#NEM exchange

[nemaliwrites]

an addition to the 'death is a woman and she's hot' series - consider: death is a MAN and HE'S hot

Consider: Mia, who knows she'll have to leave her sister behind. The only way she can get justice for her mother, the only way she can discover the truth, is by leaving the village. But then, who will be there to protect Maya?

She isn't naive enough to say Aunt Morgan. She's seen the way her aunt watches her sister: as though she's a stain on the family tree, a blot of ink that Morgan would like nothing more than to wipe away forever. Without leaving a single trace. As though she'd never existed.

Consider: Mia, who knows that her only option is to reach out to a higher power. The only way she can protect her sister is by looking to her heritage. Feys always protect each other - or they should, at least.

There are old spells and chants hidden in the village's archives. Most of them have been overlooked for years, though whether that's because they don't work or because they do, Mia doesn't know. Either way, she's about to find out.

Long story short, she ends up making a deal with Death.

You can call him Godot, he says, because he's the thing people spend their entire lives waiting for.

I'll make you a deal, says Mia. My life for my sister's. Take mine if you want - but keep her safe.

It's an interesting proposal, to be sure; he's never had a mortal make an offer like that before. Especially not one like her: one who carries death within her, one foot in the afterlife at all times as she channels the spirits he's taken.

In the end, they make a deal. He won't kill her, he says, but he also won't interfere when her time comes. That's fine with her, and when she leaves the village, it's with tear-filled eyes, yes, but her heart is much lighter than it was before.

What she hadn't realized, though, is that Death is...kind of annoying. Now that he's been called once, it's as though there's an open invite at any time of day.

He comes when she's least expecting him; she was in the middle of making coffee, and she jumps when he appears. He catches the mug in midair and takes a sip as though it's for him.

Mortals, he finds, are capable of amazing inventions.

She keeps coffee beans for him in her apartment, then, just so he'll stop stealing hers. He takes great delight in flipping through all her law books, offering cryptic comments that she takes great delight in ignoring.

The things that hold her attention seem to confuse him. Why waste so much time on these, he asks, when you're going to die?

The time will pass anyway, she tells him. Might as well use it while I have the chance.

At some point, she starts expecting his visits. At some point, she starts pretending that this is normal. That he's just another guy. A human. That the longer she can live in the moment, the more she can forget what's coming.

But then the fated day comes, and there's nothing she can do. There's nothing either of them can do.

True to his words, he doesn't interfere. It's hard not to. He knew he would be taking her one day - but that doesn't mean he wants to see her in pain. At the very least, he makes a promise to himself: that when Redd White meets his own end, it will be a painful one.

When Mia opens her eyes again, there's a hand held out to her. And for the first time, she sees him for what he is: Death. No human pretenses, not anymore. Red eyes, white hair - monstrous, some would say. She doesn't think so.

She wonders what she looks like right now. Bloodstained, perhaps. Dull. Lifeless. But by the way he looks at her, she doesn't think so.

I'll watch over the little one for you, he says. I promise.

I know you will, she replies. I trust you.

And placing her hand in his, she lets him take her away.

[restlessreveries]

On a slightly less serious and depressing note, I’ve had the mental image of Nem wearing Sym’s coat stuck in my head all day and it’s not going anywhere.

Send help.

[xxcrystalinerose]

Supergiant is absolutely COOKING with their characterizations of Nemesis and Moros.

It's deliciously ironic how the embodiment of divine retribution, meter of justice and avenger of evil, is in possession of grade-school-rivalry level of pettiness against Melinoë. Unfairly taking out her frustrations on Mel (about something that can't be helped wrt. Mel's birthright too!). Regularly steals her lunch money so she can buy more stuff from Big Bro Charon. Forced into the passive position of standing guard at the Crossroads, preventing her from doing what she does best: actively punishing evil. Not to mention the hilarious occasional "I punch you once and I give you stuff. This is definitely a fair exchange" encounters.

On the other hand, the official Bearer of Bad News™, who sometimes engineered horrifying deaths because he and Sisters Dearest get bored on the job, feared and hated by all mortals, is an unfailingly polite, nice guy who doesn't know how to deal with niceties because barely anyone has ever been nice to him (even the Fates bully him sometimes). Receives one (1) gift and instantly suffers critical damage, afflicted with "Down Atrocious" status effect. Sometimes weirdly optimistic and willing to make the best of his time in the Crossroads, to the point of asking Hecate herself to teach him witch stuff.

TL;DR I love Nem and Moros very much and they have ruined my life. Good fucking food, Supergiant writers.

[gardenwalrus]

Brian Epstein & Diz Gillespie's relationship

So I put together most of the quotes on Brian and John 'Diz' Gillespie's relationship from Peter Brown & Steven Gaines's book The Love You Make & Jim Irvin's MOJO article on Brian's death earlier to make it a bit easier for me to look at in full - I'll put it on here too if anyone wants to read.

(Some of the quotes from the MOJO article are in the BBC documentary The Brian Epstein Story. It's available on YouTube here but its also available on BBC iPlayer for the next three weeks in better quality)

//

In spring 1965, Brian meets and quickly falls for 'Diz' Gillespie, a young Californian actor living in London, who soon moves into his Whaddon House flat. 

'Dizz was an aspiring actor-singer in his early twenties, with dark hair, mischievous eyes and an impish, upturned nose. Brian was so taken with him he seized upon Dizz’s phantom acting career to play Svengali. … Using the excuse that Dizz was a NEMS artist, Brian paid many of his debts and began to dole out a small allowance from his own pocket. Naturally, all of Brian’s friends warned him against being used by this boy. “He may be manipulative,” Brian said, “but he’s different than most. There’s something special about him, something that I can’t name.”'  - Peter Brown, The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of The Beatles (1983) p.172

Despite Brian's infatuation, the relationship is evidently volatile and unhappy - 

'But Diz was bisexual and upset Brian by bringing women back to the flat and causing scenes in public, once in front of Brian's parents. Their doomed relationship lasted too long and clearly made him miserable.' - Jim Irvin, “The Death of Brian Epstein”, MOJO (November 2002)

- and this instability was further intensified by the pair spending many nights at Brian’s flat ‘ingesting large amounts of uppers, Tuinals, and Cognac’, which would often turn violent:

‘…these drugged, drunken nights ended in some sort of unhappy confrontation. They ran from simple arguments to all-out fistfights, which included breaking vases and mirrors. One night, unhappy with Brian’s largesse, Dizz worked himself into a rage. When Brian ordered him out of the house, Dizz raced to the kitchen, grabbed the largest knife he could find, and held it to Brian’s jugular vein while extracting an additional sum of money from Brian’s wallet.’ [Brown, p.72] 

As a result of the incident, Brian ends the relationship, yet according to Brown ‘[Brian] only pined away for the boy, lovesick over him.’

Yet it isn’t long until Gillespie appears again in August 1965, contacting Brian, who was in New York two days ahead of the Beatles’ Shea Stadium concert. Brian appeals to his New York business partner, Nat Weiss, to keep Diz away. 

In a meeting with Weiss, Gillespie pushes for a car in exchange for staying away from Brian. When told this information, Brian insists that Nat Weiss gives Diz $3,000 to buy a car. Weiss therefore strikes a deal with Diz - that he was to ‘be kept locked in a hotel room at the Warwick Hotel on Sixth Avenue - with a private guard hired by Nat - until the Beatles and Brian left town.’ [Brown, p.185] 

After this event, Gillespie disappears again, only to appear a year later in LA on August 28 1966, the day of the Beatles’ penultimate live performance. Brian, overjoyed, believes it to be a true show of Diz’s love for him, and the pair spend the day together at a house in Beverly Hills - despite Nat Weiss’ scepticism: 

‘At first Nat was incredulous, then angry. “Brian, you must not have anything to do with that boy–”  “Now, now,” Brian interrupted, “he came all this way to find me. He said he came because he loves me.”  Nat sighed but said nothing. As preposterous as it was that Dizz Gillespie had any real affection for Brian, Nat could see by the smitten look in Brian’s eyes that he believed it. ... Brian had been so skittish lately that one wrong word could send him off on a three-day snit.' [Brown, p.205]

Weiss’s caution was not unfounded - the following day, Diz had disappeared and taken briefcases belonging to Brian and Weiss. Weiss’s case had contained important business documents, whereas the contents of Brian’s case would have been even more damaging if made public: 

First, there was his large and questionable supply of pills, obviously the property of a junkie. Then there were half a dozen or so billets-doux containing explicit references to his conquests, along with Polaroid photographs of his young friends. Lastly, there was $20,000 in brown paper bag money skimmed from concert funds to be distributed as a bonus [Brown p.206] 

Nat Weiss soon received a blackmail note from Gillespie, demanding an additional $10,000 for the return of Brian’s personal photographs and letters. The suitcase was eventually recovered, however $8,000, the pills and Brian’s photos and letters were all missing - as was Gillespie, who had not been found by the police. 

Alongside the fear that the content of the suitcase may still at some point be made public, as well as the realisations that:

‘...he'd been duped by someone he trusted – coinciding with the last performance by his boys – seemed to tip Brian into despair. "That accounts for his first major depression," says Weiss. "That was the beginning of Brian's loss of self-confidence." [Irvin, 'The Death of Brian Epstein']

--

Also of note - this livejournal account pointed out that a ‘vendor’ mentioned in the descriptions of two Christie’s auction items in 2006 was most likely Diz Gillespie. The items were a 1962 Beatles handbill and an autographed copy of John Lennon’s book In His Own Write, which was addressed ‘To Diz, You're a great turn, good God, from John Lennon’

The description of the 1962 handbill: 

‘According to the vendor, he was given this handbill by Brian Epstein in 1966. The two met at a party in Los Angeles in 1964 and maintained a friendship for many years.’

The description of the autographed book: 

The vendor first met John Lennon and Brian Epstein in 1964 and was given this book by John Lennon when he visited him at his home, Kenwood, in Weybridge, Surrey. Diz was the vendor's nickname.

[chimie]

A kaland már az utazás előtt elkezdődik

Rájöttem, hogy semmi baj nincs a MÁV-val, csak át kéne pozícionálni kalandprogrammá az általa nyújtott élményt. Nekem például csütörtökre van jegyem az ikonikus hegyeshalmi vonalra, és a pár ezer forintos jegyárért már most izgulhatok, hogy vajon addig megnyitják-e a keletit, a tavalyihoz hasonlóan idén nyáron vajon összeomlik-e a győri vonal, kimarad-e a járatom stb.

Aztán ha a beugró megvolt, jöhet a True Adventure rész a tényleges beszállás után: vajon az a kocsi, amire jegyem van, tényleg létezik-e majd, a légkondi bírni fogja-e, ha nem, mennyi ideig bírjuk az 50 fokban, mennyit késünk és megvárja-e majd a csatlakozás a vonatot?

Visszafelé is szuper izgi lesz, mert szob felől jövünk vissza, tudjátok, az a rész, ahol minden évben leomlik valami és emiatt hetekre nincs közlekedés :D Ha valaki MÁV-ból olvassa ezt, írjon plíz priviben, mert tele vagyok ötletekkel: pl mystery exchange, amikor két egymás utáni időben induló vonat célállomást cserél vagy vámpírfogú kallerek a fogukkal lyukaszthatnák a jegyeket pl a Dácián.

[lovepeaceandtarot]

Pick a card - Love Advice

(Escolha uma carta - Conselho para a Amor).

If you want a reading on your energy, just schedule a paid reading with me in DM!

(Se quiser uma leitura na sua energia, basta agendar uma leitura paga comigo na DM!)

If that found you, it was for a reason. Take what resonates and leave what doesn’t resonate.

(Se isso encontrou você, é por uma razão. Pegue o que ressoar e deixe o que não ressoa.)

Card 1 - For some of you, if you were doing things without thinking and without hesitation, know that you need to think about doing it without hesitation. Don't be so focused on love, on finding love. Seek to focus on yourself and know what you really want in love and if you are what you want in love to be able to get someone. Because to have someone you want, you have to be that someone you want. For others of you, you are about to enter a season where you have to act, that is, there is a season of a lot of movement in your life where there will be intense exchanges of interaction of meetings, that is, study to have good subjects in the meeting and there will be a lot of progress in this new phase of life.

(Carta 1: Para alguns de vocês, se estivesse fazendo as coisas sem pensar e sem hesitar, saibam que vocês precisam pensar em fazer sem hesitar. Não fique tão focada no amor, em achar o amor. Busque focar em voce e saber o que de fato você quer no amor e se você é o que você deseja no amor para poder conseguir alguém. Porque para ter alguem que deseja, é preciso ser esse alguém que você deseja. Para outros de vocês, vocês estão prestes a entrar em uma temporada onde vocês tem que agir ou seja vem uma temporada de bastante movimento na sua vida onde vai ter trocas intensas de interação de encontros ou seja, estude para ter bons assuntos no encontro e terá bastante progresso nessa nova fase da vida.)

Card 2 - For some of you, you need to stop being heavy on yourselves. Allow yourself to empathize with yourself and with others. Be careful not to become arrogant or be arrogant. For others of you, be more rigid in choosing love and be demanding.

(Carta 2 - Para alguns de vocês, é preciso que vocês parem de pegar pesado com voces mesmos. Permitam-se ter empatia com vocês e com os outros. Tomem cuidado para nao se tornarem arrogantes e nem serem arrogantes. Para outros de voces, sejam mais rigidos na escolha do amor e sejam exigentes.)

#tarot #tarotportugal #tarotreading #career #careerreading #generalreading #foryou #foryoupage #explore #explorar #amorproprio #tarô #tarotcards #tarotcomunity #consultasdetarot #selfcare #autocuidado #freetarotreading #generalreading #acolhimento #loveyourself #pickapiletarot

[thelastarchangelaskblog]

Seventh Year: Forgiveness Bonus Scene 1

So, I only have the one bonus scene so far for this chapter. There may be one or two more but for now this is it. And this was one I wrote a while in advance because of the vibes. Such vibes.

It'll be pretty evident what this is for. :)

The art is by @the-grey-hunt! Ne did a fabulous job of it. <3

**

Should Samael do this? Probably not, in the most technical sense of the term, but Samael could do it, and that made all the difference. But ne needed a little more information first, and Michael was not going to be the right person to ask.

The last thing Samael wanted to do was cause that terrible grief again. It reminded nem too much of Gabriel’s, though this grief also had a nice helping of guilt. It was a double dose of nastiness and Samael had other people ne could ask.

Only Michael’s friends seemed to be dealing with a hangover from hell. As far as Samael could currently tell, Michael was attempting to console the ones still left behind in the room. He would probably have a better chance of that if he took their hangovers away but Samael wasn’t going to judge him wanting them to learn from experience.

But there were three who weren’t in the room, even if they were all also nursing nasty hangovers. They were in the kitchens, apparently trying to coax some post-hangover meals out of the staff. The food was going okay; the drinks – namely pumpkin juice and butterbeer – not so well, as the staff gave them blank looks on hearing about butterbeer.

“You know, I’m not sure butterbeer is the best cure for a hangover, but sure. We can give it a whirl.”

There was a startled flail from Justin, Ernie, and Neville. Neville knocked over a bucket of eels on the counter that Samael saved from spilling over the floor. Åse would make nir next so many meals miserable if Samael let that happen to their beloved kitchen floor.

“Michael isn’t here,” Ernie said, squinting at Samael. “He’s currently trying to coax the others out of bed.”

It was a mental image Samael had never known ne wanted. Ne refrained from peeking in, since Michael definitely would notice that.

“I know that,” Samael said cheerfully, not making any effort to lower nir voice. “I’m here for you!”

“Why?” Neville asked suspiciously. He steadied himself with a hand on the counter, making sure there wasn’t anything else there he could knock down.

“If this is about last night, I have nothing to tell you,” Ernie said firmly.

Samael paused, giving him a curious look. “Why? What happened last night?”

“Even if I knew I wouldn’t tell you. Malfoy’s smug face this morning is already going to give me nightmares.”

“I’m regretting not taking Michael up on his offer to sober me up,” Justin moaned, rubbing over his forehead. “Now he won’t even bother, since it’s a ‘learning experience.’”

“That sounds like him. Let me know how the learning experience goes.”

“Why are you here again?” Neville asked. “Just to poke fun at us?”

“No. I mean, I could, but that’s not what I’m here for. Why don’t we get some actual food for you and then we can talk?”

They all exchanged doubtful glances.

“Susan’s going to kill us if we don’t return with food,” Ernie said dubiously. “That’s why we’re here.”

“Another thirty minutes won’t kill them,” Samael said dismissively, glancing at Åse and raising nir eyebrows. “Michael’s there.”

With Samael supervising and helping, breakfast was soon ready and plated. Samael also went ahead and made some butterbeer, recalling the ingredients from those DIY recipes when the series had been so popular. It likely wouldn’t be the same given Asgard didn’t have exact matches for the ingredients but it would be close enough.

“I thought you said no butterbeer,” Justin said, though he took the mug when it was offered.

Samael shrugged, sliding down two others for the other two and taking the last for nemself. “I felt sorry for you.”

“…I don’t know if I should say thank you.”

“Don’t,” Neville muttered into his eggs.

Samael muffled a laugh into nir butterbeer. “Take your time.”

It wasn’t until they finished their breakfast and had copious amounts of water that they seemed even remotely ready for the conversation. By this time Samael was on nir second mug of butterbeer.

“You didn’t just come here because you felt sorry for our hangovers,” Neville noted. “Why are you here?”

Samael brushed a finger through the foam of nir butterbeer. “I could have, but you’re right.” Ne licked the foam off nir finger. “I don’t want to ask Michael about this because it would upset him, so I’m asking you. About his parents.”

They’d been wary before, but now they all looked at nem suspiciously. It was marred by how they were still slightly squinty-eyed.

“Why do you want to know?” Justin asked. He still had his head propped up in a hand.

“I can bring them back,” Samael said plainly, “but I won’t if it would hurt him more.”

“Michael couldn’t bring them back,” Ernie said. Unlike Justin and Neville, he was doing his best to appear professional despite how he kept squinting into the light. “He said he couldn’t find them. Why would you be any different?”

So Michael had tried? That was surprising. But perhaps Samael should stop being surprised by him since Michael was so different from the one ne knew before.

“I’m Death,” Samael said simply. “I have a better idea of where they would have gone than he does.”

“How are you Death?” Neville was incredulous. He was also picturing the previous Death, having somehow met him before. “You don’t look at all like him.”

“Wait, when did you meet Death?” Justin demanded, turning towards Neville.

Neville looked a little shifty. “Around.”

“Around? Around? Around when?”

Neville looked down at his drink. “When You-Know-Who died,” he said. “He took care of it.”

Samael very carefully took a drink of butterbeer, watching the three of them.

“You mean the night all of you refuse to tell us about?” Ernie’s voice was dry.

“Yes,” Neville said blandly. “That night.”

Samael wasn’t looking, but it was very difficult to avoid hearing the sound of chewing, as well as the image of a heart being eaten by a mangled mouth. Ah, that was Michael’s work.

“I’m Death,” Samael said, rescuing Neville from having to think any further on that night. Nausea was imminent. “My predecessor passed it on to me. So…deaths fall under my purview – all deaths. So I have the ability to bring them back, but I’d like to know what I’m getting into before I try. Because Michael blames himself for what happened, but I don’t really think it was his fault.”

“It wasn’t,” Justin said immediately.

“What happened?”

They shared uncertain looks.

“If he doesn’t want you to know, I don’t think it’s up to us to share,” Ernie said slowly.

“I didn’t ask him,” Samael admitted. Ne almost had but for that awful, terrible grief. “It would have hurt him more to remember. He was only just able to share what sort of parents they’d been.”

“Is it just morbid curiosity?” Neville asked. “Why do you need to know to be able to bring them back?”

Samael considered nir answer, taking a long drink. Ne wiped a thumb over nir lips, wiping the foam off. “Depending on what happened, they may not want to come back. I won’t force them, but it would help to know the details so I know what I’m looking at.”

The three shared looks again.

“We don’t know the specifics either,” Ernie said eventually, subdued. “Michael never shared, but from what we gathered, it was…bad. You-Know-Who sent Death Eaters after them. His dad…his dad was a Muggle. But his mom… She wasn’t.”

“He blames himself because You-Know-Who knew who he was. He was still alive after what Michael did,” Justin said. “It’s bloody stupid, but he blames himself for it.”

“I can see that.” Samael huffed out a breath, shaking nir head. It was Michael putting the weight of the world on his shoulders, even if it wasn’t solely his burden to bear. Death Eaters… “Which Death Eater?”

“If you’re asking because you want to go after him, he was sentenced to Azkaban,” Justin said. “He was…pretty badly off. I’m not sure what happened there…”

Neville didn’t meet anyone’s eyes, and this time Samael was treated to a full HD, surround-sound image of a blank, emotionless Michael holding a crackling, writhing soul that was screaming.

“I think Michael already did the job there,” Samael said lightly, deliberately not looking at Neville. “Who was it?”

“Carrow,” Justin answered when no one else responded. “Amycus Carrow.”

Samael distinctly remembered asking Michael if Amycus Carrow had been his father. Oh dear.

It put Michael’s utterly aghast expression in a new light.

“Ah. I see.” Samael was briefly disappointed the Dark was dead-dead. How did they just pick the worst vessels to inhabit? “I assume Michael didn’t know what happened until after.”

“We don’t know why,” Justin said. “They knew who he was.”

Samael couldn’t say why either. Maybe for his father, a Muggle, he might not have had time. But his mother…? She probably did have time, given she had magic. Why wouldn’t they have called for help?

“Maybe he can find out,” Samael said.

“You’re getting them back?” Neville asked.

“If they want to.” Samael couldn’t say if they would want to come back. Not everyone who died did. “Don’t tell Michael, as I don’t want to get his hopes up.”

“Why are you even doing this?” Neville stared nem down. “Do you think that by doing this it’ll fix what you did?”

Samael managed a smile. “No. It doesn’t fix anything. But it’s the least of what I can do. Because I can do this – give him something back that he lost. I’m not doing this for anything else beyond the fact that he’s my sibling.”

“That didn’t stop you before.”

Samael’s smile twitched. Ne swallowed, dropping nir gaze. “No. It didn’t.” Ne had been…far too furious at Michael. Blaming him for things out of his control. “I don’t have an excuse for what I did, but that’s a conversation for Michael. And he and I have spoken about this.”

It probably wouldn’t be the last time. Samael still wasn’t sure what to do about the revelation that Michael had just…let nem…do all that. Pain was something even angels shied away from, yet Michael had just…let it happen.

Ne didn’t know if Gabriel knew. It wasn’t something ne felt comfortable telling him at this point, not when ne scarcely knew what to do with it.

“So you’re doing this for him,” Ernie said. “For Michael.”

Samael managed another smile now, and this one came easier. “I think more people should do things just for him, don’t you think? He’s done enough for the rest of us.”

There was no immediate response here, just them studying nem and also glancing at each other. Still, Samael had the impression of having said something they approved of.

“He deserves that,” Justin said. “If that’s what you’re doing…then yes. We’ll keep it quiet for you and hope it works out.”

Samael’s smile widened, more genuine. “I hope so, too.” Ne downed the remainder of the butterbeer, then sent the mug to land neatly in the sink. “It’ll take me a bit. I don’t know how long, but I’ll be out of touch.”

“He won’t go looking for you?” Ernie asked. 

“We’re not in each other’s pockets. We never were. He might notice my absence but probably won’t think anything of it. We’re all adults, technically speaking.” Samael brushed nir hands off. “Thank you. I’ll see you later. Have fun dealing with the hangover.”

Ne didn’t wait for a response, switching between the dimensions for the world of Hogwarts. Death was connected, and so were the afterlives, but it would nonetheless be easier to start in this world.

When Samael stepped through, ne stepped onto a white platform. It was a train station, though the only one way could tell was by the train tracks by the side. There was no ceiling, though pillars stretched up into a white void; there were no walls. The place gave off the impression of a liminal space with no boundaries.

At least it was somewhat familiar – somewhat expected from what Samael knew of this world.

Hands in nir jacket pockets, Samael stepped up to the edge of the platform, waiting for the train that would come.

It didn’t take long. The whistle of a train and the rhythmic chug-chugging of the engine came first before Samael saw a white train emerge from the white nothingness that surrounded this platform. The train didn’t stop, but it did slow, albeit without the hissing of brakes.

In the front of the train, wearing a conductor’s cap, was Billie. She looked very unimpressed with the current state of affairs, one elbow leaning on the window sill while the other took care of driving.

Space slowed, time turning into a crawl. Samael looked up at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Where Death is, so follow nir reapers,” Billie intoned, face impassive. “What are you doing here, Death?”

“You already know.”

“You have no right.”

“I am the only one who has the right.”

“Not even Death can break the rules as ne wishes.”

“No?” Samael raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem to have kept up to date on the news, Billie.”

“There are rules for a reason, Death.” Billie wasn’t looking at nem but instead the train tracks that stretched on to eternity. “You break them as you wish…chaos ensues. You know how that looks all too well.”

“The former Death and my Father made mistakes, leaving their chaos for us to take care of. Their inaction cost us too much. No one said I was going to break the rules as I wish – I know my own duties too well for that – but following the rules blindly can also lead to chaos. Inflexibility is as gross an injustice as inaction.”

“You are not justice.”

“No,” Samael said softly, “I am death. I am life. I am the nothing. I am the End. I am the beginning and the end of the line. And there is something I can do here – a postponing of a death that happened too soon.”

“That is not your call to make. Death follows its path; everyone has their time.”

Samael straightened nir jacket sleeves, fiddling with the little zipper at nir wrist. Ne didn’t look away from Billie. “Is that your professional opinion as a reaper, Billie?”

“You asked me to help guide you,” Billie said, the slightest hint of wariness entering her tone. “You asked for a second-in-command. Are you rescinding that?”

Samael shrugged, tucking nir hands back in nir pockets. “No. Call me on my bullshit however and whenever you please; I won’t hurt you for that. I’ll take your advice under consideration, but I won’t always listen. Have you ever carried the scythe before?”

“No.”

“Then don’t presume to tell me what is and isn’t my call to make. Not when I feel the pulse of every death in existence – every life that has passed and is about to pass and will pass. Not when I know exactly what boundaries there are and what shouldn’t be crossed. And this? This is no hard boundary. This is a choice I will be offering. A choice I will not offer nearly as much as you’re worrying about.”

“This is a very slippery slope you’re traversing, Samael.”

Samael’s answering smile was cool. “Didn’t you know, Reaper Billie? My existence has been about the slippery slope.”

Billie gave nem a long look, eyes narrowed. “The ego of you angels.”

Samael shrugged. It was true enough. Death had said it frequently. “And yet this was given to me. Consider what that means.”

Billie’s mouth twisted into a grimace. She looked away, back to the train tracks stretching into eternity. “Fine. You and I both know I can’t stop you.” The train whistle screamed, and the brakes hissed as the locomotive slowed, a door opening. “Do as you wish.”

Samael didn’t thank her, grabbing hold of the handholds outside the door and stepping into the moving train. The door slid shut behind nem, and the eerie whiteness of the platform faded.

Billie wasn’t happy with nem, but they had eternity together for Samael to try to form a better working relationship. But this…this was too important for simple rules.

Samael turned to the right, walking through the carriages. It wasn’t like the subway cars of New York City of old. It resembled a train from Europe, which made some sense. There were tables set up on both sides and four seats to a table. The train wasn’t empty, numerous other souls filling the seats.

But they had no features. They were beings of light, composed of numerous lifetimes of memories.

There was nothing to be seen outside the windows beyond shapeless white, but somehow the train still had shadows flickering across the floor and the souls, like there were things outside blocking the light source. The shadows flickered between trees, mountains, buildings… All vague and nebulous.

Perhaps it was for familiarity’s sake for these souls.

Not all the seats were taken. Some had four and some had three. Some had two. Some only had one. They were all silent, watchful, though they didn’t seem alarmed at Samael’s presence.

Samael continued walking down the narrow path through the carriages. Ne didn’t know Eleanor and Alan Hopkins. Ne had never met them, never seen how Michael saw them. Ne only had their names to go off of, but if they were Michael’s human parents… It was likely something of Michael would still cling to them even now.

There was no end to the train. No end to the rhythmic rumbling beneath nir feet. No end or change to the surroundings outside. There were just the shifting shadows inside, as well as the different souls in each carriage.

It was okay. Samael had time. There was no rush.

Eventually, sixty carriages later, something familiar pricked at nir senses. Something warm, like a crackling fireplace on a cold winter’s evening. It wasn’t anywhere near as hot as Michael could run, but it was still him. A sense of him.

There were two souls at the table in the middle of the carriage. They sat next to each other, facing empty seats on the other side of the table.

Samael slowed to a stop next to them, studying them curiously.

Like all the other souls ne had seen thus far, these two were a compilation of numerous lifetimes. There were no names attached to them, just a wealth of experiences and Michael’s energy.

Samael slid into one of the seats in front of them, sliding towards the window and leaning back against it, legs spread out along the length of the bench, which obligingly lost its arm rests. Folding nir arms over nir chest, ne waited, continuing to study them closely.

Finally, there was acknowledgement from one of them. A question asked, an inquiry about what ne wanted.

Samael smiled. “I’d like your names.”

Okay, ne cheated a little here. Nudged a tiny bit, pulling slightly on what was there of Michael’s energy to help the souls remember their most recent lifetime.

It was the one closest to the window who started changing first, the nondescript light of the soul shifting into something more distinct. The light faded, pulling inwards, revealing tan skin and laugh lines around light-colored eyes. Her dark hair was in a braid with only a few gray hair speckled throughout. “My name is Eleanor.”

The other soul changed second, a little more hesitantly. Soon, a dark-skinned man with wire-framed glasses sat next to Eleanor. His eyes were dark, kind, and similarly framed with laugh lines. “Alan.”

Some minute tension Samael hadn’t noticed before left nem. Ne hadn’t thought ne’d gotten it wrong, but there was always the chance… At least now ne could be sure. “My name’s Samael.”

“Samael,” Eleanor repeated, watching nem with open curiosity. “How can we help you?”

“Well, I hope you can.” Samael smiled again, looking at both of them. “You…may be familiar with my brother? Michael? Or…Wayne?”

There was instant recognition on both their faces even before Samael gave the name of Michael’s human alias. Recognition and love. It slammed into Samael with the force of light speed. 

“You’re—” Eleanor covered her mouth with a hand, her other going to grab hold of Alan’s tightly. “Do you know? Is he okay? Is he doing well?”

Samael’s smile brightened into a grin. “He’s doing well, Eleanor.”

Eleanor’s eyes closed in visible relief, her breath escaping with a loud sigh. Alan laid his hand over hers, squeezing it reassuringly. He seemed relieved as well, a quiet sort of relief that was nonetheless still intense.

“What are you doing here?” Alan asked.

Samael shrugged. “I’m here for you. To give you two a choice.”

“A choice?” Eleanor sounded hesitant.

“Yes.” Samael shifted, sitting upright and folding nir hands on the table, leaning forward. “Come back with me.”

Eleanor and Alan exchanged glances, confusion and worry most prominent on their faces.

“We’re dead,” Eleanor said, looking back at Samael.

“Yes,” Samael agreed bluntly, “but you don’t have to stay dead.”

Eleanor inhaled sharply even as Alan shook his head slightly, brow furrowed. They didn’t seem to understand.

“I don’t know what Michael shared with you about what we can do, but resurrecting the dead… It’s entirely possible. So I’m here. Giving you the choice.”

“He…didn’t tell us much,” Alan said after a moment. “I think he was worried how we would respond.”

That sounded very much like Michael. Especially the one Samael knew now. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“It was our time,” Eleanor said, squeezing Alan’s hand. “Our time to go. I know you’re…an angel?”

“An archangel,” Samael said, “second oldest to Michael.”

Shadows flickered over Eleanor’s face, the odd light changing as the train continued moving. “I…don’t recall seeing your name.”

Samael shrugged, fiddling with the end of nir jacket. “The Bible doesn’t have a lot of us. It names a few – Michael being one. I was in there as well.” Ne didn’t wish to mention Lucifer yet. The goal was to get them back, not scare them off. “I am an archangel, and I do have the ability to reverse death.”

“It was our time,” Eleanor repeated.

“…You died because Michael interfered,” Samael said gently. “Without his presence, you two would have continued living.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” Eleanor said sharply, a surge of protectiveness rising.

“I didn’t say it was. But the fact remains that if he hadn’t acted as he did, you two would never have come into the picture for Voldemort.”

There was a slight flinch from Eleanor at the name, one not mirrored by Alan. He gave her a concerned look, squeezing her hand. 

“If you have to look for a loophole, then you know this isn’t right,” Eleanor said.

“No loophole. Just the hard facts. The only reason Michael didn’t do it himself is because he didn’t know where you two went. You can’t retrieve souls without knowing where the souls are.”

“How did you know?” Eleanor asked.

Samael smiled. “I’m Death.”

Ne wasn’t sure what they saw of nir other aspect, the new power that now resided in nir Grace, but something must have shown, for they both flinched backwards.

“Yama,” Eleanor breathed, a hand at her chest.

It wasn’t a name Samael was familiar with. Hesitating, ne reached out to glean what Eleanor meant by that. They were Hindu? Their Father must have had one hell of a sense of humor to put Michael in a family that believed in pagans. “Ah. No. I’m no god.”

“You said—”

“I’m Death. Not the god of death, but death itself. Death is my domain; all souls that die fall under my purview. So I have that final say on what happens to souls.”

“You said it was our choice,” Alan pointed out, watching Samael warily.

“It is. I won’t take you if you have no desire to go back. But you have the option.”

Eleanor shared glances with Alan once more.

“I don’t regret it,” Eleanor said eventually, turning to meet Samael’s eyes once more. “It wasn’t his fault what happened. He did what was right. What happened afterwards…it was our time. If not then, at some other point in the future. Wayne – Michael will do well without us. He’ll move on.”

Samael could leave it at that – not influence their choices. It was a choice. It was a perfectly fine choice.

Except…ne felt fingers run through nir hair, a warm Grace blanketing nem and trying to reassure nem despite the pain tearing nir Grace apart. The grief that suddenly appeared and then disappeared without warning.

“A med-witch… Was she…where you learned to do that?”

 “When I was still human…yes. She was a good teacher. They both were.”

The grief of loss that never really went away no matter how much time passed. Seeing Gabriel through the years, how he would put on a mask and yes, he had been happy, but it hadn’t been happiness, that grief of loss remaining millions of years later.

And that had just been his friends.

From everything Samael had heard, Michael’s parents had been good. And here, just in this small conversation,  Samael could see that. Could see how much they loved Michael, how much they would do for him. That Eleanor had fought to the death to protect someone who didn’t need that protection.

Samael knew how that felt. Knew what it was like to be so cherished and valued that someone would go to incredible lengths to make sure ne was safe. And it had been by the only real father ne had known.

Gabriel would never know. He had found it awkward enough to be put into that position when Samael had just been Sam, an AI. 

But Samael could never forget.

“Why would you do that after - after everything I did? Everything that – that other me did?”

“…Because I wanted to. Because I could. Because you’re family.”

“You don’t—”

“Regret it? No. Never. I’d do it again if I needed to.”

Ne had always, always known Gabriel would be there for nem. Even after the nightmares. Even after ne found out who ne was. Even after regaining nir Grace and the struggle of rebuilding a relationship that Samael had shattered.

Gabriel had been there.

That security of knowing – that was what was so important.

And Samael cheated again, because Michael was nir sibling and he deserved something. And this was something Samael could fix. “You’re right,” ne agreed. “He’ll be fine. He can take care of himself. But he will never stop grieving you. Or blaming himself for his role in what happened. You should have had long lives, but they ended much sooner because of what he did. Not,” ne said quickly, putting up a hand to forestall the indignant protests, “because it was actually his fault, but because he believes it was. You’re gone because of his interference.”

“He – he’ll move on,” Eleanor managed, voice strangled. “We’re just—”

“Human?” Samael smiled sadly. “You were never just human to him. You were his. Time will pass, but he won’t forget, and he won’t stop grieving. It’s not in our nature.”

Gabriel had never stopped grieving. As Tony, he had it a little easier, able to soften the intensity of an archangel’s grief, but he was still too angelic for that to truly work. They were just two sides of the same coin.

“We all die,” Alan pointed out slowly. “Now or later…there’s no difference.”

“The difference is time. It can make all the difference.” Samael hoped. It hadn’t helped Gabriel much, not with the anvil of his friends disappearing over his head. But maybe Michael was cut from a different cloth.

Eleanor and Alan said nothing, both of them looking at each other and seeming to have a silent conversation that spoke of years together.

Samael gave them a little bit, before nudging once more. “Would you let Michael continue to believe he’s at fault for your deaths?”

Eleanor looked stricken, shaking her head. She pressed a hand to her eyes. Alan frowned, swapping the hand he had over Eleanor’s to pull her into his side.

“This is your choice,” Samael said again. “I’ll let you think it over a little more. I’ll be at the front of the carriage.”

Samael stood, sliding out from behind the table to make nir way to the front and the empty table ne had seen earlier in this carriage. It was still empty. Ne sat down, then laid down on the seats; the armrests once more decided it would be better for them to go elsewhere.

The ceiling of the carriage looked remarkably normal, shadows flitting over it. The seats below Samael rumbled with the slow and steady chug-chug of the train’s engine and the wheels over the train tracks. 

Ne felt for that scar in nir Grace, that wound where Michael’s sword had almost killed nem. It throbbed slightly, an ache that had yet to fade.

There was no such thing as time in this realm, but Samael’s extremely accurate internal clock stated it had been thirty minutes and forty-five seconds by the time ne was approached by Eleanor and Alan.

Ne propped nemself up on nir elbows, hit nir shoulder on the table, winced, and then managed to wiggle back into a upright sitting position. Hopefully without looking too stupid.

Judging from the restrained smiles on both of their faces, that was a failure.

Samael did not rub at nir shoulder. “So, uh…made a decision?”

“Yes,” Eleanor said. “Take us back.”

Their souls were warm against nir Grace. Samael made sure nir grip was gentle, harmless. Billie didn’t stop the train again, but Samael didn’t need her to. Ne opened the door of the moving train and stepped out onto a platform.

The train chugged away, disappearing into the whiteness. Ne tugged nir jacket closer, around the two souls nestled close to nem, and stepped back into the world of the living.

There were a few ways one could revive the dead. One was with their actual bodies, rejuvenating them and putting them back in working order. That was the easiest, since healing what was destroyed was always easier than making something from scratch.

Eleanor and Alan guided nem to their hometown, which was easily enough found. It was a small village on the cusp of being a town in the English countryside. It was quiet and peaceful, so Samael could certainly picture how much of a shock a double-murder must have been.

The cemetery was on the outskirts. It wasn’t very large, which made sense. There was an older one more in the inside of the village by the church, but this one was newer.

It was also here that Samael ran into a snag, because Eleanor and Alan had been cremated. Naturally. Given their culture and religion. They did have two tombstones, but Samael didn’t need to dig down to know they had urns and not caskets.

The tombstones seemed a little impersonal, not at all like Michael had a hand in them himself. But he had cremated them. Personally. His Grace still shrouded their urns.

There was worry from Eleanor and Alan at this, their souls more aware of such matters than they would have been if they were alive.

Samael could try for their ashes, but that seemed a little crass. And ne would have to get past Michael’s Grace to do so.

So option two it was. Ne would have to rebuild their bodies from scratch.

Or maybe mud…? Ne could be traditional about it but skip taking Alan’s rib to make Eleanor.

Ne chose an isolated spot in the middle of the moors for this. There was plenty of earth to use here, to ground them to life.

Samael recalled the physical appearances they’d used on the train. Ne could recreate that easily enough, though the smaller details would be missed because ne had no idea about Alan’s eyesight that led to him wearing glasses. He probably wouldn’t mind having perfect vision…

When asked, Alan just requested his frames, which Samael could do without any issue.

In the end, Samael only used a little bit of earth, a reminder for their souls where they came from. Air went into their lungs, as a way for them to breathe. Water was also used for the composition, since human bodies needed so much of it. 

Ne recreated their clothing based off what they’d been wearing in the train.

Once done, Samael slowly and carefully took their souls and placed them in their new bodies, pressing nir palms to their foreheads and easing the transition. It took several minutes for them to settle, transitioning from an ethereal state of being to something more physical.

Samael watched them closely. It was a little trickier with new bodies instead of their old ones, and this was too important to mess up.

Eleanor was the first who opened her eyes, blinking rapidly and squinting into the light. She caught sight of Samael a moment later, eyes widening.

Samael smiled at her. “Welcome back.”

Eleanor looked over at Alan, who had his eyes screwed tight against the sunlight. She reached out to touch his arm, a little clumsy. “Alan…”

It was a moment before Alan opened his eyes, turning his head towards her. He stared, not speaking.

Eleanor laughed, the sound breaking slightly. “Alan…we’re here.”

Alan reached out to touch her cheek, clumsy and shaky. He didn’t say anything, just touching her.

It felt unbearably intimate, like something Samael shouldn’t be privy to. Ne quickly whisked nemself away, giving them privacy but also still keeping them in eyesight so they knew where ne was. 

Ne sprawled out on the ground, looking up at the sky.

Earth was nice. No other planet compared to it. Though, to be fair, no planets compared to each other either. They were all unique, different.

It was just that Earth was nostalgic. So much about what had happened revolved around it. At least now ne had positive memories and not just…

The sky was pink and orange by the time Eleanor and Alan made their way to nem. Samael sat up as they approached, looping an arm around a knee and watching them.

They carefully sat down by nem, Alan steadying Eleanor. 

“Thank you,” Eleanor told nem. 

“You’re welcome,” Samael said, smiling warmly at them. “It’s not a favor. I didn’t do this to make you owe me anything. This is for Michael. For the boy you call your son.”

“Your name is Samael?” Alan asked.

“I’m his younger sibling,” Samael said. “Though he’s the oldest, so we’re all younger compared to him. But I’m the second oldest.”

“I didn’t see your name in the Bible,” Eleanor said slowly.

Samael’s smile faded. “It was there. But I have more than one.”

Eleanor hesitated. “Which one was it?”

Samael held her gaze for a long moment. “You would have known me as Lucifer.”

Alan stiffened, drawing in a sharp breath. His grip on Eleanor’s hand tightened. Eleanor’s grip tightened in response, the skin at her knuckles whitening.

“Lucifer?” Alan’s voice was quiet.

“At one time.”

“You and Michael were enemies,” Eleanor said, nervous.

“Yeah.” Samael shifted, folding nir legs. “At one time. We’re not anymore. For my part…not for a long time. It’s been less time for Michael.”

“He was supposed to throw you down,” Eleanor whispered. “The serpent.”

Samael winced, folding nir hands together. “…He did. A long time ago. The book of revelations, if you read it…it never came to pass. Or perhaps it did, a version of it.” Gabriel had blown his horn for Lucifer, all those years ago. “But Gabriel dealt with it then.”

“The Messenger?”

Samael hummed in answer. “The youngest of us four. The best of us.” Even if Gabriel would disagree.

Eleanor laid her other hand over Alan’s. “You really didn’t bring us back with any ulterior motives.”

“No.” Samael gave them a smile, as reassuring as ne could make it. “I brought you back because of Michael.”

“Where is he?” Alan asked.

“He isn’t here.” Samael looked out at the moor around them, the vast expanse of brown and green and the pink-and-orange sky. “This is your world, the one where you and he were born. This was the easiest place to bring you back because you were familiar with this. Michael is where I’m from. I can bring you back there.”

“Could you bring him here?”

“Theoretically,” Samael said slowly. “But he doesn’t know I did this. I didn’t want him disappointed if you two decided not to come.”

“You would have respected that,” Eleanor said, wondering.

“I usually did,” Samael admitted quietly. “Lying…was never one of my vices. I know humans said I did – that I lied. But the truth hurts more than lies ever do, and it was a weapon I wielded to achieve my goals.” Ne looked down at nir hands, smaller and gentler than the ones of Nick ne had inhabited so long ago, or even that of Sam Winchester. “Those are goals I no longer hold.”

Eleanor and Alan exchanged glances. Their expressions were difficult to read, though Samael made no effort to, keeping nir eyes turned away from them.

“We believe you,” Eleanor said after a moment. “You’ve given us no reason not to trust you.”

Samael looked at her sidelong. “There are many who would say otherwise. Still…I appreciate your trust.” Ne extended both hands to them. “Would you come with me? To Michael?”

Eleanor and Alan didn’t let go of each other’s hands, but they had two hands, and it was with their free ones that they clasped hold of Samael’s in a silent answer.

Samael exhaled slowly, smiled at them, and linked their fingers together.

Michael was probably going to be happy. At least his human parents could deal with that awful grief-guilt.

[queentheweeb]

Midnight X Female Reader

You had known Nem your whole life. The both of you went to the same elementary school, and the same middle school, and then eventually the two of you applied to the U.A. heroics department and got in. This is where you found out that you were in fact a lesbian because your first crush was on a girl with snakes in her hair. The two of you fooled around but, it was nothing serious and you both remained friends. Now, around the time you and Nem became close with Shouta and Hizashi who were a year below the two of you that's when you found out your platonic feelings for Nem were not platonic. At all. You were too scared to say anything-not because you thought she was straight she made it very clear that she only liked women- but, you didn't want to lose her or the friendship the two of you had the cause of your romantic feelings. So, you chose to watch from the sidelines. You dated women even though it never lasted and, she did the same thing. She was always dating someone and it never lasted for more than a few months. She was a free spirit who didn't want to be tied down so, you watched from the sidelines staying her best friend for years. You still harbored feelings for her to this day and all of you were reaching your thirties working as teachers in U.A

"Darling, honeybee." There she goes with the cute pet names. Every time you think of trying to get over her she goes and does some cute shit like that. Your heart cannot handle all of this.

"Yes, love?" And then you follow up with a love, no wonder people may think you two are dating but, friends do that. You wanted to be dating desperately but, you value friendship over losing her completely and making things awkward. It's not like you were her type anyway, she went for women who were just as dominant and out there as she was like Mirko.

"Why do you look so glum? You're normally more chipper and would have given me a hug." You looked over at her as she glared down at you with a smirk. "I've been here a few minutes and normally you would have been all over me, what's wrong?" Ah, so you must have been lost in thought for a while then.

"I was thinking too hard about things and I didn't even notice my surroundings. Not very plus ultra of me I suppose." You snickered at the saying, you swear it was around before All Might but, All Might is the one who made it popular having come out on top in everything from grades to each year's Sports Festival. Nem seemed to have dropped it for now opting to sit next to you and chat with you about everything including lesson plans. You leaned against her as you typed away on your laptop planning the next lessons. You were the music teacher for all of the classes from the heroics, to general, to business classes. You also loved to plan a week in advance and, because of this Nem now also plans a week or even a week and a half in advance

"WHAT'S CRACKIN LACKIN'" You turned smiling at Hizashi who sauntered in with a grumpy Shouta right behind him. "As you can see, a ray of sunshine over here is in a bit of a mood so I hope you left coffee for him." You nodded waving at Shouta and pointing to the XL cup of coffee that was still hot next to the machine. He made a beeline for it taking it and drinking a big swig before going over to the couch and ignoring Hizashi who draped himself over him. After a few minutes of silence, Shouta turned to you with a rare smile and nodded his head in thanks. The four of you continued to do lesson plans since it was after school quietly exchanging conversation. Even though you were doing plans on autopilot your mind was somewhere else. Shouta and Hizashi were together already for about 10 years, they have been together since we all graduated at 18. It didn't take long for them to realize each other's feelings. So, why can't you get over Nem already? 

"Y/N?" You turned at the soft velvety voice of your current affections. Nem was staring at you with open concern. She wasn't one to pry but if she sees something is bothering you constantly she will prod until she gets an answer out of you. "You're really not acting like yourself. I'm worried...You can talk to me you know that right?" You knew that for a fact but, how are you supposed to just come out to her that you had a fat crush on her for a decade and you were 99% sure it wasn't reciprocated?

"....Not here." She nodded her head in understanding and let you be for the next hour or so. It was around 5 when she got too antsy and decided to call it a day. With barely a goodbye to Hizashi and Shouta, she had tugged you away from the room neither of you aware of the short conversation between the last two occupants. 

"You think one of them will finally come to their senses?" Hizashi was wondering how much longer was it going to take for the two of you to become official. The two of you were practically married at this point but, kept doting and dancing around each other like some sacred dance.

"If they don't today, I'm going to lock them both in a closet." The two of them snickered at the pun going back to work and praying their two friends can get their act together already. Now back to the two of you Nem had pulled you into a classroom in the unoccupied wing of U.A. It was still under construction and since everyone left for the day the two of you don't have to worry about being interrupted. She turned to you after slamming and locking the door with a stern look 

"Y/N L/N, you have been acting strange for months! I always pretend not to notice because I want to give you privacy but, I can't take it! I need to know. What is bothering you? Who is bothering you? Is it your health? What's going on? I'm supposed to be your best friend and you don't talk to me at all...Is it me?" She was having a whole mental breakdown about this making you feel even more guilty than you already did. It was silent for a few minutes as you contemplated on what to do or say. You looked up at Nem finally to see she was near tears which were something that hurt your heart. Fucking hell. 

"Don't hate me." That was all you said as you took a deep breath and in one swift movement you had your hands on her face and pulled her in for a kiss. It lasted for a few seconds before you pulled away. You went to completely move out of her space when she wrapped her arms tight around your waist and, brought you in for another kiss. The kissing lasted for a few more minutes before the two of you pulled away with matching grins 

"We got a lot to talk about." That was true

"Yeah, but let's enjoy this moment, yeah?" As your answer, she pulled you in again as you thought why did you deny yourself access to heaven like this 

----------------------------------------------------------

What are your thoughts?

[mvstergunncr]

'cause they took your loved ones, but returned them in exchange for you. but would you have it any other way? (...) you couldn't have it any other way, 'cause she's a cruel mistress and a bargain must be made.

001.   |   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 : basic details

nome completo: mariana contreras hernández.

conhecida como: hopper.

pronomes: ela/dela.

idade: 29 anos.

signo: tba.

alinhamento moral: neutra.

mbti: tba.

ocupação: pirata (mestre de armas).

lealdade: neutra (tende à bondade).

sexualidade: homossexual homorromântica.

traços positivos: engraçada, inteligente, persistente e respeitosa.

traços negativos: desconfiada, impaciente, supersticiosa e transtornada.

conto: peter pan.

inspirações: frenchie, jim e oluwande (our flag means death), nami (one piece).

faceclaim: christian serratos.

002.   |   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 : background

A água dá e a água tira. Mariana era uma pescadora, seguindo a tradição que era passada de geração em geração por sua família. O respeito que os Hernández tinham para com a água, fossem os rios, os oceanos ou as marés, era fenomenal, e retribuído de bom grado por ela, que sempre os afortunou com bons resultados após um longo dia trabalhando em seus barcos pesqueiros. A cidadezinha em que viviam prosperava com os frutos que a baía lhe rendia; nunca eram incomodados e muito menos incomodavam ninguém, mas existia um pequeno percalço em toda aquela calmaria. Um porto abandonado ficava não muito longe do centro, pequeno, mas grande o suficiente para que uma embarcação de porte maior pudesse atracar. Nunca o utilizavam, afinal, a maioria das famílias pescadoras viviam próximas o suficiente da água para que pudessem zarpar de seus próprios quintais, então a maioria até esquecia de sua existência; ninguém nem lembrava ao certo de sua origem.

É engraçado como o pior dia da vida de uma pessoa pode começar tão bem. Havia passado toda a manhã no mar, preparando-se para uma grande feira que ocorreria na cidade no dia seguinte. Precisava conseguir os melhores peixes, sua família contava com isso. Estava só, pois os preparativos já haviam começado e vários moradores, seus pais e irmãos incluídos, ficaram responsabilizados por decorar a praça e montar a estrutura da festividade. Serena e focada, como sempre ficava quando estava à “deriva”, os olhos atentos à superfície cristalina. As horas se passaram em um relance, mas já havia pego o suficiente para ter um dia seguinte extremamente lucrativo. Estava longe da costa, mas não distante o suficiente para não perceber a embarcação atracada ao antigo porto, o que lhe causou estranhamento, visto que os visitantes que costumavam vir à feira atracavam no pequeno píer da cidade ou vinham pelas estradas.

Apenas quando seu barco atingiu as margens do quintal de sua casa que percebeu que havia algo extremamente errado. Primeiro, uma calmaria ensurdecedora e agoniante, que logo deu lugar a uma enxurrada de gritos e correria. A cidade estava sob ataque, e não conseguia encontrar a família em lugar algum no meio daquela confusão - os homens brandindo espadas e armas antigas afungentavam e feriam qualquer um entre eles e as mercadorias já organizadas na praça.

Procurou por todos os lugares e nem mesmo um sinal, escapando dos invasores até não poder mais. Estava cercada por eles e pelo mar às suas costas, preparada para atacar com unhas e dentes qualquer um que se aproximasse, quando ouviu o eco de um grito extremamente familiar que lhe mandava fugir. Não teria o feito se não fosse por isso, e pelo ataque súbito feito pelas pessoas ao seu redor, e nem teria conseguido fazê-lo se não estivesse estrategicamente próxima de uma pequena canoa. Correu, empurrou a embarcação para a água, pulou dentro e remou até não poder mais - os tiros por pouco não atingindo à ela e à canoa -, assistindo à medida que a cidade ficava cada vez mais distante.

Quando se deu conta de que estava distante o suficiente, já se encontrava realmente à deriva, cansada, desidratada e faminta demais para conseguir segurar os remos. E provavelmente deve ter desmaiado e navegado ao relento por longas horas, pois quando acordou, viu-se em um convés rodeada por homens que pareceram assustadíssimos quando abriu os olhos e chutou um pobre coitado que estava mais próximo. Recuperados do susto - e do chute -, deram-lhe água, comida e chamaram o capitão, que, supostamente, decidiria o destino da jovem.

A resposta foi curta e grossa: poderia ficar, contanto que contribuísse. E como agradeceu os anos e anos de experiência manejando as embarcações da família, que fizeram com que sua adaptação fosse ainda mais veloz do que o esperado por qualquer um deles. É claro, não pretendia passar o resto de sua vida ali, precisava reencontrar a família a todo custo - não aceitava nem mesmo pensar que poderiam estar mortos -, mas os dias se tornaram semanas, que se tornaram meses, e aquelas pessoas acabaram por se tornar quase como uma nova família para ela, que tão bem se adaptou à vida de pirata vivida pelo grupo, e se provou extremamente útil em combate, principalmente quando resolvia saltar pelos conveses inimigos, derrubando até mesmo marujos experientes, porém, desavisados, o que lhe rendeu o apelido de Hopper - que acabou se tornando sua alcunha ali, visto que se recusava a dizer seu verdadeiro nome.

Jamais desistiria dos parentes, é claro, mas lembrar-se de seu objetivo pessoal se tornava cada vez mais difícil depois de tantos anos, principalmente quando ofuscado por seu novo estilo de vida, e pelos próprios objetivos duvidosos de seu capitão…

003.   |   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 : anything else?

Hopper é a atual mestre de armas do Jolly Roger. Já teve as mais diversas funções nos cinco ou seis anos em que fez parte da tripulação - já havia parado de contar há muito tempo -, mas só recentemente, há cerca de um ano e meio, conseguiu subir na hierarquia.

004.   |   𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐔𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 : abilities

under co.

[triplexdoublex]

Well, I follow you and everything you have posted and updated about Colson and Megan's situation. I thought it would be good to exchange opinions with you.

Well… Megan is a horrible person and we all know it, she was bad in her marriage and now she's being bad in her relationship with Colson. She did unforgivable things that hurt not only Colson but also his fans as we don't like to see him sad and broken. That was a toxic relationship for both of them, they weren't ready for it and Megan isn't mature enough to be in a relationship. It was as if she drained him of all his energy and joy and it was also as if she did it for pleasure. I think Colson ignored all that because he loved him too much, and loving her too much was bad for him.

We could tell from the photo of him in the ski cap at one of Cassie's games. He looked so tired and broken. But I don't think Megan is fine either, after all, even if I don't like her, I have to look at her side too, and I believe that this toxic relationship also affected her.

Mas isso é apenas o que penso sobre isso, só estou tentando compartilhar minha opinião com alguém que ama Colson tanto quanto eu. Não estou tentando ofender nem nada do tipo.

Translation of last paragraph:

“But that's just what I think about it, I'm just trying to share my opinion with someone who loves Colson as much as I do. I'm not trying to offend or anything like that.”

I’m not offended at all, I can agree with that in a sense. They are/were bad and toxic together as a couple. I don’t think Colson’s 100% innocent in this especially if he did cheat, but also I think she’s extremely naive for thinking he was gonna be faithful. And I image it’s not easy to love someone who has a drug addiction and is a self proclaimed workaholic so I’m sure in that aspect it was had for her to deal with at times. BUT she was the one romanticizing it non stop, she was the one always trying to make headlines, she was the one always posting their sex lives for attention, she was the one using him to revive her dormant acting career, she’s the one brainwashing him with her astrology/twin flame nonsense and making him think he can’t live without her, she was the one who said if they couldn’t be together they should pull a murder/suicide therefore inspiring the Sid and Nancy song, she was the one who chose to air they’re dirty laundry when shit went down, she was the one who implied he cheated, implied he psychically abused her, and dragged Sophie into this. She was the one who crossed a giant fucking line following Eminem. And she’s the one who gaslighting everyone now and still not taking responsibility for anything and trying to blame the media and everyone else besides herself! So do I feel bad for her …. nope!

[nem0-nee]

THIS is extremely late, but thank you all for 100+ followers! A small step goes through a long way (⁠☆⁠▽⁠☆⁠)

There's a bunch of cool people on this side of tumblr, most who are mutuals with me. Sadly, I don't get to interact much due to both my school work and overall shyness. Soooo, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to get to know you guys better! To do this, I present to you...

Ask-quests!!

I present to you, the ask-quest! It's like an interaction, but you receive a request in exchange!

You can put in any of the following:

Some kind of introduction about you

Stuff about your OCs (i.e. fun facts and quirks)

Questions about me or my blorbos (hence the ask-quest title....aha)

Anything else! Feel free to ramble, as I'd love to read/see whatever you got (that includes random memes)

Of course, these are not mandatory at all. My only requirements are:

You're following me (new followers are welcome!)

The request you want me to draw (I'll mainly draw anything TWST related, though I'll consider other fandoms as well)

If you wanna do the optional part but are having trouble, here's an example:

Heya! I'm Nem and my current brainrot is twst, and my favorite character is Silver! But anyway, may I request my OC [Sans Undertale /j]? I want them to be drawn with [Nagito Komaeda /j /j] like in that one video 😳

I'm accepting these ask-quests until December 1, 11:59 PM CST. How fast I'll get to them will depend on how much I'll receive. I'm not sure if I'll get to all of them, but I'll definitely try my best!

Once again, thank you everyone! <33

[forexdigitalinfo]

Uma oferta de token geralmente é uma oportunidade emocionante para investidores no ecossistema de criptomoedas. A chance de comprar um token pelo seu preço de lançamento pode ser extremamente gratificante. No entanto, olhando para a febre das ICOs (Ofertas Iniciais de Moedas) em 2017 no Ethereum (ETH), nem tudo foi totalmente positivo. Scams e fraudes foram generalizados, e os investidores muitas vezes sofreram grandes perdas. Desde então, a comunidade cripto desenvolveu métodos alternativos de oferta de tokens, incluindo a Oferta Inicial em uma Exchange (IEO), Oferta Inicial em uma Exchange Descentralizada (IDO) e Oferta de Token de Segurança (STO), entre outros. As IDOs se tornaram uma escolha popular, mas como elas diferem de uma ICO, e é mais seguro para os investidores usá-las? O que é uma oferta de token? Uma oferta de token é um método de captação de recursos em que um projeto ou startup disponibiliza uma nova criptomoeda para venda. Os métodos de crowdfunding podem variar, como usar uma plataforma centralizada de exchange de criptomoedas para gerenciar o processo (IEO), trabalhar com um regulador financeiro local (STO) ou simplesmente fazer por conta própria (ICO). Alguns investidores compram as moedas por sua utilidade, enquanto outros o fazem por especulação. Por exemplo, você pode usar a moeda para farming, staking em um mecanismo de governança ou pagar taxas de transação. Como funciona um IDO? Um IDO utiliza uma exchange descentralizada (DEX) para facilitar a venda de tokens. Um projeto de criptomoeda fornece seus tokens para a DEX, os usuários comprometem seus fundos por meio da plataforma e a DEX conclui a distribuição e transferência final. Esses processos são automatizados e ocorrem por meio de contratos inteligentes na blockchain. As regras e estágios de um IDO dependem da DEX que o administra, mas existem alguns métodos comuns: Após um processo de seleção, um projeto é aceito para realizar um IDO em uma DEX. Eles oferecem um suprimento de tokens por um preço fixo, e os usuários bloqueiam seus fundos em troca desses tokens. Os investidores receberão os tokens durante o evento de geração de tokens (TGE) posteriormente. Geralmente, há uma lista de investidores privilegiados. Você pode ter que completar tarefas de marketing para entrar na lista ou simplesmente fornecer o endereço da sua carteira. Parte dos fundos arrecadados é usada para criar um pool de liquidez com o token do projeto. O restante dos fundos é dado à equipe. Os investidores podem, então, negociar o token após o TGE. Normalmente, a liquidez fornecida é bloqueada por um determinado período. No TGE, os tokens são transferidos para o usuário, e o pool de liquidez é aberto para negociação. Qual é o futuro do modelo IDO? Embora o modelo acima seja um IDO típico, as ofertas de tokens estão sempre mudando. Por exemplo, também temos o modelo de Oferta Inicial de Farm (IFO), que está se tornando cada vez mais popular. É difícil dizer se pode ser chamado de um IDO tradicional, mas depende dos mesmos conceitos principais: pools de liquidez e exchanges descentralizadas. Em vez de bloquear diretamente seus tokens, os investidores devem primeiro fazer staking em um pool de Finanças Descentralizadas (DeFi) para ganhar tokens de LP. Por exemplo, um projeto que deseja vender seu token por BNB em um IFO no PancakeSwap exigirá que os investidores façam staking de BNB e CAKE no pool BNB-CAKE. Os tokens LP BNB-CAKE são então bloqueados para os novos tokens, e o projeto recebe o BNB enquanto o CAKE é queimado. A quantidade de tokens que você recebe dependerá do número de participantes na venda, e quaisquer fundos excedentes investidos serão devolvidos a você. Pode até haver medidas para tornar mais justo que pequenos investidores obtenham uma parcela da IDO, como as opções de Venda Básica e Venda Ilimitada no IFO do PancakeSwap.   Outra possível mudança nas IDOs pode ser a exigência de processos de Conheça Seu Cliente (KYC) e Prevenção à Lavagem de Dinheiro (

AML). Reguladores financeiros em todo o mundo estão cada vez mais interessados no DeFi e em seu status regulatório. KYC e AML já são padrão para exchanges centralizadas, e as DEXs também podem estar sujeitas às mesmas regras no futuro. Quais são as vantagens de um IDO? Ao longo do tempo, as ofertas de tokens se tornaram em sua maioria mais justas e seguras para os investidores. As IDOs têm algumas vantagens distintas que apoiam isso: Você não precisa lidar diretamente com um projeto e confiar em seus contratos inteligentes. Uma plataforma de IDO confiável terá diversas vendas bem-sucedidas concluídas. Se os contratos inteligentes forem os mesmos, você pode confiar na oferta. Liquidez imediata fornecida após a venda. As IDOs bloquearão parte dos fundos arrecadados em pools de liquidez para criar um mercado líquido após a venda. Isso ajuda a reduzir o slippage e a volatilidade. Não são necessários cadastros. Você só precisa de uma carteira e fundos para participar da venda, e detalhes pessoais não são necessários. Isso torna aberto a todos os tipos de usuários. No entanto, a falta de processos KYC ou AML também pode ser vista como uma desvantagem (mais sobre isso abaixo). As IDOs são acessíveis e acessíveis para projetos. É geralmente mais fácil e mais barato para um projeto pequeno e menos conhecido lançar seu token por meio de uma DEX do que uma exchange centralizada grande. As IDOs frequentemente têm medidas contra baleias, o que significa que nenhum investidor individual pode comprar um grande número de tokens. Quais são as desvantagens de um IDO? Algumas das vantagens da IDO também trazem algumas de suas desvantagens. Esses problemas decorrem principalmente dos aspectos descentralizados e anônimos de um IDO. Sem KYC ou AML. Investidores e projetos estão protegidos quando verificações adequadas são concluídas. Essas medidas ajudam a evitar a lavagem de fundos ilegais e a evasão de sanções econômicas. Por exemplo, pode não ser legal participar de IDOs em certos países se o token for considerado um título. Menos due diligence de projetos. É muito mais fácil para um projeto sem reputação distribuir seu token por meio de um IDO do que por meio de um IEO em uma exchange grande e regulada. Qual é a diferença entre um IDO, IEO e ICO? Os métodos usados em uma ICO, IDO e IEO são bastante diferentes, embora os resultados sejam principalmente os mesmos. Aqui está uma visão geral rápida das principais diferenças: IDO IEO ICO Vetagem do projeto DEX avalia o projeto CEX avalia o projeto Captação de recursos DEX lida com os fundos dos investidores CEX lida com os fundos dos investidores Contratos inteligentes DEX cria e executa os contratos inteligentes CEX cria e executa os contratos inteligentes Listagem de tokens Pools de liquidez abrem na DEX Exchange lista o token KYC/AML Não Sim Onde posso encontrar IDOs? O primeiro lugar para encontrar um IDO é no próprio projeto. Envolvendo-se com a comunidade do projeto e seguindo seus canais de mídia social é uma boa maneira de começar. Você também pode verificar DEXs como PancakeSwap ou DODO para ver a lista de próximos IDOs. Se você deseja ter uma visão geral de todos os IDOs futuros, a CoinMarketCap tem uma lista de ofertas de tokens disponíveis para visualização. Nem todas essas serão IDOs, mas a CoinMarketCap rotula claramente quais vendas são. Como participar de um IDO? Para participar de um IDO, você precisará de uma carteira de criptomoedas que possa se conectar a DApps como MetaMask ou Binance Chain Wallet. Você também precisará de algumas criptomoedas para comprar os tokens e pagar as taxas de transação. A criptomoeda exata que você precisará dependerá da venda e até mesmo pode ser tokens de LP se você estiver participando de um IFO. Depois de preparar sua carteira, você precisará se conectar ao DApp do IDO usando o botão de conexão, geralmente encontrado no canto superior direito. Aqui está um exemplo de como ele se par

ece:   Agora você receberá instruções específicas sobre como bloquear seus fundos em preparação para o evento de geração de tokens. Certifique-se também de ter fundos suficientes para pagar suas taxas de transação. Na maioria dos casos, uma vez encerrado o período de inscrição, os tokens serão transferidos para sua carteira. Algumas vendas podem, no entanto, bloquear ou fazer staking de seus novos tokens por um determinado período. Leia os detalhes antes de participar de um IDO. Dicas para se manter seguro em um IDO Assim como qualquer investimento, existem dicas fáceis e práticas para ajudar a manter-se o mais seguro possível: Use o link correto para se inscrever no IDO. Golpistas se aproveitarão do entusiasmo e hype de um IDO e criarão páginas falsas de inscrição. Qualquer criptomoeda que você transferir para uma página de golpe será perdida permanentemente. Use um Launchpad de DEX confiável. Já existem muitas DEXs confiáveis onde você pode participar de IDOs, incluindo PancakeSwap e BakerySwap. Usar essas plataformas aumenta suas chances de receber seus tokens com sucesso na venda. Pesquise o projeto no qual você está investindo. Ele é de uma equipe já conhecida e confiável? Os fundos arrecadados serão liberados gradualmente? Já existe um produto para usar? Perguntas como essas podem ajudar você a determinar a probabilidade de um possível golpe ou fraude. Verifique os termos e condições do IDO. Pode haver um atraso na entrega dos tokens, ou eles podem até mesmo ser bloqueados e staked por algum tempo. Quase tudo é possível, dependendo da tokenomics do projeto, e você deve entender completamente esses detalhes. Invista apenas o que você pode perder. As vendas de tokens têm a reputação de serem altamente voláteis. É fácil se empolgar e investir mais do que deveria. Mas não se esqueça, as vendas ainda são arriscadas, e mesmo com uma pesquisa sólida, você ainda pode ser vítima de um golpe, fraude ou rug pull. Plataformas populares de lançamento de IDO Existem muitas DEXs em diferentes blockchains que oferecem serviços de IDO. Uma maneira simples de pesquisar por elas é através da lista Top Launchpad Coins by Market Capitalization no CoinGecko. Qualquer DEX que tenha sua própria moeda, o que é quase todas, está presente na lista. No entanto, não se esqueça de que uma grande capitalização de mercado não significa necessariamente que a DEX é confiável ou digna de confiança. Você deve usar essas informações juntamente com outros fundamentos antes de escolher uma DEX para usar em um IDO.   Conclusão Com sua combinação de facilidade de uso, acessibilidade e preço acessível, as IDOs se tornaram um modelo padrão de captação de recursos para muitos novos projetos no mercado de criptomoedas. Na verdade, as ofertas de tokens se tornaram uma indústria em si. Para resumir, geralmente é mais seguro participar de uma venda por meio de uma Exchange de Liquidez Descentralizada do que diretamente com um projeto. No entanto, uma grande parte do sucesso em um IDO é escolher o projeto certo. Para isso, nada supera uma boa pesquisa no espaço cripto.

[awesomejiansshi]

The unreasonable reasons of love (As sem-razões do Amor)

Eu te amo porque te amo.

I love you because I love you.

Não precisas ser amante,

You don’t need to be a lover,

e nem sempre sabes sê-lo.

And not always you know how to be one.

Eu te amo porque te amo.

I love you because I love you.

Amor é estado de graça

Love is a state of grace

e com amor não se paga.

And with love can't be repaid.

Amor é dado de graça,

Love is given for free,

é semeado no vento,

Is sown in the wind,

na cachoeira, no eclipse.

In the waterfall, in the eclipse.

Amor foge a dicionários

Love escapes dictionaries

e a regulamentos vários.

And the many regulations.

Eu te amo porque não amo

I love you because I don’t love

bastante ou de mais a mim.

Enough or too much my own self.

Porque amor não se troca,

Because love can’t be exchanged,

não se conjuga nem se ama.

Can’t be conjugated or loved.

Porque amor é amor a nada,

Because love is love for nothing,

feliz e forte em si mesmo.

Happy and strong in itself.

Amor é primo da morte,

Love is death’s cousin,

e da morte vencedor,

And death’s conqueror,

por mais que o matem (e matam)

It doesn’t matter how much it is killed (and it is)

a cada instante de amor.

Every moment of love.

Carlos Drummond de Andrade. 

[nightingaletrash]

So besides Nem, I've got a couple of character ideas floating around my head that I wanna play with at some point:

Zara, the Half-Orc Rogue, Criminal; orphaned after a bandit raid on her home village, Zara found herself on the streets of Baldur's Gate. She fell in with Nemeia, a young tiefling, and the two worked together to survive. While Nem took to salvaging and busking, Zara took to thieving and picking the pockets of Nem's audiences. She even found work with a fence and began to expand her activities, becoming a skilled and respected thief.

Lorelai, Half-Drow Warlock, Criminal; born from a liason between a Drow Matron and an Unseelie Archfey, Lorelai was raised to be an assassin in service to her family. Instead, she escaped with the help of her father, abducted her newborn half-sister, and fled the Underdark for the surface, where she met a powerful crime lord who agreed to help hide the baby in exchange for Lorelai's services as an agent. She's technically supposed to be a Rogue who multiclasses into a Warlock, but I'm gonna do it the other way around on account of Zara.

Unnamed Dragonborn Paladin, Acolyte; they were hatched into an abbey of their god - I haven't decided who yet - which was raided by a band of adventurers who sought the abbey's treasure. Their mentor/parental figure was slain in the attack, and they swore an oath of vengeance against the band. They set out in pursuit but have yet to track them down.

There's a few other things I want to try out, like a Githyanki, a Cleric of Selune, a Monk, any of the shorter races, and ofc the Dark Urge but these are my more solid ideas so far

[royallisgold]

Gold as an Investment

Before jumping on the gold bandwagon, let us first put a damper on the enthusiasm around gold and examine some reasons why investing in gold poses some fundamental issues.

The main problem with gold is that, unlike other commodities such as oil or wheat, it does not get used up or consumed. Once gold is mined, it stays in the world. A barrel of oil, on the other hand, is turned into gas and other products that are expended in your car's gas tank or an airplane's jet engines. Grains are consumed in the food we and our animals eat. Gold, on the other hand, is turned into jewelry, used in art, stored in ingots locked away in vaults, and put to a variety of other uses. Regardless of gold's final destination, its chemical composition is such that the precious metal cannot be used up—it is permanent.

Because of this, the supply-demand argument that can be made for commodities such as oil and grains doesn't hold so well for gold. In other words, the supply will only go up over time, even if demand for the metal dries up.

History Overcomes the Supply Problem

Like no other commodity, gold has held the fascination of human societies since the beginning of recorded time. Empires and kingdoms were built and destroyed over gold and mercantilism. As societies developed, gold was universally accepted as a satisfactory form of payment. In short, history has given gold a power surpassing that of any other commodity on the planet, and that power has never really disappeared.

The U.S. monetary system was based on a gold standard until the 1970s.

1

Proponents of this standard argue that such a monetary system effectively controls the expansion of credit and enforces discipline on lending standards because the amount of credit created is linked to a physical supply of gold. It's hard to argue with that line of thinking after nearly three decades of a credit explosion in the U.S. led to the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008.

From a fundamental perspective, gold is generally viewed as a favorable hedge against inflation. Gold functions as a good store of value against a declining currency.

2

Investing in Gold

The easiest way to gain exposure to gold is through the stock market, via which you can invest in the shares of gold-mining companies. Investing in gold bullion won't offer the leverage you would get from investing in gold-mining stocks. As the price of gold goes up, miners' higher profit margins can boost earnings exponentially. Suppose a mining company has a profit margin of $200 when the price of gold is $1,000. If the price rises 10%, to $1,100 an ounce, the operating margin of the gold miner goes up to $300—a 50% increase.

Of course, there are other issues to consider with gold-mining stocks, namely political risk (because many operate in developing nations) and the difficulty of maintaining gold production levels.

The most common way to invest in physical gold is through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) like the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), which simply holds gold.

When investing in ETFs, pay attention to net asset value (NAV), as the purchase price can at times exceed NAV by a wide margin, especially when the markets are optimistic.

A list of gold-mining companies includes Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX.TO), Newmont Corp. (NEM), and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (AEM), among others. Passive investors who want great exposure to the gold miners may consider the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), which includes investments in all the major miners.

Alternative Investment Considerations

While gold is a good bet on inflation, it's certainly not the only one. Commodities in general benefit from inflation because they have pricing power. The key consideration when investing in commodity-based businesses is to go for low-cost producers. More conservative investors would also do well to consider inflation-protected securities like Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS. The one thing you don't want is to be sitting idle—in cash, thinking you're doing well—while inflation is eroding the value of your dollar.

Gold Price Performance

The price of gold depends on a complex array of factors. Because gold is priced in dollars, the value of the U.S. currency can have a significant impact on the performance of the precious metal. A strong dollar makes gold more expensive for buyers in other countries, potentially leading to lower gold prices. On the other hand, a weaker dollar makes gold more affordable for international purchasers and may bring increased prices. Since gold is seen as a hedge against inflation, the decline in value of fiat currencies and the market's expectations surrounding inflation can also affect gold prices.

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These factors seem to be evident in the yellow metal's recent price history. Throughout most of 2022, despite soaring levels of inflation, gold prices actually dipped, likely driven lower by sustained strength in the dollar against other currencies. More recently, with inflation remaining stubbornly persistent despite the Federal Reserve's attempts to bring it under control, gold prices have recovered to more than $1,875 per ounce in January 2023, from around $1,656 per ounce in September 2022.

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What's to Come

You can't ignore the effect of human psychology when it comes to investing in gold. The precious metal has always been a go-to investment during times of fear and uncertainty, which tend to go hand in hand with economic recessions and depressions.

In the articles that follow, we examine how and why gold gets its fundamental value, how it's used as a form of money, and which factors subsequently influence its price on the market—from miners to speculators to central banks. We will look at the fundamentals of trading gold and what types of securities or instruments are commonly used to gain exposure to gold investments. We'll look at using gold both as a long-term component of a diversified portfolio and as a short-term day trading asset. We'll look at the benefits of gold but also examine the risks and pitfalls and see if it lives up to the "gold standard."

What Makes Gold Valuable?

Aside from its literal shine and the symbolic relationship with wealth that has lasted throughout human civilization, gold plays an important role as a store of value and a medium of exchange. Unlike other commodities, gold does not get used up or consumed, imbuing the precious metal with a sense of everlasting value. Gold serves as a hedge against the declining value of currencies through inflation, which leads many investors to consider gold an alternative asset and a way of safeguarding their wealth.

What Is the Gold Standard?

Under the gold standard, the value of a currency is pegged to the value of gold. The Bretton Woods Agreement, which formed the framework for global currency markets starting at the end of World War II, established that the U.S. dollar was convertible to gold at a fixed rate of $35 per ounce, with other world currencies valued in relation to the dollar.

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President Nixon ended the convertibility of the dollar to gold in 1971, signaling the end of the gold standard.

How Can I Invest in Gold?

There is a wide variety of options for investors who want exposure to gold. It's possible to invest directly in gold bullion, although the costs of storing and insuring physical gold can be significant. Investors also can turn to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that hold the precious metal or purchase shares of mining companies whose stock prices are correlated to gold's price performance.

The Bottom Line

Gold has held a special place in the human imagination since the beginning of recorded time. From an investment perspective, gold is attractive because of its potential to remain strong in difficult financial environments and to hedge against inflationary declines in the value of fiat currencies.

Although the U.S. dollar and other world currencies are no longer pegged to gold—as was the case when many countries operated under the gold standard—the precious metal continues to play an important role in the global economy.

ARTICLE SOURCES

PART OF

Investing in Gold

Investing in Gold1 of 30

Why Gold Matters: Everything You Need to Know2 of 30

Why Has Gold Always Been Valuable?3 of 30

What Drives the Price of Gold?4 of 30

What Moves Gold Prices?5 of 30

Gold Standard: Definition, How It Works, and Example6 of 30

Gold: The Other Currency7 of 30

How to Invest in Gold: An Investor’s Guide8 of 30

Gold Bug9 of 30

8 Good Reasons to Own Gold10 of 30

4 Ways to Buy Gold11 of 30

Does It Still Pay to Invest in Gold?12 of 30

The Best Ways To Invest In Gold Without Holding It13 of 30

How to Buy Gold Bars14 of 30

The Best Strategy for Gold Investors15 of 30

The Most Affordable Way to Buy Gold: Physical Gold or ETFs?16 of 30

The Better Inflation Hedge: Gold or Treasuries?17 of 30

Has Gold Been a Good Investment Over the Long Term?18 of 30

Trading the Gold-Silver Ratio19 of 30

How to Trade Gold in 4 Steps20 of 30

Gold Option21 of 30

How To Buy Gold Options22 of 30

Using Technical Analysis in Gold Miner ETFs23 of 30

Day-Trading Gold ETFs: Top Tips24 of 30

Gold ETFs vs. Gold Futures: What's the Difference?25 of 30

Should You Get a Gold IRA?26 of 30

How to Buy Gold With Your 401(k)27 of 30

Gold IRA Definition28 of 30

When and Why Do Gold Prices Plummet?29 of 30

The Effect of Fed Funds Rate Hikes on Gold30 of 30

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Related Terms

Gold IRA Definition

A gold IRA is a retirement investment vehicle used by individuals who hold gold bullion, coins, or other approved precious metals. more

Troy Ounce: Definition, History, and Conversion Table

A troy ounce is a unit of measurement for precious metal weight that dates to the Middle Ages. One troy ounce is equal to 31.10 grams. more

Gold Bug

A “gold bug” is somebody who is especially bullish on gold. more

Dollar Bear

A dollar bear is an investor who is pessimistic, or "bearish," about the prospects of the U.S. dollar (USD). They are the opposite of a dollar bull. more

Gold Standard: Definition, How It Works, and Example

The gold standard is a system in which a country's government allows its currency to be freely converted into fixed amounts of gold. more

Precious Metals: Definition, How to Invest, and Example

Precious metals are rare metals that have a high economic value, such as gold, silver, and platinum.

Invest with us today with Royallis Gold.

[mr-cactis]

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