#how to make money selling merchant services

[merchantservices444]

How Do I Make a Merchant Payment?

[thecoiledserpent]

↻ VARNA, GUNA, PURUSHARTH, NATURE, GANA & YONI IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

basics of vedic astrology. ask box. masterlist.

important: this master post will consist of three major posts wherein i will be elaborating each of these six mentioned factors. understanding them is key to understanding the deeper nature of the nakshatras, and how compatibility works in vedic astrology. it is not possible to work on all of them in a single post. also, order is irrelevant here. although i usually let it slide, i would recommend reading even the theory and background part in these three posts because they are relevant to further understanding. without it, things may not make sense. i have touched on sensitive topics like varna with care so as to not hurt religious sentiments. but i would appreciate being called out if i have said anything that may spread hatred. it is never my intent to create discord. i would request others to be polite and respectful as well. these are all topics deeply entwined with ancient hindu culture. any disrespect, misinformation and hateful behaviour will have you kicked out of this space. long post ahead, i wish the readers best of luck.

◍ VARNA + GANA

i would like to start off by mentioning that varna and guna are used majorly for checking compatibility between two people or for suggesting appropriate career paths.

varna is for relating the native's attitude towards the world and their work / responsibilities. gana is for analysing the native's nature. so don't use these things in an all encompassing way, and it is better if these tools are used only on the things they are intended for.

VARNA

INTRODUCTION: varna, literally translates to 'caste'. it is noteworthy to mention that vedic astrology, one of the vedangas, was written by sages in antiquity. the caste system that came to ostracize the poor in the name of religion in the indian subcontinent by the 1900s is nothing like what the sages intended for varna to mean, due to which it has come to gain an inherently bad reputation. firstly, the caste system started out with a basic concept—how people brought money into their home. it had nothing to do with one's birth. this is not to be confused with gotra, which refers to bloodline. our bloodline remains the same, but based on what people did to gain money we classify society into 5 major categories, which will be elaborated below. secondly, the varna allotted to each nakshatra is based off the nakshatra's nature. i won't be delving too deep into this, but careful consideration leads one to realize that certain traits indicate saintly personas and others indicate an outlaw. of course, the interpretations aren't so extreme, and i will expand on them further.

brahmin—the caste that studied vedas, tended to the statues of hindu gods, assisted day-to-day prayers, rituals, festivals and rites. they were gurus, translating roughly to 'teacher'. nakshatras—krittika, purva phalguni, purva ashada, purva bhadrapada

kshatriyas—the caste that ruled lands, that is, kings and queens. nakshatras—pushya, uttara phalguni, uttara ashada, uttara bhadrapada

vaishyas—the caste that did trade and business. they brought money by selling their services. they are majorly divided into two parts; farmers and traders. artisans, dancers, musicians etc. were considered to be traders. nakshatras— merchants—ashwini, punarvasu, hasta farmers—mrigashira, chitra, jyeshtha, dhanishtha

shudras—the sweeper caste. these were the people who carried out menial tasks such as maids, sweepers, butchers, servants, constructions workers etc. again, they can be classified into two major parts; butchers and the servants. nakshatras— workers—rohini, magha, anuradha, revati butchers—ardra, swati, moola, shatabhisha

mleccha—the outcastes. these were people who committed heinous crimes and were a threat to society. even a brahmin who comitted the sin of raping another woman could become a mleccha. mleccha were not any 'caste', they were no caste at all and condemned until they died. we only include people here who committed wrongdoings under situations under their own control. a woman who aborted a child due to her own health issues, trans people etc are not to be included here, unless they commit another crime. nakshatras—ashlesha, bharani, vishakha, shravana.

now, let's come down to business. following are general guidelines required to use the varna system—

we only use the caste / varna of our moon sign. having a certain varna in many of your planets is not indicative of anything, only consider the varna of your moon sign.

varna is used for analysing many things, for starters. we use varna for figuring out the most appropriate life path for oneself, and also which kind of career the native would thrive in. one's moon sign's varna is indicative of how we interact with the world and what things we're good with.

note that we employ flexibility here. having a nakshtra in a brahmin varna does not make you 'superior', you simply have other strengths, is all. similarly, having a mleccha varna does not make you a bad person, or that you will commit crimes.

in friendships, marriages, and other unions varna represents how well the ideals of two people match. for eg, a brahmin will never get along with a shudra. nor will a kshatriya. vaishya will get along with shudra, and with brahmin, but not with kshatriya and so on.

tbh the complexity with mleccha is that it belongs nowhere so compatibility matching becomes tricky. an outcaste is not accepted by society, so discussing them becomes difficult. personally, i believe that mleccha varna people can only get along well with each other.

GENERAL VARNA OBSERVATIONS

kshatriya naks are usually stubborn and self-righteous. once they make up their mind about something, it's very hard to convince them otherwise, even if you're right. pushya people even end up losing their trust in those who question their judgement. they can be impulsive and have difficulty keeping their silence when they are hurt. genuinely flamboyant people smh you tell them to wear something casual and they'll bring out a met gala ass outfit. very beautiful people though, they entrance others easily with their charm and beauty, so they get away with it. kinda dramatic too lmao these people often have the jester's privilege 🤷‍♀️ i said what i said. there's a regal aura about them and they easily get away with things. it repeatedly reminds me of achilles, for some reason. bold, bright and attractive; and most of all, worthy of praise. their fame is well deserved, but restraint on the smug attitude is important to avoid making enemies. these people are prone to getting back stabbed. also likely to challenge the system. but not like a revolutionary radical way like mleccha naks do, but rather 'fy bitch, i'm gonna wear what i wanna and look how i naturally am. y'all ain't got shit on me.' if i'm being honest, it's actually pretty respectable.

mleccha nak people are most likely to question the working of things. and they are the type of people who research everything before they fight about it, to make sure they can't be proven wrong. bharani is pretty much the face of this aspect. they easily feel victimised and are sensitive to criticism. sensitive does not mean cry baby though, like bharani could probably punch your face in if it has had enough, sensitive is used in the context of reactive here. they are the people who are most likely to be abused or ignored. usually have trauma related to certain aspects of life. ashlesha have childhood trauma, bharani have trauma related to being restrained (emotional manipulation and being misguided by people they trusted) and so on... mleccha naks have a tendency of being air-headed when it comes to whoever is hurt by their words when they are certain they are speaking the truth. or when they decide they had enough shit and want to voice their feelings. they stop caring about societal restraints and could even spit at a king's face if it comes down to it. usually lonely people. if i'm being honest ashlesha manages to become an odd one out here too, since they don't really fit in much anywhere. they crave company but they are repeatedly betrayed. so it's like push and pull with them, and others don't want to be with such a person. ashlesha's biggest lesson is to see the truth for what it is.

brahmin nak people.. enjoy life, so to say. they can be kinda lazy or have tendencies to order people around. can be self-righteous and massive snobs when they are not self-conscious. other than that, they are pretty chill people. they go with the flow and hold on to the seaweeds when they sense the waters are getting too fast. they know to, and when not to exert themselves. morally good people though, usually have good childhoods. kind of reminds me of gryffindors, they want the best for everyone, but they are a bit rough around the edges and unintentionally hurt others. ngl most of them were very proud people, and others were sadistic. ig brahmin naks have an air of authority which they are more than aware of and it adds to their already inflated egos. it is necessary to remain humble, otherwise people will easily hate on these people. they are very talented, and so most people desire to bring them down as soon as they can. acting foolishly or with vanity is like their one-way ticket to downfall.

vaishya nak people are incredibly clever and quick witted. of course, since it's a wide range of naks i won't generalise, but remember that wit exists in various forms. such as ashwini is prodigal type of intelligence, whereas chitra is 'sell combs to a bald man' type of wit. the farmer category & the worker shudras are hard working naks. they are devoted to what they do and remain grounded, even after massive success. it is difficult for them to see past excessive fonts and twisted words. tbh it doesn't make much sense to them, they are the type to say stuff as it is. no buttering, no boot licking. they believe that if you want something, then you work for it; no excuses. revati is a bit of a nepo baby, but they definitely believe in hard work, as well. often worth their salt. can be delusional though, at least it keeps them happy. the merchant vaishyas are the clever ones. these are the type of people you want to associate with smart work. the farmers category was hard work, but here wit is a major theme. they also don't mind buttering as long as it gets work done. clever people. probably would use others for their own benefit. their usefulness gains them many friends and accomplishments in life. the butcher shudras are just as hardworking as the worker shudras, but they are classified as having a more 'it is what it is' type of mindset. they can hurt people at times, and have a harsh nature. they are the type of people who accept life for what it is and silently suck it up. not ones to complain, usually. when they they set their mind to completing something, they don't rest until they achieve it. they usually don't demand praise for their work, but definitely deserve it.

general compatibility—

✓ brahmins—brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya ✓ kshatriyas—brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, mleccha ✓ vaishyas—brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra ✓ shudras—vaishya, shudra, mleccha ✓ mlecchas—kshatriya, shudra, mleccha

extreme incompatibility—

✗ brahmin—mleccha ✗ kshatriya—shudra ✗ vaishya— none ✗ shudra—kshatriya ✗ mleccha—brahmin

extreme compatibility—

✓ brahmins—brahmin ✓ kshatriyas—kshatriya ✓ mlecchas—mleccha

GANA

INTRODUCTION: there is no english equivalent for this word, the closest it can be translated to is 'behaviour'. gana is used to compare a native's energy and overall traits in a rough manner with the energies associated with 'swarga' / heaven, 'naraka' / hell and 'mrityu loka' / 'prithvi' / earth. hence, there are three ganas: 'deva' / godly, 'rakshasa' / demonly, 'manushya' / 'nara' / human, respectively. (ironic and funny sounding, but don't think of it from your, i.e a human's perspective. think of it from the view of the universe and you'll understand what it's supposed to mean.)

BASIC INFO: again, it is important to mention that flexibility is exercised in this matter. rakshasa gana naks are not actually demons, it's supposed to describe an energy. only the gana of the moon nak is to be taken in reference. although, yes, most planets' naks being in the same gana makes it the dominant one.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE GANAS

deva gana naks are of positive and bright energy. we associate them with the morning, and these people usually function best in the day. they are splendorous and usually strict about their principles or whatever their codes of conduct are. they are impatient, vain, and even selfish at times. intelligence, wit, fierceness, beauty (beauty is used in the context of abundance, not looks) and fine speech is associated with them. they are clean and usually enjoy fresh or healthy food. they can be immense people pleasers, and care a lot about their reputation. they prefer company over solitude.

rakshasa gana naks are abundant in energy and patience. they are deliberate and know where and how to invest their energy. they are associated with the night and have tendencies towards being night-owls. they are learnt in the sciences. they can be messy and unhygienic. they handle intensity, anger and violence from others well, because they know how to handle their own darkness. they can be harsh by nature and hurt others. they are familiar with solitude, and are at comfort with it. company can make them anxious.

manushya gana naks are in the middle of both extremes, embodying balance in their traits. they are usually humanitarian and adore animals. their traits are indefinite most of the times because they are flexible and get along with both deva gana and rakshasa gana people.

✗ deva and rakshasa gana people do not get along, especially if the charts are extremely polar about their nature as well.

✓ manushya gana people get along with all three ganas.

✓ deva and rakshasa gana are compatible with others of their own gana.

✓ two deva gana people are extremely compatible.

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय नमः

[robertreich]

How Amazon Is Ripping You Off

Shopping on Amazon? Stop! Watch this first.

Amazon is the world’s biggest online retailer. This one single juggernaut of a company is responsible for nearly 40% of all online sales in America. In an FTC lawsuit, they’re accused of using their mammoth size, and consumers’ dependence on them, to artificially jack up prices as high as possible, while prohibiting sellers on Amazon from charging lower prices anywhere else.

They’re accused of using a secret algorithm, codenamed "Project Nessie," to charge customers an estimated extra $1 billion dollars,

If this isn’t an abuse of power that hurts consumers, what is? So much for all of those “prime” deals you thought you were getting.

Project Nessie isn’t the only trick Amazon has been accused of using to exert its hulking dominance over the online retail industry — leading to higher prices for you.

Much of the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit centers around the treatment of independent merchants who sell items on Amazon’s online superstore — accounting for 60 percent of Amazon's sales.

Amazon allegedly uses strongarm tactics that force these sellers to keep their prices higher than they need to be. Like barring them from selling products for significantly less at other stores — or else risk being hidden in Amazon’s search results or having their sales stopped entirely.

And Amazon is accused of engaging in pay-to-play schemes and charging merchants excessive fees that end up costing you even more.

Independent sellers are effectively forced to pay Amazon to advertise their products prominently in search results. If they don’t fork over cash, then their products get buried underneath products of companies who do. This hurts sellers but also harms shoppers who have to parse through less relevant products that may be more expensive or lower quality.

And to be eligible for the coveted “Prime” badge on their items — which is considered crucial for competing on the platform — independent sellers are pushed into paying Amazon for additional services like warehousing and shipping, even if they could get those services cheaper elsewhere. If sellers forgo trying to qualify for Prime, their goods apparently become harder for customers to find.

When all of these extra fees are added up, Amazon takes around a 50 percent cut of each sale made by a third party. It’s projected that Amazon will earn around $125 billion from collecting fees in the U.S. in 2023, most of which get passed on to you.

By charging all of these extra fees and stifling independent companies from selling their products for less elsewhere, Amazon is using its dominance to essentially set prices for all consumers across the internet.

And when you combine Amazon’s control of ecommerce with all of the other industries it has entered by gobbling up companies — such as Whole Foods, One Medical, and MGM — you’re left with a behemoth that simply has too much power.

This is all part of a much larger problem of growing corporate dominance in America. In over 75% of U.S. industries, fewer companies now control more of their markets than they did twenty years ago.

The lack of competition and consumer choice has resulted in all of us paying more for goods because corporations like Amazon can raise their prices with impunity. By one estimate, corporate concentration has cost the typical American household $5,000 a year more than they would have spent if markets were truly competitive.

This power isn’t just being used to siphon more money from you. A giant corporation has the power to bust unions, keep workers’ wages low, and funnel money into our political system.

It’s a vicious cycle, making giant corporations more and more powerful.

But under the Biden administration, the government is making a strong effort to revive antitrust law and use its power to reign in big corporations that have grown too powerful.

We must stop the monopolization of America. This FTC lawsuit against Amazon is a great start.

[cadouisms]

customer service

i played re4 remake for 4 hours and decided i wanted the merchant carnally

the merchant/afab!reader, 18+  also on ao3

“You look like you’ve been through the ringer, stranger.”

At the sudden voice, you jerk. In the shadows of the building you ducked into, a robed man leans against a wall, surrounded by boxes and various bits of shelving. He looks huge. You defensively raise your bloodstained hatchet in front of you, adrenaline still hot and heavy in your veins.

The man shows his palms, placating. “Easy there. I’m not interested in fightin’.”

“What do you want?” Unsurprisingly, your voice comes out shaken, hoarse. You’ve been screaming all day.

“Way I see it, you stepped into my shop.”

“Your sh…” You lower your arms, inch by inch, as you properly assess your surroundings. A brazier burns in the corner, blazing a curious purple. Alongside the boxes, there’s a table covered in bits and bobs — ammo, you think, and some paper. As your eyes adjust to the dim lighting, you realize he’s not as big as you thought; on his back is an oversized bag, and he appears to strain under its weight. A merchant, you think. “What do you sell?”

The man laughs. It’s a gravelly staccato, a quite literal heh heh heh, that unnerves you. “What’re ya buyin’?”

Your pockets are bare. The only belongings you have are the clothes on your back and the hatchet in your hand. Even if you had any money, you doubted it’d be enough to afford even a single hot meal. You shake your head. “No budget for anything.”

“No?” He nods toward your hand. “Seems like you could use an upgrade, mate.”

He’s right. The blade is chipped and cracked in several places and is in dire need of a sharpening, if not a full replacement. You’re afraid it won’t last you much longer. “Please don’t misunderstand,” you say, voice cracking with overuse, “but I literally can’t afford one. I can’t pay.”

“Consider this a one-time offer, then.” The Merchant stands fully and, to your surprise, opens up his jacket. All sorts of knives, guns, ammo, and even tools hang from the inside. He pulls a small handgun from its sheath and spins it in his hand, holding the handle out to you. “She ain’t the most powerful out there, but she’ll get the job done better than that weapon of yours. On the house.”

Even underneath the hood, only his eyes and the bridge of his nose remain uncovered. A purple handkerchief obscures the rest of his features, mystifying him further. There’s no way to discern his intentions.

Fear him, says the rational part of your brain, the part that has kept you alive for the past day. You shouldn’t trust him. You should run and find somewhere else to camp out, take your chances with your shitty hatchet.

…But the lights flickering against the walls are oddly serene, and despite all his peculiarities, the Merchant seems the sanest person you’ve met. Not to mention the fact that you are in no position to refuse a free gun.

Your hatchet slides limply from your hand and clatters to the stone floor as you step closer. The metal of the pistol is cool and smooth in your hand, its weight neither too unwieldy or too light. You slide the magazine out — full — and reload. You double check that the trigger safety is on.

You’d need to find more bullets at some point, but that’s a problem for future you. As it is, you want to find a space to breathe and relax. Even after the horror of a day you’ve had, your heart still thuds rapidly in your chest, energy coiled so tight it’s a wonder you don’t explode. Your body wants to run far from the danger that lurks beyond these four walls, but you know you risk collapsing if you don’t rest.

“Well?” prods the Merchant.

His voice makes you startle. You come back to yourself all at once, and it hits you just

how close the two of you stand. He’s only a little taller than you, maybe more, but he’s much broader by far. Whether naturally or conflated with his oversized robe, you don’t know, but it makes your pulse quicken.

Fear him, your mind repeats. Run — but you’re rooted to the spot. You wet your lips.

All this adrenaline and no where for it to go.

The Merchant tilts his head. The sides of his hood give way enough that you can see his gaze as he looks you over. “Not satisfied yet, are you?”

You haven’t said thanks, you realize. “N-no, I—”

“How’s another special sound? Two for the price of one.” Slowly, deliberately, he begins to back you against the wall. His footfalls thud heavily against the floor.

You allow yourself to be trapped, sandwiched between him and the wall. Arousal throbs low between your thighs.

“We aim for customer satisfaction, sweetheart,” he murmurs, his voice dripping with sleazy promise. “Say the word, ‘n’ I’ll sort you out.”

“Please,” you breathe.

You expect him to be rough, or demanding, or treat you any other callous way. Instead, he finds your wrists and drags them above your head. He moves with intentional slowness to give you time to change your mind or flee. When you don’t do either of those things, he pins your wrists together with one hand (massive, how did you not notice earlier—) and dips his head close. “Watch that trigger finger,” he says. “Wouldn’t want any accidents, now.”

You grasp your new gun by the hilt, four fingers and thumb wrapped around it, as his free hand wastes no time in finding the zipper of your pants. No teasing, no foreplay— he slips under the waistband of your underwear and rubs a fingertip against your clit. The simple touch is enough to make you jolt.

“Didn’t realize you were this sensitive,” he says, amusement tinting his tone.

“Me neither.” You bite back a moan as he wets his fingertips with your own arousal, the newfound lubrication easing the slide as he draws circles around your clit. “S’been a long time.”

The simple fact that a stranger has his hands down your pants makes your head spin. This isn’t something you ever thought you’d do — but then again, that was before the parasites, before the weird cult. This is tame in comparison to the things you’ve had to do.

Then the Merchant slides two fingers into your hole, and your thoughts scatter. You’re wet enough that the abrupt intrusion doesn’t hurt, but you feel the stretch as you accommodate him. The fabric of his glove adds an interesting texture as he slowly pushes his fingers in and out of you. In another life, you’d be worried about the cleanliness of such an action.

Here, you can’t do anything but clench around him, mouth dropping open as you moan freely. “Feels good,” you pant. Then, “More.”

“More?” he parrots. “Greedy, aren’t we?”

Debauched, you think. Depraved. Sinful. You just nod.

“Gonna need more room for that.” He tugs your bottoms down further, enough so they bunch around your knees. The air cools your superheated skin. Your thighs spread wider. “There we go,” he all but coos, voice both condescending and not. He adds a third finger, stretching you much more than you’re used to, and your head falls back against the wall.

That coiled bundle of energy burns hotter within you, and you find yourself barrelling to the fastest orgasm of your life. “Please.” You twist in his grasp, bucking your hips onto his fingers. “Please, I’m so close.”

“Aye, I’ll get you there.” The fabric of his glove catches your clit with every thrust of his fingers, pleasure-pain sparking each time. “That good, eh?”

“Yes!” His fingers have you deliciously filled in a way your own never do. He smells distinctly masculine, like gunpowder and wood and smoke, and it just does something to your little monkey brain, enhances the pleasure. Hell, he could be anyone underneath his mask, and yet instead of fantasizing all you can concentrate on is the feeling in your cunt as he fingers you. “‘M’ gonna come,” you breathe. You squeeze around him as your pleasure climbs, stuttering his rhythm. “Please, oh fuck—”

Your back arches off the wall. In your ecstacy, the gun slips from your hand and falls to the floor. The Merchant laughs but you pay him no mind, moving to clutch desperately at the fabric of his robe as you ride the waves of your orgasm. His other hand, now free, plants itself firmly on the wall beside your head. You fuck yourself on his fingers until there’s nothing left in you, until you finally slump, breathless and boneless, against the wall.

The Merchant pulls away. You fix your clothing, pleasantly limp and fatigued. “I…thank you,” you say. “For the gun, and…”

Under his hood, his eyes glint. His hand disappears under the fabric that covers his face. You don’t have to see to understand what the wet popping noises mean. “Feel free to come back any time, stranger.”

Face heated and legs weak, you can only nod.

[daitranscripts]

Skyhold Conversation: Krem

Tell Me About Yourself

Skyhold Masterpost

Available after Iron Bull's "Meet the Chargers" scene

PC: I wanted to talk about you, if that’s all right.

Krem: You know I’m from Tevinter. Wasn’t a slave, but even citizens have it rough if they’re not mages. I was a soldier, but women join the ranks under a different program. When they found out I was passing, it got ugly. I ran, met Bull near the border, and ended up here. Not a life I’d wish on everyone, but it’ll do.

1 - Dialogue options:

General: What is Tevinter life like? [2]

General: How did you end up leaving? [3]

General: Why do you pass? [4]

General: Goodbye. [5]

2 - General: What is Tevinter life like? PC: What’s Tevinter like for a citizen? Someone who isn’t a slave or a mage? Krem: I’m of the soporati, citizens who aren’t mages. Mages are in charge and everyone knows it, but a wealthy merchant can have an easy life. At the low end, people just try to stay out of slavery. My father was a tailor. I joined the army after the Imperial slaves drove him under.

Dialogue options:

Special: How did they do that? [6]

[Back to 1]

6 - Special: How did they do that? PC: How did slaves drive your family out of business? Krem: My father made shirts, aprons, that kind of thing. Nothing fancy. One of the magisters had a pet project, to prevent the poor from dying of cold in the winter. Nice, right? He had Imperial slaves making simple peasant clothes and selling them for almost nothing. That magister’s nice idea put out slave-made clothes at prices my father couldn’t match.

Dialogue options:

General: He had good intentions. [7]

General: Slave labor. Lovely. [8]

General: Who would buy those? [9]

7 - General: He had good intentions. PC: It sounds like the magister was doing it our of kindness. Krem: That’s the worst part of Tevinter: people don’t even realize they’re taking away your living. That magister wasn’t a terrible person. He probably saved slaves from dying. ㅤㅤ ㅤ 8 - General: Slave labor. Lovely. PC: It’s difficult to compete with someone who doesn’t get paid. Krem: That’s Tevinter. ㅤㅤ ㅤ 9 - General: Who would buy those? PC: Who would buy goods made by slaves, knowing they’d be hurting a citizen’s business? Krem: People with enough money for a new shirt or a loaf of bread, but not both. ㅤㅤ ㅤ 10 - Scene continues. ㅤㅤ ㅤ Krem: My father sold himself into slavery. He’s one of the servus publicus, the Imperium-owned slaves, now. [back to 1]

3 - General: How did you end up leaving? PC: You said you left Tevinter when they discovered your secret? Krem: Women are allowed to serve, but only in certain ranks and disciplines. I was up for promotion, but the healer I’d bribed to sign off on my physical had to tend a sick magister. When the replacement healer saw what was, or wasn’t, in my pants, he made threats. It was slavery or death, so I knocked him out and ran.

11 - Dialogue options:

Special: How did you get away? [12]

Special: Passing is illegal? [13]

[Back to 1]

12 - Special: How did you get away? PC: I’m surprised you escaped from the Tevinter Imperium so easily. Krem: It’s not like I lived in Minrathous. I was in Trevis, not far from the Nevarran border. It helped that I was being chased as a deserter, not a runaway slave. Slave-hunters only get paid for what they catch. They’re efficient bastards. [back to 11] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 13 - Special: Passing is illegal? PC: It’s against the law to pass as a man? Krem: It’s a crime to lie on an Imperial application for service. Would’ve been a heavy fine or slavery. For ten silvers, the healer said he’d tell the tribune I was sick in the head. Some pity for the mad little girl. That was when I hit him. I’d served for a few years. I was good at hitting. [back to 11]

4 - General: Why do you pass? PC: Why did you decide to live as a man? Krem: I didn’t decide anything. I’ve been like this my whole life. My parents wanted me to marry up. They tried to find me a nice merchant’s son. Every day, I’d put on a dress, look into my father’s shaving mirror, and just… hate myself.

14 - Dialogue options:

Special: Would you change with magic? [15]

Special: What did your family think? [16]

[Back to 1]

15 - Special: Would you change with magic? PC: If you had the chance to use magic, would you change all the way? Krem: What? No. I don’t want any magic like that within ten yards of my body. When I was younger… I don’t know. Everyone has silly dreams. In Tevinter, dreams like that get you killed. Bull helped me make a good life. Nice armor and a well-placed sock, and I’m happy. [back to 14] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 16 - Special: What did your family think? PC: How did your family react when you started? Krem: My mother wanted to throw me out. She said if I didn’t marry well, I was dooming the family to slavery. She was happy to take the money I sent as a soldier, though. Not that it mattered in the end. My father… when I was little, he’d angle his mirror down so I could pretend to shave, just like him. He never said anything, but I think he knew. [back to 14]

5 - General: Goodbye. PC: We’ll talk later.

[hussyknee]

hi, i hope i am not crossing a line, please ignore if this is bad question. i am just curious

in one of your posts u said your caste is karava. this is the first time i am hearing a sinhalese talk about caste (i speak tamil and never really felt confident in my sinhala to make sinhalese friends)

can you explain about the castes or tell me where find information about it

Caste is a fucked up concept across the board, obviously, but Sinhalese castes are different from Tamil Hindu in that they involve the cultural and socio-political organisation of the Sinhalese community, and has no connection to religious scripture.

There are thirteen castes that still exist today. We used to be a chiefly agrarian society, so the majority of Sinhalese are Govigama ("Govi" means farming) and they're the kind of "bourgeoisie" of the social order in that few are above them and anyone else is below them. Those that rank below them are castes like Bathgama and Kinnara (who are meant to be agricultural labourers) Vahampura (something to do with making cinnamon or treacle) Navadanna (artisans, especially makers of jewelry) and Rada (launderers). Radala is the caste of the nobility, and afaik the only one above Govigama. They're all from highlands of Kandy, the last Sinhalese holdout against the Europeans for about 200 years. There's no nobility among the lowlanders (between the Portuguese, Dutch and British, they were either killed, assimilated or fled to Kandy) so the Govigama caste is the highest one everywhere else. This means Govigama used to be the only one that was qualified to join the Theravada Buddhist priesthood* and also receive education and job opportunities as government servants—right up until the mid-20th century, when the karava gentry turned into robber barons under the British Empire's demand for cash crops.

Karava people are the majority inhabitants in the Southern coastal lands, which are predominantly Sinhalese Buddhist, as opposed to the Tamil lands of the Northern coast (Eelam really) and the proliferation of sparsely-populated Muslim communities in the rest of the coastal belt. Karava is called the fisherfolk caste by the rest of country, despite their own strong objections. Caste is reckoned patrilineally. I'm Karava through my Dad and I married into a Karava family. Nearly every Karava person I know insists that we're actually the warrior caste and were given the coastal lands as reward for our service to the king. I'm sure there's a legitimate case to be made for this, (this site keeps being referred to me) but I don't care enough to find out because the Karava insistence that being called fisherfolk is a Govigama conspiracy is incredibly funny. I mean, it could be true, what do I know, but so much of the cope and seethe stem from our lingering inferiority complex and resentment at having been treated as inferior until a few decades ago. After being ground under the Radala and Govigama feet along with the rest for ages beyond record, suddenly us lowlanders were rolling in money from our toddy, coconut and rubber plantations, matching or surpassing the wealth of the nobility. We were chasing off Tamil and Muslim minorities to establish our own lost cultural capitals in Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa that predated the Kandyan kingdom and making our own sect of the Buddhist priesthood (Amarapura Nikaya) that would ordain Karava people. The robber baron types also got very chummy with the British colonial administration and were awarded cushy jobs in government over the Govigama, who still disdained industrialization and commerce. (To this day my mother's family looks down on business people no matter how rich. Merchants are considered grasping and untrustworthy.) By the time of Sri Lanka's independence from the British in 1948, we had two varieties of equally rich, snooty, virulently ethnonationalist Sinhalese elites who had gotten ahead by selling us out to the British, but with the highland Radala still believing they were too pure-blooded to mix with the hoi polloi and the lowland Karava resentful at being considered the polloi no matter how hoi they'd become. Post-independence, Sri Lanka's adoption of free education and free state universities saw masses of lowlanders, Karava, Durava and Salagama all, sending their kids to university to attain upwardly mobile careers in engineering, medicine and teaching. "If the boy is Karava he's probably in engineering" is a common joke. It's a clear shift away from our rural agrarian roots into urban sprawl and high socio-economic competition in place of social stratification.

We also have a caste of Untouchables called the Rodiya. In ancient times, you and all your family being stripped of their lands and titles and banished into the Rodi Rahaya was one of the punishments reserved for the noble houses that ran afoul of the monarchy. It condemned your entire lineage forever. This was such a dire fate that some would have favoured execution.

Rodiyas were not permitted to cross a ferry, to draw water at a well, to enter a village, to till land, or learn a trade, as no recognised caste could deal or hold intercourse with a Rodiya [...] They were forced to subsist on alms or such gifts as they might receive for protecting the fields from wild beasts or burying the carcasses of dead cattle; but they were not allowed to come within a fenced field even to beg [...] They were prohibited from wearing a cloth on their heads, and neither men nor women were allowed to cover their bodies above the waist or below the knee. If benighted they dare not lie down in a shed appropriated to other travellers, but hid themselves in caves or deserted watch-huts. Though nominally Buddhists, they were not allowed to go into a temple, and could only pray "standing afar off"

(Source)

Allegations of witchcraft and cannibalism aside, the Rodiyas themselves were known to be a proud folk that considered themselves the pure-blooded descendants of the royalty that were punished this way. Here's a Reddit post that expounds on them more, along with photographs. It seems that the strictures against covering up had fallen away between the turn of the 20th century and the '70s. Not much is known about their current living conditions, but I believe that, like India's own Untouchables and the low caste of Eelam's Tamil Hindus, they must have converted to Christianity to escape the stigma.

Casteism is still somewhat of a problem in the Sinhalese community, but it's lessening every generation. My maternal grandparents weren't entirely happy about my mother marrying my Karava father but conceded because he was an engineer with a stable career. My older cousin had to fight his Karava family to marry his school sweetheart because she was both poor and Bathgama caste (I think "Padu" might be a derogatory name for it). The fact that he succeeded is noteworthy because it would have been a huge scandal in my parents' time. The Radalas are still a bunch of insular dipshits who try to keel over and die if one of them tries to marry out. But many of them are also migrating abroad so Idk if it's too much to hope that they leave the caste shit behind when they assimilate into Western society. It certainly hasn't worked for the Brahmin Indians. But the outlook is better for the rest of us.

*There is no caste system in Buddhism. The Buddha in fact was an egalitarian social reformer who advocated against the Vedic caste system and ordained Untouchables as well as women. So obviously the Theravadin priesthood of Sri Lanka, that bastion of the Buddha's Word, would make sure that only high caste men could ever be ordained. Love the fact that the Karava social revolution just made sure they had their own sect instead of, y'know, pushing for anything more equitable. I always say that if we really want to protect Buddhism we have to abolish the Sinhalese.

[mayawakening]

Ezra's Gamble Notes Pt.1

Friends, I was not expecting the book 'Ezra's Gamble' to be such a goldmine of lore. 😭 I'm gonna need to talk about this in multiple posts.

What I've got so far:

-----SPOILERS------

First of all, the foreword: "For Alan Harris, who is a much nicer fellow than Bossk." Harris was Bossk's actor. ❤

The book takes place pre-Spark of Rebellion

We literally start the book with Ezra at the Lothal spaceport pickpocketing and finessing people out of their valuables.

He walks up to a rich-looking Chagrian wearing an Imperial pin and being followed by four blue Twi'leks and manages to sell him 5 tickets for a private booth at a gladiatorial cage match (that the Chagrian is implied to want to keep secret). Ezra finesses him out of 700 credits, then also steals his Imperial pin, his ring, wrist-comm and half his money pouch.

He winks at one of the Twi'leks and all of them giggle, one of them winks back at him. (He's 14)

He meets up with a Xexto named Ferpil Wallaway who is actually the one who taught Ezra how to steal!!

The cage-match ticket money gets sent to the commissioner, then Ferpil pays Ezra for his loot at the Pawn-shop he owns on Lothal.

Ezra gets flagged down by a red-haired friend (also 14) named Moreena Krai. Her family is leaving Lothal because Imperials condemned their farm and took it from them.

Y'all I was not ready when she said she was moving to Alderaan. 😭🥺

Moreena starts to get sad about Ezra being alone, Ezra cuts her off and says "Don't ever feel sad for me. I've always done just fine on my own, and I always will." BOY TELL THAT TO HERA. 💚

He briefly wonders if he'll ever get to steal a TIE pilot helmet. (Spoilers, he does lol)

Lore for Bossk: his ship 'Hound's Tooth' is a modified Corellian Engineering Corporation YV-666 freighter. He's employed by the Bounty Hunter Guild and his Imperial Peace-keeping Certificate number is #55946112.

Bossk was headed to Lothal searching for a Dug named Gronson "Shifty" Takkaro who was wanted for jumping bail in the Ahakista System.

Bossk picked up the bounty from the Imperial Enforcement DataCore.

Bossk's ship was scanned by the Imperial Spaceport and the official talking to him immediately transferred his call to ISB HQ. (He was on hold for 30 seconds.)

ISB Lieutenant Herdringer talks to him and tries to send Stormtroopers to arrest Shifty rather than let Bossk collect.

Bossk counters saying Herdringer would be interfering with the authorized acquisition of a government bounty. Herdringer realizes that would be bad for him.

Herdringer actually wants Bossk to not use firepower as Shifty is in a civilian sector. Bossk says okay, but still brings his Mortar gun. Bossk gets escorted to the spaceport by TIE fighters which Bossk thinks is WAY too conspicuous.

This random academy propaganda played on a speaker at the spaceport though: "You too can be a part of the Imperial family! Don't just dream about applying for the Academy, make it come true! You can find a career in space: Exploration, Starfleet, or Merchant Service. Choose from Navigation, Engineering, Space Medicine, Contact/Liason, and more! If you have the right stuff to take on the universe, and standardized examination scores that meet the requirements, dispatch your application to the Academy Screening Office, care of the Commandant (Aresko), and join the ranks of the proud!" ---(I wonder how Kallus felt about hearing that kind of stuff, I'm assuming his office was soundproofed, but he did still technically work in the same building as the school, and seemed used to having things delivered to him by cadets, im sure he heard it occasionally.)

Ezra knew what a Trandoshan was on sight. He tried sneaking up on Bossk's ship, but Bossk snuck up on him first.

Bossk appeared to be avoiding his stormtrooper escort and asked Ezra (who actually gave his real name!) Where the tavern he was looking for was.

He's very suspicious of Ezra and warns him against snooping in his ship and notices his weapon right away. "An energy slinghot. Cute."

Ezra tries to finagle 100 credits out of Bossk for information. Bossk says he doesn't have time to haggle and will give him 1000 credits for help. Ezra demands 500 up front and Bossk pays him. He also politely gives Ezra his name.

He only refers to Ezra as "Shorty" and insists that "to you, its MR. Bossk" lol.

--------

Will continue to take notes, this is fun!!

[dailycharacteroption]

Prestige Class Spotlight 13: Balanced Scale of Abadar

(art by Ioana-Muresan on DeviantArt)

We’ll cover him eventually, but Abadar is the god of civilization, commerce, and advancement, and so his faith focuses not just in advancing and improving society, but also helping to uplift even the lowest dredges for the betterment of all, at least in theory. It can sometimes be hard for Abadarites to differentiate merchantilism from capitalism.

However, there are those among them that seek, above all else, to make sure that wealth stays balanced. These are the ones who return relics and heirlooms to their rightful owners, who go out and reclaim unclaimed treasures for modern civilization from tombs, dungeons, and other places where the wealth would go to waste.

These are the balanced scales, a branch of divine casters among the faithful that draw upon greater mysteries of the Master of the First Vault, and can even draw upon his many wonders in their effort to bring prosperity to civilization.

This is an interesting one, as it’s a prestige class that actually came out before the Pathfinder RPG itself actually did so, making this a D&D 3.5 prestige class. However, it’s fairly easy to convert over, replacing certain skills with their more modern counterparts.

It is, however, a very thematic prestige class given the deity they answer to, and the powers they offer can be quite useful.

This path requires a basic understanding of disabling locks and traps, as well as appraisal. Furthermore they must also have mastery over divine magic, enough to cast 3rd-level spells. This means that pretty much any divine spellcasting class can take part in it, though obviously minor casters tap into it later than others.

Naturally, as priests of Abadar, the Balanced Scales continue their training into divine magic, though perhaps at a slightly slower pace at first.

Magical locks and traps are often a problem in tombs and ruins, and so these mystics are blessed with a knack for disabling them.

They also learn to discern what is valuable at a glance, useful for determining what to take from a hostile environment.

The biggest treasure hoards are sometimes too big to be carried out practically. As such, they learn a bit of magic to turn an ordinary sack into a bag of holding for hours at a time, increasing their carry capacity significantly. Later on, they can make a bigger bag or create two at once.

Their training also includes lessons on bargaining and how to grease the wheels of society with the universal lubricant of money. This also applies in a different way when bargaining with bound outsiders and other beings in exchange for their supernatural services.

Those that distinguish themselves as devoted servants of Abadar gain access to a privilege that few beings period, let alone mortals, gain access to, which is access to the First Vault, the cosmic structure where Abadar keeps the first perfect example of every object that civilization has ever made across the entire universe, from art objects to practical items (or at least, very good replicas of them). Once a week, a balanced scale can draw upon the First Vault itself to conjure one of these items (or again, a replica) to their hands, up to a limit on value based on their mastery of divine magic. At first, these objects are mundane, but later they can be magical. However, these objects are so incredibly perfect that they cannot be sold, both because merchants would immediately pick up on their unnatural origin, but also because it is against the tenets of the Abadaran faith to sell false goods.

Finally, they can take their ability to access the First Vault to it’s logical extreme and actually go there, using it as a stepping stone to teleport either somewhere they’ve been before within range, or to the nearest temple of Abadar. However, there are two caveats. One is that since they have to travel physically through the vault to get to the exit portal that leads to their destination, it is not instantaneous. The other is that the raw amount of perfection on display is disorienting and overwhelming, threatening to sap the mind with the wonders on display. Thankfully, it’s physically impossible to swipe something while on this sojourn, preventing the balanced scale from being an unwitting or coerced accessory to a cosmic theft.

This prestige class has a nice mix of utility powers that make for a thematic arsenal for your lawful cleric/paladin/druid/inquisitor/warpriest that specializes in tomb-breaking and loot-gathering. Additionally, the ability to conjure whatever item you need for a situation makes this arguably Paizo’s first attempt at making gadgeteer character options, which I can appreciate. Your exact build will vary based on your class, but rest assured you’ll definitely have an element of utility problem solving and social interaction.

This really is a flavorful prestige class, After all, not every god lets their devotees borrow things from their private toy box, as it were. It is good time to remind oneself, however, of how much divine power and the benefits of such are a privilege to be given out, but also rescinded if the recipient proves unworthy. Now, one might think that getting to the point where you can get access to such wonders might put one beyond philosophical failings, but arrogance is also a hell of a drug.

Devastated by war and the fall of the royal lineage, the nation of Khomat is on the verge of collapse, but the followers of the Wealth God have a plan to stabilize the region and set up a new government with only a gentle guiding hand on their part, or so they claim. But in order to fund this transition of power, the church will need a new source of income, and the tombs of the old royal line are tempting targets indeed.

A hundred years after the entire Sovaca coast fell into the ocean at the will of vengeful gods, there are still remnants of their civilization that have withstood the cataclysm and the a centuries worth of ocean water. These days, both gillmen and locathah priests lead expeditions into these ruins, the former to reclaim the legacy of their forefathers, the latter to reclaim what the surface Sovacans took from them.

Ages ago, a shadowy cult laid claim to hundreds of souls through false promises in the land of Nemwa, dragging them en masse to the shadow plane and their velstrac masters alongside the art and sculpture of their culture as a trophy. Now, one brave soul blessed by the gods of civilization is assembling a party to free those souls and rescue those symbols of their culture.

[simsreaper]

Introduction:

Hi everyone! I decided to take it upon myself to make a sims 3 BACC that I felt satisfied with the rules and restrictions and done similar to BACCs that I've seen done for the sims 2 and 4. This is a living tumblr post and will continuously be updated as I play the challenge myself and see what fits for each restriction I have set. I am very much open to any feedback/opinions on anything regarding this challenge since I want it to be enjoyable to the simblr community and for those who have played the sims 2 BACC and were missing it for the sims 3. This challenge has mods in mind but if anyone would like, I am open to adjusting rules for a non-modded gameplay if needed.

Credit goes to these simmers for giving me inspiration for this challenge, viewing their own challenges and rules helped shape what I personally would like for a sims 3 BACC seeing as I have played some of these challenges myself: @melsie-sims2(Sims 2 BACC), Original Sims 2 BACC, @ts4-bacc(Sims 4 BACC), and finally the Nothing is Free Challenge on MTS by Avalikia

Table of Contents:

Rules

Starting Out

Unlocking Restrictions(Careers, Services, & Community Lots)

Earning CAS Sims

University

Travel

Taxes

Additional Notes

-Last updated: 5/2/2024

Rules:

1. This challenge is meant to be played rotationally and every sim must be played. That also means that the households must be played the same amount of days to keep aging consistent across each household. Aging is also up to you. 2. Mods are recommended especially for having an easier way to do businesses, Ani’s Merchant mod is a great place to start. If desired I can provide alternate rules & restrictions for no mods gameplay. 3. Services may not be used until you’ve unlocked them, a smoke alarm isn’t allowed until you’ve unlocked the first position for the Firefighter career and the burglar alarm isn’t allowed until a branch has been unlocked in the Law Enforcement career. 4. Sims can own rabbit-hole lots and that can count towards a business, provided the sim has money for it. Though they can’t own a rabbit-hole and a sim-owned business at the same time, it has to be one or the other. 5. Skill-building items aren’t allowed to start off with until your sims earn the simoleons for it. 6. Sims aren’t allowed cars until there’s a car business in the town. Taxis aren’t allowed either until there’s a City Hall established. 7. Electricity isn’t unlocked until a sim has maxed the handiness skill. From there, one computer is allowed per household until an electronics business has been established. 8. When a computer has been unlocked, there are limitations to the build/buy category until the Architect career or a Furniture store has been established or that specific object has a business/rabbit-hole for it, like pet items needing a pet store or no bookshelf until there’s a bookstore, etc. Each household is only allowed to buy 2 items per rotation. However, it’s up to you how realistic and difficult you want your gameplay to be. 9. Boarding schools aren’t allowed until level 5 of the Education career has been unlocked. 10. Sims are allowed to sell items from their inventory. Rocks, gems, and metals can’t be sold in their inventory until the first two positions of the science career have been unlocked. 11. Custom careers are allowed, it's up to you how you want those restrictions set.

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Starting Out:

You must start in an empty world or bulldoze the lots in a world. You’re only allowed residential homes for your sim and a small park as a free starting Community lot. You are free to start with a singular sim or roll a die and start with however many sims you roll and divide them into households or one singular household. There are different ways to start out your sim/sims: 

Start your sims with an empty lot and no simoleons

Start them with 10,000 simoleons to build small homes for them or you may start them with already built houses with the bare necessities and no skill building objects:

A fridge, counters, and a stove

Enough beds for all the sims

A couch and small table

A toilet, sink, and shower/tub

After a home has been established, set the household simoleons down to 100 to get started.

                                               ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Unlocking Restrictions:

Each unlock, only gets 1 position open in a career. To keep advancing in a career and unlock all the positions, multiple sims need to max out the specific skill required for a career. Though there are different requirements for each career.

A few of the careers have different requirements for their branches, you may use the previous sims that had unlocked the earlier positions of the careers to unlock the next positions in the branches or use new sims to unlock the different branch positions depending on the requirement. This is the only exception to the previous rule.

Self-employed careers have different restrictions, those careers are unlocked fully when the requirements have been met. Active careers have the same requirements as Full-time careers.

Part-time careers get fully unlocked when the required building is achieved.

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Full-time Careers

Business: Unlock the Political career and the first position of the Journalism career to unlock the first position of the Business career. Afterward, every time a sim-owned business is placed in the town, a new position is unlocked Criminal: The first position is unlocked at the start, for every 2 Law Enforcement positions, a new position in the Criminal career opens and if a household gets robbed, two new positions in the Criminal career open. Once you get to the branches, you must unlock one branch fully before starting the other branch Culinary: Max the cooking skill and complete one of the Culinary skill challenges Education: Every 5th sim born, a new position is unlocked Film: Have 5 rich households and have at least one sim with a 5-star celebrity status. After the first position is unlocked, every sim with 3 stars unlocks the next position --Acting Branch: Reach level 3 celebrity status and max the charisma skill --Directing branch: Reach level 3 celebrity status and max the writing skill Fortune Teller: The first position opens up when there’s a witch in the town. Every new witch, opens up a new position(can be an offspring or a new sim) --Mystic Branch: Must be a witch and max the alchemy skill --Scam Artist Branch: Must be a witch and max the charisma skill Journalism: Max the writing skill and charisma skill Law Enforcement: The first 2 positions are unlocked at the start, every 10 sims a new position is unlocked. Once you get to the branches, you must unlock one branch fully before starting the other branch Medical: Have at least 16 sims in the town and max the logic skill. After the first position has been unlocked, sims must continue to max the logic skill to unlock the other positions Military: Max the athletic skill and handiness skill Music: A new position opens up when the first music store business is created and a sim maxes out any instrument After the first position is unlocked, sims need to max out any instrument to continue unlocking additional positions --Rock Star Branch: Max out the guitar and drums skill --Symphonic Branch: Max out the piano and charisma skill Political: Max the charisma skill to unlock all positions - only 1 sim is allowed in this career Professional Sports: Max the athletic skill Science: Max the gardening, handiness, and fishing skill

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Self-Employed & Active Careers

Acrobat: Have 3 sims in the town with the “Natural Born Performer” trait to unlock the first position, afterward sims must have the “Natural Born Performer” trait and max out the athletic skill to unlock the following positions Alchemist: Have 5 different occults in the town Angler: Have a sim complete the “Presenting the Perfect Aquarium” LTW Architectural Designer: Have sims max the handiness and painting skill Band: Unlock the first position of the Music career and have a sim complete the “One Sim Band” LTW Daycare: Every 2 positions of the Education career unlocked, unlocks a position of the Daycare career Firefighter: Every 3 fires unlocks 2 positions Gardener: Complete a Gardening skill challenge Ghost Hunter: Unlock the first position of the Science career. There must be at least one sim in the town with the eccentric trait and have at least 10 sims in the graveyard. After the previous requirements have been met, every time a sim maxes out the logic skill, a new position is unlocked Horseman/woman: Unlock the Pet Adoption service and have a sim adopt a foal and raise it to an adult to unlock this career Inventor: Max out the inventing skill and complete one of the skill challenges Investigator: Every 2 positions of the Journalism career unlocks a position of the Investigator career. Once the Journalism career is fully unlocked, then the Investigator career is also fully unlocked Lifeguard: Have 2 beaches and unlock the first 5 levels of the Athletic career Magician: Have a sim have a 2-star celebrity status and have 8 friends to unlock the first position. Afterward, every sim with a 2-star celebrity status unlocks the next position Nectar Maker: Max the visa level in France and the gardening skill Painter: Max the painting skill and gift 10 masterpieces to sims Photographer: Max the photography skill and have a sim-owned art gallery in the town Scuba Diver: Unlock the Lifeguard career and Angler career Sculptor: Max the sculpting skill and have the Architect career unlocked Singer: Have 3 sims in the town with the “Diva” trait to unlock the first position, afterward only sims with the “Diva” trait can unlock the following positions Stylist: Have sims max the painting and charisma skill Writer: Max the writing skill and write 2 autobiographies of any sims in the town

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Part-Time Careers

Alien Test Subject: Unlock the Science Career and have 3 alien abductions Bookstore Clerk: Complete the “Specialist Writer” skill challenge Grocery Store Clerk: Have a gardening household with 10 different crops to unlock the Grocery Store Film Part-time: Unlock the first 3 positions of the Film Career to unlock this career for teens Mausoleum Clerk: Unlock the Graveyard Receptionist & Spa Specialist: Have 13 households in the town

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Services

Acrobat: Have a sim in level 2 of the Acrobat career Adoption: Have a City hall and 5 new births in the town Babysitter: Unlock the School and have 5 teens in the town Butler: Have 18 sims in the town DJ: Have a club in the town Firefighter: Unlock the Firefighter career Magician: Have a sim in level 2 of the Magician career Maid: Have 18 sims in the town Mixologist: Have a bar in the town and a sim max the mixology skill Pet Adoption: Have a city hall  Pizza Delivery: Unlock the first 2 positions of the Culinary career Police: Have at least one sim in the Law Enforcement career Repairman: Have a sim max the handiness skill and complete one of the skill challenges Singer: Have a sim in level 2 of the Singer career

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Community Lots

Once the requirement has been unlocked, you’re free to place down additional community lots.

Arboretum: Have a fairy household and one sim from that household with a maxed level in gardening Art Gallery: Max 2 art skills Bar: Max the mixology skill and have 16 sims Beach: Have 7 households Big Park: Have 2 sims in the town with a maxed charisma skill Big Show Venue: Have a private show venue and have at least 5 sims max out one of the Performance careers  Cat Jungle: Unlock the Pet Adoption Service and have at least 6 cats in your town Club: Have 6 households and 5 sims in the town with a maxed charisma skill Coffeehouse: Have a sim in any of the Performance careers Consignment Shop: Have a sim max out an art skill and have 9 households Diving Area: Unlock the Scuba Diver and Lifeguard career Dog Park: Unlock the Pet Adoption Service and have at least 6 dogs in your town Elixir Consignment Shop: Unlock the Alchemist career and Fortune Teller career Festival Grounds: Have 20 households Fishing Spot: Max the fishing skill Graveyard: Have 4 deceased sims Gym: Unlock the first 2 levels of the Professional Sports career and have a sim complete one of the athletic skill challenges Hangout: Have 8 households and a sim max the charisma skill Horse Ranch: Unlock the Pet Adoption service and have 4 horses in your town Junkyard: Have a sim max the handiness skill and have 6 households Laundromat: Have 12 households Library: Have 3 sims max the writing skill Live Show Venue: Have a Coffeehouse venue and a sim reach level 3 of any of the Performance careers Lounge: Have 3 clubs in the town and 8 households Pool: Have 14 sims Private Venue: Have a Live Show Venue and have at least 3 sims in one of the Performance careers Resort: Have a beach in the town, unlock the Lifeguard career, and have 15 sims with a maxed charisma skill in the town Small Park: Have a sim max out the gardening skill or charisma skill Supernatural Hangout: Have 2 occult households Vampire Lounge: Have a vampire household Vault of Antiquity: Unlock the Alchemy career and max the alchemy skill

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Earning CAS Sims:

There are different ways that you can earn sims to grow your population. You are free to save the CAS points to use to make a big household or use them as you go:

First Community lot unlocked: +1 sim

Each time you reach a multiple of 3 Community lots: +3 sims

Each time a Community lot is unlocked: +1 sim

First Business opened: +2 sims

Each time you reach a multiple of 5 maxed out skills: +1 sim

Every multiple of 10 households: +3 sims

Have 10 sim-owned businesses: +4 sims

Open up the first position for all the Base Game careers: 8+ sims

Other ways to grow your households:

Having babies the traditional way

Moving in an NPC service sim once you have it unlocked

Moving in a sim from a World Adventures world once you have it unlocked

Using the imaginary friend and turning it real

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University:

To unlock University for your town, completely unlock the Education career and have at least 25 sims earn an A and get on the honor roll for both their child and teenage state. Additionally, you must collect taxes to unlock University. University costs 1,000,000 simoleons to unlock. The careers that come with University will be unlocked once the University also gets unlocked.

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Travel:

For sims to be able to travel, you must collect 500,000 in taxes to unlock travel, unlock 7 services, and have at least 15 households. After traveling has been unlocked, your sims are free to travel anywhere without any further restrictions.

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Taxes:

Taxes aren’t established until you have a City Hall in your town and a sim is in the Political career. Taxes will help contribute costs to unlocking the University and Travel for your town. You are also free to use mods to help with taxes as well and set them to your liking. Sims must get taxed on the last day of their household being played in a rotation. Sims that have 100 simoleons or lower are exempt from paying taxes.

Taxing households:

10% for regular households(households that don’t have any sims owning a business or rabbit-hole)

12% if sims in a household own a sim-owned business/rabbit-hole

15% for rich households

Taxing benefits:

If a household has only unemployed sims, they are given 130 simoleons

Single sims with children are given 150 simoleons

Parents with only toddlers are given 150 simoleons                       

                                               ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Additional Notes:

I didn't set Into the Future restrictions since I personally don't send my sims into the future, so it's up to the player on how they want to set restrictions on that.

There's no proper/formal goal for this challenge compared to other BACC challenges. The only main goal is unlocking everything and there's no population multiplier besides the sim CAS points.

This challenge isn't meant to be hard or super difficult besides it being a long challenge. Your game is your game and you're allowed to change things to your liking to make it easy and fun for you to play. Like previously stated I am open to changing things to make them more fun and feedback is always appreciated!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Two principles to protect internet users from decaying platforms

Today (May 10), I’m in VANCOUVER for a keynote at the Open Source Summit and later a book event for Red Team Blues at Heritage Hall; on Thurs (May 11), I’m in CALGARY for Wordfest.

Internet platforms have reached end-stage enshittification, where they claw back the goodies they once used to lure in end-users and business customers, trying to walk a tightrope in which there’s just enough value left to keep you locked in, but no more. It’s ugly out there.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/10/soft-landings/#e2e-r2e

When the platforms took off — using a mix of predatory pricing, catch-and-kill acquisitions and anti-competitive mergers — they seemed unstoppable. Mark Zuckerberg became the unelected social media czar-for-life for billions of users. Youtube was viewed as the final stage of online video. Twitter seemed a bedrock of public discussion and an essential source for journalists.

During that era, the primary focus for reformers, regulators and politicians was on improving these giant platforms — demanding that they spend hundreds of millions on algorithmic filters, or billions on moderators. Implicit in these ideas was that the platforms would be an eternal fact of life, and the most important thing was to tame them and make them as benign as possible.

That’s still a laudable goal. We need better platforms, though filters don’t work, and human moderation has severe scaling limits and poses significant labor issues. But as the platforms hungrily devour their seed corn, shrinking and curdling, it’s time to turn our focus to helping users leave platforms with a minimum of pain. That is, it’s time to start thinking about how to make platforms fail well, as well as making them work well.

This week, I published a article setting out two proposals for better platform failure on EFF’s Deeplinks blog: “As Platforms Decay, Let��s Put Users First”:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/platforms-decay-lets-put-users-first

The first of these proposals is end-to-end. This is the internet’s founding principle: service providers should strive to deliver data from willing senders to willing receivers as efficiently and reliably as possible. This is the principle that separates the internet from earlier systems, like cable TV or the telephone system, where the service owners decided what information users received and under what circumstances.

The end-to-end principle is a bedrock of internet design, the key principle behind Net Neutrality and (of course) end-to-end-encryption. But when it comes to platforms, end-to-end is nowhere in sight. The fact that you follow someone on social media does not guarantee that you’ll see their updates. The fact that you searched for a specific product or merchant doesn’t guarantee that platforms like Ebay or Amazon or Google will show you the best match for your query. The fact that you hoisted someone’s email out of your spam folder doesn’t guarantee that you will see the next message they send you.

An end-to-end rule would create an obligation on platforms to put the communications of willing senders and willing receivers ahead of the money they can make by selling “advertising” in search priority, or charging media companies and performers to “boost” their posts to reach their own subscribers. It would address the real political speech issues of spamfiltering the solicited messages we asked our elected reps to send us. In other words, it would take the most anti-user platform policies off the table, even as the tech giants jettison the last pretense that platforms serve their users, rather than their owners:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/10/e2e/#the-censors-pen

The second proposal is for a right-to-exit: an obligation on tech companies to facilitate users’ departure from their platforms. For social media, that would mean adopting Mastodon-style standards for exporting your follower/followee list and importing it to a rival service when you want to go. This solves the collective action problem that shackles users to a service — you and your friends all hate the service, but you like each other, and you can’t agree on where to go or when to leave, so you all stay:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/19/better-failure/#let-my-tweeters-go

For audiences and creators who are locked to bad platforms with DRM — the encryption scheme that makes it impossible for you to break up with Amazon or other giants without throwing away your media — right to exit would oblige platforms to help rightsholders and audiences communicate with one another, so creators would be able to verify who their customers are, and give them download codes for other services.

Both these proposals have two specific virtues: they are easy to administer, and they are cheap to implement.

Take end-to-end: it’s easy to verify whether a platform reliably delivers messages from to all your followers. It’s easy to verify whether Amazon or Google search puts an exact match for your query at the top of the search results. Unlike complex, ambitious rules like “prevent online harassment,” end-to-end has an easy, bright-line test. An “end harassment” rule would be great, but pulling it off requires a crisp definition of “harassment.” It requires a finding of whether a given user’s conduct meets that definition. It requires a determination as to whether the platform did all it reasonably could to prevent harassment. These fact-intensive questions can take months or years to resolve.

Same goes for right-to-exit. It’s easy to determine whether a platform will make it easy for you to leave. You don’t need to convince a regulator to depose the platform’s engineers to find out whether they’ve configured their servers to make this work, you can just see for yourself. If a platform claims it has given you the data you need to hop to a rival and you dispute it, a regulator doesn’t have to verify your claims — they can just tell the platform to resend the data.

Administratibility is important, but so is cost of compliance. Many of the rules proposed for making platforms better are incredibly expensive to implement. For example, the EU’s rule requiring mandatory copyright filters for user-generated content has a pricetag starting in the hundreds of millions — small wonder that Google and Facebook supported this proposal. They know no one else can afford to comply with a rule like this, and buying their way to permanent dominance, without the threat of being disrupted by new offerings, is a sweet deal.

But complying with an end-to-end rule requires less engineering than breaking end-to-end. Services start by reliably delivering messages between willing senders and receivers, then they do extra engineering work to selectively break this, in order to extract payments from platform users. For small platform operators — say, volunteers or co-ops running Mastodon servers — this rule requires no additional expenditures.

Likewise for complying with right-to-exit; this is already present in open federated media protocols. A requirement for platforms to add right-to-exit is a requirement to implement an open standard, one that already has reference code and documentation. It’s not free by any means — scaling up reference implementations to the scale of large platforms is a big engineering challenge — but it’s a progressive tax, with the largest platforms bearing the largest costs.

Both of these proposals put control where it belongs: with users, not platform operators. They impose discipline on Big Tech by forcing them to compete in a market where users can easily slip from one service to the next, eluding attempts to lock them in and enshittify them.

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[Image ID: A giant robot hand holding a monkey-wrench. A tiny, distressed human figure is attempting - unsuccessfully - to grab the wrench away.]

Image: EFF https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/competition_robot.png

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/

[nimblermortal]

Sivagami is obviously very popular as a regent, she does a very good job ruling. Nobody wants a queen, obviously women are unfit to rule, but they would happily welcome another twenty years of Sivagami's regency while she raises up a new king. And another twenty after that, if that's what it took!

(They also really enjoy celebrating the child princes' birthdays, it's a whole thing.)

So what about her political policies?

Headcanon: She's set up a farmer-soldier caste where if you serve in the army for X years you get a plot of Y acres to farm, and it's not that she's been driving X down to spread wealth equality through the country, it's just that a lot of that military service is dressing in a uniform and holding the ceremonial spear and as long as you know the right rituals you don't actually have to fight and…

The army has never been larger! Most of the soldiers are completely incompetent at anything but comparing remedies for the maladies of sheep, and looking pretty

And this is why they have so many freaking soldiers on parade every time there's a big national event.

(Neighboring countries have pageants about why Sivagami has so very many pretty pretty soldiers)

Meanwhile Sivagami is all, "No one wants to spend money on economic restructuring with dubious promise of return on investment, but everybody wants to support our troops. Nobody wants to talk about cattle husbandry and sharing irrigation techniques that worked in Region 1 with Region 2, but neither will anyone question my deploying the 85th cavalry and the 101st infantry together to the region stricken by drought."

She demands that every soldier be able to read the orders she sends to them, she refuses to let her word be misinterpreted. She designs drills for her six-year-old sons to watch with military units as the beads on the abacus. This is for the military and mathematical education of her sons, obviously, not to teach the soldiers basic arithmetic. The five-year-service-gift of an abacus is a joke.

Some units get assigned to guard trade caravans, and learn about trade routes, foreign customs, how merchant routes work, and how to sell their military service farms back to the crown for the liquid assets to start their own firm.

Those who come to the army with no skills will obviously have to be put to things like tending horses, learning to shoe them, make tack... yeah, she's turned the army into a trade school for young men, which in turn reduces incidences of domestic violence and increases the wealth and comfort of the women of the country.

She has not figured out how to stop using the army for everything, and in another world she's super offended when Devasena sets up something similar for the women because women are supposed to be mothers! look after the houses!

Devasena might try to point to Sivagami's rotating caste of ladies-in-waiting, who all leave much, much more prepared for life than they arrived, but Sivagami hates the lot of them. She's offended by incompetence and demands a lot of education and progression in her ladies-in-waiting, who uh. Usually peel off to find a less demanding job, with all of their impressive batteries of skills. Which is why Sivagami doesn't have a ninja corps at the palace, and she's huffy about it.

If these women had any AMBITION, or if they would stick around long enough for her to find them suitable husbands, but noooooo they're off running the guild of goldsmiths and whatnot, the LAYABOUTS

[heimdallsram]

━━━━ masterlist. soundtrack. archive of our own. taglist.

title: perennial

pairing: heimdall x female! goddess! reader

"You were a goddess of oaths and vows. It was only fitting that Odin would bind you to his service in only the most ironic way that he knew how: marriage."

this fanfiction contains the following: domestic violence, blood, gore, choking, violent sexual content, bad BDSM etiquette, non-consensual somnophilia, blood drinking, unhealthy relationships, and much more content that may be sensitive to some readers. reader discretion is advised.

*for inquiries about the taglist, please dm me and i will add you to it.

 The collar felt like a brand against your neck as you stared at yourself in the reflection of the window. The spells that had been cast upon it were finally inactive, satisfied that you were no longer harming yourself or beating down the walls with your fists. There were holes the size of your hand littering the floor and the entirety of the room, save the door, that you had managed to punch through without managing to see any of it through your tears. The angrier you grew, the stronger the spells became, and consequently, the more you would cry and ruin the charcoal you had painstakingly smudged over your eyes. The design was as perfect as if the servant had done it herself, but it was no skill of yours; the magic in the collar had replicated it flawlessly. It utilized your magic and powers better than you could on your own, funneling it through the various runes and following the orders that Odin had spoken into the individual grooves of the metal. You weren’t sure how it worked, or how he had figured out that the collar had been in Vanaheim at all—that it even existed.

 You had sold it long before you ever met Brok and Sindri. For, and now you hated yourself for it, a measly three hundred hacksilver. It bought you clothing and a warm meal but that had been all; you had sold the instrument of your control to a merchant and never looked back. You had been a child then, making ends meet where you could, smarter than your years and growing more quickly than any normal girl should have. Your eyes were bigger than your stomach during those years, and it was no wonder you had handed the collar over so freely, so easily; you were a growing girl with a growing stomach. It had been twisted, mangled, rusted, and worthless then, so it was a surprise you had even gotten what you had out of it.

 “The fur,” you waved your tiny hand toward the stack of furs the merchant had laid in the back of his caravan. They were not good furs, and had been cured improperly and killed violently, so they were more leather than fur, but you would have to make do. “How much?”

 At the time, you had only a vague understanding of how hacksilver worked. But the merchant was willing to make a penny where he could, and so he had accepted the ruined relic as long as you spent half of that money on his stock. A foolish deal, but the insects and plants were biting at your skin and your feet were rubbed raw, and you had suffered long enough in your mind. So you had done as he asked and bought the furs, clothing, and some of his food: stewed meat and stale bread.

 “Thank you, mister,” you had said as you left, your belly full and a twinkle in your eye. The merchant waved you off, tucking the hacksilver into his pocket. When you would return the next day, hoping to sell some of your spoils to him, he would be long gone, traveling faster than your tiny legs could carry you. 

 You still owned the remaining hacksilver you had gotten from that ill-gotten bargain to this day. It sat in your waist pouch unused, tarnished with age, and even now, you could not bring yourself to spend it. Your shame was palpable, and now your childhood foolishness had brought the collar back to you, except this time, it was around your neck, binding you to the man who would rather see you dead if you were of no use to him. It was terribly ironic how full circle it had come.

 Brok and Sindri would be disappointed in you. If they had ever known the collar existed, they would have bought it and hidden it away. You had never told them, though, too happy to have a home with the two dwarves for however long that would be before Odin would sweep you away. And as you had aged, the thought of it had slipped your mind, too concerned with other things to worry about an old relic that had been rusting and falling apart the last you had laid eyes on it.

 It was obvious you should have worried. The proof of it was around your neck, after all.

 “It is time,” Sif announced quietly at the door. She had been standing there while you had taken out your anger on the room, Thor’s lumbering form and Odin at his side alerting her that something had happened without her notice. Her apology note had been written before the two had ever arrived, apologizing not for the collar but for your nuptials. “The ceremony is to begin in a few moments.”

 When you opened the door, her eyes strayed to your raw hands and the collar around your neck. She did not comment on the redness of your eyes and instead gently pushed a bundle of flowers into your grasp, arranging the silk ribbons around your knuckles just-so to hide the marks. She arranged the wheat and flowers in your hair to look more properly put in place and used her magic to heal the bruises and bloodied welts around your neck completely.

 “Now we go,” Sif whispered. You did not reply. She tucked your arm into hers and walked you to through the building, letting you school your features into neutrality. 

 She did not utter a word when you snatched up a bottle of wine and guzzled it, nor did she stop you when you also picked up tankards of ale along the way, pulling them roughly out of unsuspecting Midgardians’ hands and drinking them in four or five large gulps. Some were full of ale and others had a strangely bitter substance within them that was making your head spin, but that was well within your goals before you had to look at Odin and Heimdall’s faces while your vows were spoken for you. You would be thoroughly drunk while you attended your own wedding or you would strangle Odin where he stood.

 As you passed through the halls, several familiar faces floated your way. They did not congratulate you or raise their cups like the Midgardians were doing. Ullr, the god of winter and hunting; Höðr, the black sheep of the family and the blind son of Freya and Odin that had been sequestered away by Odin’s shame and presumed dead by Freya; Lofn, the godess of arranged marriages, you noticed bitterly; Aegir, god of ocean, storm, alcohol and banquets; and young Sigyn, the youngest Aesir to exist among the gods, normally only present outside the walls of Asgard. These were gods you did not know, did not associate with, yet they held sorrow and pity for you—Odin’s crimes had, in many ways, touched all of them, twisted them from their original beliefs. But none more than Höðr, with his dark hair and milky white eyes, a spitting image of Queen Freya.

 Though he could not see you, he smiled when you stopped drunkenly in front of him. Sif tried to urge you away, but you refused, too incensed at seeing the long forgotten god that your Queen had thought dead. Odin had been smart to take Höðr away, knowing Freya would never finish her spell if he was alive, and had lived to regret it when that same spell had not been given to him. He even kept feathers in his hair, though they were of an albatross’ wing and not of a falcon as Freya had kept hers.

 “It may not seem so, small goddess, but every path has its end,” he said. He gently touched the sprig of wheat nestled into the braids upon your head. Then, it drifted to a flower, one symbolizing power. “May you rise above this as my mother did.”

 Now you were being pulled away, the alcohol making you pliant enough for Sif to drag you towards the small gathering of gods where Odin stood, waiting. All of the confusion drained out of you to be replaced with repulsion and anger—your grip tightened on the flower stems in your grasp. His eyes lingered on the flowers in your hair only for a moment, and there was a twist of distaste to his mouth, but it was wiped away quickly when attention began skipping over him to you.

 “He should not have said that,” Sif whispered urgently. “Now Váli will be following him like a bloodhound.”

 You watched, in a daze, as the aforementioned half giant worked his way through the crowd. Whereas Höðr was the spitting image of Freya, Váli looked as if he could be a younger version of Odin. It was surprising to you that Váli, born before Odin married Freya, had not sought vengeance for Baldur and instead was ordered to keep an eye over the blind god. He had been good friends with the now deceased god for longer than you cared to recall; all of Odin’s half giant spawn were either dead or imprisoned now, killed by Thor or chained in a cell by their own father. It was a thought you had had, not frequently as of late, that Odin found the resistance to his manipulations to be completely fostered by the giants. His numerous children gave no evidence to that theory, especially that of Thor, who was pliant to his father’s whims. Those he could not control he did away with. 

 “He will be fine?” You mumbled, eyes searching endlessly for another cup of ale to steal. “’S not like he said anything bad.”

 Sif frowned at you where Odin could not see. “To you, perhaps. But to Odin, it was the same as treason. He was the one who kept the mistletoe that killed Baldur. And stop drinking; I should not have let you drink the first one.”

 As you opened your mouth to give her a drunken reply, Heimdall emerged from the crowd. His face was deceptively blank, but his eyes spoke for him—they shifted and blazed with anger, contempt, disgust. At everyone around him and at you, especially, for to him you were the cause of all of this. You closed your mouth with an audible clack of teeth.

 Sif was quick to let go of you, melting seamlessly into the crowd to reemerge at Thor’s side to Odin’s general left. Heimdall took her place, one hand tight around your bicep and squeezing so hard that you thought you heard the bones groan in protest. Or perhaps that the sound of your mind trying to process anything at all was what you were hearing instead.

 “How dare you humiliate me like this.” His gaze was focused entirely on Odin as he gestured for the crowd to gather tight around the both of you, his attention diverted for the moment. You tried to rip your arm from his grip, but he was holding on too tightly and he was, unfortunately, the only thing keeping you upright. “The marriage I would be forced to tolerate. But this? I should punish you for this.”

 The buzzing in your blood was not so pleasant as anger replaced the thoughtless stupor you were in. You forced him to look at you, yanking stubbornly on his arm, and you leaned close. He scowled at the smell of wine and ale on your breath. “Anything you could think of doing to me, Odin has already done, you fucking sack of shit.”

 He was trembling with rage as you turned your head to face Odin, who was looking down at the both of you from his elevated stance with a look of disapproval. You couldn’t bring yourself to care as your husband-to-be dug his fingers into your arm and resisted strangling you again, this time in front of a crowd of onlookers. 

 Odin, with a sigh, snapped his fingers and it had the delayed reaction of silencing the crowd and ridding you of your alcohol induced high. It drained from you as quickly as the blood did from your face, the spells rising to the forefront of your mind and removing any trace of the alcohol from your system, leaving you painfully, strikingly sober.

 This was not how you intended to listen to your vows. 

 “Welcome, everyone!” The All-Father lifted both his arm in a fascimile of a hug, as if he was embracing all who stood there. “Today we will witness the union of the Lady Var, goddess of oaths and agreements, and Heimdall, watchman of the gods!” He paused to lift a tankard of ale, produced from only the fates knew where. He raised it high. “Let us drink to their future as a newly wed pair!”

 You felt strangely sick as you watched countless people, strangers you didn’t even know, drink to dooming you to a future you didn’t want. Heimdall was still so, so angry beside you, but he was doing a better job of hiding it than you were, using your arm as an outlet and the hand on his sword tight around the hilt. Neither of you wanted this, for vastly different reasons, but you could not even have solidarity in that; this was your fault, and he would continue to blame you for it even if he was wrong.

 Odin continued to speak, but his voice had long silenced into a dull roar. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t think. All you could imagine was waking up, one day, not in your own bed, but to Heimdall. To him strangling you as you slept. To him being near you, touching you, sliding between your legs and forcing you to endure him because that was to be your duty as his wife. Your grip on the flowers faltered. The crowd jeered at something he said, something foul and illicit and heavily suggestive, but you were not listening. You were lost to the images of a future you did not want, to the idea of raising a child with the man who despised you more than anything else in the Nine Realms, and unbidden, tears rose to your eyes. You did not want a child who sought its fathers approval like Heimdall, like Baldur and Thor. You did not want to be the mother that tried, and failed, to protect them, like Freya. You would not be able to. It would break you more than the collar, would ruin you.

 “I do,” Heimdall’s voice echoed. You snapped out of your reverie, the spell forcing your tears back and out of sight, when Odin’s attention turned to you. Heimdall squeezed your arm threateningly.

 You cleared your throat. “I do.”

 The vows had already been said, and you did not even know the contents of them because you had been stuck in your own head. Cold snuck down the back of your dress and into your spine. Odin had decided your future and you were unaware of what he had stipulated into your marriage. You could only watch, your heart swooping into your stomach, as nearly a dozen vows and oaths sprung into place between yourself and Heimdall, not a gentle and soothing gold,  but a violent, bloody red, as red as the flowers in your hair. Magic poured into those bonds, and for a moment, all was silent in your head. And then… faint, at first, you heard something else.

 ‘Fidelity? I would rather rot in the mud than be faithful to her.’

 Slowly, your gaze turned to Heimdall. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes narrowed in anger, his foot tapping out a rhythm on the floor. The crowd roared, cheered, raised their cups and toasted you both, but you ignored it all.

 What was this you were hearing?    The vows shone. Odin allowed the crowd to push you along, Heimdall’s grip on you unceasing as you were pushed and pulled towards the dining table where a formidable feast had been laid out for your perusal. Meats, stews, jerky, honeyed bread, you would have once been eyeing it all, but your focus was reserved for the man tugging you along like you were a doll, pushing past the throng of people towards the table kept for the All-Father’s family.

 ‘Filthy Midgardians, can’t you see you’re in my way?! Move! Why the All-Father allowed you vermin into the walls, I do not know—“

 Like the high tide, the realization crept upon you slowly. You ate, drank, put questionable pieces of organs into your mouth that you were not sure were anything but delicacies, but your attention was unmovable, your mind and gaze seated on the side of Heimdall’s face.

 ‘Why in the Hel is she staring at me like that?’

 The collar did not feel so heavy as you passed the lengths through your fingertips, your other hand tight around the width of your cup. Sif and Thor were well into their paces before you had even considered eating, Odin was absent at the table, and anyone important was either too drunk to notice your lack of attention or had left as the night progressed.

 ‘I swear to the Norns, she is just asking to be hurt—‘

 You were hearing Heimdall’s thoughts. But he, just like before, could not hear yours.

 A wicked little smile crept across your lips. Oh, Odin, you have no idea what a mistake you have made, indeed.

| next.

taglist: @versiesleeps

[alyjojo]

New Year Reading for 2024! 🌟 - Capricorn

Preshuffle: There’s a “suffering in silence” vibe about you, what it’s regarding is different for everyone, but for many it’s loving actions that have been taken…feeling like maybe you were naive, over idealistic, didn’t see red flags for what they were, didn’t read a person/situation clearly, etc. Or it’s that same energy regarding anything really, what you’ve learned from this experience is a need to be very clear and plan your steps accordingly, communication plays a big part of this. No more confusion, that just makes things messy. You’re under a lot of pressure that you’re trying to plan your way through, or out of, and with that you have success attached - 6 Wands.

Meditation: Probably the funniest of the meditations I’ve had. There’s a meme going around about goats, I’ll include it at the end 🐐, and that’s what I’m seeing. Goats stuck on a cliff. The funny part is I’m having telepathy with these goats, and they’re like “I’m not moving, I’m fine, we good” and all of the goats around them bahhh in agreement. You’re not going anywhere but UP, like you’ll stay put for the end of time and that’s fine, you’re comfortable. Or you’re going to get a decent foothold and move up an inch, two, three, etc. Pretty self explanatory, your determination is admirable. Some of you could have funny or telepathic connections with different animals, like you know what they’re thinking/saying/wanting, and you’ll know if that’s you or not. Or this could be some kind of sign from Spirit coming around this year, more quirky relationships with critters, random ones even. Jupiter is moving to your 6th House, that could be why.

🔸 Whole of Your Energy: 4 Wands & King of Wands

Regarding: Ace of Pentacles rev

You seem eager to expand your horizons, but don’t have the option to, or the money. At least right away. Some of you could be looking to buy/sell a home, and either don’t have a big enough down payment, or the market is crap, you could be blocked by loans or something lingering on your credit report. Some of you may want to take a relationship to the next level, possibly moving in together, getting engaged, and similarly, you’re being delayed. Probably because of money or a lack of what’s out there, you’ll have no choice but to wait it out for awhile. Your energy being King of Wands is powerful, you’re ready to take charge of your life and make 👏 shit 👏 happen 👏 and Spirit’s sitting you in the time-out chair instead. That could also be your partner’s energy, could be a fiery personality that’s used to things working out for them, whereas you’re chuckling in the corner because it never works that way with you.

Capricorn has the long climb from the bottom to the top, you’re used to setbacks and discipline, saving money and being mindful of budgets & what’s possible…logically. Whether by force or by choice, you’re going to have to “hang in there and be patient” - Temperance. That could apply to your temper too, if your partner tends to spend/lose money on things you don’t see as important. For some, these may be repairs that are needed, and there’s a financial crunch dealing with it, or a slow build towards “more”, but it’s going to take some time. It’s possible you’re missing out on something NOW related, but it’s probably for the best, you need more time to find something stable & worthwhile. Could be a home, job, relationship, but if it’s for you, it’s for YOU, there’s no “missing” things. With that, your career is looking good, and Growth is attached to this, it all looks very positive - maybe just not as fast as you want it to be. Anything/everything, the year is taking a year, go figure 😇 You got The Merchant, someone else got that too…I think Aqua? Maybe Libra. It’s about balance, giving what you’re receiving, fair trade, fair exchange, goods & services for coins, if the balance is off - then you worry about how to resolve that or put it right again. That mirrors Temperance as well. Spending vs saving is probably at the forefront of a lot of Cap’s minds, you seem to have a particular goal in mind. A home or something to do with one, for many of you.

Main Oracle:

19 Growth

Feel open, willing, and proud of your desire to explore new opportunities for self-development.

🔸 Character Card: The Merchant ⚖️

Coins exchange hands, deals are struck, you are a friendly character with confidence that what you have to offer is worth what you ask for in return, it’s a fair exchange. You have plenty to offer and it’s good to remind yourself of that, take note of all you have, and if you’re getting a bad deal - “raise your prices”…or move somewhere that will appreciate what you’re offering. - a move could be literal there

🔸 Relationship: 3 Cups & 5 Cups rev

Regarding: Knight of Swords

I can’t tell if the drama will be within the connection or some outside party, family, friend, work drama, idk. There will be a disappointing situation that causes some upset, or there has been already in the past, but the two of you are going to communicate through all of your worries, issues, fears, anxieties, and eventually overcome these. 3 Cups is celebrations & reunions, 5 Cups rev is healing from disappointing situations, so whatever the two of you have been through, it looks like where it’s headed is really positive. There are two threes here, it’s possible some outside party causes drama between you in the first place. 6 Wands and teamwork are where this is headed, overcoming any issues, problems, worries or setbacks, it’s going to turn out for the best. Communication is the best way forward. Introspection is placed on Couples & Singles both, instinctively you’re going to know what to do, and if you don’t, quiet the world around you down for a little while and think on it, go within.

Love Oracle:

67 Introspection

Introspection is often necessary to deepen our awareness of the unity and divinity of life.

🔸 Singles: 2 Swords & King of Pentacles

Regarding: 6 Wands

For some there are literally two people here, and indecision between which one is the right one. King of Wands shows up again here, could be mirroring the initial energy. You could be with this person, possibly even live with them, when in walks your soulmate, and there’s a lot of inner chaos involved with that. For some, there is simply a King of Wands, could be fire or that’s how they present themselves/act. Charming, popular, attractive, knows how to get what they want, happy to direct or take the lead on things, pursues you 💯 But are they your King of Pentacles? *Can* they be that person? Is it all passion, no substance? Some of you are just looking for one and attracting the other - confused as to how you keep doing this, or what you really want. You’re definitely going to have a moment of shocking realization, it feels like a good one, could be love at first sight or something, or a sudden knowing, but this too will turn out for the best - no matter which lane you’re choosing. Introspection is also needed here, time alone, don’t listen to any of these Kings or anyone else, this is your decision.

I pulled a character card for the “right” choice, and got The Botanist - which is almost a mirror of The Empress. They could have children, want children, are someone you could imagine having children with. They are a nurturer, what they cultivate grows and becomes beautiful, they take a seed and turn it into a tree, very creative, domestic & “mothering” energy. Or you literally have their kids, could be that too. Some of you may have a pregnancy. If not, if that happened, who would you want? Or do you want this and someone else doesn’t - because there’s your answer. For many I’m getting you’re more this Empress energy, who values that about you, and helps nurture it to grow even more? Meaning who can you relax with, feel secure, be vulnerable 💯 that’s a big one for Capricorns. This could be saying ask your mother, she’ll tell you who is right 😆

🔸 Career: The Sun & Page of Cups

Regarding: 4 Pentacles

You’re staying right where you are and it’s probably going to work out well for you, at least at some point this year, you’re going to be recognized in some way. It may be small, a Page isn’t the biggest thing, maybe a mention in a newsletter, a small bonus, potential overtime is likely for hourly workers, word spreading via advertisement or even friend of a friend for those working in home businesses - also possible with the initial energy. There is growth and it is positive, but you’re also going to be working your butt off - 8 & 7 Pentacles, so whatever you’re getting back is well deserved. Is it *enough*? Is the question. The Merchant in you will always have that on your mind. 4 Pentacles shows you focused on saving whatever you do get, budgeting and being pretty frugal, probably because you have to be. You could feel pretty negative about the exchange and whether it’s worth it at times, your effort is shown by 8 & 7, but you’re only getting 4…and a Page, that could be something worth discussing, interest in a higher position perhaps, or just letting it be known you’re ready to expand when the time comes…there are delays with that. The Sun is promotion, attention, being recognized, it’s possible 💯 Every row is the same, with time & effort things are going to work out for you, no matter which lane we’re talking about here.

🔸 What needs to be left behind in 2023: 5 Wands, 3 Wands & 3 Pentacles

Regarding: 7 Wands

Competition, arguments, defensive energy, either acting like someone’s opponent or expecting others to act like yours, this year you’re about moving away from any drama in favor of cooperation (also your oracle card here), and teamwork. Merchant mirrors this 6 Pentacles clarifying, both have scales, you do need to weigh and balance your effort with everyone else’s, everything should be pretty fair, but I don’t see it *not* being fair, generally. If it’s not, then you know and you can either address it or move on from this person/situation, but for the most part I see people in your corner willing to support you…you just may not feel like they are, or haven’t felt their support, it hasn’t been obvious to you. You shouldn’t fight for someone to cooperate with you either, if they don’t then they don’t, now you know. Give them a chance, bring it up, communicate, and they’ll either meet your energy or not, it’s not battle-worthy, and no one is more important or better than another, no one contributes or puts in more effort than another. What that is specifically in your life will differ for all of you, you’re about balance this year, possibly mending fences with people you were competitive or defensive with, not everyone but some - Temperance. Calm, peaceful, working out differences and combing contributions into a whole situation that’s pleasing for everyone, and it’s not just you doing it either, it’s everyone, or byeeee.

444 may show work/home imbalance, or issues within the family, this needs introspection into your own grudges & negative perceptions, what you’re holding onto, maybe learned habits & behaviors inherited from older family members. Considering not just your viewpoints, but theirs, and whether or not it’s possible to bridge the gap between them.

3333 is a reunion & celebration you’ve been hoping for in a love relationship, could be with friends or family, a party, a holiday, etc., you’ve been hoping and waiting to cooperate with these people and it’s looking like you will 💜

6666 shows victory in any relationship once you move away from conflict & defensive energy, towards one that is more balanced & equally yolked, appreciating each other and helping out, enjoying everyone around you, whether it’s family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, partners, any/all of them. Deep down, you really just want peace of mind, and supportive people to share your happiness with.

Astrological Shifts in 2023 (for Risings):

Jan 01 - Mercury direct in Sag

Jan 21 - Pluto enters Aqu (again) - 2nd House 💰

Feb 14 - Mars conj. Pluto Aquarius - 2nd 💰 - likely intense, powerful, & transformative, some of you are working really hard on a financial venture or could be buying a home, that could be the goal, this is a lot of motivation & effort being applied to something tangible - be careful of power trips or control issues relating to finances, or self-worth due to materialism

Mar 09 - Mars Aqua squares Uranus Tau at 5:55 P.M. - likely a day of conflict - 2nd 💰 vs. 5th 🎉 could spend too much on “fun” or things normally considered extras, maybe you spend a lot on your kids, art & creative things, music, games, gambling, have some fun & then reign it in

Mar 21 - Venus conj Saturn Pis - love & boundaries go hand in hand

Mar 25 - Lunar Eclipse in Lib - 10th 🔨

Apr 01 - Mercury retrogrades Ari - 4th 🏡 issues surrounding home & family could pop up, you may be spending more time with them and be caught up in a happy nostalgia, or get in touch with family you haven’t seen in awhile

Apr 08 - Solar Eclipse in Ari - continued lessons from the nodes throughout this year, issues between masculine/feminine likely, father/mother, action/reception, others/self

Apr 24 - Mercury direct

May 18 - Venus conj Uranus & Sun conj Jupiter, all in Taurus - 5th 🎉, some of you could hear of a pregnancy (possibly your own), win some money or a contest/game of some kind, gamble successfully, cash out on an investment or get incredibly lucky with money, if you have kids they could be winning something, it’s a great time to play the lottery

May 25 - Jupiter enters Gem - 6th 🤒🐶, not the greatest or worst place for Jupiter to be, health issues could be magnified or brought to attention, it’s not a traumatic placement, but it “expands” what it touches. It’s easy to gain weight at this time, overdo it on medicines or substances, even exercise, make sure you’re drinking your water and staying balanced. You could be blessed with a new furry friend, or notice that animals seem to be drawn to you, relationships with coworkers are positive

May 29 - Mars conj Chiron Ari @ 22’ - 4th 🏡 addressing pain or wounds related to family, 22’ is a “kill or be killed” placement, an argument could turn vicious, even violent, or positively, if one has already existed there may be steps taken to work on the pain that’s been caused - healing this wound

June 29 - Lilith enters Lib - 10th 🔨 Only felt with close aspects, or synastry, may be a source of contention in your career, with authority figures, a father, your reputation could take a hit, you could feel like you work with crazy people or they’re out to get you - some are, and in some cases this may be your energy towards others, instigative, dark, tempting, hateful, jealous, triggered, those with Libra placements could feel like enemies whether it’s you or them triggered, both are affected - at work. With issues at home, could be your father too.

July 06 - Venus Can square Chiron Ari - 7th ❤️ vs. 4th 🏡 - likely a fight in your relationship, irritation or some kind of standoff, possibly healing one with Venus involved, you or a partner may lash out from a wounded place, hurting the other person, could also be a friend or close family member, if you’re single. May not involve you at all but a partner vs. family.

Aug 04 - Mercury retrogrades Vir-Leo - 9th 😇 & 8th ☠️ could see a resurgence of past contacts, ex’s, old friends, anything deemed “lost” at any time may come back up for review & new understanding or awareness, could receive some kind of spiritual messages from passed on loved ones, traveling is not the best idea right now

Aug 19 - Venus Vir opposes Saturn Pis & Jupiter Gem squares both - T square of 9th 😇, 3rd 🗣️, and 6th 🤒🐶 again travel is highlighted, whether near or far, as not being the best idea throughout the month, could be relating to health issues, or you may need to travel to see someone because of health issues, you could hear news from a distance about health issues, or may be learning about health generally and old beliefs contradict this new information, causing frustration, someone close to you may have to move, a sibling, coworker, or mentor, some of you could be traveling long distances for school or some kind of training thing for work

Aug 27 - Mercury direct Leo

Sept 01 - Pluto enters Cap (last time) - 1st 🫵

Sept 16 - Venus Lib opposes Chiron Ari @ 22’ - 10th 🔨 and 4th 🏡- not a fan of the degree being 22’, involves or addresses pain with parents, gender roles/tradition, home vs work, and again 22’ is not the degree you want to keep seeing with heart centered things like family. It is a Capricorn degree, hopefully that lessens its weight a little bit in your world/situation

Sept 17 - Partial Lunar Eclipse Pis - 3rd 🗣️, preparing for the nodes to shift next year

Oct 02 - Solar Eclipse Lib - 10th 🔨

Nov 19 - Pluto enters Aqu (for good) - 2nd 💰 you’re freeeeee 🥳 how has the last 15 years been?

Nov 25 - Mercury retrogrades Sag - 12th 😵‍💫 it’s a good time to pull back, relax, rejuvenate, practice mental & emotional wellness, process how far you’ve come and everything you’ve accomplished in the last decade+, past contacts may pop back in, possibly just in dreams or your subconscious, it’s a good time for a personal review to lay things to rest

Dec 06 - Mars retrogrades Leo - 8th ☠️ could see you feeling a little insecure, lacking confidence, again people could come back, this time ex’s are highlighted, along with relationships that were “dead” or lost to you, take care with how you handle these, there’s an energy of being tested right as you begin to relax, don’t be fooled, especially with money, some of you could be dealing with a loss of some kind, and will need to take a time out to handle whatever is involved with this, breakups often happen with this transit…but could be temporary, it’s the retrograde way, be careful of inflated egos, control & power dynamics

Dec 15 - Mercury direct Sag

Dec 24 - Jupiter Gem squares Saturn Pis - 6th 🤒🐶 vs. 3rd 🗣️ could be a necessary doctor or veterinarian visit, coworkers that get on your nerves, maybe just talking about a health obsession or something you’ve learned, and the reception you get from others isn’t great, it doesn’t have to be a big thing just annoying

[josecurrie]

How safe is it to use Cash App?

Cash App is generally considered safe, but like any financial platform, it has certain risks that users should be aware of. Here are some points to keep in mind regarding its safety:

Encryption and Security Features

Data Encryption: Cash App uses encryption to protect user data, making it difficult for hackers to access sensitive information.

Fraud Protection: Cash App has built-in fraud detection features and gives users the option to enable additional security, such as requiring a PIN or fingerprint for transactions.

Account Alerts: Users receive notifications for all account activities, adding another layer of security.

Common Scams

Phishing Scams: Scammers may try to trick users into giving away personal information or Cash App login details. Always avoid sharing your Cash App PIN or other credentials.

Impersonation: Scammers often pretend to be Cash App customer support, asking users to send payments or provide personal information. Cash App customer service will never ask for such details.

Fake Cash Giveaways: Be cautious of offers promising free money in exchange for small payments upfront, as these are often scams.

Sending and Receiving Money

No Buyer Protection: Unlike some other platforms, Cash App does not offer buyer protection for purchases. If you’re sending money to someone you don’t know or for a transaction, there’s a higher risk.

Instant Transfers: Transfers are fast, but once sent, they are difficult to reverse. Always double-check the recipient’s details before sending money.

How to Stay Safe

Enable Security Features: Use Cash App’s additional security options, like PIN entry or fingerprint verification.

Be Aware of Scams: Be cautious of unsolicited requests for money or promises of cash giveaways.

Only Use Trusted Contacts: Try to use the app mainly for people you trust, such as friends or family.

Cash App is secure for day-to-day transactions if you follow good security practices. However, it’s crucial to be vigilant about scams, as it lacks purchase protection.

Do I need a bank account for Cash App?

Yes, you technically do not need a traditional bank account to use Cash App, but having one can provide additional benefits. Here’s how it works:

Without a bank account: You can still send and receive money using your Cash App balance. However, to withdraw funds from Cash App, you would need to link a debit card, or you can use a Cash Card (Cash App’s own card) to access your funds directly.

With a bank account: Linking a bank account to Cash App allows you to easily transfer money between your bank and Cash App, giving you more flexibility in managing your funds.

So, while a bank account is not strictly necessary, having one provides more convenience and access to your money.

Diffеrеnt Typеs of Vеrifiеd Cash App Accounts?

There are different types of verified Cash App accounts, each offering varying levels of access and functionality. Here are some of the common types:

Personal Verified Accounts Verification: Personal identification, such as your full name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN).

Features:

Send and receive payments.

Increase in transaction limits (up to $7,500 per week for sending and unlimited for receiving).

Ability to link debit/credit cards and bank accounts.

Cash App Card (Cash Card) for spending Cash App balance.

Direct deposit for receiving paychecks or tax returns.

Business Verified Accounts Verification: Additional business details such as EIN (Employer Identification Number), business name, and legal status.

Features:

Enables merchants and small business owners to accept payments.

Higher limits for transactions.

Receipts and tax reporting features.

Integration with third-party payment services.

Can issue refunds to customers.

Bitcoin Verified Accounts Verification: Requires additional information for cryptocurrency transactions (e.g., photo ID, address)

     Features:

Ability to buy, sell, and transfer Bitcoin.

Set up recurring Bitcoin purchases.

Withdrawal of Bitcoin to external wallets.

Enhanced limits for cryptocurrency transactions.

These Cash App accounts provide specific benefits based on the needs of personal users, businesses, or cryptocurrency traders.

24 Hours Reply/Contact Telegram: @smmvirals24 WhatsApp: +6011-63738310 Skype: smmvirals Email: smmvirals@gmail.com

[trashytoastboi]

Hello! May I please request a headcanon post about the Strawhats as travelling merchants?

Heyya! Sure thing 🍞 this was quite an interesting one to write! I won't deny that 90% of my merchant knowledge comes from Spice & Wolf 🤣🍀 hope you enjoy~

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Headcanons: The Straw-Hat's being travelling merchants

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Straw-Hat Crew

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Robin📚 The researcher. Market research, audience studies, target market, trends, demand and supply. Robin takes care of all of it. She is precise and proficient that she can usually guess a good investment and stock up on things before a massive price boom. She knows the location they are going to visit beforehand, she research the markets, what they have and what they need. Handles all official paperwork such as travel permits and declaration forms of their products and wares.

Nami🍊 Money and maps. The books, the profits, the expenditure. Not a single beri escapes her gaze. She often works on the books and focuses on how to maximize those profits so that the zeros only grow positively in the bank. She's in it to win it and will work alongside Robin whenever she sniffs out a good chance to make some coin. Nami also plans out the most efficient routes to their next destination.

Brook 🎻 Handles the advertising, he uses his skills with music to attract people almost like a pied piper. The music creates a soothing and pleasant atmosphere for the people who come around to shop and peruse the Straw Hats various wares. He leaves his hat out as a welcome for tips, Nami's idea of course.

Franky 🤖 Franky mostly handles repairs for the various wagons and carts the group need when travelling. He is usually there to handle appraisals as well, having a very good eye to see through bad materials. He creates mechanical knickknacks for sale and offers repair services for all sorts of things.

Usopp 🏹 The salesman could probably sell your own liver back to you. He has a silver tongue and a great well of flattery up his sleeve. Ussop is the best man for the job as he chats up every product perfectly, so much so that nearly everything he proclaims the greatness of will sell out. For every product he has a tall tale to go with it. Customers want value and sensationalism which Ussop knows very well.

Luffy 🍖 An unusual and strange charm that tends to draw customers and trouble. Luffy is the head of their little band of merchants and dictates where they go. A bit inconvenient as Luffy is very erratic and his paths are never linear, usually leading them to the most random location. Usually results getting into arguments with other merchants. A territorial dispute you could say. Though Luffy usually convinces those merchants to just work alongside them.

Sanji 🍽 Sanji is in charge of cooking meals for the Straw Hats as well as trading spices, making food to draw more customers by offering snacks and samples. He calls the shots on rare ingredients and whether it's better to trade them or cook them. A lot of returning customers are there for Sanji's food and his ever so convenient mixed spice packs.

Zoro ⚔ Zoro is not well versed in the matters of trade, nor bookkeeping and even making something to sell. So what he does handle is the security. Brawn is his literal strong suit and he works hard to protect the merchants, their wares and any apparatus. There usually aren't any problems, because Zoro takes care of them quickly. If its too overwhelming a few others would step in but thus far a situation where it's been too much has not arisen.

Jinbei 🥋 Jinbei is in charge of driving the wagon and heading the wagon train. He coordinates the setting up of their little market area. Works closely with Nami when planning routes as Jinbei takes all the obstacles into account when travelling. Also being one of the more amicable and well versed members, he handles negotiations for locations and permissions to set up a campsite doubled traveling shop.

Chopper 🍭 Medicine and Animals. Chopper makes various salves, medicines, and ointments for a wide variety of things. In fact Miracle Medicine is not too far off to describe the health tonics he creates. They are one of the best sellers that the Straw Hat merchant group has to offer. Chopper also takes it upon himself to look after the animals that help with pulling the wagons when they travel on land, as well as offering free medical check ups for anyone that seeks one.