#the price of gold and silver increases

[best24news]

Gold Rate update: त्यौहारों का सीजन शुरू होते ही सोने चांदी के बढे दाम, जानिए लेटेस्ट रेट

Gold Rate update: त्यौहारों का सीजन शुरू होते ही सोने चांदी के बढे दाम, जानिए लेटेस्ट रेट

दिल्ली: त्यौहारों का सीजन शुरू होते ही सोने की कीमतो में उछाल शुरू हो गया है,जबकि पिछले छह माह से इसके रेट गिर रह थे। आज यानि 6 अक्टूबर को सोना के भाव में उछाल देखने को मिला है. मल्‍टी कमोडिटी एक्‍सचेंज (MCX) पर सोने का भाव शुरुआती कारोबार में 0.44 प्रतिशत बढ़ा है. सोने के साथ ही चांदी में भी तेजी दर्ज की गई है और यह वायदा बाजार में 1.24 फीसदी उछली है. Haryana Land Acquisition: चार गांवो के किसानो…

[political-depth]

The Factors Driving the Gold Price to New Highs: An Analysis

[mays-simping-for-leona]

it's the wrong treasure!(pirate leona x siren reader-part 1)

(im open for scenarios and headcanons)

hi guys! mays is back✨sorry for not posting but i was busy with my family and summer school, here's the pirate leona scenario according to the poll I created a few days ago ⏤͟͟͞͞★

and also i would like to tell y'all that i might start writing about ruggie and epel, i started studying them this couple of days⏤͟͟͞͞★

characters:

pirate leona x siren fem!reader⏤͟͟͞͞★

information:

reader being a simp somehow, sfw, I will include characters that do not exist in twst as members of Leona's crew they are only NPCs, reader is a siren and violent with people on land, Her species is aggressive with pirates and sings with their beautiful voice, They lure pirates to their places in the ocean to catch them and get rid of them, The reader will be violent with Leona since he's in their territory⏤͟͟͞͞★

prompt:

pirate Leona was with his pirate crew in the ocean, heading to find a treasure, and by mistake they found a completely different kind of treasure..⏤͟͟͞͞★

⏤͟͟͞͞★enjoy!

Under the cloud-covered sky, a crashing navy blue bed of high waves decorated the horizon in plain sight, announcing the arrival of the sailing ship to the point of no return. The strong storm and violent waves shook the ship and raised it to the heights of the sky, then slammed it into the face of the ocean again..

The ship whose surface was filled with a crew of scoundrels and bandits, all inside the bottom of the ship eating the huge fish they had earned from a recent theft. At the head of the table sat their leader, the beastman, his legs carelessly above the table, sitting proudly crushing the thorny bones of the fish with his powerful fangs, He was chewing his food while his crew laughed and drank, completely unconcerned about the storm that seemed to sink the ship at any moment. These stinkers were accustomed to these difficult adventures and it no longer frightened them

"You damned bastards, pour more drink! Don't you see that we are close to reaching the treasure that the pirate captain has been searching for for years?!!" One of the pirates shouted as he climbed onto the table and raised his wooden cup, spilling the drink on the food while laughing hard

The rest of them all started cheering and encouraging, increasing the noise in the banquet room, which made the beastman's ears flicker and his eyebrows furrow, clear sign of him getting annoyed

"heey...y'all shut up!! just how many times should i yell about wanting the banquet to be quiet?!! Do you want me to throw you off the ship and get eaten by the sharks??!" leona yelled, slamming his palm on the table as he lift his tricorn off his head "It is too early to celebrate, do not rule out that we will arrive and find the treasure stolen" yeah stolen, he is sure that the treasure is his, He will not say that someone preceded him in finding the treasure, but rather he is certain that the treasure was originally existed just for him

Leona took a sip of his drink as he looked at the map in his hand and contemplated it. Legend says that in the middle of this ocean there is a mermaid queen whose tail is made of gold, diamonds, blue sapphires and emeralds, her face is studded with pearls and her hair is made of thin threads of silver.. Price This mermaid is alive for 100 million, and she is dead for 75 million.."Because of her brightness, her tail and hair can be seen from 100 meters away. How wonderful" Leona grinned, he must find her no matter what the cost because he is a greedy pirate..But while he was immersed in his thoughts..

"BOSS!"

The ship captain came from the deck and descended the stairs. He called to Leona as he stopped in the middle of the stairs "BOSS, I SAW SOMETHING SHINING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!!!"

Leona's train of thought was interrupted by the captain's screams. His eyes widened and he looked at the captain in shock. He was very surprised that they had just arrived at the intended location, but the captain saw the light so quickly "you're kidding right?!!" Leona quickly got up and ran to the stairs, followed by the rest of the crew. They threw their cups on the floor and left the food, immediately heading to the deck to confirm what the captain had said

While they were running down the stairs, the captain was talking to Leona "boss, i can here the sirens.."

Leona was even more surprised, but his surprised expression quickly turned into a smile from ear to ear, baring his fangs as excitement pumped strongly through his veins "sirens, huh? interesting, this means we are in the right place"

Leona stood at the front of the ship and looked at the place indicated by the captain. The captain was right. There was a golden shine on the horizon. The sound of Siren’s singing could be heard from afar..leona shivered in excitement and turned to his crew who would have screamed with anticipation

“YOU STINKY BASTARDS, ARE YOU READY TO GET THE DAMNED TREASURE??!!" leona screamed, He took out his sword from its sheath place and raised it to the sky. The sounds of the crew’s cheering echoed in the place, covering the noise of the storm and waves

Leona was standing on the edge of the ship, completely wet from the rain, looking towards the shiny thing in the water. He was a little in the water so only the long golden tail was visible..he is a bit..confused, why the mermaid didn't escape? He furrowed his eyes and brought his face closer to the water "is this even a mermaid?.." Leona turned to his crew and looked at them seriously "Get your net and catch this thing!"

The men quickly brought the net and prepared it. It did not take long until they threw it into the water and caught that golden body. It was pulled from the water forcefully and they raised it to the ship, and it was very heavy

Leona's eyes widened.. She is really a mermaid, she has a really shiny golden tail "WTF?" He is completely shocked, is it possible that he caught the queen so easily? Impossible, something must be wrong here "BE QUICK YOU IDIOTS!!!"

Just when the men were going to throw the mermaid onto the deck of the ship, Leona was standing right next to them and grabbed the net to pull with them because the mermaid was heavy... With a quick and unexpected movement, Leona did not feel anything at this moment except two very wet hands pulling him forcefully by his clothes, and the mermaid. She hit the men with her tail so hard that they collided with each other and collapsed to the ground immediately

"HEY Y!!!-" Leona was unable to give a reaction because within seconds he found himself being pulled and falling from the ship into the ocean. He could not see this time because he's underwater, and in front of him was only a mermaid who tore the net and freed herself, grabbing him by the neck and squeezing his body around her long tail... in fact, she was not a mermaid...she was a Siren

You are Siren, you were very angry as usual. Your people sent you to stop Leona's ship because he, like any other pirate, is trying to take the riches of your land and destroy your territory "you bastard..let me see your face.." you pulled the tricorn off his head, laughing at him as you swam to the surface, pulling him out the water so he can take a breath

"HAAAHH!!" Leona gasped hard as he took a breath and coughed after the water entered his lungs. He was in your grip trying to free his right hand. When you were about to curse and mock him again, you remained in your place for a few seconds.. His face.. Is this scoundrel really a pirate?..there's no way a pirate can look so handsome and young..where's the fucking shaggy beard? where's the golden teeth and the forty-something face?

"...are you a pirate?" you spook, amazement clear in your voice

Leona, quickly notice that you are distracted, so try to quickly release his right hand and take advantage of this moment of you lowering your defense "yes i'm the pirate captain, Why does this worry you??"

you were speechless, you are used to the ugly dirty shaggy bearded golden teethed forty years old smelly pirates that when you see a handsome man with legs you felt something inside you awaken..Even the men of your species are usually ugly, the sirens are usually ugly at all and their appearance is frightening, unlike the mermaids..so, for the first time in your life..you actually saw a handsome man, a man that made you have a moment of silence, you just wanted to stare at him for the rest of the day and enjoy that good looking appearance of his

but in the middle of your simping era, you were surprised by him suddenly swinging his sowrd in your face, almost injuring you in your neck and chest, you quickly let off him and swam away, trying to collect back your thoughts and keep up with reality. leona hold i rope that his crew threw to him, he climbed and got out of the water..looking at you almost angrily as he pulled his her back and panted

They didn't give you a chance. Suddenly, you were surprised by a strong bullet trying to hit you, but the shooter missed the target. Someone was carrying a gun on the ship and started taking another flintlock gun out of his pocket to hit you. You knew at this moment that there was no better option than running away. So you swam to the depths of the ocean with all your speed to avoid any serious injury

Leona boarded the ship again. He threw himself on the ground, coughing and feeling suffocated by the water in his lungs. He was preoccupied with the pain in his chest and ribs after you squeezed him hard with your tail

"boss, are you ok??! put the boss in his room and retreat!!! the ship"

"why the hell did you let them go, y/n?!!"

Under the ocean and inside one of the caves where your people used to live, the leaders gathered at you in anger. They sent you to eliminate those in the crew of the Leona ship, but you only failed the mission

you were speechless, You yourself don't know what happened to you. You used to kill these bastard men in cold blood. Why do you kind of feel strange now? You saw a beautiful being for the first time in your life, so beautiful that he made your tail fall loose around his waist, making you lower your defense and actually get..vulnerable

"im..im sorry, i don't know what got me..i just..i really don't know" you stutter, unable to defend yourself in the presence of your leaders, your brain was raising a million miles with all these thoughts

After a long and annoying discussion and reprimand, you were finally taken out. You were now outside the cave, swimming in the ocean, immersed in your thoughts. You remembered that perfect, clean face, the sharp, shining fangs, the green eyes like emeralds, the sharp jaw like a knife, and every detail of his face... just attracted you "why im still thinking about him?! ahh this is stupid!!" You tried to slap yourself and come back to your senses, but that didn't work either. His image is still clear in your head...

A week has passed. Throughout this week, you have not stopped watching the ship from afar, chasing Leona every time he comes out on deck and you approach, trying to get a close look at the man who has not left your imagination for a week, only your eyes outside the water lurking every move he makes. Every day your admiration for him increased more and more, especially when you saw him one day standing on the deck of the ship without his shirt and he was sharpening his sword. His muscles sent you wild, Now he looks a thousand times more tempting than before, to the point where you can't focus on doing anything all day except wishing to see him come out more

And on this day, while you were watching it as usual, you noticed that for some reason the crew members had not gone to the surface since the morning, and even the ship’s captain was not out to steer. The ship was moving on its own without navigation, which made you wonder... Did something happen on the ship?

Curious, you swam closer to the ship, going around it several times and checking the corners, putting your ear to the wood and trying to hear any sound from inside, but no one was talking and there were no sounds of movement...it was as if everyone had suddenly evaporated from the ship

"what the?..were did they go??.." you said to yourself, and when you decided to just go and come back later and gave the ship your back, you suddenly felt a lot of ropes around you, tightening against your torso and suddenly pulling you up

"LIFT HER QUICKLY!!!" You heard Leona's voice shouting at the crew, what?! Where did he come from?! Rather, where did they all suddenly come from?!

You tried to free yourself as last time, but this time the ropes were thick and strong, it was not just a fishing net that could be torn, so all your miserable attempts failed

You tried to scream and call on your people to save you, but suddenly you were silenced by someone putting a vial in your mouth filled with a strange-tasting liquid. You couldn't even tell what was going on, but you swallowed a large amount of liquid by mistake

Now, you were lying on the ground in front of the crew, and you felt a large amount of magic in your body... as if your body was convulsing and your tail was splitting in two, your bones were hurting and your gills were disappearing, the seashells on your entire body were disappearing... something strange was happening to you that you could not explain

You didn't even notice when Leona approached you and put a cloth over your body and wrapped it around you to cover you, because you simply drank a magic drink that turned you into a human. It wouldn't be pleasant for Leona to keep a girl naked in front of his crew, who he know that they are all bastard perverts

After you regained control of yourself and recovered from the pain, you realized what had happened to you. Your body froze completely when suddenly you were able to move two legs instead of a tail. You began to feel your skin, which had become very soft and free of shells. You touched your face, which clearly had changed, you don't feel your features are the same..

"hey, salmon, are you traumatized?" He interrupted your train of thought again, Leona. You raised your head to look at him, confused and frightened

"y-you!!!" You realized how stupid you are. You completely forgot that Leona is a beastman. It is true that he is not human, but that will not prevent him from making you dinner for him and the pirates, or perhaps they will sell you and take you to the land

But on the other hand, Leona was in a completely parallel world... unable to believe what his eyes were seeing. You were ugly because you were Siren, but now that you took this magical antidote, your appearance changed and you became a human being... your true features emerged and you became completely beautiful as the myths say, He was looking you up and down and inspecting every inch of you with his eyes, like any man in the world, of course: he gets aroused by the siren -not too much but just it worked-, it's practically done with him, even though you are now the weak party, it seems that the man will remain a man

"get away from me, don't come clo-!!! AHHAA LET ME GOOO!!!" just a second and you were hoisted up in the air, leona held you on his shoulder like a potato sack and walked to inside the ship "calm down salmon, i won't eat you" was all he said as he took you to his room, kicking it open and then kicking it back closed with his feet, putting you gently on the bed and moving away, standing beside the bed edge

"now, salmon, Can you explain why you've been stalking me all last week?"

im sorry for being shitty and stopping here but i really like making multiple chapters since im basically a 200-chapters-novel writer, but i need to see if there's people who will like this so i continue writing! i hope y'all support me on this so i can write more🫶🏻

⏤͟͟͞͞★thanks for reading!

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Silver Recycling

As a metal, silver is considered an infinitely recyclable material, with no loss in quality after recycling. As a precious metal, however, the rates of silver recycling tend to fluctuate in concert with the current cost of the metal - when the price of silver is higher, the recycling rate tends to increase. The United States is considered the world's largest silver recycler, though the rate at which they have recycled silver has decreased slightly compared to a decade ago. Worldwide, it is estimated that around 25-30% of silver produced today comes from recycled silver, though statistics are difficult to track.

The application silver is used for can also affect recycling rates. High purity silver, like that used in jewelry, is easier to consider than low purity silver, such as what is used in photographic applications.

Sources/Further Reading: (Image source - Statista) (Physical Gold) (emew blog) (Burhouse) (2014 article)

[saberamane]

My Etsy Shop!

Not much posted yet, I will keep this post updated.

On offer is custom planet/galaxy paintings on either canvas (assorted sizes) or gloss photo paper. DM me here or at my shop for custom orders. Based in the USA but will ship internationally.

Stencil-based artwork is available for commission, otherwise sold intermittently.

Canvas Sizes (in inches) And Starting Prices (USD)

8x10 - $10.98

12x12 - $12.99

11x14 - $12.99

11x18 - $13.50

16x20 - $13.97

24x18 - $20.00

24x30 - $25.00

Starting prices cover the cost of acquiring your desired size. Prices increase once paint, labor, stencils, shipping, or any other materials are added.

Also Available In Gloss Picture Paper

A3 size (11x17 inches or 279x432mm)

180 gsm

40lbs

8.5 mil

$45.00 flat fee for 2 colors of your choice. Additional colors add cost. No 'specialty' colors. Planet/galaxy paintings only unless discussed prior.

All paintings are finished in a gloss coat for protection.

Shipping is not included.

Custom painting requests are welcome.

Payment is secured once everyone is happy with the product and before shipping.

Cancelations are accepted before shipping, however finished products will still be sold.

For paintings requiring custom stencils, customer will be responsible to pay for the production of the stencil. This includes the work that goes into creating a good quality picture, the work in creating the layers of the stencil, and the cutting/clean-up of the stencil as well as time and labor. Price varies on complexity of the stencil.

Available Colors (color preview available soon)(listed dark to light)

Gloss Colors: $4.30 per color (excluding background black and white star splatter)

Reds:

Cranberry

Red Plum

Cherry Red

Majestic Red

Strawberry Fields

Blues:

Deep Blue

Macaw Blue

Blue Hyacinth

Spa Blue

Sea Side

Purples:

Purple

Grape

Icy Grape

Dreamy Lavender

Gumdrop

Greens:

Deep Turquoise

Spring Green

Jungle Green

Pinks:

Hot Pink

Mambo Pink

Berry Pink

Hot Pink

Coral

Soft Pink

Orange:

Real Orange

Popsicle Orange

Tans/Yellows

Khaki

Yellow Ginger

Bauhaus Gold

Warm Yellow

Almond

Browns:

Kona

Chestnut

Latte

Black, White, Gray

Speciality Colors

Fluorescent Colors: $5 a color

Green

Pink

Coral

Yellow

Orange

Metallics: $6 a color

Gold

Silver

Copper

'Crackle' effect paint: $8

Satin/Matte Colors

(less 'shiny' than gloss, but isn't really noticeable with the gloss top coat.)

Aubergine (purplish)

French Lilac

Vintage Blush (light skintone pinky color)

Oxford Blue

Burgundy

Coastal Sage (light bluish)

Note: While you can pick as many colors as you'd like, more than 3 or 4 colors per planet runs the risk of creating a muddy mess.

Unless otherwise told, the background will be solid black with white splatter stars with a white shine on your planet opposite the shadow, the picked colors going toward your planet(s).

When commissioning, please specify how many planets you want (the more planets, the smaller they are), what color combos, if you want any 'space gas' in the background, and if you want your planet 'shine' to be white or a different color.

Example And Description:

2 planets

planet 1 = Red, orange, yellow with matching backdrop

planet 2 = macaw blue, sea side, spa blue with matching backdrop

planets sprayed half white/half black over top, creating light and shadow.

background and planets textured with wrinkled plastic.

no splatter stars

Now Also Making Prop Potions!

[diamondluxesugar]

Gifts and Being Spoiled - Non Allowance

Let’s discuss Gifts.

I’m not talking about $30 for a pedicure or a Starbucks gift card and tumbler. I’m talking about the jewelry, the cars, the thousand dollar bags and shoes, the stocks and bonds, the gold and silver bars, kinds of gifts. Unless you’ve grown up accepting gifts or have made enough money to buy these things for yourself, it may make you feel uncomfortable. Who wouldn’t? We’re talking about receiving thousands of dollars worth of gifts.

Hell, this is something that even the most experienced SBs have had to work to become accustomed to, and even now gifts of a certain caliber can make a lady a little bit nervous. The easiest way to become comfortable with receiving luxury gifts is by desensitizing yourself to the cost.

Note: this is not desensitizing yourself to just start swiping your credit card for whatever purchase you want. This is to remove the feelings of doubt, shame, and insecurity that surround owning expensive items while those around you may not yet share in your wealth.

One exercise I did was write down every single thing I wanted to purchase. I broke it into the following categories: useful, nice, frivolous.

The useful items are things I would use on a consistent basis. Think computer, KitchenAid mixer, exercise bike, spa passes, etc. These will be more tailored to your own needs.

The nice items are things that don’t make or break any given experience, but would be fantastic to have and would increase my quality of life. Think multiple pairs of running shoes, a $300 outdoor hammock swing, new matching bedroom set, etc. Once again, these are more tailored to your needs.

The frivolous things are anything else. Think of the Chanel bags, the jewelry, shopping spree at Bloomingdale’s. Items that won’t make it break your experience of life.

Throw literally everything you can on this list and include the prices. When you see something on TikTok, add it to the list. When your coworker is talking about that sous vide, add it to the list. Big or small, just add it.

At this point you’ll have an idea of what you like and want, and how your SD can best gift you. Maybe you aren’t a clothing girl, but will go crazy in the homegoods section. Your gifting doesn’t have to look like mine, and that’s okay. This is your time to be spoiled!!

This brings me to my second thought: using your belongings.

It can be nerve-racking and ostracizing being the only girl with real gold in your ears. You may want to leave your good items in a safe or only wear them on special occasions.

Don’t.

Shoes and bags and jewelry and clothing is meant to be worn, not to sit in a dust bag for admiration. Your exercise bike is meant to be used. Running shoes are meant to be worn down. Don’t be afraid to use your gifts, because you’ll appreciate them more and will become used to using your most expensive items.

The last thing I would like to leave you ladies with is simple: Gratitude. Be grateful for the gifts that come into your life. Be grateful for the person providing the gifts. Be grateful for the journey of becoming a woman who has the capacity to receive. It’s okay fantastic to thank your SD/SBF for gifting you with something. In fact, most of these men are surrounded by people that use and take from them. Say thank you and mean it and watch how your experiences change.

Happy Sugaring ✨

[occasionalsango]

Fuck the scale grind

Nintendo PLEASE do ANYTHING to make it even a little better. Increase the rates, make kings more common, decrease prices, let us convert scales, something. I've been playing this game consistently since launch and I've gotten 12 golds. Yes I'm salty because it's been almost 5 hours, plus whatever yesterday, and I've only gotten 3 golds and no silvers, with the triumvirate boost.

[minty-mumbles]

Shifting Hues (Chapter 1: Blue Earrings)

Summary: In all the eras of Hyrule's history Wild has travelled to with the heroes of courage, red is considered a feminine color. Wild likes the color red. 

Or: A fic that follows Wild’s journey to discover themselves

A/N: Beta read by @supraobsessed !

(Read on AO3 | Chapter 2)

~~~

It’s traditional for Hylian men to wear blue earrings. 

Wild doesn’t know why. He just knows that most of the Hylian men he knows, at least those who have pierced ears, wear small and simple blue hoops. Time, Twilight, and Warriors all wear them. 

There are exceptions, of course. Not everyone likes tradition, or cares to adhere to it. Legend wears gold studs and small silver hoops. He even has multiple sets of piercings in both of his ears, which isn’t common for men or women. But still, his earrings are simple. Masculine, even if they aren’t blue hoops.

Sky wears spiky orange hoops, made out of strange orange metal. But they're small, and they have magical properties, and Wild is pretty sure that's the only reason Sky wears them in the first place

But Wild- well.

Wild.

Wild wears flashy pieces of amber that dangle from his ears. If he turns his head quickly enough, they tap against his neck comfortingly, reminding him that they’re there.

He has some blue hoop earrings, stored away in his slate. He’d woken up from the shrine wearing the blue hoops and hadn’t given it a second of thought. He hadn’t even noticed he had earrings on at first. 

The first time he’d seen a woman wearing dangling gems from her ears, Wild had known that was what he wanted. He’d stopped the woman in the street, asking her where she had gotten the earrings. The woman had laughed, asking him if he was looking for a gift for a special girl in his life. It had thrown him off balance so badly that he hadn’t even corrected her. 

The woman told him of Isha, a renowned jeweler who lived in Gerudo town but had warned him that as a man, he wouldn’t be allowed into the town. He’d have to do some trade with one of the Gorons that traveled to Gerudo Town to get his jewelry. Apparently Gorons- not having genders like the rest of the Hyrule’s races did- are allowed into the town indiscriminately. 

They traded the uncut gems they mined for the finished jewelry that Isha produced. Then they took the jewelry around the rest of Hyrule for other races to buy. Wild would have to buy from one of the Gorons.

It’s well worth tracking one of them down, the woman had told him. Isha’s products are always high quality. 

He’d been quick to do so when he next had time to spare. The plain uncut gemstones he mined or picked up after fighting a talus were enchanting, with all their raw facets that reflected sunlight. He wanted that beauty captured in a form he could wear.

He’d bought the amber earrings he wore most often from a Goron in Hateno town. Thinking back on it, Wild suspects that the Goron had seen how eager he’d been and overcharged him, but he hadn’t cared at all about the extravagant price. 

The second he got his hands on those pretty earrings, the blue hoops had come out of his ears and had gone straight into his slate. He hasn’t touched them since, and his collection of jewelry made by Isha had expanded significantly.

Wild had gotten his amber earrings blessed by a Great Fairy, enchanted to increase his defense. For practical reasons, but also so if anyone ever asked him why he wears the more feminine jewelry, he’d have that answer for them. 

No one ever asks though, which he’s thankful for. He doesn’t like to lie, and he’s not very good at it.

He doesn’t think the other heroes have even noticed that he wears flashier earrings. If they have, they didn’t find it strange enough to comment on.

~~~

Wild’s still relearning things about the culture he stumbled into when he was released from the shrine. He knows he’s pretty socially inept, and he doesn’t pick up on other people’s cues very well. Whether that was a personal quirk or an effect of his amnesia was up for debate. 

It wasn’t just reading other people’s body language he had trouble with, though. There are norms and traditions that people assume Wild knows, when he just didn’t. 

Thankfully, people in his era were more than used to merchants and other travelers who spend most of their time out in the wild and are a little rusty with social interactions. They’re also more than willing to be more flexible with such things when they learn who Wild is. 

His entire Hyrule seemed to feel a debt to him, for a reason Wild can’t explain. He had only been fixing his own mistakes when he’d walked into Hyrule castle and taken on the Calamity. He doesn’t deserve praise for finally finishing his duty a hundred years too late, even if everyone else seems to think they can never repay him. 

Regardless of why though, people were a lot more willing to overlook his social blunders, and slowly but surely, he’s been learning. 

He doesn’t love everything he’s learned so far. Some things seem just arbitrary and pointless. The pressure to conform to these norms grates under his skin.

For example, he’s pretty sure that red is considered a feminine color. The whole masculine versus feminine colors thing confuses him; he doesn’t understand how it’s decided whether colors are masculine or feminine. 

Red is a feminine color. Wild thinks it might be because Gerudos so often have red hair, and Gerudos are always women, but he doesn’t know. 

Wild likes the color red. 

He likes it more than any of the other colors, he thinks. It’s bold, like the blood that has soaked every aspect of his short life. It’s bright, like the autumn leaves the Akkala region is known for. It’s a cleaner, purified version of the sickly purple-red color of malice. 

People always tell him blue is his color, and failing that, green suited him best. Wild, reluctantly, thinks he agrees. With his pale coloring, any bolder, warmer colors he wore stood out too much. The softer blues and greens fit him better. So when someone asks him his favorite color, he says blue. He doesn't know why. 

It’s not like men aren’t allowed to like red, but admitting he likes red feels like he’s admitting to something else, and he doesn't know what.

~~~

Wild has ruby red earrings that he keeps tucked away in his slate. The jewelry protects him against the cold, warming him when he travels too high in the mountains, or stays in the desert at night. However, when the temperature is decent, they act as regular earrings with no magical properties.

He doesn’t wear them too often. He worries they’re too gaudy, that they’ll attract too much attention to his odd jewelry choices. 

But today, he wakes up and finds himself wanting to hide away from everyone. He hasn’t even opened his eyes, and he already knows it’s going to be one of those days. One of those days he would rather spend hidden away in the woods, far away from any prying eyes. The mumbled speech from around the campfire from the early risers among the heroes makes him want to turn over and hide in his bed roll.

He doesn’t want anyone's eyes on him, on his form, or his clothes. It all makes him feel so wrong. 

He forces himself to sit up anyway. The camp is still quiet. As usual, he’s one of the first up, with only Time, Twilight, and Four sitting around the fire. He has to get up and get breakfast ready. And to do that, he has to get dressed.

He selects his normal outfit- the Champion’s tunic, trousers, and a black cloak- from his slate, and it appears on his body with a quiet fwoosh and a blue glow. None of the other heroes even look at him, more than used to the noise by now. Although he wears the Champion tunic every day and usually never has a problem with it, today it hugs his form in all the wrong places. Wild swallows down a hot, uncomfortable, nameless emotion, and tugs his cloak tighter around himself. 

He needs to get up and make breakfast, but he really doesn’t want to. 

He needs… something, today. Something just for himself, that no one else will comment on.

So he swipes through his slate and pulls out the ruby earrings. The earrings are incredible works of art. Isha did a wonderful job with the gemstones Wild had brought her. She’d managed to shape the stone so they caught the morning light as Wild holds them up in the sun, but still retain their rough and somewhat natural shape. 

Wild puts them on, and smiles as the weight of them tugs on his earlobes. They’re a little heavier than his normal amber earrings, and they pull at his ears a little more than he's used to. The sensation- that little reminder that they’re there- soothes his irritation away.

Throughout the day, none of the other heroes seem to notice his wardrobe change, but Wild notices, constantly. He finds himself fiddling with the jewels throughout the day, running his fingers over the smooth facets of the gemstones. The tap-tap of his fingernails against the stones makes him smile.

Every time he sees himself in something even slightly reflective, his eyes are drawn to the beautiful red stones, hanging like drops of blood from his ears.

He’s washing dishes after supper in a river, and he sees himself. His long hair and red earrings are reflected back at him from the water, and like he has all day, he pauses and looks at himself for a moment. He can see the smile beaming from his face in the reflection. Maybe it’s vain to care so much about how he looked, but he couldn't help it.

And when he turns his head just so, and the ripples in the water are particularly strong, he can imagine that his cheekbones are a little less sharp, that his face is softer.

It’s times like this that he's glad that he doesn't have a larger frame with more muscle mass like Time or Twilight do. He’s always loved his leaner build, meant for flexibility and running instead of the solid muscle meant for overpowering strength. It would be harder to pretend, even for a moment, if he was built like that.

~~~

Wild knows he should’ve gotten rid of the vai clothes after he no longer needed to enter Gerudo town. Or at the very least, he should have tucked them away in a chest in his house, and not put them on again. 

He put the clothes on again.

Of course he did. He can’t leave well enough alone. 

He did so only once. It had been well before he was whisked away on this new journey, before he even knew about the heroes of the ancient past or of the spreading infection of black blood. 

He had wanted to put on the clothes again, but he knew he couldn’t go back to Gerudo Town. 

No matter how careful he was, Riju would eventually hear about his return, and she’d want to know why he’d returned to the town when there was no reason to do so. He didn’t want to be disrespectful of the Gerudos’ culture. If their laws said no men in Gerudo Town, that meant no men in Gerudo Town.

So when he inevitably cracked after weeks of thinking about the clothing, he didn’t go to the town. Instead, he tucked the clothing into the bottom of his bag, and took it out to the middle of the woods near Hateno, far away from any prying eyes.

But he still hasn’t been able to bring himself to put it on. What if someone saw him? He’d known the thought was irrational. There was no one out here who would possibly see him.

He wanted to put it on so badly. 

He wanted to put it on, but someone could see him. No one would be fooled for long, especially if they knew him. The clothing was made for women, but it didn’t conceal his masculine figure. It definitely didn’t conceal his scars. 

(Wild wasn't an idiot. The Gerudo guards, along with everyone else in Gerudo town, knew who he was. They knew he was a man. The only reason they had let him stay was that their Chief had given him permission to enter the town, and they’d needed his aid badly. It also helped that Wild never caused a scene or took advantage of being allowed inside the walls. He was also willing to adhere to their traditions, and wear the vai outfit. If he went back now- when he had no need to and Riju no longer had any reason to let him into the town- it likely wouldn’t turn out so well.)

So he left Hateno, leaving any sign of Hylian life behind. He ended up at the Great Plateau, his birthplace. 

No one would find him there. Most couldn’t scale the walls, and those who could, like the Rito, usually didn’t find any reason to.

It was dark by the time he’d arrived, and by the time he slipped the clothing on, nighttime had fallen completely. But it had been summer, and the night breeze had been balmy, so even with the thin fabric of the Gerudo clothing, he’d felt comfortable. 

He’d felt more than comfortable, actually. 

It had made him happy, somehow, to know that if someone looked at him, they might not have seen a man, even if just for a moment.

He had left the clothes on all night, and had simply existed. He’d hunted, he’d explored the plateau (even though he’d long since memorized it like the back of his hand,) and he’d laughed, a good deal more than he usually did. 

He’d felt light on his feet, and he had almost been dancing when he entered the Temple of Time.

And then he’d turned around to face the front of the temple, and he’d seen the stoney face of Hylia, eyes closed in perfect peaceful prayer, and everything had gone quiet.

Not that there had been music playing before, or any sound at all besides his own heartbeat, but it felt like the whole world stops breathing when he’s faced with the pinnacle of why this was wrong, wrong, so very wrong.

He wondered if Hylia had been laughing at him, or if she’d been watching him at all. He wondered if the goddess even has the ability to laugh. He felt ashamed, when he thought of her looking at him when he was dressed like that. 

Hylia had chosen him to be the hero. 

He’s the hero, and everyone knows the hero was always a man, even if they didn’t start out as one, like Hyrule and Warriors.

And men don’t wear women’s clothing. 

Wild doesn’t understand why, but they don’t. 

Did these feelings mean that Hylia chose the wrong person to wield the sacred blade? Or had she chosen correctly, and it was Wild who was just… wrong? 

He left almost immediately, using his slate to teleport away. And he hadn’t gone back to the Temple of Time for a very long time, in the vai outfit or out of it.

~~~

When Wild was invited to join this group of heroes from the past, he hadn’t hesitated to say yes. The only time he had faltered when getting ready to leave was when it came to packing his clothes. He took his regular outfit, his heat and cold resistant clothes, his climbing gear, his Sheikah stealth outfit, and any other pieces of clothing that may help him on this journey. 

He also took the vai clothing with him. He’d shoved it down to the very bottom of his bag, and when he rejoined the other heroes, he could have sworn that they would be able to tell what he carried somehow. 

No one could, of course. As many talents as the heroes of old possess, none of them had x-ray vision. 

Wild doesn’t know why he had felt compelled to tuck the silky fabrics into his pack. Sometimes he regretted bringing them with him on the journey. It’s not like he could wear them, and it put the clothing in constant danger of being discovered. But he had brought it with him, so there was no use regretting.

So now, several months into the journey, the vai clothes remain at the bottom of his pack for the most part. None of the other heroes have the habit of riffling through other people’s bags, so he doesn’t worry too much that they’ll find the clothes as long as he’s careful. 

Sometimes, late at night when he’s on watch, he puts his bag in his lap. His hand slips into the bag to feel the silken fabric brush against his fingers. Only one hand, primed and ready to casually remove it at the first sign of someone waking up.

It’s comforting for some reason, to remember how the fabric felt against his body. To remember that what he’d felt when he’d worn the clothes- that inexplicable joy, that freeness- had been real, even if he can’t experience it again. 

He doesn’t dare take the clothes out of his pack though, let alone put them on. Not even in the dead of night, not when there’s a chance that someone could wake up and see him. He doesn’t want to think of the questions that might arise from any of them seeing him dressed like that.

His late-night habit backfires on him, and bringing the clothes on the journey comes back to bite him eventually. 

Wild doesn’t see the moment that Warriors finds the veil. He’s not really one to go through someone’s bag, so Wild has to assume that he had forgotten to put the clothes back at the bottom of the bag. That part of them had been poking out of the top of his pack and Warriors eyes had caught on the blue fabric. 

Warriors doesn’t think the clothes belong to Wild, to Wild’s immense relief. Instead, he thinks it’s a gift for some girl Wild likes. It’s still not a good outcome. It’s still embarrassing. 

But at least there doesn’t seem to be any inkling in Warriors' mocking tone that he knows about Wild’s shameful secret.

The others pay dearly for their teasing with their burnt taste buds, but his revenge doesn’t make Wild feel much better. The whole situation should make him angry. Instead, it’s only stressing him out and upsetting him.

He does his best to ignore the hurt bubbling up inside of him while he’s around the other heroes. He pushes it down, replacing it with righteous anger, angry glares, and a sharp thwack on the back of Warriors’ hand when the man tries to sneak food that isn’t spiced to high heavens. 

Once the commotion around dinner has mostly calmed down, he walks off alone into the nearby woods. No one dares follow him, not while his temper is still so obviously sensitive and ready to snap. 

He keeps going until he’s far enough away from their camp. When he’s determined that no one will hear him, not even Twilight with his wolf-like hearing, he stops. Slumping down, he sits at the base of a tree. 

Slowly, WIld lets go of the anger he’s been using all evening to suppress his other emotions. Sadness and confusion and frustration well up to replace it, and tears are quick to start flowing from his eyes.

He doesn’t know… why. 

Why he’s crying, why he’s so upset about this. Warriors and Legend- and Sky and Twilight to an extent- were only teasing. And the others didn’t interfere or stop them because they had only been teasing. Usually Wild is all too happy to engage in that kind of play and banter. But this time… it hurt.

It hurt because even though they hadn’t even known Wild’s most tightly kept secret- even though they hadn’t known that the vai clothes are his, and not a gift for someone else- they still made fun of him. What would they say if they knew the full truth- if they knew he was the one who the clothes were for? 

Because men aren’t supposed to wear these kinds of clothes. And everyone knows that the hero is supposed to be a man and-

And Wild isn’t a man.

Wild growls, posture shrinking defensively against the tree as if that would help stave off the thoughts. They shake their head as they finally let themself think what they’ve known for a while. Their teeth grit in anger, and slam their hands down on the soft earth. Sharp nails dig into the loose, moist soil. It’ll be a pain to clean under their nails later but Wild doesn’t care! 

This isn’t fair! It isn't fair, Goddess damn it!

They’re not crying anymore. The tears still well up in the corners of their eyes, but they blink furiously, not letting them fall. Why did this have to be them? Why couldn’t anything be simple for them? 

This is how Hyrule finds them, an indeterminable amount of time later. Angry and seething at no one except themself for daring to feel like this. Wild doesn’t know if Hyrule had been looking for them, or if he’d just been wandering nearby and happened to hear Wild’s distress.

Hyrule’s concerned, as anyone would be if they found their friend rocking back and forth on the ground, one hand digging into the earth and the other, still muddy, gripping tightly at their hair. 

He sits next to Wild, slowly and carefully, as if trying not to startle a wild animal. There’s a moment of silence where he just looks at Wild with concern gleaming in his eyes. 

After a moment, Hyrule reaches out, giving Wild plenty of time to draw away from him. When they don’t move away, Hyrule eases their hands from their long hair. 

Wild lets themself relax slightly. They can’t bring themselves to clutch at Hyrule’s hands as punishingly as they had been gripping their hair, so they’re forced to let their muscles loosen.

Hyrule looks at them carefully, no doubt trying to find Wild’s cause for distress. When he finds no obvious injuries or ailments, he asks them what’s wrong, but Wild has no answer for him. 

If anyone would understand, Hyrule would. Or Warriors. But Wild can’t help but think of the relief that Hyrule and Warriors must have felt when they figured out they were men, when they knew that was what they were supposed to be. What the hero was supposed to be. 

Wild can’t help but think of how angry Hyrule might be, at Wild for wanting so desperately what Hyrule himself has rejected.

Any thought of telling Hyrule dies before Wild even opens their mouth. They can’t tell anyone about this. Not now. Not yet.

[athingofvikings]

A Thing Of Vikings Chapter 56: Perils Of Popularity

Chapter 56: Perils Of Popularity

Compared to the drama of dragon-dug underground canals and dragon-forged skyscrapers, the Financial Revolution in the century and a half after Hiccup Haddock's taming of dragons is generally overlooked, but is perhaps even more fundamental to an understanding of the economic structure he left behind.  Prior to the taming of dragons, bullion currency was comparatively rare; while gold and silver coins were certainly in circulation, as witnessed by the famous bride price paid for Hiccup's wife Astrid, overall, the Europan economy was cash-starved and functioned primarily on the barter economy at the lower levels.  After the taming of dragons, however, an even more scarce commodity currency entered the economy in the form of dragon scales. 

As is common knowledge, dragons shed their skins each spring; prior to domestication, they used these materials for the construction of nests for newly hatched young.  Under human auspices, however, the shedding amounted to the annual input of pure currency into the economy.  Properly treated and cured, dragon leather and dragon scales can last for decades of use before wearing out.  While the leather itself acted as a trade commodity, the single scales from hide that wasn't of sufficient quality to be made into leather were not worthless.  On the contrary, they functioned as currency, quickly displacing bullion metals as the currency material of choice. 

In this role, dragon scales offered numerous advantages, including being nearly impossible to counterfeit or debase, being easy to substantiate as genuine, and naturally removing themselves from the money supply over time as they wore out or were repurposed (such as for industrial use, decoration or even insulation).  However, even with this removal, the most productive gold or silver mine could not hope to match the net output of dragon shedding, and the resulting injection of funds into Europa's economy—spread by the effects of the Dragon Mail and the existing trade network—caused rampant inflation, averaging between 3-8% a year over the next century.  While this would cause problems to the modern developed economy, in the cash-starved environment at the time, it was an economic blessing, allowing for a rapid shift from the barter economy and feudal taxation system to a market economy and currency taxation system, giving even the peasantry access to funds with which to pay their expenses and taxes and receive payments. Increasing per-person productivity from Haddock's innovations and the agricultural impact of dragon labor pushed urbanization, as demand for labor—human and dragon alike—exceeded the available number of hands and wings for most of the next several centuries…

—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd. 

AO3 Chapter Link

~~~

My Original Fiction | Original Fiction Patreon

[lemonmangosorbet]

Something new! Heart shaped collar pin chains!!! ❤️

Very excited to try out something new! If these do well then I'll consider making them permanent in my shop! My regular collar pin chains are also available (in gold, rose gold or silver) but their price will increase on August 1st!

LemonMangoDraws.etsy.com (shop link also in my bio!)

[noirsisterhood]

The Permanent underclass is coming for Black women.

What is the permanent underclass?

The underclass is the segment of the population that occupies the lowest possible position in a class hierarchy, below the core body of the working class. Black women in America will hear this and will probably dismiss it as another thing to focus on later. Another one of millions of warnings heard in the media. Yet another lecture that can be worried about in the distant future. But it can’t. In a matter of years, Black Americans will be a permanent underclass in the United States.

While Black women are statistically shown climbing up the ladder of wealth, as a collective, Black women are still on track to fail. The demographic will be placed in a position of society where social and financial mobility will be impossible. This is a place where Black American women have been before but this time no amount of hard work, higher education, or fighting the system will fix it. The permanent underclass is permanent.

How to avoid it?

As a collective, you can’t. As an individual you can take steps to ensure yourself and your daughters are as far away from perpetual poverty as possible. But it won’t be easy.

#1 Income

Black women are very proud of being the fastest growing group of business owners in America. This is a great feat, but unfortunately it won’t help. The vast majority of businesses being opened are not recession proof, let alone underclass proof. These businesses tend to be side hustles rather than profitable and growing organizations. Instead of beauty products, Black women will need to make the shift to STEM related fields and high earning, recession proof career paths. I personally believe most Black women thrive in careers such as healthcare and more creative tech careers. Same as the businesses, we can often hear the boasting of Black women being the most college educated in America. But again, we can see the income and social standing is not reflecting this higher education. Why? Besides Black women’s poor choice in male partners and negative culture indulgences, Black women have not kept up with turns in the economy and failed to adjust for the future. We unfortunately are held back by doing what’s familiar or comfortable, instead of breaking barriers or floating to careers that bring political influence and higher incomes. The best thing we have is that we are also one of the fastest growing groups of property owners and land, is a wealth building tool.

As one person, you should research what STEM career would fit your personality. How much schooling are you willing to go through to secure this future? Have you looked into the various free resources available to get into tech or medicine? Which jobs are not going to be replaced by AI?

Prepping and investing is one of the best ways to prepare for the upcoming economic depression. Buying gold, silver, and other assets that increase in value when the value of the dollar continues to decrease. Anyone that hasn’t started prepping now is already late. I personally started prepping around 2020 and the price of the items I got now has doubled or tripled. Buying toiletries, canned food, long lasting food like rice and beans, is the only way to ensure you have food in your belly when everyone else is scrapping together $20 for a piece of bread in the near future. It’s important to also prepare for the civil unrest and crime hikes that follow high prices and chaos. Everything you prep and collect should be protected by a firearm. The Black American woman’s way for hundreds of years has been to petition the government and protest when things go wrong but this will do absolutely nothing to stop you from sliding into the underclass. The normalcy bias everyone has in their brain conditions them to think everything will be fine and stay normal, this prevents people from acknowledging problems and taking proper steps to jump over hurdles. The growing Black femicide rate that’s also been largely ignored by Black women will be the biggest jump in crime in this country, and most Black women will be too late in their responses to this. Black women have been unwilling to protect themselves from the terrorist of their communities and mostly refuse to protect themselves financially. This is a guaranteed ticket to the underclass and being the biggest targets for criminals.

Unfortunately some Black women have allowed themselves to fall for distractions and social media propaganda to engage in discourse about celebrity gossip and marriage. Some of these women seem to think getting married and just having a “father in the home” will fix all the issues they have. The truth is, when Black women marry males who look like them, they lose wealth. Unless you are marrying a man of means in a community that actually has resources, your focus should not be on marriage or males. Dating and marriage is not all about money but you also have to worry about abuse and what values you want your children to learn. Even still, other people are not your heroes and your priority should be helping yourself first and other likeminded Black women. Depending on others is not an acceptable solution.

#2 Don’t let yourself be chained and dragged down

You can’t separate yourself from your demographic, but you can’t rely on other Black women to do better for you. If you are the only Black woman you know aware of what’s going on and taking proper steps, you can try to educate others but understand this journey will be lonely. You cannot control the actions of other Black women. As Edna Mode from the Incredibles would say, “No capes!” You have to burn the cape if you want to move forward as yourself. Not as a woman, Black person, or an American. Allowing your group or other groups to grab onto you is detrimental to not only your financial success, but also your safety and social mobility. Black women let their empathy for others and desire to be needed be their downfall and you should be mindful of not participating in this. You are the target for people in need, the one group people go to, knowing Black women have a history of putting the needs of others before their own. They need attention, clout, money, protection, or defense and you should provide none of that. Only providing for yourself, your daughter, and other likeminded Black women in your immediate circle is the proper way to move forward.

You have to do what you can as an individual, while being mindful that as a Black woman you are treated by others as a monolith. You can walk into an interview being perfect, and that could not stop a hiring manager from throwing every stereotype onto you and not giving you the job. But before dismissing your image or collective reputation as a factor in your finances and social mobility, understand your “community” can provide nothing to you. Has never and will never. The hospitals, jobs, first responders, grocery stores, banks, etc that you interact with are all owned by people who don’t look like you. To me, respectability politics is just a buzz word used to dismiss uncomfortable conversations and truths. But there’s nothing more uncomfortable than starving and having no resources in your reach.

#3 Work towards building YOUR own community, a real community this time

What do you do with this knowledge now that you know what’s coming? Do you get on the internet and complain and urge fellow Black people to get it together? No. Do you persist that something needs to change in your community and talk about “building together?” No. You’ve already done this for hundreds of years and look where you are. Learn from mistakes or be insane and continue doing the same thing. You need to accept that the Wakanda in your head will never be built and the vast majority of people that look like you will never wake up. Some of them have already woken up and the way they behave is the way they choose to be. In 2023, some Black women have already been smart enough to separate themselves from a community that has failed them in every way and seems persistent to continue to. There is no reason to continually pour your energy and time into a group that does not serve you. Understand that you are an individual and serve yourself. People that look like you understand they are done as a collective and will try their hardest to pull you down with them. Or they can attempt to step on you to place themselves above you, but that won’t work so you don’t have to worry about them. Become indistractable.

You don’t have to waste time and energy arguing with other people, trying to convince others to see your way, or trying to shame people that have no pride or shame. In your journey of putting yourself first, don’t get stuck in this phase.

There’s many important steps to take on this journey and one of them is sisterhood. Coming together with likeminded Black women not to rant about the black community and gossip but to support each other on your journey to saving yourself as a Black woman. There should be a concerted effort to seeking out Black women who have similar goals to you and helping each other in any way you can.

As common sense and more successful cultures have shown us, no one is superhuman and able to do everything by themselves. Something I’ve noticed about the soft life movement and frequent social media comments is, Black women have no aspirations or intentions of doing very difficult things by themselves. There is no nobility in struggling. If you don’t pass on wealth, land, and self sufficient knowledge to your daughters, you are setting them up to be a slave.

A woman of no color on TikTok recently went viral with a video proclaiming she was looking for another woman to marry so they could share benefits with each other, help each other with their children, and split bills. Despite the fact that Black women will suffer the most in this upcoming depression, I haven’t seen any similar solutions or attempts to come together from Black women.

A lack of support will usher in a new wave of untreated mental and physical illness that comes with stress and a lack of access to healthy food and healthcare.

Why are Black women going into the permanent underclass?

To put it plainly, every demographic outside of Black women benefits from and has a vested interest in seeing another group beneath them. It helps them feel better about their failures, it helps them exploit, and to get away with harm and abuse. Even as migrants take over the majority of the working class, you can still be used and exploited. Black women were brought to America to breed more slaves and what better way to make sure that can happen than Black girls and women being stuck in a major city surrounded by sexual predators, being inundated with hypersexual propaganda, illegal abortion, and no money to get themselves out of the situation. Every cry for help will be met with people screaming how it’s your fault and you need to stop crying victim all the time. No one will come to save you or your daughters. Your sons will have a swift and open entrance to prison. If you are not proactive in staying out of the underclass, you WILL end up there. Once you safely avoid the underclass, the next step is to learn how to maintain wealth. Pass it to the next generation while navigating society being apart of the demographic now tied to the bottom.

[llamaswithsunglasses]

🐎🏜️ ADOPTS OPEN 🏜️🐎 

⭐️ Please DM me here or on Instagram to claim!

⭐️ TOS:

do not resell the designs upon purchase 

if you ignore the above rule, 1) do not increase the price, and 2) credit llamas_with_sunglasses as the designer

all sales are final

⭐️ You receive full size unwatermarked PNG

⭐️ I accept PayPal, CashApp, and Venmo

🌕 WHITE & GOLD:  [$20 OPEN]

🌑 SILVER & BLUE:  [$20 OPEN]

🌕🌑 BOTH:  [$35 OPEN]

🪶 RED ROOSTER COWBOY:  [$30 OPEN]

https://www.instagram.com/llamas_with_sunglasses?igsh=MWZycGl4MWV5OGd5YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

[darkmaga-retard]

Peter Halligan

Sep 18, 2024

First, let’s take a look at overall inflation.

July 2014 CPI index = 238.250, July 2024 314.54 – change = +32%

Ok, from here:

“The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, has four new health insurance plans which set the standard of care, named Bronze Plan, Silver Plan, Gold Plan, and Platinum Plan*. All plans must offer the same ObamaCare essential benefits, however individual providers and states may offer extended or additional benefits. This page is dedicated to comparing the four plans.”

Already you can see the level of complexity!

Using Brave, here is the cost of the “Bronze” plan in 2014:

·        “The base cost of premiums for a “Bronze” plan in 2014 was $250 per month before subsidies. ·        After subsidies, the cost decreased to around $82 per month. ·        The total annual fee for not buying insurance (Individual Mandate) was capped at the average price of a “Bronze” plan.

Three thousand bucks a year before subsidies and 1,000 bucks a year with subsidies/

Those qualifying for subsidies?

[wolint]

THE VALUE ADDED BY GOD!

THE VALUE ADDED BY GOD

1 Peter 1:18-19

 

Value-added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax applied at each stage of a product’s supply chain, from production to sales. Every nation has its unique tax code and systems, much like the kingdom of God.

Adam and Eve, having fallen from God’s grace, lost the value God had instilled in them at creation. Subsequent generations seem to have depreciated even further. Matthew 6:33 encourages us to seek first the kingdom of God, promising that everything else will be added to us. However, humanity often pursues everything but God, relentlessly chasing earthly things without considering their eternal value. Unfortunately, such pursuits are endless. Every earthly pursuit must be evaluated against its eternal value.

What adds value to your life? Where do you derive your value from? Have you ever been told, “Why don’t you make something of yourself?” What are we supposed to make of ourselves beyond what God has already made us? Such statements can lead to discouragement and disillusionment, especially if the person being addressed does not hold

themselves in high regard. Our quest for purpose must begin with a simple yet profound recognition of our identity in the Father.

We have been redeemed and made valuable by the blood of the Lamb, not by any perishable thing, as stated in 1 Peter 1:18.

Even the most valuable earthly materials, such as silver and gold, hold no value to the souls of men or a lost world. They are infinitely less valuable than the souls of men and add no VAT margin to life.

Value in God’s Kingdom is the spiritual growth and blessings that are added to our lives when we seek God and His Kingdom. This value can come in many forms, such as wisdom, peace, joy, love, and righteousness.

The law of diminishing returns, which states that there are proportionally smaller profits or benefits to be gained from anything relative to the money or energy invested in it, applies to life and soul in God’s kingdom. This law is not based on our works, business portfolio, or economic climate. Instead, as Ephesians 2:8 tells us, God’s grace is a value-added tax gifted to every believer, enhancing their worth.

God’s Grace as VAT is a gift, that increases our worth not based on our works or achievements, but purely based on God’s love and mercy.

Many people pursue happiness, wealth, status, and recognition, often chasing elusive goals and missing out on the VAT gained from seeking God. While the pursuit of God adds value, it’s message encourages us to seek God first, as stated in Matthew 6:33. This pursuit of God and His Kingdom adds value to our lives, both in this world and in eternity.

Seeking God adds value to us in all aspects, granting us an open door to heaven.

You were bought at a price, as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:23, with a value-added tax by the blood of Jesus. There is nothing you can do on your own that will add value to your life. Pursuing trivial things can lead us to sell ourselves to the highest bidder (the enemy of our souls), who would prefer us to remain bound and continue depreciating when we should instead cherish and maintain the freedom we have gained through Christ.

James 1:1-4 suggests that even the trials we go through have VAT attached to them, as they produce perseverance and maturity, adding value to our spiritual growth.

Everything about God’s kingdom is designed to add value to us. Every journey God takes us on has VAT attached to it, promoting us, and helping us attain righteousness. Self-help offers short-term gains with little, or no VAT. God is your value-added tax.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for adding value to my life and destiny through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ. Amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT PRAYER MIN.

[shiverandqueeef]

i want to set up an online shop to start selling the frankly ludicrous amount of things my paternal grandma is getting rid of as she moves/downsizes; there's hand embroided linen my great grandmother made, burano lace, murano glass figurines, limoge china, hand carved wooden masks and napkin rings from zimbabwe, hand-knotted turkish rugs, leather jackets and bags from florence, crystal decanters, silver pendants and earrings from mexico, solid gold bangles from jaipur... my grandparents visited i think around 50 different countries in their life? yeah they were fucking minted lmao. anyways we were planning on donating everything, but i am so broke and so unemployed for the forseeable future and my mom pointed out it could be an opportunity for me to make some $$$ and also put all that business learnin' to good use

facebook marketplace seems like the easiest/cheapest option...ofc that limits me to only local buyers...the kind of stuff id be selling seems right for etsy but i know the fees can get pretty expensive...maybe worth it though for increase in visibility/access to potential buyers...

idk man. i could also use tumblr blaze to advertise myself? i dont know how successful it would be considering tumblr is afaik pretty resistant to adds even when its small shops or artists

i should probs make an insta account for it right? and a twitter account (oh im so sorry, an x account)

ah! and i gotta figure out how to take nice professional looking photos of everything...and research so i can be confident im pricing things farely

also if any of youse guyses has any experience/advice in this area i would so so so appreciate hearing from you

[unpluggedfinancial]

Bitcoin: The Ultimate Hedge Against Inflation, Tyranny, and Debasement

In an ever-changing financial landscape, finding a reliable hedge against economic uncertainties is more crucial than ever. Bitcoin, often hailed as "digital gold," has emerged as a powerful tool to safeguard against inflation, tyranny, and currency debasement. While not without its challenges, Bitcoin's unique properties make it an increasingly attractive option for those seeking financial security.

Bitcoin Fundamentals

Before delving into Bitcoin's potential as a hedge, it's essential to understand its basic mechanics. Bitcoin operates on a decentralized network called the blockchain, where transactions are verified and recorded by a global network of computers. New bitcoins are created through a process called mining, which also secures the network. Importantly, Bitcoin has a fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, a key feature in its potential as a store of value.

Inflation: The Silent Wealth Destroyer

Inflation erodes the purchasing power of traditional currencies, diminishing the value of savings over time. Central banks' monetary policies, especially the unprecedented levels of money printing in recent years, have fueled inflation rates worldwide. For instance, the U.S. inflation rate hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, significantly impacting consumers' purchasing power.

Unlike fiat currencies, Bitcoin's capped supply of 21 million makes it inherently scarce. This fixed supply positions Bitcoin as a potential hedge against inflation, as its value isn't subject to debasement through excessive issuance.

Tyranny: Financial Freedom in the Digital Age

Throughout history, oppressive regimes have exploited financial systems to control and manipulate their populations. Recent examples include the freezing of bank accounts during the 2022 Canadian trucker protests and the severe capital controls imposed in countries like Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Bitcoin's decentralized nature offers a solution. It operates on a peer-to-peer network, independent of any central authority. This decentralization ensures that no single entity can control or censor transactions, empowering individuals with greater financial autonomy.

Currency Debasement: Protecting Wealth from Devaluation

Currency debasement, the reduction of a currency's value through excessive issuance, has been a recurring theme in economic history. From the Roman Empire's devaluation of its silver coins to the hyperinflation in Weimar Germany and more recently in Venezuela, the consequences of debasement have been disastrous.

Bitcoin's transparent and immutable ledger prevents such practices. Every Bitcoin transaction is recorded and verified by the global network, ensuring trust and integrity in the system.

The Bitcoin Advantage: Beyond Traditional Assets

While traditional assets like gold and real estate have long been considered hedges, Bitcoin offers unique advantages:

Portability: Unlike gold or real estate, Bitcoin can be easily transferred across borders.

Divisibility: Bitcoin can be divided into tiny fractions, allowing for micro-transactions.

Verifiability: The blockchain provides a transparent record of all transactions.

Accessibility: Anyone with internet access can participate in the Bitcoin network.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite its potential, Bitcoin faces several challenges:

Volatility: Bitcoin's price can be highly volatile, which may deter some investors.

Regulatory uncertainty: The regulatory landscape for cryptocurrencies is still evolving.

Environmental concerns: Bitcoin mining consumes significant energy, though efforts are being made to increase the use of renewable sources.

Adoption hurdles: While growing, Bitcoin's acceptance as a medium of exchange is still limited compared to traditional currencies.

Embrace the Future: Secure Your Financial Sovereignty

As we navigate uncertain economic times, Bitcoin provides a unique tool for those seeking financial security and independence. By potentially hedging against inflation, tyranny, and currency debasement, Bitcoin empowers individuals to take greater control of their financial destiny.

Investing in Bitcoin isn't just about potential gains; it's about exploring new avenues for financial sovereignty in an increasingly unstable world. Stay informed, do your research, and consider how Bitcoin might play a role in your long-term financial strategy. Bitcoin's transformative potential offers a beacon of hope for a more secure and autonomous financial future.

Take Action Towards Financial Independence

If this article has sparked your interest in the transformative potential of Bitcoin, there's so much more to explore! Dive deeper into the world of financial independence and revolutionize your understanding of money by following my blog and subscribing to my YouTube channel.

🌐 Blog: Unplugged Financial Blog Stay updated with insightful articles, detailed analyses, and practical advice on navigating the evolving financial landscape. Learn about the history of money, the flaws in our current financial systems, and how Bitcoin can offer a path to a more secure and independent financial future.

📺 YouTube Channel: Unplugged Financial Subscribe to our YouTube channel for engaging video content that breaks down complex financial topics into easy-to-understand segments. From in-depth discussions on monetary policies to the latest trends in cryptocurrency, our videos will equip you with the knowledge you need to make informed financial decisions.

👍 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with our latest content. Whether you're a seasoned investor, a curious newcomer, or someone concerned about the future of your financial health, our community is here to support you on your journey to financial independence.