#fractional property ownership | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mesetacadre · 2 months

Note

Does socialist theory have any use for classes based on wealth/income? (rich/poor as opposed to bourgeoisie/proletariat)

Short answer: kinda but not really

Long answer: Classes in marxist theory are exclusively defined by the objective relationship of the subject to the property of the means of production and to the organization of labor, in capitalism it being mostly salary work. From these objective and economic relationships spring the classes of the proletariat, the bourgeoisie, the petit-bourgeoisie, the lumpen-proletariat, artisans...

Income, while highly correlated with one's position in class society, is not the defining trait of the subject, but the consequence's of the individual's conditions and specific relationship to their own work. Income itself is just the remuneration for a part of the labor-power that one exerts, or for the value created by others' labor-power that you exploit by virtue of having private ownership of the means of production. In neither of these cases is income the cause of one's class, but a consequence of it.

What a "class" analysis based on income gets you is the inability to actually strike at the core of what organizes class society. For example, the income-based analysis most radical liberals and social-democrats prefer to use (while still choosing to appropriate marxist terminology like "owning class") does not allow them to properly identify the exploitative nature of small businesses, thus, you'll see them rallying against Big Capital while their beloved family-owned small business commits labor law violations on the daily with 11 hour workdays for minimum wage. The income of the petit-bourgeoise is not that great, it's still higher than an average salary worker, but small enough that recessions or the mere existence of concentrated capital is enough to render the small property owner into a worker, a process known as proletariatization. See this really good explanation of what that dynamic means for the political implications of this economic fact.

An income-based analysis would place the small business owner and their 3 employees on the same side with, supposedly, the same interests, because they don't get a lot of money. I don't need to harp on any more to explain why that is nonsense, I hope.

Furthermore, within the working class, there are contrasts in income. There are workers who have a lavish salary, and there are workers who don't even make enough to support their basic needs. The objective fact of their exploitation is the same: they generate value with their labor-power, and sell it to a capitalist for a fraction of what they generate. Exploitation in the marxist sense is not a moral judgement. This is not about whether it's morally wrong or not to extract value from workers. Exploitation creates alienation and a class antagonism that can only ever be resolved one way, which is through the overthrow of the exploiter class by the exploited, history shows that this antagonism is what has propelled it forwards.

It is another question, and one that concerns us less, whether the salary, the price with which a capitalist buys a fraction of the worker's labor-power, is enough for the worker to lead a relatively accommodated life or not. If this was the question, which it is for, say, social-democrats, then the mere reform of capitalism (which, to be clear, is not possible to enact for all workers and all countries) to ensure a decent livelihood under the system of salary work would be enough.

With a lavish income, some might argue, a worker ceases to share the same interests with the rest of the working class who can't afford the first's lifestyle. But what this is omitting is that, in the cases of some workers with a really high salary, it becomes possible for the worker to join the ranks of the bourgeoisie by acquiring capital. Here, top-rated actors and athletes comes to mind. Actors and athletes are paid a salary in exchange for their labor-power, but the highest rated ones generate so much value that the capitalists pay them a really high salary, and then, most of the time, these highly-paid workers acquire some property and become a part of the bourgeoisie. In the US, for example, a bunch of high-rated workers of the entertainment industry such as Oprah, with more than 2,000 acres, have become large landlords in Hawai'i, taking advantage of the colonization of the island chain.

The break in common interests between highly-paid workers and the rest of their class comes from the change in economic class that their income allows for, not the income itself.

There is one instance when income becomes more relevant, and that is in the case of the labor aristocracy. Because of the international division of labor created by and protected by imperialism, the workers of the imperial core, as much as they are still exploited by capitalists and have revolutionary interests, benefit directly or indirectly from the even greater exploitation placed on the workers of the imperial periphery and global south, allowing for a generalized improvement in the quality of life for the imperial core workers.

Two conclusions can be made from this fact:

First, that the social-democratic welfare state depends on the exploitation of vast swaths of the world, and thus, it is not an applicable system in the majority of the world. Second, that the working class of the imperial core can, by the objective fact of the improvement of their material conditions by the spoils of imperialism, can act in the interests of the imperialist bourgeoisie. Take as an example the SAG-AFTRA union, which decidedly supported the imperialist project of Israel after al-Aqsa Flood. This does mean that a greater effort is needed for most workers in the imperial core, the labor aristocracy, to achieve revolutionary-political consciousness. The spontaneous class consciousness that some people insist is enough to be revolutionary, is born of the daily class antagonisms one experiences, and also of the material conditions underlying one's existence, therefore, as we have seen a lot this past year, spontaneous consciousness can include attitudes that favor the bourgeoisie.

And still, even if the labor aristocracy is broadly defined by a higher income, it is still dependent on the relationship to the organization of labor. Even the most desperate and destitute homeless citizen of the imperial core benefits in a lot of ways from the system of imperialism. For example, they don't need to worry about the political instability most imperialized countries suffer, and to put a cruder example, they are never going to get shot by a 22-year-old USamerican soldier doing target practice.

#ask #anon #seriousposting

277 notes · View notes

mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

Text

'We buy ugly houses' is code for 'we steal vulnerable peoples' homes'

Tonight (May 11) at 7PM, I’m in CALGARY for Wordfest, with my novel Red Team Blues; I’ll be hosted by Peter Hemminger at the Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor.

Home ownership is the American dream: not only do you get a place to live, free from the high-handed dictates of a landlord, but you also get an asset that appreciates, building intergenerational wealth while you sleep — literally.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/11/ugly-houses-ugly-truth/#homevestor

Of course, you can’t have it both ways. If your house is an asset you use to cover falling wages, rising health care costs, spiraling college tuition and paper-thin support for eldercare, then it can’t be a place you live. It’s gonna be an asset you sell — or at the very least, borrow so heavily against that you are in constant risk of losing it.

This is the contradiction at the heart of the American dream: when America turned its back on organized labor as an engine for creating prosperity and embraced property speculation, it set itself on the road to serfdom — a world where the roof over your head is also your piggy bank, destined to be smashed open to cover the rising costs that an organized labor movement would have fought:

https://gen.medium.com/the-rents-too-damned-high-520f958d5ec5

Today, we’re hit the end of the road for the post-war (unevenly, racially segregated) shared prosperity that made it seem, briefly, that everyone could get rich by owning a house, living in it, then selling it to everybody else. Now that the game is ending, the winners are cashing in their chips:

https://doctorow.medium.com/the-end-of-the-road-to-serfdom-bfad6f3b35a9

The big con of home ownership is proceeding smartly on schedulee. First, you let the mark win a little, so they go all in on the scam. Then you take it all back. Obama’s tolerance of bank sleze after the Great Financial Crisis kicked off the modern era of corporations and grifters stealing Americans’ out from under them, forging deeds in robosigning mills:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-breaks-down-93-bln-robo-signing-settlement-2013-02-28

The thefts never stopped. Today on Propublica, by Anjeanette Damon, Byard Duncan and Mollie Simon bring a horrifying, brilliantly reported account of the rampant, bottomless scams of Homevestors, AKA We Buy Ugly Houses, AKA “the #1 homebuyer in the USA”:

https://www.propublica.org/article/ugly-truth-behind-we-buy-ugly-houses

Homevestors — an army of the hedge fund Bayview Asset Management — claims a public mission: to bail out homeowners sitting on unsellable houses with all-cash deals. The company’s franchisees — 1,150 of them in 48 states — then sprinkle pixie dust and secret sauce on these “ugly houses” and sell them at a profit.

But Propublica’s investigation — which relied on whistleblowers, company veterans, court records and interviews with victims — tells a very different story. The Homevestor they discovered is a predator that steals houses out from under elderly people, disabled people, people struggling with mental illness and other vulnerable people. It’s a company whose agents have a powerful, well-polished playbook that stops family members from halting the transfers the company’s high-pressure salespeople set in motion.

Propublica reveals homeowners with advanced dementia who signed their shaky signatures to transfers that same their homes sold out from under them for a fraction of their market value. They show how Homevestor targets neighborhoods struck by hurricanes, or whose owners are recently divorced, or sick. One whistleblower tells of how the company uses the surveillance advertising industry to locate elderly people who’ve broken a hip: “a 60-day countdown to death — and, possibly, a deal.” The company’s mobile ads are geofenced to target people near hospitals and rehab hospitals, in hopes of finding desperate sellers who need to liquidate homes so that Medicaid will cover their medical expenses.

The sales pitches are relentless. One of Homevestor’s targets was a Texas woman whose father had recently been murdered. As she grieved, they blanketed her in pitches to sell her father’s house until “checking her mail became a traumatic experience.”

Real-estate brokers are bound by strict regulations, but not house flippers like Homevestors. Likewise, salespeople who pitch other high-ticket items, from securities to plane tickets — are required to offer buyers a cooling-off period during which they can reconsider their purchases. By contrast, Homevestors’ franchisees are well-versed in “muddying the title” to houses after the contract is signed, filing paperwork that makes it all but impossible for sellers to withdraw from the sale.

This produces a litany of ghastly horror-stories: homeowners who end up living in their trucks after they were pressured into a lowball sales; sellers who end up dying in hospital beds haunted by the trick that cost them their homes. One woman who struggled with hoarding was tricked into selling her house by false claims that the city would evict her because of her hoarding. A widow was tricked into signing away the deed to her late husband’s house by the lie that she could do so despite not being on the deed. One seller was tricked into signing a document he believed to be a home equity loan application, only to discover he had sold his house at a huge discount on its market value. An Arizona woman was tricked into selling her dead mother’s house through the lie that the house would have to be torn down and the lot redeveloped; the Homevestor franchisee then flipped the house for 5,500% of the sale-price.

The company vigorously denies these claims. They say that most people who do business with Homevestors are happy with the outcome; in support of this claim, they cite internal surveys of their own customers that produce a 96% approval rating.

When confronted with the specifics, the company blamed rogue franchisees. But Propublica obtained training materials and other internal documents that show that the problem is widespread and endemic to Homevestors’ business. Propublica discovered that at least eight franchisees who engaged in conduct the company said it “didn’t tolerate” had been awarded prizes by the company for their business acumen.

Franchisees are on the hook for massive recurring fees and face constant pressure from corporate auditors to close sales. To make those sales, franchisees turn to Homevana’s training materials, which are rife with predatory tactics. One document counsels franchisees that “pain is always a form of motivation.” What kind of pain? Lost jobs, looming foreclosure or a child in need of surgery.

A former franchisee explained how this is put into practice in the field: he encountered a seller who needed to sell quickly so he could join his dying mother who had just entered a hospice 1,400 miles away. The seller didn’t want to sell the house; they wanted to “get to Colorado to see their dying mother.”

These same training materials warn franchisees that they must not deal with sellers who are “subject to a guardianship or has a mental capacity that is diminished to the point that the person does not understand the value of the property,” but Propublica’s investigation discovered “a pattern of disregard” for this rule. For example, there was the 2020 incident in which a 78-year-old Atlanta man sold his house to a Homevestors franchisee for half its sale price. The seller was later shown to be “unable to write a sentence or name the year, season, date or month.”

The company tried to pin the blame for all this on bad eggs among its franchisees. But Propublica found that some of the company’s most egregious offenders were celebrated and tolerated before and after they were convicted of felonies related to their conduct on behalf of the company. For example, Hi-Land Properties is a five-time winner of Homevestors’ National Franchise of the Year prize. The owner was praised by the CEO as “loyal, hardworking franchisee who has well represented our national brand, best practices and values.”

This same franchisee had “filed two dozen breach of contract lawsuits since 2016 and clouded titles on more than 300 properties by recording notices of a sales contract.” Hi-Land “sued an elderly man so incapacitated by illness he couldn’t leave his house.”

Another franchisee, Patriot Holdings, uses the courts aggressively to stop families of vulnerable people from canceling deals their relatives signed. Patriot Holdings’ co-owner, Cory Evans, eventually pleaded guilty to to two felonies, attempted grand theft of real property. He had to drop his lawsuits against buyers, and make restitution.

According to Homevestors’ internal policies, Patriot’s franchise should have been canceled. But Homevestors allowed Patriot to stay in business after Cory Evans took his name off the business, leaving his brothers and other partners to run it. Nominally, Cory Evans was out of the picture, but well after that date, internal Homevestors included Evans in an award it gave to Patriot, commemorating its sales (Homevestors claims this was an error).

Propublica’s reporters sought comment from Homevestors and its franchisees about this story. The company hired “a former FBI spokesperson who specializes in ‘crisis and special situations’ and ‘reputation management’ and funnelled future questions through him.”

Internally, company leadership scrambled to control the news. The company convened a webinar in April with all 1,150 franchisees to lay out its strategy. Company CEO David Hicks explained the company’s plan to “bury” the Propublica article with “‘strategic ad buys on social and web pages’ and ‘SEO content to minimize visibility.’”

https://www.propublica.org/article/homevestors-aims-to-bury-propublica-reporting

Franchisees were warned not to click links to the story because they “might improve its internet search ranking.”

Even as the company sought to “bury” the story and stonewalled Propublica, they cleaned house, instituting new procedures and taking action against franchisees identified in Propublica’s article. “Clouding titles” is now prohibited. Suing sellers for breach of contract is “discouraged.” Deals with seniors “should always involve family, attorneys or other guardians.”

During the webinar, franchisees “pushed back on the changes, claiming they could hurt business.”

If you’ve had experience with hard-sell house-flippers, Propublica wants to know: “If you’ve had experience with a company or buyer promising fast cash for homes, our reporting team wants to hear about it.”

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

[Image ID: A Depression-era photo of a dour widow standing in front of a dilapidated cabin. Next to her is Ug, the caveman mascot for Homevestors, smiling and pointing at her. Behind her is a 'We buy ugly houses' sign.

Image: Homevestors https://www.homevestors.com/

Fair use: https://www.eff.org/issues/intellectual-property

#pluralistic #the rents too damned high #house flipping #llc brain #scams #elder abuse #ripoffs #weaponized shelter #predators #homevestors #we buy ugly houses #ugly houses #real estate #propublica

2K notes · View notes

marshmallowprotection · 12 days

Text

Armeria maritima

Pairing: Reader/Lady Pirate [Suit] Saeran Fandom: Mystic Messenger. Description: You couldn't talk your way out of this one even if you wanted to. That was the undeniable truth as your kidnapper laughed in your face, with her golden eyes sparkling like the wealth she was after, and your heart beating dangerously to warn you of what was to come. Word Count: 4943

[Read On AO3]

Diplomacy was the last thing that got someone’s point across in the world you lived in. Even if you were raised in the aristocracy, the real world was nothing compared to the education you received, and the simple notion that you could do something about that was gone in a fraction of a second. That was all it took for someone to shatter that simple dream of yours.

A dream wherein you could do something to help others after your parents systematically dismantled the town just outside the gates of their estate.

You still didn’t understand how your parents were capable of such… wicked cruelty. They didn’t think twice about pressuring innocent townsfolk to hand over their property, even their valuables, under the guise that no pirates or thieves could take their possessions with them locked away underneath the mansion.

Without jewels or a property deed to steal, no crooks or cons could take ownership from a family who lived there, but under the thumb of your parents… you saw something just as devious, if not worse because a pirate didn’t lie about their desires, but your parents did.

You didn’t hear it from their mouths while you were attending your studies miles away from home. They didn’t send letters normally, but you couldn’t believe they would claim to protect others when they had taken to greed instead.

The parents you knew as you grew up certainly weren’t the best one could have, always leaving you to fend for yourself amongst the staff until you were old enough to be sent away, but never once did you think they would be cruel.

Neglectful, sure, but never the cruel beasts you’d only heard tales about in stories before. It sounded comical, almost, to imagine your parents in a situation where they were no better than the villains that were robbed again and again by the swindler Robin Hood.

Those villains deserved to be stolen from because they took from people in need and abused their position of power to benefit only themselves. To be in a position where you held all the cards meant that you had to be responsible for everyone who wasn’t as fortunate as you.

For the desperate people who were counting on you to do what was right for them.

Why in the world would they take from the people who were the ones who gave them that wealth to start with, much less the very people who ensured they would continue to receive that wealth? You couldn’t even begin to wrap your head around their choices, and even if you could see why they did it, you knew you would never be able to agree with them… it went against everything you stood for. It went against what you spent years studying for.

You wanted to help your community in the ever-changing landscape of the future’s tide, so it would continue to be a hub for wayfarers alike.

A haven for travelers and townsfolk to take refuge from the harshness they might encounter on the open road. You weren’t a fool, you knew better than to believe the world could be the gentle place you dreamed of, but you wanted to get as close as you could to that dream by studying hard to understand commerce and how to help manage a community. It was the same school attended by Jumin Han, after all.

His family was known for employing people from across the region, and the benefits he offered were more than anyone else could compete with. They were above all else, a company to aspire toward, as long as you had a dream of taking things directly by the book rather than trying to cheat your way into success.

You wanted to take after his example and run the concept even further than he’d taken it, but that dream felt… impossible now.

How in the world could you make a change when your parents cornered the townsfolk like pigs to the slaughter?

You heard about what they’d done on your way home from university. It wasn’t hard to pick up the whispers here and there, and given how noisy some people were when they decided to spread gossip, you didn’t have to go out of your way to piece together the full story as you moved on from foot to train to carriage.

Piracy was on the rise again, and those living just on the edge of the water were experiencing a brutal reign of terror police couldn’t contain. Lo and behold, your parents swooped in to help the people most in need last year by offering a contract with them. If they’d pay a small fee to your parents to take care of things, they wouldn’t have to fear the worst.

Given your Father’s position in the community, as a man who prided himself on his mechanical business that was growing by the year as the world demanded more and more modern advancements that weren’t steeped in flammable material, many thought they could trust him to take care of them in their time of need.

Even if his policies weren’t the best, compared to a crook with a sword on their belt, he seemed to be their better choice. He took advantage of people in their hour of need, and your Mother was no better than he was. She used her beauty and charm to ensnare those who mightn’t’ve given you Father the time of time. She took his idea and pushed it even further than he did, with a honey-bathed lie.

She spread his offer through the town as she went about her day, letting people know a mere contract could protect them from crime and pillage, and by the time anyone realized the truth, it was too late for them to get out of the contract.

Property, jewelry, heirlooms, anything you could’ve imagined meaning so much to someone that they could make a deal just to keep it safe, your parents could keep all of it to themselves and never think twice about returning it. If those who made the deal didn’t could not pay your parents enough money to match the fee, they would lose it forever.

How disgusting, you thought. I can’t wait to return home and give them a piece of my mind. How dare they commit such heinous violence against our townsfolk? We are townsfolk, just as much as those who cannot afford to be amongst manors and estates, and to take from those who have nothing to their names… that is not something I can stand for.

What else would your parents expect from you?

They left you to your own devices as a young child, and those in your company were servants who had little to their names. You never judged them, just as they never judged you. You were a curious child. You wanted to know anything and everything you could about other people, and in doing so, it helped your eyes open to the truth.

You might’ve been born lucky, but others weren’t lucky. Some people had to fight to get their next meal and crawl on their hands and knees to their next job, and you hated the idea of seeing someone have to work so hard for so little… especially your friends, unlike your parents who were never around, the staff members in charge of you were your friends and you did your best to treat them equally.

It wasn’t fair that a child had far more wealth than they ever would, and while it wasn’t your fault that you were born with that wealth, you truly didn’t want to become as complacent or complicit as your parents had… It was a decision that became finalized in your eyes when they sent away the older boy who looked after you.

You could still remember his messy brown hair and disgruntled expression on his face. They blamed him for your disruptive disobedience and sent him away. He wasn't the one who helped you come to your conclusion. He was simply one of many in the manor who helped you see right from wrong.

If they hadn’t done that when you were young, perhaps, you wouldn’t have become as “radicalized” as they called you whenever you returned home on holiday by their demand. You missed your friend, the one who felt like the older brother you always dreamed of, but nothing could ever bring him back after they sent him far, far away.

At least, that’s what the staff told you when you pleaded with everyone you came across for any clue as to where they might’ve sent him.

You knew if you thought about that memory for too long, you would have become angrier by the minute with resentment, but the more that you remembered, the more you realized it never should've been a surprise to hear that your parents had gone beyond the neglect they’d shown you as a young child and grown into something far worse.

If they were capable of doing that when you were a child, then they had always been capable of worse.

What else didn't you know about?

What else did they hide from you?

What if they had been doing worse all along and you just weren't smart enough to realize it when it was right in front of you?

The thought was sobering. But, there was nothing you could do until you could survive the last trek of your journey.

The road to your town wasn't particularly smooth, and it left for a choppy ride in the back of the carriage, but you did your best to focus on the facts at hand.

What could you do when you got there? You couldn't reason with either one of them. You were certain they wouldn't listen to a word you had to say, but what other option did you have? Would you be able to speak with any of the townsfolk before you traveled the rest of the way?

Would the villagers be willing to speak to me? It's not as if everyone knows my identity, I've been of age for years now but my refusal to participate in a soiree means that many members of high society don't know my face.

They may know my full name but they don't know of me. That puts me between an advantage and a disadvantage. If they believed me to be the same as my parents, they would turn me away.

But, if they did not know me, would I be able to do anything outside of gaining an understanding of their situation? My parents disregarded their pain once before, I don't think a sob story will help now.

You were at an impasse. There were plenty of people who clamored for your stance in life.

What they desired more than anything was to be on the lap of luxury, to finally have everything they could ever dream of at their beck and call, to tell people what to do without being afraid of the possible beating they would receive otherwise, to know what it felt like to be wealthy.

But, even with all the money in the world, you were still powerless in the face of your parents. You weren't like your classmates, some were born like you, but others were so very different, working their way up due to scholarships and the goodwill of the wealthy who expected the promise of their career something in return.

Yoosung Kim was like that. Although you weren't acquainted with him, many of your classmates were, given how sociable and kind he was to everyone in his path. His family didn't have much for him but he was on scholarship thanks to the kindness of his brother-in-law.

That was his stroke of luck, but you heard he put in the hard work to prove that their investment was "worth it."

You wished it didn't have to be "worth it."

Drawing in a breath, all you could do was try to hold your head up high and jot down more notes when the carriage was forced to slow down on the sharp path. Even if you weren't sure what you were going to do, you knew you were going to do something about it. People didn't deserve to be treated that way.

You couldn't fix a systematic problem overnight, no soul could, but you had to start somewhere.

If only the town could be at peace… then I might be able to…

Your carriage came to a screeching halt. It happened so quickly, much faster than you could have anticipated, and with nothing to keep you tied down, your body was flung forward against the other wall of the cabin. It hurt.

It didn't knock you unconscious but you knew better than to assume you had come out of the accident unscathed.

It wasn't lost on you that you were a sitting duck in a carriage like this. Why didn't you think about that? If it was true that your parents were going out of their way to set off everyone in the region, wouldn't it be fair to assume that all the villagers would turn against the site of anything that remotely even resembled something of theirs?

Was it possible somebody attacked the carriage thinking your parents were inside? But if it was somebody targeting your parents, you were certain they wouldn't try to keep you alive.

The final stretch of road on the journey to your town took place on a sharp cliff, with corners no man would dare travel on without taking it at a snail's pace to make it to the other side. If somebody wanted to get rid of them, they would have simply spooked the horses and prayed that the entire carriage would be flung from the cliff side.

That made the most sense to you as you tried to rack your brain for answers, if they were dead, there would be nobody to seize their assets. The people would storm to the estate and get back their property before anyone else could seize it.

Right?

You couldn't see anybody wanting to kidnap the likes of them because there would be nobody to pay a ransom to. The other reason why someone would want to take them would be to get even, to torture them within an inch of their life for as long as their revenge desired while someone reclaimed everything that was taken.

No amount of trying to run worst-case scenarios made the situation less terrifying than it already was.

Even if you pretended to be dead, they would still rob you blind in the process. You couldn't blame someone for being desperate to make ends meet, but this was the only part of you that was selfish.

The part of you that wanted to live.

It felt as if the world was spinning, and as you reached up to make sure your head wasn't injured, the door was blown wide open with enough force to knock you over once again. You understood at the last second that this was a robbery, but your rattled body lost consciousness just as you heard the sound of a woman's laugh!

"Heheheh… It looks like I finally found you."

[PARAGRAPH BREAK]

When you awoke, that feeling you felt before you lost consciousness was still there. The dizzying feeling of the envelope world shaking violently at you, rocking back and forth in an unmerciful wave, and as much as you wanted to pick yourself up off the ground and try to shake off the feeling of nausea, you found it impossible to move.

You feared that the accident might have cost you the feeling in your body, but the fact that you could feel aches and pains told you that you had not lost anything just yet. The real reason why you couldn't move was because you were tied down by a rope. It wasn't tied so tightly that you wouldn't be able to breathe, but it was tight enough to leave an impression.

Whoever attacked your carriage intended to take you from the start. The main question you had to ask yourself was: Was this an attack planned by someone who wanted to get to me or was this attack planned by someone who simply wanted to attack a member of the aristocracy?

Nobody knows my identity, but certainly, the identifying markers of a carriage could be enough for someone to come after me for money. For all they know, I could be a guest of the family. Still, anyone who associates with someone who has wealth and prestige is considered scum amongst criminals. That much I do know.

"It looks like the [prince/princess] is finally awake."

Huh?

You did your best to blink through your exhaustion, but your vision was still underneath the heavy afternoon sun. It was way too bright for you at this point. You couldn't remember a bump or cut to your head, but you felt a pinch in your shoulders.

You didn't think anything had been ripped out of place, but it was easy to see what part of your body had taken the impact of the fall.

You had been attacked in the early morning, which meant you must've been unconscious for a couple of hours. Even if you'd been asleep that long, whoever had taken you couldn't have gotten very far… no matter what route they took. It would take a while for them to get off the cliff, and it would take them longer to get back to solid ground or the port…

Where were you and why wouldn't the world stop spinning? That was the burning question. You weren't dead, which was something to be grateful for, but if you had wound up in the wrong hands, they would make you wish you were dead. You could already hear such a taunt in the back of your head.

You didn't have enough strength to open your mouth and ask any questions just yet. Someone said something and they wanted you to hear it.

"Here I thought that we would be waiting for hours for you to wake up again. It seems you've saved us the trouble of having to wait until we get back to our hideout to have our discussion, [Ms./Mr./Mx.] [Y/N]."

Who was that?

Even with a piercing headache trying to lull you back to sleep, you knew you weren't in any position to take a nap. You had to find the source of that voice. You had to figure out who had taken you and what you could do to get yourself out of it.

You had taken plenty of classes about having open discussions with others, but you never expected to find yourself in a situation where you would have to barter for your life. You didn't hold any cards in this situation.

You didn't have any money to your name. It wasn't unreasonable to assume they had taken your luggage. That meant you had no leverage.

They kept you alive for some reason, but if it was a ransom or some other nefarious reason, you weren't sure.

You had to see who was mocking you, to begin with.

It was definitely a woman's voice.

It took a lot of energy for you to lift your head, but when you did, you found yourself face-to-face with someone who you could only assume to be your kidnapper.

A woman with fiery red hair that seemed to glow as she stood in front of the sun to cast a shadow on your face. She had the most piercing pair of golden eyes you'd ever seen and a smirk that could have cut you like a knife.

She wore a dark coat across her shoulders that seemed to contrast against her white peasant top, with a corset that was tied in the back where you couldn't see. Across her waist were two belts, one that connected to a satchel, and another that holstered a long sword.

She must've been a fighter, you assumed because she wore a pair of thick trousers rather than a skirt. Her boots were more likely than not built to keep her fast on her feet as well. They seemed sturdy, and that was likely important given how you could no longer feel the security of the Earth beneath your feet. If the Earth could rumble like this, you would have to be firm.

She took the offering of a hat from someone you couldn't see, and as she pulled it over her head, you realized the familiar shape could only be that of a pirate. Only those who had to worry about the weather would dawn a hat such as that.

They were crafted to make sure water didn't soak the wearer's face, rather, it would cascade down their shoulders and remain out of the way.

That was when you understood the rumbling of the Earth wasn't an earthquake, and it wasn't the vertigo you were experiencing from your head injury.

The people who had kidnapped you were pirates and they probably had something nefarious in mind.

You would give them the benefit of the doubt for now, even if that wasn't something they offered you because you wanted to understand why they would go to so much trouble to capture you in the first place. If you didn't know any better, it sounded like they were looking for you in particular.

How did they find out about you? What gave them the idea to kidnap you in the first place? Your brain was running a mile a minute, but even though you had a hundred and one questions to ask, the only thing you could bring yourself to say was: "What…?"

"Those parents of yours went to an awful lot of trouble to hide you. I didn't think we would ever be able to get our hands on you, but your mistake is our gain," she jeered. It was difficult to distinguish her facial features as the sun illuminated her body. "I can't stand people like you. People who get everything they want handed to them. I bet you've never known a day of hardship in your life, and no amount of yapping on your end could make me believe otherwise."

How cruel.

You had yet to encounter someone as vicious as this in your life so far, and the way she stared at you made you feel… uneasy. You certainly did not disagree with what she was saying about the lifestyle of some wealthy people, but she didn't know anything about you.

On the other end, you didn't know anything about her, either. It would be simple to judge her just as much as she judged you.

What drove someone to become a pirate in the first place?

Was it an exciting lust for adventure to parts unknown? A desire to get even with the world who burned you? Or… was it because there was no other option but to go along with it? Was it similar to what happened to your friend? He never had a choice in becoming a servant… was it possible some pirates didn't have a choice?

You wanted to ask this pirate about it, you wanted to learn more about how she came to be the way she was, but she didn't seem very interested in humoring your questions.

You shook your head, "I don't understand. How did you know about me?"

"We have our ways," she said, flatly.

"Then, why did you kidnap me? I can wager a couple of guesses as to why a crew of pirates would want to kidnap me, but why waste time guessing when I could simply ask you instead?"

"Smart. I don't hate smart people, but I can tell I won't like that smart mouth of yours," she chuckled.

God. You were out of your element in this situation. On a university campus where you could be yourself, you could communicate with all sorts of people without thinking twice about the discussions you wanted to have.

People understood that you wanted to talk for hours on end, to be one of the first people to solve the puzzle presented to you, and there was no threat of a sword in sight. You just… didn't know how to talk to someone who didn't want to talk to you. This pirate seemed keen to talk over you.

She began to explain, "I'll lay it out for you, then. Your parents have destabilized this entire region thanks to the vicious benefactor behind them. Nobody knows who that person is, but the only thought on their mind seems to be conquering everyone and everything. No one can get in and no one can get out of this area because of it. Nobody is coming to save anyone. If they have their way, we're all going to die here, one way or another… that much is true. Either we'll fall in line… or we'll die because we are opposed to them."

"Not only that, they've gone out of their way to get their grubby little hands on everything in sight. Take it from me, when a criminal decides to insult you, that means you're worse than scum. They don't even try to discriminate against anyone in particular they've recently started to come after their own. Y'know, I wouldn't even be against these people tearing themselves apart, but the only reason it's come to that is because they've seemingly run out of easy targets. Men, women, adults, children, criminals, the wealthy, and the poor."

She leaned over which allowed you to get a view of the bitterness in her eyes. "So, tell me, how come your carriage is the first one to come close to this town without so much as a scratch on it?"

You shook your head. "That doesn't make any sense! I've heard plenty of people talk about what's been going on on my way home. If it is like you say, how would I be able to hear anyone talk about what's going on here to begin with? If you can't get out, then there's no way anyone could be talking about what's been going on!"

That's right, you thought. If people couldn't get in or out, I wouldn't have been able to learn as much as I have today.

"That's where you're wrong. The only people who get out of here are let out because they were allowed to leave."

"If that's the case, why hasn't anyone tried to contact the military to come in and commit a rescue operation?"

"Hahahaha," she laughed in your face. It was filled with condescension, too. "That's using that little brain of yours. That's the question we have all been asking ourselves. But what can I say, every man for themselves, if you can protect your own, why turn around and protect anyone else? It's the way of the world."

"That's a sad way to look at the world," you whispered.

"And you're a delusional brat who thinks the world is a kind place," she retorted.

"Quartermaster Saeran! We're fast approaching our destination! I believe we lost the dogs that were hot on our trail as well. Would you like for us to do another sweep of the surrounding area before the ship returns to the hideout, ma'am?"

"Take the west wind! We don't have any more time to waste now that we have the captive on deck. Need I remind you that the damned Captain is expecting us to arrive before nightfall?!"

"No, ma'am! Following the west wind, ma'am!"

There was no way for you to get out of this situation.

These pirates weren't in the mood to negotiate, and the half-hearted explanation you'd received didn't tell you why they decided to take you in the first place. It wasn't as if your own family would pay a handsome ransom to get you back.

Sure, they sent you to school and kept you out of the way, but if they were willing to abandon their humanity for good, they would probably just consider you a lost cause if someone demanded money. You were as good as dead.

What could you do?

"So, what? You're going to lock me away and hold me for ransom and the hopes that you can get my parents to pay you off or let you the hell out of here? I'm sorry to tell you, they're not going to pay any ransom you demand of them. I understand you want to use me as a bargaining chip and I'm the last thing they'd ever bargain for," you said.

She laughed. It didn't seem to make her as mad as you expected, but maybe she thought you were bluffing? Nobody had trained you for a situation like this, and no amount of mental scenarios made it easier on you.

You could imagine all kinds of responses on her lips but everything she said seemed to come out of left field.

Normally, you would've enjoyed the difficult challenge of finally meeting someone who could keep you on your toes, but this wasn't a challenge, it was life or death.

"You misunderstand, then."

What did you misunderstand?

Did you need to play into what she expected of you?

“Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”

“That’s the thing,” her haughty breath tickled your throat. You couldn’t see her eyes, but you could tell they were filled with delight at the sight of your fruitless struggle. “I already have.”

#mystic messenger #mysme #saeran choi #mysticmessenger #mm #choi saeran #suit saeran #pirate saeran #pirate au #fem saeran #lady saeran #lady pirate saeran #saeran mm #saeran mysme #saeran mystic messenger #mystic messenger saeran #mysme saeran #mm saeran #saeran

9 notes · View notes

duchessofostergotlands · 4 months

Note

Hi, I have some hypothetical questions… I have a fictional royal family that I made up and like to write for, I also like to base things as close to reality as possible, so in regards to this questions I would like someone’s opinion (and just to mention here, Iovee the podcast, is my favorite thing to listen to when I’m at my lunch break, I’m excited for the nexts episodes!!!)

1) Do you think is possible for a foreign monarch (just for exemple: Denmark, Sweden or any other monarchy) to inherit a propriety in the UK?

(for context: my monarch great-grandmother was a British aristocrat and she married into my royal family, but she was the only surviving daughter, so she inherited the property and all, but not the title, that became extinct after her fathers death (still trying to figure it out if it’s possible for a woman to inherit the propriety in the 1920s). But let’s say she inherited Chatsworth house, do you think it’s possible for a foreign royal to keep the estate and use as a form of income?

And 2) some monarchies, like the Swedish Royals keep their jewelry in a foundation, if hypothetically, the monarchy was abolished who would keep the jewelry?

Hello :) Thank you for your lovely feedback on the podcast. So nice to hear that people are enjoying it!

So to answer the first question, I can't see why not. Carl Gustaf inherited Bertil and Lilian's home in France which isn't exactly the same but it's a monarch inheriting overseas property. Some countries might require you to tell the government but that would be the case any time anyone inherits something or generates income from something. As for the situation in the 20s, women were inheriting property long before the 1920s. I'm reading a book about women in the 17th century and there are references to them inheriting property in that! It was legally more complex and less likely for all sorts of reasons I won't get into, but it happened.

In terms of the second question, theoretically you can dissolve a Foundation. You'd have to check the governance documents and the laws in different countries but I'd guess the pieces go back into private ownership by the royals. However, I don't think the royals could dissolve the Foundation themselves, it would have to be the board of directors. But to be honest I don't think it really matters whether it's a Foundation or not. Let's look at Greece for a moment. The Greeks were somehow able to get their jewels out of Greece when they were deposed but I'm actually going to side step over to property. Constantine had personal ownership of a place called Tatoi Palace. The Greeks fled in 1967 and then in 1973 the government officially confiscated Tatoi and other properties (and all moveable properties so that would have included any jewels left behind). A lot of other stuff happened and the status of the properties changed but in the 90s they confirmed their stance that the property no longer belonged to Constantine. He eventually took the Greek government to the European Court of Human Rights to contest this. They ruled the property had belonged to the royal family privately but that the government's decision to seize it had been within Greek law - in most countries governments can seize property under certain circumstances - and that actually with one exception every new Republic had confiscated the private property of their deposed monarchs because it was seen to be in the public interest to do so. In the end the Greeks got a financial settlement but it was a fraction of what they wanted. I know it's not exactly related to your question but what I'm trying to show is that if a royal family has reached a point where they are losing their throne, the country is upending their entire system of governance, all bets are off. There's every possibility that their privately owned assets would be seized and legal grounds would be found to make that possible. So it would really be a case of negotiation and whether they can get direct access to the jewels quickly enough.

#charlotte-wales #ask #general royals #deposed royal families

7 notes · View notes

havendaxa · 2 months

Text

आज ही के दिन, 9 अगस्त 1925 को काकोरी कांड हुआ था। वीर क्रांतिकारियों ने अंग्रेजी शासन को ध्वस्त करने का बीड़ा उठाया। उनकी कुर्बानी देश के लिए एक प्रेरणा स्रोत रहेगी।जय हिंद!

0 notes

talkstrading · 2 months

Text

Understanding Asset-Backed Digital Currencies

Cryptocurrencies bring fresh ideas combining digital innovation with conventional finance as they develop. One such fascinating advance is asset-backed digital currency (ABDC). For people engaged in crypto, bitcoin, and FX trading, knowing these currencies might open fresh paths for stability and investment. With an eye toward their advantages, hazards, and practical uses, this blog article seeks to simplify ABDCs.

What are Asset-Backed Digital Currencies?

Digital currencies classified as asset-backed ones are those based on a real asset. ABDCs are linked to actual assets like gold, real estate, or commodities, unlike simply speculative digital currencies. This connection seeks to offer more outstanding stability than conventional cryptocurrencies, which can show quite volatility.

Benefits of Asset-Backed Digital Currencies

Stability: ABDCs' backing by physical assets makes them more stable than other digital currencies, as was already discussed. For those seeking long-term gains, this consistency makes them a safer choice.

Knowing that their investment is supported by a tangible asset helps investors to have more confidence in handling their money.

How Do ABDCs Differ From Traditional Cryptos?

Traditional cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have no physical value, which results in high price volatility. By being connected to actual assets, ABDCs, on the other hand, preserve a more constant value. Because of their stability, they appeal to traders looking for advantages from cryptocurrencies free of the related dangers of sharp price swings.

The Appeal of Stability

ABDCs are known for their remarkable stability. For example, gold-backed crypto offers a secure way to preserve the enduring value of gold. This stability reassures investors, making ABDCs a favoured option for conservative traders in the crypto industry.

Linking Physical Assets with Digital Innovation

ABDCs connect conventional banking and contemporary technology by associating digital currency with tangible assets. This combination provides the assurance and confidence that come with tangible assets while also utilizing the effectiveness and convenience of blockchain technology.

Popular Asset-Backing

Various categories of assets can be used to support ABDCs. Gold is a favored option due to its historical significance and stability. Nevertheless, commodities, real estate, and even fiat currencies may support these digital currencies. Different investors have distinct preferences, and each form of backing provides distinct benefits.

Gold Backed Cryptos as a Prime Example

Gold backed cryptos are among the most well-known examples of ABDCs. These currencies are connected to the value of gold, providing a consistent and trustworthy investment possibility. Investors worried about the volatility of the crypto market choose gold-backed cryptocurrencies often because of their known stability and long-term value. Moreover, cryptocurrencies are a good option for investors since they offer the security and ease of digital transactions.

Those interested in the benefits of cryptocurrencies and concurrently lower the volatility usually connected with the crypto market find this hybrid investment appealing. By linking their value to gold, these digital assets offer a consistent source of value and good protection against economic uncertainty.

Risks and Considerations

ABDCs are not without risk even if they provide stability and security. The value of the underlying asset varies, thereby affecting the value of the digital money. Furthermore, the legal and regulatory environment for ABDCs could be difficult for investors.

Real-World Applications

ABDCs are being used practically in many different sectors. In the commodity market, they provide flawless physical asset settlement and trade. ABDCs help fractional ownership and real estate investment, therefore increasing the accessibility of property investment. These uses show ABDCs' adaptability and promise in changing established markets.

Comparing ABDCs with Other Cryptos

Stability is where ABDCs stand out from other cryptocurrencies, most importantly. While conventional cryptocurrencies present high-risk, high-reward prospects, ABDCs give a balanced strategy by integrating digital innovation with the dependability of real estate.

Future Prospects of ABDCs

With growing acceptance and creativity, ABDCs seem to have a bright future. As more investors realize their advantages, asset-backed digital currencies should become increasingly common in the financial industry. This development will probably result in more technological and application innovations, improving the whole value proposition of ABDCs.

Final Thoughts on ABDCs

Asset-backed digital currencies (ABDCs) are a big innovation in the finance sector. For investors in the crypto, bitcoin, and forex trading fields, they provide a convincing mix of stability and inventiveness. Deep awareness of ABDCs and their possibilities helps investors make wise judgments and find fascinating prospects in the digital economy.

Ultimately, the rise of ABDCs signifies a pivotal moment in digital finance. These currencies offer a reliable and safe investment opportunity, combining traditional assets with cutting-edge technology. If you want to expand your portfolio and reduce risks, ABDCs provide an attractive solution. Stay ahead of the game and delve into asset-backed digital currencies today.

#digitalcurrency #assetbacked #crypto #cryptocurrency

2 notes · View notes