#even if they still get their credit as one of the leading clans on historical merit and raw power | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bluelove24 · 2 years

Text

Outlander: Jamie Fraser x Male Reader.

The story is pure fiction, it’s not meant to be taken serious. This is not accurate to the series at all, I’ve only seen the first season and that was a long time ago. This was my very first request and it was requested by my lovely friend @justanothergleefan after a thirsty conversation we discovered our love for the insanely hot man that it’s Sam Heughan. I don’t own the gif, credit to the rightful owner.

Warnings: not historically accurate fiction, unprotected sex, dirty talk.

The Highlands Scotland, 1743. I’m an attendant, a servant, at castle Fraser where I serve the noble clan Fraser of Lovat. I’ve been serving them since I was a child of 6, I’m 20 years now. Lord Fraser allowed me to receive some basic education, which is more than some servants get. It was early morning, the kitchen staff was preparing breakfast. I took the one of the trays and brought them to the room of sir Jamie Fraser, I was sir Jamie’s personal servant. I’ve always admire him, his kindness, his amazing good looks, his incredible hair, his muscled body, everything about him I loved, I mean admire. I reached his room and gently come in as to not disturb his sleep. I set the tray of food down and make my way to the windows pulling the curtains open, letting the early morning light come in. I turn towards the bed, seeing his sleeping body. He’s not wearing a shirt, master rarely wears anything to bed. He was sleeping soundly, his lips slightly parted, his curly red hair a tangled mess from the tossing and turning of sleep. I could feel a stirring in my pants. I approached the bed to wake master Jamie.

“Good morning Master Jamie!” I said a little loudly, he was a deep sleeper. He stared to slowly open his eyes, fixing his gaze on me.

“Morning Y/N…” His voice deep with sleep. He started to sit up, the sheets slowly revealing more of his naked torso. I saw the hair from his belly button that was leading down towards his crotch. I looked somewhere else. Even after all these years of service I have yet to see him naked.

“Here is your breakfast sir!” I placed the tray in his lap, the sheets were low enough that I could see the top of his pubic hair, it was red like the hair on his head.

“Thanks…” He grumbled as he started eating his breakfast. “Make sure everything is packed for tonight, you’ll be accompanying me on this trip.”

“Yes sir! I’ll get right to it.” After his breakfast I was dismissed to clean everything and get ready to depart. We where going to visit an ally of Clan Fraser, make sure that the alliance was strong enough.

Soon after we hit the road, arriving a little bit before sunset. I settled masters Jamie‘s belongings in his room making sure to get his fancy clothes out for the banquet they’ll be throwing him. I went to get prepared as I was to make stay close to him. Hours have passed, the party is still going, master Jamie is slightly drunk and dancing with some lady. I was tired and wanted to retire to my room but I couldn’t do that until I was dismissed for the day. After a couple more hours the party was dying down. Master Jamie came up to me and told me to take him to his room. While walking he was still singing and trying to dance with me. He was being more grabby and rough with me. We reached his room and he asked me to undress him. I started to undo his boots. Then I stood up and started to undo his jacket, taking it off and then removing his shirt. I licked my lips revealing his toned abs and chest. He was almost naked in front of me, only his kilt was still on him. He moved up on the bed, his back resting on the headboard.

“Come drink with me.” He patted the spot next to him. I hesitated for a moment but then I served him a drink and one for myself. Then I walked towards him, I took off my shoes and my coat, leaving me in a shirt and kilt. I sat next to him and we slowly sipped our drinks. He scooted closer to me, "You sure have grown up a lot."

“Thank you sir.” I blushed a little bit. “I guess I’m a little taller now.”

He smiled, "In some other ways as well." He rubbed a finger against my cheek. "Not much hair on your face just peach fuzz, though." He began unbuttoning my shirt. "Let's see what kind of body you're getting." I looked down speechless as I saw his fingers undoing the buttons. When they were all undone, he pushed the white fabric aside revealing my naked torso. I felt his rough hands rubbing my belly. "Not bad. Why don't you tighten your muscles. Yeah that's it, pretty nice.” He said rubbing my belly. "Let's get you a little more comfortable, Y/N…" He removed my shirt. He kept running his hands over my chest and stomach before he started rubbing his thumb over my nipples. My eyes closed as sparks ran through my body. My left hand move over to my lap, my dick was stirring. His face was right next to mine, his breath fanning my face. He asked me in a whisper, “Have you ever kissed anyone?” My face turning a deeper shade of red, I shook my head no. “No?!” He said playfully. His finger moving from my cheek, over my lips and then to my chin. “What we are about to do must stay a secret, do you understand?”

“Yes sir, I understand.” I look at his blue eyes and swallowed hard.

He smiled widely, “Perfect!”. Then he moved closer and kissed my right cheek lightly, his left hand moved towards my left cheek and gently pulled my face so I was looking at him. He then kissed my nose, then my chin, before lightly and gently kissing me on the lips. He looked directly into my eyes one more time before I felt his lips press against mine once again. He started to suck on my lower lip, making my lips part, he took to the opportunity to move his tongue into my mouth. While he did that his fingers started to rub my nipples again. Making me moan from the pleasure. He moved onto his side note and I positioned myself the same way as we continued kissing. I tried to mimic what he was doing with his tongue, it felt so good! My dick was harder than ever under my kilt. I felt his hand on my hip, my head swimming for the pleasure as I felt his fingers bunching up the fabric of my kilt. I could feel the edge was almost in his hand so I put my hand on top of his. “It’s ok Y/n… really.” He said in between kisses, kissing my lips, my cheek, my neck. He then started to suck gently on my neck. Soon after his fingers disappeared inside my kilt and I felt him take hold of my dick. I kissed him more with more desperation as his fingers moved up and down on my dick. “Are you still a virgin, baby?” He asked. I nodded my head. “Not for long, let’s change that tonight.” He kissed me on the lips, pushing me back as his kisses strayed to move down towards my chest. He started to suck on my nipples before moving down towards my stomach. I licked my lips and swallowed, slightly shaking with anticipation. His hand was still under my kilt stroking me. I felt almost dizzy. Suddenly he stopped. “This is our secret, right?”

“Yes, sir!” I almost shouted.

“Do you promise?” I nodded my head. “That’s a good lad.” He moved my kilt up and got under it. I couldn’t see him as he licked the shaft of my dick, moving towards the head. He started licking the head of my dick which drove me wild. Then I felt it, I felt my shaft disappeared into his mouth. I had never felt anything like this before. I also didn’t want it to end. He slowly started to move his head up and down on my dick, my legs spreading apart. He removed my dick from his mouth and he moved under. I felt his mouth on my balls, kissing, licking, and sucking. As he moved back towards my dick and continued sucking his hands started to undo my kilt. I was naked. He moved up my body and kissed me again. “Has anyone ever tell you how hot you are?” I shook my head no. “That’s a shame.”

He slid off the bed, standing next to it, his dick making a big tent under the kilt. “How about you do the honors?” He nodded towards his kilt. I moved from the bed, my hard dick leading the way. I kneeled in front of him and started to undo his kilt. His stiff meat sprung up. It was thick and hard. The line of hair by his bellybutton led straight into a thick bush that surrounded his cock and the same hair lightly covered his balls. He grabbed his dick and moved it towards my mouth. I looked up at his eyes. He was smiling at me. I looked at his thick dick. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth and took him in. I tasted the clear liquid that coated the head of his dick. It didn’t have much taste, but his skin had a slight salty taste to it. He gently started to guide me on how to suck his cock and how to work his ball sac with my lips. He kept guiding me, moving my head back and forth on his dick, the head of his dick almost touching the back of my throat. After a while he pulled me off his dick and pulled me up so that I was standing in front of him. He kissed me deeply, his hands rubbing up and down my back, squeezing my ass. I put my hands on his muscular slightly hairy chest. He moved forward until I fell backwards onto the bed. His body rubbed against mine as we kept kissing. He was grinding his hard dick against my equally hard dick. He stopped kissing me laying me on my side. He then moved so that his feet where by my head. He then said that he wanted to try to suck each other off at the same time. My dick returned to his mouth, I let out a moan of pleasure. He started sucking me off.

“Let me know when you are about to shoot.” I didn’t know what he meant by that but I know that it would probably be intense. We continued to suck each other’s dicks, I started to feel a great intense pressure in my dick. I let him know how I feel. “Good! I can’t wait to see what you taste like.” He began to suck me off harder and faster, taking me over the edge. I gripped the blankets as my dick started to shoot something into his mouth, he ate the stuff hungrily. I writhed until he finally released my dick. He moved into a sitting position on the edge of the bed and had me join him. He had me sit on his lap, my legs stretched past his back. We started to kiss again, his mouth tasted a little different this time, I could taste myself on his mouth. He broke off the kiss and stuck two fingers in my mouth. “Suck.” I sucked his fingers hungrily like it was his dick. While I sucked his fingers he started kissing my neck. After a while he pulled his fingers from my mouth and started to kiss me again. Soon I felt I felt his fingers on my butt hole. He started to apply pressure on my hole. I broke our kiss to tell him to stop but then his finger pushed into me sinking a little bit, it felt strange, but also good. His finger started to move back and forth in my hole, slowly at first. I couldn’t keep my mouth closed or my eyes opened. But then another finger found it’s way inside me. Slowly he started working his two fingers inside of me, making my hole more relaxed. My head was spinning from the pleasure. “You tasted really good baby, would you like to taste mine?”

“Yes”, I said breathlessly.

“Good. You’ll find out soon.” He eased off his lap. “Before that I want to be inside you.” He pulled me face down on the bed. I then felt his breath hit my hole, which was slightly wet from the saliva in his fingers. He started to suck and lick my hole. I felt more pleasure than before. I took a bite of the blankets to hold myself from screaming. After a while he stopped and got on top of me, his breath on my ear he whispered. “You are absolutely to become mine, after I claimed your hole you will belong to me.” He started to kiss and suck my neck. “Bite the blankets, it’ll hurt at first but you’ll like it, trust me baby.” He started to push his dick inside me, the tip of his dick penetrated my hole. More and more of his length pushed inside me, he would push a little bit inside and then would stop letting me adjust to his size. “That’s a good lad, you are taking me in so well baby. I’m so proud of you.” He turned my head to the side and kissed me. “I’m not ever giving this up, by the time this trip ends you’ll get used to me more and I’ll be able to fuck you whenever I want and as much as I want.” He pushed deep inside me. I was drooling on the blankets. The pain was intense but so was the pleasure. He continued to slowly work his rod inside me. “I have wanted you so badly. I almost took you last year but I wasn’t sure you could take it.”

“Really, sir?” I asked softly.

“Oh yes. Ever since last years trip. You were standing on the field and the wind lifted your kilt up. I managed to catch a glimpse of your beautiful ass.” I was surprised about what he was telling me. “Then that night you went to the lake to take a dip and you were naked and alone. It was the most amazing thing ever that I lifted my kilt up and jerked my cock while I saw you bathing in the lake. It took everything in me from not taking you in the shore of that lake.” I was shocked about his revelation, sir Jamie has been lusting after me for more than a year. “And now your ass belongs to me.” His dick was moving back and forth inside my hole slowly. I wondered how long it would be before he had it completely inside me. He kept moving it back and forth, slowly advancing with each thrust. “There. I’m all inside you now. You. Are. Mine.” He began moving back and forth as he kissed my face. “Does it feel good to have all of my big cock in your ass, y/n?”

“Yes master Jamie.” I was feelings things I need have felt before, he was taking me to a higher place of pleasure. I didn’t want it to end. He started to hump me a little bit faster now. “I’m getting close.” He picked up speed now, thrusting faster now. I could feel that same feeling inside me again. “Are you getting close baby?” He pushed his tongue inside my mouth, our tongues battling against each other. That feeling was more intense now, I could feel it was coming. “Let it go baby, come for me.” I let go just like he said. Releasing everything onto the blankets under me. “Yes!! That’s it, we are now one, I’ve claimed you as mine now.” His cock started to jerk inside me. After a while he started to pull out form inside me. He lay next to me, pulling me on top of him. We started kissing again. I loved the feel of his hairy chest pressed against me. His big hands roving over my body.

“I’ve loved you and wanted you forever, sir.” I said softly.

“You do?” He seemed shocked. I smiled and nodded. “Well my love, why don’t we go to sleep now.” I was about to push myself off from him when he tightened his grip on me. “Together, from now on we go to bed together my love.” He kissed my lips softly again. Melting into his embrace as he pulled the covers over us.

“I love you sir Jamie.” I whispered as I lay my head on his chest.

“I love you my starlight.” He said as he gave me a kiss on my forehead. I went to sleep with the arms of the man I love holding me. And I never wanted it to end.

The End…

#my writing #fiction #writing #gay fanfiction #gay smut #male reader #x male reader #male reader imagine #male reader insert #outlander #outlander x male reader #sam heughan #Sam heughan x male reader #jamie fraser #Jamie Fraser x male reader #smut #outlander smut

254 notes · View notes

leonardhoee · 3 years

Text

A Rant About Ikesen’s Treatment of Motonari

I’ve been away from tumblr for a while but I had to come back for this.

So something I’ve noticed throughout playing Ikesen is the way that the game is very biased agains Motonari and I think it needs to be addressed because he is the only brown character and his portrayal is full of harmful stereotypes against brown men. I love this game but I haven't seen a single person acknowledge how badly Motonari is treated by the creators and the fandom as a result of that.

Also any racist comments will be blocked.

Possible route spoilers under the cut…

So lets start with the obvious, he is the only dark skinned character in Ikesen and when I first started playing I was so happy about that because finally (regardless of his ethnicity which honestly in this portrayal of him can be up for debate, I HC him as south East Asian) we are getting some representation. Throughout the game though I started noticing a lot of harmful stereotypes being thrown onto him that none of the other characters face.

Both him and Nobunaga are relatively misogynistic, I’m not denying that at all. However the way it is portrayed in their routes is very different. Nobunaga should in fact have sexual harassment charges, yet its romanticized repeatedly throughout his route. Motonari on the other hand treated MC as a possession the same way Nobunaga did, however he is shown as aggressive and scary as opposed to Nobunaga being shown as sexy and romantic.

There is also a difference in their respective CG’s

Motonari’s CG is shown much more threatening and aggressive than Nobunaga’s

That brings me to my next point. Every other antagonist so far is shown to have a gentle and redeemable side. Kenshin threatened to wage war on the whole country while keeping MC locked in a cell yet he is still shown to be gentle and romantic. Kennyo repeatedly kidnaps and threatens MC’s life in other routes yet he is shown as a gentle monk who just wants revenge for his fallen brethren. Why doesn't Motonari get that level of consideration and empathy? Why is he, the only brown man, shown as an aggressive two-dimensional brute in every single route that isn’t his own? And this is a harmful stereotype that shows itself in all kinds of media. Brown men are depicted as predatory and aggressive both in fiction and real life.

This leads me to his ethnicity (I’m only talking about Ikesen’s portrayal of Motonari, I am well aware he was a Japanese warlord irl). In his route there is a part where he is talking about slavery and colonialism. As a South Asian woman I completely understand his perspective and its what got me thinking about this subject in the first place.

This subject is clearly personal to him. These lines, the way he looks as opposed to the other characters, and the fact that he speaks Spanish (around this time period the Philippines were being colonized by Spain), leads me to head cannon him as South East Asian, specifically Filipino. However, historically, Motonari comes from a region of Southern Japan, which is known as Hiroshima today. Cybird meant to market him as Okinawan. A large part of the reason Motonari is being treated this way by Cybird stems from the fact that people from Okinawa face racism from mainland Japan. Considering the fact that this game was made in Japan, and knowing what we know about their history of colonization, racism, and east asian beauty standards revolving around colorism, I am honestly not surprised that Motonari is being portrayed like this.

Until now they just showed his reason for fighting the Oda to be “oh I just want to watch the world burn for no reason”. But no that’s not the reason. These lines. That’s the reason. A lot of the context behind those lines comes from the fact that comes from because people from mainland Japan treated Okinawan people as slaves. He doesn’t want to see another colonizer come into power. Sure he’s a bit of an extremist but historically people who have this ideology have always been portrayed as savage and barbaric and “against the betterment of society” (think Jet from atla or even Malcom x). It’s no different in ikesen. The devs are clearly villainizing this ideology. Let’s not forget the fact that irl Hideyoshi invaded Korea. And the fact that anime and otome games are part of Japan’s way of erasing their war crimes and rebranding themselves to the rest of the world. It’s blatantly obvious here with the way they’re villainizing Motonari for having a perfectly valid reason to fight the Oda. If Japan stays divided they can’t invade and colonize other countries like the Philippines can they? Anti-colonialism = bad.

Lastly I want to talk about how they downplayed his abilities as a leader and a warlord in his own right. In all the other routes he is depicted as less educated and frankly “dumb”, and it shows itself in his speech patterns too. Compared to Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, Motonari’s speech is stereotypically “less educated” and “lower class”. Yet he is just as much of a leader as any of the other warlords. However instead of acknowledging that, the game chooses to focus on his crimes and behavior as a pirate, instead of his role as the head of the Mouri clan.

At one point Kicho even compares his intelligence to a fifth grader which just rubs me the wrong way because lets take a moment to actually look at Motonari’s abilities. He is multilingual, has knowledge of global politics and economics, is an amazing businessman, and extremely analytical. He is literally known as the God of Decit, yet I did not hear that name once until his route came out. His strategies are good enough to be called a god, yet that is completely buried in the other routes in order to simplify his character into a trigger happy psychopath and a violent brute. He is just as smart as Nobunaga yet he is not given the credit he deserves.

Both Motonari and Nobunaga are extremely similar yet because of the horribly biased portrayals, Motonari is one of the least popular characters whereas Nobunaga is the second most popular. It makes me angry to see people in the fandom choosing to blindly hate Motonari without recognizing the fact that this stems from a frankly racist portrayal of an extremely intelligent and powerful character. Although truthfully, I blame the devs because if they had given his character even half the consideration and depth the others got, this would not be the case.

You can disagree with me if you want. I am simply bringing attention to something I haven’t seen being addressed.

I hope in future routes, events, and sequels he is treated better by the devs and and the fandom. Please stop projecting racist stereotypes onto brown men.

533 notes · View notes

wangxiandecoded · 4 years

Text

Episode 1

Next Episode →

(Spoilers for basically the whole show ahead!)

Me : I like watching The Untamed for the fantasy period drama plot of the show!!!

The Plot™️ of the Show :

First Sight of Wangxian

What a tragic and iconic introduction of the main couple : Tbh this is when I knew this show was ride or die for me, I couldn't get myself to care about the over-the-top stunts or graphics that might bother some people. It made me gasp like, "a guy just went over the cliff and another guy came flying to catch him. MAGNIFIQUE! Never done before! I need MORE of this content!!!!"

And the first word Wei Ying says on the show : Lan Zhan.

Wei Ying Remembers

The poetic cinema that is Wei Ying recognizing the Lan clan's crest in Sizhui's robes, the flood of memories starring Lan Zhan coming back to him as he falls to the ground with the sad version of WuJi playing over a flashback of the first time he ever saw him... it really be like that sometimes. (And he doesn't even know who this sweet, kind boy is yet! Add this to Lan Zhan naming Sizhui thus with his name literally meaning “to recollect and to long for”, so his existence is like a token of remembrance bringing Wangxian’s story full circle. All of this in the first few moments of the show. AAAAH!) Hang in there, Wei Ying.

Sizhui Recognizes The Melody™️

Sizhui recognizes the tune of WuJi (ok obviously he's their son, if his dads played it while missing each other, he's going to remember it!) and we can guess Lan Zhan probably played it in the 16 years Wei Ying was gone or Wei Ying played it in his time away from Lan Zhan when A-Yuan was still a baby. In a lot of ways, this song represents the whole show and their relationship, and it makes me weep every time I hear it.

Chén Qíng Lìng

I thought it's pretty amazing the show in Chinese is titled after the flute that belongs to the "mad defector, Yiling Patriarch", but how fucking beautifully and gloriously ironic is it that the melody Wei Ying played most often on his flute is not one that drove people mad with dark magic but the love song founded on his relationship with Lan Zhan, and composed by Lan Zhan? I think that's a great metaphor for those who romanticize the idea of “the grandmaster of demonic cultivation” and are too blind to see the heart of this story.

Wei Ying Gay Panicking and Lan Zhan Still Waiting & Hoping

That feeling when you’re gay panicking about potentially meeting the love of your life who doesn't know you’re back from the dead after 16 years because you need several eons of preparation to see him again. My heart aches for Wei Ying, and more still for Lan Zhan who never stopped looking for him or hoping he could be alive. Never seen two bigger idiots who are so meant for each other.

Wei Ying’s First Glance of Lan Zhan In 16 Years

I absolutely positively cannot stand to look at Wei Ying here. Nope. The amount of fondness radiating from his face can fuel a billion stars and invent love. I'm pretty sure it did. Also - that's what you think after seeing him for the first time since resurrection? Wei Ying, you are truly a hopeless fool in love. But you’re not wrong, he’s been mourning you.

The Arrival of The Most Romantic Hero Ever

I also love the epic Hero Entry and build-up they gave for Lan Zhan’s official introduction. Give me that cheesy trope in historical gay context! Heck yeah! Our beloved hero has arrived with pomp and ceremony to sweep the other hero off his feet, even if Wei Ying practically flees. It’s ok Lan Zhan, fate will lead you to him soon.

Wangxian’s Immortal Abode

Have you noticed the one scene that is never missing from the opening and especially end credits? As if to foreshadow a happy ending for them. You can't convince me this isn't what awaits you at the gates of heaven. Just Wangxian enjoying eternal domestic bliss, always atop the waterfalls at the Cloud Recesses, the sound of guqin and flute always echoing together, two husbands upholding justice and staying by the other's side forever. Like they always have, will be and should be.

The One Who Knew Nothing

The first time I watched this show, the plot went over my head and I paid no attention to Nie Huaisang except to think he was funny. (Hey come on, Wangxian is the only plot we all know.) And to think he is the mastermind who orchestrated everything.. mad respect for you my dude.. I’ve never been so blindsided by a character before.

To summarise, Episode 1 introduces (in a time jump) the two heroes who will go on to share an epic journey and fall in love. We see hints of their past and how much they’ve missed each other. We’re shown just enough to be left wondering what happened between them and what went wrong.

#cqlepisodes #wangxian #cqlrewatch #lan zhan #wei ying #lan wangji #wei wuxian #cql #the untamed #cql spoilers #cql episodes #cql rewatch #wangxian analysis #the untamed analysis

178 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 4 years

Text

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck: The Last of the Clan McDuck! Review “It Was Worth THE Dime”

This is one of my faviorite comic book stories of all time. Given i’m a massive comics nerd, for both books and strips, that is the highest praise I can give this wonderful, epic, beautifully drawn and deeply emotoinal story. I first discovered it in the local library that had the second volume, and found the rest online at a now long dead fan site. And while it took me longer than I care to admit to really dig into Duck Comics, and even now i’ve only scratched the surface, I can say without a doubt this story is the reason I’m so deeply attached to Scrooge as a character, and that I was excited as I was for Ducktales 2017. This comic showed me just what Scrooge McDuck should be at his core as a character, and showed me what a wonderful character that is. So with all that glowing praise as you can guess i’ve been wanting to cover this for years, and even considered though back when I was more primarily a comic book reviewer last year. Any time i’ve reviewed stuff before now, i’ve considered it, and with Scrooge’s Sisters Hortense and Matilda presumably and definitely debuting on Ducktales soon, and it’s about damn time, the timing could not be better or clearer to dig into this utter triumph. But before we can take a look at the story itself we naturally have to take a look at the man behind it: Writer and Artist Don Rosa. Don Rosa is easily one of the best Duck Comics writer out there, seen by many as only second to his own faviorite duck comics writer and God of Ducks, Carl Barks. For those 1 of you who do not know, Barks was the man who created pretty much everything in the duck universe comics wise and a bit in animation too: He created Daisy, Scrooge, Gladstone, Magica, The Beagle Boys, The Junior Woodchucks, Gyro, Little Bulb, Glomgold, Rockerduck, and the list goes on. While he didn’t make EVERY duck, he made so many that it’d be impossible to imagine either version of Ducktales being possible without him. So of course Rosa was a fan and while he took up the family buisness, he was also an artist and duck comics fanboy on the side. So when, even if it meant a paycut, the opportunity to actually write and draw them came up, he lept at it and thus became one of their publishers go to guys, even if said publisher published the stories overseas where the Duck Comics are far more popular and still going to this day, and ironically where most duck comics printed nowadays get their stories from. Rosa was known for his meticous historical research and gorgeous art that he took his time drawing to get just perfect and showed on the page. The man has easily some of hte best and most detailed duck art around and I still haven’t found a duck artist that can match him.. and if you have or found one close i’d genuinely love to see that. He is a genuinely talented, spirited guy who was sadly mistreated by disney and that, coupled with tragically failing eyesight, eventually ended his career. He’s still around and I genuinely hope to meet him some day as he still does conventions. The man is not without fault: I don’t get his hatred of superhero comics, as while I get them overshadowing funnybooks and that around the time of his career they were in decline, but it’s just as unfair to write off Superhero comics as mindless. garbage as it is for people to write off the Duck Comics as “only for kids” and I genuinely wish he’d see that and see how the medium has evolved so much since then. I also grumble a bit as his refusal to allow anything besides barks into his bubble, and having to be forced to include fethry on the family tree, but that’s more personal preference. I like using as much material as you got. IT’s why i’ve wanted to, and hopefully will eventually get around to, write a sonic fanfic using bits of all the various universes that for legal, ken penders being an absolute waste of a human being, and sega being stupid reasons can’t be used anymore. I like taking everything in a franchise and putting it in a blender and it’s why I love the reboot. But there’s nothing wrong with taking things as is, not stepping on toes canon wise, but still being awesome. We’re just diffrent people and that’s okay. And a lot of his fanboy showing actually lead to REALLY good things: Goldie O’Gilt was a one off character, and while used ocasoinally overseas, didn’t really pick up as a character again until a combination of Ducktales 87 and Rosa’s work with her, as he always loved the character, and fleshing her out lead to her being used more, and gaining a sizeable fandom. He also gained the Cablleros an even bigger fandom by giving them two stories of their own, and fleshing them out a bit more. And this very comic is the peak of that, taking EVERY mention of scrooge’s past from various backstories to set up adventures, every tiny scrap, and to his credit going to both Barks Himself and various other Barks Experts Rosa was friends with to check his work, especially difficult given he likey had to find these stories in issue or pullt hem from disney archives, and complied it into one long epic that not only uses all this info effortlessly, but spins a compelling story that gives us a clear vision of what Scrooge should be, how he became the man he is, and how he lost himself only to find himself again with the help of three precocious boys and a cynical 30 something duck. So taint all bad is what i’m saying. As for how this got started, thankfully rosa himself provided the origin story for this project in the back of the volume of his works that contained the first 7 chapters of life and times, as well as detailed notes for every chapter. At the time Rosa was working for Egmont, the big european publisher who handles Disney’s much larger european comics market, hence why most of his stories appeared years earlier in Europe before debuting here. The american publisher at the time , and an old friend of his, called Rosa with an idea: A 12 issue Maxi-Series focusing on Scrooge’s history, since at the time they were all the rage.. and really even today mini series are still a viable market and many indie titles just have several minis instead of an ongoing. So it wasn’t a bad idea, Rosa just simply offered a tweak: He’d tell his publisher at Egmont about the idea, and let her get a crack team of writers and artists to do this proper, and thus Disney could publish it for free once it was done and for no extra cost. Rosa gave his publisher a fax detaling both the idea and the fact that it needed to be done right, given to the best person possible, and done with the greatest care. She agreed.. and naturally handed it to him, as he admits he hoped. She made the right call, a legend was born and here we are. One last bit before the read more and before I get to the first story itself at last: Since barks wrote a lot of side stories that fit into the canon, I COULD slot them in between chapters, but have instead chosen to review the original 12 part story as was, and do the various side stories and two epilogues, the utterly fantastic “Dream of a Life Time”, easiliy one of my faviorite comics ever, and the also really great “Letter From Home”, which will likely on some level be the basis for the upcoming at the time of this review “Battle for Castle McDuck!”, after completing the story. In other words i’m probably going to be at this for years. so join me under the read more won’t you as I begin the journey of a thousand miles with a single step as we look at the humble start of a legend.

We begin, after a fun short teaser with present Day scrooge saying his past is no one’s buisness only to get hit with an oh yeah?, with a scrap book title for the issue, something I want to bring up since while I got that’s what it was what I never got, and must’ve glanced over when I first read rosa’s notes when I got this copy, was that it isn’t SCROOGE’S scrap book, but his sister Matilda’s who dutifully and happily catologued her brother’s adventures. It’s a really sweet moment.. and something that will hit VERY hard when we reach Chapter 11. If you haven’t read this story or heard of it.. .that’s this story’s equilvent of “Last Crash of the Sunchaser” and clearly Frank and Matt drew from that story a bit for it, but we can get more into the parallels when we get there. A smaller but fun note is that Rosa had specific coin drawing templates, for different indentions and what not he used, and used them for the coins in these intro bits. Yes he admitted he has a problem and yes that’s damn impressive anyway.

It’s Scrooge’s 10th birthday, and his father Fergus has taken him up to see the family land, Dismal Downs to tell him of the mighty Clan McDuck and show him the ancestral lands, graveyards and Castle. He admits to having taken this long because the Clan McDuck currently lives in Glasgow so it’s kind of a long trip just to show your son “Hey look at the decay and rot that’s our ancestral homeland”. The Clan is on hard times, as a bad shipping deal, the backbone of a rather good barks story and I wont’ be interjecting for every barks reference as it’d get rather tiring though for what it’s worth Rosa provided tons of detailed footnotes in the back of each Fantagraphics collection, so good on him. Speaking of which though they do include 10 pages of Mc Duck family history that was supposed to open this story.. until Rosa’s editor wisely pointed out the story isn’t about them but scrooge and having read his roug draft, yeah.. there’s a good gag here and there, as well as “Dirty” Dingus McDuck, scrooge’s Grandpa and the reason Dewey is cursed with that middle name. Why anyone thought Dingus was a good name is beyond me, nor why Donald thought that was a good middle name back in 2009 is again, beyond me. Good on Don though for getting that past the censors. But yeah with no money they can’t buy the land back and they were scared off it years ago by a mystical ghost dog, the hound of the whiskervilles. There is treasure in the castle, Sir Quackly’s gold, but he accidently sealed himself into a wall while sealing his treasure in there. Their interrupted by the town assholes, the Whiskervilles who have been grazing sheep on the land and are naturally behind the hound, using the sound of it to scare off Fergus once they realize he’s a McDuck. Because apparently you can keep a Scooby Doo style hoax up for Centuries if you don’t have meddling kids around. Who knew. Back in Glasgow, we meet the rest of Scrooge’s family: His Uncle Jake, his sisters Matilda and Hortense, and his mother Downy. Jake hasn’t really been mentioned at all in Ducktales and I know next to nothing about him, which given I share a name with the guy you’d THINK I would. I mean I know a decent amount about this Jake.

But nothing about who the hell Jake McDuck is or why he lives with his brother and his family. Here, you guys watch the dancing Jake, i’m going to probably do that for hours after this review is done, i’m going to go sort this out. Okay one google and finding the Scrooge Mcduck wiki page on him, Jake shows up here likely because he was referenced in the story “A Christmas For Shacktown” and apparently borrowed from Scrooge and never paid it back. Otherwise.. there’s not a lot about him and unlike the rest of Scrooge’s family he really dosen’t do much that I can remember. Except like 2017 Scrooge, he apparently has become extremely long lived, as Scrooge and Donald STILL think he’s alive in the 1950′s.. and likely is STILL alive in some form in the Don Rosa stories, given his take place after Barks and thus in the 40′s and 50′s where Barks stories were set. Hence why unlike the Reboot, Scrooge isn’t inexpecilbly over 210. But Jake McDuck sure as heck is. Maybe this highlander is a highlander.. you know the movie and tv show type. Maybe someone cut off his head. That’s what i’m going with.

This does bring me to another point about this story: While Barks gave all of scrooge’s family their names, it’s where Rosa got them after all, it’s Rosa who really made them into characters. Fergus as a loving father ashamed his family legacy has fallen and wanting his son to do better than him, Downy as an equally loving wife and mother, Matilda as his sweet and caring sister and later her brother’s moral center, and Hortense.. well here she’s just a babbling baby but her character will become clear and glorious as we go. She is adorable here though and we do get some great bits with her. Getting back to the plot now i’ve made my points, Jake is riled up wanting to understandably kick the Whiskerville’s asses with Scrooge, who even as a sweet innocent ten year old still has the family temper already, agreeing.. but Downy gently shoots them out pointing that two middle aged-ish men and a 10-year old just aren’t enough to fight an army of them and while she doesn’t mention it the fight would just tire them out for work and accomplish nothing as while it is the McDuck’s land the combination of the hound and the lack of money to move back means it’s pointless. She also mentions their younger brother Pothole, who went to America. This will be important later.

Scrooge storms off and Fergus laments, in a scene that’s more painful the more I think about it, how his clan has fallen, with he and his brother lamenting their chances at glory are long gone.. but Fergus has hope his son can do better, and for his son’s birthday makes him a shoeshine kit in the hopes of inspiring him to greatness. This scene still resonates since many of us are poor, struggling and not doing so good money wise. I’m sure many parents have doubts and regrets about not being able to do more for their kid.

Not only that but the story carefully avoids the trap of Fergus accidently being abusive by you know, pinning his family’s future on one 10 year old. While yes he is asking a lot of Scrooge, to restore their family name.. it’s very clear he mostly just wants his son to do better than him. Even if Scrooge was just slightly more successful, Fergus would likely be happy with that. He’s not using the legacy as a “This what you must be” like say the Gems in steven universe did for Steven with Rose’s Legacy, the kind where it sort of suffocates you till youc an make it your own. He’s just saying “this is what you can be” He believes his child can be great and simply once him to reach his full potetial and is simply giving him a means to hopefully do so, a simple home made shoe shine kit. While Jake scoffs, the narration notes the idea isn’t worth a dime.. it’s worth THE dime. The dime that would set Scrooge’s destiny in motion.

The next morning, Fergus goes to check up on his son and his new buisness but Scroogey’s having no luck and about ready to just quit, the poor child. Also Matilda is dragging her baby sister around like a doll and it’s entirely precious as it is funny.

But as for those Dorty Boots, Matilda wonders why her dad dosen’t just tell Scrooge that Burt the Ditch Digger is coming. Fergus tells her to quite and then explains his plan: he’s sending Burt to scrooge, with an American dime Fergus and Matilda found, to teach his son a lesson: By giving him a hard days work, he’ll teach him what hard work truly means.. and by having Burt “cheat” him with the American dime, it’ll give him the motivation to keep going and to nto be as wide eyed and trusting. It’s a well meaning if harsh lesson, and the kind you’d expect from 1900′s parenting and fits the origin well: Scrooge still earned his first money square, as he still did work.. but his getting cheated being a lesson dosen’t diminish what it taught scrooge, and helps flesh out what I talked about above, Fergus knowing his son has great potential he just needs inspiration to reach it. And instead of just telling him that he does a con job but it’s the 1900′s. This orign, and Fergus’ part in it would be entirely untouched in Ducktales 2017, the first scrooge based adaptation since this comic came out, and I bless them for it. Frank even said this comic was used as a bible by the writers and while theirs clear deviations, and we’ll get to that, they were mainly done for good reason, and it’s very clear that while scrooge’s history is very VERY diffrent in the reboot, the core of his past is still there.

So the plan is on and young scrooge spends half an hour killing himself to get Burt’s shoes clean before getting his dime.. and realizing he’s been had, makes this proud decleration that will be the bedrock of his entire life and character.

Scrooge being naturally stubborn as you can see takes his cheats a leson: There will always be hard honest work, and he will be there to do it and he’ll be tougher and sharper than anyone trying to cheat him out of his pay. Fergus’ plan has the intended effect, and Scrooge having learned a hard lesson now has the drive and determination we know him for. As for why it gives it to him.. I had to think on it a bit but it makes sense: For some a setback like this would make them quit.. for Scrooge it’s just proof he CAN find customers, he CAN do this job, or any at his hardest and instead takes this as a lesson to be prepared ot out think and outfight anyone who dares cheat him again, and to not earn his money by being the kind of guy who cheats a kid out of an honest days pay, but as a good honest duck like his father and his father before him. =He will make his money square so he can be the kind of person this seeming stranger SHOULD have been. Granted we’ll see Scrooge doesn’t end up as the best person at times but .. we’ll get there. So with the fire inside turned from a spark into the flame Scrooge soon got to work, and by the next panel we see he’s eventually worked his stand up from a small box given to him by his dad, to a three seater shoeshining bench, who he wipes all at once by stretching one of his mother’s girldes over a light pole, a detail I didn’t get the first time around but now love. Naturally being a good kind boy much like his Nephews, Scrooge always gave his proud father a portion of his earnings, if with a full receipt for tax purposes. Because he’s still scrooge after all. His dad wonders he did too good a job while Hortense glxbit’s in agreement.

As the years go on, a now tween Scrooge is eventually able to save up for a horse cart, and starts selling Fire Wood up in the city. He eventually realizes Peat, an earthy subtance found in bogs I only know about because I had to look it up for this review, is more profitable and with some snappy marketing moves into selling Peat for the rich instead, also showing the young lad already has a grasp of how to sell to obnoxious rich people.

But while his business is booming, our young hero can’t resist visiting his family’s ancestral home and longing for it, hoping one day to have it for himself and in a nice show of how despite his temper and tenacity forged over the last few years he’s still at hear the kind, sweet optimistic lad he was just a few pages ago, he decides to tidy up the Clan’s Cemetary while he’s here.

Unfortunately as proof that Donald and Della’s terrible luck comes from both sides of the family the Whiskervilles are sub-glomgold levels of human beings.. or Dogfaces in this case, and are digging up the McDuck Clan’s graves to hunt for treasure. Scrooge tries to simply do the smart thing and flee, but the asshole brigade catch sight of him and mistkaing him for a peat burgalar chase after him.. and spend WAY too much time and energy chasing a teenage boy over some fucking bog grass you clearly aren’t selling yourselves. I mean spare a thought for how dumb this is: They could easily sell of of that peat to put up a fence or chop down some trees to get the material if their really that concerned about someone getting in the bog. Then again this isn the 1800 and 1900′s where the child death toll was simply “Yes”, so they likely thought whose gonna notice one more dead child on our property?

Scrooge heads toward the castle and is gestured in by a friendly mystery duck who gladly shows him around and can tell he’s a McDuck just by look, showing the castle is still in glorious condition as the whiskervilles are too spooked to go in, hence why they didn’t chase Scrooge inside. I’d say being afraid of ghosts but not murdering a child is weird but these are the same guys who thought murdering a child was plan A. We’re not dealing with a brain trust is what i’m saying. So the mystery duck shows Scroogey around, showing off some colorful stories about his ancestors recycled from that scrapped prologue I mentioned. THe mystery man, who brushes off Scrooge thinking he’s a McDuck asks Scrooge what he’s doing to restore the family glory and while Scrooge points out he’s already working on it, Mystery Duck points out he’s still missing something: He has the drive and the dream, but peat and shoeshining, while getting him good money for his family, aren’t the thing you can build a fortune or a future off of. He then points out where Scrooge’s dime comes from: America.. and that gives the boy the idea to head to the states. As for what he could possibly DO there to start, the mystery guy mentions his uncle pothole. So Scrooge has the dream, the drive.. and now a plan: Go to america, work for his uncle on the riverboats, and work his way up from there till he finds his fortune and restores his family name. But while his future is settled, the present is still an issue and Scrooge wants to teach the child murder club a lesson and thus borrows, though MM wisely points out it’s all his property a horse and some armor, and stuffs the armor with peat. As for what his plan is.. welllll

That.. is fucking awesome. And far from the last fucking awesome moment in this thing. It also shows off even as not quite a teen yet, Scrooge is still a badass already, and while he doesn’t have his trademark strength or fighting skills quite yet, his ingenuity is already there.. and that will always trump both. The Whiskervilles run away and into some quicksand and Scrooge vows to return one day as laird and reclaim his family land. But that’s a story for a few chapters down the line. As for who the mystery duck is, he’s naturally Sir Quackely himself, or rather his ghost, who was simply guiding Scrooge and didn’t give him the treasure as simply handing him the money wouldnn’t restore their family’s good name or continue their bloodline now would it?

For now Scrooge returns to work for a bit before finding his way to America: A cattleboat to New Orleans looking for a Cabin Boy. And so Scrooge bids farewell to his family. His Dad, feeling bad he can’t even give his boy shilling, gives him the family pocketwatch with jake pitching in with the family gold dentures. While Scrooge naturally refuses to sell the watch, he does plan to sell the teeth as soon as possible for good reason. We then get some sweet goodbyes with him, his sisters (With hortense uttering her first words to everyone’s astonishment) and loving mother as he wonders just what awaits him in America.

And there he stands on the bow of a ship, heading for a new land, in New Orleans he can be a new man. And we’ll see just what kind of man he becomes as this series continues. For now this is the end of a chapter but the beginning of a lifetime.

Final Thoughts on Last of the Clan McDuck:

This story is excellent. While there are even better chapters to come, this one is still one of the most memorable and most joyous, showing just how Scrooge became what he is, where some of his values come from, others will be instilled along the way , and beginning to flesh out his family. We see Scrooge’s love of wealth comes from starting from the bottom, growing up with a family that barely had anything and badly needed everything, but was loving and instilled fine morals in him. We also see a Scrooge far removed from the bitter old man he is in present day, an optimistic naïve young lad who only wants best for his family. It’s a nice stark contrast to who he’ll become, good and bad, and a nice way to both compare him to Huey Dewey and Louie and break your heart as his own hardens before briefly turning black later on. The art, as is standard for this series and Rosa, is breathtaking, and the story isn’t lacking in good jokes, their just downplayed so the story itself can take center stage. There’s nothing really more to say: it’s an excellent start to an even more excellent tale and stands proud among an already stellar story as one of it’s finest outings.

NEXT RAINBOW: Scrooge goes down to the mighty Missipi to work on the riverboats and meets one of his signature Rogue’s for the first time in their first form, as well as Gyro’s dad.. or grandpa.. or possibly both I don’t know his family tree. Point is, tune in next time for some riverboat hyjinks. Until then if you’d like to comission an episode of any animated show, especially ducktales and the various other duck related disney shows, or another Duck Comics story you really like from Rosa, Barks or whoever you want really, I take commissions for 5 dollars a review, with 5 dollars off your full order when you put in for more than one episode or issue. You can also follow me on patreon.com/popculturebuffet and for just two bucks a month get access to polls (which i’ll start once we have at least three patreons), and my exclusive discord server. And if you liked this review be sure to reblog it to show off. My self promotion done until next time: There’s always another rainbow.

#scrooge mcduck #don rosa #ducktales #the life and times of scrooge mcduck #fergus mcduck #downy mcduck #hortense mcduck #hortense duck #matilda mcduck #jake mcduck #uncle scrooge #duck comics #disney duck comics #carl barks

59 notes · View notes

blarrghe · 4 years

Note

“don’t look at me like i’m a hero. you’ll only disappoint yourself.” For my stabby revolutionary Lavellan Lyanna? Born to a clan, but grew up in the shadow of Halamshiral. I’d love to see how she gets along with Taren and Theo. ❤️

Oh what a badass! I hope you don’t mind that there’s quite a lot of Taren/Theo in this and not a huge amount of Lyanna, I just thought this made a very excellent introduction line for her! Also I haven’t written them fighting together yet so that was neat.

“Who are we going to meet again?” Theo asked the question through a long, drawn-out yawn, stretching his arms over his head as they walked. The road was clear of travelers still, and a thin fog was being slowly lifted from the ground with the rising sun.

“Don’t you ever listen when I talk?” Taren scolded in reply, walking ahead of Theo. There was a brightness to his step, despite the fact that they had both only just woken from sleep.

“Not when it’s this early.” Theo grumbled behind him, shuffling in the way that he thought was more fitted to grogginess. Not that Taren would know anything about grogginess. Maybe all those mean spirited letters were on to something, and his brother really was some sort of insane demon who never needed rest. More likely though, it was the entire pot of coffee that Taren had opted to take for himself, after Theo had rejected the bitter liquid, that gave him his pep.

“Leliana only gave a nickname - “Fox” - but she claims some link to us.” Taren explained again, and Theo distantly remembered hearing the information before. He raised an eyebrow at “us”. Taren meant the Dalish us, not the Inquisition. The latter connection was a given for Theo, these days, but his inclusion with the former was more complicated.

“You mean the clan.” He countered quickly; not a question, more a reminder. Neither he nor Taren had been in the company of their clan since the breaking of the world began, but for Theo, the connection had been tentative long before that.

“Yes,” Taren replied, some of what Theo teasingly called his Keeper Voice breaking through in the remark, “that us.”

Theo sighed, it was too early for an argument. “So why are you bringing me?”

Taren shrugged. “I needed a scout,” he answered, “seemed like your sort of job.” Theo nodded along, already forgetting to listen to the answer to what he had just asked, as his mind attempted to wander away into sleepy daydreams again. Taren stopped and looked back at him, waiting for his attention to return; the bobbing of his head must not have been a very convincing response. “And you do have some connection to the clan, too.” Taren’s words were pointed as he linked one of his arms with his, keeping his gait quick as Theo stumbled to keep up. He was talking about himself, Theo realised with a pang of regret. Of course he hadn’t meant to exclude that.

“Did you know her?” He asked, letting Taren lead them on with his quick steps. It wasn’t that hard to keep up, his long legs could outpace Taren easily, if not for his endless supplies of energy.

“How would I know? All we have is a nickname.”

Right. He had said that. Did Taren not realise that it was still not even really dawn?

“Leliana thinks she could be a useful ally, and if the reports are right, I agree.” Taren was still talking, and Theo nodded along again, more of the information returning to his memory.

“Because she works for that elf you met in Orlais.” He had synthesized Taren’s explanation of the political machinations of Orlais into some few simple notes for his memory - elven revolutionaries were fighting against imperialistic nobility; everything was pretty much terrible, and it was mostly the shemlens’ fault. Taren had a somewhat more balanced view of things, one that took into account the relations of other countries, various historical battles, and all sorts of secret knowledge gained through complicated espionage. He appreciated that it was complicated, and if it wasn’t so early he might even have been willing to dedicate real intellectual thought to the discussion, but for his current purposes the categories “elven rebels” and “human jerks” made sense of things well enough. They were off to meet an elven rebel. He supposed that was indeed “his sort of job”.

“Didn’t sound like she works for anyone, from the report. But yes, she has a reputation.” Taren said.

“And you think you can get her to work for you.” Not a question, he knew exactly how Taren thought; and he knew Taren would be there anyway, even if he didn’t want the revolutionary’s help.

Taren shrugged. “She’s still a Lavellan.” Good old predictable Taren, putting on his Keeper Voice again.

The conversation was interrupted by the sounds of a violent commotion ahead. Horses neighing, shouted voices, and the clashing of steel echoed down the road, and a flock of birds lifted itself noisily from the trees. Theo and Taren sprang apart, each quickly reaching for their weapons. Taren cast a barrier over both of them while Theo nocked an arrow, and cautiously, keeping to the edge of the forest which lined the road, they approached.

The commotion was caused by an ambush of highwaymen, who had apparently jumped out to rob a caravan which traveled down the road. The victims of the attack appeared to be but simple travelers - refugees, probably. Theo saw pointed ears poking out of hoods, small bodies huddled behind larger ones. Two of the older looking travelers had shoddy weapons in hand, struggling against the bandits.

His throat tightened, anger flooding him as loosed his arrows at the attackers, catching one in the face before the brute could bring down an axe on a struggling civilian fighter. He wasted no time in joining the fight, aiming careful arrows at the gaggle of unlucky bandits. Taren had sprung to action as well. More protective barriers sprang up around the refugees without weapons, and roots and rock rose and shuddered from the ground under bandits’ feet.

Then as they fought, another entered the fray. She seemed to drop from the sky, two long blades flashing brightly in her hands. She moved quickly, zigzagging her way from one bandit to another, leaving them clutching bleeding wounds or lying motionless in her wake. One of the men ran, and Theo found himself in close combat with the large brute, wrestling against his arms to try to keep a blade out of his face. A couple stabs to Taren’s barrier over him had weakened it, another would likely break through. Their faces were close. The man was big and burly, with dirt-caked skin and wild hair. A sinister grin spread over the bandits face. Theo was taller, but not as broadly built, and his arms wouldn’t be able to hold back the blows for long. He shoved a knee into the man, staggering him long enough that he could attempt to draw his own short blade from his belt, but the bandit rebounded before he could land another blow, and he narrowly dodged a swing of his dagger.

Before he could dodge another blow, the fast fighting woman spun quickly in and out of view, shoving the bandit away, spinning around behind him as he struggled to keep his footing, and stabbing him in the back - a quick succession of stabs under the ribs - the bandit dropped clutching his wounds, tense, and then limp.

Theo took a couple steps back, catching his breath, and looked up at the woman who had come to his rescue. Bright red hair and eyes still narrowed for a fight. The rest of the attackers had fallen now, and Theo let out a breath. “Thanks.” He said to the woman, whose expression was changing now from a grimace to a proud smirk. “That was amazing.” He could have gotten out of it, of course, but credit where it was due: this woman could fight.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a hero, you’ll only disappoint yourself.” Replied his saviour casually, turning away from him to stoop over the now-dead bandit’s body, she rummaged in the man’s pockets, adding what coin was there to her own. As she went about pickpocketing the dead, a small fennec scampered over to her, following her and making circles around her legs.

“But you are one, aren’t you?” Taren stepped toward her, his eye scanning the scene. Theo looked again at the fennec. Oh. Fox. Taren went on talking, listing a few accomplishments that Theo again vaguely remembered from an earlier briefing. The woman stopped gathering spoils and stood to meet him.

“And who the fuck are you?”

Theo tried not to laugh at Taren’s expression. To anyone else, he seemed always to do a remarkably good job of staying calm, but Theo saw him twitch. He was really starting to like this Fox woman.

“Taren Lavellan,” he answered her with stress on the clan name and without giving his title. Not that he needed to, everyone in the world knew his name by now. But maybe he was spending too much time in Orlais, because it seemed to Theo that the words Taren chose when he met people always meant something.

“Oh.” She sounded surprised, eyes widening a little as she spoke, but Theo couldn’t tell if it was a happy sound. “No offence, but I expected you’d be taller.”

That time, he did laugh. He tried to stifle it with his sleeve, but it didn’t matter, Taren was laughing too. The woman’s smirk returned to her face, and her eye landed on Theo. He cleared his throat, banishing the rest of his laughter.

“Theo Lavellan,” he offered in introduction, “I uh, work for the Inquisition.”

“Lyanna.” Replied the woman with a curt nod. She returned her smirking gaze to Taren. “Can I help you, Inquisitor?”

“Actually,” Taren began with a smirk that mirrored hers, but it was amused, more than cocky, “I think we can help each other.”

Introductions over with, Taren broke the conversation to help the refugees return to their feet, and Theo heard him making generous offers of aid as he sent them on their way again. Lyanna was watching him work, the smirk not leaving her face even as her eyes narrowed again in careful consideration. Theo, meanwhile, watched her fox, and idly wondered where he could get one of his own.

#lyanna lavellan #lavellan bros #theo lavellan #just let all the elves be friends ok #my writing #dragon age fanfic #dragon age #dai #writing prompts #I hope u enjoy!!#midnightprelude

4 notes · View notes

polarishq · 4 years

Photo

Meet CHAO-XING DOU. They are TWENTY THREE years old and hail from HONG KONG, CHINA. Chao embodies the star, DOU of the Chinese mansion, BLACK TORTOISE. They use she/her pronouns. Their faceclaim is KAHEI WONG.

Dou reminds me of tfresh grass tickling bare skin, the snicker of a mischievous child, unseeing eyes rolling constantly, a promise sealed with secretly crossed fingers, the vibration of earth beneath dancing feet, a defiant huff to accompany crossed arms, the rebellious act of being alive and happy at the same time.

BIOGRAPHY

With a foundation dating back to the early 1200s, the Dou clan –– named after the very constellation that sponsors so many of their witches –– has always been recognized as one of the most powerful families of earth witches. While not all of them have held sponsorships, each of them has been blessed with tremendous earth magic, gaining the historic favor of a few constellations. While some branches of the family have trickled into Western societies, the main family remains rooted in Hong Kong, their influence interwoven into every bit of daily life. They’re the teachers, the politicians, the janitors, even the local cabbage man.

For every generation, there is a leader. There is a known toxicity in the whole every leader must bring an heir mentality, but each head of the family knows their responsibility. For all of the power that the Dou clan has, their main job has always been to keep the family alive and be a foundation for their community. It has never been about whether the next leader was male or female or something in between; all that matters is the dedication to the family and the community.

To the surprise of everyone in the community, the latest heir, Chao-Xing, was born blind. There was tragic accident, no slow degradation of sight. She came into the world unseeing and grew up that way, too.

To the Dou clan’s credit, they didn’t see her disability as a flaw in any manner. She was still their heiress, meant to carry the family into the next generation. No one doubted her ability to lead the clan, nor did they doubt her connection to the earth. They did, however, perceive her as something to be protected.

With all of the best intentions, she was sheltered. Cousins would weave flowers into her hair, then hold her hand as she walked from her living room to her bedroom, as if she couldn’t memorize the floor plan of her own home. It was kind; it was exhausting; it was unwanted.

Even as a child, Chao’s frustration mounted with every passing day. She wasn’t helpless; it was a point that she tried to make her family recognize time and time again, only to go ignored. That was the thing about a love like that; it could be consuming to the point of suffocation.

Chao was four when her mark appeared. It was a small thing, resting on her left temple, hidden by her hair. She could tell the exact moment she received it. The world that’d been so dark and unforgiving was suddenly clear as day; she couldn’t see, not the way everyone else could, but she suddenly knew the world just as well as everyone else did. It felt, for the first time, like the earth was on her side, the way her family always insisted it was. Pulling her hand from her mother’s and slipping her feet from her shoes, Chao curled her bare toes into the grass and felt her anger disappear.

If her family thought she was hard to deal with before, they weren’t at all prepared for who she was now. Armed with the ability to sense the world with ease, she often snuck out of her home, venturing to experience the parts of the world that’d been hidden from her before. She was always caught and dragged home, of course. Independent or not, she was still the Dou heiress; her place would always be behind a desk, telling her family where to go and how to act.

Perhaps for another woman, the total power would have been seen as a gift. And she knew that there were others, even within her family, who would kill to be in her spot. But Chao was acutely aware of the fact that she was a child. She didn’t want power or authority, and having it forced on her was almost the same as having no power at all.

She found her reprieve in friends that her family would have never approved of; boys with choppy hair and smoke on their breath, girls with gaps in their teeth and their sneakers worn from overuse. There was a wildness in the group; they were just kids who wanted to have fun; they didn’t see her rank or her constellation or her wealth; she was just a girl and they were just having fun.

They were the reason she constantly broke her family rules. It was never malicious or intending to make her family upset; it was just gentle encouragement from other kids to remain a kid. No one forced Chao to listen; she was always the only person who could make decisions for her.

So when she decided to run away to Polaris, it was unexpected, but it was solely her fault.

While her family still isn’t happy about her decision to abdicate, they haven’t tried to drag her home. It’s the rare case of a family caring more about their child’s safety and happiness than that child’s destiny. They still worry about her being in such an unsafe school without a hint of eyesight to guide her, but she’s not exactly taking opinions on what to do with her life.

She has an unmistakable joy in life. She’s no sunshine child, but she’s not brooding or upset, either. She’ll happily fight someone, then go back to watching Nailed It! like nothing ever happened. She’s just enjoying life and enjoying freedom. In her eyes, it should never be more complicated than that.

INCLINATION

Throughout history, Dou has always selected users from the same family, as it holds inherent and violent powers that most cannot handle. Dou’s sponsored witches are usually marked within their first five years of life, so they have ample time to gain a connection with their power or, if need me, have their mark revoked before they become too dangerous. Tectonic plate shifting is a power that gets passed down to every sponsored witch, though the other powers vary. The current sponsee also has an advanced echolocation ability, where she can “see” based on sound and vibration, as well as minor shapeshifting powers.

CONNECTIONS

Filling the role of Winnie Clarke’s Dungeons and Dragons (Innocent Edition)

Filling the role of Beth Baker’s Insomniacs.

Resident Annoyance: Simply put, Chao-Xing is a brat! She’s fun to be around and she’s very protective, but she can also get on your nerves. This person has the misfortune of being her best friend. At least, that’s how she sees it. They don’t have to see it that way, but unfortunately, they can’t get rid of her.

Family Friend: Her family may have allowed Chao to stay at Polaris, but they didn’t let her do it alone. This person got sent along to watch out for her. She doesn’t let herself be babied or controlled, but she isn’t actively an asshole to this person. She may give them a heart attack or two every day, but she doesn’t hate them. She’s just having fun.

Penned by Ricki ★

#earth.#student.#ricki.#taken.#dou.

1 note · View note

darbiebot · 5 years

Text

Character breakdown

I’m incredibly bored and I have had a few new followers as of late, so I figure it’s time to get one of these things done so I can reference it later! So, a brief explanation of my characters, their history, and what makes them tick: Darlain Truthhammer: She was born a Wildhammer of Aerie Peak, daughter of one of the more respected Proudmug brewing families. When the Trolls invaded in the Third War, while she was still a young girl, he decided to flee with his family to Bronzebeard territory as a refugee, when she remained until her young adulthood. Her father doted on her, but her mother, an opportunistic woman who had married for the wealth and status, took out the frustrations of the family’s misfortunes on her husband and daughter. Her father ended up being murdered by a dark Iron thief, hoping to get his recipies, and after her father’s death, her mother took over their small brewery and, upon learning she was meant to be sold off to a patron to lock in a business deal, she took her gryphon and fled to Stormwind, where a kind priestess sensed her potential as a priest as gave her a place to live in the Cathedral as an Acolyte. She lived as a bit of a socially repressed woman until she bumped into Nicholai and the Meddlers, an adventuring band that eventually gave her a purpose, a husband (and 3 children, now), and a family. She’s a bit of a gossip, but a loyal friend, and a cheerleader for any situation, no matter how dire. Pinapple Peppercog-Ambroce: Pin lived on the surface near Gnomeregan, her parents were technicians that focused on the ventilation system that supplied air to the mostly underground city, which meant a lot of complicated systems interacting together. She had a lovely childhood, and her father would often read stories of heroes to her, which she took into an incredible collection of books on historical battles and legends once she learned how to read. Still a very young woman, Her parents were heavily irradiated during the explosion, and both succumbed to madness shortly after arriving in Ironforge. She was taken in by a foster father, intending to teach her about the blacksmithing trade, but her repression of her situation lead her to run away, and attempt to pursue a naive plan to become a hero, full with a step by step process with multiple tiers of success. In truth, she became a transient, leaning to live in the wilderness and do odd jobs for food, attempting to have her humble beginning manifest into a mystical quest any day. After years of waiting, she instead enlisted as a squire to a military band called the Silver Dragoons, under Commander Harrigan. With dedication and a lot of reality checks, she became a fine officer, and when the unit was disbanded due to sinister influence, she became was promoted as 2nd in command of the Silver Dragoons Mercenary band, under the new commander, Alynore Forrester, whom she proudly served and learned from. Her life since then has been tumultuous, she had a lot of maturing to catch up on, but she eventually became a gifted tactician for the group, and, after her Death in the Legion War, and resurrection by Odyn, she returned to the unit, and took over for Commander Forrester as she joined with the Silver Hand. She’s very intelligent in some fields, and very amateur in others, including love, which, after a few wild and dramatic experiences, she found a loving and fulfilling partnership with Leon Ambroce, and his wife, Kaewynn, her adventures in romance continue, her most recent partner being a gnome mage named Summy, who adds some welcome chaos to her life.

Xillia: Xillia was a recluse after the horrors of the genocide of her people, she thankfully survived it by being a citzen of Teluman, the hiding place of the Draenei people, and was evacuated to the Exodar when it returned to the doomed world. She likely would have stayed a quiet researcher for centuries, if not for the chance reunification with a childhood friend name Henii, and Henii’s wife, Ivinara, she met the spunky and free spirited Rhaala, whom she developed a fascination with, as someone who dealt with much of the same traumas she had, and yet lived life with an ease she found herself envious of. The fascination and envy lead to a proper crush, and the two became both fast friends and lovers. With that, the two of them found others they cared for, in Xillia’s case, a rather dependable and sweet young smith named Arkav, and in Rhaala’s case, a rather nerdy Archeologist, Ki’in. The four decided to purchase a home together, and made a life for themselves, occasionally going off on excursions and adventures. During the Legion attack, an eradar implanted a seed of corruption in her arm, which she was able to stop it from killing her by using her arcane magics to freeze the arm, and shatter it. She spent quite a few months designing an arcane infused prosthetic, using theories from various races’ experiments with runic magic, and the animation of golems. She teaches magic to children now, but occasionally explores or does field research.

Daegra Stonehelm: She’s a new character, so i’m still working on it, but she short of it is she is an ambitious woman, the daughter of two of the old Senate, who were killed in the assassination of Emperor Thulassian. She had been disenfranchised with the Dark Iron’s subservience to Ragnarok, and she herself had been forced into tutelage of the warlock arts, a rather noble calling in their society, even lauded greater than arcane studies. Once her parents were dead, and the city restructuring after the Firelord’s defeat, she sided with Moira, hoping to leave the mountain and make her mark on the world, which she started as an ambassador of the Dark Irons. In a successful attempt to sway public opinion towards accepting the Dark Irons, she arranged for the murder of an advocate for the Dark Irons from the Truthhammer clan, Darlain Truthhammer, framing it on the conservative senators, implying that they killed Darlain because she spoke out for giving the Dark Irons a seat in the dwarven senate. Thankfully for Darlain, her assassin decided to instead kidnap the dwarf and sell her in Blackrock, and the priestess was able to escape, without ever discovering that Daegra was behind the plot. With the politcs settling down, and developing a bit of a distaste for the machinations of political aspirations in general, Daegra has been becoming a silent partner in a few business, and making some discreet land deals. She’s currently thinking of investing in a proper casino somewhere, as those were quite lucrative in Shadowforge city.

And, lastly, my FFXIV character, Apple Silverberg:

Apple is a rather studious arcanist, though her studies of allaghen magics would have most refer to her as a summoner, and she has a rather extensive collection of egi’s at this point. She joined an adventuring group called Gage Acquisitions for university credit, and was able to develop fast friendships and trust with the members of the group, eventually signing on as a full time employee. She is only very lightly touched by the Echo, not being able to control the visions of the past, and having them only come when she’s manipulating a good deal of aether. Her father died in the calamity, something she had a hard time dealing with, and, as he was a Sharlyan, she took to study as a way to connect with him. Her mother remarried, and she’s still getting used to her stepfather, a nice Elezan man from Ishgarde. She’s usually one to get stuck in research for weeks, emerging with a new idea for a spell or a way to apply aether to many of the groups mechanical inventions., which is mostly how she earns her keep, aside from her research into the Primals themselves.

#Character backstories #character info #character breakdown #character roll

22 notes · View notes

quoteablebooks · 5 years

Text

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

*Opinions*

I did something a little different this time and wrote the review while I was reading since it was such a long novel. That has lead it to be a rather long review.

I have had this book for almost a year at this point, but at almost 900 pages it was rather intimidating, especially with my inability to find time to read recently. However, I finally decided to take the bull by the horns and dive in. I was so pleased to see that most of the chapters are broken up into smaller segments, making it easier to move quickly through the book and not being locked into needing forty-five minutes to get through a chapter. I’m one of those people that really hates stopping in the middle of a chapter without a clear break in the action. There is also a good pace to the novel so that it's not that hard to convince yourself to go one more chapter break or make it to the end of the chapter. That being said, the overall plot of the story moves rather slowly, which would account for the novel's 850 pages. Still, after all the hype, I went in cautiously, not wanting to get my hopes up and be disappointed as I have been in the past.

We started in the “present” of 1945 and even though we aren’t in 1945 long, Frank Randall finds the page time to be rather condescending and annoying. I do believe that is the point, his dismissal of his wife while he hunts down the family connection with Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall, to highlight the difference with Jamie, but it still bothered me. Now, I get it, I have family members who are very into genealogy, but to complete ignore your wife who you barely saw for six years to look at old records is ridiculous. Also, Frank’s view of adoption instantly made me sour toward him, but it’s a viewpoint that a number of people still hold. Not to mention how he reacted to Claire swearing. Now my viewpoint might be colored because I know that Jaime is the main romantic interest due to the television show, but still. Just saying you love someone doesn’t mean much when you’re a giant ass, Frank. To be honest, I don’t know why Claire tried so hard to get back to him. Getting back to indoor plumbing I understood, but not to get back to Frank. That coupled with his ancestor being the primary villain in the novel and I didn’t really give a damn about Frank.

Something that I liked in regards to Jaime, which I hadn’t expected, was that he was younger than Claire. There was something so endearing about Jamie becoming flustered when Claire even suggested they sleep in the same room with absolutely not romantic intentions toward one another. Jaime has a lot of sweetness in him and while he has mysteries, he isn’t overly brooding, which is slightly overdone these days. Still, there are moments when he wants to be Claire's “master” that make him unlikable. Claire tells him no multiple times and they end up having sex anyway. While I am going to address this when it’s with males who aren’t Jaime, it is still nonconsensual sex (also known as rape) even if it’s a man that you are married to. You can argue that it’s the time and that makes it acceptable, seen a marital duty or whatever, but it doesn’t make Jaime likable. However, that doesn’t make me completely hate Jaime, due to his youth and inexperience, it just makes him a complex character. I just wish romance, as a genre, could stop pushing the no actually means a coy yes story line. It’s not sexy on the page or in real life. It’s rape.

As with everything that is set in historical times, rape is spoken about, implied, and threatened on a number of occasions. It even happens to a male character, though I don’t want to spoil who. I understand, it is the truth of that point in time, but I personally feel that more of discussion needs to be had about it if you chose to focus on that part of history on so many occasions. I mean, Gabaldon has time travel in this novel, she could have toned down the amount non-consensual touching, kissing, undressing, groping, almost rape and actual rape in the case of Jaime taking Claire after she told him no on a couple occasions. Every male that runs into Claire either threatens to assault her or does assault her in some way and it’s just tiring. I thought that the novel was done with that particular issue once they had left the castle, but the minute that a male that was described as somewhat attractive and not crippled once again enters the narrative, Claire is forced into a position where she should be sexually assaulted. Then it is threatened again with a male that is mentally unstable. If that is the only way you can build tension in a scene with two members of the opposite sex, maybe take a step back and looking at how you’re crafting the story a little more carefully. This isn’t selling the romantic dream of every man wanting to be with you, it is reinforcing the knowledge that every woman has that we should always be on our guard and are never safe, which isn’t something I read fiction novels to be reminded of to this degree.

One thing that I will give Gabaldon a small bit of credit for was how she dealt with the male rape victim in the novel. I don’t want to spoil who it is or the specifics surrounding the assault, but I believe she gave enough page space and emotional weight, Now this wasn’t just an assault, but torture as well, but the feeling of helplessness and shame that surrounded the character in regards to sex afterwards I believe was well done. However, that leads to another issue I have with this novel, that both homosexual characters are portrayed poorly. One is a villain and it is implied that he raped his younger brother, the other is a caricature and literally only in the novel for a while as a sort of comedic character, who also attempts to rape young boys. You can’t claim historical accuracy in this poor representation. While it might not have been written down, I highly doubt that every non-straight individual in the Scottish Highlands was a pedophile and/or rapist.

Moving on from that, Gabaldon got the sibling dynamic between Jaime and his sister Jenny down pretty well. While we may live in a more civilized time, this is basically how arguments between me and my older brother go down, sans the whole kilt incident obviously. While it was frustrating that Jaime didn’t give her a chance to explain herself, especially when he already knew about Randall’s issue from Claire explaining her experience, it is a pretty accurate representation of sibling stubbornness. Jaime had years to form a picture in his mind of what had happened and it’s hard to listen to reason, from anyone, when that happens. Jaime’s interactions with his namesake nephew were also painfully adorable and it was a nice respite from the constant danger that they faced while at the castle. I really enjoyed this whole section of the novel, though the weird sexual display when describing what it’s like to be pregnant seemed a bit odd to me. Still, it was easy to understand the mood of the room and it was a rather wonderfully written section.

Now to address the criticism that Claire is a Mary Sue that I had seen on a number of occasions. The knowledge that she had of medicine from her time as a nurse during the war makes perfect sense for the time period that she was living. The interest in herbs would also make sense if she had learned so much medical knowledge, hell I am interested in herbs and I have zero medical knowledge. While, I will admit, the whole traveling around with her uncle on archeological digs was a bit much, it’s no different than Indiana Jones and no one has a problem with him. While I don’t think that addition was necessary, most people adapt to roughing it when there is no other choice, it wasn’t something that pulled me out of the story. Honestly, I think what saves Claire from being insufferable is that she makes stupid decisions and is not a perfect person. I’m alright with a very knowledgeable main character as long as she also has flaws, which Claire has many. She is a very alive character and I appreciate that about her, even if I don’t like her all the time.

It was a brave move on Gabaldon’s part, is that she lets the story take a very leisurely pace. There are whole sections that don’t move forward the plot, but they do give us the personality of the Scots that Claire is traveling with or meeting during her trip into the past. It is probably why the novel is almost 900 pages, however I appreciate learning to care about and getting complex characters to fall in love with or loath. While I do think that some areas could have been tightened up a bit, you are pulled with Claire into the Highlands and it is rare that you find yourself thinking that Gabaldon should just speed it up already. While it does seem as if the plot becomes a little repetitive, Claire finds herself in danger, is saved, becomes comfortable in her surrounds, and then the cycle is repeated, I never forced myself to pick up the book and dive back in. The only section that I found completely unnecessary was the entire battle with the wolf near the end of the book. The injuries from that encounter really have no bearing, nor does the actual killing as Claire is forced to kill humans a little later on. It was too long and I found myself really not all that interested. A couple paragraphs could have neatly wrapped up that section and moved the plot forward, but it was the only time I felt that way. It really is well situated to a television format, and it’s easy to see how sections could be broken up into episodes. I might search out the show now that I’m finished with the novel. Overall, I enjoyed my adventure in the Highlands and will continue with the rest of the series, but I don’t see this becoming my favorite series. There are just too many problems with it that I find hard to overlook or ignore.

#review #Outlander #the outlander series #Diana Gabaldon #3 out of 5 stars

2 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and the Legacy of Ninja Movies

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins spoilers.

It’s been a long time since we’ve been to the movies and an even longer time since we’ve seen a ninja flick on the big screen. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a dazzling return to the underrated ninja genre – a breakout premiere in the shadow of the pandemic.

Ninja films rarely earn a theatrical showing anymore. They are pigeon-holed as B-grade movie fodder, and justifiably so. Back in the 1980, ninja films proliferated when second and third-run movie theaters ruled. Campy, low budget ninja pictures were popular fare there back then, right alongside slasher films and teen sex comedies. But with the advent of home entertainment, those cheap flea-ridden theater seats atop soda-sticky floors are long gone. Nowadays, most new ninja films go straight to streaming so to see one on the big screen is quite a treat for fans of the genre.

Above and beyond the G.I. Joe franchise, Snake Eyes rides on the cloak tails of a massive colorful genre (even if that color is mostly black splattered with sanguineous red). In Japan, ninja films are part of their venerated cinematic category known as Jidai-geki, or “period dramas.” Silent Japanese movies about ninjas can be found as early as the 1910s – silent like Snake Eyes himself.

Ninjas still proliferate Japanese cinema, especially in anime. Who can deny the impact of Naruto? And as anyone who has seen it knows – Batman Ninja is an uncommon treat of an anime mash-up. There are literally hundreds of Japanese ninja films – anime, classic historical, modern depictions, tokusatsu stories, even a whole sub-genre of erotic ninja films.

And ninja movies are still popular in Japan. In 2019, director Yoshitaka Yamaguchi delivered his highly regarded dual ninja films, Last Ninja: Red Shadow and Last Ninja: Blue Shadow. Like Snake Eyes, that was a creation story circling around a ninja rivalry.

Early Hollywood Ninja Movies

The immigration of ninjas to Hollywood goes back to none other than James Bond. In 1967, You Only Live Twice introduced Bond (Sean Connery in his final appearance as 007 in an Eon Production) to a clan of ninja accomplices. The film marked a significant departure from Ian Fleming’s original novel. You Only Live Twice was the conclusion of Fleming’s “Blofeld trilogy” where Bond finally gets revenge on his arch nemesis and murderer of his bride. Bond finally tracks down Blofeld in Japan, hiding in his “Garden of Death,” a restored castle surrounded by poisonous plants, and dispatches him in a brutal sword fight.

The movie script was written by children’s book author Roald Dahl, who pirated the plot of the second book of the Blofeld trilogy, Thunderball, in which SPECTRE steals a missile, but instead of atomic bombs, it’s a manned spacecraft. In retrospect, it felt right to have Her Majesty’s top assassin introduce Japan’s elite killers to Western audiences.

In 1975, celebrated action director Sam Peckinpah reintroduced Western audiences to ninjas in Killer Elite. James Caan and Robert Duvall play former covert operative partners, Mike Locken and George Hansen. Again akin to Snake Eyes, Locken and Hansen are split by a vengeance-filled rivalry. Hansen is in cahoots with a ninja clan, led by Negato Toku, played by renowned real-life Karate master Takayuki Kubota. Kubota invented a popular self-defense keychain that he dubbed Kubotan and instructed many celebrities, notably Martin Kove who plays Kreese in Cobra Kai. Sadly, Peckinpah succumbed to cocaine during production and Killer Elite is regarded by many critics as his worst film.

The 1980s: The Golden Age of Ninja Movies

The addition of Snake Eyes into the G.I. Joe universe came as a reboot of the toys that reflected the times. Originally G.I. Joe dolls were 12” military figures that were introduced in the 1960s. These were reality-based figures, each emulating the authentic uniforms and gear of U.S. armed forces. In 1982, the toy line was rebooted at 3 ¼” scale, the same size as the popular Star Wars figures introduced in the late 70s.

These new G.I. Joe came out with an accompanying marketing plan that included a simultaneous comic series from Marvel that revealed the rivalry between the “Real American Hero” G.I. Joe team and the villainous terrorist organization known as Cobra. The campaign was so successful that the first animated G.I. Joe TV show came out the following year.

And at the movies, the great ninja wave began with Chuck Norris’ 1980 flick The Octagon. Regarded as one of his stronger films, Norris played Scott James, a retired Karate champion, who has to face his rival half-brother, the ninja terrorist Seikura, played by another renowned Karate master, Tadashi Yamashita. Yamashita is credited as the man who taught Bruce Lee how to use his signature nunchaku. Norris opened the door for the ninja invasion of the ‘80s with The Octagon, as well as inspired the UFC’s trademarked octagonal ring, The Octagon, which has become a hallmark of the brand.

Following Norris’ lead, Sho Kosugi emerged as the leading ninja in grindhouse cinema. He starred in a series of ninja films beginning in 1981 with his preposterous yet entertaining “Ninja Trilogy,” Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and my personal favorite, Ninja III: The Domination (although most feel his 1985 film Pray for Death which falls outside the trilogy was his ninja masterpiece).

The other leading ninja franchise of the eighties was the American Ninja pentalogy. Michael Dudikoff played Private Joe Armstrong in a franchise which echoed the paramilitary ninja connection from G.I. Joe. In the first film, Armstrong faced the Black Star Ninja, seeing Tadashi Yamashita once again playing a ninja baddie.

Dudikoff was an exception to the rule that ninja film leads must have a martial arts background. However he was athletic and a quick study, and became a dedicated practitioner from his involvement with the franchise. Dudikoff starred in three of American Ninja films. He skipped American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt because he didn’t want to get typecast as a martial arts actor and was anti-apartheid (it was filmed in South Africa). He returned for American Ninja 4: The Annihilation but didn’t appear in American Ninja V. Both Kosugi’s films and American Ninja franchise were produced by that goliath grindhouse of the eighties, Cannon Films. They made ample bank slinging ninja films back then.

The ‘80s ninja craze helped inspire G.I. Joe’s Snake Eyes, and he quickly rose to become a favorite character. The pivotal G.I. Joe comic issue #21, “Silent Interlude,” was published in 1984 (coincidentally the same year the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic was released). This was one of the first modern comics to be told entirely without word bubbles. It helped set the tone of silence for Snake Eyes’ character. That issue also marked the first appearance of Storm Shadow.

As with all comic-to-cinema characters, Snake Eyes has several incarnations, depending upon which story you follow. In the comic canon, Snake Eyes suffers a horrible helicopter crash while saving Scarlett’s life. His face is burned and he loses his voice, something very different than what we see on screen in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong was getting into the action by infusing Kung Fu movies with ninjas. Leading the charge was the ultimate martial arts rivalry between China and Japan, 1978’s Challenge of the Ninja (a.k.a. Heroes of the East) in 1978, Veteran Kung Fu star Gordon Liu played Ho Tao, who must match his skills against his Japanese bride’s family. Got ninjas? According to Liu, the solution is scattering your yard with peanut shells!

In a savvy move for those times, Challenge of the Ninja depicts the Japanese respectfully instead of as caricatured villains, with the exception of the ninja who Ho declares to be dishonorable. Challenge of the Ninja is widely considered as one of the all-time best Kung Fu films and in its wake, dozens more ninja films came out in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In 1982, the legendary Kung Fu grindhouse Shaw Brothers studios delivered the outrageously imaginative Five Elements Ninjas, directed by the legendary Chang Cheh who dominated the Kung Fu film genre with his gloriously bloody epics.

The last major ninja film that was released theatrically in the United States was Ninja Assassin in 2009 (coincidentally the same year that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra came out). It was James McTeigue’s second directorial effort following V for Vendetta, and starred K-pop singer and dancer, Rain. For ninja fans, it had a fitting homage by casting Sho Kosugi as the villain. Ninja Assassin was Kosugi’s final theatrical film role to date. The film hoped to continue as a new ninja franchise, and although it was profitable, it failed to attract enough of a following to warrant a sequel.

The Rise of Snake Eyes

It’s a bold move for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins to premiere exclusively in theaters. Not even Black Widow was so daring with the Delta variant looming. As theaters reopen, it seems telling that several of the first theatrical films coming out are about stealthy martial arts masters.

You could argue that Natasha Romanoff is an MCU ninja (Elektra is the real Marvel ninja but Jennifer Garner’s film doesn’t count in the MCU “sacred timeline”). You could also argue that Mortal Kombat is a ninja movie. Both have black clad assassins wielding martial arts weapons.

However Snake Eyes is a pure ninja film, unabashed and unapologetic in its style and gratuitousness. Regardless of its G.I. Joe origins, the Joes are peripheral. Snake Eyes evades that with a glorious reboot, shifting away from the canon established in the previous two live-action G.I. Joe films and forging its own path.

Snake Eyes is Hasbro’s Batman Begins. It’s a completely novel creation story for the characters that defies what the film franchise has already established. The origin story of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow was already told in the first film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. While not the central tale, it was a significant story arc that forecasted how the ninjas would eventually eclipse the Joe’s paramilitary characters in popularity.

In Paramount’s previous G.I. Joe films, Wushu champion Ray Park played the silent Snake Eyes, and taekwondo practitioner Lee Byung-hun was Storm Shadow. Byung-hun is constantly twirling a shuriken like a fidget-spinner, predating the 2017 fad by eight years. Park never speaks or shows his face, in character with the Snake Eyes of the comics. Their teacher the Hard Master is played by another real life martial arts master Gerald Okamura.

The sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation added another ninja, Kim Arashikage, a.k.a. Jinx, played by Elodie Yung, a black belt in Karate. Yung went on to play Elektra in Netflix’s Daredevil. The standout act was a thrilling ninja battle while rappelling down a Himalayan cliffside. That show-stopping scene put the sequel above the original film, especially if you saw it in 3D IMAX. In a sneaky way, the ninja story arc creeps up on the G.I. Joe films from behind, and now it’s all about those ninjas.

Bringing Ninjas Back

Compared to the CGI bombast of the earlier two films, Snake Eyes has cool cinematic style, bathed in Tokyo neon and split with flashing katana blades. And when it comes to action, it cuts quickly to the chase. Like any good ninja flick, there’s just enough plot to get to the next sword fight, no more, no less. And in contrast to previous outings, Snake Eyes tells a completely different origin story for the mysterious Snake Eyes.

In this reboot, Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) and Thomas Arashikage (Andrew Koji) meet as adults, not as children. The Hard Master is played by Iko Uwais, a genuine master of the Indonesian martial art of Silat. A practitioner of Taekwondo and Shaolin Kung Fu, Koji best known as Ah Sahm, the lead role in the Bruce Lee inspired Cinemax series Warrior.

Like Dudikoff decades ago, Golding had no martial arts background prior to accepting the role. Once he landed it, the Crazy Rich Asians star spent four hours a day training with the stunt team in preparation.

With the exception of Golding, the casting of genuine martial arts practitioners underscores a critical element in ninja films. Ninja films are about martial arts fights. No matter how good the story and acting might be, a ninja film fails if it doesn’t bring great action. Consequently for a ninja film to work, it needs a cast with a genuine martial arts background.

Golding makes up for his lack of skills with his smoldering screen presence, but much credit must be given to the film’s fight coordinator, Kenji Tanigaki. Tanigaki is one of Asia’s top choreographers who has been in the business since the mid ‘90s. Just prior to Snake Eyes, he oversaw the action on Donnie Yen’s last two films, Enter the Fat Dragon and Big Brother, and completed two more installments of the five-part samurai manga-turned-movie series Rurouni Kenshin.

Snake Eyes is poised to spin off into its own franchise. The end credits scene with Storm Shadow declaring his new identity to the Baroness (Úrsula Corberó) was hardly a surprise to anyone, but it teased the possibility of a sequel. Back in May 2020, Paramount and Hasbro were in negotiations with Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse to write the script, but then the world plunged into the pandemic and no more developments have been announced at this writing. Will the sequel be Snake Eyes’ The Dark Knight? For ninja fans all over the world, we can only hope.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is now playing in theaters.

The post Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and the Legacy of Ninja Movies appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3eR6QFv

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

theworldaswedontknowit · 7 years

Text

China: Historical Overview

5000 years of history that honestly, never really gets boring

I would also like to point out my knowledge doesn't go very far after The Three Kingdoms and it is noticeable in my writing. I also wrote this while incredibly sick. Any errors please point them out.

China has a long, long history. There’s no denying it. Even if you were to ignore the mythical time of the 3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors and the undocumented but “it probably existed” Xia Dynasty (more on that in a moment) the documented history of the country still stretches over 3600 years. There’s approximately 10 Dynasties we know existed but the country has seen multiple periods of division and in fighting, even up to the 1900s. So, with the monstrous task now ahead of me, let’s get started!

The first people who were human like to arrive in China were Homo Erectus and the estimated dates are between 2.24 million and 800,000 years ago. That’s quite a while. Tooth fragments have been found elsewhere that date back 80,000 years.

So, how about mythical beginnings? Well, one of the key mythical figures in almost every story told is the Jade Emperor. The first Chinese people came from Fu Xi and Nü Wa, brother and sister who survived a flood that swept away their homeland. The siblings came to the Jade Emperor for help and he gave them the power to create new human life. The two married and made the human race through clay models. Fu Xi then ruled over the group for 115 years, establishing the ritual of marriage and making conception a shared act, having previously been a miracle occurrence that solely involved females. There is a monument erected in his memory in Gansu Province.

There is a slight…erm. Okay let’s be frank, girls don’t win in history very often. This mythical period is known as the era of the 3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors and there is some debate about who the three sovereigns were. While most name them as Fu Xi, Shennong and Huangdi others declare Nü Wa the first or second sovereigns but most of the time gets left out almost altogether. Sucks to us.

So, onto the next Sovereign – Shennong. Shennong is famous in Chinese mythology for introducing tea. He was also known for making himself a guinea pig and regularly testing new medicines on himself – tea being his antidote. Shennong, it should be noted, was also known as Yandi (炎帝) and is the God of Agriculture, supposedly teaching Slash and Burn techniques to his people. It should also come as no surprise that Shennong’s death is related to his habit on testing things on himself. He died after consuming a poison herb and his intestines putrefied as he was unable to reach his tea in time. There is also speculation that the title Yandi was a dynastic title and that it spanned a longer period of time, some sources recording names for the Kings of Shennong.

The final sovereign is Huangdi, for whom we have an actual name for, he is noted as Gongsun Xuanyuan which was recorded by the Grand Historian – Sima Qian. Another name, Youxiong, is also noted but the consensus seems to be that this was more of a clan name than anything else.

The myth goes that Shennong and Huangdi ruled in neighboring states – wikipedia likes to suggest than Shennong (or Yuwang) and Xuanyuan were in fact brothers, born to Lady Fu Bao and step sons of Shao Dian, a supposed ancestor of Boyi who we well get to later. Either way, during their reigns an evil spirit named Chi You attacked Shennong with 86 other tribes, so Shennong enlisted the help of little brother/neighbor Huangdi. The two defeated Chi You and joined their two lands, naming their people the Huaxia whom the main Han ethnic group all claim descent from.

However, both Emperors’ pride was damaged and the two went to war. Huangdi would win and become sole ruler of the Huaxia peoples. Huangdi would rule for 100 years – from 2698BCE – 2598 BCE – and is credited with the creation of a calender, the writing system, laws and even football. Hats off to you indeed Huangdi. One of his wives, Leizu, is also credited with teaching people how to weave silk and dye clothes.

Now, this is where things get a little weirder. 5 Emperors with almost 450 years to cover stretches the bounds of credibility just a little bit but that’s fine. There’s also something to be said about the number 5, it’s a symbol of completeness so there were probably (definitely) more than 5 Emperors but 5 have been crammed in and strung out over impossible periods of time to fit this. To confuse just about everyone and fitting this idea of 5 but there were actually more there are six potential rulers for 5 spots.

The six are: Shaohao (reigned c. 2598BCE - 2518BCE) he was the son of Huangdi and is also the one who is passed over by Sima Qian. Zhuanxu (reigned c. 2518BCE - 2440BCE) a Grandson of the Yellow Emperor and nephew of Shaohao he either followed his Grandfather or was his Uncle's assistant from the age of 10 to 20 years old. Emperor Ku (reigned c. 2440BCE - 2377BCE) the Grandson of Shaohao. Supposedly rode on Dragon back for half of the year. His four sons would ultimately all rule, two as Kings/Emperors in their own right and two who became dynastic founders of Shang and Zhou. Emperor Zhi (reigned c. 2377BCE - 2368BCE) Emperor Ku's son who was passed over for his younger brother, Yao. Promptly usurped the throne and lasted a meagre nine years. Well, you tried Zhi. Emperor Yao (reigned c. 2368BCE - 2269BCE) the younger son of Emperor Ku. He is remembered as a wise and kind ruler who those in the future sought to emulate.

Emperor Shun (reigned c. 2269BCE - 2219BCE) A distant relative of the yellow emperor through Zhuanxu he either took over from Yao peacefully after making himself well respected for his humble life. Alternatively he usurped the throne, killed Yao and banished his heir. Honestly, seen as this I mythology you can take your pick.

Finally, we get onto Dynastic China. China’s first dynasty, the Xia, is still largely considered fictional and wasn’t believed to have existed at all until the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology project lead to the uncovering of evidence of a culture called the Erlitou who were around the same time as the dates we’re given for the Xia.

The Xia would have a total of 17 Kings over 395 years. The first would be Yu the Great, calmer of the flood waters and his son, Qi, would begin the rule of primogenitor (as put by The History of China podcast, “the first-born son wins rule”). The final King of Xia would be Jie and they would be usurped by the Shang Dynasty whose dynastic founder was one of the sons of Emperor Ku.

The Shang Dynasty had 30 Kings over 630 years and has two names. It is known as the Shang Dynasty as that is where the rulers were from however in Korea and Japan it is known as the Yin Dynasty as that was the city where they had their capital. The first King would be Tang of Shang and the last King Zhou of Shang, a tyrant. An additional note on the Shang – this is where China’s written history begins as the Oracle bones date back to this period and provide an insight into the beliefs and lives of the Shang people.

Next come the Zhou, the longest reigning (sort of) Dynasty in Chinese History, their own Dynastic founder being the other son of Emperor Ku. I’m sure when that happened one looked at the other and said, “Thanks. Thanks a lot.” The Zhou Dynasty is split into two halves, the Western and Eastern. Western Zhou saw almost complete rule by the Kings of Zhou and lasted from 1046CE – 771BCE. In Eastern Zhou this changed, the Kings became little more than puppets and were eventually deposed in 256BCE.

During this time the two periods Spring and Autumn and Warring States would take hold of China, fracturing it once Zhou rule became nothing more than a memory. The separate states and eventually Kingdoms would spend centuries fighting for the right to be Hegemon. The period also brought the classics The Confucian Analects and The Art of War. The infighting would continue for another 30 years after the final Zhou King was deposed before the Qin Dynasty and China’s first real Emperor claimed rulership over the land.

Despite the permanent mark it left on China and the culture the Qin Dynasty was something of a blip. Qin Shi Huang would take the throne in 221BCE and rule for only 14 years before ingesting Mercury in a bid for immortality and instead, not surprisingly, dying. His eldest son, Fu Su, would be forced to commit suicide by his minister Li Si and the Eunuch Zhao Gao and his 18th son, Huhai, installed as Qin Er Shi.

Boy that went well. Qin Er Shi, only a teenager at the time, fell under the influence of the Eunuch Zhao Gao. Oh and get ready for Eunuchs, they really, really love bringing an end to Dynasties. Eventually Zhao Gao would force the young Emperor to commit suicide and pass power onto Ziying – generally accepted as another son of Qin Shi Huang – who, along with his two sons, would murder the Eunuch.

Another warring states would follow, known as the Chu-Han contention, which ended with the succession of the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty is undoubtedly one of China’s most famous Dynasties and left the most visible print on the country. The main ethnic group are known as the Han people, the clothes are called Hanfu and the writing system is Hanzi. The Han would rule for a little over 400 years, only facing usurpation once when the Xin Dynasty tried to take hold of the country. Han would have 30 rulers in 414 years and was followed by The Three Kingdoms.

You ever played Dynasty Warriors? Or just heard of it? I love those games, they’re what got me into this period to begin with. The Three Kingdoms – Wei, Wu and Shu – would fight for dominance over China for almost a century before all three of the ruling families (Cao, Sun and Liu) would be beaten and usurped by the Sima family. The age gave us some of the best tactical thinkers in Chinese history and some of the most badass warriors ever. If you want to know more about this period than what I’m telling you I suggest you go and read the blogs of @daolunofshiji and @the-archlich , though, you’ve probably already heard of them. Bonus they're both pretty funny.

Not that the Jin Dynasty did very well. It took two Emperors before pretty much everything went horribly wrong in the form of the War of the Eight Princes. The monarchs would ultimately become utterly powerless over the 155 year rule and the land would fragment into 16 Kingdoms. Nice going, Sima family. I can see Sima Yi shaking his head in shame.

The Northern and Southern Dynasties saw the land fragmented again for almost 180 years and eventually it culminated into the Sui Dynasty. The Sui were another blip in history, lasting for only 37 and going through three emperors it was something of a Qin 2.0. It had reunited China after a long period of division and had only three Emperors. The Eunuchs seem to be missing from this time, it was more a demand of labor that brought the Sui down.

Tang would take over from the Sui and last for 289, seeing 21 Emperors and the first and only Empress of China, Wu Zetian who would rule as Empress Dowager Wu of Tang and then Empress of Zhou. Two of her sons would sit on the throne and another would be given the title of Emperor posthumously. I’d personally argue she was one of the most powerful women of the time.

After the Tang, China would fracture once again into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms which would shrink to just four. Song, Liao, Xia and Jin. Song would reign triumphant eventually, splitting into two periods, Northern Song (960 – 1127) and Southern Song (1127 – 1279) after which it was conquered by Kublai Khan and brought in the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.

The Yuan dynasty, beginning officially in 1279, was the first foreign Dynasty to rule China. Headed by Kublai Khan, a Grandson of Genghis Khan, it consisted of most of modern day China, Mongolia and Korea. During the Yuan dynasty Princes from Korea would spend several years at the Yuan court, allowing for greater culture exchange. The Dynasty would begin to falter in the early 1300s with onsets of famine and general unrest. For the other Khanates, the Yuan had become “too Chinese” and distrusted them while the populace saw them as foreigners and so they were untrusted by both parties. It would fracture in 1368 into the Northern Yuan and Ming Dynasty.

While the Northern Yuan retreated to Mongolia (although it would keep right on going until the Qing Dynasty) the Ming set up in Beijing and were the last Dynasty that was ethnically Han Chinese. They’re known well throughout the world, especially for their vases. The Ming also saw much increased trade with other countries both in Europe and nearby Japan. The 276 reign of the Ming dynasty saw 18 emperors before being taken over by China’s final dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

The Qing dynasty is the one no one seems to have heard of but everyone knows exactly what they look like? They’re the ones where the men’s hair is braided and shaved at the front. The Qing dynasty was turbulent at best, it’s when my country (yay Britain…christ I hate this) decided that we’d sell Opium to them and there’s a political cartoon of European countries and Japan dividing up China and I’ll be honest that is basically what happened. Towards the late 1800s there were multiple rebellions and the Dynasty finally fell in 1912 when Emperor Puyi abdicated, although there was a botched attempt to reinstate the dynasty 1917 which went…swimmingly.

The Republic of China was ushered in and would continue until 1949. The period was also devastating, seeing civil war, the Japanese invasion and the second world war. In 1949 the Communist Party of China would come to power under Mao Zedong. There are endless, endless books you can read on this period and it’s common knowledge that this was perhaps some of the darkest years of Chinese history. After Mao’s death in 1976 and the student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 China has turned around. Though still legally communist, the economic make up of the country takes it further from this definition often as it moves toward the status of super power, industrializing and producing most of the world’s goods.

What a ride that was.

86 notes · View notes

rajasthantourplanner · 5 years

Text

Beautiful Blue City Jodhpur Rajasthan

Jodhpur, the Sun City of India, is one among the many popular royal thrones situated in the Thar Desert Region of Rajasthan. Jodhpur city is a refreshing reflection of the princely era of Rajasthan and takes us back in time, till the 15th century. Located in the largest state of India, Jodhpur is the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan. The name is clearly befitting as most of the architecture – forts, palaces, temples, havelis and even houses are built in vivid shades of blue. The strapping forts that tower this magnificent city sum up to a spectacle you would not want to miss.Jodhpur marks its origin back to the year of 1459 AD. The history of this prosperous city revolves around the Rathore clan. Rao Jodha, the chief of Rathore Clan is credited with the origin of Jodhpur in India.

Places to visit in jodhpur -

Mehrangarh Fort :- Mehrangarh Fort is the best tourist spot in Jodhpur city, as it is the most explored one by the tourists that visit Jodhpur. Rising perpendicular and impregnable from a hill which is 125 metres above Jodhpur’s skyline is the Mehrangarh Fort. This historic fort is one of the most famous in India and is packed with history and legends. Mehrangarh Fort still bears the imprints of cannonball attacks courtesy the armies of Jaipur on its second gate.

Umaid Bhawan Palace :- Umaid Bhawan Palace was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh in 1929 to counter a famine which had hit the state at the time. It was also known as the Chittar Palace while being constructed thanks to the use of stones drawn from the Chittar hill. The palace and its surroundings are considered to be brilliantly constructed. Watching the details of this master piece is the best thing to do here. This place should hence definitely qualify to every tourist’s list of places to visit in Jodhpur.

Jaswant Thada :-Jaswant Thada is located next to the mighty Mehrangarh Fort. The location of Jaswant Thada itself is a well-equipped tourist spot as it gives a bigger and better picture of the mighty Mehrangarh fort. This milky white memorial built towards the end of the 19th century as a tribute to the leader Jaswant Singh Jaswant Singh, who ruled Jodhpur, invested well in his state. Its grounds serve as a serene venue for morning concerts during music festivals such as the Rajasthan International Folk Festival and the World Sacred Spirit Festival.

However, the best way to ensure a hassle free and great tour is to get it from a tour operator which has a high level of expertise and experience in this sector. We are a leading tour operator company. Visit our website and book customize tour packages as per your demand. We never compromise in our service.

Here are some our Best tour packages for Rajasthan. Choose them any and explore the rich culture of jaisalmer with us.

Visit - www.rajasthantourplanner.com

#RajasthanHeritageTourPackages #RajasthanBudgetTourPackages #Rajasthan Luxury Tour Packages #Jodhpur Tourism

0 notes

sjrresearch · 3 years

Text

Historical PC Games: Post-Holiday Buying Guide

The holiday season may have ended, but that doesn’t mean that the festivities have to. Many of us have received gift cards to PC gaming marketplaces such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG, and aren’t sure what games to spend them on. So, today, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best historical PC games on these platforms that are well worth spending your holiday cash.

Crusader Kings III

Considered by many as one of the best games of 2020, this PC-exclusive by Paradox Interactive is a worthy sequel to the 2012 smash-hit Crusader King II. The game is a dynasty simulator set during the Middle Ages, allowing the player to either start from the year 867 or 1066 and play until 1453. Through the game, the player chooses a dynasty to rule over and attempts to continue on their dynasty by governing over their respective kingdoms. Crusader Kings III was met with nearly universal acclaim from both critics and fans alike, and was even nominated for Best Simulation/Strategy Game at The Game Awards 2020.

While Crusader Kings II has superior mod support and a much larger community, Crusader Kings III features many improvements over its predecessor and will undoubtedly gain more support from the player community in the coming years. It’s a clear recommendation for fans of historical games with real-time-strategy gameplay.

Currently, you can snag Crusader Kings III for $49.99 across all major PC gaming marketplaces.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

The Civilization series has been around for decades, with many considering it to be one of the very best real-time-strategy games of all time, let alone one of the best historical games in recent years. The most recent entry into the franchise, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, is no different than its predecessors, expanding even further on the series. Through the game, players will take control of a civilization of their choice, leading it from the Stone Age to the Information Age through means of diplomacy, expansion, and war. Like many games, Civilization is fairly easy to learn but very difficult to master. With tons of features, including multiplayer, this game can provide hundreds of hours of gameplay - which sounds well-worth that gift card money.

While Civilization VI is also available on home consoles, it’s best enjoyed on PC. And with it releasing in 2016, you should be able to catch this game on sale quite often and for reasonably cheap. It’s available one most major PC game stores.

Mafia: Definitive Edition

Mafia: Definitive Edition is a full remake of the original Mafia that first released in 2002 for the PS2 and Xbox. As one might expect from typical HD remakes, this game is largely the same as the original but with various additions, such as expansions to the world map, expanded storylines, new voice acting, and of course, vast improvements to the game’s visuals.

Mafia: Definitive Edition thrusts players into the 1930s during the Great Depression in the role of Tommy Angelo, a young taxi driver who gets caught up in the crime world. The game features an excellent story and is a must-play for any fans of film noir or mafia films like Scarface and The Godfather.

Just released in 2020, Mafia: Definitive Edition is one of the best open-world action-adventure games to release in recent years and can be found on most major PC game stores for $39.99.

Desperados III

Another real-time tactics title, Desperados III is set during the wild-west and features some of the best tactical gameplay of the genre, period. With five different playable characters that have their own unique abilities and weapons, the game offers many different potential playstyles. Players can play the game as a stealthy assassin, with guns blazing, or without killing any enemies at all. The gameplay featured in Desperados III is very deep and offers a great amount of challenge for RTS veterans.

The game was widely praised by critics and gamers, and is highly recommended for any fans of the RTS game genre, or for lovers of the Wild West. Just releasing earlier in 2020, Desperados III is available for $49.99 on all major PC game marketplaces.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

As if it hasn’t already been talked about a hundred times already, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is one of the biggest games to release in 2020 and is most definitely worth your attention. Set during the Age of the Vikings, Valhalla throws the player into the role of Eivor, a Viking whose destiny is to lead their clan against the Anglo-Saxons during 9th century England.

The latest Assassin’s Creed installment features a massive open-world and gameplay that may be familiar to longtime series veterans. It borrows much of the identity of the past two Assassin’s Creed titles, Origins and Odyssey, and is one of the biggest games of the year. Surely, it’s perfect for those wanting to get lost in a massive, immersive world.

It should be noted that Ubisoft has decided to release Valhalla on PC as an exclusive to the Epic Games Store, so those who primarily use Steam and are looking to buy titles with a Steam gift card are out of luck. With that said, Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey come just as highly recommended as Valhalla and should be given a try if you have a Steam gift card.

If you still have unspent gift cards from Christmas, why not spend them on one of these five great historical games? If not, there are plenty of other great PC games out there that are well worth your cash. Keep up to date with SJR Research, where we’ll be discussing more great historical video games in future articles, through the New Year and beyond!

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)

#gaming #video games #historical games #holidays #shopping guide

0 notes

giancarlonicoli · 6 years

Link

Please see the comments. Here and on the source page.

Authored by Steve H. Hanke of the Johns Hopkins University. Follow him on Twitter @Steve_Hanke.Reporting of the historic Singapore Summit between President Donald J. Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has been fascinating. The lead story in Pyongyang has been on the Supreme Leader’s Singapore walk around, and his desire to learn about economic development from the Singapore Strategy. In the western press, however, Pyongyang’s lead story is nowhere to be found.Kim Jong-un is clearly onto something. As anyone watching telecasts from Singapore during the past few days could observe, Singapore appears to be very prosperous. And it is. Measured by per capita income, Singaporeans are some of the richest people in the world. The economy is capitalist, and capitalist on steroids. That’s why Singapore has shot up from the depths of the Third World, at its founding, to the upper reaches of the First World, today.Singapore gained its independence in 1965, when it was, in effect, thrown out of Malaysia. At that time, Singapore was backward and poor — a barren speck on the map in a dangerous part of the world. If that wasn’t enough, it was experiencing race riots, which came close to igniting a civil war. Singapore’s per-capita income in 1965, adjusted for inflation, was roughly equivalent to that of poor countries like Albania, Angola, Armenia, Guyana, Kosovo, and Mongolia, today.But, at its founding, Singapore had a leader, Lee Kuan Yew. He had clear ideas about how to modernize the country — a strategy which I have dubbed the “Singapore Strategy.” This strategy contained the following elements:The first element was stable money. Singapore started with a currency board system — a simple, transparent, rule-driven monetary regime. Currency boards operate on autopilot, with automatic adjustments keeping the system in balance. Accordingly, currency boards deliver discipline to the spheres of money, banking, and fiscal affairs. For Singapore, the currency board provided stable prices and free convertibility of the Singaporean dollar, which was fully backed by foreign reserves and gold, at a fixed exchange rate. This established confidence and attracted foreign investment.The second element was that Lee Kuan Yew ruled out passing the begging bowl. Singapore refused to accept foreign aid of any kind. This is a far cry from many developing countries, where, when you pick up the paper, all you see are politicians and bureaucrats trying to secure foreign aid from someone, be it an NGO, a foreign government, or an international financial institution, like the World Bank. By contrast, signs reading “no foreign aid” were hung figuratively outside every government office in Singapore.The third element was that Singapore strived to have first-world, competitive private enterprises. This was accomplished via light taxation and light regulation, coupled with completely open and free trade — in short, policies that enabled Singapore to become one of the Asian Tigers.The fourth element in the Singapore Strategy was an emphasis on personal security, public order, and the protection of private property.The fifth, and final, element in the Singapore Strategy was a “small,” transparent government — a minimalist government that avoided complexity and “red tape”.To execute the strategy with precision, Singapore appoints only first-class civil servants and pays them first-class wages. Today, for example, the Singaporean Finance Minister’s annual salary is 1.3 million dollars (USD). In exchange for these high salaries, the Singapore Strategy demands that the government runs a tight ship, with no waste or corruption. By embracing Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore Strategy of stable money, no foreign aid, first-world competition, law and order, and a government that is free of waste and corruption, Singapore has transformed itself from a poor, barren speck to a global financial center.It should come as no surprise that Singapore today is one of the freest, most flexible, and prosperous economies in the world. Kim Jong-un clearly has his eye on a winning strategy. Maybe the Supreme Leader is a bit more clever than most western observers give him credit for.This piece was originally published on Forbes.com

Comments

Sort by Order Items per page

Vote up!

Vote down!

peddling-fiction

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 14:35

Permalink

Socialists take note. Chuckle.

Vote up!

Vote down!

LadyAtZero

peddling-fiction

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:41

Permalink

I visited Singapore about a year ago.

It absolutely hums.

Busses are full of commuters at 6:30 am.

Streets are clean.

Restaurants operating and full.

Nice, warm evenings to walk around in and we felt really safe.

A very nice place to visit.

In reply to Socialists take note… by peddling-fiction

Vote up!

Vote down!

Bay Area Guy

LadyAtZero

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 20:40

Permalink

I've been to Singapore probably 2 or 3 times a year for the past six years. I love the food there, particularly in the hawker centers. My wife has relatives there, so we are able to see quite a bit of everyday life, as opposed to staying on the tourist circuit.

A lot of what Lee Kwan Yew accomplished is slowly being dismantled by the current Prime Minister, who happens to be LKY's son. Little Lee embarked on a growth at all costs platform and brought in quite a large number of foreign workers, displacing Singaporeans in the process (sound familiar?) and courted mainland China money to such an extent that a great many PRC's (as the locals now call mainland Chinese) came to the country. The locals hate them and they hate the, mostly, Indian laborers that were brought in on major projects.

I first went to Sing in 2010 and I was greatly impressed by how happy the people were, in general. As the years have passed, I am seeing fewer and fewer people with smiles on their faces and I'm seeing little cracks in the LKY legacy. People are cutting lines. The maintenance on the MRT system has gotten pretty bad, with frequent breakdowns on the older lines. And where you would never hear any complaints from the old time locals, now the complaints are more than just whispers.

Don't get me wrong. I still love going to Singapore. But I'm afraid it is going to turn into just another one of the cleaner dirty shirts of the world. It's fast getting far too crowded for its own good and that is going to be Little Lee's legacy.

In reply to I visited Singapore about a… by LadyAtZero

Vote up!

Vote down!

RafterManFMJ

Bay Area Guy

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 21:13

Permalink

Been there a 3 times since 2010 and yeah - the big change is people want OUT - Australia is a big draw and many people I talked to were slaving to earn their way into leaving S'pore

Too many im'grants driving down wages and people with options are exercising them

Spent the last week with a S'porean expatriate and she has no plans to go back voluntarily. It's a pressure cooker where the citizens have been sold the fuck out by the devil government - sound familiar?

In reply to I've been to Singapore… by Bay Area Guy

Vote up!

Vote down!

BarkingCat

RafterManFMJ

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 00:26

Permalink

Sounds sad.

To take something so good and drive it into the ground is inexcusable.

In reply to Been there a 3 times since… by RafterManFMJ

Vote up!

Vote down!

giovanni_f

BarkingCat

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 00:50

Permalink

singapore is a idiosyncratic mix of capitalist, socialist, authoritarian, monarchical elements, none of them necessarily bad. It is always nonsense to compare city states with large national states. In a city state it is absolutely obvious if a ruling clan/figure/oligarchy with dual citizenships messes things up. That's why they usually behave. Now compare this to the Ukraine or US.

I found that expats are usually not a good source of infomation as they mostly live in a parallel universe with little or only superficial knowledge of how local people live.

In reply to Sounds sad. To take… by BarkingCat

Vote up!

Vote down!

thisandthat

BarkingCat

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:06

Permalink

There's "meritocracy" for you: soon it turns into nepotism, cronyism, greediness, kleptocracy and despotism and debt indenture. Nothing new or surprising, but there's a sucker born every minute...

In reply to Sounds sad. To take… by BarkingCat

Vote up!

Vote down!

Lost in translation

BarkingCat

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:39

Permalink

US did the same with CA, precisely as you describe it.

In reply to Sounds sad. To take… by BarkingCat

Vote up!

Vote down!

Lost in translation

RafterManFMJ

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:33

Permalink

I’m unclear as to why so many foreigners believe that “my gold is safely stored in Singapore,” when the US military maintains a base there, and warships of the US Navy are a regular sight.

http://east-usa.com/us-military-bases-in-singapore.html

In reply to Been there a 3 times since… by RafterManFMJ

Vote up!

Vote down!

lakecity55

RafterManFMJ

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 04:46

Permalink

So, Singapore let (((Them))) in?

In reply to Been there a 3 times since… by RafterManFMJ

Vote up!

Vote down!

Lost in translation

Bay Area Guy

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:19

Permalink

How can you handle that flight? LAX/HKG just kicks my ass.

In reply to I've been to Singapore… by Bay Area Guy

Vote up!

Vote down!

OZZIDOWNUNDER

LadyAtZero

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 06:00

Permalink

- -and hideously expensive! Like A$12 can of beer.

In reply to I visited Singapore about a… by LadyAtZero

Vote up!

Vote down!

Walking Turtle

peddling-fiction

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 20:59

Permalink

US Dems take note. Weep while another Deplorable One chuckles right along with peddling-fiction. Even Huey Long agrees, all the way from his grave, ffs! Now grow a pair, spit on your hands and take up with some HONEST work, y'bumz!

{Teehee!} Tol' y'so. Y'Demz all pelted Yours Truly with tinfoil in return. Ergo Trump and no turning back. And that is all. 0{;-)o[

In reply to Socialists take note… by peddling-fiction

Vote up!

Vote down!

quesnay

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 14:38

Permalink

It's difficult to imagine North Korea going from extreme totalitarian regime that controls every aspect of it's citizen's lives and restricts, controls and monitors all communication to the extreme, moving to "light taxation and light regulation, coupled with completely open and free trade". You can't even own a computer without permission from the state, so how exactly are citizens going to transform themselves into modern free-market entrepreneurs with those kinds of road-blocks?

Vote up!

Vote down!

css1971

quesnay

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:55

Permalink

A single generation.

In reply to It's difficult to imagine… by quesnay

Vote up!

Vote down!

peddling-fiction

css1971

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:52

Permalink

The public caning will find common ground.

Law and order.

Maybe some westerners need a good caning as well.

Chuckle.

In reply to A single generation. by css1971

Vote up!

Vote down!

TahoeBilly2012

peddling-fiction

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 18:01

Permalink

Asians adapt fast, look at China.

In reply to The caning will find common… by peddling-fiction

Vote up!

Vote down!

peddling-fiction

TahoeBilly2012

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 19:19

Permalink

We adapted some folks.

In reply to Asians adapt fast, look at… by TahoeBilly2012

Vote up!

Vote down!

MrButtoMcFarty

css1971

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 02:44

Permalink

And then nine more back to mediocrity.

In reply to A single generation. by css1971

Vote up!

Vote down!

Scipio Africanuz

quesnay

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 16:51

Permalink

You underestimate Kim Jong Un, he'll get it done! Trump can help him, and perhaps, long after they're both gone, candles and incense will be lit for their souls....

In reply to It's difficult to imagine… by quesnay

Vote up!

Vote down!

vato poco

Scipio Africanuz

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 19:02

Permalink

wait, where are all the liberal pussies complaining about Singapore's stifling conformity and how all that neatness and law & order and them parks and businesses prospering and kicking ass and low taxes makes it a cultural and artistic backwater?

whyyyy, Singapore will never become a world-class city like san francisco THAT way!

In reply to You underestimate Kim Jong… by Scipio Africanuz

Vote up!

Vote down!

spieslikeus

vato poco

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 21:38

Permalink

The real question is are the bathrooms gender neutral?

In reply to wait, where are all the… by vato poco

Vote up!

Vote down!

hxc

quesnay

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:53

Permalink

Pinochet saved Chile from the exact same fate, got it done quick with a few helicopters.

In reply to It's difficult to imagine… by quesnay

Vote up!

Vote down!

roddy6667

quesnay

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 22:27

Permalink

A lot of Americans would consider Singapore extreme. Vandalism of public or private property is punished by flogging. This is a severe beating administered by a wooden stick that removes skin and flesh from your back. Chewing gum and a lot of other common Western practices are illegal. Chewing gum is seized at customs. Crime is almost non-existent because it is punished by extreme measures, even for small offenses. This does not meet most Westerners definition of "small and light government." Libertarians would freak out.

In reply to It's difficult to imagine… by quesnay

Vote up!

Vote down!

vaporland

roddy6667

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 00:16

Permalink

flogging taggers? sign me up for that.

In reply to A lot of Americans would… by roddy6667

Vote up!

Vote down!

Lost in translation

roddy6667

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:22

Permalink

Singapore is often touted as “how to make multiculturalism, work.”

Curiously absent from any discussion, however, is the amount of State force that is required to keep such a society, running.

In reply to A lot of Americans would… by roddy6667

Vote up!

Vote down!

lakecity55

roddy6667

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 04:50

Permalink

Bath House Barry would enjoy the caning part.

In reply to A lot of Americans would… by roddy6667

Vote up!

Vote down!

SergeA.Storms

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 14:41

Permalink

Yep. And to add, considered one of the safest cities in the world. How are they doing with diversity and importing MENA refugees?

Vote up!

Vote down!

besnook

SergeA.Storms

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:08

Permalink

there is a big difference between asian diversity (singapore is very diverse including religious diversity) and western diversity among a bunch of barbarians.

In reply to Yep. And to add, considered… by SergeA.Storms

Vote up!

Vote down!

rf80412

besnook

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:50

Permalink

Singapore keeps its diversity in check by rejecting identity politics, to the point of equating it with sedition. There are no laws or internal policies that favor one group over another, though it's predictable that many people think this is itself unfair.

The West suffers because it's elevated identity politics to a moral imperative, which invites people to strive to regulate every aspect of life according to some racial, ethnic, religious, sexual, etc. scheme.

In reply to there is a big difference… by besnook

Vote up!

Vote down!

Lost in translation

besnook

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:35

Permalink

Not sharing an open border with Latin America surely helps.

In reply to there is a big difference… by besnook

Vote up!

Vote down!

nickt1y

SergeA.Storms

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:03

Permalink

Diworsity above all else. After all that's what really counts

In reply to Yep. And to add, considered… by SergeA.Storms

Vote up!

Vote down!

SergeA.Storms

nickt1y

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:11

Permalink

Someone can read /s. Sometimes I think I need to /s tag everything for the literalists here.

In reply to After all that what really… by nickt1y

Vote up!

Vote down!

mo mule

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 14:52

Permalink

Well if NK can get the US to buy all their nukes, they would have the monies to start a new world order.....LOL

Vote up!

Vote down!

ToSoft4Truth

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:04

Permalink

NK will always be an American dog exploiting their citizens for our cheap products of amusement - like X-mas decorations.

Vote up!

Vote down!

Pernicious Gol…

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:30

Permalink

Kim went to school in Switzerland. He's seen cities outside Korea and China.

Vote up!

Vote down!

ALANBEEKMAN

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:34

Permalink

Some Singapore laws would give SanFran libtards

nightmares. No spitting on sidewalks, no gum chewing,

no graffiti (that one will get you caned), no public

urination and horror of horrors, no homosexual relations.

Vote up!

Vote down!

morongobill

ALANBEEKMAN

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:13

Permalink

Caning is the answer to a lot of societal problems.

In reply to Some Singapore laws would… by ALANBEEKMAN

Vote up!

Vote down!

Lost in translation

morongobill

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 01:24

Permalink

Yep.

In reply to Caning is the answer to a… by morongobill

Vote up!

Vote down!

Ethelred the Unready

ALANBEEKMAN

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:37

Permalink

You left out pooping on the sidewalk - "Pooparoni, the San Francisco treat" - aka Sidewalk Surprise. Also San Franciscans love to smash car windows, enabling them to access any valuables within. The resulting shower of tempered glass on the pavement gives the city an almost fairyland-like look. Especially around sunset.

In reply to Some Singapore laws would… by ALANBEEKMAN

Vote up!

Vote down!

PacOps

ALANBEEKMAN

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 19:46

Permalink

We (expats) used to joke that if you liked Nazi Germany you would love Singapore.

That was back in the late 60's.

Had an apartment in S'pore early 70's. Just a great place to live and play. I imagine still is.

In reply to Some Singapore laws would… by ALANBEEKMAN

Vote up!

Vote down!

RafterManFMJ

ALANBEEKMAN

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 21:16

Permalink

Wait - can I not shit on the sidewalk in Singapore? As an Indian H1b it is my cultural heritage

In reply to Some Singapore laws would… by ALANBEEKMAN

Vote up!

Vote down!

BarkingCat

RafterManFMJ

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 00:48

Permalink

You can still shit in the bathroom sink and wash your face in the private porcelain bowl.

In reply to Wait - can I not shit on the… by RafterManFMJ

Vote up!

Vote down!

radbug

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 17:30

Permalink

Deng Xiaoping noted that as well and we all know what happened next in China.

Vote up!

Vote down!

Chief Joesph

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 18:03

Permalink

America would do well to follow Singapore's lead. I have been there 7 times to know how well off they are, compared to the U.S.,. It's really like the difference between day and night. But, the U.S. has always dragged ass at adopting anything, just like health care. Its been 106 years since Teddy Roosevelt had introduced Universal Health care to America, and America still don't have it yet. Singapore does! Or like 100 years after the civil war to institute civil rights, or takes 30 years to get legislation for an 8 hour work day, or 129 years before women got the right to vote. For America to adopt a model government and economy, like what Singapore has, would take them at least 200 years, if ever.

Vote up!

Vote down!

vato poco

Chief Joesph

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 19:04

Permalink

well, ya gotta understand Singapore is blessed by not having to work around a bunch of indians on welfare - 29 year old grandparents, etc - sitting around their reservations and whining about what happened 2 centuries ago - before getting shit-faced hammered by noon

In reply to America would do well to… by Chief Joesph

Vote up!

Vote down!

RafterManFMJ

Chief Joesph

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 21:19

Permalink

Spent three weeks there in Jan 2017 ... Know what? In three weeks I saw cop cars exactly twice, and saw another cop patrol at the airport - 2 cops and a dog that I presume was sniffing for narcotics or a real boss chili oil.

Asked some locals - where are all the cops?

Basically they sit in their station until called, or until you stop by for a complaint

Imagine that

In reply to America would do well to… by Chief Joesph

Vote up!

Vote down!

roddy6667

RafterManFMJ

Tue, 07/10/2018 - 22:37

Permalink

China is the same way. You usually only see cops at the large intersections directing traffic at the rush hours. They don't walk beats. They don't patrol neighborhoods. They don't carry guns. They don't even drive fast. If you call them, they will come out from the station, and most things cops do in America are not even police issues in China. There are twice as many cops per capita in America as in China.

The first thing I notice when I visit America is the overwhelming presence of police. American have gotten used to the police running their country.

In reply to Spent three weeks there in… by RafterManFMJ

Vote up!

Vote down!

BarkingCat

roddy6667

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 00:55

Permalink

One of my cousins came for a visit about 20 years ago. He said the US looked like a police state to him.

The other thing was all the wooden telephone poles.

He said that it's like a 19th century throwback.

In reply to China is the same way. You… by roddy6667

Vote up!

Vote down!

MrButtoMcFarty

BarkingCat

Wed, 07/11/2018 - 02:48

Permalink

From?

0 notes

jansegers · 7 years

Text

Simple English Word List

SIMPLE1540 : a simple English wikipedia word list based on the XML export of all articles related to the nine major groups: Everyday life, Geography, History, Knowledge, Language, Literature, People, Religion, and Science and retaining all word forms appearing 7 times or more in this corpus. The total number of words in this corpus is well over the 100.000 words. a A.D. ability able about above absence abstinence abstract academic academy accent accept access accord account across act action active activity actual actually ad add addition adherent adjective adult advance advice affect after again against age agnostic agnosticism ago agree agreement agriculture air alcohol all allow ally almost alone along alphabet also although always amateur amendment among amount an analysis ancient and angel animal annals anonymous another answer anthropomorphism any anyone anything aphasia appear apple apply approach archaeology architecture area argue argument around arrange art article artificial artist ask aspect associate association astronomy at atheism atheist atomic attack attempt attribute audience author authority available average avoid award away B.C. baby back background backpack bad bah balance band baptism base basic basis battle BCE be bear beautiful beauty because become bed bee before begin behavior behind being belief believe believing belong below best better between beyond bias biblical bibliography big billion biological biology birth bit black blind blood blue body book born both bottom boundary box boy brain branch bring brown buffalo build building bull burn business but by c. ca. calendar call can cancer canon capital caption car carbon card carry case cassette cat category cathedral catholic cause cell center central century cerebral certain change chapel chapter character chemical chemistry child china China choice choir choose chronicle church circumcise circumcision cite citizen city civil civilian civilization claim clan class classical cleanup clear clergy click climate close closer clothes clothing coast coauthor code codex cognitive col cold collection college colonization colony color column com come commentary commission common commonly communicate communication communion communist community companion company compare competition complete complex compose composer computer concept conception concern condition confuse confusion congregational connect connection conquer conquest consciousness consider consistent constitution construct construction contain contemporary content context continent continue contrary control convention conversation conversion convert cook cooking copy core correct could council country course court cover covered create creation credit crime critical criticism crop cross crust cultural culture current currently daily damage dark data date day dead death debt decadence decadent decide declaration decline deconstruction deep define definition deity demonstrate denomination department depth describe description design detail determinism developed development device devil diagnosis dialect dictionary die difference different difficult difficulty diphthong dipstick direct directly dirt disagree disambiguation disbelief discipline discover discovery discussion disease disorder distance distinct distinction distinguish distribution divide divine do doctor doctrine document dog don't door down Dr. dream drink drown druid due during dynasty each earlier early earth easier easily easy eat economic economics economy ed edge edit edition editor education effect eight either electric electricity electronic element elevation else emperor empire encyclopedia end energy engine engineering enlightenment enough enter entertainment environment environmental epic episode equal era error especially establish etc. etymology even event eventually ever every everyday everyone everything evidence evil evolution evolve exact exactly example except exchange exist existence expansion experience experiment expert explain explanation express expression external extinct face fact failure fair faith fall false family famous far fast father feature feel feeling female feudal few fiction field fight figure file find finding fire first fish fit five fix flow folk follow food for force foreign foreskin form formal former fortune fought foundation founded four fourth frame framework free freedom frequently friend from front fruit full function functional further future gas general generally generation genre geographer geographic geographical geography geology geometry germ get give glass global go god gold golden good government grammar great greatly green ground group grow growth guide guillotine hair half hall hand handbook handicap handle happen happens happiness happy hard have he head heading health hear heat heaven help hemisphere her here heritage hero high highly him himself his historian historical historiography history hold holy home homo hope hot hour house how however human hundred hunter hypothesis hysteresis I ice icon idea identify identity if illiteracy illiterate illusory image importance important impossible improve in inc. incense include increase indeed independence independent indigenous individual industrial industry influence information inquiry inside instead institute institution instrument instrumentation intellectual intelligence interlinear internal international internet interpretation into introduce introduction invent invention involve iron island issue it IT itself job join journal journalism judge just keep key kill kind king kingdom know knowledge la LA label lack lake lamp land landlocked landscape language large last late later law lead leader leap learn learned least leave legacy legal legend let letter level lexeme library life light lightning like likely limited line linguistic linguistics link liquid list literacy literary literature little liturgy live local location logic logical long longer look lord lore lose lot love low lower mac machine magazine magic magnetic magnum mail main mainly major make male mammal man mankind manuscript many map march March mark market mass material mathematical mathematics matter may May me mean meaning meant measure measurement meat median medical medicine medieval mediterranean medium meet member memory men mental mention mercury message metal method mid middle might migrate migration military millennium million mind minister minute misconception miss model modern modernism modernist moment money monologue monophthong month monument moon moral morality more morning most mostly mother mount mountain mouth move movement much museum music musical musicians must my myth mythology name narrative nation national nationality native natural naturalism naturally nature near nearly necessarily necessary need negative neither neologism network neurogenesis neuron neuroscience never new news newspaper next night nine no non none nor normal normally not note nothing noun novel now nuclear number object objective objectivity observation observe occupation occur ocean octane of off offer office official officially often oil old older on once one online only open opera opposite or oral orbit order org organization organize origin original originally orthography orthology other others our out outer outside over own oxygen p. pack pagan page paint palace paper paradigm parent parish park part participant particular particularly party pas pass past pasta pattern pay peace peer penguin penis people per percent percentage perception performance perhaps period peroxide persecution person personal personality perspective persuasion pet phenomenon philosopher philosophical philosophy phoneme phonetic phonetics photo phrase physic physical picture piece pilgrimage place plan planet plant plat plate play please poem poems poet poetry point pole police policy political politics polytheism polytheistic popular population position positive possession possible possibly post power powerful pp. practical practice praise pray prayer precise predict prediction prehistory present preserve press prevent priest primary principle print printing private probably problem process produce product production professional program project pronounce pronunciation proof property prophet propose prose proselytism protection protein provide province psychological psychology public publication publish publisher publishing punishment pure purpose put pyramid quantum question quickly quite quote race racial rack radiation radio rain range rate rather read reader real realism reality really reason receive recent recently reclamation recognize record recreation red ref refer reference referred reform reformation regard region reign rejection relate relation relationship relatively relativity reliable relic religion religious remain remember remove renaissance replace report republic request require research researcher resource respect response result resurrection retrieve return revelation revert review revision revival revolution rhetoric rich right rise ritual river rock role room royal rule ruled ruler run rural sacred sacrifice safe saga sage saint salad same sample satellite saw say schizophrenia scholar school science scientific scientist scope sea search second secondary section secular see seek seem selection self sense sent sentence separate sequence series service set seven several sexual shall shaman shape share she short should show shrine side sign significant silence similar simple simply since single situation six size skill skin slavery sleep slightly slow small smell smith snake so social society sociology soft soil solar soldier solid soliloquy some someone something sometimes song soon sortable sound source space speak speaker special specie specific speech speed spell spirit spiritual spirituality split sport spread square st. stage stain standard star start state statement station statistic statistical statue status stick still stone stop story strange strap strong structure struggle stub student study stutter style subject successful such sugar suggest sun sung sunlight superior superiority supernatural support suppose supreme sure surface survey surveyor sushi sustainability sustainable sweat symbol symbolic system table take talk tam tan task teach teacher teaching technique technology tectonics teeth tell temperature template temple ten term terminology territory tertiary test testament text textual than thank that the their theism them themselves then theology theoretical theory therapy there therefore thesaurus these they thick thing think third this those though thought thousand three through throughout thumb thus ticket tight time title to today together toilet tolerance toleration tongue too tool top topic total towards tower trade tradition traditional train translation transport travel treat treatment tree trench trial tribe tried trig true truth try turn twentieth twenty two type typical typically ultimate ultraviolet under understand understood union unit united universal universe university unknown unsortable until up upon upper urban urbanization usage use useful usually valley value van vandalism various vassal vegetable verb verbal verse version very video view violence virgin visit vitamin vocabulary voice vol. volume vowel vs. wale wall want war warm warmer wash waste water wave way we weak wealth wear weather web website weight well what when where whether which while white who whole whom whose why wide widely wild wilderness will window wisdom wise witch witchcraft with within without witness woman word work worker world worship would write writer writing wrong yam year yellow you young your

China, March and May made this list because china, march and may are on it and I didn't want to decide in favor of the common noun or the proper noun; all other proper nouns have been omitted (even the ten other months that met the criterium of appearing more then 6 times). #SimpleWikipedia #SimpleEnglish #wordlist #English #words #level1540 #Inli #nimi #selo1540

#SimpleWikipedia SimpleEnglish wordlist English words level1540 Inli nimi selo1540

0 notes