#Peake's Trading and Home Store

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Peak your child’s interest with the above.

[lathalea]

The Arrival

Yes, my beloved readers, it's time for another Thorin fic from yours truly!

Relationships: Thorin Oakenshield x Reader/OC (pick one) Rating: G Warnings: none Author's notes: Thorin and his Company have reclaimed Erebor and started rebuilding their kingdom. Everything seems fine except for the fact that the King Under The Mountain is eagerly awaiting the arrival of someone very dear to him... Also, I want to apologise to Peter Jackson for stealing some lines from An Unexpected Journey and J.R.R. Tolkien for appropriating and rephrasing one sentence from The Lord of The Rings.  I'm a hopeless romantic, what can I say? You can find this fic on AO3. For @legolasbadass 💙💙💙

Khuzdul: Iglishmêk - dwarven sign language Kurdelê - my heart Lukhdelê - my light of all lights

The King Under the Mountain, Thorin, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, the second of his name, also known as Thorin Oakenshield, the king of Durin’s folk, was not a patient Dwarf—and yet he waited. He had been standing on the main terrace above the Great Gate of Erebor since the moment when the first rays of the morning sun gilded the distant peaks of the Iron Hills. His eyes, however, were turned towards the west, where the jagged tops of the Misty Mountains grazed against the pink sky. As he took a deep breath, fresh spring air filled his lungs. It was his—and his people’s—first spring in Erebor since it was reclaimed. The winter after the Battle of Five Armies passed in a blink of an eye. The kingdom was being rebuilt and prepared for the returning Dwarves, food stores had to be replenished, new trade agreements had to be signed… but among all those duties, something else kept Thorin awake until late on many a night. His memories.

The memory of a pair of hands gently resting on his shoulders as he sat behind his desk, and the sweet timbre of the voice that went with it, “Come, Kurdelê, it is time we reposed for the night, those reports can wait until the morning.”

The memory of those soft, sweet lips pressing innocently against his cheek and murmuring something scandalously indecent into his ear.

The memory of how her body felt in his lap, his arms around her waist, her arms around his neck, her forehead pressed against his, her silver laughter as she pretended to scold his rash behaviour, so unbecoming of a king.

The memory of her bare skin in candlelight.

But there were other memories, too. Their lengthy late-night conversations about anything and everything. Their secret escapades to the market, or to an inn, dressed as common folk, pretending to be a couple of travelling merchants. Their wanderings through the Blue Mountains in search of the best view of the sea in the west (his choice) and the most beautiful flower glades (her choice). 

During the lengthy council meetings he had to hold almost daily in Erebor, he would recall how much her presence changed the dynamics of similar gatherings back in the Blue Mountains. Her reasoning was swift, and her no-nonsense approach to the matters of state made even the most ancient council members nod in approval. Even now, he would—out of habit—turn to his right, wishing to discuss a matter with her or ask for her insight. But she was not there, and so he would give out a dissatisfied grunt and return to the matter at hand. 

He knew that the only thing he had to do was wait, and he abhorred it. But there was nothing to be done. No sane person would risk crossing the Misty Mountains in the middle of winter. Now, however, the spring came into its own right. And he sent his best men to the High Pass to oversee the approach of the first dwarven caravan from Eriador. It was supposed to bring the first group of his people returning home, merchants, masters of craft, their families and belongings… and her. The whole Erebor was waiting for the arrival of their kin—the symbol of a new beginning for the Mountain and its dwellers. Many eyes turned to the west, counting the days, making wagers, discussing the route the waggons must have taken, and the current road conditions. It seemed that in those days, only one topic existed: the caravan.

But Thorin could only think of her lovely hand in his.  Of her kindred touch.

As soon as a raven brought word from the caravan, reporting that they have succesfully crossed the mountains, he could not stop himself from looking to the west, and hoping. 

This was the fifth day he spent on the terrace, waiting for any signs of the caravan’s approach.

On the first day, Gloin waited with him in hopes of seeing his wife and son, but was called away due to some issue in the treasure chamber. Thorin stayed, cursing the enchanted forest (and its haughty king, for good measure) for daring to obscure his view. Sadly, neither the forest nor its king moved out of the way.

On the second day, Dwalin asked Thorin whether he was growing mawkish in his dotage, staring at the edge of Mirkwood like a lovesick whelp—a question he had to take back on the training grounds. 

On the third day, Dori asked whether Thorin would rather wait inside, on account of that nasty rain, and drink some warm tea with honey. No, said Thorin, he would not. And that envoy from the Iron Hills could join him there, on the terrace, by the way.

On the fourth day, Nori, Bifur and Bofur kept Thorin company, amusing him—and themselves in equal measure—with the latest gossip straight from the taverns of Erebor (all two of them, for now). He had no idea that several hundreds of dwarves, mostly newcomers from the Iron Hills and the White Mountains, could wreak such havoc. And marry so swiftly and in such numbers. Spring was truly in the air.

Now, on the fifth day, he stood alone, and waited. Roac was circling the Long Lake below, giving out a single caw from time to time, “Still nothing.”

And then, a hunting horn rang out in the air. Thorin knew its sound all too well.

“Balin!” he exclaimed to his friend who sat in the hall beyond the terrace. “Sound the alarm!”

The elderly dwarf raised his head from above a piece of parchment, slightly puzzled.

“Call out the guard,” Thorin insisted, feeling his impatience take the better of him. “Do it now! 

“What is it?” Balin rose from his seat, his scroll forgotten.

“The caravan!” Thorin gestured excitedly—perhaps a tad too excitedly for a Dwarf of his stature—towards Mirkwood, where a long line of waggons started emerging from the forest. “They will be here soon!”

She will be here soon. 

Over a year passed since the last time he held her in his arms, since he braided the silky dark waves of her hair, and since he looked into the brilliant, wise eyes of the woman he loved. To him, it felt like an eternity, and in that very moment, as he hurried down the stairs that led towards the Great Gate, he made a solemn promise to himself.

When the caravan arrived, most of the Dwarves were already gathered outside of the mountain. The guards held their heads high, presenting their weapons in an honorary salute, not leaving their posts, but even they cast curious glances at the newly arrived, trying to find familiar faces in the crowd. Thorin smirked at his thoughts. They looked as impatient as their king.

He knew the protocol of such meetings like the back of his hand, requiring him to stand by the gate, look regally, and welcome the newcomers to their new—old—home. His resolve wavered, however, when he saw a familiar figure clad in a green, fur-lined gown getting down a waggon, helped by one of the guardsmen. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Without thinking, he took a step forward, and then stopped, recalling who he was and what he was expected to do. He was also not allowed to leave his post, just like his guards. Instead, he observed from a distance, admiring the way the waves of her hair fell down her shoulders as she looked around, perhaps slightly disoriented, taking in the surroundings. Thorin saw the exact moments when her gaze rested on the mossy stone shaped by his ancestors into statues of warrior kings. Then her gaze moved down, focusing on the green marble of the Great Gate. Her eyes widened, her lips formed an “O” and then moved, she spoke something, but her words were lost in all the commotion. In that very moment, she reminded him of that bright-eyed maiden he had met for the first time in a mountain meadow half a world away; the maiden who laughed at his abysmal jokes, who fit so well in his arms when they danced, and who accepted his awkward courting efforts. The time that passed between then and now did not take away her ability to wonder and enjoy the world around her. She endured so many hardships on the way from the Blue Mountains to Erebor, so many cold nights on the road, faced so many dangers, and yet she never wavered in her decision to leave the Blue Mountains behind to be with him and their people. Now, she was finally here and, at last, he felt complete. Being able to see his own kingdom—their kingdom—through her eyes, and to see how amazed she was at the view, was a reward on its own. 

Thorin could not stop himself from smiling when her eyes finally met his. 

“Welcome home, my…” he began signing in iglishmêk, in that discreet way they often did on official occasions when the eyes of many would rest on them.

A light flush bloomed on her cheeks, she responded with a smile, and began walking towards him, oblivious of her escort and the joyous crowd around her, forgetting about the protocol, moving faster and faster, a giggle escaping her lips, her braids danced in the wind, her cloak flowed behind her, and…

“Thorin!” she called him in that melodious voice of hers, and there were diamonds in her eyes, or perhaps it was only his vision that suddenly turned very blurry, and he opened her arms, and thought “the Abyss take the protocol!”, and he rushed towards her, ignoring Balin clearing his throat in embarrassment, because she was finally here, and he had waited long enough—and they finally met halfway.

He wrapped his arms around her and felt her pressing into him, and there was laughter, and more tears in their eyes, the diamonds of happiness, those most precious among gems, and he was finally able to finish that sentence.

“Welcome home, my wife,” he rasped out, pressing his forehead against her, breathing in her familiar flowery scent, the one he adored so much. This was her, finally her, in his arms, and only she mattered in this very moment, not the crowd cheering around them, witnessing this moment of tenderness between their ruling couple, not even his kingdom, nor the world around them—now, it was only her.

“I missed you, my love,” she murmured, holding tight onto him, as if she wanted to make sure he would not disappear, and a wave of warmth washed over him. “I can’t believe I’m finally here, with you, after all those months…”

“Neither can I,” he agreed, cupping her cheek tenderly and eliciting a small sigh from her. “It was much too long, Lukhdelê.”

“Aye, it was,” she nodded, her eyes searching his face, as if learning it anew.

“I made a promise to myself,” Thorin continued. “Never again.”

“Oh?” she tilted her head in that alluring way of hers, and he had to suppress the improper urge to kiss her passionately in front of his people.

“Never again shall we part for so long. I crave you by my side, my heart,” he stated, bringing her hand to his lips.

“Then I will be looking forward to you upholding the promise,” she graced him with a teasing smile that made his blood run faster. “We have been apart indeed for too long, and so were our people. I believe it is time for us to work on improving their morale, would you not agree, my king?”

“Your wish is my command, my queen,” he agreed and took her in his arms again, and then their lips met. Sweetness intermingled with warmth, tenderness fueled the fire inside them, and he cared not that they stood in front of the gate in the sight of many.

After all, who cares about protocol when you have to properly welcome your wife home?

💙💙💙 Read it? Like it? Spread the love and reblog it! 💙💙💙

📜 Searching for more stories to read? Check out my masterlist!📜

Do you like my writing? Would you like to read more? Feel free to show your support by having a Ko-fi with me! Thank you 💙

Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added/removed): @fizzyxcustard @shrimpsthings​ @dark-angel-is-back @sherala007 @anyaspidergirl-blog @jotink78 @rachel1959 @saltwater-in-the-afternoon @linasofia @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @legolasbadass @yourqueenunderthemountain @reblogunderthemountain @guardianofrivendell @elrawienthewhite @xmly-xo @mrsdurin @nelleedraws @beenovel @vee-vee-writes @mcchiberry  @dumbassunderthemountain @errruvande @laurfilijames @emrfangirl @s0ftd3m0n @lilith15000 @kami-chan1512  @ragsweas @enchantzz @aduialel @myselfandfantasy @thewhiteladyofrohan @middleearthpixie @i-did-not-mean-to @blairsanne @fckmini @clumsy-wonderland @wormsmith @mailinsblogofstuff  @medusas-hairband @xxbyimm @knittastically @saucyminxbrainspill @quiall321 @frosticenow @glassgulls

[nocaptainonthisship]

Memorium

In which Ghost is an eldritch horror who feasts on memory, and you go willing to the slaughter.

It's common knowledge around these parts, like tossing salt over your shoulder and tapping wood and never breaking a fairy ring. When things aren't going your way and you're down on your luck, someone will invariably joke that you should find the Ghost. Call on the devil and he will answer. Call on the devil and he'll find you. Call on the devil and he can make your dreams come true.

It wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Your three favorite childhood memories go missing in exchange for your debts paid. The scent of your mother’s perfume disappears from mind forever, but so does the blight on the farm. You could find a husband if you forget the first boy you loved.

Most people don't believe in it. In him. They think he is a fairy tale, a myth forged of mist and shadow. You believe in him, though. You wouldn't be here if you didn't.

Your grandmother was the first of your line to call upon the beast. By all accounts she was the first to ever learn the truth. Granny didn't trade her favorite memories, the ones which kept her warm. She took one look at that cracked skull and understood greater power lies in pain.

Granny traded memories of riot and ruin and rot. She fed the monster well. In return, the Ghost made a ghost of her husband, and ensured no memory was so painful again.

Your mother, also, had called the Ghost, once upon a time. She fed him memories of death and decay and deviance, that she might drive the highwaymen from town. She told you only the skin of the story - not it's blood and bones. In stories, you came from a line of heroes brave and bold and wise enough to tame the beast.

You have been woefully unprepared.

They all think the Ghost is just a legend, a homegrown superstition. Who would be so desperate, they ask, to give up something so precious?

(Who would be so foolish, you wonder, to sacrifice something so beautiful and useless?)

There is power in the painful things, in the scar tissue and bile. There is power in the altar, in the sacrificial blood. There is power in the naming of the things you'd leave behind.

Granny had been cursed with a husband who would bruise as soon as bed her. Mother had been cursed by the violent opportunists of this world. You've been cursed by that which cannot be named nor pinned to one single cause.

Luck had never been on your side.

But you had listened to the stories, and instead of gathering bouquets of bitterness by the roadside, you gathered sacrifices, instead. When they mocked and bullied, you thought, "That will get me riches." When they pushed and prodded you, you thought, "This is enough to take me far from here." When permission never granted made no difference to the hands which sought to trap and tame, you thought, "Maybe he'll accept this sacrifice, too."

Some days it seemed all the memories you made were in service of an Eldritch God. You stored them up and let them fester and knew one day he would feast. You would bring him such a meal he might never go hungry again. This alone keeps you warm, when the night is at its peak. You live in flux, one step in the future where you know your gruesome end. Until then, it is nothing but noise, nothing but the patter of rain against your neck.

Perhaps they think it strange that you seem so unharmed. They call you witch and wanderer, an orphan of no father with no riches or home. They call you the devil’s plaything, and you can’t prove them wrong. 

Granny couldn’t warn you and Mother didn’t try. But there is power in many things, and none so much as three. 

You tried to live as people do and make the best of any home. You tried to live as the good ones did and find joy in the mundane. You tried to make the best of things, but you’d been rotted to your core. 

Thirty-three years you wait, until you know the time is right. The third of your line, on the third night of March, you walk into the woods and leave the past behind. 

There is no ritual to call the beast, no secret magics passed around. When one wants to find a Ghost, all they must do is ask. You walk into the woods until the echo of your steps is in fact no echo at all. You walk until your memories bleed, his fetid breath upon your nape. 

There is power in the third of things, but you think you offer him more. Every thought that comes to you is more foul fuel than the last. The curse you’ve carried since the womb begins to lift at last. For the first time you wonder if you were nothing but a pig fattened up for slaughter. Suffered, you had suffered so that he might be fed. 

And now, all that suffering, it drops out of your head. 

You wander through the forest, with a monster on your heels. He herds you far away from home, in honor of your deal. The Ghost will take your suffering and give it all away. The Ghost will hold your bargain up and you will never hurt again. 

In the deepest forest, where the sun can’t find him, the Ghost has made a home of wood, of stone and rugged mortar. You think it odd and almost charming that the monster has a home. This Ghost has never frightened you. Not in the way he should. He leads you to his table and lets you make yourself at home.

Without the warmth of memory, you’re a strange and broken thing. There are holes now inside you where you think your spirit should sing. You scraped away the broken bits, the rot and ruin and rust. You cut away the wicked scars and are left with skeletal remains. There are holes inside you, where the human used to dwell. 

“What gift would you have of me?” the Ghost asks with a growl. 

How can you say the gift is given, before he even uttered a word? He’d feasted on your demons, that they might no more haunt your door. Now, there is nothing left to hope for, except another dawn. Now there is only hunger, in the yawning chasm that is your soul. 

When the Ghost smiles it is with the blood of your soul still dripping from his teeth. 

When you smile back, there is poison on your tongue. 

Even monsters need a mate, in the darkness of the woods. 

It is myth and legend and mysticism, the ghosts who haunt the woods. Aunties say they’ll eat your dreams and steal the good away. Fathers warn of violent ends and hope hung out to dry. But some remain who know the truth, who know where power lies. They’re storing up their hurt and grief to make their sacrifice. 

One day, when the power is right, the Ghosts will become three. 

[backwaterscum]

It's been a strange couple of days. The weirdness began when Daryl's supervisor (a visionary millennial) was sick of him refusing to take any paid time off, and told him in no uncertain terms to use at least five of his leaves before they became void by the next fiscal year. She'd smiled as she said it, but Daryl saw the threat hidden in her eyes, and frankly he wasn't in the mood to get his nuts clamped by the fiery claws of mental wellness lectures.

So, for the first time since he'd gone looking for work to begin with, Daryl prepared for a two-day trip out to the mountains. The plan was to go up on Thursday, reach the peak by sundown, and then return to the foot of the mountain by Friday evening. For all intents and purposes, it was a trip he'd taken a million times before.

Then, by the sheer force of dumb luck, Melissa caught him at the store buying supplies (and he'd felt almost shy speaking to her, a part of him bewildered that she thought he was interesting to talk to even outside his home). They spoke, as they often did whenever Melissa caught him in the wild, and after she expressed enough interest in his idea of recreation, he'd opened his big mouth and said--

I could take you.

The mad woman that she was, Melissa smiled wide and said she could trade shifts with Kara to make it to this trip, if that wouldn't be too much of a bother.

Naturally, Daryl's pace and plans changed almost immediately. A one night trip became a two night trip because he'd be taking the scenic route. He brought more water just in case Melissa didn't enjoy drinking from freshwater sources like he did. He even packed vegetables and seasonings because he didn't want to ruin her experience by serving bland food. Merle didn't question his preparations beyond ribbing him about having hobbies like he always did, but that was probably for the best; if he found out his little brother was going on a camping trip with his nurse, Merle would never let him live it down.

On their way up, Daryl talks more than he's ever talked before. He points plants out, and flowers, and signs of animals that help him track where to find food or shelter or water. He asks her to stop and listen here and there, then tells her what bird is flying based on the sound of its wings. Similarly, he notes which creatures were probably rustling off in the bushes, and with a finger to his lips guides her until they can see said wildlife relaxing in their natural habitats. Daryl gives her his knife and teaches her about marks in trees so they can find their way back home; he even shows her the ones he's made over the long, long years he's lived here.

Their tent is put up a convenient distance from a stream two hours away from the top; after all, the field trip killed any chances they had of making it to the peak by sundown. Daryl cooks them rabbit stew (he'd had the good sense to gut and clean it as she put up the tent). feels out of his depth when they talk over dinner, and then kills the fire as soon as everything is stored away properly in a thermal bag (he'll turn the stew into pie tomorrow for lunch). Only then does he crawl into his tent, and only then does it occur to him that it isn't very big at all.

Though the tent allegedly fits two people, he's never actually had to share it with another person before. So as Daryl sets up his sleeping bag, he shouldn't be surprised when he feels a warm weight land on his shoulder. Yet the nape of his neck flares with a mild heat all the same.

"...Melissa?"

He gets a tired noise in response.

"You know you gotta move."

“Moving…? No, I’m good, thanks.” ( x )

And he knows he should be annoyed. If it were anyone else in the world saying such a thing to him, he would be annoyed.

But... it's been a bizarre couple of hours, so all Daryl does is snort and duck his head. Maybe he'd pushed her too hard. Maybe she was tired all this time but didn't have the heart to tell him. Or... maybe the contact isn't the end of the world.

So one hand comes up to awkwardly pat the top of her head. "That so."

His voice is quiet when he speaks. Not that it isn't usually quiet-- Daryl has a permanent growl stuck in his throat, he's been told-- but it's soft in a way it almost never is. But only Melissa would be so ridiculous as to actually use him as a pillow.

"Mountain got you beat just like that?"

[warningsine]

Earlier this year, TIME wrote, "'Yellowjackets' — like so much recent TV about young women, matriarchy, and the mixed blessing of personal empowerment — also forces us to consider whether its girls might have been better off in the off-grid society they created for themselves." And given those themes, the friends I mostly discuss the show with, trading theories and memes over long message threads, are women. Some men I've tried to share the Showtime hit with have been less than enthusiastic, which has occasionally been mirrored in critics' responses, especially when the show first aired. 

It's unclear if their reticence is old-fashioned sexism, an unwillingness to engage with trauma and its aftermath, or something else perhaps related to the show's centering of women, girls and violence. Matthew Jacobs called the show "inessential" in his review for TV Guide, while Brian Lowry of CNN described it as "a disappointment" though its "stars still merit a look." 

Good news, men. A hero has arisen from the ashes of Flight  2525 (well, technically he arose from the smoldering home fires back in New Jersey, where he was left). He's ordinary and he's awesome. It's Jeff! And he's here to elevate white man mediocrity. Look out, guys. There's someone new, supportive and extraordinary just by being ordinary in town. 

"Yellowjackets," now in its second season, follows the high school girls of a champion 1996 soccer team whose plane crashed in the Canadian wilderness. The survivors turn to desperate measures to make it through the harsh winter, and the show follows two main threads: the 1996 woodsy trauma and what happens to all the survivors later as adults. Spoiler alert: they don't feel or do so great.

As the husband of our main Wiskayok star, Shauna, Warren Kole is Jeff. He runs a furniture store. He married his high school sweetheart. Well, technically he married the girl he was cheating on his high school sweetheart with. But he did marry the mother of his (possibly multiple) children. He married young and has stayed married in the face of difficulties. He has the floppy hair of a YA love interest (perhaps a nod to Shauna's teenage dreams), despite being in his 40s. Jeff is the definition of peaked in high school, the golden boy who never left town and never did much. He's also done everything. 

Jeff is every man. Specifically, he's every man in a TV show led by women. He's Dean Boland to glamourous criminal mastermind Beth Boland of "Good Girls," Rob to mayor Margot in "The Power." Jeff is not the main attraction. He doesn't get the teary, intense, Emmy-worthy speeches (that's Melanie Lynskey's Shauna). He doesn't get to wave the gun around (OK, that's Shauna too). He's not the action star or any star. His attempt to do crimes ended badly, and with him covered in glitter. Shauna thought he was cheating on her (Jeff would never), but he was simply fumblingly trying to blackmail her friends. It didn't end well. Nothing Jeff does ends well but he keeps on trying, the Energizer Bunny of husbands.

Jeff is a simple man. He works out at the gym. He's excited about making sales at work. When he gets upset, he deals with his anger by listening to Papa Roach alone in his car and violently air drumming. He enjoys eating dinner with his family, and when the women in his life, Shauna and defiant teen daughter Callie (Sarah Desjardins) tell him things, he believes them. Jeff is a believer. His exterior of tanned, floppy commonness conceals a steadfast heart of gold. He's pure. If you tell him you're going to book club, he believes you're going to book club. Why would you lie to him? Why would you murder? (If you do, though, he's got you.)

Jeff supports his wife through an avalanche of devastating revelations. She had an affair. She murdered a guy. Not only does he not leave Shauna upon the news of her cheating, he doesn't leave after the killing either. He does what he can to support his family. He's read her teen diaries, trying to understand the most difficult and life-altering trauma of her life, which not every man would do or care to know about. That trauma includes Shauna eating his high school girlfriend. Again, not every man is going to get over that.

But Jeff's got Shauna's back. And in doing so, perhaps he understands more than any male character in recent memory: trauma changes you. Violence is forever. Shauna is the way she is (secretive, hypervigilant, occasionally violent and cold) because of the past, and the past is always with her. Jeff accepts her for who she is, not the idealized way she could have been if only those terrible events hadn't happened, if only that plane hadn't crashed and everybody got real hungry. Jeff is the evolved man, the ally who has done the work (reading the diaries! Burning the diaries! Cleaning up the murder/affair evidence!). 

He's willing to try new things, like strawberry lube. He's amendable to change, to doing the work. He wants it all to work out, and he loves Shauna because, as he says, she's the smartest woman he's ever met. Jeff is a blueprint for a way to be a good man. Rise himbo, rise. Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear sleeveless hoodies. 

[dubiousduskwight]

Day 14: Telling

The hunting party as a group stopped in their tracks not half a bell after they’d crossed the Gates of Judgment. The game here was less dangerous thanks to the increased military presence, and if somebody was badly hurt or lost in a snowstorm then Camp Dragonhead and Whitebrim were both close enough that aid could be sought and a rescue party summoned. Matthieu had planned to insist on this when his parish’s shooting club had invited him along, but to his relief he needn’t have concerned himself, as this was part of their usual route.

The club was a small one, the product of a few citizens in the parish coming into money thanks to Ishgard’s increased trade volume and deciding to put that coin to use acquiring some of Skysteel’s newest products. None of them were able to afford the aetherotransformer unit that turned the average rifle into a multi-faceted man-portable weapon of mass destruction, but having access to rifle and shot still made them feel like they were part of the new Coerthas and afforded them the chance to go out on hunts without years of training in spear or bow.

They’d insisted on Matthieu coming along at least once, and while he was generally well-liked by most of his constituents, he had to admit that he was most popular with the kind of people who got along with his aunt: older ladies who enjoyed their tea and gossip, found his willingness to help around the store to be charming, and lightly teased him about his relationship with Edda. That was enough of the parish to have gotten him elected, but he had to admit that getting others to like him more would help in the next election. In this case, that meant agreeing to attend one of the Crozier 4th’s Official Club of Jolly Fellows once-a-moon hunts.

The title was not of his choosing.

And so he’d agreed, gotten some assistance from his fellows in the Commons in selecting an easy-to-use carbine and how to load, point, and fire it without embarrassing himself, allowing for the knowledge that this was his first time out, and met up with a dozen of the Fellows at the Gates. The plan had been to traipse about the snows between the Gates and Whitebrim, take a few cloudkin or a wild karakul if the opportunity presented itself, then head back to help themselves to some beet stew and sort out who was the best and worst shot while their catches were prepared.

It was a cloudy morning, and while the cloudwatchers had suggested a mild chance of snow, visibility was still clear. The group had a clear view of the Nail interrupting the highlands in one large series of jagged peaks, and of what had stopped them: a single dragon, perched on one of the larger outcroppings, observing the comings and goings of the wildlife on the ground below.

“Fury, would you look at that.” Alort, the parish cobbler, made a quick sign of prayer to Halone, his tone of voice breathless. It wasn’t clear to Matthieu if he spoke in awe or fear.

“Never thought I’d see one of those without taking to my heels,” said Gaspardieux, the carpenter. “Still feels like I ought to.”

“That makes sense.” Matthieu kept his composure while he replied, simply raising a hand to the dragon in greeting. Events surrounding his election had given him more benign exposure to the Dravanian Horde than the average commoner, and he kept abreast of efforts to repatriate those who had turned into aevis and wished to return to the city. “I’m sure it’s just as wary.”

If the dragon had even seen Matthieu’s raised hand, it didn’t show it, simply lowering its head to rest it on its forelegs. “Mayhaps if we were knights or dragoons it’d be wary,” said Gaspardieux. “But I left my chainmail at home and haven’t perched on any high places of late.” The other Fellows chuckled, the tension easing.

“It’s a lovely color, isn’t it?” said Ophoix, the local gemcutter. “Like sapphires, but a little deeper.” He stepped forward, shielding his eyes from the clouds to get a better look. “I’d love to see it up close.”

“I don’t think you’ll be turning that into a stone fit for a brooch anytime soon, Ophie,” said Gaspardieux.

“I wouldn’t!” Ophoix stepped back, holding up his other hand in protest. “But surely, just a scale. Mayhaps we could ask.”

“No.” The statement was short, sharp, and firm, and came from Aubineaux, the parish tailor. The others took notice; while the Fellows had no official leader, it was Aubineaux who took the hunts most seriously, did most of the organizing, and led the other members in drills to improve their marksmanship. “Let it come to us if it likes, but otherwise we keep our distance.”

There was some grumbling from the Fellows, but Aubineaux stood firm, turning to face them from the head of the group. “No.” Grim-faced, with heavy eyebrows and a stocky build for an elezen, the tailor didn’t match up to the “Jolly” part of the club’s name. Matthieu suspected the title wasn’t of his choosing, either.

“Well, what’s it doing here, anyway?” The question came from Constant, one of the local tutors. Matthieu frowned; to his recollection, Constant had been one of the more reactionary voices in the community in Ishgard’s recent upheavals. Some had thought he was one of the True Brethren, in their brief existence, but he’d denied this ever since their disbandment. “It’s quite far from Dravania.” “I’m sure the knights are aware of it,” Matthieu replied. “If we’re going to be at peace, we have to have some free movement, and simply live with a little suspicion. Perhaps it’s simply enjoying time where it wouldn’t be otherwise.”

“I don’t know,” said Alort. “You wouldn’t catch me going past Falcon’s Nest, let alone Tailfeather, and certainly not out in their own lands simply because I could. It doesn’t mean I ought.”

“We don’t even catch you leaving even the parish, Alort,” said Gaspardieux. The cobbler puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

“And we already have their dragonets in the Firmament,” said Matthieu. “And the returning aevis and so forth. I simply mean there’s a good reason for it, no doubt.”

“Good or ill, we’re wasting time.” Aubineaux gestured down the trail towards the Whitebrim Front. “And losing good bells when we could be catching karakul with no snow to cover their tracks.”

“What a catch it would be though, eh?” Constant mused on this, watching the dragon with a speculative expression. “In worse times, of course.” “Of course,” said Matthieu. “But only in worse times. Remember what happened to Flaurienne Mollet?”

The Fellows all collectively winced. Mollet, who had stood for another parish in the Crozier, was scandalized to have been involved in the poaching of dragon leather after the conclusion of the Dragonsong War, and had been forced to resign in disgrace.

Before any further debate could be had, Gaspardieux pointed upwards at the dragon. Following his arm, the group saw a pair of smaller figures flitting about the dragon. “Have a look, it’s just brought its children on a little outing, you see? Nothing wrong with that.” There was a long silence among the group as they watched the wyrmlings flit about the outcropping. The dragon briefly snapped its maw in the air, as if to chide them, and then settled down again. After a minute, Matthieu found he misliked it.

“We certainly shouldn’t get close if that’s the case. Aubineaux, could you lead us to some tracks, if you please?”

“Yes.” Despite his refusal, at this point even Aubineaux was watching the dragon. “Come along now.”

[wolfskinwriting]

Workplace relationship (dragonewt girlfriend / female reader)

Word count: 3555 words

Trigger warnings: none applicable

Your lady has gotten it into her head to go kill a dragon, and as her trusty squire you must follow her in this pursuit, however ill-advised it may seem. However, the quest turns out to take a much more amorous direction for your liege. At the same time, the dragon's minion turns out to be quite good company!

Once upon a time, the kingdom of Tartaria had been the wealthiest on the continent. Its miners delved deep into the mountains, extracting the rich stores of gems and precious metals the earth had hidden under her stony veil. Its artisans achieved the peaks of achievement in their trades, great marvels of beauty and engineering that made all the kingdom's neighbors look on in envy and awe. And its armies marched with the best armor and weapons the world had seen in centuries. Tartaria had been well under way to conquering the whole continent, country after country falling before its armies’ advance.

Until they delved too deep. 

It had been a miner who uncovered it first. Ancient bones, caught in stone, that once belonged to some great saurian beast. Its teeth like spears, its scales like shields, with great wings that could have blocked out the sun when it was alive.

The supervisor had been summoned, then the superintendent in charge of the mines, then the local priests, and soon the king himself with his court mages and scholars came to gape at the strange sight. 

Carelessly, the king reached out his hand, laden with gold rings as was the custom among Tartaria’s foremost citizens, and brushed it across the bone. And in its millennia-long slumber, a great reptilian mind sensed gold for the first time in a long, long while.

Thus the dragons reawakened, and mighty Tartaria, the golden crown of the mountains, fell into ruin. With its once proud cities despoiled, their sons and daughters fled to neighboring lands and their riches were piled high in mountain caves as beds on which the great drakes could slumber. 

Since then, Tartaria had been left a wasteland. Traders avoided it and settlers did not go there, fearing the tyranny of the dragons. The surrounding kingdoms thought it best to avoid poking the bear, and wisely kept their armies and flags to themselves, sending their conquering sons elsewhere. 

But humans did not avoid the region entirely. Occasionally, foolhardy “adventurers” (read: criminals and mercenaries in between jobs) would creep into the region, hoping to find some leftover treasure the dragons had overlooked. Other times, proud young knights, desperate to prove their valor or to win the object of their affections, would ride forth to slay one of the fell beasts. 

Your lady was one of those knights. 

—- 

“How long do you think they’ll be in there?”

You looked up from where you’d been taking a nap in the sun to see Argul idly poking the egg she was cooking in a pan. 

When the dragons had come, most of the Tartarians had fled the region or died defending what was theirs. But a select few had opted to stay and pledge their allegiance to the new lords of the region. Either individually, or as small cults or societies, they swore loyalty to a particular dragon in return for protection and the permission to keep living in the region unmolested, in an arrangement not unlike that between lords and their vassals back in your home country. For their part, the dragons thought it rather useful: it was always convenient to have some minions and servants running around, and they rather liked being fawned over. 

When the pacts between humans and dragons had been made, the humans had been infused with some of the dragons’ essence to bind the two groups together. The dragons and the newly created dragonewts were, essentially, kin, with the reciprocal responsibilities that entailed. 

Argul was one of these dragonewts, as was evident in her physiology. Many things she had in common with a normal human woman: somewhat tall and gangly, with off-white skin that was just slightly unnatural, and straight black hair she kept shaved close to her head for practicality. But then there were the jet black scales covering her arms and legs, the large claws and fangs. And of course the long, spiked black tail that extended from her ridged spine, which was even now swishing in the air like a bored animal. 

You shrugged at her question. “I don’t know. I guess it shouldn’t take too long, it’s been a couple days. But then again, every time we come here it takes longer.”

Your lady, a most valiant knight from the Winelands, had gotten it into her head that she should slay a dragon to give the family name’s prestige a boost. And as her dutiful squire, you had of course been obliged to follow her on the adventure, even though you were less than enthused about becoming a roasted sausage. 

Not long after entering the wasteland, you two had stumbled upon this cave. It was the home of Argul’s mistress, a young black dragon named Vestra, something which was clear from the burnt bones and armor sets around the cave’s mouth. Your lady had charged ahead into the dragon’s lair, leaving you to fight it out with the dragonewt who had been keeping watch.

You’d traded blows for a good quarter of an hour, neither of you quite good enough to gain the upper hand, though your nose was still off kilter from the time she broke it with a glancing blow of her mace. Then your lady had come running out of the cave, and you’d been forced to follow her in a quick tactical retreat.

At first you thought she’d been intimidated by the dragon’s size and fierceness, something quite different from the sock puppet dragons her nanny used to entertain her with. Soon you’d be heading back to the comfort of soft beds and good wine back home. But instead, strangely quiet, she’d ordered you to make camp under a rocky outcropping not too far away.

Just a couple days later, after you’d both recovered somewhat, she’d ordered a new attack, and the same scenario repeated itself, though this time she left the cave without her helmet and you could see that her face was… quite flushed. And not a “I just nearly died” flush, but a “I have so many conflicting emotions right now” kind of flush.

This time you’d taken lodgings in a town just across the border, and a pattern established itself. You’d rest a couple of days, get repairs done, and your lady would lead you both back to the cave for another “attack”. It wasn’t long before she was coming back without dents in her armor and singed hair, so you and Argul had come to the understanding that there wasn’t much of a point in keeping up the hostilities between you two either. Whatever your mistresses were doing in the cave, which was, as you’d been reminded numerous times, none of your business, it clearly wasn’t fighting. So instead you just waited around till she was done. 

At first you and Argul had just ignored each other, but that quickly got awkward. You were the only two people around for miles, with the exception of your respective higher-ups, so it was hard to not have any sort of contact. At first it had just been some pleasantries about the weather, and some practical questions on your part about water sources and the like,  but soon they became regular conversations. There was plenty to bond over, what with both of you serving two, kind of spoiled, kind of arrogant, and way too aggressive for their own good mistresses. You both had plenty of anecdotes to relate,  from the time where Vestra had asked Argul to polish all the brassware in the cave because she’d accidentally dropped one piece of it in the mud, to the time you and your mistress had gotten lost in the woods and she’d ordered you to erect a whole palissade around your camping site to keep the boars out while she just sat down and rested. It was honestly nice to be able to complain about it with someone who wouldn’t take it as a sign of feudal disloyalty or whatever, and Argul was plenty funny when she wanted to be, so you grew to enjoy her company quite a bit.

You sat up and stretched, sauntering over to peer around the corner towards the cave’s mouth. It was still as quiet as could be.

“Do you think she’s showing off?”

“What do you mean?” came Argul’s reply from behind you. You turned back to her, taking a seat closer to the fire where she was making dinner. The pigeon sausages she was cooking were looking ominously red. 

It had to be said. Argul’s improvised cooking wasn’t… it wasn’t bad, as such. But it was also definitely not good. The food did its job, that was perhaps the best thing that could be said about it. It didn’t help that it was much more spicy than you were used to back home, though you’d acclimated to it somewhat by now. Something to do with draconic beings finding spice stimulating. 

“Your lady. Do you think she’s showing off to mine? I mean I don’t know how dragons flirt. Is she just like… giving a tour of her bejeweled strap-on collection or something?”

Argul chuckled, turning the sausages over.

“They’d have to be far along then. A dragon isn’t gonna use her hoard for sex until they’re practically married.”

You puffed out some air derisively. 

“Well what’s the point of that? You’ve got to know what’s in store for you before agreeing to a marriage. Where’s the business sense in doing otherwise?”

She rolled her eyes. 

“Are all Winelanders so superficial?”

You gave her a deadpan stare. 

“Weren’t you the one who tried to convince me to trade my protective amulet for a dead jackal because you thought it looked shiny?”

She glared at you as she crossed her arms, making the various bits of metal and stone jewelry she wore jingle. 

“That’s different.”

You cocked your eyebrow.

“And how exactly?”

“I’m a dragonewt! It’s the dragon blood, it makes you want stuff like that. Instinct. You humans don’t have that, so when you want gold, you’re just being greedy!”

You opened your mouth to object, but she quickly interrupted you.

“Now go get your mess tin, food’s done.”

Deciding it was best not to argue with the person cooking your food, you did as asked, and you two ate in silence for a bit. 

“So what do you think of the whole thing between those two?”

She raised an eyebrow, quickly swallowing some of what she’d been chewing on so she could talk.

“You mean between her Highness and your knight?”

You nodded. Granted, theoretically it wasn’t proper to discuss your lieges’ personal business in this fashion. But in practice… Well, everyone loves gossip, okay?

“Yeah, I’m just kind of curious. I mean, back home, humans and monsters getting married is… pretty standard I guess. Most big noble families are mixed to some extent. But not sure how dragons feel about it.” 

Argul grinned lecherously. “Oh? Humans love us that much? What am I even doing here then, I can just head over to the next human town and seduce some people.”

You rolled your eyes. 

“You’re not gonna find anyone with this cooking, you know?”

“Oh I’m sure I’ve got something else they’d love to eat.”

“That sort of talk will charm all the prim and proper rich girls, I’m sure.” You paused for a moment. “Okay yeah actually, that’s the exact dynamic those girls fall for.”

She snorted, taking another bite of her food, before continuing.

“It’s not as common as with you all, I think, the whole interspecies thing, but it happens. The true dragons don’t care as long as you’ve got a good dowry and can fight. Which I’m going to assume your knight has, considering that fancy magical sword loaded with gems. With the rest of us, well, we just get so little company that what happens is all mostly with each other.”

“Oh? I thought you said you guys were chick magnets?”

She sighed dramatically.

“We would be, but no one comes here! Don’t know what for, I mean, just look at all the lovely dry rock and shrubbery! And the snow storms are lovely in winter! If your people weren’t so spoiled, we’d be at the top of the marriage market!”

“Sure, sure. Top of the marriage market, it’s not like I had to show you how to make tea yesterday.”

“Oh come on, it’s not like we have that sort of thing here!”

“It’s literally just boiling water and steeping stuff in it!”

“Shut!”

—- 

“Well… that was a lot of gold in that cart huh.”

Argul tried to ask it nonchalantly, but it was clear her curiosity had been piqued. After your lady had returned from her previous visit, she hadn’t just rested at the local inn like usual before returning. Instead you’d gone to the nearest large city, where she sent word to her banker to get some funds, bought a large wooden cart and started shopping. All kinds of fancy metalwork, bright gemstones and ingenious glasswares were piled into the cart, which you got the enviable task of steering over the rocky terrain without anything shattering or getting bludgeoned. She’d then ordered you to drive a bit into the cave mouth, unload it all, and leave her alone with it.

“Sure was.” you nodded, hopping off the driver’s perch.

“Diiid she say what it was all for?”

“No, but I can take a guess.” You moved to a side compartment, rummaging around. “I mean come on, we both know it. She’s spending more and more time with your lady and she comes back flustered every time. When I was arranging her laundry with the maids after the last trip she didn’t even have any panties left!”

Argul leaned against the cart, trying to see what you were doing.

“Ha! You think she’s gonna pop the question?”

“Has to be, right? No other reason to cart half a small town’s economy into this place.” 

“I don’t know man, we could use the investment. Hells, I could use new shoes, her Highness doesn’t like investing.” 

“Well, I don’t have new shoes for you, but I do have these.” 

You pulled out  two bottles of fine southern wine. Argul’s eyes grew large as she inspected both of them.

“Damn, where did you get this? This seems like fancy stuff. Haven’t seen anything like that since we robbed a bandit chief a couple years ago. ”

You beamed, quite proud of yourself.

“We’re from the Winelands,, remember? When I noticed her ladyship busy making all those orders, I saw the writing on the wall and got a couple of these. Figured we might as well drink to the newly-betrotheds’ health and build a party here, considering they’re building one in there.”

Argul responded with a grin of your own.

“Whatever else can be said about humans, you guys have good party instincts. I’ll get a nice bonfire going, you uncork those babies.”

— 

It was… actually,  you weren’t sure how much time had passed. You and Argul had sat around the bonfire and opened the first bottle, and drank a glass, and then another, and another, and opened the second bottle and now you were lying on your back looking at the stars. It was a nice summer night, and the warmth and the alcohol mixed just perfectly to create that “completely out of it but feeling real good about it” mental state. You probably couldn’t sit up if you wanted, but you didn’t want to. The stars were nice, the fire was warm, and you felt good. Everything else was secondary.

“Thought you Winelanders would be able to hold your drink a bit better.”

Despite the cocky statement, Argul herself was also slurring her words from where she sat close to the fire.

“As we say back home, if you can still walk after drinking, the wine wasn’t good. And we only make good wine.”

You could hear a dismissive snort, before there was a thud close to your head and the  feeling of a body not too far from your own. Argul had joined you in lying on the short, scraggly grass. You both were quiet for a while, silently gazing up at the stars. In the distance, a jackal howled.

“So what do you think we’ll do when those two have shacked up together?”

She spoke softly, a bit less boisterous than she usually was. If you’d had the energy, you would’ve shrugged. 

“I don’t know. I mean, they’ll want to live together. Guess we’ll be guarding them together.”

It was quiet for another small moment before she spoke again.

“Do you mind that?”

“Mind what?”

“Working together like that.”

You thought about it for a moment, your brain trying to think of how to express yourself through the wine-induced haze. 

“Nah. I mean, you’re, you know, a professee-profesu- good at your job. I wouldn’t mind having someone good around. And beside…” you hesitated for a moment, before continuing. “I like you, you know? Being around you is nice. If anything it’d suck if we didn’t end up working together.

You felt Argul’s scaly hand press against yours, the cool scales feeling like a small blessing in the summer warmth. She interlaced your fingers.

“Yeah. I’d like that too.”

You gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and you two just stayed quiet for a good long while. A soft breeze rolled over, ruffling your hair a bit. Up above, a star blinked before falling from its place. Eventually, Argul spoke up again.

“The hangovers are gonna murder us, aren’t they?”

“Oh, definitely.”

—-

You weaved between the tents of the party, doing your best to avoid pairs of dancers who weren’t watching where they were going and frazzled servants hurrying to and fro with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. 

You’d been right. All that gold was a dowry, and your lady had gotten engaged to her dragon. . Naturally, a scion of a noble house and a dragon getting married was no small event. Everyone who was someone in the Winelands, and a lot of people who weren’t anyone yet, had been invited to the wedding. While the couple had hired dedicated event planners, you and Argul had still been run ragged on errands: deliveries they didn’t trust servants to pick up, arranging security detail, calming last minute breakdowns of nerves, etc. But luckily, your lady had given you leave to enjoy yourself during the party at least. So now you were looking for your dear colleague.  

But instead of finding her yourself, you were pulled into a tent by a scaly hand. 

“There you are! I’ve got to show you something!”

Bemusedly, you followed her behind the back of one of the big tavern tents, where apparently she’d made a small fire and set up two chairs. And… a tea set?”

“Did you steal a fucking tea set?”

She made a dismissive gesture. 

“Eh, I borrowed it. I’ll put it back when we’re done. Now come on, sit down, I’ll pour you some.”

You sat down, curious where this was going. She poured you both a cup, before sitting back down. Instead of drinking from it she just eyed you eagerly. Sensing her intention, you took a sip, and you found yourself pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t the best tea ever, but it was a vast improvement from the couple times she’d done it before you took over all tea-making during your time together. 

“Okay, you know what, that’s good. I’ll hand it to you, you’ve learnt how to make tea.”

She looked genuinely happy for a moment, before leaning forward, grinning.

“Well, in that case…”

You raised an eyebrow. 

“Are you ready to admit dragonewts are chick magnets yet?”

It took a moment, before you burst out laughing. Argul affected a miffed expression, crossing her arms, though it was pretty clear she also was trying to not crack up.

“I go through all this effort to hone my culinary skills for you, and you just laugh in my face! Humans have no manners...”

You snickered some more, but reached out your arm to take her hand. 

“Well, let it never be said a Winelander doesn’t know where her manners are. Let me make it up to you, mademoiselle.”

She blushed slightly at the contact, but remained skeptical;

“And how do you think you’re gonna do that huh?”

“Oh, that’s easy.”

You leaned in, tilting your head up, and kissed her softly on the mouth. It wasn’t your first kiss, you’d spent some time making out between all the  travel and party planning, but as Argul softly pressed her lips back on yours it still felt a little special. Usually it was a lot more… heated, whereas this sort of soft, chaste peck was rarer. It was certainly a nice change of pace. 

After a little bit, you pulled back, looking at Argul’s flushed and slightly dazed expression, feeling some rather tender butterflies in your stomach. 

“And so as to make sure it’s official, mademoiselle.” you took the hand you were holding, bringing it up to your lips to press another chivalrous kiss, “I officially declare that dragonewts are, indeed, chick magnets.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“You better start kissing again or I’m dumping this tea kettle on your head.”

“At your orders.”

[ausetkmt]

Stargazing is an accessible activity for families and a perfect excuse to introduce children to astronomy. To begin, parents can teach their kids basic information about the cosmos, such as major constellations, planets, comets and the Moon.

This is a perfect time to explore the night sky. With most businesses and stores closed in cities worldwide, the stars shine brighter, and it’s easier to see them due to reduced light pollution. Here are some ideas to get started as a family:

All you need is a view of the sky and a pair of eyes, although binoculars and affordable telescopes can enhance the experience.

A pair of 7×50 binoculars, the most popular size, is ideal for observing stars. As for family telescopes, the two main types are refractors and reflectors that focus starlight using mirrors. The key features to look for in a telescope are high-quality lenses, a sturdy mount, and a set of three eyepieces that you can use to change the magnification.

Medical breakthrough: New vaccine may prevent Alzheimer's disease

Wildlife trade threatens the most evolutionarily and functionally distinct animals

Sweets can be healthy: Chocolate linked to lower mortality rates

Eavesdropping viruses: The unseen war within our cells

Time-traveling pathogens from melting permafrost pose great risk to the Earth

Here we list the last comets that you will be able to see with your family from home, you will only have 4 opportunities this year.

Bright comets you can see in the night sky this year

Updated: 11-July-2023

The following table displays the currently visible bright comets as well as the upcoming comets expected to exhibit brightness in the future (with a magnitude above 11.5 and one year in advance). It provides information about each comet’s maximum visibility, brightness level, and the latitude range from which it can be observed during that peak.

Comets that have entered the outward phase (post-perihelion) are excluded from the table once their magnitude drops below 12th magnitude.

Additionally, an icon is provided next to the brightness values (magnitude) to suggest the minimum recommended instrument for observation. However, please note that this indication serves as a general guide and may vary depending on factors such as the comet’s characteristics, observing conditions, and the specific instrument used.

C/2021 T4 (Lemmon)

Comet Lemmon, also known as C/2021 A1 (Lemmon), is a comet that was discovered on January 3, 2021, by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona, United States. It was named after the observatory where it was first observed.

This comet is classified as a long-period comet, indicating that it originates from the Oort Cloud, a distant region of the solar system filled with icy bodies. Comet Lemmon has an elongated orbit that takes it far beyond the orbit of Neptune and brings it closer to the Sun during its perihelion.

The perihelion, which is the point in the comet’s orbit closest to the Sun, occurred on May 9, 2021, at a distance of about 0.73 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. After its perihelion passage, the comet began its journey back into the outer regions of the solar system.

Comet Lemmon has been visible primarily from the southern hemisphere, offering stargazers and astronomers in those regions an opportunity to observe its unique characteristics. It has exhibited a coma, a hazy cloud of gas and dust surrounding its nucleus, which is the solid core of the comet.

The coma is formed as the heat from the Sun causes the icy nucleus to vaporize and release gases and dust into space.

How bright will it be?

Although predictions about a comet’s brightness can be challenging, Comet Lemmon reached its peak magnitude of around 6 in late May 2021, making it visible to the naked eye under dark sky conditions. The comet will gradually fade and become more challenging to observe as it continues its journey away from the Sun.

Comets like Lemmon provide scientists with valuable insights into the composition and evolution of the early solar system. By studying their structure and composition, researchers can gather information about the formation of planets and the delivery of water and organic molecules to Earth.

Observing and studying comets like Lemmon serve as a reminder of the dynamic nature of our solar system and the beauty of celestial objects that grace our night sky.

More about comets

Comets are celestial objects that originate from the distant regions of our solar system. Characterized by glowing heads and elongated tails, comets comprise a core, or nucleus, made up of rock, dust, and frozen gases. When they approach the Sun, their icy cores heat up, causing a glowing envelope of gas and dust, known as a coma, and often a tail, to form.

Classification of Comets

Comets divide into two main categories based on their orbital periods: short-period and long-period comets.

Short-period comets, also known as periodic comets, have orbits that take less than 200 years to complete. They usually trace their paths in the region of the solar system known as the Kuiper Belt. The most famous of these is Halley’s Comet, which reappears approximately every 76 years.

Long-period comets have more elongated orbits, taking more than 200 years to orbit the Sun, with some requiring thousands or even millions of years.

They generally originate from the Oort Cloud, a hypothetical spherical cloud enveloping the solar system at a distance approximately 1,000 to 100,000 astronomical units from the Sun.

Anatomy of a comet

Comets comprise three main parts: the nucleus, the coma, and the tail.

The Nucleus

The nucleus, the solid core of the comet, contains a mix of rock, dust, water ice, and frozen gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and ammonia. Its size can range from a few hundred meters to tens of kilometers in diameter.

The Coma

As a comet nears the Sun, solar heat evaporates the ices in its nucleus, leading to the formation of a large, glowing envelope of gas and dust called the coma. The Sun’s radiation also ionizes the coma, which can result in a type of glow distinct from that caused by reflected sunlight.

The Tail

Cometary tails form as solar radiation and solar wind exert pressure on the coma, blowing gas and dust away from the Sun to form two distinct tails — a dust tail and an ion tail. The dust tail, which reflects sunlight and often appears yellowish, follows a curved trajectory, while the ion tail, which glows due to fluorescence and usually appears bluish, points directly away from the Sun.

Observation and study of comets

Comets have been a subject of fascination for millennia, with records of their observations dating back to ancient civilizations. Astronomers observe comets to study the early solar system, as comets are ancient bodies that preserve the original materials from which the solar system formed.

Modern studies utilize a range of equipment from ground-based telescopes to space missions. Notable space missions to comets include NASA’s Stardust mission, which collected dust samples from Comet Wild 2 and returned them to Earth, and the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission, which deployed the Philae lander onto the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, marking the first successful landing on a comet.

Comets and life on Earth

Comets may have played a crucial role in the emergence of life on Earth. Some theories suggest that comets could have delivered water and organic compounds — the building blocks of life — to the early Earth. The study of comets thus may provide vital clues about the origins and evolution of life.

Conclusion

Comets, these intriguing celestial travelers, have captivated human interest throughout history. They provide a crucial link to understanding the early solar system and potentially the origin of life on Earth.

As our technological abilities evolve, the continued exploration and study of comets promise to reveal even more about these remarkable objects and their place in our cosmic neighborhood.

[chouxtranslations]

Shizun 024 - Moon in the water

Wujian peak has a perfect professional record after establishment! 

Sect leader Lu was so happy he almost couldn’t tell left from right. Last time he had this much money in his account it was the reimbursement money and reward money that his grandpa traded for with his life. He didn’t want that kind of unexpected money and donated it all. 

This money was earned with his own skills, he can spend it! 

Lu Yunzhen thought that he could get rich through being a cultivator. Most of the work was by Mo Changkong, so if he split it properly Mo Changkong should get 60% while he and Jin Yunu got 20% each.

However, Jin Yunu said that skin painting demons have nothing to spend money on and turned down the secetleader’s offer. Mo Changkong insisted that everything he owns belonged to Shiziun and refused the money firmly. 

They also didn’t have an ID to open a bank account with. 

Seeing that everyone trusted him, Lu Yunzhen decided to put the money into an account for the household to be used for the sect’s daily expenses, and then sent some pocket money into the mobile wallets on their phones. 

Mo Changkong loved phones, especially the photo and gaming functions. Unfortunately his phone was too old and had lots of problems. 

On the way home, Lu Yunzhen saw an open mall and immediately dragged Mo Changkong in.  Extravagantly, he picked out the same phone as Jin Yunu and topped up the phone plan. Then he remembered that he didn’t have much clothes and needed more for cold weather, so they went into a chain store that he never dared to go into before. 

This store is super expensive, even a t shirt costs over 100 yuan! 

Lu Yunzhen extravagantly picked out a load of checkered button ups, long sleeve tees, jeans, vests, and coats and had Mo Changkong try them on. 

Mo Changkong let Shizun fuss over him without making a sound. He was fine wearing anything, as long as Shizun liked it…

The store was actually about to close. The sales girl saw that they were handsome and wanting to buy quite a bit so she decided to hold off. However, when she saw the clothes that Lu Yunzhen picked out…. She couldn’t hold back anymore. 

Look at this handsome young man, why does he have the fashion sense of a shut in?! Blue red and white checkered button ups, polos, old man vests, potato sack jackets with flower patterns?! 

She accidentally saw Mo Changkong’s figure which was even better than a models as he wasn’t that careful when changing. It was as if her heart had stepped on a marmot’s nest and wanted to screech. Don’t just do whatever you want just because you’re hot! This is a rare treasure and you’re about to be charged with murder! 

She finally walked up to Lu Yunzhen and offered to suggest some outfits. 

She had impeccable taste from her years at the job. WHen Mo Changkong stepped out in a form fitting shirt and joggers, everyone stared at him and couldn’t look away. Lu Yunzhen was shocked, his brain being filled with envy and a small sense of injustice. 

He wanted a body like that. 

Lu Yunzhen had capitulated in the face of the sales girl’s tastes and asked her to pick out 5 or 6 cold weather outfits. He also grabbed 2 androgynous sets for Jin Yunu, and then, remembering, grabbed 2 sets for himself. 

The sales girl was amazing and her clothes made him quite a bit more handsome. He was feeling very satisfied looking at his reflection. Some of the other girls working in the shop were whispering to each other while smiling at him and it made him feel like he was floating on clouds. 

Was he that handsome? 

Lu Yunzhen thanked the sales girl and took the pile of clothes to the cashier. 

The cashier left her chat, jogged over, and sincerely complimented him. “Gege, your boyfriend is so handsome.” 

Lu Yunzhen was dumbfounded. “Wha?” 

She continued with envy. “You two seem so close, coming out here when it’s so late. Your boyfriend seems so cool, but loves you so much and wears whatever you want. I wanted to get couples shirts with my boyfriend but he just complained the design was too childish…” 

After a moment, Lu Yunzhen thought about it from the cashier’s point of view and realized… this scene really seemed off… 

Two young men went to the mall, one picking out the clothes while the other put them on. The former being massively excited and the latter being completely obedient… That seems to be the default setting for girlfriends picking stuff out for their men? 

This misunderstanding is super awkward! 

Lu Yunzhen desperately tried to think up an explanation… 

“Don’t speak nonsense.” Mo Changkong immediately walked over after overhearing and cut in sternly. “I won’t have that kind of dirty thoughts about men, and I definitely won’t do such disobedient things towards Shizun.” 

He has held back very well and would never let his shizun be mocked and hurt by others because of his dirty thoughts again. If anyone has noticed anything, he… has to deny it harshly, push it down, and not show any openings! 

The word “dirty” was said very harshly and with a terrifying expression. The cashier was scared and desperately apologized with red rimmed eyes. “I’m sorry.” 

“What happened?” The salesgirl noticed something was wrong and came over to apologize. “This girl is new and inexperienced. Please forgive her if she made a mistake.” 

“No, no, it’s not her fault, it’s just a small misunderstanding.” Lu Yunzhen shoved Mo Changkong behind him and explained with an apology. “We’re relatives and we’re pretty close. He has a scary face and is bad at talking, but he’s a good guy…” 

The salesgirl immediately understood. “You’re brothers?” 

Lu Yunzhen nodded hard. “Yes, and straight as an arrow!” 

He finally understood why Mo Changkong avoided physical touch and didn’t like men sleeping naked. This guy is even straighter than himself, plus he’s from the past and must be rather conservative towards these things. He is going to be more careful in the future and make sure not to joke around these things. 

Lu Yunzhen was worried that the girl would be scolded by her manager and piled on the compliments until she was laughing, leaving the fear behind. She was very cheerful and made a zipper gesture at him. 

Mo Changkong was beyond impatient with Shizun talking with girls. He walked over, grabbed the big pile of bags, and hurried Lu Yunzhen home. Lu Yunzhen was embarrassed letting him do all the carrying, and tried to grab two for himself. 

“Give them.” 

“No.” 

“Give them.” 

“Absolutely no.” 

“...” 

The store employees were all confused seeing them talking with each other. The tall man looked like a block of ice, only when he was gazing at the young man did he show a different kind of gentleness. 

The customer is king! Everything is as the customer says! 

Don’t over think it! It’s like the TV dramas say. This is bromance! Deep, pure, censored, without an ounce of impurity! 

If you don’t think about it in a straight way then that means something is off with you! 

…

They were amongst the last of the customers in the mall. 

Lu Yunzhen felt conflicted seeing all the men gallantly carrying things for their girlfriends. But Mo Changkong was very stubborn about piety towards his Shizun, and there was nothing he could do. 

This disciple is too serious… 

He has long since believed that they were master and disciple. “How did me in the past get such a good disciple? I feel like we had a great relationship.” 

Mo Changkong looked away. “Yes.” 

“Too bad I can’t remember the past.” Lu Yunzhen was a little disappointed and a little curious. “Did we have fun?” 

Fun? 

Mo Changkong’s mind was immediately filled with images of madness. In the darkness and silence, he indulged himself without limits, taking everything. Shizun finally couldn’t handle it anymore and quietly moaned, begging. 

“Changkong, softer…” 

“Changkong, we can’t keep going.” 

“Changkong, this is an immoral mistake…” 

Even though Shizun was humiliated, was shaking, was begging, he was ecstatic and became even rougher. He wanted to hear more, wanted Shizun to sink with him to the depths of hell, wanted to use the harshest of methods to gain the anwer he wanted. 

…

The moon was very beautiful, high up in the night sky. It looked delicious, like a pastry. 

When he was little, he harassed Shizun to eat the moon. Shizun worried about it for a long time, and finally dug a pond in the yard, wanting to fill it with spring water and catch the moon’s reflection…

Shizun was a liar, he couldn’t eat the moon in the water. 

He was upset for a long time. 

He finally understood, the moon was a massive satellite over 400,000 km away from earth. No matter how powerful he became, he could never have it. 

Flower in the mirror, moon in the water. It is all but the wishful thinking of a fool…

With a cry smile, he replied. “There wasn’t much fun to be had.” 

Lu Yunzhen was shocked. “Was the peak that boring.” 

“En.” Mo Changkong answered quietly. 

“Don’t worry, times are different now.” Lu Yunzhen reached out, wanting to pat him on the shoulder. But he remembered that he didn’t like to be touched and quickly retracted. Rubbing his hair, he smiled. “There’s lots of fun things in this world. I’ll take you, it won’t be boring!” 

Mo Changkong stared at his dimples dumbly. Realizing that his mind was straying he forced himself to look away. He can’t touch. He can’t be too close. He might accidentally crack the ice over his heart, allowing the lava within to burst forth again and ruin the moon. 

“Yes”, he answered.

“Thank you, Changkong.” Lu Yunzhen turned around and walked on cheerfully. “I’m so glad I met you. Every day has been so happy, my luck probably turned good…”

He hated loneliness, hated being alone. 

But he knew that his fortune was awful and didn’t want to involve others, so he turned down a lot of well meaning gestures and chose to live alone. 

Every day, he would turn on the light and say “I’m home” to an empty house. 

He would make food for himself, compliment himself for the food, then wash clothes for himself, study by himself, work by himself, sleep by himself, and say “good night” to his stuffed bear. 

It’s different now… 

He wanted to hurry home to that old but warm house. He wanted to order take out! He wanted to get lots of roast lamb and beer and celebrate with everyone! 

Lu Yunzhen splurged on a taxi. 

As soon as he got off, he saw Jin Yunu wearing a long coat and a sad expression, desperately looking around the intersection. He seemed injured and weak, being barely able to hold his shape. 

“Sect leader, master, where did you go? Why did you only come home now?” Jin Yunu burst into tears upon seeing them. “Yunu is imcompetent and couldn’t watch the house properly, there’s been an incident…” 

[energy-5]

From Extraction to Usage: The Lifecycle of Natural Gas

The journey of natural gas from the depths of the earth to the blue flames on a stove is a complex and multifaceted process. As a fossil fuel, natural gas plays a pivotal role in the global energy supply, accounting for approximately 24% of global energy consumption. This narrative will traverse through the lifecycle of natural gas, highlighting the intricacies involved in its extraction, processing, transportation, and usage, as well as its environmental and economic impacts.

Extraction and Production:

Natural gas extraction begins with geological surveys to identify promising reserves, followed by drilling either on land or offshore. In 2022, the United States, one of the largest producers, extracted approximately 99.6 billion cubic feet per day. The extraction often employs techniques like hydraulic fracturing, which alone contributed to around 67% of the total U.S. natural gas output in 2018. The extracted gas, containing various hydrocarbons and impurities, requires substantial processing to meet commercial quality standards.

Processing and Purification:

Once extracted, natural gas undergoes several processing steps to remove water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and other contaminants. This purification is essential not only for safety and environmental reasons but also to increase the energy efficiency of the gas. Processing plants across the globe refine thousands of cubic feet of raw gas each day, ensuring that the final product delivered is almost pure methane, which is efficient for burning and less polluting than unprocessed gas.

Transportation:

Transporting natural gas involves an expansive network of pipelines covering over a million miles in the United States alone. In regions where pipeline infrastructure is not feasible, liquified natural gas (LNG) provides an alternative. LNG exports from the U.S. reached record highs in 2022, with approximately 10.6 billion cubic feet per day being shipped to international markets. LNG carriers and storage facilities are integral to this global trade, making natural gas accessible worldwide.

Storage:

Strategic storage ensures that natural gas can meet fluctuating demands, particularly during peak usage periods. Underground storage facilities can hold vast quantities; for instance, the U.S. can store approximately 4 trillion cubic feet of gas, helping to manage supply and stabilize prices. These reserves play a critical role in energy security and in buffering any unexpected disruptions in supply.

Distribution:

Natural gas distribution is the final leg before reaching end-users. Companies manage complex distribution networks to deliver gas to industrial facilities, power plants, commercial establishments, and residences. The U.S. alone has over 2 million miles of distribution pipelines, ensuring that natural gas accounts for nearly 30% of the country’s electricity generation and heating for about half of American homes.

Usage and Consumption:

The versatility of natural gas makes it a preferred source for heating, cooking, electricity generation, and even as a feedstock for producing plastics and chemicals. In the residential sector, an average American home might consume about 200 cubic feet per day for heating and cooking. For electricity, combined-cycle gas turbine plants convert natural gas into electricity with more than 60% efficiency, significantly higher than other fossil-fueled power plants.

Environmental Considerations and Future Prospects:

While natural gas burns cleaner than coal, releasing up to 60% less CO2 for the same energy output, it is not without environmental challenges. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can escape during various stages of the natural gas lifecycle. However, advances in technology and regulatory measures aim to mitigate these emissions. As the world leans towards a lower-carbon future, the role of natural gas is pivotal, with investments in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and the potential integration with renewable energy sources.

[oldbutnotyetwise]

My Friend Mary

     When we bought our old property up north you could tell just by looking at it that there would be a lot of history there.  A house that was around 100 years old, a barn that was around seventy years old, and bits of old farm equipment abandoned in what was once field but was now forest.  The old Barton Farm had a lot of history and sometimes as I wandered about the property or sat in the house or barn I thought of all of those who had come before us and lived, and died in this very special place.

     Shortly after moving in I was at the Township Office where I met Charles Barton who was related to the Bartons who had homesteaded our place.  I mentioned to him that I was curious about the history of our new home.  Charles mentioned my interest to his Aunt Mary, and that is how I ended up meeting Mary.

     Robin and I were getting ready to go out one day and upon opening our front door we were met by Mary and Lew Holotuk.  Mary was 91 and Lew was 96 at the time.  Mary had been born a Barton, and had written out a page and a half about the history of our property.  What follows is a bit of a story that I have pieced together about my dear friend Mary.  It comes from conversations I have had with her as well as stories about Mary I have picked up along the way.

     Mary tells me that she was born in our house on October 27, 1928, that she made her entrance into the world while the doctor was just pulling into her driveway.  As was often the case in those days she had several brothers and sisters, together they helped their parents look after their farm.  She was ten when she tasted her first beer, taken from where the spring water came out, and where the beer was stored to stay cold.  Before video games kids actually played outside, Mary and her brothers would walk along the peak of the metal roof on the family barn and do lots of other things that would make todays safety experts loose their minds.  

     Mary wanted to continue her schooling but in those days a higher education was something few farm kids got to pursue, and certainly even fewer females.  

     Now this might surprise the younger folk, but there was a time before cell phones, the internet and dating apps.  When the dating pool was rather small compared to what it is today.  You were likely to date and marry someone within a twenty mile radius of where you lived, someone you probably went to school with, and someone whose family was known to yours.  Mary tells me of how she came home from a date and found Lew waiting for her.  Lew had come for a visit and was none too pleased to find out she was out on a date with someone else.  Lew had his eyes set on Mary, 5 1/2 years his junior and stubbornly made it clear that he was the one she should be with.  Sure enough in time Lew convinced Mary of this and they got married when she was 19 in 1948.

     Lew was a mechanic by trade and was in the army serving overseas during WW2.   After the war they opened up Holotuk Service Center in Huntsville which they ran for twenty-eight years.  Lew did the vehicle repairs and drove the tow trucks.  Mary looked after the front of the shop, but she also would drive the tow truck picking vehicles up in Toronto or wherever they were.  They had the towing contract with the OPP so were friendly with the local officers.  It wouldn’t be unusual to find the officers visiting and playing cards with Mary in the shop.

     Over the years Lew and Mary had three children, Ron, Patsy and Ted.  Mary knew exactly when Ted was conceived, she said that Lew had snuck up on her while they were at the hunt camp, then she would laugh with a mischievous smile on her face.  Eventually Lew developed some heart problems and the Service Center was sold and they moved back to Hotham in 1982.  They bought Mary’s sisters out of her parents home after the parents passed away.  At one point in 1986 the hospital didn’t want to release Lew they felt he needed more care than she could provide.  That is when the hospital learned it wasn’t good to rile Mary up, and after the dust settled Mary brought Lew home where she looked after him.  Lew left this world on April 13, 2021 in his 98th year, Lew and Mary had been married almost 73 years by then.

     All the time I’ve known Mary she has been the one doing the driving, even when Lew was still alive.  Mary was pretty well known as a bit of a speed demon.  If the two of us were leaving the legion at the same time I used to wait until she left to avoid slowing her down on her way home.  Now over the last few years Mary has slowed down a lot and no longer drives at night, but just recently she had her licence renewed for another year.

     Now if I was to try to describe Mary, to help you form a picture  your mind I would describe her like this.  I would guess that she would be about five foot four, white curly hair, glasses if not on her face hanging down on her chest with the string running behind her neck, I would say she probably looks about twenty years younger than she is, and she has a lovely smile when she’s not trying to outplay you at Cribbage or Euchre.  She’s a determined lady who knows what she knows, and although I don’t know how far she went in school, she is wise from a life well lived.  Not too much that she hasn’t seen in her days.

     Now some of the Legend that circles around Mary, she is a Cribbage and Euchre Shark, and she is very competitive.  Now having said that she showed me tremendous patience while I was learning the game of Cribbage.  I suspect that Mary has recruited more new members for the Restoule Legion than anyone else.  When she brought me an application for the legion, well I didn’t get the impression it was optional.  I had quickly sensed that Mary was someone that I definitely wanted on my side.  Now there is some talk about some young guy once accusing Mary of cheating at Cards,  well lets just say that there was an altercation after that.  Mary never said too much about that, and I didn’t ask, but she did make mention of talking to a judge once and I suspected those two things might have been connected.  Refer back to the earlier comment about wanting Mary on your side.  Now there also is the stories about Lew running over Mary in the driveway once, and another time where Mary ran over Lew.  Yes after hearing those stories I would have been a little nervous to stand in their driveway when one of them was behind the wheel in their old silver Saturn SUV.  Mary kept her Hunting Licence well into her nineties, not sure when the last time she used it was, but I always considered her armed and dangerous.

     Over the time she lived down the road from me I would drop off the occasional Jigsaw Puzzle for Mary, always the 1,000 piece ones that she and friends would work on.  I would call around sometimes in the afternoon so Mary and I could share cup of tea and get a few Crib games in.  I enjoyed the crib games, although I suspected she went easy on me, but more than that I enjoyed her company and hearing her stories of times gone by.  Mary is a living history book of what had gone on in the Hotham area, and she knows just about everyone, and everyone knows her.  Although she can be as tough as nails, there is also a softer kinder side of her that I don’t think everyone gets to see.

     Sadly an era may be coming to an end.  Mary turns 95 shortly and she is coming to the conclusion that perhaps its time for her to move to move from her home to a seniors residence.  As I type this up she has temporarily moved out of her home into the Trout Creek Senior’s Residence, to try it out for a month.  She likes that they will do her laundry and meals, and I think she is looking forward to having company around her.  Even with all her visitors I think Mary found the days long and she was getting lonely.   When she spoke to me about it she said that if she decides to stay there she will miss her independence.  

     It seemed to me that Mary was the Matriarch of the area, and although I am no longer there I am saddened by the thought of this Matriarch moving away.  She was a large part of the whole experience of us living where we did, she was also one of the many reasons why we loved living there.  Although Mary may not live there anymore her presence will still be felt there for many, many years to come.  She will live on in the stories shared by neighbours around the legion tables on the Friday night pizza nights.  The legend of Mary lives on, and I am fortunate that I get to call her a trusted and well loved friend.

[tamanna31]

Industry Outlook of North America Small Kitchen Appliances Market 2024 Trends to 2030

North America Small Kitchen Appliances Industry Overview

The North America small kitchen appliances market size was estimated at USD 10.66 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% from 2024 to 2030. Consumers are increasingly opting for appliances that can save time and effort in meal preparation, leading to a surge in the popularity of multi-functional and automated appliances in the region. Moreover, the growing number of single-person households and smaller living spaces are also contributing to the demand for compact and space-efficient appliances that can fit into limited kitchen areas.

The preference for home-cooked meals among Americans has experienced a notable surge, marking a significant lifestyle shift following lockdown periods. This change in behavior has spurred considerable market growth for small kitchen appliances. With more individuals opting to cook at home, there is an increased demand for appliances that facilitate convenient and efficient meal preparation. From air fryers to slow cookers, these small kitchen appliances have become essential tools for individuals looking to create homemade meals that are both convenient and nutritious.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the North America Small Kitchen Appliances Market

A survey conducted by the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) in 2023 revealed significant shifts in Americans' grocery shopping habits, particularly in their cooking behaviors. While there has been a slight decrease since its peak in 2020 and 2021, a substantial 81% of consumers are still cooking more than half of their meals at home. This trend is largely driven by the desire to save money and maintain control over their budgets, with 64% of Americans citing these reasons.

Many individuals have gained confidence in their cooking skills during lockdowns and are now seeking inspiration to prepare healthier meals at home. To aid in this endeavor, more people are turning to online grocery shopping and social media platforms for recipe ideas and ingredient usage tips. In addition, the survey found that 45% of consumers rely on air fryers, while 43% utilize slow cookers for cooking and meal preparation.

Browse through Grand View Research's Electronic & Electrical Industry Research Reports.

The global hair dryer market sizewas estimated at USD 8.72 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2024 to 2030.

The global portable bluetooth speaker market sizewas estimated at USD 12.90 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.7% from 2024 to 2030. 

Key North America Small Kitchen Appliances Company Insights

The North America small kitchen appliances industry is fragmented in nature, attributed to the presence of many small, regional companies that are introducing smart multi-functional appliances with attractive product designs and specifications to cater to diverse consumer preferences.

Key manufacturers are working toward increasing the availability of small kitchen appliances in retail and online stores. Moreover, these manufacturers are constantly striving to develop new and improved products that offer enhanced functionality, energy efficiency, and ease of use. This has led to the emergence of smart appliances, which can be controlled and monitored through smartphones or other connected devices, providing users with greater control and convenience.

Ninja (SharkNinja, LLC) and GE Appliances (Haier Company) are the dominant players operating in the North America dishwasher market.

Ninja (SharkNinja, LLC) sells its products through a variety of trade channels, with a significant portion dependent upon retail partnerships through both traditional brick-and-mortar retail channels and e-commerce channels. As of December 2023, the company partnered with 42 retailers across the United States and over 140 retailers globally. Their largest retailers include Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, each of which accounted for more than 10% of their net sales and together made up around 45% of their net sales for the year 2023.

GE Appliances (Haier Company) has a significant presence both domestically in the U.S. and internationally. The company's workforce operates in nine manufacturing plants spanning five states, manufacturing a wide range of small kitchen appliances that find their way into half of all households across the U.S.

Key North America Small Kitchen Appliances Companies:

Ninja (SharkNinja, LLC)

Hamilton Beach

GE Appliances (a Haier Company)

Panasonic Corporation

Cuisinart

SMEG USA, Inc

Tefal S.A.S. (T-fal)

Bella Housewares (Gather)

Russell Hobbs (Spectrum brands)

Kenmore (Transform Holdco LLC)

Recent Developments

In March 2024, KitchenAid unveiled its latest appliance, the automatic grain and rice cooker, which introduces a convenient solution for cooking grains and beans. With 21 presets available, users can prepare a variety of grains effortlessly, eliminating the need for constant measuring or supervision. The appliance accurately dispenses the required amount of water based on the grains added, streamlining the cooking process.

In March 2024, HUROM introduced its latest innovation: the H320 Slow Juicer. Designed to meet the discerning needs of juicing enthusiasts worldwide, the H320 Slow Juicer embodies meticulous engineering to deliver ultra-low pulp juice. Despite its advanced features, loading and preparation remain exceptionally convenient, ensuring a seamless juicing experience for users.

In January 2024, Bosch Home Appliances, a renowned home appliances brand, introduced its latest innovation, a line of countertop Fully Automatic Espresso Machines. Recognized as a CES 2024 Innovation Award Honoree in the smart home category, these machines promise premium-quality coffee and a diverse array of beverage options, all easily accessible with a simple touch on the intuitive Active Select Display.

Order a free sample PDF of the North America Small Kitchen Appliances Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 18

Faith

Six Months Ago

“What do you think of this one?” I asked Zeke, stepping out of the changing room in the store on the Santa Monica Promenade. I wore a blue sequin dress that offered a small peak at my budding cleavage and stopped just above the knees, alongside navy platform heels and opal earrings with a matching necklace. 

Zeke blinked, looking up from his JSA trade paperback as he sat in a stark metal chair in the white-painted section of changing rooms cut off from the rest of the store. An old show tune I didn’t recognize played on the overhead speaker. He looked at me carefully, as if considering his words. 

“Well?” I said, waiting for his opinion, disappointed he wasn’t checking out my legs or my boobs. Dammit, weren’t guys supposed to be unsubtle? No fair. 

“How in the hell do you intend to walk in those stilts?” he finally said. 

“Really? That’s all you’ve got to say?” I said. 

“You look gorgeous,” Zeke said. 

I stammered. 

“But seriously- how can you walk in those?” 

I cocked (heh) a cocky (heheheheh) grin and put a hand on my hip and said, “Oh I’m gonna do more than walk in these things.” I swayed my hips as I sauntered over to him and offered him a hand up with a hammy flourish. “I’m gonna DANCE!”

“You cannot be serious,” he said, in monotone. 

“I’m as serious as a delinquent student loan payment, Underhill,” I said. “Now dance with me, boy.”

“I have no idea how to dance, Faithy,” he laughed awkwardly. 

“Then I’ll show you how,” I said. “C’mon. It’ll be good for our gimmick.”

He sighed, then took my hand and stood up. 

“Now put your hands on my hips,” I said. 

“W-what?”

“Just do it, you baby,” I said. 

Then, as if on cue, the song on the overhead speaker changed to ‘La Vie En Rose.’ Couldn’t have asked for a better bit of serendipity. 

With that, I walked him through the steps of the Waltz- nothing too complicated, but still- his hands on my body, the two of us moving as one while I hummed a tune. I felt more connected to him than I had before, like our hearts were beating in sync, like together we were finally keeping rhythm with the turn of the world. And he had that goofy grin on his face the whole time, which as far as I was concerned made him the most handsome man in the world.

***

Present Day

I drove, and I drove, and I drove, until I found myself in Gardena. The sun was still high in the sky, but the heat was beginning to dissipate for the day as I parked in front of Olivia’s two-story building. I locked the Star-Rocket Racer and stomped up to Olivia’s apartment, hoping to God she was home. 

I knocked, and the subsequent thirty seconds I spent waiting were some of the longest and most painful of my entire life. My heart was racing, my hands shaking, my whole world feeling like it was slipping away. 

I can’t believe I told him.

I can’t believe I’d expected the conversation to go any other way than how it did. 

And the hell was Kate thinking?!

Finally, the door opened, and my ex-girlfriend stood on the other side. “Hey? What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you,” I said. 

She beckoned me inside without hesitation and sat me on the couch and brought me a glass of water. “Drink,” she commanded. 

I downed it all in one go, then looked around. Olivia’s place was nice- clean red couches atop a carpeted floor, Japanese landscape paintings hanging from the walls, a mahogany coffee table and a maplewood dinner table. Everything was clean and polished, just like she was. Just like she’d always been. I admired it about her- it was honestly a big part of why I’d chosen the gimmick that I had. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, sitting on a plush chair next to the couch. 

I told her. Everything. 

“Oh, wow,” was her response.

“Yeah,” I said, wincing as my voice dropped into a low growl. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why?’ You know perfectly well why!”

“No, I really don’t. It sounds like he took it relatively well.”

“Yeah, but now things are super awkward, like you said they’d be,” I pointed out. 

“You don’t actually know that, though,” Olivia said. “You walked away from him.”

“I’m pretty sure-”

“You can’t make assumptions about things like this,” Olivia said. “Take it from me. I assumed that you would never wanna speak to me again after… I did what I did. But we’re talking right now. I could have made that happen any time in the last year. But I was too stubborn and too proud and too scared to face you and apologize.”

I buried my face in my hands. “Shit.”

“I gotta admit though,” Olivia said, running her fingers over her glass of water, “I’m pissed at Calloway for putting you in that position.”

“I mean… I kinda put myself in that position.”

“Okay, but like… Calloway goaded you,” she said, clenching and unclenching her fists. “Like she always does. She’s unbelievable, the way she makes people do crazy shit is so freaking annoying.”

“That’s not what happened- did you even listen to what I said?” I asked.

“Of course I listened- and I heard that she forced your hand.”

“I don’t really think that that’s fair to her,” I said. 

“Why are you so concerned with what’s fair to her? She stole your man and now she’s ruining your relationship with your best friend.”

“He’s not actually my man, though, and he never has been,” I said. “And I ruined it myself through my own cowardice- Kate doesn’t really have that much to do with it.”

“I just… Don’t believe that,” Olivia shook her head. 

The water of my sorrow froze into a solid glacier of anger. She was making this about… But why was she…  

No, I know why. It’s simple: petulance. You’ve always had a problem with that, Olivia.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said, letting the glacier gather more mass.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Did you take that picture of Kate two weeks back?”

Olivia balked, then looked away from me, then back to me. She sat on her hands and furrowed her brow and said,“I don’t see how that’s relevant to the current conversation.”

The glacier devoured more and more of the water, expanding in size each second. “Answer the question.”

“You seriously think I would do that?”

“I think you really, really hate Kate because she wounded your pride,” I said. “And I get that, I used to be the same way-”

“So what changed?”

“Kate did,” I said. “A lot.”

“Uh-huh. She’s changed so much that she’s put you in this state.”

“You still haven’t answered my question, Olivia,” I said. 

“No!” she shouted suddenly. “I didn’t take the picture. Eileen Portman did- I tried to convince her to delete it, to not post it, because quite honestly Calloway is the center of attention too much already, but she wanted to do it for the sake of psychological warfare. She’s a huge bitch. I haven’t even spoken to her since that happened because frankly I’m disgusted with her. I’m disgusted with a lot of people right now.”

I breathed in and out. The glacier slowly began to melt. “Okay. Okay. I’ll accept that. Thank you.”

“I… You’re welcome,” she said.  “Look, I’m sorry for fixating on Calloway- I know I need to stop doing that, she just gets under my skin.”

“You might actually like her if you got to know her,” I said. 

“I don’t particularly WANT to get to know her,” Olivia said. 

The glacier expanded once more. What was it about that, about what she was saying, that was pissing me off so much? It didn’t make sense- I should be depressed, angst-ridden, ready to humiliate myself and beg Olivia to let me rebound with her for an evening of pity-sex. But every second I was here, I was getting more and more FURIOUS about how she refused to think about anything other than her rivalry with Kate. And yeah, Kate had definitely poured gasoline on that fire, but it seemed like every time I talked to Olivia, or heard about Olivia, she was bitching about Kate, but Kate didn’t talk about Olivia at all. She barely spared a thought for her in any capacity after the call-out she’d pulled a few weeks back. The call-out that had given her a panic attack and the final push she’d needed to escape from her eggshell. 

I couldn’t help but think it was revealing on both their parts. 

“I should go,” I said after a moment’s silence. “I need to hash things out with Zeke- we both need to get our heads back in the game, if nothing else.”

“A-are you sure?” Olivia said, sounding genuinely surprised. 

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m sure. Have a nice night, Liv. I’ll see you at work on Friday.”

Nothing made sense. I’d come here hoping for something resembling clarity and only left vastly more confused than when I’d started. I climbed into the Star-Rocket Racer and checked my phone before turning the car on. 

One new message from Kate. 

‘Can you come over to my place?’

I stared at it for five minutes, the ice in my chest melting and dissolving back into my blood, before I finally responded with a simple ‘k.’

The drive over was a long, slow, silent march through rush hour traffic, but as the sun began to set I finally parked in the lot behind Surf Turf Apparel. I knocked, and Mrs. Calloway answered. “They’re upstairs, waiting for you,” she said, beckoning me inside. 

Oh God, both of them?! Okay, deep breaths, Faith. Time to stop running, time to stop being a damn coward, and face the music. 

As I ascended the stairs, I heard music: ‘La Vie En Rose’ by Edith Pilaf. I entered the living room and saw Zeke and Kate waltzing… BADLY. Kate kept stepping on Zeke’s feet, and Zeke seemed to have no idea where to put his hands on someone who was much taller than I was. They both looked like they were in constant danger of falling over onto the floor. 

“You’re here!” Kate said, breaking away from Zeke and wrapping her arms around me. 

I didn’t question it, or hesitate, I just accepted it and hugged back. “Yeah. What’s, uh, what’s going on here?”

“My dancing lesson!” Kate beamed, pumping up and down on the balls of her feet. “Will you teach me? Zeke’s not the best instructor.”

“Understatement,” he laughed, taking a seat on the couch. “Please help this poor young woman- this is one of those situations where I can’t give her what she needs, beyond moral support.”

I choked back tears. “Okay. But you owe me a dance for this, Underhill.”

“I’ll always be ready to dance with you, Faithy,” he said. He winced. “Sorry, I meant Faith-”

“No, it’s fine,” I said, cracking a smile. “You can still call me that. I like it.”

“Okay,” he said, that goofy grin that made me fall for him sprouting on his face. 

I turned to Kate and offered her my hand, “Will you take this waltz with me, mademoiselle?”

“Oui, d’accord!” Kate said, wiggling with joy.

I tilted my head at her. 

“What?” she said. “I took French in high school.”

“Fair enough,” I chuckled. 

I put my hands on her hips and she put hers around my neck, and I walked her through the steps of the dance. The song changed, yet it remained the same, switching to an English cover I’d heard before: 

“Hold me close and hold me fast

This magic spell you cast

This is La Vie En Rose

When you kiss me Heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see La Vie En Rose.”

“Did he put you up to this?” I said to her, struggling to break eye contact with those big baby blues. 

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head playfully. “All me. Except the song. That was his doing.”

“I figured as much,” I said, before looking over to him sitting on the couch with naked affection emanating from his face and posture. “I’m amazed you remembered that detail, with the song and everything.”

“How could I forget our first dance?” he said.

It was all he needed to say, and it made my heart sing and my soul shine. 

And at the same time, as I turned my gaze back to my current dance partner, something… Stirred within me. Something long neglected. Kate had done all this for me. In her own home, no less. After already going out of her way to help me prepare for my next fight, after putting up with my crap all day, after letting me confess my feelings to her boyfriend, all she could think about was… Was helping me. I used to look down on her, condescendingly think that of course I was a better person than her, but… Honestly, I wished I was anywhere near as good as she was. 

Except for dancing. I was definitely better at dancing than she was. She kept stepping on my feet and nearly falling over for two songs in a row, but by the third, by the time ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ started playing, she began to fall into the rhythm, her body moving in time with mine, flowing together like two tributaries joining into a single river. And as we got closer and closer, there was a moment where something flipped on for me like a light switch and I… 

… And my gaze drifted from her eyes to her lips, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss her. 

For good or for ill, that was when Zeke stood up and said, “Mind if I cut in? I have an apology to deliver.”

“Not one bit,” Kate said, pulling away. She was lying, though. I could see it in her downcast expression and slumped shoulders- she was hurting herself, trying to fix things between Zeke and I while not paying any heed to what it might do to her relationship. 

Because she… Because she sincerely thought it was the right thing to do, because she thought I had a better claim on Zeke than she did. 

I grabbed her by the back of her top and said, “Wait.”

Zeke looked back and forth between the two of us, the proverbial deer in headlights torn between fight, flight, and freeze. I drew a deep breath. It was time to stop being a damn coward. “Why don’t the three of us… All dance together?”

Zeke blinked rapidly. 

Kate, however… Well, she’d never been one to hesitate. “I’d love that!”

“Y-you would?” Zeke stammered. 

“I like dancing with you,” she said to him, taking him by the wrist in one hand. Then she turned to me and grabbed my wrist in her other hand and said, “And with you as well.”

I could have cried. I could have sang. But all I wanted to do was dance. And I knew I wanted to dance with both of them, preferably at the same time. Even if you’d put a gun to my head and forced me to pick one, at that point, on that night, in that room, I honestly don’t think I would have been able to. 

“It’s… It’s a little unorthodox. What you’re suggesting,” Zeke said.

“It doesn’t have to… Mean anything, outside this room, or after tonight, if that’s not what you two want,” Faith said. “It can just be… A dance. We can just see how it goes. I-i-f you’re both feeling up to it.”

Zeke’s mouth couldn’t seem to close all the way, and his eyes were unwilling to blink. His adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped, and I felt the slight tremble in his hands. He felt guilty, I could sense it. Like he was in an impossible position, like if he waded out any further into this water he’d wind up losing himself and turning into his father. But I didn’t believe that. He was a better man than the one who’d raised him, and he wanted to do right by the women in his life. “Okay,” he whispered. 

“Okay?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady and even. 

“OKAY!” Kate squealed. God, she was adorable. 

Fly Me to the Moon shifted into a cover song version, the lyrics starting over and the melody changing to a simple acoustic guitar rendition. The three of us stumbled around on the living room floor together as we tried to figure out how this would work, the three of us all at once, keeping time and trying to stop our limbs from knotting together like a pretzel. So we didn’t put too much pressure on it- we simply kept track of our own movements, and kept our eyes on each other. Three tributaries flowing into one river, joining in a single flow towards a single point. 

“Fill my heart with song and let me sing forevermore

You are all I long for

All I worship and adore

In other words, please be true

In other words, I love you.”

***

Hello, lovelies! Hope y'all are doing well :)

Don't forget you can read three chapters ahead on this story, twenty chapters ahead on "A Dream of Summer Rain", and two chapters ahead on "Magical Girl Exorcist Squad", by becoming a paid subscriber on my Substack or my Patreon!

If that's too steep for you but you'd still like to support my work, consider making a one-time donation via Ko-Fi:

[equalonline]

What You Must Know About Choosing The Right Ladder

Most people, in and out of the trade, use different types of aluminum ladders on a daily basis. For households it can be a step ladder to reach higher shelves, changing the bulb, or even changing smoke detector batteries.

For the DIY projects typically embrace extended reaches. It can be as easy as splitting a panel (I would like my arms were longer) to assembling an elevated deck. Here, the necessity for various ladder types exists, depending on the work on hand.

For the professional, it’s a ladder collection like Step, extension, and multi-purpose ladders are all required. In some cases, scaffolds and pump jacks match the bill. Therefore here may be a primer on the criteria once choosing a ladder.

Types of Ladder

This may seem to be such a basic question, however different ladders are designed to securely guide you through different project types. Finding and choosing the correct ladder is your first step (pun intended) to obtaining the correct tool for the work.

Some basic types embrace household ladder, industrial ladder, multipurpose ladder and scaffolding ladder, telescopic ladder (a must-have specialty item that saves professionals on Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines). The list will prolong with specialty ladders like attic ladders, step stools, rolling ladders as well as accessories that create your ladder do more.

First, let’s take a glance at the four most common ladder types:

Household Ladder

Have you shifted to your new home recently? From cleansing up the spider net on the ceiling, fixing the bulb or changing the curtains, a ladder is required to do some basic work at home. Imagine not having a ladder for home; going to those zones would be such a frightening task. Explore EQUAL household Ladder to search out a perfect ladder to fit your needs.

Many people have a basic step ladder or a ladder reception to induce the essential jobs done, wherever a little bit of extra height would facilitate. Our ladder must be helpful for doing all such ménage work with ease.

Industrial Ladder

The industrial ladder is the strongest sort of ladder that you can buy. These types of ladders are designed for onsite use and are designed to be in use perpetually. An industrial ladder is a superb alternative for the one that has to work on-site constantly.

EQUAL industrial ladders follow the EN131 standard for safety and build with T5 grade aluminum. EN131 is the most important certification for any ladder because it is that the sole way to make sure that the ladder meets the security requirement for trade and domestic use.

Multipurpose Ladder

A multipurpose ladder is a must for any tradesperson – multi-functional, economical and infrequently cost-efficient, they’re one amongst the top items of kit we suggest. Any ladder than may be accustomed to accomplish the tasks of 2 or more kinds of the ladder is taken into account multi-purpose.

Scaffolding Ladder

Scaffolding Ladder allows you to store the tool more expeditiously while also adding the flexibility of adjusting the peak as required. Different variations of this tool are straight, or hole ladders, which are the only section wherever a collection length is used over and over (think library ladders for the employment of one-height needed)

Extension rung locks take the bulk of the abuse on this ladder-type and may contribute to early failure. Some corporations are using advanced polymers to strengthen this key part. Polymers have replaced steel and aluminium in several applications nowadays, together with cars and trucks.

Telescopic Ladder

This aluminum telescopic ladder has been designed to telescope and retract succinctly, making it easy to store and maintain around the home. The extension is simple to use, and additionally, the retraction is usually created with a lock at the foot, that closes the ladder with a no-pinch system. It has been manufactured to a trade normal which will be used by each industrial contractor and for at-home projects. The Extension & Climb ladder may be a wise and easier-to-use solution to chunky ladders. This ladder is lightweight and durable as a result it has been designed especially for simple transportation.

It features an integrated carrying handle that produces transport and storage even easier. The telescoping ladder has been designed to be time-saving and easy to use. It features applied science designs and lockup tabs for safe and secure use. That’s why it's nice for each house or business. It’s manufactured from aircraft-grade aluminum alloy for strength and sturdiness. This ladder is definite to look at you through every job or task you've got at home or work.

The main advantage of telescopic ladder is the simple fact they can be simply stored. The sleek style means they can be slotted right down to a size smaller than a deck chair, creating them excellent for putting in the rear of a work van, a small storage cupboard or a shed.

We have designed our telescopic ladders to be as compact as doable, we have a tendency to additionally put in Associate in the nursing anti-pinch system to safeguard your fingers. All of our telescopic ladders are created from aluminum which means they are terribly light-weight, this makes them glorious for transporting, domestic use, industrial use, and for a great deal of. The aluminum does not simply make the telescopic ladders durable and lightweight, they additionally mean they need a rust-resistant surface.

Ladder Height

That’s right; there are two factors to think about while selecting the correct ladder. However, they’re calculated depends on the kind of ladder that you are using.

Step ladders would come with the length of the ladder once open likewise as a maximum height you wish to reach, calculated for an average person’s height of 5’9” with a vertical reach of 12”.

So if you recognize how high you wish to reach, let’s say 10’, you would doubtless purchase a 6’ step ladder permitting you to safely stand virtually 4’ on top of the ground.

Selecting a ladder height is a combination of Step ladder size, approximate highest standing level, and maximum reach.

Extension ladders have a number of different concerns. Here, the utmost operating ladder length and highest standing level come in to play, based on similar physical characteristics of the individual delineate above.

Since there's a user-defined angle of use on a ladder, an overlap of the sections and also the projection of the ladder on top of the lean point, selecting the correct product here could be a bit trickier.

Weight Capacity

Most of the house users do not need a heavy duty ladder. Professionals, in distinction, need to ensure the ladder they use will support them and their tools. This can be all simply resolved by knowing what duty ratings really are.

Duty rating is a class assigned to an aluminium ladder. It’s a way to simply tell how much total weight a ladder can bear in each of its steps without any risk. It’s written in Roman Numerals going from lighter loads to heavier ones. They begin at III and head to I, then adding IA and IAA for even heavier loads.

Remember that these ratings include all of the load the ladder can support. Some individuals make the mistake of mounting a ladder because they’re below the assigned weight limit, not pondering the serious tools they’re carrying.

Here’s a duty rating reference chart:

TYPE IAA – 375 lbs. Load Capacity | Professional Use | Extra Heavy Duty | Suitable for MRO and Industrial construction

TYPE IA – 300 lbs. Load Capacity | Professional Use | Heavy Duty Use | Suitable for Roofing, Building Maintenance

TYPE I - 250 lbs. Load Capacity | Industrial Use | Heavy Duty Use | Suitable for Building Maintenance, Sheetrock

TYPE II – 225 lbs. Load Capacity | Commercial Use | Medium Duty | Light commercial and General Repair | Painting & Cleaning and Household Usability

TYPE III – 200 lbs. Load Capacity | Household Use | Light Duty | Light Cleaning and Painting

Weight Capacity

EQUAL ladders make all types including step, extension, multipurpose, scaffolding, and telescopic using the aluminum material. Here are some features of aluminum:

Lightweight

Long-lasting Construction

Resists Corrosion

Ideal for Painting, Roofing, and Siding

They are not suited to use near electricity, as they are conductive, and doing so may cause accidents

At the end of the day, choosing the correct ladder starts with thinking about what kind of job you’re going to be using it for. Then ensure you’ve taken all of the previous steps to confirm your product won't underperform, or, on the opposite hand, you’ll purchase a ladder with features that you simply won’t ever be using or plain previous overspending thanks to a lack of knowledge.

Interesting Facts About Ladder

Ladders are one of the oldest and widely used devices that change us to achieve high places and points safely. Despite its presence, though, not many of us apprehend a lot regarding it and sometimes take it and its safe use for granted.

It is assumed that ladders have been in use since the Mesolithic era, about 10,000 years ago.

Falling off a ladder is the most common injury a person can suffer from while climbing a ladder.

There are more than 21 types of rigid ladders available in the market.

John H. Balsley invented the first folding stepladder in 1892.

Aluminum is the most common material used in the manufacturing ladder.

Thanks for reading this. We are the leading manufacturer of aluminum ladders, platform trolleys, and weighing scales. If you have any questions, let us know. 

[blueweave8]

Asia Pacific Pet Food Market Scope, Demand, Forecast 2023-2030

BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market size by value at USD 28.93 billion in 2023. During the forecast period between 2024 and 2030, BlueWeave expects the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market size to expand at a CAGR of 12.45% reaching a value of USD 65.71 billion by 2030. The Pet Food Market in Asia Pacific is propelled by the surge in pet ownership, rising awareness regarding pet health and wellbeing, and an upswing in online pet product sales. Leading market players are introducing plant-based pet food and allergen-free products, addressing the ethical concerns of vegans and vegetarians who live with both carnivorous and omnivorous pets. Notably, companies in the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market are prioritizing research and development initiatives to introduce innovative, high-quality pet food products. Simultaneously, pet food manufacturers are shifting towards using more protein-rich tissue and reducing the inclusion of fatty tissue and tallow. The increase in pet ownership, coupled with a growing demand for high-quality and premium pet food products, presents substantial opportunities for the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market. This strategic emphasis on research and development aims to ensure sustained business growth beyond the peak of the pandemic, aligning with the evolving preferences of consumers and market demands.

By volume, BlueWeave estimated the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market size at 12.24 million metric tons in 2023. During the forecast period between 2024 and 2030, BlueWeave expects the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market size by volume is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.78% reaching the volume of 15.76 million metric tons by 2030. The Asia Pacific region stands out as the home to a greater number of pet dogs and cats than any other region, boasting an estimated nearly 300 million of these pets in households. This figure surpasses the count in North America by approximately 100 million. In 2022, the Asia Pacific region witnessed the revival of two significant pet food events: Pet Fair SEA, which took place in Bangkok, Thailand in October, and Pet Fair Asia, held in Shenzhen, China, in November. These trade shows not only facilitated global participation, with visitors from over 60 countries, but also provided insights into how trends such as humanization, nutrition, health, and the emergence of innovative processes and ingredients are shaping the Asia Pacific pet food market.

Opportunities: Thriving e-commerce sector

Globally, pet food stands out as one of the most rapidly expanding online categories, following closely behind infant and baby nutrition. Pet e-commerce platforms hold substantial growth potential, positioning themselves as a formidable distribution channel, second only to physical retail stores. Mars Petcare, a prominent player in the Chinese pet food market, collaborates with leading e-commerce platforms like Tmall, JD, and Amazon. The company plans to increase investments in online channels and intensify research into pet owners' shopping habits and preferences. The surge in pet ownership has spurred the rise of pet startups in developing nations such as India, exemplified by BarkNBond—an app facilitating the discovery of pet-related essentials. A surge in the number of android and internet users, coupled with innovative e-commerce marketing strategies, fuels a global uptick in pet food sales.

Sample Request @ https://www.blueweaveconsulting.com/report/asia-pacific-pet-food-market/report-sample

Impact of Escalating Geopolitical Tensions on Asia Pacific Pet Food Market

The Asia Pacific Pet Food Market confronts significant repercussions amid rising global geopolitical tensions, notably influenced by the United States-China trade war. This sector, integral to the region's economic dynamics, resonates with the broader international trade landscape. The trade conflict has particularly disrupted pet food exports, prompting a shift in consumer preferences among Chinese pet owners. Escalating tariffs have led to increased costs for imported United States pet food, fostering a reconsideration of domestic and alternative sources, such as those from New Zealand, France, and Canada. This geopolitical turmoil extends its impact to pet food ingredients, with heightened tariffs affecting various components. As the United States-China trade war unfolds, the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market finds itself navigating complex challenges and transformative shifts.

Asia Pacific Pet Food Market

Asia Pacific Pet Food Market – By Distribution Channel

By distribution channel, the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market is divided into Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Specialty Pet Food Stores, and Online Channels segments. The online channels segment holds the highest share in the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market by distribution channel. The robust internet connectivity across Asia Pacific is elevating the role of e-commerce platforms as a highly efficient distribution channel for pet food sales. Consumers in developing nations prioritize convenience, affluence, and exclusivity, fostering a significant market for pet wellness products. There is a heightened sense of safety and market awareness among consumers, contributing to the growing demand for pet food. With market forces and widespread connectivity, the overall market is anticipated to experience significant growth. The preference for branded products over local alternatives has further reinforced the reliance on e-commerce platforms for access to top-quality pet products, a trend amplified by the increasing phenomenon of pet humanization.

Asia Pacific Pet Food Market – By Country

The in-depth research report on the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market covers the market in the region’s major countries including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Rest of APAC. China region holds the highest share in the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market. It is primarily due to China's high pet population and escalating demand and the expansive scale of China's pet economy. It is primarily due to its extensive pet population, accounting for a significant portion of the regional market. The China’s leadership position is propelled by escalating demand and the expansive scale of China's pet economy. The number of pet food manufacturers has tripled in the past five years, and advancements in producing refined and diverse functional pet food contribute to this trend. Despite lower pet penetration than the United States, China's high pet consumption and evolving market trends solidify its leading position.

Competitive Landscape

The Asia Pacific Pet Food Market is fragmented, with numerous players serving the market. The key players dominating the Asia Pacific Pet Food Market include ADM, Charoen Pokphand Group, Colgate-Palmolive Company (Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.), FARMINA PET FOODS, General Mills Inc, IB Group (Drools Pet Food Pvt Ltd), Mars Incorporated, Nestle (Purina), Schell & Kampeter Inc. (Diamond Pet Foods), and Virbac. The key marketing strategies adopted by the players are facility expansion, product diversification, alliances, collaborations, partnerships, and acquisitions to expand their customer reach and gain a competitive edge in the overall market.

Contact Us:

BlueWeave Consulting & Research Pvt. Ltd

+1 866 658 6826 | +1 425 320 4776 | +44 1865 60 0662

info@blueweaveconsulting.com

[earnonlinespce]

Introduction

In a world where digital connectivity is at its peak, the prospect of earning money online from the comfort of your home has become increasingly viable and attractive. Many individuals are seeking ways to leverage their skills and time for financial gain. If you're wondering how to embark on this journey, this guide is here to walk you through diverse opportunities, offering insights and tips for a successful online venture. theshoppingspace

Identify Your Skills and Interests

The first step in earning online is to identify your skills and interests. Assess what you excel at and what you genuinely enjoy doing. This self-awareness will be crucial in finding opportunities that align with your passions, making the journey more fulfilling and sustainable.

Explore Freelancing Platforms

Freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer offer a plethora of opportunities in various domains. Create a compelling profile that highlights your skills, experience, and unique selling propositions. Clients are often searching for reliable freelancers, and a well-crafted profile can significantly boost your chances of securing projects.

Start a Blog or Website

For those with a knack for writing or a passion to share valuable insights, starting a blog or website can be a rewarding venture. Choose a niche that resonates with you, create engaging content, and explore monetization strategies such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and ad revenue.

Online Courses and E-learning

The demand for online education is soaring, presenting an excellent opportunity for those with expertise in a particular field. Platforms like Udemy and Teachable allow you to create and sell online courses, sharing your knowledge with a global audience.

Remote Work Opportunities

Remote work has become a prevalent trend, opening doors for individuals to work for companies worldwide. Explore job boards and websites dedicated to remote opportunities, ensuring you find a position that aligns with your skills and preferences.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves promoting products or services and earning a commission for every sale generated through your referral. Choose products relevant to your audience and effectively market them through your blog, social media, or other online channels.

Virtual Assistance

Virtual assistants play a crucial role in supporting businesses remotely. Develop skills such as communication, organization, and time management to thrive in this role. Platforms like Time Etc and Belay connect virtual assistants with businesses seeking assistance.

E-commerce and Dropshipping

For those interested in selling physical products, e-commerce and dropshipping provide viable options. Set up an online store, source products, and leverage dropshipping to fulfill orders without managing inventory.

Content Creation on Social Media

Social media platforms offer a dynamic space for content creators to showcase their talent. Whether it's through videos, images, or written content, build a strong presence and explore monetization options such as sponsored posts, brand partnerships, and affiliate marketing.

Stock Photography and Videos

If you have a knack for photography or videography, platforms like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock allow you to sell your creations. Build a portfolio and contribute high-quality visuals to attract potential buyers.

Remote Consulting

Offering consultancy services in your area of expertise can be a lucrative online venture. Establish yourself as an authority in your niche, and use platforms like Clarity.fm to connect with individuals seeking guidance.

Investing and Trading

While it requires careful consideration and education, online investing and trading can be a source of passive income. Understand the basics, start small, and always conduct thorough research before making financial decisions.

Stay Updated on Trends

The online landscape is dynamic, with trends evolving rapidly. Stay informed about industry trends, emerging technologies, and changes in consumer behavior to adapt your approach and remain competitive.

Conclusion

Embarking on the journey of earning online at home offers a world of possibilities. From freelancing and blogging to e-commerce and consulting, the options are diverse and cater to various skill sets. Take the time to explore, experiment, and find the path that aligns with your passions and goals. The digital realm is full of opportunities waiting to be explored, and with dedication and creativity, you can turn your online venture into a fulfilling and lucrative endeavor.