Letter showing proof of pregnancy

One day I was playing FIFA 23 career mode as a manager. I had made a lot of progress, turning a previously amateur team into an almost unstoppable one. I was only on my third season when this happened.
I was getting ready for the next game when I decided to change some of the roles. I changed the captain, but then I looked at who was taking the short free kicks. Their name came up as "undefined", no capital letters. I clicked it, and then my game froze on an extremely glitched screen.
The word "DEF", which means defense was scattered across the screen, with some of the player info in random spots. I looked in the top left corner, and saw what looked to be a custom player who was white and had blonde hair, with the name "undefined". My game crashed immediately after.
I reopened the game and opened to the last save of my career mode journey. It had deleted some of my saves and set me all the way back to the first season. I went to check if this happened to other people, but then something caught my eye.
Career mode stars is a website that I used to find good players to sign, and I vividly remember going to a page to find some good midfielders on season two. I never went active on the site after, but also never closed it after. I came across it on my way to check Reddit. Instead of the page with the midfielders, it showed a page I had went to on season one. This was really weird, but I am not sure if this was just a coincidence or I am just remembering wrong.
I checked Reddit, and other people have encountered this issue but never had an experience as wild as this. Before I started my manager career my game was extremely laggy, and even some of my keys occasionally stopped working. But after the saves were deleted, it went back to normal, even seemed like it was less laggy than I had ever seen. If you know anything about this, please let me know.

I've had personal experience where I have had dreams that were oddly realistic, I took note of them, then several years later it happens exactly as it happened in the dream. For "proof" I had a dream a few years ago at the age of 10, where I saw a desk and a phone propped up with a show playing on it. The show playing had a beautiful woman on it with big hair and this gorgeous jewelled crown and big silver dress. Last week it played out exactly the same in my dream and the show... Queen Charlotte!! Keep in mind this dream happened years before Bridgerton released so it's not just a memory.
I understand that this doesn't sound real but I am genuinely curious because this has happened over and over again but no one quite believes me except my dad. He told me that he had dreams like those when he was around my age...
But yeah, what are your thoughts? Have you experienced this too? I need to know!

My theory is based around the fact that the games are set up at such random time frames, which is actually even more concurrent, with real dreams, showing even more proof as to the fact that the player themselves are acting as the godhead. Think about it whenever you have a dream. There's never really a specific lineup of events leading from one thing to another. You're kind of just popped in at a random time at a random place and you simply proceed with what's going on. So of course to us or the dreamer, it would appear as if only a few moments have passed by or in a literal case for us A couple years But within the context of the story hundreds and thousands, even millions of years go by, And who's to say that that's not what goes on in the dreams that you already have that. You simply show up at random points in time.

Hi everyone,
I’m in a bit of a bind and need urgent advice regarding my STEM OPT extension. Here’s the situation:
I am currently working for Company Y through a staffing agency called Company X.

• My F1 visa is set to expire on July 2, 2024.
• My EAD expires on May 31, 2024.
• I am on my initial OPT and trying to apply for the STEM OPT extension.

The Problem:
I need Company X to sign my Form I-983 for the STEM OPT extension. Despite regular check-ins from company X and oversight from my manager at Company Y, Company X has refused to sign the form.
Company Y has told me they can't do anything since Company X is the one making the decision. My DSO at my university requires this form to generate a new I-20, which is necessary for my application.
Steps Taken So Far:

• I have sent a demand letter to Company X with the help of my lawyer, explaining the regulatory requirements and emphasizing that Company X is capable of overseeing my training objectives.
• I’ve reached out to my DSO for assistance in communicating with Company X. (No updates and she never contacted them)
• I’ve attached proof of my employment and my job description signed by my direct manager at Company Y to support my case and sent it to my DSO.

Potential Solution:
As a last resort, I am considering getting married to my partner, who is a US citizen, to adjust my status. We have been dating for more than 3 years, share a lease and a credit card, and have traveled together to visit my family in my home country multiple times. I understand that this process can take time, and I’m unsure if it will be completed before my current visa expires.
My Questions:

1. Has anyone faced a similar situation with their staffing agency and the Form I-983? How did you resolve it?
2. Are there any other steps I can take to compel Company X to sign the form?
3. If I pursue marriage to adjust my status, what should I expect in terms of timelines and potential complications?
4. How fast can I return to work with adjusted status?
5. Are there any other options or legal avenues I might explore to avoid losing my status in the US?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I’m in a bit of a bind and need urgent advice regarding my STEM OPT extension. Here’s the situation:
​
I am currently working for Company Y through a staffing agency called Company X.

• My F1 visa is set to expire on July 2, 2024.
• My EAD expires on May 31, 2024.
• I am on my initial OPT and trying to apply for the STEM OPT extension.

The Problem:
I need Company X to sign my Form I-983 for the STEM OPT extension. Despite regular check-ins from company X and oversight from my manager at Company Y, Company X has refused to sign the form.
Company Y has told me they can't do anything since Company X is the one making the decision. My DSO at my university requires this form to generate a new I-20, which is necessary for my application.
​
Steps Taken So Far:
​

• I have sent a demand letter to Company X with the help of my lawyer, explaining the regulatory requirements and emphasizing that Company X is capable of overseeing my training objectives.
• I’ve reached out to my DSO for assistance in communicating with Company X. (No updates and she never contacted them)
• I’ve attached proof of my employment and my job description signed by my direct manager at Company Y to support my case and sent it to my DSO.

Potential Solution:
As a last resort, I am considering getting married to my partner, who is a US citizen, to adjust my status. We have been dating for more than 3 years, share a lease and a credit card, and have traveled together to visit my family in my home country multiple times. I understand that this process can take time, and I’m unsure if it will be completed before my current visa expires.
​
My Questions:
​

1. Has anyone faced a similar situation with their staffing agency and the Form I-983? How did you resolve it?
2. Are there any other steps I can take to compel Company X to sign the form?
3. If I pursue marriage to adjust my status, what should I expect in terms of timelines and potential complications?
4. How fast can I return to work with adjusted status?
5. Are there any other options or legal avenues I might explore to avoid losing my status in the US?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
​
​

Last week, when I was on a very rare vacation from saving guys from lives of loneliness, someone posted a question asking if AFA is a scam.
I am just going to answer it here, because my answer is long and detailed.
Romance Is HARD!
First, the dating industry is simply impossible, because it is trying to help people, often deeply flawed people, find love. This is the most personal, most private, and most deeply emotional journey in someone's life and it is a challenging journey for everyone. Most first dates don't lead to second dates and most second dates don't lead to people becoming a couple, and most couples do not get married, and over 40% of American couples are not married ten years later.
But if at any point in this chain an AFA client ends up angry and disappointed - including decades later - he very well might rage that AFA is a scam.
And the Romance Industry Is HARDER Than Regular Romance!
AFA is not just an electronic introduction app like Tinder or other dating apps. They actually introduces thousands of men and women in person every single year.
They employee dozens of matchmakers and have scores of affiliated dating agencies in Ukraine, Thailand, Colombia, and roughly a dozen other countries. That is complicated. They have something like 30k women in the database. That is a huge logistical challenge.
In fact, if you really think about it is amazing how successful they have been.
But lets look closer at the overwhelming proof they are not a scam:
AFA Has Been In Business Almost Thirty Years.
If they were a scam they would have been sued out of existence long ago. They are based in Phoenix. They are not some mysterious site with an office in Malta. They can be sued or even prosecuted under US law.
AFA Is Almost The Only American International Matchmaker Left In Business
IMBRA has a whole slew of requirements, including inspections by the US State Department, and most other matchmakers either collapsed under the pressure or moved off-shore. AFA didn't. That alone speaks volumes for their integrity.
AFA Has Introduced Tens of Thousands of Happy Couples.
Take a look at the testimonials. They have hundreds of testimonials and on this sub they have numerous defenders who actually have used their service.
AFA Has Been Relentlessly Investigated By the Media Over and Over
Reporters love breaking big stories of crime, corruption and scandal. Most of the journalists who have looked at AFA over the last thirty years have thought they were going to break a big story because of the urban legends about international dating. But take a look at their media page. It is almost universally positive, and if its really a scam all of these people have to be in on it too.
AFA Has Been Studied By Academics In More Detail Than Any Dating Company
But my favorite source on AFA are the numerous academics who have studied them - often for years on end - over the years. These scholars were often certain they were going to uncover a worldwide criminal conspiracy. Instead, most of them become openly supportive.
You can read an entire article about academic research on international dating,but here is the conclusion of Dr. Julia Meszaros after studying the company for several years, attending numerous socials, and interviewing scores of participants. She wrote: “…AFA is a completely legal, legitimate marriage introduction agency....”
Are they all in on the scam? Well, I can assure you if they had discovered it was a worldwide criminal conspiracy they would have gotten tenure faster and sold more books.
Joking aside, the academics are in the best position to determine what AFA's operations and motives are, because they are intelligent, driven, and often spend years studying the company.
AFA Is NOT Perfect
AFA has problems. Their letter system is loaded with issues, but it also allows men to contact women they could never meet otherwise. I have discussed these issues in scores of posts.
And, unlike any of the large dating apps, AFA does vet its women. That is incredibly rare, because most dating apps are loaded with fake profiles and bots.
A few years ago Ashley Madison's female profiles were over 99% fake, and most studies find at least 10% of profiles on the big domestic apps are fake. The owner of one small app, Findmate, who spends a lot of time vetting profiles claims about 75-80% of profiles he receives from the main international dating countries are from sophisticated scammer gangs.
So, AFA does try to vet everyone, but it cannot see into a woman's heart. Yes, she could just lie to them throughout the process about her intentions, and guess what? Even the CIA and MI-5 have failed to catch every bad apple and they really vet their applicants. Some liars get through. That's life.
Evaluate The Evidence Yourself
I purposely leave up posts, because Reddit is FULL of power crazy mods who delete everyone who disagrees with them and bans many users regularly. I have been banned many times and I find it incredibly annoying, so I almost never ban anyone and rarely remove comments.
I am trying to encourage guys to do their own research and decide for themselves what is best. So, take a look at the evidence and decide for yourself what you believe is the best approach.
Best Wishes!

[CW: talk of ableism and trauma]
——————————-
TL;DR: My dad said to my mom when I took out my new fidget toy after a fairly traumatic day: “he’s (not my preferred pronouns) just going into ‘Autistic Mode’”. He said that he would look into group homes tomorrow again because I “treat them like shit”. I shut down around them, and have been doing so for at least a week or more. I don’t have a job, freshly graduated from college as of December, and I have been struggling to get interviews. I have been using my university’s career services and got accepted into Vocational Rehab, but my parents keep threatening to kick me out of the house and be done with me.
——————————
For reference, I am highly confident I am Autistic and ADHD, but I have not been officially diagnosed. I have a referral and am in the process. My med manager is treating me with non-stimulants which work well and have increased executive function. I have also been exploring my being queer over the last few years, but only recently tried to explain to my parents in totality last November.
I knew they are queerphobic, and I knew that I annoy / upset them when I don’t talk and engage, and that when I talk it’s too much and not about the right thing. I just wanted to believe I was wrong. I wanted to believe I was reading into things because I’ve had so many past experiences where what I felt and what I thought turned out to be false. And they say they love me, and they love me so much that they hate to see me in pain, and so I wanted to believe that it’s true.
The last few days have been hard. My parents had family friends over (that have known me since I was a baby, and they have two adult children that didn’t come this round) for memorial day weekend from out of state. Since seeing the friends last, I have been doing a lot of self-discovery and further accepting the queer parts of myself. I hadn’t been planning to change my name, until by happenstance I found one online that I wanted to be mine due to it's simplicity and androgynous nature. But my parents (and my brother, though he has trans friends) have not been supportive. I just thought they raised me and gave me a name they picked out and so didn’t want to use a new one. It doesn’t make it better, but it’s something.
But they have made it clear in past conversations that it would be unfair for me to tell family friends and extended relatives. And so I spent all of last week before the weekend trying to debate whether I should tell the family friends that were coming over in a text message before they arrived. I tried to summon the courage, but I ended up not doing that. So when I first saw them, I shut down when their first words were “Hey, ”. I decided that I would make myself scarce because I knew I would just keep shutting down and having trouble speaking with them. Literally, it would be the same as with my parents where either the words don’t come or I don’t have the energy to get them past my throat.
So, I tried to be polite when I saw them and just didn’t engage in extensive conversation. When they left, my dad told me I was rude and selfish, and that I need to write them a letter to apologize. I ended up sending them a text today to apologize (didn't explain everything), but I didn’t want to send a letter because I am tired of using my dead name, and I would need to sign it.
I have been trying to avoid my parents even though we live in the same house because I don’t have a job yet. I recently graduated from college in December, but I have not been able to get interviews. I have been making use of my university’s career services and made appointments with the head of engineering to make my resume more appealing in terms of software engineering. I graduated with Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on Computer Science, Creative Writing, and Linguistics. I just want a job right now, and computer jobs pay well. I am hoping to figure out something beneficial in Creative Writing later, maybe Ghost Writing or something that might pay better than that. I also got accepted to use Vocational Rehab, and so I have been working with them.
But, since I am avoiding my parents, they believe I am trying to make it clear that I hate them. They consistently say that I “treat them like shit” and I am “lazy and just want an easy life”. Today has been a hard day after all the turmoil over the last week, and so I have had very little energy. I thought I could be experiencing depression, but I know what that feels like and where it leads. I am not there yet. So, I think the best word to describe it is probably dejected. Like the people who are constantly in my life don’t want me. In the late afternoon, I decided I didn’t just want to sit up in my room anymore, so I drove down to my bookstore to browse, and then checked to see if I could refill my meds. I had about an hour where I started feeling happy and enjoying myself, especially being able to browse the books and look at the descriptions on the back and recording the ones I want to read for later.
When I got home for dinner so my parents didn’t get mad, it was like all that happiness disappeared the moment I saw them. I could not move my face even if I wanted to, to pretend like I was cheery and all right. We got dinner out, and then I sat down. The counselor I like seeing at career services is also an ADHDer. I saw her last week to go over more plans for jobs, and she showed me the various baskets of stim toys she keeps on her bookshelf to hand out to students. She gave me one that’s a tightly knit, long rectangle and has a small glass ball inside. You squeeze it and the ball moves back and forth.
I haven’t used stim toys much growing up because I thought I was supposed to bear all the frustration and anxiety. But I have been trying to treat myself kinder over the last few months. So, I’ve been taking that stim toy with me, and had it when I went to the bookstore. With dinner set up, my parents were trying to get me to interact and “be better”. Without thinking, I took out the stim toy. My dad said I was going into “Autistic Mode” and that they can’t do anything. He will look at group homes again tomorrow.
…
Up until that moment, I had doubts. I thought that they really were trying to accept me and it was just hard, especially with all the queerness and years of mental health management (since 2019 when I broke down). But over the last month or so, I’ve had various times where I needed to record my mental health history for intake and I started talking about my parents and how I am starting to recognize the gaslighting and emotional abuse.
I have also been trying hard to remember the good moments. But I can't remember a moment where I was showing signs I am clearly Autistic or ADHD, and that they genuinely enjoyed and loved it. Especially as I've gotten older. I remember them expecting me to get good grades in school from the beginning. If it wasn't "A"s they were upset, and if I failed a test they told me to study again and took me down to school to convince the teacher to let me test again. If I couldn't prove I knew the material and the teacher didn't let me retake it, then I was shunned on the way home.
I want so much to be wrong. I want so much for them to be right and that it's me who is abusing them like they say it is. I don't know why--I don't really feel any emotional love for them and I don't think I ever did, I just don't want them to suffer--but if I am the one who's hurting them then maybe I can change and stop. Maybe I can get better and show them love and be nice to them like they deserve. I wouldn't need to make a plan to estrange myself from them when I am on my feet to better take care of myself. I wish it was me.
I don't know why I am writing all of this. You all have your own problems and don't need to load on mine, and I am not going to pretend I have it the worst even just in my own city. I also feel manipulative, like I am only writing the bad parts and that I should try to remember and describe the good parts.
I just don't have anyone I can talk to right now. I have been out of therapy for a few months. I have been on wait lists for more experienced therapists dealing with gender-affirming care, since that has become a bigger problem. I have something scheduled for the middle of next month with a more general therapist and a referral to a specialized therapist as well.
But I just want to talk to someone who understands. I don't have that in my life. When doctors ask me if I have anyone I can just vent to or trust, I can't think of anyone. I have one friend, but since graduating we only meet up once a month. I can share a lot with her and she is supportive, but then I feel like that one meeting is filled with me trying to vent and seek therapy from her. I don't really want more social interaction, but I want to feel like someone sees me, the real me, and they actually like what they see.
I plan to call the suicide hotline tomorrow. Not because I am suicidal, but because I was told I don't need to be suicidal to call. I know my parents will hear me on the phone if I call tonight, and I don't really want to spend a long time writing out the words in a text to the text number to explain everything when the person on the other end might not be able to fully understand, and so they would just tell me what they think I need to hear. But I guess I'd get the same from the phone call.
I don't know how to wrap this up, and it sounds when I read this over like I am quite lucid and therefore being petty by putting this here. I am lucid, but it doesn't really help me feel better. I can't lie to myself anymore; I've been trying so hard to not lie to myself when I spot it. I am sorry for the long rambling and various tangents. I just want to put this somewhere where people might understand.

Things haven’t been adding up lately literally. So hubby got a new phone around Christmas the year before and forgot to turn the location off. Basically I got to watch him go places without me and our four kids for about three months before I couldn’t keep my mouth shut anymore. He ended up ending the lease and promising to live at home only. I know I’m an idiot already for that. I usually take care of the financials with budgets and bills. I used to work in a bank until childcare became too expensive and I became a stay at home mom. So the past year it’s been eating at me. Like how did he pull this off without me noticing. We are joint on all our accounts. So I sent him a 5,00 e-transfer to his email address. It was set to auto deposit. It didn’t show up in any of our accounts so I knew he had another account. I had asked him twice since I found out about the lease if he had another account. He said no. So I texted him asking him about it and he called me back! He only does this when he’s doing shady stuff so there’s no proof. He basically tried to gaslight me but I wasn’t having it today. It’s really not about the bank account. After the whole townhouse incident we were supposed to be starting over. I was supposed to be able to trust him, no more lies. He financially does well and has worked hard to get to where he is. I don’t care what he spends his money on. I don’t like being lied to and he promised not to. That’s the issue. He could have just said he had another account and I would have been chill. But now we are supposed to be in a good place trust wise so we are closing on a house in one month, should I finally take a hint and leave? Or is this ok behaviour since I’m a sahm and it’s his money anyways?

For the past week, I've been remembering things from my past that I'm ashamed and guilty of, like big mistakes I made that hurt people that I've apologized to by now and they've forgotten about it, plus just tonight I got a letter from some company I've never heard of saying my info got hacked in a data leak, and I've been deleting/changing passwords to prevent this again bc I checked on "Have I Been Pwned," and I was, which showed that just some usernames and passwords were leaked, but apparently so was my IP, email, and location, though that was on Wattpad, so I'm not too worried about that I think, and now I'm anxious asf that maybe my info like my SSID and browser history could've been/could be out there, even though I'm sure they're not bc I probably would've known, and I'm scared as to what would happen to me of they were bc who knows what would happen then!!?
Fuck, this week has had my anxiety, guilt, and self-loathing almost as bad as the last time I moved! I don't know how much sleep, if any I'm gonna get tonight, or if I'll still be worried about this tomorrow! EVEN THOUGH I THINK I FIXED THE PROBLEM, I CAN'T STOP CONSIDERING THE WORST OUTCOME!!! FUCKKKK!!!!!!!! I wish I could afford a fucking therapist to talk this shit out with, but I can't! My next best hope is that while summer courses are happening at my University I can see if there's a counselor I can talk to who might have some tips for me, because holy SHIT my anxiety's never been this bad! God dammit, fuck me!

My mom (Indonesian) will be applying for a visit visa to visit me in the UK (student). Her regular income comes from my dad (not coming with her to the uk), which is always the same amount of £500 every month, but there is hardly any disposable income because almost all the money from my dad is used for daily necessities. However, she has a quite large opening balance (around £3500) on her account because she used to be a designer but she retired around 4 years ago. The balance was her savings from when she was still selling her work. The closing balance every month generally around the same amount of £3500.
She also has another bank account with roughly the same balance of £3500. It was also her savings from past work, but she doesnt use it for daily expenses. There are only very few outgoing transactions but there are also irregular transfer from my brother (on average £100/month), so the balance is gradually increasing every month.
So we plan to include both bank statements and state her income comes from my dad and my brother, and that her large balance was her savings from when she was working as a designer. We plan to also attach the following: - my dad's payslips + letter confirming the money transfer (+his ID and marriage certificate) - a letter signed by my brother confirming the money transfer (+his ID and proof of family ties) - some of my mom's old invoices when she was still working as a designer
For ties to home country, we will include my parents marriage certificate, pictures of them together overtime, and letters from local communities where my mom is very actively involved (we can provide pictures and instagram/facebook posts for proof).
My concern is about her bank statement, because I've read about people getting rejected for simply having more than enough savings! I'm not sure if her past invoices are enough evidence. Please advice. Thank you!

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

I truly don't understand what was happening all season and at this reunion.
Lala came in picking a fight with Ariana and Ariana did not give her one at all. From the beginning when she told Ariana to be honest and was gearing up for a fight and Ariana said she never watched to everything after.
It feels like she has so much anger and jealousy built up towards many people in the cast and has decided to take it all out on Ariana.
She came across so vile and rude on all three episodes towards just Ariana. Ariana responded so kind, so understanding, didn't shame her for her thoughts or feelings. When rudeness wasn't working she turned to crying and having a pity party and still directing it completely on Ariana.
What did Ariana do to Lala? I am not saying she can't have anger, feelings, sadness, pregnancy but she is visceral towards her. Towards Katie too because she won't turn on her and even in the end towards Scheana because she was trying to play the middle.
Scheana was unreal also. Defending both Tom and Lala so much while throwing Ariana out the door. Ariana is going through one of her most traumatic and hard years of her life and Scheana is angry with her because she isnt' talking to her enough or showing up for her enough.
Ariana has talked about her depression, her isolating, her needing to keep distracted which I am sure even though her opportunities are so special and dreams come true they are also distractions and Scheana is making it all about her.
Love should be unconditional during these times, they have all made it conditional. I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Even when LALA said she didn't care that the friendships were over, What did Ariana or Katie even actually do to Lala during this reunion? What did Ariana say that LALA told us was so horrible and warranted her going off for weeks on social media about. I am so confused.

Hi friends!! I (23F) have always had irregular periods but I thought nothing of it especially while I was on the depo shot (in which i had no periods at all during that time) but now being off of the shot for about 1.5 years, I began to worry.
Most women’s periods recur within 6 months to 2 years off of the shot. I reached out to my OBGYN. Days later, I started to experience abdominal cramping and I assumed it was normal period cramps because I have never been a cramp girlie so I thought maybe this was a good thing. Well, my cramping went on for 4 days and then, I went to urgent care. They ran bloodwork (CBC/Chem - slight elevation in wbcs with can be indicative of inflammation and/or infection but otherwise normal findings), urine pregnancy test (NEGATIVE) and a CT scan (which showed a “cyst like structure on my right ovary”).
By the time results were back, the pain had become something I could deal with. They had me follow up with my OBGYN for an ultrasound.
I went for the ultrasound and my OBGYN called me with concerns as it looked like there was an endometrioma rather than a cyst on my right ovary. She had me go for a recheck ultrasound a month later and that ultrasound showed a (resolving) hemorrhagic cyst on my right ovary and PCOS on both ovaries.
I went in for them to draw my blood for hormone testing today and I discussed my concerns with her. While I am not actively wanting to get pregnant now, I want to have the option in the future. She said she isn’t worried but I’m wondering if me wanting to look into egg retrieval and freezing is an overreaction…?
Any advice is appreciated.

My son is 4 years old and started preschool in the fall. I was working day shifts from 6am-3:30 or 4:00 and my son’s father wasn’t working so he would take him to school in the morning; we also live across the street from each other which is super convenient. Things were going great until Christmas break ended. After the break, his father’s car broke down and he was unable to drive him to school. I suggested that he walk him to school but he refused, claiming that the school was too far and he would be too tired despite him not working. For 2 months my son would sit in the house playing on his tablet for hours until I got home because his father didn’t want to entertain him. I personally have no problem with my son having a tablet but I never wanted him to be on it for long periods of time. The rule at my house is 1 hour on school nights and 2 hours on the weekend, he spends most of his day outside on the weekends anyway. However, his father allows him to do whatever he wants and doesn’t monitor what he watches. As soon as I get home my son comes and gets dressed for the first time all day and goes outside to play with his cousins who have just gotten out of school. I would cook and get him into bed by 9. I don’t only throw blame on his father because I know that I’m at fault as well because I wouldn’t work with my son on his reading in writing but in my defense I was exhausted from work.
I say all this to say that my son is behind in school and I don’t know how to help him. He started going back to school in March. The other kids in his class are writing their names and can recognize letters but he can’t do any of that. I recently went on medical leave so I am at home all day with him and I try to help teach him. His teachers don’t have time to help him catch up and always say that he isn’t a good student. I’ve bought work books,flash cards, and even customized print outs of his name for him to trace. I tried out learning videos on YouTube like Blippi and Ms. Rachel but he shows no interest and would rather use his tablet to play games. He doesn’t like any educational shows and will only watch shows like Pj mask and other things that I think are too overstimulating. I am struggling to get him interested in learning. I know that consistency is important and I work on it everyday but I can’t control what he does at his dad’s house and I definitely can’t keep him from going there without causing problems. However, he has no interest in helping his son because he’s says that he’s tired after work and doesn’t want to be bothered. I just don’t know what to do anymore. Please if you have any tips on how I can teach him to recognize letters and engage in learning I’d greatly appreciate them!

Hello,
After searching through this subreddit, I saw a post from 5 days ago asking about the newest release of the FF benchmark for Dawntrail, which apparently promised to do out with the old lighting in the character creator and inject the new Dawntrail ones. The original letter said that the updated benchmark was due to release on May 23rd. A comment beneath that thread said that a recent live letter pushed its release to May 30th instead, allegedly, which is 2 days from now. However, I have been unable to locate or find that letter - would anyone have a link to it, so that I may read through its comments?
I'm very nervous about the upcoming changes. I play a Viera character, and only just installed the benchmark today. And, like the borderline-hundreds of other players on this 38-page long thread basically begging Square Enix not to go through with these """graphical improvements""" for Viera, my Veena Viera got absolutely evicerated by these changes visually. I know the new benchmark was promised to fill in the blanks with some of the high-texture resolution's, but I need to know if any other changes to the characters actual physical appearances were promised.
Honestly, It's probably just copium on my end, at this point. Going into the benchmark itself, outside of the character creator, my Viera still looks terrible in what I presume is the actual new lighting in all of the scenes. I may be cooked already. Not to mention, a view I see on this subreddit fairly frequently is that SE takes a grand total of zero feedback from the English forums when it comes to their game. If that actually is the case, then I just have to pray the thread of Viera changes in Japan is even longer than the one here.
Anyway, thanks for tolerating my rant. Here's to hoping this benchmark shows us an improvement to... Literally any race besides Hrothgar.

Hi!! I’m not pregnant that I know of, but I think you all would have some good input for what I’m dealing with!! I’m on POP birth control pills, but no matter what my ovulation tests all come up positive no matter where I am in the month. I know they can show pregnancy if they’re like that but all my (many lol) pregnancy tests are negative. What’s the chance of a false negative? Can I just be ovulating twice per cycle because my birth control messed my body up? TYIA for any help:) just needing some input to calm me down since I have to wait a few weeks for my gyno appt!🫶🏻

This morning, I started from my home, and after driving hardly 1.5 miles from my home, an officer stopped me for speeding. I am certain that I was not speeding. The speed limit on the road is 35 mph, but in the school zone, it is supposed to be 25 mph. According to the officer, I was driving at 40 mph.
Before the school zone starts, there is a traffic signal where I stopped. The actual distance of the school zone is only 0.2 miles (verified on Google Maps, literally from one signal to the next). There is no way I could have reached 40 mph from a stop position within 0.2 miles. Luckily, I have a dash cam with video proof showing that I was neither speeding nor driving unsafely. My dash cam also records the time, and the time taken to cover the 0.2-mile distance indicates my speed was around 25 mph.
What is the best way to contest this ticket? Should I choose to appear in court or opt for a trial by declaration? This is the first time I have received a ticket, and I have no knowledge of how to proceed. How and where can I show my dash cam video proof to demonstrate that I was not speeding?
Please help.

This morning, I started from my home, and after driving hardly 1.5 miles from my home, an officer stopped me for speeding. I am certain that I was not speeding. The speed limit on the road is 35 mph, but in the school zone, it is supposed to be 25 mph. According to the officer, I was driving at 40 mph.
Before the school zone starts, there is a traffic signal where I stopped. The actual distance of the school zone is only 0.2 miles (verified on Google Maps, literally from one signal to the next). There is no way I could have reached 40 mph from a stop position within 0.2 miles. Luckily, I have a dash cam with video proof showing that I was neither speeding nor driving unsafely. My dash cam also records the time, and the time taken to cover the 0.2-mile distance indicates my speed was around 25 mph.
What is the best way to contest this ticket? Should I choose to appear in court or opt for a trial by declaration? This is the first time I have received a ticket, and I have no knowledge of how to proceed. How and where can I show my dash cam video proof to demonstrate that I was not speeding?
Please help.

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!!!

This morning, I started from my home, and after driving hardly 1.5 miles from my home, an officer stopped me for speeding. I am certain that I was not speeding. The speed limit on the road is 35 mph, but in the school zone, it is supposed to be 25 mph. According to the officer, I was driving at 40 mph.
Before the school zone starts, there is a traffic signal where I stopped. The actual distance of the school zone is only 0.2 miles (verified on Google Maps, literally from one signal to the next). There is no way I could have reached 40 mph from a stop position within 0.2 miles. Luckily, I have a dash cam with video proof showing that I was neither speeding nor driving unsafely. My dash cam also records the time, and the time taken to cover the 0.2-mile distance indicates my speed was around 25 mph.
What is the best way to contest this ticket? Should I choose to appear in court or opt for a trial by declaration? This is the first time I have received a ticket, and I have no knowledge of how to proceed. How and where can I show my dash cam video proof to demonstrate that I was not speeding?
Please help.

Hello, this is the first time I will talk about this on réddit, it is a special anecdote and I hope there are no unexpected repercussions and I would like to know your opinions and advice on the situation, I am Alex and I have a friend named Carlos, I met him at a swimming school in the city where I live at 14 years old, now we are both 19 years old, Carlos's mother's name is Emilia, despite her age of 38 years old she is a very, very attractive woman, her husband works in America so he doesn't spend much time at home, last week Carlos asked me to check his car because it wouldn't start, in the past I worked as a mechanic with my cousins, so I offered to help him, on Friday afternoon I went to his house, at that time Carlos was still at university, so his mother Emilia gave me the car keys and I started to work, after 50 minutes I had finished with the car repairs, so I went into the house to return the keys, Emilia was sitting on the sofa, she asked me to sit with her, after a few minutes of conversation she began to make advances that were quite direct for my liking, and then she took off her blouse, I am not a super handsome man ,but I have been exercising since I was 16 in addition to swimming, so the work shows in my body, she and I ended up in her bed having sex at that time, I'm also a little worried because I didn't put a condom on, Although I never put it inside, although I still have concerns, I would be lying if I said that it wasn't the best experience I have had with a woman. Until today we have only spoken through messages and from the way she usually responds to me, I don't think she plans to stop this. I would love nothing more than to provide proof of the veracity of this, although it makes me a little sad deep down because I know that this relationship will not deepen.
I want to know what you would do in my situation? Is what I did wrong? I'm thinking about leaving because Emilia is a married woman and the mother of one of my friends, but what do you think? I would like to know your opinion. I hope this post is well received because I really need some advice.