My mom gave my husband and I her personal credit card to open up a plumbing business. She is the best, I know. We purchased one tool at a time, 1 business license at a time, lawyer fee, incorporation fee, accountant fees, etc over the course of 6 months.
It was a gift - she wanted to help, it’s in place of helping with a down payment in her eyes. I am hoping we become successful enough that we can pay her back, take her on a trip or do something else to show our gratitude, anyways.
Now it’s our first year end tax time. My husband half ass-edly attempted Quickbooks, mucked it all up so I’m stepping in, starting from scratch, balancing the books to be submitted to our accountant. May use Quickbooks, may just Excel it for this year until I learn but either way, I want to do what’s in the best interest for my mom, our biz and us. Reminder most of these purchases were on her personal credit card - Home Depot, wholesalers, Amazon, business fees, getting incorporated fee, everything to start up.
Am I correct to say, since we’re viewing it as a gift, that my husband and I personally came into this business with $xx,xxx - our opening balance when we started doing in April 2023? Id set that up as ‘owner contribution’ account? Is this considered an asset account?
Then I’d go through all purchases, expenses throughout the last year, and show they are an expense then draw money from our ‘owner contribution account’ or whatever I decide to call it, to then balance the books?
Basically, can I keep this gift off our business records, can I say it’s our money, since it’s a gift, can I pay off all expenses 1 by 1 using debits from this account?
I don’t want to do anything unlawful. My mom mentioned just be aware of the ‘Attribution Law’, which I quickly googled, don’t completely understand and unsure if it’s a valid concern or not applicable in this case.
Yes I am seeking free advise from professionals and personal. Yes I have a CPA who we’ve already paid handsomely for, and yes I will be discussing this with him. But I want to make sure I understand, and that I make the right choice for everyone financially and lawfully.
I’m in Cananananada. Go Oilers! Sorry.

Yes, I am aware there will be many posts about the sudden end of the season and how the new progression system sucks. This will not be very different from that, so if you don't feel like reading about it, that's okay but this was the warning.
While it's true I came back after the start of the season (it started on March 26th and I started a new character on April 13th), I have played every single day since. I have FO1st and the boost to Score that brings. I have completed every challenge, every day, with a booster on for each set of weeklies and two sets of dailies. And yet, I will still end up being level 145 by the time the new season drops.
So essentially what I'm being told is, I could at most take one week worth of time off from the game for the entire season if I want to hit the 150 mark, or I can take all fun out of the game and grind things like West-Tek that every talks about so I can get the leveling Score early since it's a finite resource.
How is this player friendly? But also, what kind of company doesn't give legitimate advanced notice of the season end? Especially since it appears 76's seasons vary in length from 2½ to almost 4 months. Say what you will, but at least with Modern Warfare 3 I know every season is exactly 56 days long, so I can plan accordingly. Or in Diablo 3's case, not only do I get a set end-date, but the leveling is very reasonable and quick feeling. With 76, we instead have to guess until the last minute, and can't even grind the last bit in a pinch because we're stalled by arbitrary daily limitations on what we can earn.
All in all, being so close to the goalposts only to have it snatched away after being very diligent every day is a slap in the face. I was really hoping to get some of the perk coins so I'm not left slogging through hundreds of levels to get enough cards to scrap. I'll probably try the new update, sure, but it's really taken the wind out of my sales.

Buckle up buttercup, we're going on a wild ride following some campaign donation money intended to support a republican primary in the state of Ohio in 2018.
I originally intended on writing a post on my buddy Sean Cooksey, the crooked FEC chairman who is engaged in a conspiracy to allow any and all sorts of corruption involving campaign donations to republican candidates, in order to support yesterdays post I wrote involving creative uses of legalese to advance a pre planned determination.
Instead, I found a rabbit hole for your summer reading that is now intended to prove just how big of a fool it would take to donate to the republican party and how many hands are in the cookie jar before your hard earned dollars find their way to buy the TV ads that you thought you were buying.
The document I'm drawing from is the second General Counsels report regarding MUR 7464. Since this post is about the money trail itself, I won't get into too much about why this investigation was happening, how much money the players are dealing with outside of this narrow scope, or the results of the investigation.
So let's look at the original donations, all of which happened in 2018.
The first is a representative of assisted living communities which donated 50k on March 14
Then there is an individual directed directly by the candidate Ryan Smith to donate 100k on April 3rd.
The last is a 501c who donated 350k total, of which 150k was donated on March 27th. This company took in millions in donations from a power company called American Electric Power.
All of this money was transfered to another 501c called Ohio Works. For those playing at home, this is 300k total. Because of the murky transactions between AEP, the redacted 501c, and Ohio Works, the total disbursement is 352k
Now we move on to yet another 501c named IFN owned by a guy named Ray McVeigh. McVeigh had 2 guys working for him named Norris and Riter. On March 7th OhioWorks transferred 30k. March 28th, 200k, April 6th, 120k, and on May 5th, they transferred 2k for a total of 352k
Norris and Riter created an LLC named LZP which was treated as a disregarded entity to the IRS. You might say, hey, I create LLC's by accident all the time so why are we hassling these guys?
Well, it turns out that our boys also created the ironically named Honor PAC which is an "independent" expenditure only company. Must have had a good laugh at the independant part in that name. You should have read the assertions in the first report. The objective reader was misled by these 3 when they completely hoodwinked the investigation into thinking that IFN, LZP, and Honor PAC couldn't possibly be, in any way, related.
Ok, back to the money that now is transferred from IFN to LZP. On March 28th, 180k. On April 6th, 50k. On April 17th, 6k, and on October 17th, 35k. This is a total of 271k. Is it me, or is this pie getting smaller?
Now LZP to Honor PAC. On March 28th 175k. On April 6th, 50k. On April 18th 10k, and on October 19th, 35k, for a total of 270k. Hey, at least they only siphoned off a thousand bucks on this pass. Probably to pay for the filing fees of the company they accidentally created.
Then on finally, whew, to Target Enterprises LLC who you will find all over the republican FEC filing lists. Also SOM media LLC. The payments received from these entities were to pay for the ad campaigns, undoubtedly after, yet another round of administrative fees would be taken out of the kitty. The total amount paid to these entities was $227, 838
So there you have it. How to turn 352k into 227 and change, the republican way.
By the way, what's the dealio with our accidental LLC by McVeighs associates Norris and Riter? Well, it turns out that there are election laws in place which try to prevent obfuscation but all of this layering is effective at masking the siphoning and kick backs.
The redacted donors ponied up the 352k. They had no idea what Ohio works was doing. Ohio works had no idea what IFN was doing. IFN's McVeigh had no idea what his directors were doing when everything but his nice kickback went to their company LZP. Norris and Riter said LZP was just an oopsie when it came to reporting where their company named Honor PAC got the money. And Target doesn't care where Honor PAC got it because it appears they were the only ones actually doing any business with the money. The investigation was scuttled by the FEC because they said that this information shouldn't even be known because they were only supposed to look at the shell companies
See? Nobody knows nuffin and that's exactly how the game is played
But now you know

So I've been playing tennis heavily and met a group of people at a park roughly aged 40+ men and women early summer last year, majority of them are either a couple/partners, separated/divorced some with kids and some do not. They're all very nice, even welcomed as part of their group and now becoming more like a family which I am grateful for. They've been challenging me to be better at my game and its the main reason why I love playing with the group. Not only feels like I have a second family but also having a different coaches for free, I never asked for it but the fact that a few had asked for my permission, of course I said "hell yes!", they're more experience anyways. I also have other groups to play with but they do not challenge me as much as how this group does.
Long story short, there's this one guy that I typically play mixed doubles with, we're either in the same team or against each other. As time goes by trying to play with other guys in the group, he's the one I have good chemistry with on court (I'd say this is difficult to find). I'm comfortable, my mind is clear, I make good decisions on a good day, he coaches me and yes, I have learned so much and to be honest, I probably wouldn't go to play if I know he's not coming. And its mainly because I know I won't get a good game/workout without him. Few months back, he invited me to go play on our own to teach me volleys/playing at the net which is my weakness and I said yes why not. It went well, it was a good time, learned a lot and that was it, we didn't do it again due to schedule.
More and more gameplays together with him and with the group, we all starting to get to know each other personally. I don't also usually open up/tell my personal business to someone I do not know but we all developed a friendship. Down the road, I developed tennis elbow and so this guy offered to string my rackets for free and in exchange, I buy the strings (in whatever amount) that he wants to try. He agreed and so this is a thing. He discretely told me to not tell it to everybody else as he made it clear that he only does it for a couple of people and I'd probably do the same if it was me because I know its a lot of work. I think this alone is just being friendly nothing more. Its a win-win for both, well more of a win for me since I don't have to do the work.
Going further, there has been a couple of parties and dinners together with the group. He also started giving out some goodies like snacks and chocolates from the factory he's working at to some of us but he gives more of these goodies to me. The odd thing is, he's discretely giving it to me when there's no other people around. This happened 2-3 times already, I am not trying to give meaning behind this but started to feel awkward. There's also been some gestures that I think was just more like an older brother and younger sister that is endearing, eg. "oh dont drive too fast, you might get caught by the police", things like this I just find nothing more. It feels more like he's an older brother that I never had.
Whenever, there's a get together, him and I are very distant to each other, it always just like a hello/goodbye, never sat to each other because I always sat next to the girls anyways. Though what I noticed is whenever I leave the party, he always leave the same time as I do, not sure why. I am well aware of my surrounding so I know he doesn't stalk or whatever. Most importantly, since the very beginning, he's aware that I have a boyfriend and actually last April, I got engaged to my LDR boyfriend and will be getting married this July. Everyone in the group knows this.
Anyways, recently there was a farewell party for one of the couple that is moving to another state and we all had fun. I decided to leave a little late around 10:30ish pm and when I was saying bye to everyone, he also was doing the same he then walked out few minutes before me. He got into his car and he saw me walking towards my car and he said goodnight and so I did. I got home and then I saw a message for him saying, "what a loss, its too late now, goodnight".. I kinda knew what he meant but I'm not delusional and do not want to think anything of it but I decided to reply and asked, "what do you mean?". He then replied saying "you, you're getting married". I just replied saying, "oh, goodnight". For some time now, I feel it when someone adores me from afar, I don't ever acknowledge it though, I just ignore them and just act like me, purely being myself, civil, comes in to play and that's it, nothing more as it's always have been. The following day, we played again there was 6 of us. And then we all left, I messaged the group saying "thanks for today" and I messaged him directly saying "thank you". He then replied saying "thank you, you make me happy".
**TL;DR;** Honestly, I've been playing dumb (not the tennis games) but whatever this is for a reason. So right now, I am a position where I just want to tell him politely to stop going further deeper into whatever he's feeling towards me because I am NOT interested at all. I don't know how to be upfront and say stop, I mean he's more of an adult so if anything he'll probably just understand but I don't want to be awkward which if I ever say something I'm sure it will be awkward. At the same time, I don't want to make a fool of myself. Like how, what do I say? Should I just stop playing with them and play with other group? How should I put it?

I just got a rejection notice because I simply left Part 1 Item 5&6 blank unchecked.
Also refer to other previous reddits:
https://www.reddit.com/USCIS/comments/1c503mc/i140_petition_was_returned_after_adding_asylum/
https://www.reddit.com/USCIS/comments/1brieg6/do_i140_petitions_of_eb2niw_and_eb1a_pay_asylum/
https://www.reddit.com/EB2_NIW/comments/1cnypri/hi_guys_i_am_resubmitting_my_petition_after_it/
I just want to make sure that EB2 NIW self-petitioners should mark I-140 (new form as of 2024 April) Part 1. Item 5 and 6. correctly. That is, EB2 NIW self-petitioners are considered 'NOT a non-profit organization or a governmental research organization' (so NO to Item 5) and 'to employ 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees' (We employ zero, so YES to Item 6).
I know that both questions are quite confusing....as it's tempting to leave both as blank. I'm not an employer nor an organization. But I guess this is more about how to classify self-petitioners as 'discounted' asylum fee payer.
This is confusing but clearly mentioned in the official USCIS guidance.
https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/frequently-asked-questions-on-the-uscis-fee-rule
Employment-Based Forms and Fees
Q. Do self-petitioners also pay the Asylum Program Fee, and, if so, do they pay the full amount of $600?
A. An individual self-petitioner would pay the reduced Asylum Program Fee of $300 when filing Form I-140 as an EB-1A noncitizen of extraordinary ability or as an EB-2 with national interest waiver. On Form I-140, such self-petitioners must select Yes in Part 1, Question 6, to indicate that they currently employ a total of 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees.
When an individual beneficiary of a Form I-129 or Form 1-140 petition is a part or sole owner of the petitioning entity, then the Asylum Program Fee depends on the petitioning entity’s number of employees and nonprofit status, as is the case for any petitioning entity or individual.
On Form I-140, select Yes in Part 1, Question 6, if you currently employ a total of 25 or fewer full-time employees. Select Yes in Part 1, Question 5, if you are a nonprofit organization.
On Form I-129, select Yes in Part 5, Question 15, if you currently employ a total of 25 or fewer full-time employees. Select Yes in Part 1, Question 6, if you are a nonprofit organization.
Btw it is recommended to send checks rather than using credit cards with G-1450 because sometimes credit card transactions can be denied (banks/card companies think it's a fraud) and your application would be rejected. This can be also found in other reddits.
For my new package, I sent two checks: one for I-140 form fee ($715) and the other for I-140 asylum fee ($300 for EB2 NIW).
Also, I knew that I f****d up with the asylum fee right after I sent the application and just sent another one before I got the first (rejected) application back today. The rejected package includes a green letter that USCIS sent, which says the green letter should be included in the new package, which I obviously didn't.
Will this be a problem? I just sent the new package anyway because I also found that I made a typo on my own birthday :(

I think this would be a great game mode for next April’s fools and honor Finest. The game would he inspired of one of the latest interactions between Sage and Jett, where this last one ask Sage when is she going to teach her to revive people. The game mode would consist of 2 mirrored Jett only teams with a spike rush format. All the Jetts would have their normal abilities, except for the ultimate, that would be Sage’s resurrection adapted to Jett’s style. There would be only one weapon that is Jett’s Knife and you can’t buy any other weapons. Each Jett count with 1 knife, after throwing it, they would have to reload for 0.8s, or instantly getting another one if getting a kill with the one before. What do you think?

I'm getting toward the bottom of my gigantic, overdo pile, so some of these may even be from within the last 30 days :)
u/t3ctim: Love my Australian dingo card related to my Golden Ratio offer :) That is a very cool picture! Smooches to Honey :)
u/which_flan_9504: TY for my very cool hand made stickered up postcard with the awesome stamps. I love your printing. So sorry to hear the message you sent-Let me reassure you that you ARE NOT ALONE, friend! You have a whole community standing behind you here, and a friend willing to listen in me! Sending you lots of positivity and good vibes!
u/vanish-inks: TY for my super cool Mr. Waffles TY p/c! I can just picture him taking his Baby Yoda everywhere! None of my dogs have been big on taking their toys with them, and I think that is so absolutely adorable! I lost my sweet pittie a couple of years ago, so the household is down to me and my cat at the moment. I've promised him no other interlopers, so no new pets are on the horizon. I do help a local dog rescue transport dogs between facilities though, so I get a little fix in that way!
u/rennbrig: TY for my very cool mystical forest, fairy tale-esque postcard! I love that style and that one in particular is beautiful!
u/cswl x2: I got a jam packed envelope from you last week-two awesome cards, plus some goodies! Your dream vacation sounds awesome! I was supposed to go on an Alaskan cruise a few years back, and we couldn't do it. We've just never gotten it together to make it happen!
u/Reasonabl_Ad1688: TY for my very cool postcard of the Albert in London! I loved reading about Powell's and in fact, they were one of the cards in my bookstore p/c set. IDK if I chose that one for you or not, but wouldn't that be funny if I had? I would love to visit there one day. I've been to the Strand in NYC which is also massive and that was pretty cool. Love the buy back feature too-sounds like a great place!
u/purpleroots: TY for my Franz Kline postcard from earlier this spring. Loved your pen drawings, and the cool effects you used on my name. It has inspired me to doodle more! I'm getting back into some artsy/crafty endeavors after not doing much on that front. I am dipping into watercolor and found postcard blanks in watercolor paper, so I hope to be able to send out something with them soon! Also, the postmark from Big Dog Race Station was so cool!
u/DianaPenPal: TY for my random mailing in mid April! I loved the pretty postcard, llama coloring piece and stickers you sent and decorated with! I have been saving the llama, and I'm glad I did. I just got watercolor pencils and I want to try them out on this cutie! TY for the rec on Britney's memoir. I too would have been unlikely to pick that one up, but maybe I will. I just finished Ella Minnow Pea yesterday. It was good, funny, creative, but also disturbing given the political times we are in. I recommend it !
u/annoyinglangers x2: TY for my two adorable Easter cards. My favorite was the pastel colored chicks popping out of eggs in a carton-SOOO cute :) All the envelope stickers were awesome and your personalized return address labels are always so cute-I love seeing them. Sending you lots of good vibes, my friend! I haven't sent out much lately, but I've been thinking of you and hoping all is well!
u/princecowboy: I cannot tell you how much I absolutely love this whole thing you sent me (geesh, maybe even in late 2023! So sorry I'm so late, especially for such a touching card!) I adore everything about it-Cowboy as royalty, his story, the story of Pups On Parole, your compassion for the inmate who worked with Cowboy, the 3D model of Cowboy (which sits on my desk so I can gaze upon his cute when writing or working upstairs!), and the gorgeous black and gold theme with the envelope. I miss my pit mix who's been gone almost 2 years every day, and my heart isn't healed enough to bring home another sweet dog yet, so everything about this just brought me a lot of joy and peace-this is one of the most special cards I've ever gotten here. TY to you and Cowboy, and please give him all my love!!
u/FollowingTheBeat: How did you know that I have an affinity for lightening bugs? I loved this sweet card from our own special baby raspberry :) I loved the heart and star doodles you added :)
u/thecaledonianrose: girrrrl-you send me so many awesome postcards! I am always behind just on your TY's alone :) This is for the "treasured romance" postcard of the watercolor style woman with a parasol and child in a wildflower field, from way back in April! So pretty-TY for always being a faithful postcard pal!!
u/onebadjoke: TY for my blue fish notecard! I haven't always lived here-I grew up in the midwest and lived in Philly for decades. When I wanted a bigger yard for my dog, I decided to look over here vs. the PA suburbs and the rest is history! I would love to explore your adopted country more; been there once and just loved it! I made it to the shore for a few day trips this spring. I'm hoping to stay for awhile in the early fall! I leave the busy summer days to the hard core beach crowds, LOL!
u/mallorn_hugger: OMG!! I think you win the (unfortunate) award of absolutely latest TY!! I believe this letter from you is from LAST SPRING :( when I made a strawberry themed offer! I LOVED your strawberry cake stationery from S. Korea and all the beautiful strawberry stickers you used and sent me. I love all the cool, quirky, unusual stationery items found throughout Asia. I have cousins in Japan and a friend who periodically travels to Hong Kong and they bring me fun stuff like sometimes. I really loved this, and I feel terrible that I forgot your TY for so long!

Hi everyone,
I'm a 23 year old living in NYC and I fly back to Toronto every long weekend for about a week. Ideally, I want to be able to use my monthly spending to be able to fund these flights.
I got the Amex gold because I can use the monthly credits easily, and I fly Delta often so I thought it would be a good fit. Now with the rumours of the AF increase, I am a little hesitant to keep it. I don't really go to Resy restaurants often, and don't feel like it would provide any extra value.
The Bilt was a no brainer since I pay around 2800 in rent. It's also nice to have a no AF no FTF MasterCard for when I go back to Toronto.
Current cards:

• Amex Delta Skymiles Blue (No AF), Sept 2022.
• Amex Gold, Oct 2023
• Bilt, Oct 2023
  • FICO Score: 730, TransUnion: 749, Equifax: 749, Canadian credit score: 816
  • Oldest account age: 1 year, 8 months
  • Chase 5/24 status: 0/24
  • Income: 200,000
  • Average monthly spend and categories:
• dining: $400
• groceries: $150
• gas: $0
• travel: $400. $200-$300 on flights to Toronto and the rest is NYC subway
• shopping (Amazon, Target, thrift shops): $200
• other: $10
  
  • Open to Business Cards: No, on a work visa.
  • What's the purpose of your next card? Travel but open to cashback setups.
  • Do you have any cards you've been looking at? In need of a catch all card, so considering the Wells Fargo Active Cash, Sofi, as well as Venture X. I got rejected from the Venture X in April 2023, and am a little hesitant to reapply. I applied with only 6 months of US credit history but with similar income of around 200k so I thought I would get approved.
  • Are you OK with category spending or do you want a general spending card? Happy with category spending

I purchased an item from Costco using the Costco CIBC Credit Card and set up a payment plan with CIBC for 24 months at the end of April. I returned the item on May 28th. The refund was issued right away and was posted to the account on May 31st. I just received my monthly statement for June and noticed a payment plan interest charge on my account posted on June 7th. I called CIBC customer service and inquired about the charge, asking if it could be reversed since the original transaction amount has already been refunded. They said they can’t do anything on their end and I’ll have to pay this charge.
Is it correct that the bank can still charge interest for a payment plan related to a transaction that has already been refunded in full?

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Patreon Official Subreddit Series Wiki Royal Road
Two items — a crystal ball, and a green leather-bound notebook — sat benignly and idly atop of the black-robed professor’s desk.
The camera lingered on them, giving them what most may see as an undeserved moment in the spotlight.
But to those that knew, to the parties invested in this controversy, this little pause and dramatic zoom-in was accompanied by a hair-raising excitement… along with an untempered nervousness for what was to come.
It definitely caused the investigative duo on the other side of the screen some pause for thought; prompting them to stand intently, pondering both the orb and the notebook.
Ilunor, as far as I could tell, was entranced by the green notebook in particular. Though it wasn’t a trance born out of any positive emotion, but instead, one of abject horror.
“Recommended Reading Materials for the Studious Student.” Sorecar announced with a steady breath, prompting Ilunor to visibly flinch in his seat, as the man reached a finger over to point at the hand-scrawled title of the leather-bound notebook. That finger soon found itself carefully manipulating its pages, opening the cover first, before turning over the internal dust-cover to reveal letters and symbols written in High Nexian, but arranged in a manner the EVI simply could not translate.
“Error: Unable to Translate. Cause: Unrecognized and/or unintelligible organization of local script-forms.”
Yet despite this, it seemed as if both Sorecar and the Apprentice were able to draw something from its otherwise senseless pages. As despite being written haphazardly, with letters and pictograms arranged in no meaningful order, they were able to still draw meaning where the EVI couldn’t.
“Within these pages lie materials for the studious student. Materials are to be found within The Library, and are to be retrieved with great haste. May you make swift work of their contents, and may those after you find only ash in your wake. Seek, unlearn, and remove from the grip of the eternal entity, that which was once a gift but is now a curse. Seek, unlearn, and remove; with the fires of your passion, oh studious student.” Sorecar read aloud, managing to read something verbatim from the nonsensical pages of the book.
Ilunor’s eyes were practically glazed over at this point, as he began bringing his cape over across his chest, tucking his legs towards his chin in the process.
“This is it.” The apprentice announced with a half-cracked smile. “Please, keep going. I’m certain your skills of appraisal far exceed my own, Professor.”
Sorecar obliged by flipping the page, turning over to two pages of complete gibberish, once again watermarked by the EVI’s error message; but proving no challenge at all for the ever-inquisitive professor.
“Section One, A Tainted Reality: A Wretched Collection of Historical Affidavits During the Reconciliation and Reformation of Otherwise Lost Realities.” Sorecar paused, before turning towards the apprentice. “It lists an entire section’s worth of books, in titles held within spatial positions with reference to their potentialities within the ever-evolving library.”
Thacea’s features visibly flinched at that revelation, but similar to the apprentice in the footage, she refused to comment. At least not for now. Her eyes however betrayed a look of mild distress, which subsided somewhat as the apprentice urged the armorer to continue.
Which he did, as he flipped from page to page across the relatively small notebook, only pausing to read in between what he interpreted to be different sections and ‘chapters’.
“Section Two. The Unspoken War and the Treacherous Alliance.”
“Section Three. All surviving works from Alaroy Rital.”
The apprentice cocked her head, as if trying to recall some familiarity in that name. “Alaroy Rital.” She repeated. “I don’t recall hearing of such a name before.”
“Well his full name, as far as I recall, and vastly aided by the book is as follows: Alaroy Rital, Lord-Mayor of the Township of the Two Rivers, Slayer of the Dragon of the Grey Canyon, Repeller of the Tainted Blight of the Orsin, Liberator of the Aether, and Grand Master of the Elusian Guild Hall of Adventurers.” Sorecar responded succinctly, prompting the apprentice to once more clench her eyes shut in deep thought, before finally letting out a sigh of defeat.
“The name is both familiar yet foreign at the same time.” She finally admitted.
“As far as I recall, and mind you, my memory of those years are far from perfect… the man was a local hero of sorts. Though his record was besmirched by some controversy or another.” Sorecar offered, prompting the apprentice to finally shrug, giving up on this particular subject matter entirely.
“There are more sections, yes?”
“Correct.”
“Then let’s move on.”
Sorecar nodded promptly at that, flipping the pages over until he hit the next section.
“Section Four. A Sordid Account of the Most Bizarre of Newrealmer Arrivals: A Death By Harmonization and the Ensuing Investigation.”
That immediately got my attention, causing me to jolt forwards, prompting the armor to quickly follow as it automatically switched from the currently active in-armor-postural-readjustment mode, and back into its active configuration.
“Section Five. The Unfortunate Procedures Against Unruly Realms and the Instances in Which Such Procedures Were Incurred.”
The armorer paused after that, not necessarily due to its contents, but as if puzzled by what lay ahead in the next few final pages. In fact, he flipped back and forth between the pages soon after that, treading and retreading what were effectively the last five pages of the book. “There is an appendix which includes titles not covered by these sections, however it will take some time to read through them.”
“That’s enough for now, professor.” The apprentice offered, prompting the man to quickly pull back, closing the notebook with an unsatisfying thump. “We have our glowing wand.” The apprentice surmised. “The oeuvre of works which are no doubt the subject of this grand controversy. Now all we need to find is the contract which ties everything together.”
“I’m assuming you haven’t forgotten about our second item of interest?” Sorecar gestured towards the crystal ball.
“Of course not, professor. However, the fact we’ve found that book implies that we must be close to its dependent article.” The apprentice responded with a renewed sense of urgency, as she began using that same ornate magnifying glass in an attempt to further pick apart each and every nook and cranny of Mal’tory’s desk.
Part of me wanted to make some joke about how this was every unpaid intern’s dream, to be rummaging through your boss’ stuff.
But that part of me was completely buried underneath the confusion and dread that came with the revelations from within that little green book.
I… honestly didn’t know what I was expecting, but I felt like I’d been suckerpunched, with the wind being knocked right out of me from the implications of exactly what had been selectively purged from the library.
It was a struggle to process it all, which more or less made me dull out the more eccentric aspects of the apprentice’s investigation; as she unlocked drawer after drawer, pulling out pile after pile of magical nicknacks and more documents than what was possible from that finite amount of space.
Sorecar was clearly of the same opinion as the rest of us right now however, as he continued obsessing over the book, his hands once more trailing over to inspect its cryptic pages. The man seemed transfixed on the second and third sections in particular, though his featureless visor made it difficult to really pin down what his reactions were.
Yet throughout all of this, it was clear the reactions on the homefront were much, much more animated, as Ilunor was just about ready to pass out from the stress, and Thacea seemed about ready to burst at the seams if her featureless facade was of any indication.
“That was the book.” Ilunor finally chimed out, just as the narration through the recording had died down during the more tepid phase of the apprentice’s investigation. “I know it.”
“I thought your memories when it came to the whole Mal’tory book burning situation was lost, Ilunor?” Thalmin countered.
“It was. I mean, it still is. But I remember parts of that room. I vaguely recall the emergence of a book that I was forced to…” The Vunerian trailed off, as if struggling to piece together words.
“... to sign?” Thalmin offered in a surprisingly helpful tone which stood at odds with how he earlier regarded the Vunerian.
“No. No you imbecil-” The Vunerian paused, realizing his misstep as he backtracked from what would’ve otherwise been an expected response. “That wasn’t a book of binding. It’s not comparable to the yearbook, if that was where your assumptions were leading to, Prince Thalmin.” Ilunor clarified, gripping the armrests of his seat tight between his fingers.
It was about this point in time that I expected Thacea to chime in, to elaborate on the nature of the book with her encyclopedic knowledge on seemingly every aspect of the magical world.
But she didn’t.
Instead, her eyes remained practically glued to the screen, as I realized that whatever had been revealed thus far had hit much, much harder than I could’ve imagined.
Ilunor, as if taking note of this silence, elected to fill in for Thacea. “The book… is an adjacent artifact. It is, as the apprentice has noted, an eclectic oeuvre of works, a list if you will, to be bound to and referenced by a contract and a spell of binding. The book itself isn’t the binding agent, moreso the reference material by which the contract is hinged upon.”
“So what’s with the illegible text? Are they ciphers or some magical equivalent of it?” I gestured once more at the bird’s eye view offered by the drone, and the pages of indecipherable text currently beneath Sorecar’s hands.
“Those are anchor runes, earthrelamer.” Ilunor answered with a frustrated sigh. “It is frustrating to see them for what they are not. Frankly, it’s as if your sight-seers and memory-shards were designed to mimic the world as it is seen through the eyes of a particularly weak-fielded commoner.” The Vunerian went off, venting his frustrations through a rant before finally calming down. “But I digress. Those runes are referred to as anchors for a reason. For tethered to them are akin to pages of text to be openly read and deciphered within the manastreams. Granted, this form of writing is not common; moreso used for the purposes of contracts and other such magical binds.”
“And on the topic of contracts. I’m assuming that the contract… your contract, is what the Apprentice is currently rummaging for?” I gestured towards the screen once more, at the apprentice who was now buried ankle-deep in piles upon piles of books, documents, and an assortment of scrolls that criss-crossed across the room’s mahogany and carpeted floors.
“Unless she’s a complete nitwit, then I’d imagine so, yes.” Ilunor responded with his signature cattiness. “In any case, the fact she’s even trying proves that she’s barely above a fool anyways.” The Vunerian shrugged. “And before you ask, earthrealmer, let me preempt your question. The contract, at least on the professor’s end, has more than likely suffered the same fate as my own. Namely, its existence is more than certain to be dubious at best. What the apprentice will surely find will be nothing more than ash at the bottom of that bottomless drawer. Which… given its sheer size and scale, and the potential inhabitants within its limitless confines, will more than likely result in even ash being difficult if not impossible to find.”
There was… more than one point I wanted to raise with Ilunor’s statements. However, before I could address any of them, the elf in question finally spoke up once more; now surrounded by an entire archive’s worth of documents and nicknacks.
“Nothing.” Larial spoke with a sullen breath, taking a moment to steady herself as she made a point of not sitting on Mal’tory’s chair. “At least nothing that’s relevant to our case.” She continued, resting her palms flat against the green suede of the desk.
“Were you really expecting anything different, Apprentice?” Sorecar countered, having since moved from pondering the pages of the book to now pondering the depths of the crystal ball.
“I’d assumed the damage to the man hadn’t been so severe.” Larial admitted, alluding to something else that drew all of our collective attention. “When I first saw him in the healing ward… he looked… intact. You couldn’t even tell there was anything wrong with him.”
“And yet they called you of all people, to aid in the ritual.” The armorer surmised, with a tone of voice that now more resembled that of a fully fledged Academy Professor. His happy go lucky persona had subsided completely, at least for now, as he addressed Larial in a manner more akin to what I’d expected of the Dean. “You have been around the Academy for long enough to understand that calling upon the aid of apprentices is unprecedented. Which means that despite how things may seem on the surface, that lurking beneath the seemingly calm waters, is a hydrostorm of epic proportions.”
“This entire situation is unprecedented, professor.” Larial countered meekly. “But you are correct. It… must have been desperate if they required the aid of apprentices. I just… cannot fathom the fact that the professors must have…” The apprentice trailed off, her face scrunching up and breaking eye contact with the armorer as if too skittish to broach the next point.
Sorecar didn’t reply, nor did he complete her sentence for her, simply allowing her to recuperate and reorganize her thoughts herself.
“... brought the man back from the brink.” She managed out, offering what was in effect a euphemism that didn’t seem to sit right with the armorer, if his immediate head cock was of any indication.
“That is the only way you can explain the complete loss of a contract.” Sorecar reasoned. “You were hoping to find it, despite knowing well that it, amongst the rest of his contracts, have more than likely gone up in flames.” It was around that point that he walked around behind the desk, and reached down into the drawer the apprentice had been searching in. His arm sank impossibly deep, deeper than what should have been physically possible inside of that small and limited space. After a few moments, the man finally brought his hand back up, holding within it what appeared to be fine specks of ash that he allowed to filter back down into the dark depths of the seemingly bottomless drawer. “And there you have it — ash. Most of it has no doubt already been consumed by the bottom-feeders. However, what remains is enough to account for what is perhaps more contracts than most would form in their lives.”
The man stood back up soon after, before once more taking his place at the front of the desk.
“Well, I believe that answers our prior speculations on Auris Ping’s potential relations, contractual or otherwise, with Professor Mal’tory.” Thalmin growled out, punctuating the moment of silence within the footage; which soon continued with a resonant sigh from the apprentice.
“I guess, in a way, I was trying to find the contract not so much because of my assigned task, but because I wanted to perhaps prove to myself that the situation wasn’t as dire as my intuition leads me to believe. The loss of all these contracts can only mean one thing.” Larial paused, once more trying to find the strength inside of her to face whatever facts were self-evident in this case. “The man was lost.” She finally managed out through a shaky breath. “His soul must have departed from his mortal coil. And yet…”
“... and yet he remains.” Sorecar surmised.
“They must have re-tethered it before I arrived that night.” The apprentice shot back. “But I felt nothing different when they asked me to aid in the mana-channeling processes. This whole situation is just…” She sighed, prompting Sorecar to cock his head.
“Unprecedented?”
“Yes.” The apprentice once more admitted, sinking her face into her hands and taking a moment to process it all, more or less falling into the same camp all of us were currently in. “Moreover, it brings up a very disturbing question.”
“Which is?”
“If his soul was truly untethered, even for a split second… how exactly were they able to retether it? Or more specifically, through what means are they using to permanently retether his soul to his mortal coil?”
This question seemed to cause some level of concern from Sorecar, as his answer soon demonstrated. “There are… ways of doing so that aren’t exclusive to being spellbound to armor.” The man offered under a dour breath. “Especially if the body is… fresh, in a manner of speaking. Though it requires the use of-” He stopped, halting himself from going down what was clearly a darkening path. “I apologize for prompting this rather… dark and dreary subject matter, Apprentice.” Sorecar offered, as that empathetic, kinder side of him returned without much prompting.
“It’s quite alright. It… it needed to be said, if we are to complete this investigation with any degree of professionalism.” The apprentice concluded with a small smile. “Whatever the case may be, it is clear that we are unable to procure the contract through which the perpetrator of the library’s burning was bound. We have, however, undeniable proof of Professor Mal’tory’s involvement with the scandal.” She pointed at the green notebook. “And of course, a potential interloper who may or may not have been a part of this conspiracy; thereby expanding this from a mere Academy matter, to one which could implicate others beyond its walls.” She pointed at the crystal ball. “Have you discovered anything from your observations thus far, Professor?” The apprentice inquired, prompting the man to nod, as he knelt down to eye-level, pondering the orb from desk-height.
“The inherent limitations of the Echovale make it so that it’s near impossible to transcribe anything following the cessation of a communique.” Sorecar began. “Though of course, you knew this, and hoped that because I am perhaps one of the greatest armorers to have ever lived, that I would be able to aid in this impossible endeavor, hmm?” The armorer’s tone of voice had more or less resumed that flighty, happy-go-lucky one I knew him for.
The apprentice, hearing this, could only smile awkwardly in response. “I wouldn’t have put it that… bluntly, professor. But I do indeed have faith in your ability to make the impossible, well… probable, at the least.”
“Hmph! Well, I couldn’t pin a face or a name, but I was able to pin a definite location if that helps.” The man offered.
“Any stray piece of information will help tremendously, professor.”
“The Crownlands.” He answered without a hint of hesitation, prompting the Apprentice to raise both of her brows up high.
“That’s as far as I am able to draw from the residual echoes within the vale.” He tapped at the ball, generating a series of satisfying clinks in the process.
“So the man wasn’t acting alone. Or rather, perhaps he was consulting someone.” The apprentice pondered. “Then again, that final communique could very well be with Lord Lartia—” The apprentice paused, before placing both palms softly across her throat. “—may his soul rest in peaceful slumber.” Following another moment of silence, the apprentice’s hands soon shifted towards the ball. “In any case, if it isn’t Lord Lartia, then who could it possibly be? Maybe we should…” The apprentice suddenly stopped; as if realizing the dangers of diving any deeper into this growing conspiracy. “No.” She quickly corrected herself. “Whatever the case may be, this is probably now completely out of my purview. I was assigned to collect any evidence I deemed to be relevant to recent happenings, and I believe this should suffice.”
“Whatever you believe is best, apprentice.” Sorecar acquiesced, prompting the apprentice to slowly, but surely, pack the archive’s worth of documents, books, and scrolls all back into the drawer using nothing but telekinetic spells.
This left just the crystal ball, and the little green book, both of which the apprentice promptly pocketed into a small pouch, before placing it somewhere beneath her cloak.
“Though on that note…” Sorecar began, pointing towards the apprentice’s cloak. “If I may ask, how do you plan on divvying up these finite pieces of evidence?”
This caught the apprentice off-guard, as her mouth opened, but no response came through.
“Moreover, are you even obligated to hand in this evidence? Or are you only expected to write a report to all parties involved?” Sorecar continued, pressing the matter further, causing the apprentice to stop mid-stride. “Because if primary evidence isn’t explicitly required, might I offer my services as a master forger?” The man spoke with a hint of mischievousness, the duality of the word perhaps translating equally well despite the language barrier.
“I may need to contact my superiors to ask if a… copy will be satisfactory to their needs. I believe not, but… we shall see. In any case, I am due to submit the evidence along with my report no later than the end of next week. As such, this should give me ample time to organize my findings, which is especially convenient given the roster of duties I am expected to cover over the next few days.” The apprentice took a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose, halting her rambles as she steadied herself with a sigh. “But I digress, I believe I will take you up on that offer, Professor Pliska.”
“It would be my pleasure to welcome you into my domain, apprentice.”
The rest of the footage consisted of small talk between the pair, with nothing in particular standing out as the topics being addressed soon turned from high-stakes espionage, and back into faculty banter.
Yet despite that, none of us broke the silence that now dominated the boring trip back. Not even as the footage came to a complete stop, and there was nothing more left to play.
I leaned back against the armor, eliciting a series of creaks from the couch below me, echoing across the high-ceilinged room and disrupting the tentative peace that came with this ominous silence.
“This explains… a lot.” Thalmin offered, finally breaking the silence with a tentative tone of voice. “It explains your contract, and its abrupt cessation.” He continued, turning towards Ilunor. “It explains Mal’tory, or at least, his current lack of public appearances. And it reveals to us exactly what he was trying to hide from you, Emma.” The lupinor eventually turned towards me. “And I think the sections of the library, selectively pruned, are self-explanatory as well.”
“Section four, and section five, at least.” I replied shortly thereafter. “I have no idea who or what Alaroy Rital has to hide in section three, and don’t even get me started on section two, let alone section one.” It was at that point that I turned towards Thacea, who let out a sharp exhale upon me bringing up section one.
“The removal of all information relevant to… and I quote — Tainted Realities — speaks volumes to the inherent fears of the Nexus. Though I know not what specifically they may fear from your discovery of its deep and now-lost lore.” Thacea offered through a pensive gaze. “There are many rumors, legends that come with the phrase Tainted Reality. Though most are mythical; epics of long lost eras that dwell between the blurry line that exists between history and legend. Perhaps the records within the library were pieces of irrefutable evidence that would’ve shed light on this nebulous subject matter. But even so… that begs the question… why? Why would they hide what is effectively a non-issue when it comes to your discovery of its lore? Taint, and more specifically, the concept of a Tainted Reality, is something that is inconsequential in the contemporary world. Its history, even if it proves to be true, is neither a disruptive political element, nor a practical tool for war, that could be used in countering the Nexus.” The avinor’s explanations were clear, concise, and yet they belied something personal that she clearly wasn’t broaching.
And I wasn’t about to dig either, not when this topic very clearly hit close to home for her.
“This leaves the second subject matter then.” I offered, giving the avinor an off-ramp towards a potentially more palatable topic.
“The Unspoken War and the Treacherous Alliance?”
“Correct.” I nodded.
“That… I have no knowledge of.” The avinor admitted, prompting me to turn to both the lupinor and the Vunerian for answers.
“Don’t look at me, earthrealmer, I’m the one who lost all memories on the subject, remember?” Ilunor countered.
“I’m afraid I’m as in the dark as you are on this one, Emma.” Thalmin replied with a loud huff, leaving me with perhaps more questions than answers at this point.
“Right then.” I nodded. “Well, regardless, as disquieting, confusing, and disturbing as these revelations have been, they are exactly that — revelations.” I took a moment to stand up, resting both hands on my hips, as if adopting Ilunor’s more theatrical approach to things. “We started today off with no intel on Mal’tory, with no idea how we were going to complete The Library’s Seekership questline, and no knowledge on exactly where we stood in this game. We’re ending today off with a firm grasp on exactly what we need to do, what exactly was scorched in the library, and a tentative understanding on Mal’tory’s fate. I’d say that’s an incredible step forward, even if the answers we now have are leading to even more questions.”
“Reality is often filled with disturbing truths, but only when we acknowledge them, can we act to change them.” Thacea offered.
“Here here!” Thalmin reaffirmed through a firm stomp, standing up tall and ready.
“While certain revelations come as disappointments… namely the survival of Professor Mal’tory… it is indeed somewhat satisfying to hear that the man is at the very least suffering for his actions.” The little thing spoke maliciously, as he too stood up. This prompted a look of worry to form amidst all three of us, but instead of reacting accordingly, he instead displayed an expression of confusion. “What? The man was a monster! He actively antagonized not only me, but this entire group! Surely you also feel at least some sense of satisfaction at the consequences of his actions catching up to him!”
“The delight in an enemy’s defeat, best comes from the resistance of the blade against his body. Not from the suffering incurred from happenstance.” Thalmin countered, whilst Thacea and I refused to entertain that line of thought, as I quickly placed a palm across my forehead, bonking it once again in the process.
“Right, well, here’s the game plan. We now have a clear target to complete our first objective — the notebook. We grab that, hand it in to the library, and presto, we accomplish the Seekership questline. Now comes the difficult part… how exactly do we do that?” I turned to the group, as offers and suggestions finally came flying in.
“Take advantage of your life debt?” Ilunor offered.
“I wouldn’t take advantage of that card just yet, Ilunor. Not if we have other options.” Thacea countered.
“What if we steal it?” Thalmin proposed.
“Thievery isn’t a diplomatic approach, Thalmin.” Thacea shot back with a glare.
“Well, Emma here was able to grapple her way, through manaless means, across the outside of the castle towards the apprentice whilst she was in the medical wing. I’m sure we can pull something else off in a similar capacity!” The lupinor countered.
“No, Thalmin. As much as I would like to try, I believe it might be best if we try a more diplomatic approach.” I offered, prompting the three to cock their heads.
“We could just ask, right?”
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(Author’s Note: And there we have it! The first step towards the completion of the Library's questline! We've found exactly what we were looking for, the list of books that were ordered to be put to the dragon flame by Mal'tory. With that being said however, a new series of questions arises... exactly why were these books targeted in particular? Moreover, what exactly was lost as a result? These questions and more will continue to linger in the back the gangs' minds as we push forward! Especially as we now find ourselves in the midst of another conundrum, exactly how are we going to get the book to the library! Regardless, this is still a massive step forward, and one that will surely bring Emma and Ilunor closer towards addressing the first phase of their intertwined fates with the library! I hope you guys enjoy! :D The next Two Chapters are already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 84 and Chapter 85 of this story is already out on there!)]

i kicked my exroommate out because she hadn’t paid rent in months, & then i found out she lied to me about her entire identity. it’s important to note i’m 24f & autistic. a lot of this story is built upon the back of her lying to me? so for brevity sake im stating what I think is the most pertinent information for this. i wont get too deep into all the intricacies of the lies because they are big ones that im still unpacking in therapy, just looking for legal advice because im tapped on funds & would’ve sought an attorneys advice otherwise.
long story short, she avoided signing a lease or anything until after we moved in back in november because “life” kept getting in the way of her coming to the appointment for it. I learned my lesson here. I know I shouldn’t have let her move in without signing a sublease or getting a background check. she kept canceling our appt to get it signed, & eventually I became too overwhelmed with school & work that I forgot about it until I needed it. but I have all our financial agreement stuff in written form (text) im just not sure if that’s enough.
anyway, the apartment was in my name only. she paid sorta consistently. a day late here, a week late there. I was okay with it for the beginning because I am a student & had enough in savings from my loans to cover it in the beginning SO LONG as she paid me back. & she did. I also was working 35 hours a week on top of an 18 credit hour load, so i’m barely home save to sleep or eat. february is when she lost her job due to allegedly calling off & lying about it to her boss. (I only found that out after a coworker of hers reached out to me. my roommate was allegedly lying about me to people.) it’s important to note I didn’t know she lost her job. she didn’t tell me she got fired, instead said she was wanting to leave & was lowering her hours there while finding other work. I told her I just would like to be paid back on time & she said she would. spoiler, she didn’t.
in march we had a huge argument because she hadn’t paid me back for february rent or utilities & I had learned at that point a lot of her personal history that she had shared with me had been a lie. I looked into publicly available records about her & found out the following:

• she claimed she was an orphan, she was not, both parents are alive. she told me a graphic story of finding her parents dead & later changed the story. this is want prompted me to look up obituaries for them. found none. instead just found active social media profiles.
• she said her sister slept with her ex fiancé, that never happened & the girl wasn’t even her sister & the fiancé was only a boyfriend. also turned out the girl was the “fiancés” cousin.
• she had a criminal background, including a couple felonies for stealing a lot of money from both her previous places of employment & former roommate of hers.
• she claimed she worked for a preschool & they hadn’t paid ANYONE in a whole month. but bc of her felony, she actually didn’t work there at all.
• she claimed she was pregnant when she wasn’t, this story also included a story of an abortion that went wrong?? she told me graphic & gruesome details but i’ll spare you.
• she claimed to take financial care of her 17 year old brother. she didn’t? her mom is still alive.
• she claimed to have brain cancer to several of our mutual friends (not me though bc my moms in the medical field & I would’ve asked her questions regarding it) she never had brain cancer lol.

she comes clean about all of that during the confrontation in march. she cries, I cry, I thought all was getting resolved financially because she promised. (I roll my eyes now thinking about it) & she was enrolling herself in therapy. she pays me for the rent & utilities of february but not rent for march. she said she would get it to me with her next paycheck. I had some faith in her still because she was my friend or so I thought.
I also ended up enrolling in therapy shortly after this conversation bc it was traumatizing how much she lied to me.
regardless, i covered her half of rent during march & April, albeit very begrudgingly. i gave her extension after extension but started to look for another roommate during the end of april just in case she didn’t pay in may. the reason I did this is because I only had enough in savings to cover my portion of rent for june. obviously may came around & she didn’t pay, but she was able to go spend about $400 at the grocery store ?? & she also bought a new stanley cup (she had a collection & each one rubes around 48 usd) & a whole bunch of new make up, press on nails, toiletries such as shampoo & conditioner & three new candles!!
seeing her come home with all that that was my breaking point. I had been rationing off my food, my own toiletries, & my own “luxury” items just so I could afford to keep a roof over our heads.
so I found a new roommate very quickly, & got them ACTUALLY VETTED WITH BACKGROUND CHECK & CREDIT CHECK BY THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ITSELF. yes I learned from my mistake. no I will never repeat it again.
I told my ex roommate on May 6th, one week after she came home with all those new expensive items, that she needed to pay me all 3.453.35 that she owed me for rent/utilities or she would be kicked out. she asked me for an extension, she claimed she needed to May 10th to get her funds. I said no, she had already had two months & four full paycheck cycles to figure it out. she said she took out a personal loan & was waiting on it to be approved & deposited. I again reaffirmed that no, she could not stay here. I told her she had twenty minutes to pack up a bag but she needed to leave her furniture as collateral that she would pay me back. she agreed to this. all of this is in text form & I have her agreeing to it there. after she left, i told her she had thirty full days to pay me back or her items would be considered abandoned. thus, giving her an additional & final deadline. that deadline is Monday, June 10th, at 5 pm.
on June 3rd, after hearing nothing from her for weeks, she said she would pay me by the evening of the 7th. I told her that was fine, but if she didn’t pay then the original deadline of june 10th at 5 pm would still stand.
june 7th came & went. no payment. & june 10th is tomorrow. & idk what to do with her stuff or if I should give her more time?? i’m not sure how to proceed forward & wanna make sure i’m protected.
anyway, that’s the shortened version of it. any advice is welcome. I don’t need people telling me i’m stupid for the sublease thing bc I know & am well aware. I learned my lesson on that & my new roommate is on the lease & our financials are split evenly now so i’m good on that.
I just don’t know what to do with her items or even really,,,her. do I just need to suck it up, grab my credit card & get an attorney? I just dunno what to do :/ thank you in advance

It all started Oct 2023 I hit 100k with stake and of course I lost it all and I hit 100k again with plinko reaching 121k at it’s peak. I lost it all again. I had 100k USD saved but I had to lend my parents for their business and I’ve also been paying some personal loans on the side from when I gambled heavily years prior. I also maxed out my credit card which is around 20k USD and I also have student loans.
Fast forward to April 2024 I watched gambling streams again and of course after 6 months of being clean I relapsed again losing 20k USD so my savings were around 40k USD left.
And the past 3 days I managed to create an account again in stake and lost 35k USD. I only have 5k USD left in my savings and I’m really disappointed in myself for falling into that trap.
It feels like I’m chasing the loss from my 100k since last year. I wanted to feel the same feeling so I became delusional thinking that I could hit it again.
I saw a great disappointment in my gf’s eyes and I knew I pushed her to far this time. I self exluded and perma banned myself. Every moment I feel and remember the loss. I have ADHD and I don’t know what to focus on at this point. I will see a therapist for this because I feel like it’s a problem I cannot control on my own.

I know my question is a typically asked question here, and there have been many answers that did or didn't quite answer it. I don't expect a straightforward answer because this is not the official sub for MV. I just want to know your experience with this.
I have been previously warned by the embassy that there may be a delay in the entire permit application process starting from the end of May through August because people in Sweden usually take a long vacation during Summer and offices close early or for an extended period. My tuition fee payment, unfortunately, is a month delayed due to administration problem with my scholarship (from my country, not from Sweden). I only received the notification from the scholarship on Friday (June 7th), and I expect to get the notification from the university in the next 3 to 5 work days before I submit my permit application.
A few of my friends who had applied for the student residence permit told me that the process really varied from case to case. One of them submitted the application at the beginning of May and went to get their biometrics taken at the end of May. Another one submitted their application in the middle of May and took their biometrics at the same week. There is also one who submitted the application at the end of April and just recently received the mail for biometrics last week and the approval at the same week. The embassy itself said that the process would take about a month from submission to biometrics and decision, and another month for the permit card to be sent from Sweden. There is also an expected delay of up to one month during summer.
Some of my friends suggested (and repeatedly insisted since the start of June) to just submit the application despite the tuition still being processed, but I am worried that the process will only take longer. I assume (maybe incorrectly) the reviewer will have to return to the application again at a later date when the system shows that the tuition fee payment has not been made, adding another week or so into the timeline, not including the situation when there is further delay from MV in assigning someone to the case or the case worker has to be changed. The university also has noted that they will have to manually update the payment information to MV before the permit may be reviewed by MV.
I suppose I want to see what your experience is like applying for a student residence permit around this time of the year. Do you also experience more delay when you apply near this time of the year? Will it take too long that I will miss my intake at the end of August? What's your suggestion if you have any?
I understand that each country often has different timeline for this. Some are quicker and some takes a lot longer than 3 months, maybe up to a year. Any info or story you can give would be appreciated.

Looking for a CC that would suit me best for when I travel 2-4x a Year. I am 26 y/o.
Mainly fly United & American Airlines if tht matters. Usually stay at an air bnb unless out the country then I’d choose resorts.
• ⁠Current cards: ⁠• Discover $17,000 limit, Feb 2017 ⁠• Chase Freedom Unlimited $1,000 limit, March 2016 • Discover $4,000 Limit, April 2018 • BOA Business $16,000 Limit, March 2024
• ⁠FICO Score: 700 • ⁠Oldest account age: e.g. 8 years 3 months • ⁠Chase 5/24 status: 0/24 • ⁠Income: $100,000 • ⁠Average monthly spend and categories: ⁠• ⁠dining $1000 ⁠• ⁠groceries: $600 ⁠• ⁠gas: $150 ⁠• ⁠travel: $200 ⁠• ⁠other: $100 • ⁠Open to Business Cards: Have 1 (BoA)
• ⁠What's the purpose of your next card? Travel (Particularly 2-4x a Year)
• ⁠Do you have any cards you've been looking at? Venture X, Chase United,
• ⁠Are you OK with category spending or do you want a general spending card? Either or is fine
Any other info needed please ask. Thank You all in advance for being very informative and helpful.

I already made the first post regarding episode 1 and 2, here are the links, if you are interested:
https://www.reddit.com/PolinBridgerton/comments/1d8p07y/analysing_thematic_imagery_of_season_3_episode_1/
https://www.reddit.com/PolinBridgerton/comments/1daa5se/analysing_thematic_imagery_of_season_3_episode_2/
Same note as before: I do not claim all of these thoughts as originals of mine, I am not taking credit for noticing what others already noticed, and feel free to credit those who were first in comments. Also feel free to comment what you see and I do not! Or challenge me or mine.
I shall do my best to deliver analysis of the fourth episode before part 2 drops.
General imagery of the season so far (feel free to skip if you read the last post or posts):
The main thematic imagery of this season is reflection; how characters are perceived by others and how they deal with those perceptions. It ties to both leads, who were given roles by society which they must fight from time to time, and how society’s perception of them changes and controls them. Mirror imagery was important throughout the previous season not only for Pen and Colin, however in this season in particular, mirror imagery appears very often, and I expected it to continue (ehem ehem).
Tied closely to reflection imagery, we see the dichotomy of light and shadows. This dichotomy is alluded to by titles of 3 episodes of the whole season; and through this dichotomy, social roles and expectations are established. Colin is in the light, showered by compliments from members of the Ton, while Pen is forced to be in the shadows. She uses the shadows as LW to her advantage, while Colin uses his power within the light to his advantage.
The general idea is that Pen needs to decide whether she wants to stay in the shadows, which might be easier, or whether she is willing to take a risk by stepping into the light. Other characters are also haunted by their reflections. I shall dive into it in each episode.
Episode 3: Forces of Nature
While the second episode heavilly relied on the dichotomy of the day and the night to showcase masculine and feminine power, the third episode features dichotomy of nature and humanity. I have very briefly touched upon it in previous analysis regarding the promenade, when Pen asks whether she can learn to flirt through books and the moment was juxtaposed with the nature behind our leads.
It is not a new dichotomy for the show. We can for example remember the ending of episode 6 from previous season ("Animals require no contracts or dowries. The hen and a rooster make no vows. Leave it to people to complicate matters with their ceremonies and their cakes.").
The nature represents the attraction and longing, while the humanity represents either obstacles in following our desires, or simply a rationale to be "sensible" instead. Lady Whistledown acknowledges that people can somewhat triumph ("Humankind has accomplished extraordinary feats in its attempt to compete against nature."), but the episodes concludes that not only will the nature win in the end, the battle does not even include the nature, but the people who fight themselves. Basically concluding that there are no winners.
"All of man's greatest inventions are nothing more than a distraction from which is most natural to us. Our instincts. The innate animal impulse that is inside even the most sophisticated of us. For all is said and done, our nature will always win out."
Both Penelope and Colin fail to fight their own feelings in this episode.
While the natural forces refer to inner desires, we might focus on the literal natural forces which symbolize them: the Featherington garden (aka the place of crime), and the fire; the most featured in this episode, though, is the wind. The natural force which ensured the first meeting of our leads and (at least according to the books and trailer for part 2), caused Penelope to fall for Colin, as he (literally) fell from his horse.
I shall get to it more later. Let's go again scene by scene.
Third episode begins with Colin's dream. Dreams are of course heavilly linked with both Colin, Pen and their desires. Ironically, Colin's dream represents his waking up Marina alluded to in the last season ("You are a boy, caught up in his own fantasies... You need to wake up, Colin!").
While Penelope stopped dreaming and gave up on her "fantasy" after Colin's comment in the end of season 2 ("I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington, not in your wildest fantasies."), Colin is awaken at the same place, in a cheeky way, by his dream.
The Featherington garden represents crucial moments of their relationship so far. Firstly, it was the place where he broke her heart by his statement, and sparked her intention to marry. Secondly, of course, it was the place where they came to their agreement, with her agreeing to move from him by accepting his help, while he put himself in a vulnerable position to face feelings he did not acknowledge before. Thirdly, it is the place where he was forced to face his feelings VERY directly by agreeing to kiss her.
Colin's subcontious wants to "repair" the moment. It is cheeky for Colin to apologize for the late hour, which might have been appropriate for their last meeting, as well.
Fans have had a lot of fun dissecting Colin's psyche, as Colin's dream features basically every cliché of a raunchy romance novel, which is, of course, very intentional. The first shot features the fire burning, symbolizing Colin's realized feelings. The fog might either allude to the mystery whether Colin's love is requited, or to form a "protection from the gazes of others".
This episode offers a lot storytelling through clothing with Colin especially, and I shall dive to each of his looks. Generally speaking, Colin trades vulnerability for his armor repeatedly in the first half of the episode, culminating in his Innovations Ball look, which I find the most vulnerable.
Colin in his dream is dressed similarly as he was in the end of episode 2, however, his neck is now bare, alluding to his vulnerability. Pen's neckline is lower, her loose hair as well as the fit of the gown make it seem like she is in her nightgown. Still, it is very respectable look for a wet dream, likely to showcase and hammer that Colin did not found vulnerability anew, not sexual desire.
I find it interesting that the shot does not start with Colin walking into the frame, who is the one dreaming, but with Penelope. Perhaps the intention was to try to mess with fans and give them the impression it is Pen who dreams. Colin does not get confirmation of her feelings until he admits his. Again, Colin is the vulnerable this time, not Penelope. The scene focuses much more on her pleasure than his, either to again fool the audience, or again, to sell the difference.
As Colin wakes up, we get more visual clues in the globe and the map, likely alluding to his travelling experience, which are connected to his sexuality. The other is, of course, that his blanket is yellow, a color tied to Pen (resembling the shal Violet has in the portrait, again to sell the paraller of the couples, even before Violet states it to the audience at the end of this episode). He looks to the window, which might allude to him trying to find her, as she lives accross the street, which he likely did for the first time in last episode, or trying to find the light, representing a) his social role as a popular charming rake, and b) his masculine power.
Gregory's injury might thematically tie to multiple things. Gregory was established as a cupid, who pierces Colin's heart, and who now can't do so, meaning that Colin is trapped. Gregory can also represent Colin himself as he can't even properly eat with his injury, which was something Colin also mentioned of not being able to do so. We know that Gregory falls injures the hand before he has a chance to see the balloon, which might foreshadow the ending of the episode, when Colin tries to find the answer, only to not get it and be hurt.
Colin comes to the drawing room in a brown vest. The color of the vest reminds me of his pirate coat, and I wonder whether it is basically his "casual armor", the one he wears around his family now, not wanting them to know of his feelings. It is also worth pointing out that when Colin walks in, he goes to his brothers who sit seperately from the sisters and the mother, almost to shocase Colin's tendency to trying to follow male squad, even the toxic one.
Our dearest prophetess Hyacinth strikes again by mentioning Penelope. It is worth noting that while Colin is distressed, he still realizes that he likely hurt Eloise by commenting on Lady Whistledown finding about their ordeal, and seems to attempt to follow her to make sure she is fine. Colin can't refer to Penelope as his or as a friend, so he opts to refers to her as the acquaintance of the whole family and sips the tea this time. Colin's drinking is a recurring gag this season, showcasing his growing attraction towards Pen.
From the Queen's and Agatha's meeting, we get an interesting gag of the male suitors being thrown. Penelope fell for Colin when he fell from the horse, which is rather cheeky to remember when the one falling this time is Debling.
Penelope leaves her room just in time for her to a) be reminded of the importance of producing an heir, b) be reminded of her reasons she intended to find a husband, hearing her sisters. I believe that it is Eloise's comment that sparks Pen's hope to find a husband once again, as she gets her blessing. Penelope knew she couldn't stay away for long, but to keep her column, not because she gained hope.
It is quite reasonable that Penelope chose to promenade after week in her room. We are left to wonder why Colin choose to do so and if he was perhaps trying to see her. However, from his expression, I do believe that he was surprised to see her. Colin is the one who follows Pen this episode, showcasing the change in the dynamic. Penelope often followed him instead in the previous episode.
Penelope's styling seems very childish, with her ribbons, hair to the side and pinkish and lilac tone of her dress, perhaps a visual way for her to distance herself from the ordeal and that kiss. Colin is wearing the style akin to previous seasons, with his armor being left home. They are children once again. The willow the meet under might symbolize innocence, protection, childhood, as it somewhat shields them from the Ton. The long distance show might allude to them suddenly feeling a gap between themselves, or perhaps a need to keep their distance after the whole ordeal.
It is cheeky that Penelope relies on her double identity when asked for a reasoning. She might have just as easily pointed out the Ton itself, instead, she uses Lady Whistledown she disparaged in the last episode. Just as Colin refered to the Pen in regards to all Bridgertons, Penelope refers to her and his family regarding the embarassment. Pen thanking Colin for his kindness is of course very funny paraller to her comment about his cruelty in episode 1; a comment which might have hurt him the same.
Debling starts the episode as the hunted "prey", not only as Cressida (and later Pen) is after him, but by himself, as he wants to find a hiding place. However, Debling of course changes into the "predator" later.
Stowell House in general does not seem particularly inviting. It either displays mirrors or the "prey" on the walls, signalling Pen's entrapment. Penelope does not hide even in her corner, where she is found by the toxic buddies.
Penelope assures her mother that Ton will likely be distracted by the new scandal. Portia of course does not know that it is Penelope herself who is Lady Whistledown, and who might have a chance to publish such a scandal, but only if Pen leaves her hideout. Pen later offers social contagion as a joke, which might be a fun way of alluding to her double identity, as she holds a bit of power regarding social assesment.
Mirror imagery is quite cheeky regarding our leads and Debling. Pen's back is seen in mirror behind her, which might signal that she is currently social outcast, still uncomfortable after the incident, or visual signal of Pen hiding her identity.
With Colin's arrival, it is Pen who looks at him first, just when he looks at Eloise. Colin notices and continues to look, while Pen looks away and hides as a "prey". Colin turns away and we see a glimpse of him in the mirror. Pen fell first, but he fell harder. Colin flees the mirror, as he will continue to do so in this episode, following her.
Debling does not mind the mirror at all (something he seems to share with Agatha and Benedict) and as Pen becomes more comfortable, the mirror seems to dissapear from the shot. It is worth pointing out that both Colin and Debling have waistcoats with yellow ornaments, alluding to both of them being interested in Pen.
Colin is accompanied by the candles both when Eloise mentions Penelope, as well as when he is "assessing his pupil", alluding to his growing love. I do not think it was unintentional to have Alice mention his "kindheartedness", after Penelope thanks him for his "kindness". Not only do both mention the possibility of a different suitor, they also use similar language when speaking of Colin's role in it, rubbing the idea deeper.
Even more cheeky is that Alice does not refer to Penelope by name, only as a pupil, while Colin comments on it as "gossip" finding their home. Colin refers to Whistledown when asked about Penelope; while Pen is, of course, both subject of the gossip as well as its source as lady Whistledown.
Eloise'a and Cressida's scene alludes to Eloise walking to the crossroads and choosing a path she might regret. Eloise does not help Cressida much, but it is enough for her to easily win over Pen at first.
Finally, we get likely the most in face reference of the episode: Hawkins Balloon, with its blue and yellow stripes. It likely symbolizes our leads, with Colin seeing the balloon (aka embracing the opportunity of them becoming a couple), while Pen ignores it in favour of Debling.
Colin arrives in his armor, aka with his pirate coat firmly on. But his defence crumble rather quickly. He follows Penelope immedietely. At first, he follows her instruction to focus on sweets, but more and more into the scene, he just begins to look at Pen, the only exception is when Pen compliments Debling, as he feels a need to hide his feelings.
Colin loses his battle while seeing Pen eating the cake. The cake symbolized sex even back in 102, when Pen asks Marina how did she become pregnant. What is striking, though, that the next time Colin is shown on screen, he took off his coat and seems to finish Penelope's cake. Colin lets his armor down, just before his heroic moment.
The balloon is representation of a human attempt to "triumph" over the nature, to "conquer the wind". Funnily, as Colin with the help of his squad protects the balloon and wins over the wind, he loses his own battle against it internally, as the wind represents his desire for Penelope. Colin finds courage and allows himself to be vulnerable (by leaving the pirate coat, his armor, behind in the arms of one of his toxic buddies), only for him to find Penelope in Debling's embrace. Eloise and Cressida's remarks might be quite cruel foreshadowing for the later events. "It is good thing no one was injured." "Who says I wasn't?"
The distress of Colin at Innovations Ball is implied with his darker waistcoat, bare neck and him adjusting his jacket. Colin attempts his best to smile for Eloise, but it is a rather unsuccesful attempt. If I dare say, Colin seems like he is attending funeral. His question whether a man can be pensive is rather interesting, not only as it is pun on Penelope's name, but as Colin asks basically if he can be himself.
Penelope and Portia ignore the lamp, the sorce of fire and light, which I would argue, represents the love between Pen and Colin.
Benedict refers to Francesca as "his shield" from the debutantes, and we see Benedict succeeding in fleeing the debutantes with the sister by his side. Eloise, on the other hand, leaves Colin to them, leaving him "unprotected". This is hammered with Violet, who without the children by her side, becomes the target of Marcus. It is no wonder Francesca finds her man when she is allowed to return to her familiar shadows, with fireplace representing love, passion and desire once again. Benedict, too, fails to "battle the nature", as he finds himself in the embrace of his newest partner, after he meets her at the staircase, with her looking down on him.
As the debutantes ask Colin if he is as heroic on the dancefloor, Colin moves his head instead of answering, while we get the shot of Pen holding her own dancecard. It is quite clear. Colin is losing his chance.
While Penelope's and Cressida's race is for comedic effect, it showcases that a lot of times, women fight over guys they might even want, just because they fear someone else will snatch them. While Cressida is pressured to be married, no one points out that she almost married Jack last season, someone who turned out to be a schemer. Daphne won her own "race", only to end up with Simon. Cressida fails to gain Colin's attention in season 1 and 2 mostly due to her treatment of Penelope and Daphne.
Penelope finds herself on the crossroads between Colin and Debling. She chooses to look at Colin, showcasing to the audience that Pen is romantic at heart. While Colin answers the question of debutantes, he is in fact encouraging himself, but as he can't help but look at her, she takes it as his confirmation of wishing her good luck as a mentor. Just as Pen unknowingly let Colin down in willow scene with her words, Colin just done the same. Cheekily, Debling asks whether Pen has trouble with the balloon, while she answers "not at present". As she gave up on Colin in that instance.
Penelope herself pretends to love nature to secure herself a naturalist, ignoring her own desire to be with Colin. Ironically, she secures the naturalist by openly stating she does not really care about nature, when she cares about what nature represents in this episode. Debling giving Pen lemonade ties narratively to Pen leaving the lemonade at the table during the Full-Moon ball, as well as her leaving it at drawing scene with Colin.
I believe that Debling caught on Colin's feelings at this instant. The reason I believe so is that Pen's dance card was still blank and Pen gave Colin time to react. Debling did not ask Penelope for dance beforehand, and she hoped that Colin would speak... which is something Colin might have realized once Penelope gives Debling his hand and dance card is visible to him.

Before I start, I have to semi-dox myself and say that I am Indonesian. I have to do that because it would add so much more context to this story.
Prologue : The Antlers
https://preview.redd.it/ih54st9rji5d1.png?width=1732&format=png&auto=webp&s=22f3fcd319a0a621b918c5ba1cf11ff19d3ad818
I bought the latest Football Manager few months ago while the price was discounted. I was so excited to finally have J-League licensed because playing in Asia have been my lifelong FM dream but without J-League which is arguably the biggest and most competitive league in Asia, it just felt wrong.
I embarked on this year's journey the same way I have always started, to pick one of the top half teams in the league that I wanted to play, so that I get accustomed not only by the league rules but more importantly by the latest features and wrinkles of the game. I usually would play it for a season before moving on to the real long-term save.
This year, the lucky organization is Kashima Antlers. To cut the story short about this club background, you can imagine them like Japanese Manchester United with even less successful history. They have gone years without lifting a trophy but is able to consistently stay on the contention. Now that I said that, I guess they are the less horribly managed Japanese Manchester United.
My one and only mission : bring the J1-League trophy back to the Island of Antlers. Although, whatever it was that I wanted to do, I have to do it within the limitation of only 5 foreign players as per J1 rules and the lack wingers within the club. After hours of thinking and tinkering I came up with a tactic that I believe would work.
https://preview.redd.it/rzfx9sn3mi5d1.png?width=645&format=png&auto=webp&s=7eb7296ced348ee3f4414c474111ee54e643f0e2
The asymmetric 4-3-3 which emphasized the quality of Target Man Kai Chinen and homegrown talent Yuma Suzuki as well as 'hiding' the lack of winger but still be able to offer some width in the field. Saying that, it was still necessary for me to find a better winger for the formation than Yuta Matsumura, which was decent, but not good nor was he well-suited enough with the way I want to play.
Kai Chinen: Our main striker and one of our best player
The stats of Yuta Matsumura which was actually decent relative to the league quality, but not good enough. Also the only wingers other than him were some promising yet raw young talents.
**1******^st Act : The Reds
J1-League transfer window would be closed on 31 March. By the start of the month I have brought into the team some quality players: Roberto Soriano and Ismael for free and bring creativity in that midfield, and an uzbek guy called Hojiakbar Alijonov, a mature physical attacking right back which will provide those crosses from the right winger-less side of our formation.
I have not found my guy to be put in that left side though, until a young right-footed brazilian had a semi-fallout with his club and get transfer-listed. SC Internacional, his club, asked for two millions euros for whoever wanted to bring him out from Brazil. Having only spent so little, and in nearly desperate need for a winger, I jumped into the chance, and built a 2 millions worth of a deal based on so many installments and bonuses. Finally after some contract negotiation, my long-awaited inside forward has finally arrived on 06 March 2023.
His name is Joao Gabriel Martins Peglow, a 21-years-old who modeled his game after his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. He has good technique as well as physical attributes perfected by almost world class amount of flair. With him running with the ball down our left side, I believe we can outrun and outscore anybody in the league.
Peglow: Our main winger, and he had not even reached his ceiling
and I was not making it up when I say he idolized CR7.
**2******^nd Act : The Braces
You are forgiven for thinking that this story is about Peglow's debut. But it's not. His debut is mediocre at best. Playing against Urawa Red Diamonds in the J-League Cup (Japanese equivalent of Carabao Cup), he did not offer much. Only attempted 15 passes, produced 6.6 match rating, before I had to take him off in the one-hour mark of the game. In the game where the opponent produced nearly as many XGs from half as many shots, we ended up winning thanks to heroic performance of our first-choice goalkeeper, Tomoki Hayakawa.
https://preview.redd.it/ajp90s8gui5d1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5776948e9747bc51adb265861cb339e39c7f297b
Debuts are expected to be rough though. The real glimpse of what Peglow could bring to the team came almost two weeks after his debut. After another stinker which saw him produced 6.4 match rating in the league match that we otherwise dominated, I trusted and started him again in the match against one of the big boys: Yokohama Marinos. He paid that with an impressive return. I had to wait for a while though.
From the get-go, Yokohama's midfield which operate weirdly with two mezzalas in front of the single pivot, clearly got overrun by our midfield led by Roberto Soriano and spearheaded by Peglow. But it was our free agent signing, Ismael and our homegrown striker Yuki Kakita who gave us 2-0 lead before the halftime. In the 2nd half though, it's all Peglow's world and we were just living on it. He scored two goals in the span of 3 minutes before assisting another one in the closing stage of the match to close the game 5 goals to none. What a performance from him and surely, surely from then on, he would be the one leading this club to the promised land right?
Right?
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**3******^rd Act : The South-Easterners
All good things must come to an end. Some before it even begun.
I rested Peglow in the following match against lower division club in hope that he would be in peak condition for our next league match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Then the news struck.
It was 31 March, maybe around 10 am. Just one day before the league match mentioned before. Peglow was dribbling the ball in training when suddenly he turned sharply and fell. He scream in agony while the emergency radiology found out that he twisted his ankle and out for at least a month. It was far from being a career-ender, but if you pay close attention, it was 31 March. Not only was it just one day before the match, it was also THE transfer deadline. I only had hours to find Peglow's replacement. I had to.
https://preview.redd.it/f8soyhr1ij5d1.png?width=1629&format=png&auto=webp&s=4c00e1de090710e603a26e1dec0a83dbab606d81
I panicked and scrambled around scouting reports and player search columns. It was extra difficult knowing I had filled my foreigner quotas, so I could not add another foreigner anymore, but the japanese winger available just did not cut it. And there, at that moment, we came back full circle to me talking about the wrinkles of the league.
J-League has this unique registration rules where we could only field maximum of five foreign players, but with a little bit of curveball added. Due to some real life agreements, players from South East Asia countries is treated as non-foreign players. So I could buy and field whatever amount of players from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and my real life home country Indonesia, together with other smaller South East Asia countries that I wanted. It did not help me instantly though as there are next to none SEA players that good enough for the top division of japanese league, let alone to be the replacement of Peglow.
That's until just 8 hours before the deadline is closed, a message come to my inbox. Agent recommendation. Candra Firmansyah, an Indonesian agent, notified me about one of his clients. A left winger, just as young as Peglow, does not get the playing time he needed in his club ADO Den Haag and after just 3 appearance in the first team, he thought it was the right time to be loaned out. ADO agreed and he became loan listed. His name? Rafael Struick.
Rafael Struick : Every Indonesian knows who this man is. For you who do not know, oh you will soon do.
I took a glimpse. And I sit there in front of my laptop trying to process it. Not only does the boy good enough for the J1-League, he almost as good as Peglow. I could even argue his technical ability is superior and his physical attributes are comparable. For a moment I got "kicked out" back to real life and thinking not as Hiruzen Hiragana the Japanese manager of Kashima Antlers my alter ego, but as me myself, and thinking "It must be nice to manage my countryman in the biggest competition in the continent."
I might overpaid for him. Giving ADO 200k just for a loan fee seems a bit much and my board felt that way too. But, I need a winger, the deadline was just 4 hours away, I did not have many choices. So I pulled the trigger. The administration team moved fast enough to conclude the deal just in time. In the midnight Kashima Antlers welcoming the promising Indonesian youngster and hopes that he is fit for the match, tomorrow.
Final Act : The Mismatches
Bad news and good news. The bad news is Peglow's injury was not a nightmare nor an SI april mop at all. The good news, Struick was in peak condition to play against Hiroshima. I did not know how he took flight from den Haag to Kashima without took a nosedive in terms of his fitness, but there he is, just hours after signing the contract, wearing red shirt and white shorts, ready for his debut.
Hiroshima was not an easy opponent to play let alone for the first time. They finished in the 3rd place the season before. The attack was dangerously led by brazilian target man, Vieira and the defence was solid under the command of Kansai University alumni Hayato Araki. The road gets steeper due to the fact that heroic Hayakawa got injured, so Karl Jakob-Hein, another emergency loanee, deputized him between the sticks. But, ready or not, it's game on.
From the very first minute, I can see that Struick got cold feet. Maybe from the jet lag, maybe because he was not familiar with the exotic asymmetric system. Whatever it was, he did not look good. My hopes for Peglow to miraculously be healed and playing that day peaked when in just the 4th minute mark, Struick has the ball in the left side on the field and tried to make a field-switching pass to Ismael on the center of the field, but his wobbly legs did not generate enough power and the ball was stolen by Hiroshima's midfielder, Matsumoto.
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Who brings the ball upfield, did a 1-2 pass combination into our penalty box, before swiftly pushing the ball in the path of their forward, Kashiwa who then struck the ball behind our net. Kashima 0, Hiroshima 1. In the 4th minute mark.
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I encouraged the team, told them that there are still 86 minutes to play. I saw Kai Chinen came over to Struick, maybe to help him calm his nerve. I did not know what Chinen said, but whatever it was, it worked. Just a couple of minutes after did that horrendous pass, Struick again found himself in the left side of the field. This time though, he had more confidence in his heart, and brought the ball way up front.
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He then passed to Chinen who quickly gave the ball to Suzuki in the right side. It was Suzuki's show right after. He dribbled past two defenders before hit the ball so hard, Hiroshima's keeper, Osako could barely even react. It's 1-1 and there are still 84 minutes left.
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This match is destined to be an end-to-end affair, when after Ismael Silva stopped Hiroshima's passing in the centre of the field, he found Alijonov running full speed on the right side. And running he does. Alijonov picked the ball just inside our side of the field and quickly run near the byline, bringing the ball up ahead.
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Without any pressure whatsoever, Alijonov bent a cross into penalty area where all of our forwards are ready to head it home. Some of you might notice that Struick had pretty impressive jumping reach. But I did not notice that until Struick leapt above the right back who man-marked him. And when I say leap, i mean it almost looked like that Ronaldo's header against Sampdoria. Struick headed it home, his first goal, just 10 minute into his debut. It's 2-1 for Kashima Antlers.
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That goal gave Struick and the team massive confidence boost. At the same time, Hiroshima looked trembled. Few seconds later, they misplaced a pass and let Chinen stole the ball and slot it home. It's 3-1 after 11 minute.
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The game calms down a little bit until in the 35th minute, again Alijonov found space in the right side and bent another cross almost finding Struick. But this time Hayato Araki won the duel and headed the ball for a throw-in. A few simple pass from throw in then ended in Struick's feet who stood just inside the penalty box.
With a few neat moves, Struick found the ball in his right feet and rocketed the ball deep into the low left side of the goal. It's a brace in his debut and it's 4-1 for Kashima Antlers.
https://preview.redd.it/1u3p2dj1tj5d1.png?width=1919&format=png&auto=webp&s=209ff631dbef8c4c38bdd9345de33935375fb1a9
After that, I instructed my team to lower the tempo a bit, to conserve energy and retain possession. It resulted in the match gone calm for a bit. After Kashiwa sent an amazing cross to Vieira who headed it past Jakob Hein and Chinen slotted home a penalty kick to make it all 5-2, Matsumura who came in for Suzuki had the ball inside Hiroshima's penalty area before he's getting tackled. Referee pointed out to the spot for the second time. Chinen, the original taker, took the ball and give it to Struick, to let him complete this magnificent night both for him and the team. Struick shot it as hard as he could, it did not fool the goalkeeper, but it blew past him. It's a hattrick in his debut, and it's a dominating 6-2 win for the team.
https://preview.redd.it/3dagt73juj5d1.png?width=1919&format=png&auto=webp&s=60c16cc4aa06335339ae74834238d1e2b19778c7
He ended the night with 3 goals, 1 key pass, won 7 aerial duels, attempted 5 tackles and won all of them, covered 13.1 kilometres the most compared to every other player in the field, and fielded a match rating of 9.9. It was a dream debut for Rafael Struick.
Epilogue : The Reasons
Now some of you might say, "meh, I once have a debutant scored 5 goals and assisted 5 more." And I would not object that. That's why the title is the best debut I have ever seen, not YOU have ever seen. Because from FM standpoint it is "just" a good showing, not a spectacular one.
But this is so personal to me. This is my first save after months of hiatus, and just the pure hype of this game, the roller coaster of emotion just based on finding the right inside forward, it's just beautiful. This story, especially this match, makes me love FM all over again.

If the mod team actually sees this and acts on it that would be fucking hilarious