes* that transsexualism has increased by a factor of ten (or possibly more, depending on the prevalence studies) just in recent years! You can't tell me with a straight face that it makes any scientific sense that a relatively uncommon medical condition, that for all we know is not caused by environmental factors (of course there are likely environmental factors e.g. maternal conditions that cause testosterone/estrogen exposure in the womb, but none that would cause a rapid increase) that have increased in recent years, would suddenly, organically increase by 10x in a matter of years for no apparent reason? That would make it go from about as common as sickle cell anemia is in the black population (I only mention race because that particular condition mostly affects black people) to 3X as common as OCD is in the general population. I use those examples to illustrate the difference between something somewhat uncommon/lesser-known to something extremely common.
Second of all, even if that were the case, wouldn't that be ummm... extremely concerning considering how horrible dysphoria can be and how hard life is for transsexuals (instead of something to celebrate, as it's portrayed here)? I mean imagine if cerebral palsy, a condition (which I have a very mild form of) that also occurs in about 3/1000 people, suddenly climbed to 3%! I know it's not quite the same thing as about 2/3rds of cases of CP are caused by environmental brain damage sustained before, during, or after birth (the rest are cases where the baby has a preexisting genetic condition that either causes brain malformation in utero or causes brain damage as a secondary result of the condition), so it is largely caused by environmental factors and a tenfold increase, though very unlikely, would be entirely possible given the right circumstances, but my point is it would be extremely concerning.
(Granted, again it's different because CP is a wide spectrum and it can be much more disabling even than transsexualism, considering in its most extreme form you practically can't move or verbally communicate at all, are completely dependent on assistance with everyday life due to not being able to physically do anything, and deal with extreme medical issues/probably a great deal of physical pain/hardship, not to mention in all forms/severities there's the common neurological comorbidities of epilepsy/seizure disorders (30-50% depending on the subtype), IDD (30-50% depending on the study), learning disabilities in people without IDD, behavioral problems/mental illness, ASD, ADHD, and visual and/or hearing impairments - most of which are secondarily caused by aforementioned brain damage/birth circumstances/genetic conditions. My point is that the two are not the same (I'm luckily so mildly affected by CP/comorbidities that as annoying as having them are, it's WAY better than being transsexual, but I'm sure that many with more severe CP/related issues would have good reason to disagree), but it would be practically an emergency in the disability world if such a condition, even just the mild/moderate cases, were to increase like that. It would not be cause for celebration. But I digress- sorry this is a "special interest" of mine.)
Now I know what you're going to say - this tenfold increase/statistic they used in the video is probably technically correct in only one sense: about 3% (or more in many cases: in my super-"woke" area according to many well-established surveys, 50% of Gen Z residents "identify" as trans, the vast majority of them being NB of course!) of the world population now "identifies" as trans, AKA just says they are trans in a survey without any diagnosis of gender dysphoria or medical (or even social) transition to back it up. However, of course as we all know that's complete bullshit, especially since they group transsexuals in with "transmasc"/"transfemme" posers, NB people, and other such trenders. I mean why would NB people even need HRT anyway?
The whole confusing thing is that the woman in the video (who claims to be trans as well of course; I mean she could technically be an EXTREMELY well-passing trans woman, but based on her appearance/voice I doubt that's likely, she's more likely a "transmasc"/female NB because she by all appearances looks like a full-ass cis woman) emphasizes the importance of trans healthcare being life-saving (or as she puts it, "accepting and affirming", which of course is total bullshit too, HRT didn't save my life because I felt more "accepted" or "affirmed", it was because my body actually started matching my brain), which is at least true, yet wants to declassify GD as a DSM/ICD diagnosis or even a medical condition at all (like most tucutes). (I kinda understand people not wanting it to be a DSM diagnosis because it isn't a mental illness, but people don't realize that the DSM isn't just mental illnesses/related disorders. It also includes conditions like Tourette's, which is almost purely neurological/neurodevelopmental (I say "almost" because I have 2 family members with Tourette's and they've both testified that there's also a large OCD-like component to it as well) and is largely established to be genetic/hereditary, ASD which is obviously neurodevelopmental, strictly genetic/neurological conditions like narcolepsy (although from my understanding, emotions can trigger narcolepsy episodes) and even obstructive sleep apnea, which is very much physiological, with the only mental/behavioral aspect being is that it can greatly affect mood/general behavior due to stress/tiredness. All that said, I DO think GD has a place in the DSM because it is very clearly neurodevelopmental and it is technically a brain condition with mental health aspects (e.g. depression/anxiety due to dysphoria). However, I wouldn't sweat it if it were removed. I understand the arguments for either decision. The ICD, on the other hand, is a compendium of ALL medical conditions and so GD definitely deserves to be there, regardless of whether it's understood as neurological or purely physiological/similar to intersex (which of course tucutes are now saying isn't a medical condition either) in nature. The ICD also being a "gold standard" of medical classification/reference for treatment in most countries is very vital because if GD is not on there, then how THE FUCK are doctors even going to prescribe HRT/surgery for it?) I mean, if you want trans people to get HRT/surgery, then how else do you want to classify GD? What other demographic classification would you use for something that requires... IDK... medical treatment? It's not like someone gets medical treatment for being bisexual, Vietnamese, or Christian.
IDK, I know this was a (very) long and probably unnecessary screed but I'm sick of seeing "scientific" resources post absolute inane bullshit like this that only spreads misconceptions about transsexualism. I understand the majority of the video was about how HRT works but I'm sick of every trans-related video, even ones focusing on medical aspects of transition, espousing tucute idiocy. LMK what you think or if I'm overreacting.

I caught my charge in October 2023 and was given an 4 year suspension probation in Texas.
I request and was granted a transferred to Mississippi for financial support and to get away from old habits.
I transferred back to Texas in March 2024.
Here it is May 2024, I’m wanting to transfer back to Mississippi after me and finance split up. I can’t work to due disability and I need financial support. All my family and kids stay in Mississippi and I’m trying to go back there, at least until my probation is over.
Do you think my PO will grant me a out of state transfer from Texas to Mississippi even though it happen before

This is all from the Internet. A click away from any phone.

Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought.
An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. These accounts are written as dialogues, in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine a subject in the style of question and answer; they gave rise to the Socratic dialogue literary genre.
Contradictory accounts of Socrates make a reconstruction of his philosophy nearly impossible, a situation known as the Socratic problem. Socrates was a polarizing figure in Athenian society. In 399 BC, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. He spent his last day in prison, refusing offers to help him escape.
There were four charges that were brought against Socrates. They were that he argued the weaker claim over the stronger claim, that he argue the physical over the metaphysical, that he was against the gods and that he was corrupting the youth.
Socrates was found guilty by a jury of 501 Athenians and was sentenced to drink a deadly poison, named hemlock. Many scholars have argued that the charges against Socrates were politically motivated and have understood his trial and conviction as an attack upon freedom of speech and an indictment of democracy.

The Last Moments of Maegor’s Reign, losing against a misogynistic society led by petty and ambitious nobles and against the Faith of the Seven, a religion that enforces gender roles and inequality between men and women.

By 48 AC Maegor's tyranny could no longer be borne by the realm. At Storm's End Aenys I's last surviving son, Prince Jaehaerys, put forth his claim to the throne, supported by Lord Rogar Baratheon, who was named Protector of the Realm and Hand of the King by the prince. Jaehaerys had two dragons on his side, his own mount Vermithor and his sister's mount Silverwing, against Maegor's Balerion. Learning of her brother's claim, Queen Rhaena Targaryen fled from Maegor in the night, escaping on her dragon Dreamfyre with the Valyrian blade Blackfyre, and her daughter, Princess Aerea, adding a third dragon to her brothers cause. Lord Edwell Celtigar resigned his position as Hand and returned to Claw Isle and Grand Maester Benifer secretly escaped on a ship to Pentos. Ser Olyver Bracken and Ser Raymund Mallery, two of Maegor's Kingsguard, also deserted him. Lord Daemon Velaryon, the admiral of the royal fleet, was the first of the great lords to forsake Maegor, taking the royal fleet with him, and many other lords followed his example. The great houses of Lannister, Tyrell, and Arryn came out against Maegor and in the riverlands House Tully gave support to Septon Moon and Ser Joffrey Doggett, the leaders of the Poor Fellows.
Maegor called his banners in response, but few answered, giving Maegor an army of barely four thousand soldiers. Despite this, Maegor refused to surrender. At the end of the war council, Maegor remained behind alone in the throne room to brood. He was found dead the next morning by Queen Elinor, seated on the Iron Throne with his robes covered in blood and his wrists slashed. A spike from one of the swords on the throne behind him was impaled through the back of his neck. How Maegor died was never discovered. Some say he had been killed by Queen Elinor, others that he had been killed by a knight of his own Kingsguard. Yet others say he had been killed by a builder who escaped the slaughter three years earlier and desired revenge, and many believe that Maegor had been killed by the throne itself. Others believe that Maegor killed himself by opening his wrists on the blades of the Iron Throne.

The fate of Maegor’s loyal supporters.

Owen Bush was a knight of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Maegor I Targaryen. When Maegor suspected Queen Tyanna of the Tower of betrayal, he had Owen and his sworn brother, Ser Maladon Moore, bring her to the dungeons, where she confessed.
Maegor the Cruel gradually lost political support, resulting in a rival threat in his nephew, Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen. Two of his Kingsguard defected to Jaehaerys, and Maegor lost a third guard when Owen was found dead outside a brothel in 48 AC, his member cut off and stuffed in his mouth.
Maladon Moore was a knight from House Moore and a member of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Maegor I Targaryen. When the king suspected Queen Tyanna of the Tower of treason, Maladon and Owen were dispatched to seize the queen and deliver her to the dungeons, where Maegor was said to have slain her while Maladon was present.
After Maegor died in 48 AC and his nephew King Jaehaerys I Targaryen took the Iron Throne, Maladon was accused of being involved in the death of Queen Ceryse, allegedly restraining her when Ser Owen accidentally killed her. Maladon denied these charges, insisting she died of "shrewishness". While the charges were never proven, Maladon lost his head for his involvement in Queen Tyanna's death, of which he was guilty.
When Queen Tyanna of the Tower admitted to poisoning Queen Alys Harroway during her pregnancy, Tyanna promised the same would happen to Elinor. Tyanna was proven correct when Elinor gave birth to a stillborn abomination said to have been born eyeless and with small wings. Elinor was one of the two wives who survived the king, the other being Queen Rhaena Targaryen.
After King Maegor's death, Lord Daemon Velaryon proposed that King Jaehaerys I Targaryen marry Queen Elinor to reconcile with Maegor's supporters when a bride was being considered for the king, but nothing came of the proposal. After Jaehaerys's ascent, Elinor departed King's Landing dressed in the robes of a penitent. She visited her two elder sons at the Eyrie and Highgarden before retiring to her father's seat at the Three Towers with her youngest son.
Later, King Jaehaerys commanded Elinor to go forth and spread his Doctrine of Exceptionalism to the peoples of the Seven Kingdoms, as well as the goodness of Jaehaerys and Alysanne, becoming one of the Seven Speakers. Her queenly raiment became shabbier and more threadbare each day, and she eventually gave up all claims to nobility, becoming Mother Elinor at the great motherhouse in Lannisport.
House Rosby was one of the first houses to yield peacefully to House Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest, surrendering to Rhaenys Targaryen and Meraxes. The Rosby lands became part of the crownlands surrounding King's Landing. Lord Jon Rosby was named Warden of the Sands by King Aegon I Targaryen during the First Dornish War, but Jon was killed in the Defenestration of Sunspear.
Ser Rayford Rosby defended King Maegor I Targaryen during his trial of seven, but Rayford was slain during the fighting. Lord Rosby remained loyal to the king even as his downfall became certain, and was one of the last to see the king alive. In the chaos that followed the discovery of Maegor's body, Lord Rosby drank a cup of hemlock to join his king in death. His young son received forgiveness from King Jaehaerys I Targaryen at Dragonstone.
In 47 AC, King Maegor was dealing with the issue of his lack of heirs, despite having already married three women. Lord Daemon Velaryon, Rhaena's uncle and a member of Maegor's small council, advised Maegor to wed Rhaena, to unite their claims and prevent new rebellions, and to gain her as a hostage against any potential schemes of Dowager Queen Alyssa. Later that year, Maegor summoned Rhaena to King's Landing, and she did not defy him. At the Red Keep, Maegor married Rhaena in a triple ceremony, together with Elinor Costayne and Jeyne Westerling. As the three women were all widows of men Maegor had killed, they became known as the "Black Brides". Immediately following the wedding, Maegor declared Rhaena's elder daughter Aerea as his heir until he had sons of his own, while disinheriting Rhaena's youngest brother Jaehaerys in the same decree.
After Maegor’s death, discussion arose as to who had the better claim to the Iron Throne. There were some who suggested that Rhaena's claim, as the firstborn child of King Aenys I Targaryen and Queen Alyssa Velaryon, was the strongest. Her gender argued against her, however, and Rhaena herself had come to loathe King's Landing and its court. The claims of her daughters were argued for as well. If Maegor was to be considered a usurper, the true king would have been Rhaena's first husband, Aegon, who had claimed the throne before Jaehaerys had. As such, some suggested the throne should pass to one of his daughters by Rhaena, Aerea or Rhaella.
As time passed, Rhaena began to resent the fact that her claim to the throne, and that of her daughters, had been dismissed in favor of Jaehaerys, to whom she began to refer as "my baby brother". In addition, Rhaena begrudged her mother for promoting Jaehaerys's claim over her own.
Ser Walton Towers was granted Harrenhal by King Maegor I Targaryen in 44 AC after winning a melee in Lord Harroway's Town, but Walton died soon after from his wounds. Harrenhal thus passed to his eldest son. Lord Jordan remained loyal to Maegor during the king's wars, and Lord Rosby were the last to see the king alive before Maegor's death on the Iron Throne. Along with Lords Darklyn and Staunton, Jordan yielded the Red Keep to Prince Jaehaerys, Princess Rhaena, and Princess Alysanne Targaryen. The three lords were sent to the black cells, but were eventually pardoned by King Jaehaerys I after surrendering some of their land.
Jordan eventually died of a chest congestion. Harrenhal passed to Jordan's last surviving son, Maegor Towers, as Jordan's older sons had all died fighting for King Maegor.
Maegor's father, Lord Jordan Towers, was one of the last lords of the Seven Kingdoms who remained loyal to King Maegor I Targaryen. All of Jordan's sons died fighting in the king's wars, with the exception of young Maegor.
Maegor became Lord Towers after the death of his father due to a chest congestion. When King Jaehaerys I Targaryen began a royal progress in 53 AC to celebrate the new year, his first stop was to see the new Lord of Harrenhal, then only nine years of age.
Maegor was an impoverished lord who resided in the Tower of Dread with only a cook and three men-at-arms. Since the rest of Harrenhal was empty, King Jaehaerys settled his widowed sister, Rhaena Targaryen, in the Widow's Tower in 56 AC. Maegor and Rhaena eventually became friends, and she cared for his servants after Maegor passed away in 61 AC. Harrenhal was granted to House Strong after Rhaena passed away in 73 AC.
Maegor was sickly and poor.
Socrates speaks his last words to Crito: "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Please, don't forget to pay the debt". Asclepius was the Greek god for curing illness, and it is likely that Socrates' last words were implied to mean that death is the cure, and freedom of the soul from the body.
Asclepius, Greco-Roman god of medicine, son of Apollo (god of healing, truth, and prophecy) and the mortal princess Coronis. The Centaur Chiron taught him the art of healing. At length Zeus (the king of the gods), afraid that Asclepius might render all men immortal, slew him with a thunderbolt.
Zeus saw Asclepius & his medical skills as a threat to the eternal division between humanity & the gods. Asclepius met a tragic end when he was killed by a thunderbolt thrown by Zeus.
Socrates ultimately does not fear death because of his innocence, he believes that death is not feared because it may be one of the greatest blessings of the soul.
The reasons for Socrates not escaping when he had the chance the night prior; are made explicit before the Laws make their speech. Because escape defies the will of the Athenians, it requires stealth and bribery, shameful practices that are unjustified in the current situation.
Socrates Feared Democracies Would Elect Demagogues. The term arose in Greece in the fifth century BCE, right around Socrates's time, and is often used negatively. Socrates himself was extremely worried that the democratic format would give rise to a demagoguery.
Demagogues are political leaders who seek support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.
Modern demagogues include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Joseph McCarthy, all of whom built mass followings the same way that Cleon did: by exciting the passions of the masses against customs and norms of the aristocratic elites of their times.

This is why Maegor and Socrates died. They challenged authority and lost. They were silenced by the powerful lords and by the elected council of Athens whom were given power by the common people.
They were “heroes”.
“My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight.
George R.R. Martin.
King Maegor had married all his brides and gave them Queenly status.

Jeyne was married to Lord Alyn Tarbeck. She was widowed when Alyn died during the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye in 43 AC. Jeyne was pregnant when her husband died, and gave him a posthumous son a few months later.

In 47 AC, Jeyne was being courted by a younger son of Lyman Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock, when King Maegor I Targaryen sent for her to be wed to him. She married Maegor in a ceremony at King's Landing, along with Lady Elinor Costayne and Princess Rhaena Targaryen. As all three women had been widowed due to Maegor, they became known as the "Black Brides". The stories told of the wedding night claim that Jeyne was given a fertility potion by Queen Tyanna of the Tower, and either drank it, or threw it in Tyanna's face. After the wedding, Queen Jeyne's son was confirmed as Lord of Tarbeck Hall, and sent to Casterly Rock to be raised as a ward of Lyman Lannister.

Lord Edwell Celtigar, the Hand of the King, announced half a year after the wedding that Queen Jeyne was pregnant, and Queen Elinor's pregnancy was announced shortly afterwards. Maegor, joyful, showered both his wives with gifts and honors, and granted new lands and offices to their fathers, brothers, and uncles. Unfortunately, Jeyne's labor began three months early, and she gave birth to a stillborn child, monstrous, lacking arms and legs but possessing both male and female genitalia. Jeyne herself died soon after.

In 48 AC, Tyanna of the Tower confessed to having poisoned Jeyne's child in the womb.
This is all on the awoiaf wiki.
George is a better writer than we’ve given him credit for.
At the end of Maegor’s reign, House Baratheon, Lannister, Tyrell and Arryn rebelled against Maegor. Maegor had sent the young son of his fourth wife (Jeyne Westerling) as a ward(hostage) to House Lannister. Then he sent the two eldest sons of his sixth wife (Elinor Costayne) as wards(hostages) to House Tyrell and House Arryn. When the great houses rebelled, Lord Daemon Velaryon, the brother of Alyssa Velaryon, escaped with the Royal Fleet and left King’s Landing.
Maegor called his banners to fight against the threat but they were too few and Elinor Costayne begged him to surrender to save her two eldest sons and the son of the long deceased Jeyne Westerling. He banned her from the council room and refused to surrender and his lords and him and Rhaena made battle plans well into the night.
At the end of the war council, Maegor dismissed everyone and stayed alone in the throne room to brood.
The following morning, Elinor Costayne found the King dead, his wrists slashed and throat impaled on the back of the Iron Throne.
Lord Rosby was one of the last people to see his king alive and drank a cup of hemlock to follow him in death.
Lord Jordan Towers named his last son Maegor and died of a chest conjection after Jaehaerys’ ascension to the Throne.
Elinor Costayne left King’s Landing while donning the clothes of a penitent and eventually renounced all claims to nobility and became the owner of a Motherhouse in Lannisport.
Ser Maladon Moore was executed for his involvement in Queen Tyanna’s death whom had confessed to poisoning King Maegor’s wives.
Queen Rhaena was expelled from King’s Landing and her claim to the Throne was ignored because of her gender.
Ser Owen Bush was found dead in a brothel with his cock stuffed in his mouth.

Obviously you want to use everyone efficiently, and he acknowledges needing to learn all the new guys' strengths. But the emphasis on making sure everyone on the offense is used the best they can to make Josh the best he can, I think is great. The start of last year very much seemed like "we want the offense to be like this and Josh and the others need to play that way". Brady saying we're going to make a playbook and gameplan that fits our team and use it to attack where the other team is weak is music to my ears.
Big question mark this coming year so we'll see, but I'm loving what I'm hearing from the offense so far. I'm surprised we aren't seeing much about the defense yet tho. Granted I'm only watching the Bills YT page and Reddit.

Throw away account for obvious reasons, but I 30(M) have been with my partner for 5 years 36(f). She works part time, and I work full time as I pay am expected to pay for all the needs. We have a child together who is just over 1 now. Due to our schedule conflicts she works 6:30am-2:30pm three days a week from home. And I work 2:30p-10:30pm five days a week occasional over time when it’s available . Unfortunately, things are tight because as I do make more than my partner I don’t make a significant money compared to the prices of things. So we can’t afford child care right now that obviously adds a lot of stress to our situation. So I stay with the baby before work there’s a small time lapse of about 30 min before I go to work that she makes it work as her day is ending. Then when I get out I take the baby over night so she could sleep due to her having her for the afternoon to try to be fair. I’m very present I do the baths on my days off, working days, help with cooking, cleaning, and spending as much time as I can bc I truly enjoy it. Now I know there’s a lot of stress on both parties, I know I may work longer hours but she has more active day time hours with the baby which is a lot mentally and physically. But that’s why I make up for it where I can. However, whenever we have any disagreements she likes to just claim I don’t do anything she’s raising her by herself. Which is not true and obviously gets to me. I feel I’m doing the best I can and I’m constantly reminded that it’s nothing. We don’t have any set roles, but I cook all my own meals including dinner. I do all my laundry and the babies laundry. I clean the house every night when I get home because I know it makes the next day easier and I like to have things in order. To the point where sometimes it takes hours to clean. I tried talking with my partner about how I understand how the day could be rough but I’d appreciate help with the cleaning because I am also drained.
I have a seven year old step daughter as well, that I just ask if to clean up before the end of the night. However, my partner doesn’t clean up after her or back up what I say so I’ll come home lunch and dinner plates still on the table, clothes all over the house, room destroyed and just random stuff all over the house. Granted I know she’s seven but I believe in teaching them little things about cleaning up, and amongst other things. Which helps them when they get older. Just to say I also raised her since she was two like my own we have full custody of her. So I treat her as my actual daughter. So the night before on my last day I deep cleaned the entire house for hours. I asked them if they could please clean up after themselves I spent a lot of time on this and I’d appreciate the help. I come home after work and the entire house is trashed too to bottom dishes pouring out of the sink. Floors legit sticky food on the floor, garbage around the garbage while it’s empty just didn’t care. I’m starving and have to cook my self dinner. And I can’t because of how bad the kitchen is. Meanwhile, my partner is at the pool still at almost midnight drunk for the fourth time this week. I just lost it, I couldn’t believe here I am trying to hard to just help out and nobody’s helping me. I tell her this is completely unacceptable and I can’t and will not live like this anymore it’s just not fair. Her response was simply that’s fine, and since she doesn’t not care and that since we’re on the subject I treat my step daughter like my step dad. Which just struck a nerve so bad and she knows it because he was the shittiest person on earth, and abusive to me and I opened up to her for her to basically spit in my face. I was in shocked and furious, I drew the line and asked her that I won’t put up with this after all I’ve done this is what I get I asked her to move out. She didn’t even care she laughed and told me sounds good. I’m a shitty father and I act like I’m the only guy in this world. Haven’t said a word in two days.
Other than when she leaves I can get my daughter every other week, pay for child care and threatened me with child support. Just like that done and now she’s acting like did something to her. AITAH?

Three weeks out from the end of my year of probation. Called me into HR and terminated my probation. I was a volly with them for a little over a year before getting hired and then last July got on full time. Granted there is a huge separation between our volunteer staff and career although they constantly bitch about being understaffed.
A lot of mixed feelings. I will not miss the people at all. A lot of spoiled brats in that department. This is a small town department that runns 3k calls a year between 5 stations. A lot of these folks grew up here and have never left their home town. I'm not from here so either they accept you or reject you. I had a few folks call to give their condolences saying I got screwed over.
Granted I had a personal issue I was dealing with that messed up my preformace for a little while but got right back on track after dealing with it. The senior guys run the department and most of them are FTO's. If one of them doesn't like you it seems like they all band together to get rid of that person. This particular senior guy just happens to be sleeping with one of thrle probies that got hired a month before me and I know she doesn't like me. When ever we were on shift together she would hide and get out of work and I called her out on it a few times.
I don't know if my firefighting career is over but it is for now. I'm going to miss running calls and some of the excitement but to get a new job I would have to move my family and that's not an option right now. Luckily I already have other work lined up as an EMT in the oil feild witch is actually a huge pay increase but I don't know. Just feels shitty. I guess we will see what the future holds.

Hey all! I could really use some advice from some teachers right now. I got accepted into a teaching credential program for the summer but I am considering pulling out.
Teaching has always been a passion of mine and no matter what it is still my end goal in life. However, after attending orientation for the program I am thinking of dropping it due to how it was misrepresented online. The biggest issue was that the classes were going to be from 9am-6pm but are now being changed to 11am-9pm. The website said that classes were only going to be held at night twice a week in addition to the daytime. The website made it seem like you could choose between m/w or t/th but at orientation we were told that they would decide for us based on our cohorts which we have no say in. Then the person leading the session told all of us to quit all our jobs and that if we didn’t have enough saved/didn’t get enough financial aid that we should consider a different profession. When another student asked if the school had any resources regarding finances the person told us about the food pantry on campus and refused any other questions about the topic. I also figured out that this person would be my academic advisor.
Once the zoom was over it began to think about how it seemed impossible to go through with the degree. I would no longer be able to work my night job, which is how I made it through undergrad. I would not receive enough financial aid to do a full summefall/spring cycle of schooling and be able to afford basic necessities without working. That night I also learned that a grant that several of us planned on applying for was being defunded. Plus all of this sacrifice would only be for me to have to sacrifice more at my future teaching job. As someone who is already struggling to make ends meet this was a terrifying prospect.
It has been a week since the orientation and even though I have spent time thinking things over I still feel terrible. I feel defeated. I have worked so hard to make it this far on my own. I feel as if I am at a loss. My current plan is to try and defer my enrollment and use the next year(s) to save up enough money to make it through the program in the future. I know there are several other options I can take as well such as substitute teaching, teaching at a private school, teaching abroad, looking for a different school to earn my credential at, and I have even considered finding a career outside of teaching. The final option has seemed increasingly appealing especially enow that many wonderful educators are leaving the field.
Before I make any drastic choices I feel that it would be best to ask those who are in the world of teaching right now for some advice. So please, does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you all in advance!

So I've recently come to the horrible realization that I have no social life, no dating experience, and I have no idea how I'd get started on either. To make things clear from the start, this isn't cause of social anxiety or anything. I'm not a nervous persona and never had issues holding a conversation. My problem here is born of pure ignorance. I just don't know where people hang out or really how to establish relationships both platonic and romantic. I can maintain a friendship fine. I got friends. I just don't know how to start one. These people just found me and I managed to not scare them off.
To give you some background on I've just always been solitary given most of my hobbies (playing guitar, drawing, movies/books/games) are stuff you do alone in a room. I also never hung out much with people outside school cause I lived pretty far from everyone in school. I got into this nerd school thing (I'm honestly not sure what it's called cause it wasn't private) in case you're wondering what the circumstances are where I lived far away from everyone else. So even though I wanted to and people wanted to hang with me, I never really had much opportunity to since I always had stuff right after class and shit was too far to really meet em over weekends. And even in the very rare cases I was able to visit friends or they were able to visit me, these people are naturally gonna be pretty similar to me so we just did the same shit I'd do alone just with other people in the room. I figured stuff would change in college but for financial reasons I went to community college, and the one I went to was very much a "finish your classes and leave" kind of deal. Most people there weren't even around my age. So I ain't really meet people and I couldn't hang out with my friends and meet people through them cause they went out of state. Got a job but at a Thai restaurant but they ended up putting me in the back where nobody I interacted with regularly spoke English. After that I transferred to a state college and here I thought "finally, now's my chance to have a normal social life and hang out with people", but of course God had a really funny sense of humor cause right before I graduated from county the pandemic happened. The universe saw I had a chance at having a social life and through divine intervention prevented that from happening. So I basically just spend the last to years of my college online. Last year was hybrid so I went out a little but going to a tech school turns out everyone there is also pretty much isolated nerds. My roommate didn't even leave his room. I had to make sure he wasn't dead a few times and honestly I'm not convinced he wasn't. I'd fully believe if he reanimated by the fungus that grew from his pizza. Anyway then I graduated and since the job market wasn't great I took an opportunity for a job in Maryland when it arose. Thing is that state is very far from where all my friends, family and really everyone I know lives so if I was hoping to meet people through them after they came back from college that got ruined. Cheapest place I was able to find that's close to my work was a studio so I have no roommates. All my coworkers are also about a decade+ older than me and have families and shit, so I can't really hang out with them. I feel like I keeping winning a lottery in how to live the most accidentally isolated life ever. My parents are probably happy I'm the rare person that actually focused on my education and didn't go out partying and shit (tho that's more due to circumstances and not choice), but I imagine the pressure of finding someone's gonna ramp up eventually and I'd rather get ahead on that.
So if anyone can just give me some basic advice on where to meet people please help. Both for platonic reasons and not. I know bars are a thing just based off movies but I'm not much of a drinker. I can stomach it if that's the only place but I imagine people are hanging out outside bars in real life. I just don't know where. Also naturally have zero dating experience. Not even like the basics. Never asked anyone out/went on a date. I know rule 1 and 2 and probably some others is to not be ugly and I'm not. I am short but I figure I can make up for that. I can talk to women fine, I don't get nervous. Granted I've never tried pursuing someone before and I sure as hell don't know how to close a deal or tell if someone's interesting so who know I might choke there. Part of this is my fault I know, I probably could've made choices to put myself out there more or be more proactive but I've always felt content with my life and never really wanted more till now. Just kind of woke up alone one day and thought "I don't think I've talked to another human being in person, that wasn't a coworker for months" and I want that to change. So any words would be appreciated. Pretend you're teaching an alien or something cause I'm pretty sure whatever stuff you're assuming I already know when you're writing your answer I probably don't.
Oh also I've never been into social media. Never really had much going on to post about outside drawings and shit. I know most dating is online and a lot of people meet through Instagram. Not sure what I'd do there. I have like no photos of me, cause of the isolation thing, my page is just doodles from my notepad. I can take a mirror selfie but I don't know if that'd be sufficient. Maybe for Tinder but probably not one of the more reputable sites, but again, what would I know. I'm genuinely clueless.

So I've recently come to the horrible realization that I have no social life, no dating experience, and I have no idea how I'd get started on either. To make things clear from the start, this isn't cause of social anxiety or anything. I'm not a nervous persona and never had issues holding a conversation. My problem here is born of pure ignorance. I just don't know where people hang out or really how to establish relationships both platonic and romantic. I can maintain a friendship fine. I got friends. I just don't know how to start one. These people just found me and I managed to not scare them off.
To give you some background on I've just always been solitary given most of my hobbies (playing guitar, drawing, movies/books/games) are stuff you do alone in a room. I also never hung out much with people outside school cause I lived pretty far from everyone in school. I got into this nerd school thing (I'm honestly not sure what it's called cause it wasn't private) in case you're wondering what the circumstances are where I lived far away from everyone else. So even though I wanted to and people wanted to hang with me, I never really had much opportunity to since I always had stuff right after class and shit was too far to really meet em over weekends. And even in the very rare cases I was able to visit friends or they were able to visit me, these people are naturally gonna be pretty similar to me so we just did the same shit I'd do alone just with other people in the room. I figured stuff would change in college but for financial reasons I went to community college, and the one I went to was very much a "finish your classes and leave" kind of deal. Most people there weren't even around my age. So I ain't really meet people and I couldn't hang out with my friends and meet people through them cause they went out of state. Got a job but at a Thai restaurant but they ended up putting me in the back where nobody I interacted with regularly spoke English. After that I transferred to a state college and here I thought "finally, now's my chance to have a normal social life and hang out with people", but of course God had a really funny sense of humor cause right before I graduated from county the pandemic happened. The universe saw I had a chance at having a social life and through divine intervention prevented that from happening. So I basically just spend the last to years of my college online. Last year was hybrid so I went out a little but going to a tech school turns out everyone there is also pretty much isolated nerds. My roommate didn't even leave his room. I had to make sure he wasn't dead a few times and honestly I'm not convinced he wasn't. I'd fully believe if he reanimated by the fungus that grew from his pizza. Anyway then I graduated and since the job market wasn't great I took an opportunity for a job in Maryland when it arose. Thing is that state is very far from where all my friends, family and really everyone I know lives so if I was hoping to meet people through them after they came back from college that got ruined. Cheapest place I was able to find that's close to my work was a studio so I have no roommates. All my coworkers are also about a decade+ older than me and have families and shit, so I can't really hang out with them. I feel like I keeping winning a lottery in how to live the most accidentally isolated life ever. My parents are probably happy I'm the rare person that actually focused on my education and didn't go out partying and shit (tho that's more due to circumstances and not choice), but I imagine the pressure of finding someone's gonna ramp up eventually and I'd rather get ahead on that.
So if anyone can just give me some basic advice on where to meet people please help. Both for platonic reasons and not. I know bars are a thing just based off movies but I'm not much of a drinker. I can stomach it if that's the only place but I imagine people are hanging out outside bars in real life. I just don't know where. Also naturally have zero dating experience. Not even like the basics. Never asked anyone out/went on a date. I know rule 1 and 2 and probably some others is to not be ugly and I'm not. I am short but I figure I can make up for that. I can talk to women fine, I don't get nervous. Granted I've never tried pursuing someone before and I sure as hell don't know how to close a deal or tell if someone's interesting so who know I might choke there. Part of this is my fault I know, I probably could've made choices to put myself out there more or be more proactive but I've always felt content with my life and never really wanted more till now. Just kind of woke up alone one day and thought "I don't think I've talked to another human being in person, that wasn't a coworker for months" and I want that to change. So any words would be appreciated. Pretend you're teaching an alien or something cause I'm pretty sure whatever stuff you're assuming I already know when you're writing your answer I probably don't.
Oh also I've never been into social media. Never really had much going on to post about outside drawings and shit. I know most dating is online and a lot of people meet through Instagram. Not sure what I'd do there. I have like no photos of me, cause of the isolation thing, my page is just doodles from my notepad. I can take a mirror selfie but I don't know if that'd be sufficient. Maybe for Tinder but probably not one of the more reputable sites, but again, what would I know. I'm genuinely clueless.

So I've recently come to the horrible realization that I have no social life, no dating experience, and I have no idea how I'd get started on either. To make things clear from the start, this isn't cause of social anxiety or anything. I'm not a nervous persona and never had issues holding a conversation. My problem here is born of pure ignorance. I just don't know where people hang out or really how to establish relationships both platonic and romantic. I can maintain a friendship fine. I got friends. I just don't know how to start one. These people just found me and I managed to not scare them off.
To give you some background on I've just always been solitary given most of my hobbies (playing guitar, drawing, movies/books/games) are stuff you do alone in a room. I also never hung out much with people outside school cause I lived pretty far from everyone in school. I got into this nerd school thing (I'm honestly not sure what it's called cause it wasn't private) in case you're wondering what the circumstances are where I lived far away from everyone else. So even though I wanted to and people wanted to hang with me, I never really had much opportunity to since I always had stuff right after class and shit was too far to really meet em over weekends. And even in the very rare cases I was able to visit friends or they were able to visit me, these people are naturally gonna be pretty similar to me so we just did the same shit I'd do alone just with other people in the room. I figured stuff would change in college but for financial reasons I went to community college, and the one I went to was very much a "finish your classes and leave" kind of deal. Most people there weren't even around my age. So I ain't really meet people and I couldn't hang out with my friends and meet people through them cause they went out of state. Got a job but at a Thai restaurant but they ended up putting me in the back where nobody I interacted with regularly spoke English. After that I transferred to a state college and here I thought "finally, now's my chance to have a normal social life and hang out with people", but of course God had a really funny sense of humor cause right before I graduated from county the pandemic happened. The universe saw I had a chance at having a social life and through divine intervention prevented that from happening. So I basically just spend the last to years of my college online. Last year was hybrid so I went out a little but going to a tech school turns out everyone there is also pretty much isolated nerds. My roommate didn't even leave his room. I had to make sure he wasn't dead a few times and honestly I'm not convinced he wasn't. I'd fully believe if he reanimated by the fungus that grew from his pizza. Anyway then I graduated and since the job market wasn't great I took an opportunity for a job in Maryland when it arose. Thing is that state is very far from where all my friends, family and really everyone I know lives so if I was hoping to meet people through them after they came back from college that got ruined. Cheapest place I was able to find that's close to my work was a studio so I have no roommates. All my coworkers are also about a decade+ older than me and have families and shit, so I can't really hang out with them. I feel like I keeping winning a lottery in how to live the most accidentally isolated life ever. My parents are probably happy I'm the rare person that actually focused on my education and didn't go out partying and shit (tho that's more due to circumstances and not choice), but I imagine the pressure of finding someone's gonna ramp up eventually and I'd rather get ahead on that.
So if anyone can just give me some basic advice on where to meet people please help. Both for platonic reasons and not. I know bars are a thing just based off movies but I'm not much of a drinker. I can stomach it if that's the only place but I imagine people are hanging out outside bars in real life. I just don't know where. Also naturally have zero dating experience. Not even like the basics. Never asked anyone out/went on a date. I know rule 1 and 2 and probably some others is to not be ugly and I'm not. I am short but I figure I can make up for that. I can talk to women fine, I don't get nervous. Granted I've never tried pursuing someone before and I sure as hell don't know how to close a deal or tell if someone's interesting so who know I might choke there. Part of this is my fault I know, I probably could've made choices to put myself out there more or be more proactive but I've always felt content with my life and never really wanted more till now. Just kind of woke up alone one day and thought "I don't think I've talked to another human being in person, that wasn't a coworker for months" and I want that to change. So any words would be appreciated. Pretend you're teaching an alien or something cause I'm pretty sure whatever stuff you're assuming I already know when you're writing your answer I probably don't.
Oh also I've never been into social media. Never really had much going on to post about outside drawings and shit. I know most dating is online and a lot of people meet through Instagram. Not sure what I'd do there. I have like no photos of me, cause of the isolation thing, my page is just doodles from my notepad. I can take a mirror selfie but I don't know if that'd be sufficient. Maybe for Tinder but probably not one of the more reputable sites, but again, what would I know. I'm genuinely clueless.