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Inscriptions, ordinals, and runes
Inscriptions and ordinals attach data to bitcoin. Runes are a way to make simple tokens there. They are not bitcoin itself, and they inherit bitcoin's fees.
What they are
An inscription is data written into bitcoin. An ordinal is a way of pointing at a particular satoshi. A rune is a fungible token tracked in bitcoin transactions.
What they are not
They are not a second bitcoin with bitcoin's simplicity. You are trusting the software that reads the extra data. Fees can spike because the chain is shared.
A market for these objects can be thin. Thin means the last price is a poor guide to what you can sell for.
Check yourself
If it lives on Bitcoin, is it the same as holding bitcoin?
No. It is extra data and extra software, sharing bitcoin's fees.
After this you can separate bitcoin from the objects people have written onto it.
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