#no but i am very interested in roy's iron rule days

[kunstvogel-archive]

Why do I feel like Jason is implying Roy and Everest were more than business partners?

#is it because roy and jason are also #more than business partners #red hood/arsenal #no but i am very interested in roy's iron rule days #i wish they touched on that more

[chibiwritesstuff]

Could you do a headcanon for how the dorm leaders and their S/O would react if their kid(s) from the future magically appeared on campus?

I might have gone overboard with this... but at the same time, I feel like I rushed this. I’m so occupied by work that I have to slowly work on this from midnight to six am before heading to bed then go to work around 10 am for two weeks now... I hope it turned out the way you like it. Yes, the ones with unique magic is inspired with FGO’s Noble Phantasms... I’m still stuck in that hellhole of a gacha game. I think you can tell who my faves are by the length I’ve written for them XD

Now, let’s enter this twisted wonderland~

“Queen’s Rose Maze!” All five of the Heartslabyul main guys heard. “Traverse in the twisting maze of the Queen of Roses!”

All of them rushed towards the location of the voice only to see a tiny Riddle with (h/c) hair instead.

“What did I do?!” Heartslabyul A-kun whimpered as he seemed to be stuck in a rose maze.

“As stated by the Queen of Hearts’ Rule #186: Never eat hamburg steak on Tuesdays. You just broke a rule and you must be punished.” The kid scolded. “To think this is what my esteemed father deals with everyday…”

“By father, I assume that would be me?”

Surprisingly, Riddle seems to take this information in stride. The kid will turn around and his suspicions were confirmed.

The kid will run and hug him asking if he’s doing a good job. He introduces himself and everything Riddle asked, (s/n) answered perfectly.

Well, until you showed up that is.

“Mother!” He’ll call out in joy as he bounced towards you.

And there goes Riddle’s composure.

Oh great seven, you two have children?! Is his first thought followed by, We will get married, have children, and be together forever!

While initial surprise caught you off guard, you slowly accepted the fact that you and Riddle are now interacting with your future child.

When he can finally go back to his time his final words made both of you blush.

“Farewell, mother and father!” He’ll wave happily as he disappears. “I have to watch over the twins you two just have after all!”

Wanna try betting who’s redder? (It’s Riddle)

Someone – more like two – that is not him or you is on his bed.

Who dares occupy my bed?!

The little girl stirred from her sleep and upon making eye contact with you two she’ll screech in joy.

“(s/n)! Wake up! Mom and Dad are here!”

Both of you flinched both from the high pitch voice and the statement she just made.

The young boy will wake up as well and greets you two in a much calmer way.

They’ll tell you that someone’s unique magic transported a bunch of kids to the past and now they’re here.

Slowly but surely, you both can tell that (d/n) is a daddy’s girl and (s/n) is a mommy’s boy.

You all decided to take a siesta together, with the children in between.

When you both stirred in your sleep, the kids are gone. There’s a note stuck on Leona’s chest saying that they have to return to their time and they enjoy the siesta as always.

“Can’t wait to have you two soon.” Leona will mutter as he pulled you to him before going back to sleep.

A girl is crying in the lounge and it's disturbing the customers causing a bunch of complaints, forcing the twins to abandon current tasks to find the girl.

As soon as the girl spotted the twins, she grabs on them. “Uncle Jade, where’s daddy?”

Oh, Jade and Floyd are gonna have a field day with this. They kept questioning the poor girl about everything about her time to the point of scaring her.

“Aw, what a cute girl.” You’ll end up cooing.

“Mommy!” Tears are forming in her eyes as she hugs your legs tightly. “Mommy, I’m scared.”

“(y/n), I wasn’t aware you have a child…” You hear Azul trail off at the news.

He’s crestfallen on the fact that you have a child already. He will start doubting himself, thinking, of course, your relationship wouldn’t last, he’s not good enough, that he didn’t realize the kid is running towards him.

“Daddy! Uncle Jade and Uncle Floyd are scaring me again!”

“D-Daddy?!” He’s so taken aback he fell on his bum.

Jade and Floyd are laughing at his reaction while you just stared back and forth towards the child and Azul.

Ironically this is the time one of Azul’s customers decided to eat and run. Just as he asked the twins to deal with it the kid waved her magical pen.

“Everlasting Summer Spree!” And the guy is now over buying almost everything in the lounge. “Splurge in the joys of summer and shop to the fullest!”

Azul is so proud and started babying her with the very money she earned from one customer alone.

When it's time for her to leave he’s crying… which made her cry as well.

Looks like I’m going to be stuck with crybabies… is the only thing you thought of as you smile.

“Papa!” Echoed in the middle of the party that Kalim assembled.

When a young boy tackled him, Jamil was ready to grab the said kid until he noticed their features, and boy did he paled up upon the sudden realization.

“Oya, do I remind you of your papa?” Kalim smiled and hugged the kid. “That’s flattering, kiddo!”

“Uh, Kalim you might want to take a real good look on that kid,” Jamil said as he readied to call you on his phone.

When you arrived at the Scarabia dorm, you see Kalim pampering a young boy that has your eyes and complexion. A table full of food, toys, and jewelry scattered around to make the kid happy.

“Mama!” The boy called out to you while your brain is trying to process everything.

“Isn't (s/n) so cute! He’s really smart too!” Your lover kept on praising the kid as he played with Jamil, who looks like he wants to disappear.

Your mom mode instincts kicked in and scolded the two for overdoing things.

They kept saying sorry as Jamil finally got out of the predicament.

When the kid can finally return to their original timeline, he’ll give one last hug to the entire Scarabia dorm’s students before leaving.

“I’m so excited!” Kalim will tell you with a blinding smile. “Arent you excited as well?”

Vil was looking for Rook when he saw the said man playing with a little blonde girl. The archer noticed his presence so he beckoned the girl to come with him.

“Roi de Poison looks like your beauty runs in the family.”

The little girl did a curtsy as she greeted him. “Greetings, father. I’m (d/n), your daughter from the future.”

He’s amused, seeing as the girl acts gracefully by greeting alone. After doing his usual 5-second head to toe judgment, he nods and beckons her to follow to Pomefiore for a spa day.

No surprise but as they walk the premises of the campus, lots of stares and gossip started spreading.

Before either Vil or Rook can do anything, she once again spoke. “Father, may I ask for permission to use my unique magic?”

This piqued his interest, “Very well, show me what you got.”

“Smile of the Princess~” With an elegant smile flashed to everyone, “Hark, for the fairest’s daughter has graced you her smile~”

You just happened to walk by when you saw the commotion. Color yourself surprised when you saw a girl with Vil’s beauty and grace but with your eyes and preference of hairstyle cast her magic.

You might not have magic but you are quite good at noticing the quirks of everyone’s unique magic. A smile crept on your lips as you realized what her magic really does and who she might be.

They all got enamored with her and waited for her command. “Do get lost and focus on your duties, you pitiful potatoes.”

“As you wish, princess.” Everybody affected by her magic responded and went on their merry way.

“Oh my, so your magic is similar to Monsieur Multi.” Rook happily commented after the display.

“That’s incorrect.” (y/n) responded, already figuring out the true nature of her magic. “Smile of the Princess merely makes her target pay their fullest attention to her. It's her charisma that made them follow her orders.”

“So you noticed as well,” Vil confirmed which you happily nodded.

“Greetings, mother.” She curtsied and introduced herself once more. “We’re currently heading to father’s dormitory to treat our skin. Would you like to join us?”

Ah, so your hunch was right…

“She is going whether she likes it or not,” Vil answered for you as he smirked at your flushed face. “We do need a family bonding after all, don’t we, my dear sweet potato?”

“Yeah… what he said.” You sweatdropped as you unwillingly got dragged to their spa day. “Are we seriously ignoring the fact that she just said we’re her parents?”

“Are you opposed to having children with me?” He raised an eyebrow before facing your kid. “How many siblings do you have?”

“My older brother remains in my timeline with his acting job, father.”

You all end up doing the said spa day and enjoyed getting to know your daughter. You can't help but sigh in relief when she told you that she choose following Vil’s lifestyle of her own will rather than being forced to.

When she has to leave, rather than curtsying, she went and hug both of you instead.

“I know father’s at work and barely spend time with you but please don’t leave him…” She looks away with a sad smile. “He doesn’t mean to make you lonely.”

Against Vil’s protests, you grabbed his hand and raised it with a huge smile. “I promise I won’t let him go until he tells me to.”

Cue to Vil blushing, Rook laughing, and (d/n) smiling as she waves goodbye.

“You better keep that promise, you stupid sweet potato…” Vil mutters under his breath with a small smile.

The one rare time he leaves his room is when he visits you or he’s out to get his pre-orders. Today’s reason is visiting you.

He hears giggling from his brother and what sounds to be another child. He’s so curious if Ortho made a new friend that he didn’t even process the fact that there’s another person in your dorm.

“Big brother! Your son is here!” Ortho happily announced as he pointed at the giggling boy on your lap.

“AAAHHHH!!!!” Idia.exe has crashed. Please restart your system to continue.

“Ahaha, dad is still so jumpy as always.” (s/n) stood up and walked towards him. “Hi, dad! I’m (s/n), your son from the future.”

He’s the main suspect from all these time-traveling shenanigans. Creating a time machine wanting to meet you two which led to all the children wanting to go as well.

He explains the mechanics of the time machine along with its timer-based setting to return them to their timeline with no fail.

Idia is now just so invested in how this creation works that he sat down on the couch with his holographic computer typing notes and giving his ideas to the kid.

You’re just happy that Idia is finally interacting with someone else even if it's his son.

Truth be told when he randomly showed up in your dorm, (s/n) geeked out so much on how he unlocked the secret episode on his life story. He immediately bombarding you with questions about your current relationship with Idia.

It was overwhelming… thank god for Ortho’s random visits that you managed to calm the kid down.

In the end you four played video games – constantly yelling hacks when someone else wins – and had a great time.

When the timer started beeping, he gave you three a hug. “I love you guys! Please don’t forget the parent-teacher meeting tomorrow, Dad.”

“I believe that something you should say to future us…” You sweatdropped as Idia held back a nervous laugh.

“I-I’ll try.”

Le gasp from all three of you.

When (s/n) disappeared, Ortho starts chattering on how he can’t wait to be an uncle. Leaving so he can make lots of detailed plans for the future hangouts he’ll have with your son.

“(y/n),” He caught your attention as his face and hair slowly turns to fiery red. “I may be the biggest introvert in the world but I promise I’ll do anything that I can to make you happy.”

“Huh, I guess this is how Hades wooed Persephone to marry him…” You smirked as he covered his face to muffle his screaming. “Should we start planning for our wedding now?”

You two were having a peaceful picnic by the school grounds when a young boy appeared on top of the tree. He lost his balance though and leave it to Malleus’ fast reflexes to catch the boy with no sweat.

“Thank you, father.” The boy with a striking resemblance of your lover spoke as he regained his footing. “This isn’t how I planned to meet you two…”

“Father?” You two both asked.

“Okay, I’m aware that you are god knows how old but I wasn’t aware you have a child?” You can't help but look back and forth between the two boys.

“Neither do I.” He calmly answers, confusion evident on his face. “I haven’t bed anyone in my whole life.”

“My apologies! I’m (s/n) Draconia, your fifth son from the future.”

Cue to you doing a spit-take. “Fifth?!”

Malleus is just beaming in joy from this news, he does love a big family. Oh, he can't wait for the future to come, get married to you and have children… five children!

“There’s eight of us, actually…” He whispered but you both heard it anyways.

Spit-take part two with a bonus of your face being redder than any tomato in existence and Malleus just vibrating in happiness. “EIGHT?!”

He goes on and telling their names and current accomplishments, all to how the youngest sister is about to be born in a few months.

“So, I guess that actually makes it nine.” (s/n) corrects himself one last time.

You passed out while mumbling “Nine… nine kids…”

As much as Malleus wants to keep talking, he chose to care for you first, chuckling at how you passed out from said information.

He brings you and his kid to his room to make sure you have a better mattress to lay on. The two Draconia’s will keep talking about how the future of the family works.

Oh, imagine the horror on his face when tend to always be at doors death every delivery time. Now he knows that it's quite common for humans to die when giving birth.  He second-guesses the idea of having so many children if your life is at stake.

(s/n) have to remind him that they all live, so everything's fine.

After that reassurance, you stirred awake and saw the kid once more. He now wants to snuggle with you on the bed, which Malleus followed suit.

“Mother, please sing me that lullaby again.” He yawns as the older fae encases you two in a hug. “We all love your song…”

You can’t help but smile seeing how adorable your son is being that you hummed the first lullaby your mother has sung to you in your younger days.

You two noticed he’s fading, assuming that he is going back to his timeline once again.

You both placed a kiss on his forehead, saying “We love you, (s/n).”

Malleus chuckles and pulls you close as he peppers your head with kisses. He’s so excited for the future that he’ll share with you and you can't help but feel the same way.

“So… who’s going back to clean up the mess we left at the school grounds?”

#riddle rosehearts #riddle x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #leona x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #kalim al asim #kalim al asim x reader #kalim x reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader #vil x reader #idia shroud #idia shroud x reader #idia x reader #malleus draconia #malleus draconia x reader #malleus x reader

[gleekto]

Summary: College AU/Famous!Blaine and Fanboy!Kurt - Kurt POV

Kurt really doesn’t have time to figure out the dating world between being a freshman at prestigious theatre school, LAADA,  and his active but secret blogging life in the Sing!Fandom. So what if Sing! ended last year? There are still fics to read and actors to follow. Especially the uber talented heartthrob lead, Blaine Anderson. He can act. He can sing. He can even dance. He’s gay. He’s out. And he’s only 24. Kurt is willing to twiddle his thumbs and click refresh until Blaine Anderson’s next project.

He just didn’t expect the next project to be on his roommate Rachel’s new TV show.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Even Better than the Real Thing (10/13)

Kurt drops the phone as his heart starts to race and panic takes over. He feels like he’s going to throw up. No. He doesn’t have time to throw up. He immediately signs on to tumblr and deletes his blog. Gone. But it’s too late anyways. He calls Mercedes on autopilot. 

“It’s over, Mercedes,” Kurt shakes as he says it. “He knows.”

“What? Who knows what?” But he can practically see the information dawn on her as she says it. “He knows you were a fan? Shit.”

“Yes, specifically, he knows that I was LimaBlaineFan - and I say was because I just deleted.”

“Oh my god, Kurt. How did this happen? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay. And I don’t know. Or I can guess. He surprise visited me and I forgot to close my laptop screen and I must have left him in my room while I was dealing with Rachel and her oat milk,” Kurt puts the pieces together. “Fucking oat milk.”

“So he ended it on the spot?”

“No. God. He didn’t even say anything. He must have  seen something but not much, gone home and read the blog, and then texted me 24 hours later with a terse goodbye.”

“So what did he say?” Kurt sends her the text. “It’s not great,” She agrees. “But that’s not exactly closure.”

“I don’t think I get closure after what I did. Just memories of our night together and of what an idiot I am.” Kurt goes over the whole story with Mercedes - how he obviously wanted to be chill when he met Blaine, didn’t want to seem like a desperate fanboy but just a friend of Rachel’s - which he is! That wasn’t a lie. And he always made sure to give Blaine an out, not to talk too much, but Blaine kept wanting to talk and flirt and - well, as soon as he really started to believe that they were more than friendly acquaintances with a mutual friend, he stopped blogging. But it was too late by that point to say ‘Oh by the way, I was such a big fan of Sing! that I have a blog about it and your name may feature.’ But he knows it’s all an excuse. Blaine told him the first time they met that a fan is not a friend. And he didn’t heed the warning. Or tell the truth.

Mercedes listens to the story she already knows, and affirms and agrees, but unfortunately, can’t really fix a situation that can’t be fixed. Kurt spends the night staring at his ceiling and the next day moping around the house, tired and cranky. He binges Gossip Girl and eats popcorn and texts Mercedes sad face emojis.

Even Rachel notices that something’s wrong when she comes in that evening.  “You’re still in pajamas?” She looks at him quizzically. “And you look like hell.”

“Thanks?”

“And I only point that out because it’s very unlike you.”

“I guess that is actually a compliment.”

“What’s wrong?” Before he thinks of what he’s going to say, Rachel interrupts again. “Wait. Blaine was a wreck today - bags under his eyes, forgot all his lines. Just said he had a rough night. Okay, Kurt. What is going on with you two?”

“Nothing now.”

“Now?”

“It’s not working out, okay?” Rachel starts to say something again but thinks better of it.

“Okay,” She seems to clue in to the fact that he does not want to talk about it. “I’ll go out later to get you a piece of cheesecake from Henry’s.” His favourite cheesecake place. 

“Thank you,” He says sincerely. “Best therapy.”

...

After his cheesecake, which did take his mind off the mess of his life for at least 15 minutes, he moves back to his bedroom for night two of ceiling gazing, when his phone buzzes.

Blaine: So you didn’t respond.

He stares at the message, willing the right response to come to him.

Kurt: I honestly just don’t know what to say. Other than I’m sorry. I guess that’s what I should have said.

Blaine: So you are LimaBlaineFan, right?

Kurt: Guilty. Very guilty.

Blaine: Shit.

Kurt: I know we’re done - it’s my fault. You don’t need to say anything.

Kurt can’t actually bear the idea of Blaine lecturing him on honesty amidst crushing his heart.

Blaine: It is your fault. But we should talk.

Kurt: We should?

Blaine: Meet me at the Coffee Bean tomorrow at 3, okay?

Kurt: Let me check my calendar.

Blaine: Cheeky.

Kurt knows he made him smile despite himself.

Kurt: I’ll be there.

...

Kurt gets to the Coffee Bean half an hour early so he can be sure to be there first. He buys Blaine his favourite medium drip and adds a vanilla almond biscotti. 

“These for me?” Blaine says as he sits down across from Kurt.

“The least I could do.” Blaine rolls his eyes and shakes his head, but he accepts the coffee and cookie. “I’m really sorry. I should have told you.”

“Yeah, you should’ve,” Blaine says and pauses, sipping his coffee. 

“Can I ask you a question?” Kurt starts.

Blaine shrugs. “Go for it.”

“Why did you ask me to meet you for coffee? I mean, after finding out the guy you just -” Kurt gets red despite himself.

“Got naked with,” Blaine fills in.

“Yes - was actually a fan following your career-”

“And my body parts,” Blaine adds and Kurt gets much redder.

“I mean, I think that gives you license to fully ghost me without another word.”

“True,” Blaine nods his head. “But for one, you are my co-star’s roommate-”

“At least that’s true,” Kurt sighs at himself.

“Also, I’m not an asshole.”

“But I probably gave you reason to think that I am one.”

“No - which is the real reason I wanted to talk. The timeline.” Kurt looks at him confused. “Your blog on tumblr. It seems like once we met, you only blogged a few times. And by the time I was interested in you, you stopped posting.”

Kurt nods, giving himself an internal high five for at least one decent choice. “I did. Right after we-”

“Made out all night?” Blaine has got to stop putting these images back into his head in the midst of a break up conversation.

“No. It was before that. After you  - you know we talked in my room-”

Blaine remembers, smiling.  “When I got you to tell me you had never been kissed so I could tell you that you should be.”

“You’re so calculating,” Kurt shakes his head.

Blaine raises his hands in defense. “My intentions were pure, I promise. Besides, I could say the same about you.”

“I wasn’t calculating! I wasn’t even trying to be your friend, let alone your, you know. I am definitely not sophisticated enough to try to deceive you to get you into bed, god. I was just trying to seem reasonably normal and cool around my roommate’s new co-star who by complete coincidence was my celebrity crush of the last four years. It was way too uncool to reveal my alter ego to you.”

Blaine smiles, probably despite himself. “Can I tell you some of my favourites?”

“Oh god.”

It seems Blaine spent the better part of his evening delving deeply into the fandom mind of LimaBlaineFan, because he had screencapped some of Kurt’s oldest, and cringiest posts.

-Why isn’t he shirtless in that scene? The other guys are shirtless. Roy is hot. And no, I don’t think he’s embarrassed. 

“Well, you are right about that. I’m not camera shy.” 

-Thank God Blaine Anderson has a better fashion sense than Roy. Roy and his loose jeans and sweatpants - how would I even catch a glimpse? But did you see Blaine on that red carpet? Maroon suit, pants so tight. His ass is perfection.

-Blaine’s interview for Pride was perfection. He says we might even catch him out on the dance floors, dancing with some hotties. Maybe then he’ll be shirtless.

And of course, Blaine appreciated Kurt’s hard work on one of his most recent posts - The privileges and pitfalls of playing straight for an out gay actor: Quotes from Blaine Anderson’s interviews.

Kurt lets Blaine read each one, sitting silent in embarrassment and biting his lip through it all. It’s the least he deserves. Just as Blaine finishes his list and Kurt is about to go into profuse apology once again,  they’re interrupted.

A young woman who looks about seventeen scurries quickly up to their table. “Hi. I’m sorry. I know you’re busy. I’m just such a huge fan of Sing! And now That’s So Rachel-” - If that was a fan test, she passed. She knows both shows. That’s a minimum. “Can I get a pic with you?”

“Of course. Thank you so much for watching.” Blaine takes her phone like a pro and angles it so he and the girl are both in it, Kurt trying to avoid being the photobomb in the background. Blaine turns back to him as the girl leaves. 

“I guess that would’ve been me a few months ago.”

“For you, I might have even given a hug. Or the coveted kiss on the cheek. I always try to connect with the gay guy fans.”

“You succeeded?” Kurt tries and Blaine laughs. At least the energy between them is better. Much better. Like he won’t have to hide in a corner if he’s ever at an event with Blaine again or anything like that.

“I guess I did.”

“The first time I met you, you told me that a fan is not a friend.”

“I did.”

“Would you have asked me out if you had known from the beginning?”

“Probably not. Against the rules.”

“That’s what I thought.” There’s an awkward pause - Kurt’s not sure there’s anything else to say and apparently Blaine agrees because he switches the topic to the latest script and his excitement about working with Patti Lupone - who apparently, even gets to slap him. By the time they leave the café, Kurt feels relieved. He’s survived his first break up. Not that they were really together. He doesn’t have the energy to grieve the loss of kissing, and touching, and ironically still not having seen Blaine shirtless (pantless, yes). He’s sure it will hit him like a ton of bricks after he finally gets a real night of sleep, and then he will have Rachel prepare the cheesecake. Again. 

He crawls into bed early that night, grateful the shock and awful adrenaline of the last two days has finally left his body. His phone buzzes as he closes his light and he plans to text Mercedes back to tell her he’ll update her tomorrow. But it’s not Mercedes.

Blaine: Some rules are made to be broken.

#even better than the real thing #gleekto writes

[four-loose-screws]

What would you rank all the fire emblem games that you have played.

Thank you for waiting, anon! This essay is finally finished! XD I don’t know if either of us ever intended for this to end up so long, but it did.

It’s interesting to see how each person experiences each game, so I hope everyone enjoys reading this. If anyone wants to ask questions for more details or just for conversation, please do!

I did a tier grouping ranking as well as ordering from bottom -> top, because that helped explain my feelings a little better. This isn’t really reflecting my nostalgia or personal feelings for the characters/world quite as much as “how much fun I had in my initial playthrough(s).” Because I think that’s what these sorts of lists are generally asking for.

First, I’d like to make a general statement about why I love FE games so much: Well, most simply it’s because I have more fun playing FE than any other series. That much is obvious though, right? I also love them because they all stand out in their own way, with their own unique combination of features, and because they are all super ambitious titles. It may lead to some rushing and half-baked ideas, but ambition is what excites me the most in any series. Even if the creators are not able to fully realize the ideas they had, the hard work still wows me as I play, and I can see hints of the full vision they had in every nook and cranny. Even the lowest games on this list are pretty high up there for me in fun level. The “fun but flawed” games just had glaring issues that interrupted the fun from time to time.

...FEs 1 & 3 are overall exceptions to the “unique and standing out rule,” being early games in the series; and FE6 set up post-Famicom FE, so it’s pretty basic, too - but they still get their own awards for setting a solid foundation for a fun video game series that withstands the test of time.

I can’t fully explain it, why I attached to FE the most over all other game series out there. But when I play FE, I usually don’t think about what’s not so great about the games. I just have fun. The gameplay always has me thinking, and I get engrossed in the stories and unlocking convos and supports.

Basic Tier

These games are really hard to judge properly in the ranking system, because they are just so basic for the series.

FE1 / FE11

When FE11 came out, I remember it getting so much flack for being really, really boring. But I didn’t get that. I like FE gameplay and storytelling at its core, so I don’t need the bells and whistles to have a good time. I knew this is where the series started, and was surprised with what content there was considering this is a remake of a game on the Famicom (NES).

FE1 set a very solid foundation for what the core of the series would be. Load it up next to a modern game, and it feels so the same and different all at once. I’ve only played a little bit of FE1 itself. I just can’t get through it because FE11 is SO similar to FE1, so you really only have to play one to get the whole experience. I didn’t feel like playing the same game over again at the time, so FE1 is still on my unfinished list.

Basic, solid foundation for the ages / 10

FE3 / FE12

After FE11 played it “safe” and took an “upgraded graphics with a few new ideas tacked on” approach, I was blown away by how much FE12 did, even if it was more for worse than better sometimes. It added so many conversations, was the first to tinker with the idea of a more fleshed out Avatar, added more story… and so on.

From what I’ve read recently, the new story stuff isn’t that great, but I don’t remember now. I’ve only played this game once. Overall, despite some clunk with the giant maps and so on, this game really challenged itself to improve from FE11, and it’s how I learned to love remakes that aren’t afraid to deviate from and add a lot to the original!

Set the stage for what kind of fun and ambition an FE remake could have / 10

FE3 is way more of a classic than any of us in the West can truly understand. It sold insanely well (the best in the series until Awakening I believe?), challenged the programmers to put FE1 on the cart as well, long before re-releases were a thing in the industry, and the game even made it to the Super Famicom Mini! I haven’t played it yet because again, it’s hard to get the motivation to play through the slow speed and clunkiness when I’ve already experienced the remake, but I’m looking forward to it some day.

The good ol’ days of the Super Famicom & SNES / 10

FE6

This was the first game without Kaga (the series original creator), so it set the stage for a future without him. The series might have strayed far from his plans for story and such, but this game, while it was pretty basic, firmly established a new foundation for the series on a new system, and gave a glimpse of what greatness the future had in store.

Overall though, this game is harder to commit to memory than others, except for classic characteristics like how terrible Roy is until, finally, BAM he gets his sword in the final stretches of the game; and running in circles from Douglas so you can avoid fighting him and successfully recruit him after the chapter.

Awkward, but sets a solid foundation for post-Kaga and post-Famicom FE / 10

Fun But Flaws Distracted From The Fun A Lot Tier

FE16

I really, really hate to say it, because this game tries to mix up the FE formula with the school setting and other new features and changes, and brought in a good mix of old and new, just like all the other FE games. But this game left very little impact on me for such a big experience. And I’m leaving out the fact that trying to play all four routes is dull as heck when I place the game this low. I’m basing it off of just how much I enjoyed the first playthrough.

Overall, I was most turned off by the class system. Which is funny, because I’ve seen others praise this as FE’s best class system. Everyone’s different. Classic classes like troubadours are just gone. The top tier classes are super limiting. Of course, you can just stop one tier down, but that’s not emotionally satisfying to me - I want my characters to reach the top! Despite having such free choice, I feel more limited than anything. If they’d just stopped at 4 tiers and not tried to go to 5, I think that would have been best. They had to stretch out the available classes too much to get to 5. ...Although being able to have an army of dragon riders is awesome, I’ll give it that. Dragons are too cool. 

I was also really disappointed by the story. Fire Emblem has established that it can write a really emotional plot, and not be afraid to pull punches, with games like 4 and 8. I was expecting a huge contrast between part 1, where everyone is friends and classmates, and part 2, where war rips them apart, transforms them into different people, and forces them to brutally slaughter each other.

But in reality…the hate between Dimitri and Edelgard has nothing to do with the school at all… That was jarring to me. Of course there is no one right direction to take a story in. But the worldbuilding and story writing… feels even less coherent than Fates. That’s an accomplishment.

This is the one time I say ambition was really just too much. The game didn’t get enough polish. A game about the seasons doesn’t even have seasonal differences...

While my friends who don’t usually play Fire Emblem have had a fantastic experience with this one, after all I’ve been through, I found that I liked other FE’s more.

I think the best part about this game is the characters and supports. After Fates had a ton of supports in it just because it had to have them, the creators of this game weren’t afraid to change up the support formula once more, so they could balance quality and quantity. ...And then, ironically, this game went for the (almost entirely) mute, personality-less avatar character. Funny how that works out. XD

Dragon Lord Army Go! / 10

FE14

I feel this game deserves way more credit than it gets, while also agreeing with the critiques. The ambition was as great as ever. But then it got stuck in development hell and we got what we got. (For those who don’t know, the team was divided in two - the team that wanted a more fanservic-y experience, and the one that wanted to make a standard FE.)

I think the gameplay is the best part of this game, Conquest is great, and the gimmicks are indeed gimmicks, but still fun. In offering three different experiences, the entire package will please few, but that was the point of the multiple routes, to give everyone one route they would like, not to please everyone with all three.

But beyond the gameplay, the story is all over the place, the multiple routes just create more questions than answers; and features like an increased number of support convos and children feel like they are there only because of a desire to bring back “popular” features. After multiple food/cooking supports in a row, I couldn’t take it any more. There was so little that the characters were actually talking about in their supports vs. Awakening. I generally feel that more supports = better, because character interaction through supports is of course a highlight of post-Famicom FE, but in this case, the numbers did not do any favors.

Bringing back weapons that don’t break didn’t feel well done, either. I just ended up using basic weapons the whole time because I didn’t want to deal with the drawbacks of the higher level weapons.

Back to a positive for me: The hub world was neat, though it needed some convoluted story writing to be included. I was amused by going through the different features and collecting the items. I agree with Nintendo of America taking out the “petting minigame,” but since I lived in Japan when Fates released, it was amusing to do on the train and weird out the bored Japanese people who peered over my shoulder.

Since all three routes were different, this game was fun enough until the end in comparison to Three Houses, of which I am STILL trying to slog through the last route one year after release. But Fates was made for every route to be different, whereas Three Houses was not, so it’s not surprising I feel like that.

But time for the real talk about this game… why is everyone’s HP so low??? What happened?????

Up and down and all around in quality from start to finish / 10

FE15

I really want to like this game more. Oh, do I. It’s absolutely GORGEOUS, the character art makes my heart skip a beat, the game proved that full voice acting does fit FE really well, it fleshed out things like the dungeon crawling & story, and added support conversations & skills, etc. while still staying kind of basic, retaining the feeling that the original was on the NES. The momentum for the fun and ambition that an FE remake could have transitioned well from FE12 to here and led to this being a stunningly presented game.

But the creators totally missed the point on what were the defining features of the game in my opinion, and that mismatch of vision ruined a lot for me. I loved the imbalance, struggling as I placed my units in corners of maps just to survive, until I obtained all those OP items, and my super soldiers marched into battle and did wild and amazing things. Valbar with +5 move and 40 speed with the Speed Ring is the one thing I remember the best of FE2 and oh man was it fun, and did I love it.

And I mean, I understand why the creators weren’t going to keep that imbalance, it doesn’t make the game good for everyone. It’s just something I found fun, and made the game stand out among the other FEs. But the developers really just replaced old imbalance with new imbalance, the dread fighters being the one thing I remember in particular.

And they defined FE2’s best defining features as “the maps and the terrain effects” and I just did not agree. That was the stuff I DISLIKED about FE2! And that’s what they wanted to keep most? The terrain that made battles one giant miss, and the gigantic maps where I’d spend half the time just getting to the enemies? No thanks.

Then the story only cranked up the horrible treatment of the women, with Faye… being Faye, and I hated the direction they went in with Celica’s story...  Ugh.

For every step or two forward, there’s one back / 10

FE10

FE games are always ambitious, but this one cranked the dial up to 10 and tripped over itself a lot. Still, it provided (even if it is info dumped) an intense and satisfying ending to the Tellius saga, and is another classic for the ages. I found the pacing boring and slow until then, though.

I think now that I’m older I can appreciate the story much, much more - and how it shows the story and aftermath of the Mad King’s War from multiple points of view -  but the lack of the support conversations, and too much going on for any aspect of this game to be properly refined, still make this one lower on my list.

If only I could have played it more than once, to really get a good memory of the events of the game. My Wii actually scratched up my disk (How this happened, I don’t know, and it’s the ONLY disk my Wii ever slaughtered). It only held out long enough for my sibling and I to enjoy one playthrough each. I’ll get to playing my Japanese copy eventually!

Part 4 = Laguz Royals Emblem / 10

Somewhere Inbetween Tier

FE5

The last of the Kaga games. Still clunky and difficult, but with it’s own super unique features in capturing, stamina, and stealing weapons.

The brokenness of staves is not at all a flaw, but a feature in my opinion. Encouraging bizarre thinking and finding new ways to plow through maps is fun. I would probably be critical if this was a modern game, but I think older games need these quirks to stand out among modern titles with better graphics and decades of gaming history behind them.

And you still can complete the maps in a more traditional manner if you are determined. I did even for Reinhardt’s map.

Also, I gotta say... I don’t agree that this is the most difficult FE overall… it just has the hardest individual maps. The difficulty spikes are all over the place. The game goes from bashing your head against a wall to snoozefest constantly.

Fog of war was a mistake though, if I was a time traveler, I’d go back and make sure the programmers never figured out how to include it. XD

Steal ALL the tomes! / 10

FE13

Experiencing this game and its release in real time was an experience. The fandom really, truly thought this game might not only be the last FE ever, but also that it might not get a localization. Thinking there would never be a localization, I spent a night of my first trip to Japan buying a Japanese 3DS and a copy of the game. I only had 2 weeks on that study tour, but I was so determined that I used some of my precious free time to go shopping for it. To afford it, I even used the money my college gave to me for food, then subsided off of cheap convenience store meals with what little I had left. I barely had any true understanding of Japanese at the time, but I wanted other fans to experience this game, so I worked as hard as I could to translate as many supports as I could. This game is why I got into translation, and was what I really thought might be the end, so it will always have a special place in my heart for that.

Now to actually talk about playing the game itself. I really enjoyed it the first couple of times. Who cares that pair-up and the kids were OP, you either blast through the game with them and have a good laugh, or ignore them, set some challenging rules, and enjoy having at least a little challenge. I didn’t care much that the supports were a little lower quality because of the sheer number of them, I eagerly awaited unlocking each one, and reading what the two characters would talk about. (We fans have fanfiction to turn to if we hunger for more development. :p) The bonus content was plentiful, and a great fanservice-y way to bring the series to a close.

After all is said and done though, the game left me feeling empty when I thought about replaying it any further. The maps and story felt empty in comparison to previous games. Now that it’s been 8 years since the initial release, I’d of course enjoy a replay or two, but after having played FEs7-9 5 or 6 times in a row before moving on to the next game… anything less than that level of excitement was surprising for me. I placed this game kinda high on the list because it’s fun when you play it. It’s just doesn’t have as much replay value, I feel.

Also, as a group, the children characters are my favorite in the series. They all come from deeply traumatic backgrounds, and the way they work through that trauma and navigate being given a second chance, but also not a true second chance because this timeline is different from their own, is endlessly fascinating for me. I don’t know if other fans give them enough credit, so I wanted to point them out in particular.

Would have been a fantastic way to send off the series, despite the flaws / 10

FE2

This game is flawed, imbalanced, makes me want to throw things, and it’s all, somehow, in a way that makes me LOVE IT. ...So long as I’m playing using an emulator with a speed up button.

This game is so hard, and the hit percentages are such garbage. But as I played, and unlocked more and more OP weapons and items, until I reached a point where the zombie dragons - what once took all my efforts - were an enemy that can easily be slaughtered in 1-on-1 combat... I felt so satisfied.

Old games need some kind of charm to make them still worth revisiting in a world of much better graphics and features that have now had decades to be refined. For me, this game has that perfect kind of quirky charm in spades.

The maps and terrain though… I have no words, just bash your head into the wall and you will understand how I feel.

Also, this game reminds me of Zelda 2 in it being a black sheep of its respective series… that’s a fun little nugget of info.

Duma’s sprite / 10

FE7

I don’t remember this game as well, despite it being one that I’ve played about 5 times? I don’t know why, it’s yet another fantastic Fire Emblem with its own ways that it stands out, managing not one, not two, but three lords, introducing the tactician, and so on. Guess time has just not been kind to my memory on this one.

I remember being really impressed with the length of this game back in the day, and Hector’s mode offering enough differences to make it totally fun to replay the main game again.

Lyn gets kind of pushed to the side (because that’s what generally happens to women main characters in Fire Emblem, if there’s a male lord around), but having the three lords was really fun. With three people, you get a great balance between all of their personalities, and they all play off of each other well.

Of course I loved Lyn and Hector, most everyone does, but I was always just as much of an Eliwood fan. His average stats pushed people away from liking him as much as the others, but I always looked up to his kindness. Eliwood / Ninian was an especially favorite pairing for my sappy teenage heart. Eliwood was just so romantic and sweet to me.

And though the game was made easier with international audiences in mind, the developers hadn’t invented all of the “easier/for convenience” features yet, so this is the last time we got to enjoy some “harder” features like needing to buy weapons during battles, and a convoy separate from the main lord. That’s cool if you like that stuff.

Unlocking the paralogues is hard though / 10

Favorites Tier

FE8

When it comes to FE8, while there’s plenty to like about the gameplay (despite the game being so easy, but again, like I said with Awakening, you can just set your own challenge rules), what I really love to ramble on about is the story and its emotional impact. Lyon is so precious and kind, but has so many inner conflicts stewing deep inside of him, leading him to elder magics, and… The Demon King is just ends up as a sideshow compared to Lyon coming face to face with his own demons. Both the characters - and many players, I’m sure - hope and hope to find a way to save him, but there just isn’t one. There are never any real leads. There’s nothing. Only the harrowing reality that some people cannot be saved, no, that some people do not want to be saved. The inevitability of Lyon’s demise, and seeing it all play out, packs a punch most plots can only dream of.

But it’s not like I won’t talk about the gameplay features either. Bringing back much of the best of FE2, the overworld map and everything to do really enhances the experience. I mean, yeah, I guess two side dungeons isn’t that much to get excited over, I can see that critique… but I didn’t care, it allowed me to easily chase support conversations, and (with some RNG abusing to obtain enough Boots and money to buy the stat-boosting items, but hey, whatever it takes) I could max out my characters’ stats and truly “complete” a Fire Emblem game.

Sacred Stones is so awesome.

Finally! A postgame! I sure hope the developers keep this up in all the future games… oh. / 10

FE9

This is the first FE game I ever played, so it will always occupy the most dear and special place in my heart, even if FE4 eventually won over as my favorite.

Do you believe in first sight? I do, and this is what taught me it’s real. From the first second of the first cutscene, I was enthralled. ...And that’s saying something, when the FE9 cutscenes are the kind of thing only a mother could love. But I just knew. I may have been a wee lass of 14, but I knew a love that would last a lifetime was being born. ...Or that would at least last 14 more years. I can’t predict the future. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and hate Fire Emblem with a burning passion? 2020 has taught me that tomorrow is always a big fat question mark.

Fun fact: in case you are wondering exactly what inspired my very initial interest in this series, it was a TV commercial. Probably this one. I just remember Ike running, of all things. My sibling and I both thought FE9 looked interesting from this commercial, and sought out the game all on our own with zero private knowledge that anything FE even existed.

This is where obsessions are born. Or mine at least. / 10 

FE4

As I’ve established, this is my favorite of favorites. The bizarre way money, arenas, items, and more were handled, actually made the game more and more fun for me. Big maps are just so fun. Gen 1’s story is a tale for the ages, and Gen 2’s story is… well, classic FE, which never gets old for me. It will never cease to amaze me even today what the SNES/S Famicom could handle.

All I’d want added is a “warp between conquered castles” feature. I’m completely neutral on a remake otherwise. Of course a lot more could be added and detailed upon that I’d be happy for, but that’s my one specific wish.

Calvary Emblem Forever / 10

Bonus:

FEH

I played this game every day for around 2 ½ years before I finally felt I had to break the habit, so I’m not leaving it out! This title got a lot of flack for simplifying FE gameplay, but… looking at it that way completely disregards the niche app games fill, and the interesting ways developers view what type of games app games should be, and how the developers work hard to both innovate for the format yet stay faithful to the source. It is surprisingly deep, and the maps + higher focus on unit skills make you think entirely differently about how to win in what is, in essence, the same gameplay as the main series.

Plus, what fan couldn’t get suckered into the fanservice of it? My best moments include attaining a +10 Nephenee while only spending money to get 2 of her, the other 9 were all F2P orbs; and becoming a Narcian/Valter shipper after supporting them on impulse because they were both on my flier team, and realizing the sick, twisted chemistry afterwards. Discovering rare-pairs is fun.

Also, finally, this game dared to nerf magic users a bit by making them RNG 2 only. If only the main series could do something like that.

I really enjoyed Heroes a lot, I just quit solely because it was a time drain. It was time to move on and play other things. And I’m glad I got out when I did. Seeing the game stoop to over-the-top powercreep (above and beyond what it was always implementing) and add the monthly service to keep the $$$$$ raking in was hard to watch.

Perfect app-style game gameplay-wise and fanservice-wise, but why aren’t gacha illegal yet / 10

FE Warriors

Oh yeah, this game exists too! It’s a Warriors game. If you like the formula and it never gets old for you, you’ll have fun with this game. If you don’t mind the limited game representation too much, you’ll have fun with this game. For me, the answers to those questions were a yes, so I enjoyed FE Warriors. Yay for wailing on hordes of enemies / 10

#fire emblem #favorites

[tiny-slasher]

🍁 Year in Review 🍄

Tagged by: @samwise-babeyy

Rules: Answer the questions about 2020 and tag some people to pass it on!

All my answers are basically “out of date” because I don’t actually keep up with anything new, so I’m just listing the stuff I listened to or watched in 2020 the most, or for the first time.

🍁 5 favorite films you watched in 2020

i. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

ii. Predator

iii. Rob Roy

iv. Texas Chainsaw Massacre

v. Black Christmas

🍄 5 favorite tv shows you watched in 2020

i. Mandalorian

ii. Cells at Work

iii. Beastars (listen...)

(That’s all I watched)

🍁 5 favorite songs you listened to in 2020

i. Green Bus - Innocence Mission

ii. Deep Sea - Oh Land

iii. Sky Blue - Peter Gabriel

iv. Reincarnation - Susanne Sundfør

v. Avalanche - Leonard Cohen

[BONUS] vi. Saturn Swallows the Sun - Ghost Twin

🍄 5 favorite albums of 2020

i. Oceanborn - Nightwish

ii. Plastic Heart - Ghost Twin

iii. Prequelle - Ghost

iv. Children of Termina - Rozen

v. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash

🍁 5 favorite books you read

i. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

ii. The Shadow over Innsmouth

iii. The Call of Cthulhu

(Technically they were audiobooks lmao...and that’s all I listened to)

🍄 How did you spend your birthday this year?

The same as usual...I stayed at home with my parents and brothers, ordered a cake from Dairy Queen, and opened up a couple of presents that I’m always surprised to get. Ironically, my dad got me a Predator Funko Pop because of this inside joke that we’d had at the time, but then I actually saw the movie like a month later and now I thirst.

🍁 What was your most memorable day this year?

When a friend of mine said “Hey you should meet this guy I know” and I finally reluctantly agreed, and now I’m in love.

🍄 What was your most memorable meal you had this year?

Well...I’ve had a few memorable ones for bad reasons, mostly because of my recovery. But the only one I can think of that was memorable, and happy, was the meal my family had for Christmas. We all ordered our own takeouts of choice, and it was awesome tbh. Very lowkey, which is what I prefer with holidays. Everyone had a nice time. 

🍁 Did you find any new hobbies or interests in quarantine?

I did bake cookies a few times. Prior to this year I’d only baked once, and it was not great. Definitely not a natural born baker lol. But I did make cookies and found it very enjoyable.

I also tried to make a donut in Blender...and I did ok, but my computer doesn’t like to run the program so I abandoned it after putting on the sprinkles.

I also drew a comic for my OC, but I still haven’t posted it anywhere bc I forget it exists.

🍄 What was the last big/event you remember doing before Covid?

Valentine’s Day I guess?? Idk I don’t really care for it much tbh. I also watched Cats ironically, and it was honestly one of the funniest experiences I’ve ever had, because of the other audience members.

🍁 5 good/positive things that happened to you in 2020

i. I met my future husband (jk but not really)

ii. I appreciate things more that I didn’t beforehand.

iii. I made it through an entire year of ED recovery (yay!!!)

iv. I got into slasher stuff, which while it’s had a few downs, has mostly been ups. It’s been the most fun I’ve had in years.

I legit can’t think of anything else. My life is mostly just kinda boring these days tbh.

🍄 Biggest messages or lessons learnt from this year

Don’t underestimate how important hugs are.

It’s ok to eat cookies. And it’s ok to not eat if you’re not hungry.

Pay attention to the people you care about, because even if you think you know everything about them...you don’t. 

If you’re worried about something, and you don’t see yourself being worried about it in a week, then it’s probably not a big deal.

🍁 And what are you most looking forward to in 2021?

I am scared to look forward to anything, in general. I just sort of go day by day every year...even without the virus stuff. It’s easier on my anxiety.

Plus I started the year literally crying my eyes out, and then woke up sick the next day...so my expectations are low lmfao.

@ everyone...everyone I was gonna tag has already been tagged lol

#thank u #I spent too much time doin this lmao

[theliterateape]

The Cinema of 2019: A Literate Ape End-of-Year Review

By Don Hall and Brett Dworski

Editor’s Note:

With projects like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Watchmen, The Mandalorian, and pretty much everything produced for the CW, we are smack dab in the epicenter of the Age of Fan Fiction. The films of 2019 have some nods to this trend with Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Yesterday playing hard and loose with expanding the existing iconography to tell new stories.

We enjoyed a lot of movies in 2019. While not a banner year like 1968 or 1999, the year certainly had its standouts. Here is our end of the year list of the films that impacted us the most compiled by Don Hall and Brett Dworski, both film fans and people with acceptable vision and hearing.

NOTE: These are not ranked because generally, we believe the practice of ranking films is fucking stupid. However, we do rate them from 1 to 5 Apes. Enjoy.

Apollo 11

4 Apes (DH)

There really was a time when America was great. Sure, there was still segregation and violence, the war overseas, the draft, and the host of problems faced by the country but the men and women who took up Kennedy’s challenge to get a human being on the surface of the moon elevated us all. Apollo 11 is a documentary using entirely archival footage of this historic moment when mankind exceeded itself.

Honey Boy

1 Ape (BD)

The anticipated debut of writer Shia LaBeouf is choppy and disappointing. Newcomer Noah Jupe plays child actor Otis—based on LaBeouf—whose drunken father disrupts his recent success. The film’s inconsistencies stem across the plot, casting and performances. The father, played by LaBeouf, flops between abusive asshole and tender daddy by the minute; neither is compelling. Lucas Hedges, who plays Otis as a drug-abusing teenager, looks nothing like LaBeouf or Jupe. And once things get interesting, Otis forgives his pop and tells him he’s “going to make a movie about him.” Very original, Shia. The fact that Honey Boy is based on LaBeouf’s life is intriguing, but the film is ultimately a huge letdown.

Midsommar

4 Apes (DH)

Ari Astor gives us a twisted break up story wrapped in the bloody flowered crown of a horror film set in blinding sunlight. I loved Hereditary for a million reasons. I loved Midsommar for five: Florence Pugh, the bizarre mating ritual, the fucked up mushroom visuals, old people willingly plunging to their deaths, and a dude being stuffed into the skin of a recently slaughtered bear and burned alive.

Dolemite Is My Name

3 Apes (BD)

Eddie Murphy rewinds the clock to his Raw and Delirious days in this biopic of Rudy Ray Moore, a comedian and musician behind the Blaxploitation movement of the 1970s. While wildly erratic at times, it’s also an affectionate and sobering look at the hustle of show business. It took years for Murphy to ditch his affable family-man routine, but it was worth the wait: Dolemite Is My Name cements the raunchy, cocksure comic as one of the greatest talents of all time.

Yesterday

3 Apes (DH)

I wrote about this here. Loved it.

The Lighthouse

3 Apes (BD)

Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are exhilarating in this delirious indie thriller. They play 19th century lighthouse keepers who struggle to maintain their sanity upon learning they’re stuck on an island off the coast of New England. The stunning black and white landscapes of Nova Scotia are overshadowed by Dafoe’s and Pattinson’s constant bickering, farting, masturbating, and binge drinking. The Lighthouse is bizarre, hilarious, terrifying, peculiar… and quite good. You’ll never view seagulls the same way after watching it.

Endgame

5 Apes (DH)

The culmination of nearly two dozen interconnected films all stemming from my Gen X childhood? I’ve been waiting since I read my first Avengers comic when I was ten years old for this and it did not disappoint. Packed with incredibly satisfying moments (Professor Hulk, Cap gets the Hammer, “...on your left...,” and “I... am... Iron Man”) this was the most fun three hours I could imagine that didn’t involve cheese or sex.

The Art of Self Defense

4 Apes (BD)

This deadpan and absurdist comedy highlights toxic masculinity through a ruthless karate class. Jessie Eisenberg plays Casey, a lonely, frightened accountant who enlists in the course after a mugging leaves him hospitalized. Led by a vain and puzzling instructor, the class soon absorbs Casey’s life and brainwashes him to commit barbaric acts beyond self-protection. Although clearly a blend of Fight Club and The Karate Kid, The Art of Self Defense carries an unusual rhythm that separates it from its predecessors—and displays a refreshing kind of filmmaking from newcomer Riley Streams.

Joker

4 Apes (DH)

The politics that suddenly surrounded this were nothing more than distraction. Was it a response to the humorless Woke culture? An Incel Fantasy? Who gives a fuck. It was a film that did something a lot of movies lately refuse to do—it surprised us. It also included an amazing, painful performance by Joaquin Phoenix and, like Logan before it, used the pop culture iconography of the comic book tropes and deepened them in ways that only a bold approach could.

High Life

4 Apes (BD)

Visually-stunning cinematography and a harrowing storyline carry High Life, one of the most daunting films of the year. Set in a futuristic world where death-row inmates are sent to conduct eerie experiments in outer space, High Life is as morbid as it is alluring. The movie—which was made in 2018 but not released in theaters until 2019—resembles a space version of The Shining with its isolation-leads-to-madness concept. While too edgy for some, High Life is one of the most uniquely made films in years.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

5 Apes (DH)

Tarantino’s homage to revisionist history, the plight of growing old and becoming replaceable, 1960s Hollywood, and chock full of snappy dialogue, incredible performances, and both a sense of celebration and melancholy makes this one of the best movies about movies ever made.

John Wick Chapter 3

5 Apes (DH)

With next year’s Keanu-mas when they release both John Wick 4 and the Matrix 4 movies on the same day (yes, I will participate fully) the franchise that spawned the newfound love for all things Reeves is absolutely worth noting. Full of that comic book/video game world-building, odd but sensible rituals and oaths and rules plus plenty of head-shot, bloody violence, I sat in a Las Vegas theater with a crowd and we all gasped, laughed, and applauded at the absolute action-porn that is John Wick. Yes, these films are pornography of comic book violence and Reeves is our big-dicked John Holmes.

The Painted Bird

5 Apes (BD)

Those seeking a feel good shan’t see The Painted Bird, a bloodcurdling Holocaust drama seen through the eyes of a child. Petr Kotlár gives a robust performance as a nameless boy fighting to survive the violent societal breakdown in Eastern Europe. In doing so, he experiences one nightmare after another—each worse than the former—and loses hope in human kindness along the way. The beautifully shot black-and-white landscapes are a mirage for the routine abuse the boy encounters, leaving audiences as numb to it as he is by the film’s end.

The Irishman

4 Apes (DH)

Scorsese caps a triptych of films over decades with this much slower but no less magnificent look into the Italian Mafia from the inside/out. Goodfellas is an Irish kid’s ascent and is an explosive young man’s movie. Casino is a Jewish man’s climb up in the Mob and, while still explosive, is a bit more subdued and a decidedly middle-aged man’s film. The Irishman is an old man’s view, looking back, reliving awful and magnificent moments.

Together, the three films mark a masterwork in a genius director’s canon.

Ad Astra

5 Apes (BD)

Ad Astra takes a different approach than most solar-system journeys by exploring the man behind the suit. Brad Pitt is Roy McBride, an accomplished astronaut whose dedication to space has damaged his marriage. When called upon for secret mission to Neptune, the stoic McBride finds he’s more than a government robot, and his ascent to madness results in one of Pitt’s finest performances. Supported by a wonderfully played asshole in Tommy Lee Jones, Ad Astra is as much a family drama as it is a space adventure.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

5 Apes (DH)

Sure, there were unanswered questions leftover and I really didn’t care for that kiss at the end but I loved this film from start to finish. Completing a story as massive and, in many ways, disconnected, was a tall order and I think Abrams and team did about as good a job as anyone could expect. This will be in rotation at least a couple more times in the next few weeks.

Marriage Story

5 Apes (BD)

Oscar-worthy performances from Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson drive Marriage Story, a clever, poignant narrative about divorce. Noah Baumbach’s behind-the-scenes view of the crippling situation separates it from movies alike, exploring factors beyond courtroom troubles and custody battles. Marriage Story empathetically—and even comically—shows both sides of the fight, and its effect will last far beyond the screen. Get your box of tissues ready.

Alita: Battle Angel

3 Apes (DH)

Not a Manga-Boy so the inconsistencies with the story and characters didn’t bother me. I thought this was the closest to watching a dramatic video game with some cool performances and great use of camera and technology. It was also the film I saw first as a resident of Las Vegas so that counts for something at least to me.

Parasite

5 Apes (BD)

Superbly written, shot and performed, Bong Joon-ho’s account of class discrimination in Korea is an electrifying and emotional masterpiece. What begins as a lighthearted story of two families—one rich, one destitute—spirals into shocking sequences of deception. It has every element of an instant classic: witty comedy, sexual tension, thrilling violence, social themes and a stunning finale that mirrors the horrors of reality. Calling it the best movie of 2019 isn’t enough: Parasite is one of the top films of the decade and transcends the arc of modern cinema.

#Movies of 2019 #Honey Boy #High Life #Parasite #Ad Astra #Once Upon a Time in Hollywood #Yesterday #Marriage Story #Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker #The Irishman #The Painted Bird #John Wick Chapter 3 — Parabellum #Joker #The Art of Self Defense #The Lighthouse #Dolemite Is My Name #Midsommar

[reconditarmonia]

Dear Equivalent Exchange Author

Hi! Thank you for writing for me! I’ve just completed my first watch of FMA:B and am obsessed, and very excited for the first single-fandom exchange I’ve done.

I’m reconditarmonia here and on AO3 (and have been since LJ days, but my LJ is locked down and I only have a DW to see locked things). I have anon messaging off, but mods should be able to contact me if you have any questions.

Riza and Roy | Ishval | Briggs | Olivier/Izumi

General likes:

– Relationships that aren’t built on romance or attraction. They can be romantic or sexual as well, but my favorite ships are all ones where it would still be interesting or compelling if the romantic component never materialized.

– Loyalty kink! Trust, affectionate or loving use of titles, gestures of loyalty, replacing one’s situational or ethical judgment with someone else’s, risking oneself (physically or otherwise) for someone else, not doing so on their orders. Can be commander-subordinate or comrades-in-arms.

– Heists, or other stories where there’s a lot of planning and then we see how the plan goes.

– Femslash, complicated or intense relationships between women, and female-centric gen. Women doing “male” stuff (possibly while crossdressing).

– Stories whose emotional climax or resolution isn’t the sex scene, if there is one.

– Uniforms/costumes/clothing.

– Stories, history, and performance. What gets told and how, what doesn’t get told or written down, behavior in a society where everyone’s consuming media and aware of its tropes, how people create their personas and script their own lines.

– I have no idea how a Simoun AU/fusion would work for any of the (military-related, I guess) prompts, but if you know that anime, hell, go for it.

General DNW: rape/dubcon, torture, other creative gore; unrequested AUs, including “same setting, different rules” AUs such as soulmates/soulbonds; PWP; food sex; embarrassment; focus on pregnancy; Christmas/Christian themes; focus on unrequested canon or non-canon ships.

A note: I’m generally fine with “/” ships where the fic doesn’t contain a kiss, overt declaration of love, etc. I’ll trust that you wrote it with shippy intent and don’t expect you to force in something that wouldn’t fit the story.

—

Female Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye; Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang

I love the loyalty kink in this ship - the trust and competence and stoically hidden but very very intense feelings, the willingness to risk oneself or the other person, or to stake a lot on the other person’s competence (and willingness to hurt or sacrifice the other person because their shared cause says it’s right, too, all the times that comes up), the fighting together in tandem. I have an unbelievable need for f!Roy fic that plays up all the dynamics I love in canon: a dangerous mission (or intelligence-collecting situation) where their deep familiarity/trust/awareness of each other’s presence and fighting style and communication come into play (god, that bit in canon where Hawkeye shoots two guys right over Mustang’s shoulder), or where they worry about each other’s safety? I love the intimacy of their work relationship and personal history, on levels from casual to very intense, and would love it with sexual tension in how they notice and appreciate each other's physicality and presence and competence (hands??? muscles?)

Also potentially interesting: some kind of document or documents (newspaper, history book) or other outsider perspective on President Mustang and her decades-long professional relationship with Riza Hawkeye, so close they even live together/travel together/entertain guests together, neither of them ever married, that sort of thing.

I’d also be up for canon-gendered fic with absurd levels of platonic smarm: cuddling (for warmth or otherwise), bed-sharing for plot reasons, helping with clothes due to injury or for a fancy event, quasi-domestic working together, etc. as well as with the said loyalty kink.

When reading genderswapped characters, I have no strong preference for character names, with a slight preference for sticking with their canon names; it’s up to you whether you want to justify any resulting names that would be unusual for women or just gloss over it.

in conclusion: loyalty kink.

DNW: unrequested ships for these characters, including passing mentions thereof.

—

Scar & Original Ishvalan Character(s); Miles & Original Ishvalan Character(s); Scar & Miles

One of the things that really hits close to home about canon, for me as a Jewish fan whose relatives went through the Holocaust, is the Ishval plot; I like that it’s important and not just backstory or setup for other stuff, and that there are multiple characters who are Ishvalan or of Ishvalan descent, rather than a genocide plot being a convenient reason to have one or no Ishvalan perspectives in the story. I’d really be interested in reading anything about, well, what do you do during or in the wake of a genocide: Miles’s seemingly increasing identification with his Ishvalan background; one or both of them in the post-canon rebuilding; what is is to be Amestrian *and* Ishvalan; what Scar (or OCs) are able to keep from their culture and community and what was lost (and what evolves), whether that’s in “Amestrian” cities and towns during or after canon, or in post-canon Ishval; saving the testimonies or the culture. Doesn’t need to be angsty if that’s not what you’re into; indeed, surviving/building a new life/finding joy/celebrating one’s culture and heritage after that kind of thing are meaningful too.

DNW: Please don’t give Scar a name; I personally am fine eliding any narration issues with “how would he refer to himself in his own POV?” in my brain. I would also prefer that Ishvalan culture be worldbuilt rather than borrowed wholesale from a real-life culture.

—

Briggs Soldiers & Officers; Olivier Mira Armstrong & Miles

I love the entire Briggs dynamic and its mix of heartwarming and id-satisfying loyalty kink. (The watch! Buccaneer handing Olivier a clean pair of gloves after she kills Raven! Constant and deeply sincere saluting) Any combination of Briggs characters (Olivier? Miles? Buccaneer? Falman? The doctor? Engineer Bobby? OCs?), whether in ordinary or extraordinary circumstances - daily life in the fort, a battle with Drachma where they work together seamlessly, surviving a storm or the typical winter cold - would make me happy, but I especially love those shows of loyalty. Entire Briggs Is Gay would also non-ironically be neat, as would other ways of exploring the idea of Briggs being a united wall made up of people with a lot of secrets and/or racial and gender differences. I’ve also requested Olivier & Miles specifically and am basically interested in the same sort of thing (feel free to pull ideas from my other Miles requests as well). Olivier has no patience for anyone’s shit and I adore her.

—

Olivier Mira Armstrong/Izumi Curtis

So competent! So angry! They hit it off as soon as they meet! (Olivier’s previously aware of that woman who stole from Briggs for a month before she took command, but not by name/face.) It’d be hot!

DNW: infidelity angst or poly negotiation; I'd rather just tacitly assume Izumi and Sig have an open relationship.

#dear author letters #fma

[miragerules]

The 15 Best Current TV/Streaming Series

Well we are closing in on the end of 2017 and with most series having had or are soon going to have their mid-season finales I thought I’d update what I believe are the best current TV series airing or have ended this year.  Now I don’t watch a ton of television as I have not seen Outlander, Legion, The Man in High Castle, American Gods, Star Trek: Discovery, Runaways, and among others that people have recommended to me.  Anyway here are in what my opinion are the best current TV series.

1.  The Expanse: Some have called The Expanse “Game of Thrones in space”, and it does have some of the same vibe, but The Expanse has surpassed Game of Thrones as the best show on TV or streaming.  Through two seasons, The Expanse has been excellent with a detailed mostly realistic compelling story about the near future with a diverse cast of characters with interesting stories that brings each characters journey to life, beautiful effects, a wonderful soundtrack and some intense action. For more read Brian Tallerico of the Rolling Stones article Why ‘The Expanse’ is the Best Sci-fi TV Show You’re Not Watching.

Rating: 10/10

2. Westworld: Westworld is based on the sci-fi western novel by Michael Crichton and film starring Yul Brynner.  Jonathan Nolan brother to Christopher Nolan and creator of the underappreciated and excellent Person of Interest created the series.  Westworld brilliantly expands on the ideas and concepts from both Crichton’s novel and the film delivering a thrilling and mysterious story that stars the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Wright, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, and Tessa Thompson.  

Rating: 10/10

3. Black Sails: Black Sails has officially come to a conclusion with the wrapping up of the excellent fourth and final season this past April.  Black Sails through four seasons took audiences on somewhat of a historical look at the life of pirates in the Caribbean during the early 18th century. The writers delivered compelling characters helping the audience root for these criminals even though we shouldn’t, and the writers didn’t hide from showing the good, the bad, and the downright ugly that was the life of a pirate.  Unlike any other film or show Staz’s Black Sails showed the viewer what it was like to be a pirate.  Obviously there was the violence, action and nudity that helped make the show great, but really it was the stories, and characters that made Black Sails so good throughout its four seasons

Rating 10/10

4. Game of Thrones: Game of Thrones though out its seven seasons has always been excellent, but this past season with its shortened season had some issues mainly with continuity and plot holes.  What I mean is that time and distance seem to have no meaning this past season.  I know Westeros is a long continent from north to south, but why has it taken so long for the White Walkers to get to the wall. Another is how even though it just seemed like a day or maybe two did the Dothraki go from Dragonstone (at least that is where the Dothraki were at the time) and cross all of Westeros in what seemed like a day.  Yes, Westeros is short from east to west, but not that short across.  I loved the battle and the scene of Jamie charging at Daenerys on horseback, but thinking about how Daenerys and the Dothraki just does not make sense.  These are still minor criticisms in what is otherwise an excellent show with just one more season left.  Sadly, it sounds like we are going to have to wait to early 2019 to see who ends up sitting on the iron throne if anyone.

Rating: 9.75/5

5. 12 Monkeys:  The final season of 12 Monkeys is coming up in 2018 with its fourth and final season, and from how quickly the Scfy channel aired season 3 the network will be happy to see the series go.  Scfy may be happy to see the series go, but that doesn’t change the fact that 12 Monkeys is one of the best shows around.  The show is obviously based on the Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt starred film with the same name.  Only the series follows James Cole and Cassandra Railly as they travel through time trying to stop the rise of the group The 12 Monkeys and stop the plague that nearly wipes out the human race from happening.  The series has some outstanding writing, and action sequences, but perhaps one of the best elements of the show is the friendship/relationship between James and Cassie.  Their relationship is most likely going to be doomed, but is beautiful to watch thanks to that acting and chemistry of actors Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull.

Rating: 9.75/5

6. Godless: The first of four Netflix shows on this list.  Godless is technically a mini-series so it won’t be on a similar list like this next near, but Godless is still a compelling series neither the less. Godless mainly takes place in a small mining town of La Belle where the majority of its men died in a mining accident leaving the women to run the town.  The series follows the lives of Roy Goode, Alice Fletcher, Bill McNue, and the antagonist of the series Frank Griffin played brilliantly by Jeff Daniels. In modern Hollywood, westerns are a risk, but thankfully, there is a streaming service like Netflix that took the chance and writer/director Scott Frank who brought Godless to life with a compelling story, riveting characters, great cinematography and some great action sequences.

Rating: 9.75

7. Jessica Jones:  Technically Jessica Jones wasn’t on air this past year, but season one was excellent and the second season is premiering in early 2018.

Rating: 9.5/10

8. Daredevil: Like Jessica Jones, Daredevil wasn’t on air this year, but the first two seasons were great and the third season probably premiering in late 2018.

Rating: 9.5/10

9. Rick and Morty:  I know most wouldn’t expect an Adult Swim cartoon to appear on a list of the best shows on TV or streaming, but Rick and Morty is the exception to the rule.  What Dan Harmon has helped to create with Justin Roiland is truly something special as Rick and Morty is one of the most funny, tragic, complex and fascinating cartoons….no Rick and Morty is simply one of the most funny, tragic, complex and fascination shows on TV or streaming.

Rating: 9.5/10

10. The Punisher: The Punisher could have easily failed as a series with the climate we live in today with all the gun violence and mass killings in the United States today, but Netflix’s The Punisher is pretty much a rousing success that’s mainly thanks to Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle and Steve Lightfoot, and the rest of the writers that shied away from glorifying violence and guns.  There are many elements of the series that are good from the story and relationship between Frank and David Lieberman and between Frank and David’s family as well as the action sequences, but for me one of the best elements of the series was the growing friendship between Frank and Karen and the will they won’t they vibe.  Sadly, we don’t get enough of the two, and I am hoping for former and Frank and Karen end up getting together and the writers steer away from so-called “canon” when it comes to Karen from the comics.

Rating: 9/10

11. The Shannara Chronicles: Like The Expanse, The Shannara Chronicles is a show very few people watch and judging by the ratings on Spike I doubt the series will get a 3rd season, but through two seasons The Shannara Chronicles has been great.  The Shannara Chronicles series is loosely based on the fantasy novels by Terry Brooks, and you’d think with the first season airing on MTV and the second on Spike that there wasn’t much to the show besides a simply story and hot characters getting it on and you would be wrong. Yes, the series follows the formula of the fantasy genre, but The Shannara Chronicles has a fascinating cast of characters, a pretty well developed story, and some good set pieces for the obvious limited budget the series has.  I highly recommend everyone check out the series.

Rating: 9/10

12. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Rating: 9/10

13. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Rating: 8.75/10

14. The Orville: Going into the series premier with Seth McFarland staring I thought The Orville was going to a half hour Sci-fi comedy after all McFarland is the mind behind Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, American Dad, and Ted, so I was pleasantly surprised when The Orville turned out to be much more than that.  McFarland’s The Orville is an hour-long sci-fi dramedy.  The first season does have some issues mixing comedy with sci-fi drama, but overall McFarland with the rest of the cast and the writers do a good job with mixing the two elements creating a fun and compelling hour-long series that honors Star Trek.  

Rating: 8.75/10

15. South Park:  After what is now, 21 seasons you’d think South Park would end up like The Simpsons in that South Park wouldn’t be funny anymore and only relying on their name and nostalgia for what they once were, but South Park continues to be a hilarious show.  This past season Matt and Trey Parker tried to move away from the season long story, and focus from episode to episode.  You can tell Matt and Trey are just as frustrated with the current state of affairs in America and dealing with Trump/President Garrison as the rest of us as often times they didn’t know what to do in each episode or tried to cram to much in a single episode, but the two handled it well.  The best episodes of the 21 first season were "White People Renovating Houses", "Holiday Special", "Doubling Down", "Super Hard PCness" and the season finale "Splatty Tomato" that introduced us to the conservative White family and the hilarious use of the term “Thank god for the whites”.

Rating: 8.5/10

Honorable mentions: The Big Bang Theory, Arrow, The Gifted, Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Defenders, Iron Fist, and Lethal Weapon.

#The 15 Best Current Television Shows #15 Best Current Television Shows #Netflix #Marvel Entertainment #marvel cinematic universe #The Expanse #Westworld #Black Sails #Game of Thrones #12 Monkeys #Godless #Jessica Jones #Daredevil #Rick and Morty #The Punisher #Adult Swim #the shannara chronicles #Last Week Tonight With John Oliver #Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #South Park #The Orville #Seth Macfarlane #Arrow #Lethal Weapon #The Defenders #Iron Fist #Brooklyn Nine Nine #The Big Bang Theory

[mikahsan]

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is the movement across many disciplines, following the age of modernism. Seen as a reaction to the previously idealistic and optimistic views; Postmodernism questions and critiques our objective views and thoughts on universal law that the previous age ingrained in us for two centuries. A lot of modernistic views were preached by religion, science and a society obsessed with progression. Postmodernism reflects on this, against its viewpoints, producing work which is less serious and ‘masterful’ and more rebellious and playful (as said by Butler 2002 p.5). It is usually ironic and sceptical whilst focusing on the subject matters rather than the work’s techniques and processes. An example of a post modernistic work created by Roy Lichtenstein shows the folly of war in his painting and short comic strip; WHAAM!.

Fig. 1

‘Because postmodernism broke the established rules about style, it introduced a new era of freedom and a sense that ‘anything goes’ (Tate.org.uk). As we are now in a time to challenge beliefs and rules, it does beg the question, how far do we go? Postmodernism has given us a freedom and platform to approach style in this ‘anything goes way’ but you could suggest the intention is to question the value of an idea and whether we can improve or change a way of thinking of it for the better.

Fig. 2, 3

As an activity to put into practice the ideas of postmodernism, I have created a collage/artwork based on the types of themes and styles postmodernism uses. I decided to combine parody, cut and paste pastiche and caricature by altering the faces of historical portraits by replacing them with modern day celebrities. I was inspired by the artist Rodney Pike who inserted the face of TV character Mr Bean into historical paintings. I found his work humorous and wanted to try this myself with Photoshop as my tool. Pike’s work was entirely digital and played with the many different expressions Atkinson uses for his characters.

Fig. 4

My idea was to cut and paste the faces of celebrities into historical paintings as a humorous play on fame and the irony of how celebrities would have been perceived by people in historical times. The effect works the other way to make the viewer think about how today’s celebrities would have fared in historical periods and what history’s impression of today’s society would be like.

The process produced interesting effects and trying out different techniques to make the faces fit in with the paintings was beneficial towards my development. I decided to blend the faces into the bodies of the historical figures as opposed to a harsh lined cut and paste. The result was quite humorous as intended and allows the viewer to think how far we have come as a society and the contrast of life between a few centuries.

Fig. 5

Overall the ideas of postmodernism will give me a new direction to think about. It has inspired me to use messages and meaning about themes I am passionate about. In addition to not being afraid to challenge convention in my work.

    References:

Butler, Christopher (2002) Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction Oxford: OUP Oxford (Very Short Introductions) Available at: https://search-ebscohost-com.glos.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=100292&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Lichtenstein, Roy (Online) https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897 (Accessed 08/04/2021)

Tate (Online) https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism (Accessed 08/04/2021)

 Image List:

Fig. 1 Lichtenstein, Roy (1963) WHAAM! Available at https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897

Fig. 2 Munch, Edvard (1893) The Scream. National Gallery (Norway)

Fig. 3 Unknown (2016) The Scream, Homer Simpson Version. Available at https://alvinalexander.com/photos/scream-edvard-munch-homer-simpson-version/

Fig. 4 Pike, Rodney (Unknown) Beana Lisa. Available at https://www.rodneypikeart.com/product-category/mr-bean/?product_count=80

[alienation2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Alienation

New Post has been published on https://alienation.biz/a-beginners-guide-to-stock-market-investment/

A beginner’s guide to stock market investment

The most, not unusual query Instances Money hears from millennial readers is “how am I able to begin making an investment?” It’s daunting, however getting commenced younger will assist to make the maximum of your financial savings — here’s what new buyers have to don’t forget.

Step 1 should you be making an investment?

Investing in the inventory market approach placing your cash into employer shares, which need to rise in cost over the years, so you ought to grow to be with extra cash than from hobby on a financial savings account.

“For every person who is unsure about the advantages of making an investment in shares and shares, our calculations display how staying in coins would have severely stunted your Isa savings. Even as shares are more unstable than cash, over the longer term they have considerably outperformed,” says Maike Currie, a director…

Want to study greater? Sign up with some information to keep analyzing this text.

Stock Rustling in the American Wild West

N 1883 Captain William French left his local Ireland to try his hand at cattle ranching in New Mexico. He quickly observed ranching is as difficult and hard because of the land itself. One harsh wintry weather, just like the one in 1886-7, should devastate your herd; coyotes and other herbal predators had been an ever-present hazard, but arguably the rancher’s best perennial undertaking become inventory robbery.

Stealing a person else’s stock, or rustling is as antique as the pyramids of Egypt. Ever seeing that farmers labored the wealthy lands of the Nile Delta in 2700 B.C, there were the ones eager to begin their very own herd without virtually purchasing it. In some way, rustlers have always had the edge over ranchers. As Captain French located, they used hints to outwit the rancher that had been ingeniously simple – hints which have in no way been written down, however, that have instead been passed down thru the generations with the aid of phrase of mouth.

“Sleeping” is a superb instance. That allows you to be triumphant, a rustler needed to think like the average cowboy when checking for unbranded inventory. He knew that the first location everybody might look had been the ears. A marked ear indicated the animal had been branded. The important thing to a rustler’s plan was to become aware of the unmarked or ‘slick-eared’ calf that hadn’t but been weaned and mark its ears to suit the mother’s. Approximate place duly mentioned, he would leave the calf in which he’d found it.

Herds had been big, frequently numbering heaps.

The rustlers knew this and depended on cowhands doing a casual take a look at, simply noting the earmark, and moving on to the subsequent animal. The trick becomes to return whilst the calf reached weaning length and before the annual spherical-up carried out by using each ranch. The rustler could separate the young animal from its mom and force it away to his own corral in which he would emblem it along with his own stamp before liberating it nicely away from the valid owner’s territory. The original earmark ought to now either be altered to suit or omitted because the logo overrode it.

The calf paid its very own fee. So as to conquer the sturdy bond it had with its mom, ruthless procedures were employed to incapacitate it and forestall it returning to her. Cutting the muscle tissues supporting the animal’s eyelids, accordingly ensuring temporary blindness, become one unsavory practice; any other turned into to use a hot iron among the animal’s ft.

The stop of the yank Civil Struggle and Abraham Lincoln’s Homesteading Act of 1862 noticed a big motion of latest settlers shifting west. For the livestock rustler, the possibilities were greater however so have been the dangers; space wherein to cover their sick-gotten gains progressively shrank. The ranchers, conscious that the rustlers usually appeared to be one step beforehand, started out hanging returned. In Wyoming, the Maverick Act conferred immediately possession of unbranded livestock on the cattlemen’s affiliation and cooperative round united states of America commenced. The livestock rustler became compelled to behave smarter. He adopted a cloak of legitimacy, shopping for stock of his very own and lawfully registering his very own emblem – from time to time a couple of brands. He targeted those neighbors with a logo that might effortlessly be altered to in shape his very own.

Market Entrepreneurs and Political Entrepreneurs

What’s an entrepreneur? Nicely, in the U.S. of The USA, there are two forms of very a hit entrepreneurs. There is the market entrepreneur and There’s the political entrepreneur. The market entrepreneur makes cash inside the loose market with the aid of delivering the bottom expenses and the great best and service to its clients and the patron. The marketplace entrepreneur wins markets and beats out the competition because they may be better and greater green.

The political entrepreneur uses the have an impact on with authorities through diverse methods which include lobbying

Political campaign contributions and networking with authorities bureaucrats to both win authorities contracts and make money or use this effect to get the government to make new regulations and rules and he’s industry.

The political entrepreneur may even use his have an effect on to get authorities bureaucratic regulatory bodies at all ranges of government to attack his competition. There may be a huge difference in market entrepreneurs and political marketers. Lamentably, proper Capitalism getting clobbered by using political entrepreneurs coaxing authorities corporations to constantly attack marketplace entrepreneurs.

The financial system and the unfastened marketplace and capitalism for that depend works better with the maximum green corporations compete on a degree playing field where the client and the customer vote with their dollar for the first-class products and services on the pleasant possible costs. There’s not anything wrong with capitalism There may be handiest something incorrect with the manner it is carried out in America of America. It could be accomplished a lot better.

Always Bet on Safe Real Estate Investment Rather Than Quick Investment

Monetary planning and investment is all about finding out in which to make investments your money so that you can get the exceptional possible returns. Real estate investment has constantly been taken into consideration as secure due to the fact seldom the call for for Actual estate witnessed a dip. Assets funding is the safest and there are sturdy motives as to why it is given precedence than different kinds of investments like mutual finances, bonds, stocks and ETF. You could actually grow your money through Property funding with minimal hazard.

Buyers skittish of inventory market investments favor to make investments within the Actual estate marketplace however there are numerous who have now not but got over the 2008 downturn. Scars of these days have now not yet healed for many and they’re now not prepared to invest just for the sake of Belongings investment. They need robust and logical cause in the back of this investment; they favor to wait it out rather than installed all their cash swiftly.

If you take Belongings funding decisions in haste, probabilities are excessive that you will come to be with something on your portfolio that would fail to produce the preferred ROI. In Belongings investment, most effective four specific routes prevail; however, here we are going to examine best two of the most famous ones.

First: You may go beforehand and spend money on a condominium Property

Second: You can buy shares within the REIT or Actual property funding consider

Shopping for the condominium Property is quite trustworthy approach wherein you buy a condo Property and supply it out on rent. but, this form of investment isn’t for each person as many fail to juggle their expert lives and on the same time renovation a Belongings like a landlord. It takes plenty of time and effort to preserve the Assets you buy unless you’re the usage of the offerings of a management company. You could manifestly use the offerings of a control organization however be ready to take a cut on your income.

Then again In case you spend money on REIT, you do not need to sincerely personal a Assets on the ground and move into the owner mode. It operates similar to a mutual fund and the best distinction here is that it is Belongings investment. The agree with is a group of Buyers who make Assets investment and shall we the man or woman Buyers purchase its shares. The trusts are able to receive tax advantages as they pay a major bite in their earnings to their shareholders. You could purchase stocks on public investments, which implies that your funding is pretty liquid. you’re ensured of ordinary dividends.

Two different methods of Belongings funding that are regularly used by Buyers encompass notes and croudfunding portals.

Notes – You’ll be capable of put money into 2d mortgages, paper notes and so on. You can even sell or buy notes much like other Actual property invest estates. The nice factor is that there are not any agents concerned on this.

Crowdfunding Portals – Many humans with comparable funding interests can come collectively to fund Real estate investments. This is a new shape of investments and is being attempted out by means of a few.

Singh Kumar Surojit is an online marketing consultant. He has helped numerous agencies in their on-line marketing efforts.