Hi! I wanted to pay it forward after benefiting from other helpful Reddit posts by sharing our experience using the Super Priority Service for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Using Super Priority we got our decision within 4 hours after completing our biometrics.
Background

• Moved together to the UK on a 5-year UK Ancestry visa, I was the lead applicant and my partner (unmarried) was my dependant
• Both from the same commonwealth country, both employed and have been in a relationship forever so had solid evidence of living togetheshared financials etc.
• We did this application ourselves and did not use an immigration lawyer.

What we learned:

• Super Priority is only available at 1.00am (12.00am when not daylight savings) and appeared when we refreshed the PAYMENT screen at 1.00am. I did a test 2 weeks prior to applying and grabbed a screenshot of what you should see.
• After you’ve paid, you receive an email for a third-party website to upload your documents and book a Biometrics appointment.
• The Biometrics appointments were £280+ (some were over £400), we couldn’t see any free options, and was a fee we were not expecting. I’m not sure if Biometric appointments are free if you don’t do Super Priority.
• A dependant does not make their own application for ILR but is added as an applicant on the leads

Evidence
I evidenced the following:

• Ancestry - provided my grandmothers birth cert, grandmothers marriage cert, mothers birth cert, my own birth cert
• Ability to support myself & dependant financially - provided 3 months of payslips, employment contract, letter of employment, latest P60
• Proof of relationship with dependant - provided mortgage statement, joint bank account statement, previous rental agreement, latest council tax letter

My partner evidenced the following:

• 3 months of payslips, letter from employer, latest P60, bank statement

We also submitted a ‘visa letter’ to clearly explain my ancestry, financial and relationship evidence. This isn’t necessary but I wanted to remove any confusion about our application and was something I did for my original UK Ancestry visa.
Timeline: 17/05/2024 Friday 1.02am application submitted with Super Priority 21/05/2024 Tuesday 9.00am attended Biometric appointment )appt took approx. 30mins) 21/05/2024 Tuesday 12.52pm application accepted!!
Costs £7770 - Application with Super Priority for both of us £286 – Biometric Appointment for both of us £8056 – Total
I will say we felt like our situation was straight forward which undoubtedly helped with the timeline but hope this helps anyone applying in future!

I've scrolled past questions but ended up getting confused by all the responses.
I started an LLC less than a year ago for the entertainment / event production business I've been working on. Honestly I probably could have done things without studying in LLC but I was trying to be "legit" and "professional." It's a very small scale thing, not bringing in much money after all is said and done. I didn't do a very good job of keeping high detailed track of all my expenses and literally just threw away some old receipts that I had been saving.
When I started it, I thought I read that I wouldn't need to worry about filing separately for the LLC since it would just go through my personal taxes. But I just received a letter in the mail saying I owe about $700. $200 of that is late fees, etc.
Could someone explain this and the most simple terms possible? Is there anything I could do to at least bring that number down some?
I can't really afford an accountant, and don't understand enough about business lingo and what not to feel comfortable calling the IRS with questions since their sole goal is to get money.

She got up in the dark, with only the dim ambience of soft blue lighting to accompany her. She stretched all four arms, her two legs, and rolled her neck. It struck her as mildly interesting in that moment, how something so small could connect them to humans, The thought was fleeting as she took another step forward to kneel down on the floor. There, in a little alcove in the wall, she had set a volcanic rock from Anin, dried moss, and other paraphernalia from her home world. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath resting her hands together.
Praise and respect to the spirits of Anin. Praise the fathers and mothers of war gone to their rest below the moss and the earth. Praise their spirits that watch from the sky and peer through the ether down upon us.
She continued the slow mantra in the style of Prayer learned from Naktan and pulled her concentration to her core, ignoring anything and everything around her. A deep state of meditation overtook her. She would never have done this if she thought there were any chance that she was in danger, but below she knew Earth glowed like a sphere before their orbiting ship. There was no worry of invasion.
She thought she heard something at one point, but chose to ignore it as she continued her mantra.
Eventually, and after an unknown amount of minutes, she stood and turned slowly to find-
She stopped, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What are you doing?”
Adam burrowed his way further down into her blankets, nuzzling his head up against her pillow,
"So warm, and comfy!"
She tried not to smile,
"You dumbass."
He pulled the blankets tighter around himself,
"You know, I did come here to talk to you, but now I actually am really comfortable, so come back in two hours."
"I- This is MY home!"
He closed his eyes and pretended to snore loudly.
She rolled her eyes as she watched him theatrically pretend to sleep. She looked around mildly for a moment, before picking up another pillow and glancing at the door. She casually walked over, dropped the pillow on his head and then held it down as if she intended to smother him.
”Die human scum!”
That got him up and moving.
Before long the two of them were grappling for the upper hand, him trying to put her in a choke hold, and her using her lower arms to pinch him.
He yelped,
"Ouch! Pinching is illegal!”
"Sissy."
He clamped his legs around her lower arms, pinning them in place.
She struggled for a minute and then went limp.
She could feel his smug smile,
"I win, I beat the saint of Anin. Everyone bow at my feet."
"You say that, but if this were a real fight, since you’re a human male, you're the one with a self-destruct button."
"Self-destruct button...?"
"Meaning if this were a real fight, I would have punched you in the balls."
"Yaoooutch… Oh god… Please don't."
Finally, he let her go, leaving the two of them to lay on her bed, sheets scattered on the floor around them, and her pillows in disarray. Adam put his hands behind his head and sighed.
She glanced over at him,
"I don't suppose you came to just hang out. Here on Admiral-ly business?"
He groaned, pulling one of her pillows over his face,
"Please smother me for real this time."
She leaned up on one of her elbows,
"Why?"
"I don't wanna be an adult anymore!"
She tilted her head to the side, watching in amusement as he attempted to throw a childlike tantrum, but only really had the energy to kick his feet once,
"It's boring and lame and they won’t let me wear heelies to important meetings... also children don't have to pay taxes."
She laughed, pulling the pillow from his face,
"Adam you are many things, but 'adult' is not one of them."
He grinned slightly,
"True enough."
He sighed again and rested his head back against the pillows,
"I just want to get back to what we are supposed to be doing, exploring the universe and making cool alien friends."
He threw up his hands in frustration,
"But suddenly I find myself embroiled in stupid annoying politics that I don't understand, being used by people who are, let’s face it, WAY smarter than me, constantly finding myself getting manipulated."
She huffed,
"They aren't smarter than you Adam, they're just manipulative, and you aren't."
He sighed,
"Fair enough."
Then he looked at her, bright green eyes reflecting the soft ambient blue light,
"I just, I miss this, I miss us, I miss hanging out and doing stupid shit, and all of the things I could do when I wasn't so important and this operation was smaller."
She smiled rather sadly reaching one hand over for his, lacing the four of her fingers through the five of his,
"Well someone has to do the hard things, who better than you?”
He glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow,
"Or you, miss saint?”
She rolled her eyes again,
"Can't seem to get you off of that. I'm still the same person I used to be."
"But with power."
She elbowed him gently and he grinned,
"But really, I am proud and impressed and... Let's be honest super super smug that 'I' know you personally."
"I know, I am pretty terrific."
The two of them laughed for a minute before settling down again. He glanced over to her little shrine on the wall,
"What were you doing just then?"
She looked up at the ceiling, following the lines of metal and rivets with her eyes,
"Praying to the spirits of Anin."
Embarrassed, he shifted,
"I didn't know you were... Well I didn't think you were all that religious?"
She shrugged,
"Don't feel bad, it's sort of a new thing. Back before all this, it was sort of just stories to me. Like I believed it because that was what everyone believed, but I didn't really accept it, or feel it the way I do now. After everything with my mother, it was hard to feel connected to something I felt I wasn't a part of... But then after visiting my mother, after becoming a saint for a religion I never really followed... Well, it started to make more sense. It feels real now in a way that it never did."
She turned to look at him, finding him watching her, the UV blue stripes in his skin glowing blue.
"I believe in the spirits of Anin more than I ever have."
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand,
"I'm glad to hear it."
They lapsed into silence for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling before, inevitably he broke it,
"So this makes you like, space Moses right?”
She frowned and turned to look at him,
"What is a “Moses”?"
He grinned,
"A guy from one of the Earth Religions. You know, guy follows god's directions to lead his people away from slavery, climbs a mountain, receives the word of god, comes down to give it to the people, that sort of thing."
Sunny tilted her head slightly to the side,
"Are you religious?"
He paused, frowning,
"I... well I... don't really know. My family has been some flavor of Christian for a long time."
"Christian?"
"Uh yeah, the general idea is that there is one all-powerful deity who created everything. He has rules and laws that you are supposed to follow, the general tenants of this specific religion mostly boil down to: love everyone and don't be a dick, which humans are notoriously bad at. You sin you go to hell, a very bad place after you die, and if you are a good person you go to heaven. Problem is everyone is a sinner and breaks the rules, so really no one was going to get into heaven."
"That sounds bleak..."
"Well, that's where the other stuff comes in. Basically, this all-powerful deity sent down his son in human form to live a perfect life, so when he was martyred he took on the sins of all of humanity and paid for them in the greatest act of mercy to open the gate for the rest of us into heaven."
Sunny shifted as he tilted to the side to lay in the crook of her arms,
"Of course that is just one religion among tons on earth, we aren't really as cohesive in our beliefs as Drev are... As for me... I'm not really sure."
She tilted her head to the side, cheek resting against his hair,
"After seeing space, I become more and more convinced of some... Thing that created everything, but beyond that it's sort of a tossup."
She ran one hand through his hair, coarse but still soft somehow.
"You know my name comes from that religion?”
She turned her head to look at him,
"Oh, really?”
"Adam was the first man."
"What do you mean!?”
Adam shrugged,
"He was supposedly the first man that god created, from the dust of the earth... I think?"
She gave him a sidelong glance,
"Look, and you get to be the first idiot in space."
He snorted and poked her in the ribs.
"There were PLENTY of idiots in space before me, believe you me."
"Mmm I don't know, you are pretty dumb."
He laughed, grabbing a pillow and hitting her with it. She rolled over so she was lying on top of him and then went limp.
He struggled,
"Get your big ass off me."
"Oh no, I have been attacked by a sudden acute case of the “my spine doesn't work anymore”-disease."
"If you don't move, you'll suddenly find yourself with a case of “fist in your face”-disease."
She laughed and rolled off him, making sure the hard parts of her carapace were sticking down for maximum discomfort.
He grunted.
They returned to lying down next to each other in the half darkness. Sunny reached over and turned on some quiet music in the background as the two of them sat and talked, and laughed.
"I can't wait to get back to deep space."
He closed his eyes and hummed softly at the thought,
"Just the crew and the darkness and nothing ahead of us but an endless frontier."
Surprisingly, she found the thought to be more than a little comforting, and closed her eyes thinking about the vast reaches of blackness and the endless spinning galaxies.
"And while we are out, we can drop Conn into a pulsar."
He snorted,
“Why? Well first of for scientific reasons! If a marshmallow causes a nuclear blast, I wonder what dropping Conn would do… but at least he’d be dead.”
"That billowy bastard would survive and you know it."
She huffed,
"Still though, if I have to hear one more smug lecture how he has a child with you, I'm gonna wring his scrawny neck."
He grinned teeth flashing blue in the light,
"Is someone... Jealous?"
Sunny laughed, almost tipping him off the bed and onto the floor with her mirth,
"Yes Adam, I am totally jealous, really I am, ‘kay?. I mean who wouldn't want to have a child with YOU, big dumb, dork. Really the perfect place to put my superior genes."
"Superior genes, says someone who can't reach the top shelf."
She kicked him, foot clanging off his prosthetic,
"I am a foot taller than you."
He placed his hand next to his ear,
"What was that, I can't hear you over how short you are."
Sunny shook her head,
"At least I have binocular vision and both my knees."
"So we are gonna ignore that that binocular vision is due to a prosthetic now after the whole “your mom” incident? And also, veeery important: weird neck nostrils, don't forget about those!"
"Oh yes, so I can’t house them on my face like you and your bigass nose."
"Low blow, low blow."
"There are... Lower things... I could make fun of."
He snorted,
"Can't make fun of it if you've never seen it. You on the other hand, walking around in the nude..."
"You're welcome. Who wouldn't love…"
She gestured to herself,
"This."
"Mmm yeah... chitin, very sexy."
"I am a gift to the universe, and should be appreciated by everyone."
He brushed a hand through his hair,
"Well I find that real gifts are gift wrapped, so jot that down."
"Oh yeah, like a prank gift when you put something lame in a box for something cool."
He frowned at her,
"You wound me. My feelings are so very very hurt. I might even cry."
"I drink human tears."
"That… that's really gross.'
She laughed and then they lapsed into silence. She could hear him breathing quietly next to her in the darkness, his chest rising and falling under the ambient blue light. She looked across the room to where her saint armor was hanging in its climate-controlled case illuminated to a pearly sheen.
"Adam?"
"Yeah?”
"You know I'm just kidding about calling you dumb right?"
"Yeah I know."
"I'm proud of what you've been doing."
Adam turned to look at her rather incredulous,
"Me, of what? I haven't been doing shit."
"So, we are just going to ignore you overthrowing a maniacal politician while simultaneously piloting a 2,000 year old spacecraft?"
"That was more Conn and Eris than it was me."
"It was your idea."
"Let’s not forget Admiral Kelly."
Sunny pulled him closer,
"I am sorry, I will not be accepting anything other than you acknowledging that you did a good job."
"Screw you!”
"You'd like that wouldn't you?”
He sighed,
"You've been talking to Ramirez WAY too much."
She was only slightly smug as she rested her head back against the pillow,
"I really should get up and train..."
"We should yeah..."
Neither of them moved.
"Alternatively, we could just... Lay here... All day and do... nothing."
She looked up at the ceiling for a long moment and pretended to be in deep contemplation before…
"Well it's official, you have convinced me. You and your silver tongue."
"I am a master negotiator."
He shifted position putting one arm behind his head,
"Think about it, by this time tomorrow we will be back to space exploring and doing what we should have been doing all along. I can't wait."
"That makes two of us."
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800 u/BakeGullible9975 u/Didnotseemecomein and u/medium_jock
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Awwwww! So cute!
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
She got up in the dark, with only the dim ambience of soft blue lighting to accompany her. She stretched all four arms, her two legs, and rolled her neck. It struck her as mildly interesting in that moment, how something so small could connect them to humans, The thought was fleeting as she took another step forward to kneel down on the floor. There, in a little alcove in the wall, she had set a volcanic rock from Anin, dried moss, and other paraphernalia from her home world. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath resting her hands together.
Praise and respect to the spirits of Anin. Praise the fathers and mothers of war gone to their rest below the moss and the earth. Praise their spirits that watch from the sky and peer through the ether down upon us.
She continued the slow mantra in the style of Prayer learned from Naktan and pulled her concentration to her core, ignoring anything and everything around her. A deep state of meditation overtook her. She would never have done this if she thought there were any chance that she was in danger, but below she knew Earth glowed like a sphere before their orbiting ship. There was no worry of invasion.
She thought she heard something at one point, but chose to ignore it as she continued her mantra.
Eventually, and after an unknown amount of minutes, she stood and turned slowly to find-
She stopped, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What are you doing?”
Adam burrowed his way further down into her blankets, nuzzling his head up against her pillow,
"So warm, and comfy!"
She tried not to smile,
"You dumbass."
He pulled the blankets tighter around himself,
"You know, I did come here to talk to you, but now I actually am really comfortable, so come back in two hours."
"I- This is MY home!"
He closed his eyes and pretended to snore loudly.
She rolled her eyes as she watched him theatrically pretend to sleep. She looked around mildly for a moment, before picking up another pillow and glancing at the door. She casually walked over, dropped the pillow on his head and then held it down as if she intended to smother him.
”Die human scum!”
That got him up and moving.
Before long the two of them were grappling for the upper hand, him trying to put her in a choke hold, and her using her lower arms to pinch him.
He yelped,
"Ouch! Pinching is illegal!”
"Sissy."
He clamped his legs around her lower arms, pinning them in place.
She struggled for a minute and then went limp.
She could feel his smug smile,
"I win, I beat the saint of Anin. Everyone bow at my feet."
"You say that, but if this were a real fight, since you’re a human male, you're the one with a self-destruct button."
"Self-destruct button...?"
"Meaning if this were a real fight, I would have punched you in the balls."
"Yaoooutch… Oh god… Please don't."
Finally, he let her go, leaving the two of them to lay on her bed, sheets scattered on the floor around them, and her pillows in disarray. Adam put his hands behind his head and sighed.
She glanced over at him,
"I don't suppose you came to just hang out. Here on Admiral-ly business?"
He groaned, pulling one of her pillows over his face,
"Please smother me for real this time."
She leaned up on one of her elbows,
"Why?"
"I don't wanna be an adult anymore!"
She tilted her head to the side, watching in amusement as he attempted to throw a childlike tantrum, but only really had the energy to kick his feet once,
"It's boring and lame and they won’t let me wear heelies to important meetings... also children don't have to pay taxes."
She laughed, pulling the pillow from his face,
"Adam you are many things, but 'adult' is not one of them."
He grinned slightly,
"True enough."
He sighed again and rested his head back against the pillows,
"I just want to get back to what we are supposed to be doing, exploring the universe and making cool alien friends."
He threw up his hands in frustration,
"But suddenly I find myself embroiled in stupid annoying politics that I don't understand, being used by people who are, let’s face it, WAY smarter than me, constantly finding myself getting manipulated."
She huffed,
"They aren't smarter than you Adam, they're just manipulative, and you aren't."
He sighed,
"Fair enough."
Then he looked at her, bright green eyes reflecting the soft ambient blue light,
"I just, I miss this, I miss us, I miss hanging out and doing stupid shit, and all of the things I could do when I wasn't so important and this operation was smaller."
She smiled rather sadly reaching one hand over for his, lacing the four of her fingers through the five of his,
"Well someone has to do the hard things, who better than you?”
He glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow,
"Or you, miss saint?”
She rolled her eyes again,
"Can't seem to get you off of that. I'm still the same person I used to be."
"But with power."
She elbowed him gently and he grinned,
"But really, I am proud and impressed and... Let's be honest super super smug that 'I' know you personally."
"I know, I am pretty terrific."
The two of them laughed for a minute before settling down again. He glanced over to her little shrine on the wall,
"What were you doing just then?"
She looked up at the ceiling, following the lines of metal and rivets with her eyes,
"Praying to the spirits of Anin."
Embarrassed, he shifted,
"I didn't know you were... Well I didn't think you were all that religious?"
She shrugged,
"Don't feel bad, it's sort of a new thing. Back before all this, it was sort of just stories to me. Like I believed it because that was what everyone believed, but I didn't really accept it, or feel it the way I do now. After everything with my mother, it was hard to feel connected to something I felt I wasn't a part of... But then after visiting my mother, after becoming a saint for a religion I never really followed... Well, it started to make more sense. It feels real now in a way that it never did."
She turned to look at him, finding him watching her, the UV blue stripes in his skin glowing blue.
"I believe in the spirits of Anin more than I ever have."
He smiled at her and squeezed her hand,
"I'm glad to hear it."
They lapsed into silence for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling before, inevitably he broke it,
"So this makes you like, space Moses right?”
She frowned and turned to look at him,
"What is a “Moses”?"
He grinned,
"A guy from one of the Earth Religions. You know, guy follows god's directions to lead his people away from slavery, climbs a mountain, receives the word of god, comes down to give it to the people, that sort of thing."
Sunny tilted her head slightly to the side,
"Are you religious?"
He paused, frowning,
"I... well I... don't really know. My family has been some flavor of Christian for a long time."
"Christian?"
"Uh yeah, the general idea is that there is one all-powerful deity who created everything. He has rules and laws that you are supposed to follow, the general tenants of this specific religion mostly boil down to: love everyone and don't be a dick, which humans are notoriously bad at. You sin you go to hell, a very bad place after you die, and if you are a good person you go to heaven. Problem is everyone is a sinner and breaks the rules, so really no one was going to get into heaven."
"That sounds bleak..."
"Well, that's where the other stuff comes in. Basically, this all-powerful deity sent down his son in human form to live a perfect life, so when he was martyred he took on the sins of all of humanity and paid for them in the greatest act of mercy to open the gate for the rest of us into heaven."
Sunny shifted as he tilted to the side to lay in the crook of her arms,
"Of course that is just one religion among tons on earth, we aren't really as cohesive in our beliefs as Drev are... As for me... I'm not really sure."
She tilted her head to the side, cheek resting against his hair,
"After seeing space, I become more and more convinced of some... Thing that created everything, but beyond that it's sort of a tossup."
She ran one hand through his hair, coarse but still soft somehow.
"You know my name comes from that religion?”
She turned her head to look at him,
"Oh, really?”
"Adam was the first man."
"What do you mean!?”
Adam shrugged,
"He was supposedly the first man that god created, from the dust of the earth... I think?"
She gave him a sidelong glance,
"Look, and you get to be the first idiot in space."
He snorted and poked her in the ribs.
"There were PLENTY of idiots in space before me, believe you me."
"Mmm I don't know, you are pretty dumb."
He laughed, grabbing a pillow and hitting her with it. She rolled over so she was lying on top of him and then went limp.
He struggled,
"Get your big ass off me."
"Oh no, I have been attacked by a sudden acute case of the “my spine doesn't work anymore”-disease."
"If you don't move, you'll suddenly find yourself with a case of “fist in your face”-disease."
She laughed and rolled off him, making sure the hard parts of her carapace were sticking down for maximum discomfort.
He grunted.
They returned to lying down next to each other in the half darkness. Sunny reached over and turned on some quiet music in the background as the two of them sat and talked, and laughed.
"I can't wait to get back to deep space."
He closed his eyes and hummed softly at the thought,
"Just the crew and the darkness and nothing ahead of us but an endless frontier."
Surprisingly, she found the thought to be more than a little comforting, and closed her eyes thinking about the vast reaches of blackness and the endless spinning galaxies.
"And while we are out, we can drop Conn into a pulsar."
He snorted,
“Why? Well first of for scientific reasons! If a marshmallow causes a nuclear blast, I wonder what dropping Conn would do… but at least he’d be dead.”
"That billowy bastard would survive and you know it."
She huffed,
"Still though, if I have to hear one more smug lecture how he has a child with you, I'm gonna wring his scrawny neck."
He grinned teeth flashing blue in the light,
"Is someone... Jealous?"
Sunny laughed, almost tipping him off the bed and onto the floor with her mirth,
"Yes Adam, I am totally jealous, really I am, ‘kay?. I mean who wouldn't want to have a child with YOU, big dumb, dork. Really the perfect place to put my superior genes."
"Superior genes, says someone who can't reach the top shelf."
She kicked him, foot clanging off his prosthetic,
"I am a foot taller than you."
He placed his hand next to his ear,
"What was that, I can't hear you over how short you are."
Sunny shook her head,
"At least I have binocular vision and both my knees."
"So we are gonna ignore that that binocular vision is due to a prosthetic now after the whole “your mom” incident? And also, veeery important: weird neck nostrils, don't forget about those!"
"Oh yes, so I can’t house them on my face like you and your bigass nose."
"Low blow, low blow."
"There are... Lower things... I could make fun of."
He snorted,
"Can't make fun of it if you've never seen it. You on the other hand, walking around in the nude..."
"You're welcome. Who wouldn't love…"
She gestured to herself,
"This."
"Mmm yeah... chitin, very sexy."
"I am a gift to the universe, and should be appreciated by everyone."
He brushed a hand through his hair,
"Well I find that real gifts are gift wrapped, so jot that down."
"Oh yeah, like a prank gift when you put something lame in a box for something cool."
He frowned at her,
"You wound me. My feelings are so very very hurt. I might even cry."
"I drink human tears."
"That… that's really gross.'
She laughed and then they lapsed into silence. She could hear him breathing quietly next to her in the darkness, his chest rising and falling under the ambient blue light. She looked across the room to where her saint armor was hanging in its climate-controlled case illuminated to a pearly sheen.
"Adam?"
"Yeah?”
"You know I'm just kidding about calling you dumb right?"
"Yeah I know."
"I'm proud of what you've been doing."
Adam turned to look at her rather incredulous,
"Me, of what? I haven't been doing shit."
"So, we are just going to ignore you overthrowing a maniacal politician while simultaneously piloting a 2,000 year old spacecraft?"
"That was more Conn and Eris than it was me."
"It was your idea."
"Let’s not forget Admiral Kelly."
Sunny pulled him closer,
"I am sorry, I will not be accepting anything other than you acknowledging that you did a good job."
"Screw you!”
"You'd like that wouldn't you?”
He sighed,
"You've been talking to Ramirez WAY too much."
She was only slightly smug as she rested her head back against the pillow,
"I really should get up and train..."
"We should yeah..."
Neither of them moved.
"Alternatively, we could just... Lay here... All day and do... nothing."
She looked up at the ceiling for a long moment and pretended to be in deep contemplation before…
"Well it's official, you have convinced me. You and your silver tongue."
"I am a master negotiator."
He shifted position putting one arm behind his head,
"Think about it, by this time tomorrow we will be back to space exploring and doing what we should have been doing all along. I can't wait."
"That makes two of us."
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

Sorry if the intro is a bit long, it's hard for me to explain how I feel.
I just turned 24 yesterday and for some reason I always feel like I'm out of time to build my career or that I'm too late to change paths. I've been working as a Data & Analytics consultant for almost 2 years (will be 2 years in September) at one of the Big4 companies. Not that it means much to me. I feel like in these 2 years I haven't really achieved much and instead I've lost quite a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities.
I studied Applied Statistics (4 years degree, finished summer 2022) and although I didn't get a very high average grade (7/10), I still got high grades in important subjects like Advanced Prediction, Time Series, etc. To mainly rebuild my confidence in my abilities I thought this year I could study a masters degree and that would also help build my CV and value(?). I was confused as to whether I should take a MSc in Biostatistics or something towards Business, and finally I chose the later one because I believe there are more jobs (at least in my country) in this area.
I've been reached out a few times to apply to other companies and I've gone through some recruitment processes, but I always self sabotage. This happened last December with an offer from another consultant company to join as a Junior Data Scientist. I really wanted this job but I thought I was not enough and I didn't prepare the interviews, and left the process after the worst interview I've ever done.
Yesterday another company called and told me if I wanted to begin a recruitment process with them and I said "sure, why not", so apparently that will happen, I haven't been reached out yet, not sure if I actually want to.
So my lines of thought are these: 1 - should I take this opportunity seriously? The reasons I'm not sure of changing jobs are: - If I leave my job before July, my summer pay will be lower and winteChristmas pay with the new company will also be even lower. - The salary they offer is not much higher, around 200€ monthly after taxes. - I'm not sure if changing from a Big4 to a company with less renown will impact my CV, considering I would like to maybe move abroad in a future (let's say to the UK, for example) - I'm not sure if this could impact my ability to study my masters degree. - I'm not sure this company will actually offer me interesting data projects in which I could improve my skills or learn new ones, or if they'll just want me to create a Power BI dashbord.
2 - Reason I would like to change jobs: - My decrease in self confidence due to having to do tasks not related to my field and that I consider useless (as in, it is making me forget about some of the skills I had and not letting me learn new ones), and having no prospect of leaving the project I am any time soon. - I'd like to have a higher salary so that I can keep on increasing my savings. - I'm tired of my dramatic boss and would like my opinion to matter more. - I want to become a Data Scientist and don't think following this path will lead me there, but also think until I don't build a portfolio and have a MS degree I won't be taken seriously.
TL;DR: Currently working as Data Consultant, planning on studying a master's degree in September, worried if I change my company it'll impact my ability to study. Final goal is to become a data scientist. For some unknown reason I feel rushed to achieve everything as soon as possible.
So, should I just give it time? Stay in my company until I have achieved my masters degree and then look for new opportunities that would lead me to becoming a Data Scientist? Or should I change jobs to have more experience in different data projects without knowing if I will actually find a different situation or if it'll be the same just in another company?
Also, I'd appreciate advice on becoming more self confident in my skills and more proactive.
Thank you in advance.

Below you'll find information and links to help advocate for Reproductive Freedoms and Abortion care in Canada and emerging policy issues with the Reddit platform. This is a recurring post and will be periodically updated as needed. Feel free to post additional information and discussions in the comments.
Advocating for Abortion Care in Canada:

• There is a serious lack of Abortion Care options in Canada, particularly in the rural areas, and for those living on reserves, they have almost no access to Abortion care. People may have to travel more than 100km and across provincial lines to access abortion. Some have to travel by plane from their rural community to one with an abortion clinic or hospital. This puts an unfair financial and logistical burden on those that need to access abortion care. Provincial Health Insurance Plans do not cover travel costs related to receiving medical care.
• Because many provinces have few facilities that provide Abortion care, this places an unreasonable load on the clinics that do exist, forcing clients to look elsewhere for facilities with capacity to help them. In Alberta, there is one clinic for every 209,077 people who can become pregnant (number of assigned-at-birth females between the ages of 15-29). PEI, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory each only have 1 Abortion care provider. Nunavut only has 2 abortion providers, and of those, only one offers medical abortion covered by the provincial health insurance plan. In fact, 9 (out of a total of 13) Canadian provinces and territories have five or fewer facililities offering abortion care in their entire province. And 10 Canadian provinces and territories have one or fewer (0) rural facililities offering abortion care.
• Some provinces, have more restrictive guidelines regarding abortion, limiting access to abortion care to those with a gestational period of less than 12 weeks (meaning, 12 weeks since the first day of your last period, not 12 weeks since you discovered you were pregnant or when you had sex). Many people who menstruate have irregular periods. Some people might only menstruate every 2 or 3 months, and might only discover that they are pregnant near the gestation limit of 12 weeks.
• Insurance coverage also limits access to abortions. Some provinces, like Nunavut, do not offer coverage for medical abortions unless they are prescribed and performed in a hospital. And being a rural province, there also happens to be only 1 hospital in Nunavut - Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqualuit. New Brunswick will only cover abortion services in a hospital setting, which means that abortion medical care provided in clinics are not covered by their Provincial Health Insurance Plan.
• Sexual and reproductive health services are among the services that physicians, pharmacists and nurse practitioners are most frequently unwilling to provide on moral or religious grounds. People who have been harassed and/or attacked while visiting an Abortion clinic may experience stigma and/or discrimination from their peers, especially in smaller, rural communities where everyone knows one another. People refused care by health care professionals because of personal beliefs may experience stigma and/or discrimination, forcing them to travel outside of their community to receive the care they need. This can all be particularly daunting for young people or those with limited resources.
• Everyone in Canada is supposed to have equal rights to access health care, regardless of race, age, class, immigration status, gender expression, sexuality and ability. Nevertheless, anyone's right to seek abortion care can be be impacted by discrimination and bigotry, both systemic and as a result of individual prejudice on the part of service providers. Racism, xenophobia, classism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and ageism in Canada are all direct and intersecting barriers to accessing abortion. It is much more difficult for a person who doesn\u2019t speak English to access abortion services, despite the presence of a translator. Transpeople also experience discrimination at higher rates in reproductive health care settings. Providers may also lack the knowledge or training to provide trans-affirming abortion care and abortion services are typically housed within *women\u2019s* health care departments.
• Further compounding the issue of inequitable abortion access are unregulated crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs), which are anti-choice pregnancy centres that advertise in hospitals, doctor's offices, churches, schools and community centre. They deceive people coming to them for options and advice by giving misinformation about abortion or by insisting on options that may delay or interfere with the clients ability to access the care they need. CPCs far outnumber abortion care providers in Canada. In Ontario alone, there are 77 active CPCs but only 38 abortion care providers. Overall, in Canada, there are 165 known CPCs compared to 147 abortion care providers (as of August 2022).

Reference: Policy Options, via the Institute for Research on Public Policy and Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights
What can you do to improve access to abortion care in Canada?

1. Listen, research and learn. This is always the first step to understand any problem.
2. Send a letter to your MP and MPP. Tell them that access to abortion care is important and how difficult it can be to access it in your province. Urge them to prevent anti-choice groups and CPCs from receiving charitable status, and to revoke the charitable status from CPCs that already have it. Encourage them to include reasonable reimbursement for travel costs related to receiving medical care when it is not available in your community. And push them to pass Safe Access Zone Legislation to protect patients, practitioners and their staff from anti-choice harassment and intimidation.
3. Give a donation to a pro-choice charitable organization of your choice. Remember, if you give a total of $201 CDN or more to Canadian charitable organizations, you'll get a credit of 29% of your total annual donations on your income taxes (for those that file Canadian Income Taxes, only).
4. Sign up for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Newsletter. https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
5. Participate in local marches and rallys in support of access to abortion care.
6. Spread the Word. Tell your friends and family. Encourage them to research, listen and learn. Encourage them to contact their MPP and MPs.
7. If you work in a Doctor's office or as a family physician, consider incorporating Mifegymiso into your practice to ensure patients have timely access to this essential service. If you are a Doctor, or studying to be one, consider opening an Abortion Care practice when you are licensed and qualified to do so, especially in rural areas where there are a lack of options.
8. If you work in politics, consider proposing legislation that will ensure safe access zones for abortion care providers and their clients and covering reasonable travel costs for constituents when medical care is not available in their community.
9. If you are a journalist or work in media, consider preparing pieces sharing the difficulty Canadians can have accessing medical care such as abortions.
10. If you work in the area of Not For Profit/Advocacy, consider partnering with a Pro-choice organization and helping them spread information and lobby for improving access to abortion care for Canadians.
11. If you know someone who needs abortion care, consider giving them a ride to a clinic, helping them access the advice and care they need, and provide non-judgemental support.
12. Ensure persons of First Nations, Metis and Inuit heritage know about Jordan's Principle, which ensures that First Nations children (which includes people who can become pregnant under the age of 18) can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1568396042341/1568396159824

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Emerging Policy Issues with Reddit
On July 1, 2023, Reddit raised the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that killed every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader. This policy change meant that mobile users would have a lesser experience browsing Reddit, users with visual difficulties could not browse reddit as screenreaders are not compatible with the official Reddit app, and mods lost tools that they depend on to keep communities on-topic and spam-free. Many subreddits protested this change in June 2023, and the Reddit admins enforced draconian measures such as removing and replacing mods who privatized their subreddits in protest of this policy change.
On September 12, 2023, Reddit will eliminate reddit coins, including removing all accumulated coins, a perk that Reddit Premium users pay for every month. Coins are used to reward comments and posts by showing your appreciation for the effort. Some reddit coins offer the ability to use reddit without ads.
In March 2024, Reddit had an IPO (Initial Public Offering), and the founder and current CEO, as well as the COO have sold $500,000 of their shares. How does this effect you? Reddit may face pressure to increase revenues to attract investors. This could lead to more ads or new monetization features. There could also be changes to the platform to attract a wider user base, such as bans and censorship on certain topics or words and control over content to appease more conservative shareholders or users.
What can you do to protest policy changes at Reddit?

1. Listen, research and learn. Check /modcoord for updates
2. Cancel your Reddit Premium membership
3. Participate in subreddit led protests
4. Look for other forums to patronize. We have a forum on Discord called Auntie Network Canada. Message the mods here for an invite link to the Discord group.
5. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit. Leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app.

Hi all,
Would like to get a cross check on my plans. Have been reading about FIRE for a number of years and progressively getting more serious around tracking and forecasting. My goal would be to retire around ~50 (currently 44) but could push this a few years depending on how I feel about my job at that time.
Here is our current situation:
Joint employment income mine 160 + SO 85 = £245k
Share options (early stage company) potentially worth between 0 - 400k (i’m keeping these at 0 in my head for now)
Primary residence £530k mortgage 2.94% worth £1.2m – we have a 6 year old at school and plan on staying for at least another 8-10 years.
BTL (old flat) £260k mortgage @ 5.74% worth £550k - currently rented for 2k per month. – I’ve let this for 8 years so quite a high CGT if I sell, hoping to keep either forever or until i’m paying less tax (in my name only). Not making money at the moment but has over the long term. In 1 year I can put the rent up and 1.5 year will remortgage hopefully lower, or pay a chunk off. Can pay 10% without charge which I am considering
Assets:
Single FANG stock £630K (ex employer RSU’s - gradually unwinding but probably will keep increasing if I avoid CGT)
ISA combined £479k (mix of stocks and index trackers) no contributions this year yet
Premium bonds £50k
Cash £80k savings
Child ISA £28k
Pensions:
Mine £320k
SO £100k
Debts:
0% credit cards £30k (will roll them over or pay off)
No car leases
Childcare wraparound:
£500 per month
Outgoings monthly average £6k including main mortgage (£2.3k) but excluding the BTL as I run that separately - this includes cars / house / bills and holidays
My main thoughts are increasing my pension so I can use my previous years allowances. I am thinking that this would be better than paying my main residence mortgage as I could pay a chunk from my 25% pension at 57 (checking if I can access at 55, unsure if the change impacts me). This might mean that we would not be able to fill ISA’s every year but probably makes sense from a longer term perspective.
One other thought is selling the flat and putting all the cash into pensions and ISA’s + GIA’s, while it is not making much now, over the longer term it will if interest rates drop or I pay down the mortgage. I could also consider an interest only on our main residence and put the rest into our pensions, but holding a large mortgage even with our assets still feels a bit uneasy.
For retirement I think we would need £60k a year to be comfortable – especially in the early years. Also we need to support our child through education / university but have set a child ISA up that we and grandparents contribute too.
Given all of this, is FIRE at 50 realistic for us? – My SO would likely continue working for a few years past me, but would also like to FIRE.
I really appreciate any and all advice!
Thanks
J

Bobbing Theory
Greetings Apes, new theory on the share offering. A little less sexy than the colorful speculation, but this theory ties in with a few of the current and past DD. (I’ll add a little tinfoil at the end).
For this theory I am going to exclude as much tinfoil as possible and also make the assumption that market makers and hedge funds are not engaging in crime but are instead (mostly) working within the rules they created to fuck the poors. While I do not agree with their rules, legal does not equate to ethical as was taught in my PhD program’s first semester ethics course, After all slavery was legal in the US.
“Bobbing” is a swimming technique that involves gently bouncing from the pool floor and practicing exhaling underwater and inhaling above the surface. In this case the dumb storm troopers (Shorts) are the ones in the pool.
There are 5 Assumptions that are made in this theory:

1. Many hedge funds are short GME and need to maintain margin.
2. The Hedge-funds are likely working together to maintain margin.
3. Margin calls are not going out or at the very least are “flexible.”
4. They still think they are going to win and have a thesis (this is important).
5. RC had a plan to stop the bobbing cycle.

I think many of us are getting the perspective wrong and I think it would benefit us think a little differently. When we are seeing these price rises, it is not about them losing control. If it was, the price would look like a phone number. This is a controlled and planned raise. The price rises accomplish two things: First it attacks retail psychology and gets us to FOMO (fear of missing out) and then (for less hardened apes) breaks moral (they want this) and second It helps them support their cost basis (SCB). This is a two step process, let’s break this down.
Retail FOMO
This helps the shorts in a few ways but it is a double edged sword. When there is no liquidity it only takes a few shares to raise the price. This creates more volatility and options prices go up and the shorts happily write the contracts. When they drive the stock price back down to near max pain they get to keep the premium. They win. They also get to keep us gambling, remember it’s not the wins that hook the gambler it’s the almost. This FOMO raises the price as they funnel orders to their dark pools and they let the price raise controlled. They then meter out the buying pressure and complete the trade after they walk them down through short laddering. The only way this hurts them is if the shares are DRS'd. That is why the volume explodes.
Supporting Their Cost Basis
It is these two processes together that make up the Bobbing Theory and, I believe explain the Dorito of doom. Each time we touch the top of that line they are grabbing margin from FOMO psychology and supporting their cost basis by raising the average price of their opened shorts. They push up to the top of the pool and take a breath of that sweet retail margin. Then they drop back down through (illegal) high frequency short laddering (slowly exhaling their margin) until they hit the bottom. Then when they need to take another breath they push off the bottom get retail to FOMO and take another breath of that sweet sweet retail margin. They do all this in addition to pumping the market and the longs they hold.
The high frequency short laddering to lower the price is why we see so much off exchange and a huge increase in volume. They are trading between themselves to lower the price without actually burning through their short shares.
The 5 Assumptions
In order for the justification for the FOMO and SCB process to make sense we need a “why", thus the 5 assumptions.
The shorts need to have two things, first enough liquidity to maintain a semblance of margin, and second, a promise (reassurance) of profits (for them and the creditors).
In this theory the hedged funds are working together and are helping each other maintain margin, thus spreading the risk. Remember, we don’t need all of them to fail, we need one of them to fail. This will cause buying back shares at any price and this is something they all desperately want to avoid or they will all get liquidated. So what do they do, they “bob” for a breath of air. The thing is they all have to “bob” when one runs low on margin (air) so we don’t know which one was close to failing. They also go to pretty extreme measures when one of them is about to fail, They do this through loans (Melvin, New York Community Bank) or taking on failing banks (UBS, Silicon valley bank). They are also not being adequately margin called (Archegos, Fed Letter to Prime Brokers). Why would you not get appropriately margin called? Because, you can still justify your short thesis (in your mind) and you have a long standing relationship with the prime brokers. Remember GME still needs to turn a decent profit and show a plan for turning around. As of now, GME keeps this plan close to chest and is experimenting.
So... If these things are true, how does RC fight the shorts and how does the share offering apply?
I’m glad you asked. RC and apes have already set the bottom of the pool. If they lower it too far apes buy and DRS the shit out of the stock and burn up liquidity they are desperate for and use for their manipulation. GME also has $100M ready to buy back shares. Ok so they can’t lower it. But they can keep milking retail right....
Not anymore. Those 45m shares are a warning to the shorts that they will need to get their liquidity elsewhere. If they try to "bob" again RC is going to sell the shares and make GME even more valuable. GME does not need the money but RC has shown that he is protecting the shareholders. If they drop the price he will buy ($100m) if they try to fleece shareholders he will sell and be the one to reap the retail margin for the good of GME not the short sellers.
That filing around the 45m share issuance was not put together, filed and approved in the few days the stock ran last week. I think it was leaked to the shorts by someone at the SEC, and the short sellers gave retail one more fleecing before RC closed the door with that filing. If they come up for air agin, he will drown them. And he will do it through the issuance of Global Shares that cannot be shorted and must be booked so that we can see them accounted for in the DRS numbers (he knows what is important to the shareholders). RC knew this was controlled otherwise there would be no reason to fuck the option chain on the announcement timing. It was already fucked, we just didn't know it yet (I mean kinda, lots of us saw that coming).
Tinfoil
You may or may not agree with this. I look at things in real broad strokes.
The SEC (generally) is on our side. I think CAT is specifically for targeting the high frequency trading the hedge funds use to short ladder between themselves. This is one of the truly illegal things they are doing, but the shorts NEED this mechanism to control the price. Without this mechanism GME runs, naked shorts or not. This is one of the things that the hedge fund cabal uses to reassure the collateral holder that everything is going to be fine, if they control the price everything is under control, if they don't........
The DTCC is kinda on our side (now). They saw/see? the writing on the wall and have made Crypto and other pumped bullshit collateral worthless because they know it is fake. They also do not want to get fucked, and are willing to let some of the bad actors take the fall even though they are also complacent. They think they are far enough removed to not get scrutiny from the public because very few even know they exist.
Last speculation, one of the justifications used to stretch this out is that if they concentrate the diamond hardened holders of GME (less people more stocks) that on average people will sell for lower prices do to their overall portfolio being worth more.
Anyway, thanks for reading if you made it to the end. And as a final note: I encourage you to DRS (Book) your shares, if you don’t and you get fucked, my conscious is clear.
See you on the moon! I’ll get the first round.
-Acatalepsy

Timestamp and Videos: https://imgur.com/a/xVGPbDj

Boilerplate: Well, went on a bit of a spending spree and then have nowhere to put the new acquisitions, so both need to fill the coffers and make room in the case.
Mostly uninterested in trades (bought too much this week already) but a full Ti Chaves Chub Flipper or a We OAO might be considered. Maybe some weird Maxace stuff, although I have most of the ones I want.
Yolo beats any sort of chat haggling, etc. Please be over 18 and know your knife laws etc.
Shipping to lower 48 is included with Pirateship insurance. Payment is paypal f&f no notes, please. Can also do venmo or zelle.
1.) CLONE Vosteed RSKAOS SV30 TV30
Blurb: Not the most faithful representation but a cheap way to see if you like the blade shape: I will say this guy has steel handles instead of titanium, it’s kind of on the heavy side. Might be useful to keep in your car or in your pocket on a bike ride in case you need to have something heavy to throw at a mean car or something. Paid 40 plus Tax on Aliexpress, so save yourself 20 bucks and a four week wait.
Ownership: 1^st Owner
Did I cut or carry or Sharpen: No
Disassembled? No
Snails Trails etc: Not a one.
Box etc?: Yes, have original box. And the nylon belt holster thingy.
2.) CLONE Glykon Dagger OTF SV30 TV30
Blurb: Faithful representation, the three switches are indeed one single molded piece like the original, but again with the steel handles. Although this guy isn’t as heavy as #1 it’s a bit heavier than you’d expect. Solid Blade, good switch just can’t really carry OTF’s and most us Retailers aren’t too happy about mailing them to my geography, but Ali sellers don’t seem to mind, just wanted to try some out I suppose. Paid 40 plus Tax on Aliexpress, so save yourself 20 bucks and a four week wait.
Ownership: 1^st Owner
Did I cut or carry or Sharpen: No
Disassembled? Yes, to see how it ticks.
Snails Trails etc: Not a one.
Box etc?: Yes, have original box.

3.) CLONE Glykon Tanto OTF SV30 TV30
Blurb: Really Cool blade shape, and the three switches are indeed one single molded piece like the original, but again with the steel handles. Although this guy isn’t as heavy as #1 it’s a bit heavier than you’d expect. Solid Blade, good Action, only thing was that this guy came coated in like the worst blue coating. It got scratchy if you looked at it funny. So I put some elbow grease into using a scotch-brite pad to take off that coating but left it in the grooves and in the switch track etc. I think it looks 1000% cooler this way but it has been rather heavily modified. Paid 40 plus Tax on Aliexpress, so save yourself 20 bucks and a four week wait.
Ownership: 1^st Owner
Did I cut or carry or Sharpen: No
Disassembled? Yes, and scrubbed off the obnoxious blue coating with scotch-brite pads.
Snails Trails etc: Looks pretty good.
Box etc?: Yes, have original box. And the nylon belt holster thingy.
4.) CLONE Heretic Manticore S Mini OTF SV30 TV30
Blurb: This dude is small but mighty. Cool tanto blade. Paid 40 plus Tax on Aliexpress, so save yourself 20 bucks and a four week wait.
Ownership: 1^st Owner
Did I cut or carry or Sharpen: No
Disassembled? No
Snails Trails etc: Looks pretty good.
Box etc?: Yes, have original box. And the nylon belt holster thingy. And little screwdriver.
5.) Meton Boss Blue Patterned Anodized Titanium Scale for Hinderer XM-18 3.5 SV100 TV100
Blurb: Kind of timascus-looking titanium scale for a hinderer from meton boss. This thing retails for $199.99 and does have weight reduction milling on the inside. Save yourself 100 bucks and the fact that these are currently sold-out on meton boss’ web site.
Ownership: 2nd Owner
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: This did live on a hinderer for a minute and was carried by me but as soon as I got my hands on the oil slick zirc scale it’s been in the case.
Disassembled? It’s a single solid piece of metal, so no, but it has been on a knife.
Snails Trails etc: Not that I can see. Oils from your hand can dull titanium anodization so you have to give it a bath with dawn or windex every once in a while.
Box etc?: just came in a plastic bag with a piece of soft Styrofoam in it, which I have.

6.) Olight Oknife Parrot Micarta Handles Black Coated 154CM blade SV50 TV50
Blurb: This is the knife I used to teach myself front-flipping. And I highly recommend it in this regard. I can front flip all kinds of stuff now. These things are going for 79.95 on amazon. The micarta is soft and the blade is sharp. Save yourself 30 bucks.
Ownership: 1^st owner
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: Just opened this one to take the pictures. (this isn’t the exact one I used to teach myself front flipping, that one is still here).
Disassembled? Nah
Snails Trails etc: Not that I can see.
Box etc?: Have box, pouch, coin, microfiber towel thing, maybe even an instruction manual? Everything that was in the box is still there.
7.) CLONE Rockstead Hizen SV40 TV40
Blurb: Well if you ever wanted to handle something that looks kinda like a rockstead to try it on for feels this is your guy. While it doesn’t have the famous convex grind it is a couple of nicely milled pieces of titanium and a rather nice-looking blade. Which they call “Japan AUS-10”. These are going for about 55 plus tax on Ali, I’ll save you 25 bucks and the four week wait.
Ownership: 1^st owner
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: Just flipped it a few times.
Disassembled? Nah
Snails Trails etc: Not that I can see.
Box etc?: Have box.
8.) The Famous Beketen Relative CLONE SV100 TV100
Blurb: If you’ve spent any time on the Chinese knives Sub you’ve heard of this guy. It was one of those knives that did a few minor tweaks to the original to come up with something perhaps slightly better, like including both front and rear flipper in addition to the hole, and including a longer backspacer. Someone had one tested and I think the verdict is generally that it is M390. Anyway, I have purchased four of these for the purposes of testing various surface mods like polishing and or burnishing and anodizing, and I just never got around to messing with this one, it’s still 100% stock. These are retailing on Ail for 113 but I’ll save you 20 bucks and the four week-wait.
Ownership: 1^st owner
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: Just flipped it a few times.
Disassembled? Nah
Snails Trails etc: Not that I can see.
Box etc?: Have taco, don’t think this guy came with a box
9.) Sold Sold Sold The See-Through Trodon CLONE with Interceptor blade SV50 TV50
Blurb: Picked this up on the swap for 60, was fun to play with and the clear handle is a novelty. The interceptor blade is really dope. I don’t know where this guy came from originally, I can’t find anything like it. Won’t be too bummed if this guy doesn’t sell but again, I can’t really carry these in my Geography.
Ownership: 2nd owner.
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: Just actuated it a few times.
Disassembled? Nah
Snails Trails etc: Not that I can see.
Box etc?: I didn’t get any of that with this guy, I’ll put it in a taco.
10.) Lansky 5- Stone Ceramic Knife Sharpener Kit. SV30 TV30
Blurb: These are retailing at amazon for 50, this system holds the angle of sharpening so that it’s uniform on both sides of the blade. I just have too much crap.
Ownership: 1st
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: This has sharpened a few knives.
Disassembled? Yes, and assembled.
Snails Trails etc: Not really.
Box etc?: Has it’s own special plastic box.
11.) CLONE Benchmade Bundle SV60 TV60
Blurb: I threw out the cheap washers that came with the Aluminum Radiation pattern bugout and replaced them with real phosphor bronze washers from USA Knife Maker. The 0.5 cm ones, not the oem .33 cm ones. As a result, the action on this guy is just glassy. At least as good as my OEM bugouts. The narrows I’m throwing in at substantial discount. This is the OK knives version, so it’s not the one that totally sucks, probably titanium scales even (they weren’t magnetic). The real score here is that you’re getting a bugout that definitely has that smooth glossy action which can be hard to find on even an OEM bugout sometimes. Still saving you at least 25 bucks over what I paid for these and no-four-week-wait.
Ownership: 1st
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: None of those things no.
Disassembled? Yes, and replaced washers on the bugout. Haven’t disassembled the narrows.
Snails Trails etc: Nope.
Box etc?: I’ll put them in a taco. Don’t think I have a box for these, but I’ll look again.
11.) Twosun TS341 Sidewinder SV55 TV55
Blurb: Sweet little knife. Factory Entropic Ano and texture on the titanium handles. Picked this guy up on the swap for 75, saving you 20 bucks and the long shipping times. The original seller’s pictures are still up on imjur: https://imgur.com/a/noxmdfo Also has some carbon fiber inlays D2 Steel.
Ownership: 2nd
Did I cut, carry or sharpen: None of those things no.
Disassembled? no
Snails Trails etc: Nope.
Box etc?: Yes.
Can’t believe I’m done writing now. Woof. That was a lot. Hope y ’all enjoy these knives. I tried to make the prices as bro-ey as possible. Of course shoot your shot if you think I’m off base. Take 5 off if you buy 2, 10 off for three, etc.

Link to Part 1!
Hello! I am back with an update for my fellow Aussies on my experience with Astrohuas as an Australian. My Freewrite Smart Typewrite Gen 3 Ink Edition arrived today, Tuesday 21st of May. It has been quite the saga, one that makes me all the more determined to share my experience on this sub.
The last time I left you, my Ink was winging it's way from the offices of shipping forwarder service US to Oz in Oregon to me in Australia courtesy of FedEx International Priority. Some time on Friday, I got what appeared to be a phishing scam text. The text was supposedly from 'FedEx-Exp' and contained my full name, FedEx delivery/order number, a link to a payment service called BPoint and two customer service phone numbers for FedEx. What was this payment link for, you may ask? It was my customs duties and taxes bill, for roughly $247 AUD. I clicked through the link, despite my initial reservations. But the field that contained my name was my first name only, and it was half in caps and half in lower case. Too uneasy to continue, I closed down the web page and deleted the text, sure that it was some sort of particularly sophisticated scam. On Sunday, I received a random called from a landline in Victoria. As I do not know the number (and get more scam calls and texts than I care to discuss) I let the call go.
To my surprise, they left a voicemail. It was a very soft (almost inaudible) female voice once again giving my FedEx order number, the exact contents of my order and the same amount owing for customs duties and taxes. I use Google to track down FedEx's customer support line in Australia (it's 13 26 10 BTW), but of course it's a Sunday and nobody is there to answer my call. I resolve to call FedEx myself after work on Monday.
Thankfully, US to Oz came to the rescue once more. In the early hours of Monday morning, I get an email from Justin at US to Oz, telling me he needs a confirmed phone number for me as Australian customs are trying to get a hold of me. He informed me that we had just a few days to resolve the duties & taxes issue before the charming (not) Australian Border Force/Customs charged him as the sender the full shipping fee for returning my order to the US if the fees and duties were not paid. I promptly confirmed my phone number and emailed Justin a screenshot of the second 'payment' text I had received on Sunday, and he confirmed it was legitimate and not a scam. I paid via credit card through the secure portal/web page in the text and emailed Justin to confirm that I had paid. It is worth noting that duties and taxes are calculated including the cost of shipping, not just the value of the items in the order. The rest of the process was fairly easy, but as I only paid my duties in the early hours of Monday morning my shipment was delayed by a day, finally arriving today on Tuesday afternoon.
Only one question remains -
What the ACTUAL FUCK FedEx? My tracking emails from FedEx contained no reference to or mention of the customs duties & taxes payment process. It looked so much like a scam I almost lost my order altogether. I knew I would have to pay them, but the scam-adjacent texts and anonymous voicemails from someone who is barely audible and does not even identify where the call is coming from (yes, really) is absolutely ridiculous.
Anyway - moving on. I had already ordered a set of 90's themed keycaps and a portable lap desk thingy for my Ink, which arrived ahead of the device itself. My first order of business was connecting the Ink to wifi, which was very easy after the Ink booted up for the first time. Setting up Postbox was easy enough (done from the device rather than online) and getting it to sync to my Google Drive was super easy. I did a test document, tested the shredding function from Postbox and all was working seamlessly. I then set about installing two firmware updates and one software update (easily done if you consult the start up manual). The firmware updates you can control from the device, but the software updates seem more random. I then set about changing the lettered keys in the centre of the keyboard for the 90's themed keycaps I purchased - this was done pretty easily with the puller included with keycap kit. I may restore the original black keycaps if I get to the point where I am confidently touch typing on the new keyboard, otherwise they are definitely hard to see in anything but absolutely ideal lighting conditions.
I am now leaving it to charge overnight as the battery was only half charged upon arrival. All in all I am extremely happy with my purchase so far (FedEx & customs drama aside). For those readers keeping score at home, the initial order from Astrohaus was $865USD/ $1373 AUD, shipping to Australia was $238 USD/ $362 AUD and customs duties and taxes was approx $250 AUD after credit card surcharges. That's a total of $1985 AUD for the Freewrite Smart Typewriter 3rd Gen (Ink Special Edition) plus the felt and leather sleeve and the 2 year extended warranty. Is it worth it? Only time will tell. I would also highly recommend Justin and his team at US to Oz for the excellent and speedy service and all the help he was able to offer throughout the purchasing process.

To develop a custom WordPress website, plan your site structure and design. Next, install WordPress on your hosting server and choose a suitable theme or create a custom one. Customize the design and functionality using HTML, CSS, and PHP coding as needed. Add content, including pages, posts, and media, to populate your site. Finally, test your site thoroughly across different browsers and devices to ensure it functions correctly before launching it to the public.
What are the initial steps to create a personalized WordPress site?

1. Define your goals and objectives for the website.
2. Choose a suitable domain name for your WordPress site.
3. Select a reliable web hosting provider that meets your needs.
4. Install WordPress on your hosting server.
5. Choose a theme that aligns with your brand and design preferences.
6. Customize the theme settings and appearance to match your desired look and feel.
7. Create essential pages such as Home, About, Contact, and Services.
8. Install and configure necessary plugins for added functionality.
9. Set up user roles and permissions as per your requirements.
10. Develop a content strategy and plan for creating and organizing your website content.

Step-by-Step Guideline Develop a Custom WordPress Website

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name and Hosting
Your domain name is your website's address on the internet, like www.yoursite.com. Choose a domain name that's easy to remember, relevant to your brand, and not too long. Next, you'll need hosting, which is like renting space on the internet to store your website files. Look for a hosting provider that offers reliable service, good customer support, and enough storage and bandwidth for your needs.
Step 2: Install WordPress
WordPress is a popular platform for building websites because it's easy to use and highly customizable. Many hosting providers offer a one-click WordPress installation, which makes getting started a breeze. Simply log in to your hosting account, find the WordPress installer, and follow the prompts to set up your site. Once WordPress is installed, you can log in to your site's dashboard and start customizing it to your liking.
Step 3: Select a Theme
A WordPress theme determines the overall look and layout of your website. There are thousands of free and premium themes available, so take your time to find one that fits your style and the goals of your site. Look for a theme that's responsive (meaning it looks good on all devices), easy to customize, and well-supported by its developers. Once you've chosen a theme, you can install it on your WordPress site with just a few clicks.
Step 4: Customize Your Theme
Once you've installed your theme, it's time to customize it to make it your own. Most WordPress themes come with built-in customization options that allow you to change things like colors, fonts, and layouts without needing to know any code. Use the theme customizer in your WordPress dashboard to tweak your site's appearance until it looks just the way you want it to. Don't be afraid to experiment until you find the perfect look for your website.
Step 5: Add Content
With your theme customized, it's time to start adding content to your website. Create pages for important information like your Home page, About page, Services page, and Contact page. Use the WordPress editor to add text, images, videos, and other media to your pages. Write clear, engaging copy that tells visitors what your website is about and encourages them to explore further. Remember to proofread your content carefully before publishing to ensure it's free of errors.
Step 6: Install Plugins
WordPress plugins are like apps that add extra features and functionality to your website. There are thousands of plugins available for everything from contact forms to social media integration to search engine optimization. Think about the goals of your website and choose plugins that will help you achieve them. Be selective about the plugins you install, as too many can slow down your site and cause conflicts. Install and activate your chosen plugins from the WordPress plugin directory, then configure them to suit your needs.
Step 7: Optimize for SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website's visibility in search engine results. A well-optimized website is more likely to rank higher in search results, driving more traffic to your site. Install an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack to help you optimize your content for relevant keywords, add meta tags and descriptions, and improve your site's overall SEO performance. Take the time to research keywords relevant to your niche and incorporate them naturally into your content for the best results.
Step 8: Test and Launch
Before you launch your website, it's important to test it thoroughly to ensure everything is working correctly. Check your site on different devices and browsers to make sure it looks good and functions properly. Test all links, forms, and interactive elements to make sure they work as expected. Once you're confident that everything is working as it should, it's time to launch your website and share it with the world. Celebrate your hard work and take pride in your new custom WordPress website!
Step 9: Maintain and Update
Building a website is just the beginning – maintaining it is an ongoing process. Regularly update your content to keep it fresh and relevant, and update your plugins and themes to ensure your site stays secure and performs well. Monitor your site's performance using tools like Google Analytics, and make adjustments as needed to improve usability and user experience. Listen to feedback from your visitors and make changes accordingly to keep your website running smoothly and meeting the needs of your audience.
What do you consider to select hosting and a domain name for your WordPress site?
Firstly, you'll want to choose a hosting provider that offers good speed and reliability. Look for one that has a solid reputation and good customer support in case you run into any issues. Consider your budget too, as hosting costs can vary.
As for the domain name, it's important to choose something that's easy to remember and relevant to your site's content. Avoid using complicated or obscure words that might be hard for people to spell or remember. It's also a good idea to check if your desired domain name is available on social media platforms to maintain consistency across your online presence. Lastly, think about whether you want to use a .com, .net, or other domain extension, keeping in mind what best suits your site's purpose and audience.
How do you evaluate and choose a theme that suits your brand and design preferences?
Firstly, consider your brand identity and the message you want to convey to your audience. Look for a theme that aligns with the style, colors, and overall feel of your brand.
Next, think about the functionality you need. Do you want a theme that's highly customizable or one that's more straightforward? Consider features like layout options, customization options, and compatibility with plugins you might want to use.
It's also important to check the responsiveness of the theme. Make sure it looks good and functions well on various devices, including smartphones and tablets.
Lastly, take some time to browse through different themes and read reviews from other users. This can give you a better idea of what to expect and help you make an informed decision that suits your brand and design preferences.
What essential pages should you create first?

• Homepage
• About Us/About Me
• Contact Page
• Products/Services Page
• Blog
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Legal Pages (Disclaimer, Copyright Notice, etc.)

How do you decide which plugins to install?

1. Identify Needs: Determine the specific functionality you require for your site.
2. Research: Look for plugins that offer the features you need.
3. Ratings and Reviews: Check plugin ratings and read user reviews to gauge reliability and performance.
4. Compatibility: Ensure the plugin is compatible with your WordPress version and other installed plugins.
5. Active Installations: Choose plugins with a high number of active installations for reliability and community support.

Example:

• Yoast SEO (for search engine optimization)
• Contact Form 7 (for creating contact forms)
• WooCommerce (for e-commerce functionality)
• Jetpack (for security, performance, and site management)
• WP Super Cache (for caching to improve site speed

How do you integrate custom features and functionalities into your WordPress site?
Integrating custom features and functionalities into your WordPress site involves adding extra capabilities beyond what comes with the standard installation. One way to do this is by using plugins. These are like apps for your website, and they can add all sorts of new features, from contact forms to e-commerce shops.
For example, let's say you want to add a feature for visitors to book appointments on your site. You could search for a booking plugin like "Bookly" or "Appointment Booking Calendar." After installing and activating the plugin, you'd typically set it up by following the provided instructions, which might involve configuring settings, creating booking forms, and placing them on your site where you want them to appear.
Another way to integrate custom features is by adding code directly to your site. This could involve writing your own custom functions or modifying existing ones. For instance, if you wanted to add a custom sidebar widget displaying your latest Instagram photos, you might need to write some PHP code to fetch the photos from Instagram's API and display them on your site.
In summary, integrating custom features and functionalities into your WordPress site can be done through plugins or by adding custom code, allowing you to tailor your site to your specific needs and preferences.
How do you manage user roles and permissions?
RoleCapabilitiesHow to Manage AdministratorCan do everything, including managing other users, installing plugins, and changing themes.Go to Users > All Users in the dashboard, find the user, and change their role to Administrator. EditorCan publish and manage posts, including those of other users.Go to Users > Add New, fill in user details, and assign the role of Editor. AuthorCan publish and manage their own posts only.In Users > All Users, select a user and change their role to Author. ContributorCan write and manage their own posts but cannot publish them.Add or edit a user and assign the role of Contributor. SubscriberCan only manage their own profile and read content.Change the user role to Subscriber in the Users section.
What security measures should you implement to protect your custom WordPress website?
To protect your custom WordPress website, you need to implement several security measures. Here are some specific steps:

1. Install a Security Plugin: Use plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri. They offer features like malware scanning and firewall protection.
2. Use Strong Passwords: Make sure all users have strong, unique passwords. A good password includes letters, numbers, and symbols.
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security. Users will need to enter a code from their phone in addition to their password.
4. Keep WordPress Updated: Always update WordPress to the latest version. Updates fix security vulnerabilities.
5. Limit Login Attempts: Use a plugin like Limit Login Attempts Reloaded to prevent brute-force attacks.
6. Change the Default "admin" Username: Don’t use "admin" as your username. Choose something unique to make it harder for hackers to guess.
7. Use HTTPS: Get an SSL certificate to encrypt data between your website and visitors. Most hosting providers offer this for free.
8. Backup Your Site Regularly: Use plugins like UpdraftPlus to create regular backups. If your site gets hacked, you can restore it.

How do you ensure responsiveness and mobile-friendliness in a custom WordPress site?
To ensure your custom WordPress site is responsive and mobile-friendly, follow these steps:

1. Pick a Responsive Theme: Start with a theme known for being responsive, such as Astra or GeneratePress.
2. Use a Mobile-Friendly Plugin: Install plugins like WP Touch, which help make your site mobile-friendly.
3. Apply Media Queries: Add CSS media queries to adjust your layout for different screen sizes. For example:

(Css code)@media (max-width: 768px) {
.sidebar { display: none; }
.content { width: 100%; }
}

1. Flexible Images and Videos: Ensure images and videos resize properly with:

(Css code)img, video { max-width: 100%; height: auto; }

1. Mobile Menu: Use a plugin like Responsive Menu to create a user-friendly mobile menu.
2. Optimize for Speed: Compress images using a plugin like Smush and enable caching with a plugin like W3 Total Cache.
3. Testing: Regularly test your site on different devices and browsers. Tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and BrowserStack can help.

How do you troubleshoot and debug issues that arise during the development of a custom WordPress site?
Troubleshooting and debugging issues during the development of a custom WordPress site involves several steps. Here are some real-world challenges and specific issues you might encounter:

1. White Screen of Death (WSOD): This issue often occurs due to PHP errors, plugin conflicts, or exhausted memory limits. Solution: Enable WordPress debugging by adding define('WP_DEBUG', true); to your wp-config.php file to display error messages. Check the error log for specific issues.
2. Plugin Conflicts: Plugins can conflict with each other or with the theme, causing functionality problems.Solution: Deactivate all plugins and reactivate them one by one to identify the conflicting plugin. Check for updates or consider alternative plugins.
3. Theme Issues: Custom themes might have coding errors or compatibility issues with WordPress updates. Solution: Use a child theme for customizations to avoid losing changes during updates. Validate your theme code using tools like Theme Check.
4. Database Errors: Corrupt or misconfigured databases can lead to errors or data loss. Solution: Use phpMyAdmin to check and repair database tables. Ensure regular backups are in place to restore data if needed.
5. Broken Links and 404 Errors: Incorrect URLs or deleted pages can lead to 404 errors, affecting user experience and SEO. Solution: Use a plugin like Redirection to manage and fix broken links. Regularly check for 404 errors using tools like Google Search Console.
6. Slow Performance: Poor performance can result from unoptimized images, bulky plugins, or inefficient code. Solution: Optimize images, use caching plugins like W3 Total Cache, and minimize CSS and JavaScript files. Profile your site using tools like Query Monitor to identify slow queries.
7. JavaScript Errors: JavaScript errors can break site functionality, especially interactive features. Solution: Use the browser’s developer tools (F12) to inspect the console for JavaScript errors. Fix issues by debugging the scripts or checking for library conflicts.
8. Security Vulnerabilities: Sites can be vulnerable to attacks if not properly secured. Solution: Regularly update WordPress, themes, and plugins. Use security plugins like Wordfence, and implement strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
9. Responsive Design Issues: Ensuring the site looks good on all devices can be challenging. Solution: Use responsive design techniques and test the site on various devices and screen sizes. Tools like BrowserStack can help simulate different environments.
10. User Role and Permission Problems: Incorrect configuration of user roles and permissions can lead to security and functionality issues. Solution: Use the User Role Editor plugin to manage and troubleshoot roles and capabilities. Ensure that users have appropriate access levels.

How do you create a seamless user experience (UX) in a custom WordPress site?
To create a seamless user experience (UX) in a custom WordPress site, start by choosing a clean, responsive theme that looks good on all devices. Ensure your site loads quickly by optimizing images and using caching plugins like W3 Total Cache. Simplify navigation with clear menus and breadcrumbs, making it easy for users to find what they need. Use readable fonts and sufficient white space to make content easy to read. Add a search bar so visitors can quickly locate information. Implement intuitive forms with clear labels and error messages. Regularly test your site on different devices and browsers to ensure everything works smoothly. By focusing on these details, you can make your WordPress site user-friendly and enjoyable to navigate.
How do you implement e-commerce functionality in a custom WordPress site?
To implement e-commerce functionality in a custom WordPress site, start by installing a reliable e-commerce plugin like WooCommerce. Set up your store by adding products with detailed descriptions, prices, and images. Configure payment gateways such as PayPal or Stripe to accept online payments securely. Customize the appearance of your store using built-in themes or by modifying CSS styles. Create user-friendly navigation with categories and filters to help customers easily browse products. Implement shopping cart functionality to allow users to add items and proceed to checkout seamlessly. Set up shipping options and rates based on location and weight. Test the entire purchasing process to ensure it works smoothly for users. Regularly update plugins and monitor sales to optimize your e-commerce site for success.
Conclusion
Creating a custom WordPress website involves several key steps. You start by deciding on your site's goals and picking a domain name and hosting provider. Then, you install WordPress, choose a theme, and customize it to match your brand. Next, you add content, like pages and posts, and install plugins for extra features, such as contact forms or SEO optimization. You'll want to make sure your site is responsive and works well on mobile devices. Lastly, you test everything thoroughly before launching your site to ensure it's ready for visitors. And don't forget to keep it updated and secure over time!

After filing my taxes with TurboTax, it said I owe about $1,200 in Federal Taxes.
I had to set up a payment plan. By doing so, TurboTax made me go to the IRS website and set up an account.
I set up an account and did all the stuff to set up the payment plan. Long story short, it said my payment plan was due by Sept. 2024.
However, I have not received any emails or letters confirming this. Also, when I recently log into my IRS account it shows I owe $0.
Does that mean I don’t owe or should I wait for a letter?
Need help!

So. I graduated high school in 2021 with a low GPA like..lower than a 2.5 I believe. Covid was a big thing and it really didn’t help me at all along with some losses I had. Can I do anything to make up for the low gpa to further my acceptance? I’ve thought about working at my birds veterinarian’s office would she be able to write me a letter of recommendation for pre vet school? (only with her comfort and permission) I’m really embarrassed of this GPA and i’m aware it can’t be changed after graduation but i’m told I can make up for it I just don’t know how and I really don’t want to give up on this. I have a passion for vet med I just have to do something and I hope it reaches the right people.

Chapter 1
Mors
An endless void, silence interlaid with its pitch-darkness, greeted an injured man. No light can be seen, sensations be damned, and consciousness spread thin as though taut in this incomprehensive expanse that laid before him.
Callum fell into the abyss, his mind the only thing left to accompany him. He hasn’t even counted the minutes as his mind is plagued by something else. He never considered himself a man of interest, only scraping by with his odd jobs and part-time salaries, hence why he couldn’t understand his current situation.
Betrayal is something that he is familiar with, whether it be a betrayal of his expectations when a co-worker broke his promise or a betrayal of his emotions when his first love interest cheated on him back in uni. However, this betrayal orchestrated by his best friend whom he’d known for 5 years, and girlfriend for 8 years felt more gut-wrenching than the pain he felt from the stab.
Denial was the first thing that stormed his mind. He couldn’t believe that the two closest people in his life would stab him in the back, literally. There was no build-up, he didn’t suspect a thing, and everything was normal until he found steel in his flesh.
He rejected the notion that his girlfriend, Catherine, would betray him like this, an accomplice to a murder that he can’t grasp the motive of. He has built up some savings, but it isn’t something that would be worth murdering someone for, especially after buying that ring.
He dismissed the thought of Jake being jealous of their relationship as he couldn’t see the guy doing something as stupid as this. He can’t form any rhyme or reason as to why they would do it, and the only possible explanation is that this was all a dream and he was actually still sleeping inside the tent.
But as he waited for himself to wake from this nightmare, only darkness greeted him. He had tried moving his body in this sea of blackness, but the movement only felt like going through molasses with tired arms, which is why he attributed this as being only a dream that he would wake up from, which appeared to be wrong as he waited and waited.
Anxiety crept in as he tried to call out, but no sound escaped his lips. He strained his voice to be heard, yet he can't even hear himself. No light adorned this place, no wind to be heard, and he couldn’t feel anything even though he tried feeling himself.
The pain in his back was forgotten as he tried and tried to move, to scream, to flail senselessly, amounting to nothing as he was greeted by nothing.
Feeling anything in this void is something impossible, and the only thing that he can do is return to his mindscape.
He went back to his oldest memories, back to a time when everything felt oppressive and suffocating. Callum was born into a broken family. His mother and father had gone through a divorce when he was only 6 years old. He could still remember the screaming and yelling of his parents whenever night fell in their sorry state of an apartment.
His father, Eric, having not finished his education after Callum’s birth, has been living as a blue-collar worker in downtown New Jersey. Even during his day-offs, he can’t seem to find rest as he goes to do odd jobs and part-time work to stay afloat. On the other hand, his mother would leave him, a toddler, alone in the apartment.
He remembered her putting CDs in a DVD player so that it could keep his attention on a cartoon that his father introduced him to. If he had anything to describe his mother, she would be irresponsible and narcissistic. She would sometimes bring guys over to their apartment, threatening Callum with divorce if he ever told Eric about it, hence why it took several years until his dad caught on and filed for a divorce.
Eric was determined to take Callum with him, he argues that he could take care of his child better than Callum’s mother. But his mother and her twisted pride can’t let go of Callum, which leads to a legal dispute between the two.
The court hearings went on for several months, with each passing day being a lot more hellish for Callum. He was subjected to further insults by his mother as she knew that leaving bruises on her child would lower her chances of winning over the court to her side. Sometimes, she would go as far as manipulate him, gaslighting him into believing that she was a good mother who would take care of him better than his father. But after seeing that the court favors Eric’s side more, his mother took drastic measures to satisfy her wounded pride.
It was the second to the last day of the court hearing, and it was during this time that his father was working overtime. Callum had just gone home from his elementary school, feeling tired as he hauled his bag over his shoulders up the multiple flights of stairs he had to climb to get to their apartment.
As he neared his home, he steeled himself and opened the door, only to be met with overturned tables and broken ceramics. He walked quietly through the scene, afraid that someone might hear him entering his home. Looking back on it now, Calum can’t help himself but laugh at his stupidity. He could have gone and alerted their neighbors, or gone back downstairs to wait for his father, but being a child, Callum doesn’t know what to do.
As he entered his room, he saw black words spray painted on the walls, the meaning eluding him as he didn’t know what it meant since he was 7 at the time, but remembering it now sent shivers down his spine.
The words “This is what you get!” on a torn wallpaper are ingrained in his mind. Seeing the manic letters sprayed over the walls gave Callum anxiety, taking a few steps back towards the open front door of their apartment. Escape was now on his mind as he grew scared of what was to come, something that was far too late as he heard his mother behind him.
It was there that everything turned into a blur. He remembered snippets of yelling and crying both from himself and his mother. He remembered his mother forcing something down his throat. He remembered his father coming home early that day and restraining his mother, a crazy look in her eyes. He remembered the feeling of nausea and the floor colored with his lunch. And he remembered the sirens, red and blue lights dancing in his vision as he was carried to a stretcher. The last thing he remembered was his father crying, holding his hands tightly when he opened his tired eyes.
For the next few days, he learned from the news that his mother attempted a double suicide. The story goes, after losing the custody battle, the mother planned to take revenge by ending the lives of both her child and herself. They said that he got lucky as the neighbors had contacted Eric when his mother turned their home upside down, relating it to a possible home invasion. If not for him, Callum would have died from nicotine poisoning after his mother forced tobacco down his gullet, a morbid story that he uses as a joke during his time at work.
He remembered being inside that hospital for days on end, his body recovering from the poison his mother left him with, and his father was there almost every day even though he had to work to pay the hospital bills. After what felt like forever was he allowed to be discharged, going back to the same refurbished apartment that they lived in, but after seeing how Callum had recurring nightmares and trauma attached to the place, they decided to move to Pennsylvania. A hard decision that needed to be made as his father would put it.
Everything after the whole incident was better for Callum. His father got a job as a mover, still doing some part-time work here and there, and Callum did his best in school so as not to burden his father with more work. Even though they lived in a rundown shack handed to them by one of the locals, they didn’t mind as they knew that getting to live at all was better than what they had before.
Callum smiled in the abyss as he reminisced about his time with his father. He was a great man, a good role model for anyone who came across him. He is kind-hearted and considerate, a hard worker that makes him popular among his peers. It was them that helped move him and his father out of New Jersey and found them a place to sleep in, teaching Callum that socializing and connecting with like-minded people goes a long way when someone needs it.
For the next few years, Callum lived happily. Though there were some ups and downs, he and his father got through it, which is why the memory of his time in university was depressing.
Eric, after having saved some money, gave Callum the go-ahead to enroll in a university in California. But after attaining an athletic scholarship in football, Callum gave his father a surprise to ease his worries and stress. Callum felt bad every time he saw his father work, hence why he tried his hardest to take some of that workload to give him a break. With the tuition being lowered with the scholarship, Callum could give the rest of the money back to his dad. A gesture that was fully gratified as his father had a hard time letting him go when the time came to move over to the university. But it was during this time that tragedy struck.
It was his fourth year in studying anthropology when he heard the news from one of his father’s friends, Robby. After hearing it, he grew distressed and worried, taking a lot of convincing from Robby to keep Callum from moving back to Pennsylvania.
His father has gone missing. The news had spread amongst his co-workers and friends, and a search team was already being dispatched to find him. Even though Callum tried to keep his focus on studying, he couldn’t help but feel agitated as days went by without news of his father being seen. His mental state plummeted, and he grew withdrawn from reality as days turned to weeks, his father still gone.
He could still remember the times when he locked himself in the school’s library, searching the web to find any news or reports of his father's whereabouts, but as he searched for days on end, only one thing kept popping up from the newsletters. His father, Eric Hurst Foster, went missing in his own home. There were no struggles in the house, the CCTV didn’t see him on any of the roads or stores in the town they lived in, he just seemed to have vanished into thin air.
The news ate away at Callum, and his friends that he’d made during the time gave their support to keep him from spiraling out of control. However, even with their support, Callum’s worries over his dad never went away, hence why he threw himself into work. Going to part-time jobs and studying is the only way to keep his mind from blowing. He did this until he finished university and found a job to stay afloat.
This went on for years until he’s come to accept that his father may never be found. With nothing to ground him in their old home, he decided to explore the world, thinking that one day, he might find a lead to the whereabouts of his dad.
Months turned to years as he worked tirelessly in multiple jobs. From being a mechanic, electrician, cook, waiter, and many more to count, Callum went on a work frenzy. He made a plan to scour the states as a freelancer, living in his BMW pick-up truck that was given to him by one of his friends. He stayed in each state for a few months, meeting new people and making some friends along the way. They sent their well wishes to Callum as they knew that he was still trying to find his missing father.
Years went by as he made his way back to California. He had gone and explored every state, and yet no news of his father came to light. The case had gone cold, and it was up to Callum to find any clues to this mystery. His mind has told him to give up the search, and multiple friends have given him consolation as they knew that his father would never be found, but Callum persevered.
It was during this time that he found himself as a mover, the same job that his father had before he disappeared. He had just come back to California after getting the job, and he was about to go check in for his first day when a sudden downpour of rain covered the skies of the city. It was only coincidental that he was near that coffee shop, and it was coincidental that only two customers were present there. He and his future girlfriend turned accomplice to his murder.
The rest of his memories went by as he continued to float in the abyss. From the time of their first years in a relationship to meeting Jake for the first time in that apartment to when he taught PE and History in a school in Minnesota. Everything went by as Callum went from one memory to another until he felt something.
A chill ran down his spine as an indescribable dread manifested in his mind. He knew not why he felt this way, and he felt himself tearing at the seams as a slit of light showed itself in the void. He was then pulled into the light, senses coming back after he spent his time in the abyss for what felt like days. And with a flash, he is back in the same hunched-over position he was in when he was stabbed in the back.
Callum can’t help but laugh as he finally could see again. Trees surrounded his vision, with wild grass carpeting the ground. But before he could truly see the world, he felt a sharp pain in his back. With his body remembering that he was injured, he felt himself sweat profusely as he bled, painting the flowers under him red. And yet he didn’t panic.
After all that time reminiscing, he finally gave in and let death come to him. He fell on his back, sending another wave of pain coursing through his body, cursing under his breath as he regretted not laying himself down slowly. And as he looked to the sky, he felt himself getting colder and colder.
Callum felt at peace as he stared at the clouds above him. The sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves helped him come to terms that he was truly dying. He’d thought about death a lot. During his time when he was a kid, and when he was depressed after his father went missing. But the peace he felt for only a few moments as emotions came crashing down.
He felt himself tear up as he came to terms with his current situation. He would never have a chance to marry the girl in his life. He would never have a chance to have his own children and see them grow. He would never have a chance to be a father. And he would never have a chance to grow old with the people he loved around him.
As he thought of these things, the floodgates opened. Streams of tears fell down his cheeks as he sobbed in his dying state. He could only put his hands over his eyes to stop it from flowing, an action that felt challenging as his body became fatigued from all the blood loss. The crying only hastened his death as he felt his breath escape him, his lungs labored and filled with blood as the stab had punctured it.
Minutes went by as Callum felt himself grow tired and tired. And as he closed his eyes, Callum’s heart slowed and slowed as his body has a lack of blood to pump. His breathing grew shallower with each second until his body gave way and stopped altogether.
Callum died at the age of 34, stabbed in the back by his best friend with his girlfriend being an accomplice for his murder. He died from blood loss as his body colored the ground red.
Callum waited and waited to feel his consciousness fade as he welcomed death to greet him. And as the second grew…
'…Wait.'
His consciousness never faded away.

Hi all,
Last week received our migration to UC letter. We are a family of 5 with 2 of our children in receipt of DLA (High Care).
To maximise the chances of not needing to apply for the advance we waited for our 4 weekly tax credit payment to arrive.
The process in general actually seemed pretty straight forward but unfortunately we are a bit stuck at trying to confirm identity. As we are both in receipt of carers allowance (one child each) and do not currently work we lack all the workslip and hmrc related ID.
We have driving licenses which is one but my question is what constitutes "credit references or records – for example, information about credit cards or phone contracts"? It's possible we may have something for this. We do not have a regular mobile phone contract (Lebara uswitch deal paid via PayPal) But we do have a couple of credit accounts with PayPal and very, could we use a statement from those?
All the best.

I am fairly new to Australia, so don't have much idea about what the government here is trying to do in terms of Super legislation. I know nobody has a crystal ball or sees into the minds of politicians, but maybe at least terms of probability I can get some idea here. Maybe some of my concerns have been discussed in the parliament before etc.
I am thinking of sacrificing most of my salary into Super to clear out my large carry-forward facility and make use of the lower tax. My Super is < 100k now so it's not like I would be overloading it. On the other hand I don't love the idea of putting all my income to be locked away instead of growing my ETFs, I would do it for tax optimisation purposes (although I will likely be partially hit with Division 293). I have about 20 years to age 60.
I was wondering how likely it is that in the mean time:

• Preservation age will be increased
• Taxation on withdrawal will be introduced
• People will be forced or otherwise incentivised to some periodic withdrawal schedule instead of being able to take out the whole lot
• Limitation (tax, limits) for non tax residents will be introduced

Originally made this as a comment but after all the work of typing it out it won't let me post this giant comment so hopefully this helps someone here as a post.
Personally I love real estate investing and I think it's important to not no path is the right path or wrong path it has everything to do with your goals, time involvement, type of activity you are willing to use your time for, and your skillset.
If you are looking at rental real estate here are some things to consider:
-Current Environment
This is very important for structuring the investment property. The current environment is higher interest rates for purchase. Your cash position will allow you an advantage on single-family rentals as higher interest means the average person looking to buy will have trouble coming up with the cash required to have an affordable payment.
-Cash
Having cash allows you to create a profitable position easier for the higher interest rates currently. You can also purchase properties that require more improvement and sold at a large discount. This can be seen in BRRR strategy and there is a ton of great content from bigger pockets about this on youtube as well as plenty of other sources.
-Deal
Once you found a property you want you have a lot of different ways real estate deals can be structured to find profitable situations depending on the goal. As a rental investor you are looking at both long-term and short-term whereas flippers are looking purely at short-term. This allows you to work with the seller depending on what their goals are. There are plenty of sellers getting lower offers for their houses as the home buyers are trying to afford the payment with less cash. These sellers may have the means to offer lower interest payments or better deferment if they can get the price they want depending on their equity and other factors. Plenty of content on this subject and I think it's extremely undervalued.
-Improvement Cost/Time
Make sure you have the home inspected and take your time to find high quality here. A good inspection can give you leverage to make the deal even better while a poor quality inspection could leave you in a world of pain. Take time to understand the needs and the time they will take to complete before you can even bring the property to market for rent, again this can be great leverage. Keep in mind these improvements will need to be done regardless and this could make it even harder to sell to someone looking for a home as they typically won't want to live in a home that's under construction. Most banks won't lend home buyers money to purchase homes that are not up to code or require considerable cash which they don't have.
-Involvement
Decide where you will and will not be happy to involve your personal time. In the beginning, it would be important to involve yourself in the property more and as your debt service obligations lessen over time you can choose a property management company to take more of these tasks over for you.
Quick list of these tasks:
Renter Aquisition- finding renters, filtering applications, background check, proof of income, verification of employment, Credit Report. Finding great renters is crucial to your time and money! If you can take the time to interview your top few candidates and if possible, meet them at their current residence to know how they live.
Payment- Make sure you have a convenient way for renters to pay that easily allows you to send to your accountant.
Collections & Eviction- The more time you spend on the right renter the less this is an issue. Late payments need swift resolution and communication with the renter at this point is crucial. Documentation is vital so make sure you record everything and know your rights as a landlord. This is needed if you have to evict a tenant.
Maintenance & Grounds- Depends on the property but for the sake of a single-family rental we assume the tenant is responsible for general upkeep(air filter,lawn, carpets etc.) You still will be responsible for the toilets, built-in appliances (range,microwave, dishwasher etc.), water heater, plumbing, sprinklers if permanent, and more. Make sure you have plans in place to deal with these as this is again extremely important to be quick to resolve. I think many often forget rentals are partnerships built on trust. There is nothing better than to make sure your renter who you depend on to pay promptly and care for your property like their own to return that with making absolutely sure they know you truly care about their family being taken care of in their home. Think hard on the moments someone went the extra mile for you and how much it meant and make sure you find pride in creating this feeling for them.
Note: Many of the involvement items can be done through a single mobile application. I recommend that the application you choose have full communication built in so you can use your phone but not your personal number and all communication can be documented within the application. If you plan on managing remotely this is great for video walkthroughs as well.
After these considerations, I know it can seem daunting but most investments feel this way when you first get going just like new careers or anything else that is truly meaningful. Don't let this make you forget that real estate has incredible potential tax benefits, Cashflow while gaining equity, stable profit, great leverage to grow, and so much more.
I hope this helps and I wish you great success!
,

Preface: In a lot of these trades you could add or subtract a pick or two based on how you view certain guys, please don't get too caught up if I had a guy traded for 2 1st and you think it should be 3. We see plenty of trades in the league be holy overpays or teams moving off guys for a lower price than we as fans anticipated. Also, a good bit of these trades have big names in them and are just fun/what-if scenarios.
Detroit Pistons

• Pistons Receive: Draymond Green & 2029 1st Round Pick Swap via GSW
• Warriors Receive: Troy Brown Jr, 2027 2nd Round Pick via BKN or DAL, 2029 2nd via MIL

Pistons bring back the hometown guy. Help set some semblance of a culture in Detroit. Get a 1st Round pick swap when Cade should be peaking and Warriors are in their post-Curry era.
Warriors focus should be flexibility, would likely have to attach pick(s) to clear cap space, retool around Curry either in free agency or at the next trade deadline cycle (move on from CP3 and others), and could use 2nds to grab other role players.
Washington Wizards

• Wizards Receive: Duncan Robinson, Jordan Hawkins, 2025 1st Top 3 Protected via NOP, 2026 2nd via LAL, 2027 1st via MIL, 2029 1st Swap via MIA
• Heat Receive: Brandon Ingram & Kyle Kuzma
• Pelicans Receive: Jimmy Butler

Wizards are in the asset collecting stage. Whether or not it is the Pelicans/Heat that will trade their guys— the Wizards should look to have their hand in any mid-to-large level trades that take place this offseason and take on cap for assets. It doesn’t move the needle for them now but gives them more ammo later.
While Pat Riley may stand firm on his word and keep Jimmy, there is still a chance he gets moved this offseason. Getting back two wing players on relatively good contracts (Ingram expiring) and Kuzma making a fair $23M, which is a good salary-matching number for trades, might be a better alternative than extending Jimmy Butler. The Heat would also maintain a relatively good fit around Bam and see if BI can be a more consistent contributor under Spo-- then decide to extend him or let him walk after the season.
Brandon Ingram has been shown to take a backseat in the playoffs, and the West is only getting more competitive. While Jimmy isn’t a prolific shooter he would help stabilize their offense and take their defensive potential to the next level. They should seek more shooting even with the emergence of TM3 to feed off the slashing style of their top guys. The Pelicans would have to extend Jimmy and their cap situation would get tighter but their next goal should be moving McCollum off the books anyway. I'd make that move and figure everything else out later.
Charlotte Hornets

• Hornets Receive: Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale, 2024 1st via HOU (#3), 2025 1st via OKC or BKN, 2026 1st via BKN, 2027 1st Swap via BKN
• Rockets Receive: LaMelo Ball, Grant Williams & 2024 1st via CHA (#6)

Consider this a thought experiment on which side of the fence you are on about the health of Lamelo Ball. Yes, this is a trade that could easily get you fired if he consistently plays 65+ games instead of the ~30ish he has in the last two seasons. I’m not saying it should happen but if you’re on the side of it probably being a consistent theme that he'll be missing the majority of a season every other year this would be an interesting haul for the Hornets. Swap picks this year and get the future Brooklyn picks which as a franchise seem very lost right now— plus it gives you some freedom to push to compete knowing you'll probably have some good picks to fall back on. The Hornets hope to have Jalen Green become a more efficient scorer and get to pair Whitmore's massive frame alongside Brandon Miller which would be intriguing.
Rockets are meddling in that play-in tier. Alperen is him but you may have to take a gamble on another “him” to move into that next echelon. The Rockets would be insanely good at playmaking inside and out pairing Sengun and Ball. Move off the Dillion Brooks overpay and get you a guy that if he plays 65+ plus games you might be in the running for the 4-6 seed every year, if he’s hurt you didn’t give up your own picks to do it.
Toronto Raptors

• Raptors Receive: Karl Anthony-Towns
• Timberwolves Receive: Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Jalen McDaniels, 2026 1st via IND 1-4 Protected & 2028 1st Swap via TOR

I never really know what the Raptors intend on doing each transaction cycle but with the Timberwolves cap situation forcing them to make some decisions— the Raptors might be able to poach KAT for a reasonable price. They can buy a high-level shooting big to play off Scottie and RJ. I could see Masai fighting tooth and nail to only give up 1 moderately protected 1st round pick here.
YES, the Timberwolves have just made the WCF, and if they make it to the finals and win they may bite the bullet and be willing to have one of the highest payrolls in the NBA for years to come. But let's say they don't... they may look to avoid some of the constraints that come along with being over the aprons. They could potentially get under the tax aprons with this move, and get some rotational guys that could play and contribute in a competitive Western conference.
Brooklyn Nets

• Nets Receive: 2024 1st via BKN, 2025 1st via OKC or BKN, 2026 1st via BKN, 2027 1st via BKN Swap, Dillon Brooks
• Rockets Receive: Mikal Bridges

Nets get your picks back. I don’t care if they didn’t accept the Rockets offer, run it back. Or send Mikal somewhere else (Cleveland?) to get those picks back.
I'll give you another Nets trade if you're tired of the Mikal talk.

• Nets Receive: Devonte Graham & Zach Collins
• Spurs Receive: Ben Simmons

The Nets get rid of basketball squatter, Ben Simmons, which is a win in my book. Focusing their time and resources on their other guys.
Spurs finally get someone who will pass the ball to Wemby. The Spurs are no strangers to letting guys rest and fully rehab. Simmons most likely won't ever be that all-NBA level defender and distributor again— but as a rebuilding team, you might as well see what you can salvage. Also, Simmons is in the last year of his contract-- they could resign him if he shows signs of being a guy who wants to play basketball or use his vacant salary to round out their roster around Wemby.
Atlanta Hawks

• Hawks Receive: Marcus Smart, 2024 1st via MEM (#9), and 2026 1st via OKC, HOU or LAC
• 76ers Receive: Dejounte Murray
• Grizzlies Receive: Clint Capela, 2024 1st Pick via PHI (#16) & 2027 2nd via MIL

Atlanta has one of the more intriguing offseason decisions coming up with them now owning the first overall pick in the draft. They have a plethora of tradable contracts and only one true untouchable in Jalen Johnson. They could run it back with Sarr or Risacher added in but I believe Murray will be shipped out of Atlanta to "recenter” their team around Young, Johnson, and whoever the first overall pick. They get to try their hand at the other renowned defensive guard over the last 8-years to put next to Trae Young. They could also pick up a fake first in 2026 to attach with players in future deals. The Sixers would hope to get Murray back to displaying the defensive tenacity he showed on the Spurs (he has been less locked in as of late) while still maintaining the ability to go after a high-end free agent(s) before extending Maxey. The Grizzlies get an expiring contract and high-level rebounder in Capela after moving on from Steven Adams to put next to JJJ. Losing Marcus Smart would be a tough pill to swallow, he’s the guy you never want your team to get rid of when they have him but the Morant, Smart, Bane lineup is less than optimal— especially when you can move Bane back to the 2 and slide G.G. Jackson into the 3. Moreover, moving from #9 to #16 may not be that much of a drop off in talent in this year's draft and the Grizz could either stay put and draft or trade that pick for a rotational guard.
Chicago Bulls

• Bulls Receive: Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, 2026 2nd via ATL
• Warriors Receive: Zach LaVine

Bulls bring in CP3 as a mentor for Coby White, they hope to flush out the MIP runner-up potential to the fullest. They could also flip GP2 or buy him out later down the line as they have a solid backcourt rotation already. Get off of LaVine's contract.
For the Warriors, they would hope that LaVine can return close to all-star form, he feels like a guy who would fit into the Warriors movement shooting philosophy. Also, feels like he would become a fan favorite in San Francisco.
Miami Heat

• Heat Receive: Collin Sexton & Omer Yurtseven
• Jazz Receive: Tyler Herro

It's time for the inaugural Tyler Herro mock trade. If you're the Heat you give Danny Ainge a ring and see if he's still interested in Herro. Check the DARKO DPM, Sexton or the sexGod is coming-- He had a very efficient season in fewer minutes this year in Utah. Get a dog and bring Yurt back for the vibes. Heat could include Duncan and take a gamble on Spo's ability to resurrect Collins or Clarkson.
I don't know why the Jazz would do this. I don't know why Danny Ainge does half the things he does, good or bad. All I know is Danny Ainge likes Herro a lot and maybe likes his ceiling a touch more than Sexton.
I'm picturing Ainge and Riley sitting in a sauna turning the temperature knob up and seeing who submits first... winner gets a pick-swap.
Philadelphia 76ers

• Sixers Receive: Deni Avdija
• Wizards Receive: Paul Reed, 2024 1st (#16), 2026 1st via OKC, HOU or LAC, 2027 2nd Round Pick via MIL

A dream scenario here for the Sixers as they need to fill the spaces between Maxey and Embiid. Avdija has great length which shows up on the defensive end and has excellent rebounding efficiency from the 4 spot. His shooting improved this last year and would be a massive payoff if it cracked the 40% percentile on 4-5 3PA per game for the Sixers. Wizards likely view Deni as a cornerstone piece (I just really want him on the Sixers).
The Wizards could fetch a higher price for Avdija by holding onto him for one more year and letting him improve (which I believe he will do). The sell here is you get more 1st Round Pick equity to spend while you’re still searching for a legit franchise cornerstone and a solid rotational big in Reed after losing Gafford (Gafford is better than Reed). The Wizards reportedly want 3 first-round picks this year which the Sixers could supply plus additional capital to sweeten the deal.
Indiana Pacers

• Pacers Receive: Luke Kennard
• Grizzlies Receive: Jalen Smith, 2025 2nd via CHA, 2025 2nd via IND & 2028 2nd via DAL

The Pacers move on from a guy who has fallen out of their playoff rotation and snag Kennard who fits their run-and-gun style of play. Grizzlies pick up Smith to bolster their frontcourt depth and could pair his length with JJJ to make for some nasty interior defense.
Orlando Magic *unserious\*

• Magic Receive: Robert Williams & Jevon Carter
• Trail Blazers Receive: Nikola Vucevic
• Bulls Receive: DeAndre Ayton

The Magic are in big need of a real rim protector and Robert Williams is a high-level rim defender. His biggest detriment to the Magic would be his spacing as he'd occupy driving lanes for Banchero and Wagner. The other side of this trade is more of a funny scenario to me as I think the Bulls front office would do this trade to prop up a former #1 pick as a sign to the fans that they are serious about contending, which they aren’t.
Cleveland Cavaliers

• Cavs Receive: Lebron James (Sign-and-Trade) & Kelly Olynyk
• Lakers Receive: Darius Garland & Georges Niang
• Raptors Receive: Jarrett Allen, 2024 1st via CLE (Draft Night #20), 2025 2nd via MIL, 2027 2nd via DEN

Preface: This only works if Lebron wants out. The Cavs get to roll organically into the Lebron farewell tour and try to retain Mitchell long-term by pairing him with Lebron. Lebron, Mitchell, and Mobley have a very similar feel to the Lebron, Wade, and Bosh Heat… not quite as good of course but the archetypes are there. Also, pick up a stretch five in Olynyk which Lebron would appreciate. The Lakers have limited leverage because Lebron can opt out, so they might as well get an All-Star level talent in return for him. Raptors just try to get in the mix, by picking up a young center and some draft capital.
Milwaukee Bucks

• Bucks Receive: Cody Martin
• Hornets Receive: Pat Connaughton & Andre Jackson Jr

Don’t have much to say here. Pat Connaughton is probably the one contract they could/should move to snag a veteran who’s a bit younger than Pat but with more versatility at the wing spot, they’d pray for Cody Martin to pop off their bench. I just don’t see Doc playing young guys unless his hand is forced. Hornets take a flier on Jackson. You could toss in some protected seconds to the Bucks to replenish their draft stores.
New York Knicks

• Knicks Receive: Matisse Thybulle, Robert Williams III & 2025 2nd via CHA or MIN
• Trail Blazers Receive: Bojan Bogdanovic, 2025 1st via MIL, 2025 1st via WAS (will likely convey as 2 seconds in 2027) & 2025 2nd via BKN

Who knows how a 36-year-old Bojan recovering from a foot injury will look next year? They'll likely lose Hartenstein in free agency (if they don't use his bird rights) and will need someone who can play a similar role. Get some athletic freaks and depth that Thibs can use to carry out his war crimes.
Trailblazers eat the Bogdanovic contract for draft capital.
Boston Celtics

• Celtics Receive: Corey Kispert
• Wizards Receive: Jaden Springer, Neemias Queta, 2024 1st via BOS (#30) & 2027 2nd via POR or NOP

There’s something about Kispert that feels like he should be a Celtic… I don’t know what it is. The C’s need win-now contributors and could look to move the 30th pick. Kispert is a solid rotation guy that the Wizards like and would be somewhat hard to pluck him from them. I think it’d be worth a shot for the C’s to kick the tires and find out his value.