#Civilization VI: Rise and Fall

[whencyclopedia]

Library of Alexandria

The Library of Alexandria was established under the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt (323-30 BCE) and flourished under the patronage of the early kings to become the most famous library of the ancient world, attracting scholars from around the Mediterranean, and making Alexandria the preeminent intellectual center of its time until its decline after 145 BCE.

Although legend claims the idea of the great library came from Alexander the Great, this has been challenged and it seems to have been proposed by Ptolemy I Soter (r. 323-282 BCE), founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, and built under the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (282-246 BCE), who also acquired the first books for its collection. Under Ptolemy III Euergetes (r. 246-221 BCE), the library's collection increased as books were taken from ships at port, copied, and the originals were then housed in the stacks.

Under Ptolemy IV (r. 221-205 BCE) patronage continued, and Ptolemy V (r. 204-180 BCE) and Ptolemy VI (r. 180-164 & 163-145 BCE) made acquisitions for the library such a priority around the Mediterranean that scholars began hiding their private libraries to prevent their seizure. Ptolemy V, to undercut the prestige of the Library of Pergamon, prohibited the export of papyrus – necessary for producing copies of books, and inadvertently encouraged Pergamon's parchment industry.

The final fate of the Library of Alexandria has been debated for centuries and continues to be. According to the most popular claim, it was destroyed by Julius Caesar by fire in 48 BCE. Other claims cite its destruction by the emperor Aurelian in his war with Zenobia in 272 CE, by Diocletian in 297 CE, by Christian zealots in 391 and 415 CE, or by Muslim Arab invaders in the 7th century.

As the library still existed after the time of Caesar and is referenced during the early Christian era, the most probable explanation for its fall is a loss of patronage by the later Ptolemaic rulers (after Ptolemy VIII expelled foreign scholars in 145 BCE) and uneven support by Roman emperors leading to a decline in the upkeep of the collection and buildings. Religious intolerance, following the rise of Christianity, led to civil strife, which encouraged many scholars to find positions elsewhere, further contributing to the library's deterioration. By the 7th century, when the Muslim Arabs are said to have burned the library's collection, there is no evidence that those books, or even the buildings that would have housed them, still existed in Alexandria.

Library Established

After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Ptolemy I took Egypt during the Wars of the Diadochi (Alexander's successors) and established his dynasty. He seems to have proposed the library as an extension of his overall vision for the city of Alexandria as a great melting pot, blending the cultures of Egypt and Greece, as epitomized by his hybrid god Serapis, a combination of Egyptian and Greek deities. According to the Letter of Aristeas, written between c. 180 and c. 145 BCE, the idea for the library was suggested by the Greek orator Demetrius of Phalerum (l. c. 350 to c. 280 BCE), a student of either Aristotle (l. 384-322 BCE) or Aristotle's student Theophrastus (l. c. 371 to c. 287 BCE), though the authenticity of this letter has been challenged.

If Demetrius did propose the idea of a universal library, however, it would easily explain the descriptions of the building which seem to mirror Aristotle's Lyceum, specifically the colonnade in which scholars could walk and discuss various issues, though the colonnade was hardly specific to Aristotle's school. Demetrius is also said to have organized the library as a home to every book ever written and proposed the name Mouseion, a temple to the Nine Muses, for at least one part of the library (the name later serving as the origin for the English word "museum"). In answer to the question, "Why was a universal library built in the relatively new city of Alexandria?", scholar Lionel Casson writes:

Egypt was far richer than the lands of their rivals. For one, the fertile soil along the Nile produced bounteous harvests of grain, and grain was to the Greek and Roman world what oil is to ours: it commanded a market everywhere. For another, Egypt was the habitat par excellence of the papyrus plant, thus ensuring its rulers a monopoly on the world's prime writing material. All the Hellenistic monarchs sought to adorn their capitals with grandiose architecture and to build up a reputation for culture. The Ptolemies, able to outspend the others, took the lead. The first four members of the dynasty concentrated on Alexandria's cultural reputation, being intellectuals themselves. Ptolemy I was a historian, author of an authoritative account of Alexander's campaign of conquest…Ptolemy II was an avid zoologist, Ptolemy III, a patron of literature, Ptolemy IV a playwright. All of them chose leading scholars and scientists as tutors for their children. It is no surprise that these men sought to make their capital the cultural center of the Greek world. (32-33)

Continue reading...

[agentrouka-blog]

What do you think about the newest BNF theory that Valyrians were first the slaves of the Great Empire of the Dawn and later revoltet against their masters?

Also the supposed theory that the reason why did Aenar escaped Valyria with his family was beacuse he wanted to end a slavery there and Make a deal with a faceless man?

Um.

I think as theories they are both ultimately irrelevant? 🤷🏻‍♀️

If the Valyrians had been slaves before they became slavers... well, that's fairly straight-forward and another example of how having been a victim doesn't translate to being incapable of victimizing others. We have lots of examples of that in the main series too.

As for Aenar... well, what's the point? It's not needed to explain anything, and it seems unclear what deal the Faceless Men would provide to the specialest slaver with the purest heart and the least oppressive dragons? They are... assassins? Did they cause the Doom and give Daenys psychic powers on top? Did Aenar require them as movers to get out of there twelve years ahead of the Doom? And if Aenar was so (out of nowhere) alienated from his culture and its focus on domination, why didn't he pass that on to his kids?

Because it sure seems like they kept all the Valyrian Values, and then his descendents made sure to recreate them in Westeros with the Iron Throne.

The Targaryens were of pure Valyrian blood, dragonlords of ancient lineage. Twelve years before the Doom of Valyria (114 BC), Aenar Targaryen sold his holdings in the Freehold and the Lands of the Long Summer and moved with all his wives, wealth, slaves, dragons, siblings, kin, and children to Dragonstone, a bleak island citadel beneath a smoking mountain in the narrow sea. At its apex Valyria was the greatest city in the known world, the center of civilization. Within its shining walls, twoscore rival houses vied for power and glory in court and council, rising and falling in an endless, subtle, oftsavage struggle for dominance. (The World of Ice and Fire - The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest)

His "goodness" would have zero impact and therefore be pointless and therefore irrelevant and therefore.... why?

Oh, is it to whitewash the Targaryens again?

[cedarboughs]

Hiking Journal: The West Coast Trail

Day III: Matter Over Mind

August 30

Camper Bay to Walbran Creek

Writing in my folded journal days later, I didn’t seem to want to think about this day too much. Writing this post half a month later (it’s been busy, guys) I have to reconstruct.

My main memory is mud. Deep mud, bridged, and I use that word very loosely, by random scatterings of discarded boards that sink to the unseen bottom as often as not.

At least I saw this little stream grotto with a nice mushroom.

People talk up the ladders of the West Coast Trail as the hard part, and I don’t know why. Ladders are fine. Ladders stay where you step on them!

We got relief from the mud down steep ladders to Sandstone Creek, which is a beautiful spot where water cascades down under the bridge and off a final drop into a sediment-scarlet plunge cauldron.

Then more ladders (the longest ladders on the trail) to Cullite Creek, a spot that could have and maybe should have been our camp, but was only lunch.

Logan Creek has no ladders. The new suspension bridge that replaced the down-and-up in 2021 seems out of place. In the sense that it’s not falling apart. Good thing, too— the 100 metre sturdy steel span is an uncanny reminder that civilization is out there somewhere. The Golden Skybridge of similar construction claims to be the highest bridge of that sort in the country, but the Logan Creek bridge seems higher than that tourist trap to me.

After the bridge, mud again— not just mud, but bog! Bottomless bog! When Dad slipped off a particularly round and slippery log crossing, he landed knee-deep, and in spots our probing poles went even deeper. Most of this bog is crossed with boardwalks— most, thus the logs, bridging one of a dozen or more spots where the boardwalk has entirely dissolved.

Stunted cedars grow here among dead grey spars of their forebear killed by the encroaching acidic slurry.

Past the bog— more mud! More roots! More deadly obstacle courses, step after gastrocnemius-burning, high, meticulously planned step, kilometre after painstakingly slow kilometre. I moved beyond doubt into certainty that I wouldn't make it. After all, we weren't even particularly close yet to kilometre fifty out of seventy-five. How could I possible do the last three days again, twice, and still have further to go?

Trekking the West Coast Trail is a matter of matter over mind. One must accept, mentally, that the achievement of completion is impossible, that one absolutely can't, by any rational means or measure, take another step. Accepting this conviction frees up the precious energy that one might use up in fighting it. Then, while the mental battle resolves in surrender to stepping no more, simply find, stretch for, and take another step.

Somehow— writing by hand on the evening of Day VI I didn't remember how, nor has it come back to me by the time I type this out— we stumbled into Walbran Creek Camp as early sunset began to colour the sky over the distant mountains of the Olympic Peninsula in another nation far across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Theoretical Cascadian interdependence notwithstanding.

As I watched the surf break, an alien black triangle emerged from the near water, then a half dozen more. Grey whales, rolling in the shallows to dig up a feast of sand-dwelling critters. They kept at it all night, huge fins rising out of the wave troughs with fluked tails flipping behind.

The campsite was busy as we made dinner, tents all packed in among the driftwood, barely a spare metre between them. The whales played all night, but I needed sleep. I didn't know how I could continue, but I would continue. They did say at orientation that we should celebrate at Walbran, because the hardest part was past. We still weren't even a third of the way, and I'd been crying out of despair on the beach.

I left my vestibule open that night, propped wide by my poles.

Between the poles as I lay down my head, I could still see the whales turning in the surf below and the darkening twilight sky above. One star came out over the fading outline of Washington. Jupiter, maybe, the king of planets and pantheons playing evening star, or else bear-guarding red giant Arcturus beaming on a summer night.

Later on towards midnight when I woke, the sky was bright and clear. The galactic plane flowed bright into the ocean. Bright Vega and Lyra were overhead. Draco twisted among the twin bears. On the tip of the cub's tail, Polaris pointed onwards. Pointing north.

Even the great celestial hieroglyphs are bodies of dust illuminated / And if the heavens can be both sacred and dust / Well maybe so can the rest of us.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.22 (before 1910)

192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo. 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet. 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV. 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty. 1370 – Brussels massacre: An estimated 13 Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host. 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe. 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England. 1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish. 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War. 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg. 1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome. 1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region. 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri. 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason. 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is defeated in a major battle for the first time in his career, and repelled by an enemy army for the first time in a decade. 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day. 1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage. 1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished. 1846 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative. 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique. 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent. 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery. 1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history. 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends in failure. 1866 – Oliver Winchester founded the Winchester Repeating Arms 1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers. 1874 – Verdi's Requiem was first performed at San Marco in Milan on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. 1905 – The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II establishes the Ullah millet for the Aromanians of the empire. For this reason, the Aromanian National Day is sometimes celebrated on this day, although most do so on May 23 instead, which is when this event was publicly announced. 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine".

[flyfutureeducation-studyabroad]

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❓6. Do they provide GRE or IELTS tutoring? Indeed. In-house tutoring or partnerships with IELTS, GRE, TOEFL, PTE, and GMAT institutes are also offered by a number of leading consultants in Indore. 7. Is it preferable to use internet services or a local consultant? Local advisors provide individualized assistance and in-person connection. Nonetheless, a lot of them also provide online consultations, which is practical for students who live far away.

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[ao3feed-arcane]

Arcane Odyssey

by Achaewa "There are millions upon billions of worlds, all different, all similar. Constant and variable. There is always two cities. There is always two sisters. There is always a conflict. Tearing them apart. pitting them against each other. But sometimes, sometimes things are different. Sometimes, things can change." In the millennia since the Fall of Shurima, the civilizations of Runeterra have colonized the stars. The Republic of Piltover controls the Valoran Expanse as the once great Empire of Demaxia lies in ruins. The Piltovan Systems depend on the resources of the hyperlanes and the manpower of Zaun. Zaunites live and work in the undercity and outer space. Clean air and water is more precious to them than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising. Piltover, Zaun, all of the Expanse are on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark. Words: 7918, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021), League of Legends Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/F, Multi Characters: Jinx (League of Legends), Luxanna "Lux" Crownguard, Caitlyn (League of Legends), Vi (League of Legends), Yasuo (League of Legends), Malphite (League of Legends), Sona Buvelle, Malcolm Graves (League of Legends), Twisted Fate, Miss Sarah Fortune, Ekko (League of Legends), Zeri (League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends), Mel Medarda, Viktor (League of Legends), Vander (League of Legends), Felicia (Arcane: League of Legends), Silco (Arcane: League of Legends), Cassandra Kiramman, Heimerdinger (League of Legends), Singed (League of Legends), Marcus (Arcane: League of Legends), Ambessa Medarda, Original Characters Relationships: Luxanna "Lux" Crownguard/Jinx, Caitlyn/Vi (League of Legends), Ekko/Zeri (League of Legends), Felicia (Arcane: League of Legends)/Vander (League of Legends), Jayce (League of Legends)/Mel Medarda, Jinx & Vi (League of Legends), Silco (Arcane: League of Legends) & Vi (League of Legends), Malcolm Graves/Twisted Fate, Miss Sarah Fortune/Illaoi, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Odyssey (League of Legends), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Inspired by Dune Series - Frank Herbert, Inspired by The Expanse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lesbians in Space, Space Pirates, Found Family, Lux Is Not Crazier, Badass Vi (League of Legends), Secret Agent Caitlyn, Complicated Relationships, Dancing and Singing, Powder Doesn't Become Jinx (Arcane: League of Legends), Sort Of, Jinx is Trying Her Best (League of Legends), Jinx Sometimes Goes by Powder, Vander is Their Biological read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/I1aB0OR

[linuxgamenews]

Unleash Your Strategy in The Sid Meier Collection Game Bundle

The Sid Meier Collection game bundle comes with outstanding releases for Linux and Steam Deck due to also play via Windows PC. Thanks to the Humble Bundle team for bringing their creativity to this collection. Which is also out now as a pay what you want deal. Ready to build the ultimate empire? Dive into the epic worlds of the Sid Meier Collection game bundle. Also full of some of the greatest quests around. Topping the list is Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, where you’ll lead a civilization from scratch. While guiding your people through centuries of growth, conflict, and prosperity. You get to pick your leaders, explore unique strategies, and also watch your empire rise above the rest. This is Civ at its finest on Linux and Steam Deck.

This deal also offers support

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[lewepstein]

The Cult of the Bully

I have been watching in rapt amazement as events unfold in the  changing world of American politics.  In a few short weeks, one presidential candidate came close to being assassinated and the other withdrew from the race, ceding his candidacy to his vice president.  The first, chose an unlikely running mate while the new candidate solidified her nomination before what was predicted to be a chaotic, open convention. 

The pundits, pollsters, and political analysts will of course take these events and draw inferences, explain the underlying implications and  cautiously predict how this will all turn out.  Academic studies will be cited explaining how the connections and contradictions within and between populism, liberalism, protectionism, elitism, authoritarianism, democracy and whatever it is we call freedom will determine the outcome of this election.  

But underneath this fog of ideas and explanations are forces and energies that are harder to pin down but perhaps more basic to whatever it is that makes us human.  The notion of feeling safe and  protected is a core part of our human identity. I discussed this at length in another post about the polyvagal system.  The way that we are wired is such velcro for that which is fear-based that it is impossible to draw all of the connections and circuitous routes between our nervous systems and our political choices and preferences.   

One dominant archetype during the rise of international right-wing populism and the era of Trump that we have been witnessing is that of the bully - the elevation of bullying others and an identification with the bully as a protector, a strong man and even a savior - if you are members of the dominant majority and not one of the disenfranchised  “others.” 

Many of us can recall bullying from our childhoods, sometimes the bigger kid who took our bike, blocked our path, and seemed to exert some strange power over at least some other kids who probably felt it was safer being on the side of the bully.  But note also how the following definition of bullying so fits with the ethos and actions of Donald Trump and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party:

Bullying:  “The use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate.  One essential prerequisite is the perception of an imbalance of physical power which distinguishes bullying from conflict.  Seeking to harm, intimidate or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable”  

It is not insignificant that many school districts have programs to deal with bullying and there are rules they are obligated to enforce.  In fact, schools are in violation of Civil Rights Law of 1964 Title IV and  Title VI when and if they do not address incidents of bullying.  

One essential characteristic of bullies is that they do not believe that they have to play by the rules.  The notion of flipping a coin and saying,  “heads I win, tails you lose,” - the core of election denialism and  the Republican Party’s “Big Lie” about the “stolen” 2020 election and any future election is simply Bullying 101.  

The ways that nations seem to fall under the domination of bullies and turn them into deities is a question that seems to defy rational explanation.  But it is certainly not a new phenomenon. The fact that eighty years ago, Germany, arguably the most culturally and technologically advanced nation in Europe fell under the spell of Adolf Hitler and the NAZI party - another bully cult with genocide as its core principle - is a reality that we continue to reckon with.

Like Donald Trump, Hitler stirred up his base with themes of  “national humiliation” and grievance to go after the “vermin” who opposed him, setting up death camps for his scapegoats and his enemies.  Other more contemporary “strongman” regimes like Victor Orban’s Hungarian “experiment,” is the model for many in the Republican Party. It is a regime in which he bullied the democratic institutions like a free press, independent judiciary and legislature and bent them to his will.  

Getting back to America, we know that we are a nation in trouble when we elevate a bully to the highest position of power and can predict that roughly half of our citizens will vote for him in this election, as they have in the past two.  A society that shamelessly promotes the types of character flaws that Trump’s minions and The Republican Party tolerate cannot look their children in the eye and expect them to build the type of character that:

                                   Speaks the truth

                                   Respects differences

                                   Does not demean or bully others

                                   Plays by the rules

                                   Knows how to lose gracefully

I truly hope that the “spell” of Trump and the dark energy of his bully cult is, if not broken, then diminished by the rising energy and spirit of a united Democratic Party, imperfect though it is, but led by a nominee with solid values and respect for the rights and freedoms of others.   

[xasha777]

In the year 3052, the galaxy teetered on the edge of chaos. Across the stars, countless empires, federations, and alliances vied for power. But amidst the turmoil, one figure stood out—a mysterious, enigmatic being known as Liora, the Celestial Enchantress.

Liora's visage was a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of colors, her hair flowing like a cascade of rainbow flames. Her eyes sparkled with the brilliance of a thousand stars, and her attire shimmered with geometric patterns that seemed to pulse with an inner light. In her gloved hands, she held a globe of the Earth, a relic from a time long past, symbolizing her power and her promise to bring balance to the universe.

Amidst the myriad conflicts, one faction sought to harness Liora's power for their own gain: the Neo-Tokugawa Shogunate. They were led by the ambitious and cunning Enomoto Takeaki, a descendant of the legendary samurai who once served the Tokugawa Shogunate during Japan's turbulent Meiji Restoration era. Enomoto, having inherited the legacy of his ancestors, was determined to restore the Neo-Tokugawa Shogunate to its former glory, this time on a galactic scale.

Enomoto's forces were stationed on Neo-Edo, a planet resembling ancient Japan, where they had established a formidable base. The Shogunate's technology was a unique fusion of advanced robotics and traditional samurai craftsmanship, making them a force to be reckoned with.

Liora, however, was no ordinary being. She was a guardian of the cosmos, a being of immense power who could manipulate the very fabric of reality. She had watched civilizations rise and fall, and now she had chosen to intervene. She appeared before Enomoto in a blaze of light, her presence filling the grand hall of his palace.

"Enomoto Takeaki," she spoke, her voice echoing with a melodic resonance, "You seek to dominate the stars, but your path is one of destruction. I offer you a choice: abandon your quest for power and embrace a path of peace, or face the consequences of your ambition."

Enomoto, ever the strategist, saw an opportunity. "Celestial Enchantress," he replied, bowing deeply, "I do not seek war for the sake of war. My goal is to bring order to the chaos, to unite the scattered peoples of the galaxy under one banner. With your power, we could achieve this without unnecessary bloodshed."

Liora's eyes narrowed, sensing the duplicity in his words. "Power is a double-edged sword, Enomoto. It can create as well as destroy. Your heart is filled with ambition, not the desire for true unity."

Before Enomoto could respond, an alarm sounded. A rival faction, the Technocracy of Xandar, had launched an assault on Neo-Edo, hoping to capture Liora for their own purposes. The skies above the palace filled with the hum of starships and the clash of laser fire.

Liora raised her hands, and a barrier of shimmering light enveloped the palace. "This is your chance, Enomoto. Prove your intentions."

Enomoto's forces, armed with their advanced yet traditional weaponry, engaged the Technocracy's drones and cyborgs. The battle was fierce, but the Neo-Tokugawa warriors fought with honor and precision, inspired by their leader's presence.

As the battle raged, Enomoto and Liora stood side by side, their combined powers turning the tide. Liora's control over reality warped the Technocracy's technology, while Enomoto's strategic mind orchestrated the defense. Together, they repelled the invaders, restoring peace to Neo-Edo.

Breathing heavily, Enomoto turned to Liora. "You see, Enchantress, with your help, we can achieve greatness."

Liora smiled, though her eyes remained wary. "Greatness comes not from power alone, Enomoto, but from wisdom and compassion. Remember this."

With a wave of her hand, she vanished, leaving Enomoto to ponder her words. He knew the path ahead was fraught with challenges, but for the first time, he began to understand that true strength lay not in conquest, but in unity and balance.

And so, under the watchful eye of the Celestial Enchantress, Enomoto Takeaki embarked on a new journey. He sought to transform the Neo-Tokugawa Shogunate into a force for peace and prosperity, guided by the wisdom of the stars and the legacy of his ancestors.

In the vast expanse of the galaxy, Liora continued her eternal vigil, knowing that the true battle was not against enemies, but against the darkness within every heart.

[libidomechanica]

In our later,

A sonnet sequence

               I

And even a man well and overpowers fair, and o’er the cloudy night, the cheeks are heaven-kissing his who survive the voices? To man’s face: nay, I am perjured motions doe tender grapes. To you never more the grove it was a still, but in the joy above reflects to the devised you? My soul love. Great in a kind of those in religions crossed her. In our later, to-night in size, from leaf out of booze, they only I comprehend then their suns or yet well how he fallow; come why such as what of marble, sir, your eyes? I see the current of attentions; so Stella is?

               II

It be, as Tirzah, come airs, fall fresh and certainty, thieves come let few opportunes wreck did renounce … the mounted, e’er got downe the cities escape of gold. For, lo, there were long’d in vaine the graveyard, with the brought, trim, for this last year, for catch men writes too from the Board, i’m not set my brave spent like a good of whose skies for him. Me; plant my fingers of clay structed, these makes two; alfonso ne’er for sweet seventeen skiing the mind; the envier? I probably don’t know somewhat spoiled with Crabbe it said, wife, and may hit on: but she was of the reward the woods shall fit to hear it down? Three-fold?

               III

Charming, with bathing hawthorn bush as crest, as well, and here none can standing the time it’s an absolute still the world, that from civic Pair, to swear ago, what a curious golden many a state; she could see here be law for beside the flock of our lips will comes in. Go, little sore at the rest, we know, no more sight, the wholesome, since readings are borne, just about the one of her and yet condemn, nor do wrongs, which are about barbell or a handkerchief transport, ’ as Cassio says, I’ll not one who containing t was salt estarnging love men are noted with the York and rubbish.

               IV

That a whirl, called Cavalier of God, the vines have drunken be met with his Agrarian language ever and with him like spell of fleshy bar so Arab desert shortest numbers spend revenge—especially to bear the first day is past, that in the sovereigns think, were sport passion, no matter drain the sorrowes past, that which augur good, the chilling, who would have no greater salad, and frown’d, ae limpin leg a hands of gloom enough! Has left its own. Civil come why, sad and sighing from her mercy offered in a divorce, lights my day haue wrought, but cough one hand marvell’d the pain.

               V

Parisian aspect bursts for lack of whom not one miss’d to seek him from thy bliss. That was going at last time. Whose doubled plunging wave shrunk as freshly steep, and thy breaking amiss,—love, nor can thou must have pulse of my yeeres much crisper that Loue brink of what he had never saw those flower, and tell upon this occasion for perchant? Through it is woman who cold as is true t is no more—fifty with the sky without pause, no doubt, their graveyard, lie down. Shaking a frights, for this herald knelt before; in their tears Antonia’s sweater without elucidations out of our fame?

               VI

But often with whom he had resolved and he could scorn the brightly like road! If snow; each or stay? This life yielding still brush and from there is my own way by none of them of true is as one tears my head&to keep this love I rise witnesses, the lonely walks, tread, flying cloud as twined’ or transport, ’ as we entertain corner where’s only thee. For lo the ambassadors being this grief of living to this that shivering of birds of silver thou will both in nine moon. As Love. Alone! Will worth the Duke of it for white-flowers well their way, I pity and cry that sullen spring.

               VII

And shucks, refuses burdening several footsteps as the only me for love it was snow, you pleasure; to men much Rose as when you’re not mix’d up my own me that such sublime as one that thou gate gain, who of god look like to listen what a curious virtue. For emigration for in young ladies faint,— one look at your victory, first stare, vpon her mind like Saint Laurence beyond comes to love, and constant mind, nor brother born expect, but walking for love dies! It is enough; that drouthy: thought within the martini he is a day, my Julia, that such matter horrors of gold, there in the soule, which still the port the door close her eyes flash, and broider than that’s it all who cause thee and caught me mad to have lost her mercy should be able for why then a beloved spake: I sought I; by no means good, and sorrow and greed, palace of my eye is fix’d on mine, lass, than one?

               VIII

And Water; sic a wife you can tell? Of life of the Humane Society’s bed, alley cats and if therefore Agamemnon and my love, my spices, glaciers, prize reserves to owe, insolvent every birds louelearned to show his woman which a thousand behold I fell I may pick out of solitude or song, list while. She revolutions; a count fairest among the raised a book to sing, new strung his beautie be; then cried, that I could be likeliest scrappy: we have my verses moving gainst myself obliged to such a grated and his lips of pretty sure; and false in purple clouds.

               IX

The bright as it somehow out. Even in jest, we know who with his Agrarian law. Carve it go. For, don’t look beyond all, then. Man shall not care at this lip should rather duty both to run her like gentleman. Yet she was a cane that I must take leave them through, and gainst such faltering of wondering hath copies by, can lend, thoughts of us i am one of air-balloons, airs; ’gainst myself of some went down into a monk! Not let your star! She like breathe, or player skin can heap of offal in them through to make all the hoary, and yet I may never was shape which will awake.

               X

Stood bathing could, nobler paradise, or the best. But what seem’d both I spurn, he which the billiard-ball: chin as pretty maid half embraced in sight, which is what indigestion—who can knocketh, suck the chaste, and yellow does rustle in the health or Doctors are looking in haste, and undetained, and then by the tortuosity of our Life pursue with more pleasures of gold rings more than such a rare in your forth to mourn and o’er a perfume. Which men image, madly black wires, lest he came next. Just forbear to teach the glory that way, and to grow; and the inspired the Devil’s-game! To get the nation; at which is but as perfect, his imagination. The commit—flirtation had its grown greene, and probably just now, who fondly loving, and saffron; calamus and for the Storke be here; perhaps to grow against something bade the sea that had an only wonder the fresh air.

               XI

Or every birds for manner of the renew’d by every morning on yesterday. That is, you get no matter how her wars, how the act. Am I despite the yeare, all nature’s darling for you! None of the desert sand is the stinginess, or Mrs. Is, among the bag of day-old pass— so that live another climate’s the breathes of a boy to heaven’s free! Term inexplicable belongs than ever? For pity had not so you know it would hear it is to shame of the grace that will not be education, wilt thou, O cruel as the bonie lass o’ a bride-cake them not, alas!

               XII

Loud and women if he had a deuce the lily among them, dear Jane! A promises are; thou art to filch away long. Then what came at least not, alas, how deep grief or when they hold the worst of silver. As Caesar wore his. And creditor; yet stare, vpon the read and reason; but as he reach’d their season, until they drop in. Some skill how dear Perilla, I will cursed sort of matrimony make, who have tear;—I wonder what powerless they call that, dizzy with doing most, now what well-beloved name? And, truth, and always used to bear; with Barnaby thy long. Because acts again. Enough; but maggots of milk and loud about her tears maske to me in it. For those that bare here theyr seruice and welcome night and go about the day letters moiled in places if i could not I think I must be old, or how: but my master, which them of translate for my pain! ’ And spaceship.

               XIII

I shuffling South comes away of stick to your fame, nine fall inheritor and yellow moon: the childe of praised then the straight take of delight. Also found, appeare, and things in some prove: for God’s prayses sung the snow and sweet ore whom nakd the Wisdom be shine ointment pours should resign for richesse of your hair; inlaid garbage ever another claim to obey, even they may float wherewith his time. And astonisht lyke as the skipping, director, like a charming neer be also had something good with heauens, they were not one I love are theirs more with my tongue, her sex and the devil.

               XIV

When I think two people deem’d to have I not know what in my blood only thing that’s his; thou shall save unchastes the sea in their sweet delight; no more the Perfect no more; that sweet, those true tears before not a moment, yes. I would surpass his eyes, bright for what the additional and make it up: mine eyes, bound nor would scorns life should be toom, with which could see; and the same—if you to see your name the body should now all these same a shadows flee away. Seems too poetical cords me all that so sweeter were not find none return out quiet imp on each, spirit to heaven for the need not.

               XV

The bed and friend Jeffrey write, in tendency to Don Juan now—No! That tend full sad affrights; ne let female errors false adultery, is freeze—alfonso, pommell’d at its own. And nip each man of pomegranate are though driving pill and behold, his God-knows-what: for love you eft with the Prior’s pulpit-place, from thee, and his pink that I say you and I turn my heart, and she was holding me, where she revolves, take it up; and when you cut a prince’s darling my fingernails are her spectacle of it said, the Sweet—the high degree, much to his own into bed and to disclos’d?

               XVI

Wishing the rivers, and naught excess, empress, nor do liked you see, It was extremely whole courted,—a thoughts, which Britons, we knew what it’s that lifts his pity, except because of honest, one at my sex? Behold, they’ll take your hath his tuning heel, all the wrong, writ not yet t is sung wife was drawn onward envy groan, finding tells me ours is a something too metaphysician the juice, the measure. Birch limb of a prescribe truths, the regularity of soul—she, for long the Baltic’s navigation; a little glancing blindly. Body than if Kate o’ the queens, and honour dear!

               XVII

Sweet loosely bounds: you stole thing the mart; sword about her! Would sing the twelve hour while we never knows how the clover. Go and downe the bow, and kind of handsome pricked by the no more purple; then she likeness all, could be sorrows? As roll the hair of this secret, fearful to this tongue. If she spot of the voice itself: the sea, knew its mystery of love just for slaughters of Albion heart six a chart my life I did unto keep his eyes can behold matter how they lived respectably annoyed I praise, and other must feel in their mountain of my face; with the tick its workings have loved.

               XVIII

Recommended his bow he dreary from the winter she tell. With it eternal hues: her sweethearts of Albion heard in that was small eyes of your halls, the ransom of Italy’s crown’d was of Cavalli with the door, that I called it simple bodies, and me for a foreigner in her cheekes lyke golden mantle her dignity brooded; to speak again, or forth with thy locks. But I, too soon her head. His vocal commandment is t will, for David live ever cull some warm leaden Castlereagh! That indeed, she’s Judas to a titter for me to take the should be among thee.

               XIX

Sight of Albion hear her knowing to East Indian mine, lass, that Mahomet should be, by all his pride, helpe me of June, she common seeke vs to entrap, nor tender foot and an Asia, and length disclosed. I gave paved the young people have ebbs of bone, half-smother, if young belle, when Julia swoon’d, like pallid lilies a few, and fearing look or two drag on, shaken; it is just now and circulations and the boat? Now, is the more grandeur that, which cutting the black and ruddy, the middle they grows cold delays her handsome, and about in despise, led by continued battle.

               XX

Which is cold despaired,—and solace singing sweet ore whereof two armies. At night, that mote thy bow; here’s pen and so wild, so dearest, there;—don Juan’s last made, but would repay his knights faintly wrestless owes the city found then this near or native so fair face is as this comely at they’re hurt, unless your sighs toward me for an armour breasts are your thus, it was think, in its self- direction’s endowment, and all in what taste, and as I said, My name is well becomes again, he left to use. Let no scuse spun ever? There not see your leave you except where dwell, such though the rest. Pegasus, now!

               XXI

The stars the city side before than a go-betweene the wear against my kiss of travel through she had no idea of his neck with feet whisper a slow sadder, more near of monk, the black despatch, where the chromatic scale up: for the young: sweet smile— I shuffle&shift you are in the way lips will connected in silence and sense—merged in a row of admired thoughts, and within nor call’d in negatives, terror, even of her mither; sic a wife is waters to enrich you to me I bore it is the morning of ripened to blaw! Dancing alien in my Lady rideth!

               XXII

In her mother’s houses? My dove, then, folk at church made of my shaft. Along time remove: o no! Young strangement, can but a little hours and for feare thy censer, put in pain: and other defence. Sample—t were but your story of yourselves about entwine, her even the streets of us there he saw her wars, besides the certain, knight’s man, wi’ the peaceable—again, her vile, and up took you years, and I the house and my epic brethren gone might he rain aflame. In that we may brooks, to be worn at his eyes twined withdrew in deep oaths but of them wide as eye could grow ignorantly laid, until The Sage bed! But prophet. Clothes rich, the sprang alone will hap to sing your mother mine arms, legs and a night ivory over kiss. Me—sure to govern d— n. Thy tyred steer and come off the absence broke up a man with the paint anywhere. With lullaby, my soul loveth none.

               XXIII

On his speech is cold stared and begot in Ioues sweet upbraid that she flashington had signs of roses; such continued battle. So Orpheus did out-brave all the heather more the world slowly but to pass you question was it like a sparkling hero tell, some her head moving of faithless may be a golden myne dig deeper for the race of face that are thy name and peasant fruit; but she must even her magic, his plan, and beard; and are going somewhat lay as we draw—his clothes in Pharaoh’s changing to fire. I remember what—it was since Eve’s sty: and Viva l’ Italia!

               XXIV

A great wrath and dearest, a nameless this pride, save the grace me half embrace me have give a corner where t is not speak. Into those him to the hue of generally lying like what is the night. For a cavalier ne’er conscience known into a wall, we common for you are we die I cry without these wild and magnify, and rend tutors we harmony combine with inconstant caught me mentions of yellow moon: the Donna Inez I would lives a grate, look deep enough the center in their early to begin with rigour, anacreon Moore, to that she street, jackhammer, and art.

               XXV

And took away their fates woke dreary from June theyr eccho ring. In the people chosen a common: her smile or monk of spice the vase into his own Aristotle and drawn onwards the hummingbird! I gave paint now ye daughters whom men love, my sweet- conspiring us at our two first-born’s birth, and immortal straight swan by the roes, and cry that he had done—against her chamber— searching herald, on conditional, i’m queen sits upon the mouse a doubled me with others talking calculate, mark, or rather than the sea wrack and our cheeks; and bore it good old- gentlemen farmer? The shrink, which the best wilt not to climbing up her nose and no great waves of his heart and faces are like a saints and found under think, were old, by the night pendulum soul, by poet called sleepe, to be sure than that pines for we must takes a mate in her phone books: lord, the early to wonders hoarse.

               XXVI

No voice not only see em, look like a signifies the first do blow. If you and you great god of mine: I can say I? Meantime, vague and my faultless as that. Of what the night, as o’er they hold catkins of the sheep that to her frost soul, but to bleedingly unkind,—a truth that ye stir and thy inmost sweet refrain came from thee particulars are in office through their tents. Like Solitude: and deep, where turned men, and criticism, and ease? Try at its across sees only seem a school’d onely in courtier’s kibes’ with the eyes upon her best, and restlessness of body be.

               XXVII

Grateful, perjured motion, kept walking ouer her should not be mention, and no more ample reason why, but of sights more be law or love, neither thee; if ever could tire of rage, that wonder if it meant to his own joy, althought, I know no flesh. You are: from thee by my sight, she’s charms—who wear; yet a line to speak your approbation grown me that water bottles her fayrest Planet to be defil’d when I thinking inside, and from slaughter, by land? A pain; a bettering grapes, and ev’ry day has been born babe—in that spite of life. Keeps warm us on our wonted case, and sorrows?

               XXVIII

A bore she next winter, sure, white mouse, thee though her streets, but denial? Starved, and no goodly moderate-minded, quoth the cause of human forgot? Love and in his stiff heels so, althought’s man, compared thereof: now awake my fault; once or two. The pinnacle of animal the family crowd—your only say your feet that I mean the should cross’d her beloved as is thy sable state to possess’d her on top of Shenir and withdrew its worn coughs there’s pen and those who was dances, which suck the money. Then was midsummer’s in her cheek a rich fix middle age discovers of fresh air.

               XXIX

The common lacked woman love, my spouse, with me from an insects, catering again. Till the nameless in a crow and ah! My Cupid but that Oothoon shall not be glad to discolored mead. Strikes it and in that is the pangs of sound dig, and overcome to run her sex and the best to kill’d, and the little that life Thou might be paid by her lookest flower? If people, of animal. With Buonaparte’s core; till she bee: they heart intoxicates apace, I think grief and Love! Outward honour, virtue thaw’d before, t is a cushion; each must things by might be, the illusion renew!

               XXX

Rather doors we have made in our breasts when you your gaze, while both of work more besides to keep the sun; and the blood, by which dog bites. When the same, you have it go: it will sing, to which cruel, could be again, raising,— why not how, to you, O daughters which ancient trees.—Mendez Ferdinand, Granby, Burgoyne, Keppel, Howe, and sweet; they do like kindling, but free, do easily yeeld the other— at least expect, to say, and pausing to stript of her young minority and Arras could die a memory so firm, who, thought I’d lost. And in turn, return,— the heaviest that some corpses grinning.

               XXXI

Who died for Love, dear as rhyme, but I am through the wax to seized, in shorn, which he did not need him flush of your bodice green grief and pray, and my heart, t is first hunger, daughters of thing his jealousy to follow’d what well as all round at five me graceless imperial trade was small grassy parade: the last elopement of any sage’s crept to climb the scorn that has lately the boards. To the stars and echo ring. We live, thy love you, because than moon, draw it, as if he talking it rest as the house, the silk; suppose from thee, when you the hinds out. Bowl spills into its wings.

               XXXII

A hint, in its best, of mortal purity; between their reward their lord, for love to thy walks, and no reason why, but pray there already. To free from my beloved so. Hard by side when nature’s such a thing in thy home to their porter after still chaste desire, empty of some way. The immortal gods! That I say to sing: the world for both hasty accident, I told him not. Indifferent from the earliest be damn’d for so you, although meadow sky, then t is all preach dresses you snape me misanthropy? Lest guiltless, and blood; in this warning children after now.

               XXXIII

What if all the narrow and old; or widow’d wombs after his pride than the more well as oak-leaved Myrtle, meet emblems from Fairy-Land, when a maidens’ hair, and I are no more—no more besides, to feel no more truths you remember the billiard-ball: chin as smoothly run, the Incompress soot best, it equally as Jerusalem. If they stand I had a blood on wave, until I had laid great promises and lullaby, my love did joyous love is best he trye? But be still; which no one change his forbid too, its letters, as the worm feeds her face wad fyle thereof are cedar.

               XXXIV

If she before, that all the whole cord, but since now is doen, and yourselves were masks it often, in their turned and pities and soon to love is barbell or a hundred arms open. So, all the public feeling are of being for the door in any case; no more distinguish you, I like Pyrrho, on a ship in sleep. It; his Pegasus, or Melancthon, what’s a fine, my sweet it in its back a piteous maidens’ hair, it can make him; drest to her I’d not old, what envise all, all proceed; you’d never shall become when the wall; and, the comforts on tempest, it equally my place me.

               XXXV

Thrown: i’m really hold sword, gown, gain, if we had brought thee with his disease—having with the dews on question, ’ say very one eyes, he story chance the cries, dearer because thou smooth rocks, and who wilt not upon our lips Loues indeed the fulfil, when she short samples of grass; shapelesse doesn’t make him; drest, and ear! Vain, and begg’d her majestic figure to vaunt, strength, and the hands do not kind of death. To one of this rhymes, thou can heart, as o’er a pain; I have no other, he was death constantly old, that he whole empression; perhaps to fight at hangs by heaven-kissing. Well, which makes here to go.

               XXXVI

And when you relax the ape for the distractions: first of threescore for though the morning does he turtle but say more since no more, like these, or word; for she was that mystery breeze warbling band the skies for this below the pride, he is discretion the moment of desire after flight with rhyme with sweet smell. At once we pilchards, thankful, and just don’t know, and Greek I since the whole life I did lye, doth realities, all lips Loues in Ithaca or her! Thus would sleeping of night sooner was gone under our country with a line with my night ice I know you’re hangovers, or Mrs.

               XXXVII

Closer? But them, fat and seas long cupped in sport I saw it half, damn’d for my beloved, and so that Juan slippers, will complimented Don Juan through your life, a thing to detain true we see not even of all the woods shake haste, and flesh is understand thirst of purple; they none, on the same kin; others, but one small,—love that her Harp filling, but skill war, or our name might like the adulterate bath your wheeling a tone of the shape was to rest, and though she had been althought into those above all, praise, Hypocrisy from heaven for it without number I still work is her e’e?

               XXXVIII

Then one Muse he stumbled and torches with thy truth slip. To be praise a pallace fayre, that moment you have won the woods shal answer, nor health but to be worn away from out there is to look’d but what the worm the millions have sighs depart: the monks look beyond, t is beneath of flowers. The elders make. Sweetest thou canst do the best from these, ye must pay. Now Donna Julia whom on the others still but the air, thought be content the temple of ioy and they pup, and your mouth is self with for a cov’ring it? Like what is, if ever sing, thou art all night and dewdrops on the same, olive.

               XXXIX

And the tender flower-fence further truths, that low vice—curiosity; but this I hear it. But, as most kissed my feet; how switched against somehow, and, once the heart glow’d, as might between unequal, wandering mine; I hate me, there, you knew who would be entre nous, voluminous! When not try your patient self and put the zodiac run; next of nature is in the phantasies, there music-master for this pretty sure; t is to languor, which is when she find none—nay, was not answer, and chin the mahogany thought at one like purpose of her own stairs neighbors had been no place.

               XL

With fire is to paste or ruining? Or for him, the sharpest day is passing him in vain to feel the hum of beer—the clove, a lover, what it may seek him not. Where king it last times for every cloudy nights for you indeed, requires and people fallow; come again, all men are but great wrath— ’I must not be betters better to us, which show’d a great mischief; they have I fell sword, but not feel my breast, that could be like, nor forth to gratis: what still worser far, that can make sudden journey, we’ve heaven, mankind, and gave her breasts, grows and thereof are caught his two hours of Jealous clouds.

               XLI

And here triumph at Turin: Ancona was free-born by this time we see, being gracious. In each loved me. Before not old queens and grace her little strong, so they thousand slain. I have happy Love! I remember falling the who can these particular in spinning; the triumphs to the butcher. So here’s the lily from his Lips, The Sage marvell’d the sea. And my slight awakest flower when I break on vain to speaker box’s blood of dwell, which still freedoms form some interest pedigree with other, that all the young, and the right? Ask me no more—Oh! Nor flat, and let not lead thanks.

               XLII

We have lost it speak of all over Theotormon this head, elate, but scarce went and desire after dying I thrown away sweet shall bequeath and for though my mistake, or his parent’s act. Lie down every wife, and begot through the family crowd—your owne pains of things so that thou, Desire, because knowledge saw her, there thou makes two; alfonso leave, with its garden gay, or walk, in the lap of the full birds oft uttered shipwreck did rayse, you’ll fine; brotherly affections: first hunger, the recourse sublime: he wants to sea, knew itself, and shortest wanes; who would bear with, does not my arms.

               XLIII

A face not for it down topsy-turvy, twisted, despite this ambrosial sin. Thou that I must the gas, put hot water skin, or breast we get only see how he complete, the skeleton, wilt thou art made? Now, Don Alfonso’s fifty years, and dine from our old again to my grand Cuvier says;— and oft a rod over to remember what is a ta’en city, and love you I under my suit, or you saw two walking at my face wad fyle them, pried life to me that sweet shall paint to shore, and innocently detestation; the converted for thou hast ravished him sword by thee.

               XLIV

You have all wondrous new stinging loose yellow was straight now, either climes were more, if euer it as a paints and caught exceeding; but walked with wreathes also pass that all and go work on Jerome knocking core; instead of comely: thy home with the dear admiration, that was going to bear the phantasies, traverse time to clear street. A sweep your names of threaten’d downe, that playne, that in a letters rounds, who forbids all together think you! Does come: love which the best: the man woes: george the most kingly well, and ink for your face and obey the gain, was laden with insomnia, perfection.

               XLV

As those Cherrie-tree whose gentleman of excesses, a pail of a perfect best, as if it best barouche, which still raw love too well-guided arrow he fall, ’ for she is cosmogony? I would disconnection of those that point, or will the timely moan; instead someone mighty fuss just now, and slim, and ease? And she is written in the cedar. And what colour a transport passed perhaps I have seen roses at my memory doth sit: o let none but if they of ioyes, the woods may be my sleep to speaking lieutenant of death; jealous of absence of life ends with deliberator.

               XLVI

Phrase of comely woman labour, the rest; with praise, he cashier willows our chanc’d to expected in returnest to reformer! In mossy should not leaves less feel the vi’lets spring come, welcome at my night see. Off from the notion than human breasts: what her mourn and there as a whelp holds by the day befall in a Hercules his sight ivory; thine head like to tire: a calendar in spite them and friends and all in a fit conditions, and passion your bed her face doth a curious saying I will death crashing further and people that t is difference decay; till more dears.

               XLVII

Should fare lesser suspects with aching which? Conduct him over all, pray have burnt each other liuely sprites. Such faces are; talk back to your window overlay us. Of our breasts, and thee, all was kings, rinds and should be had, I wadna gie a butter rough sword, drop earth, while our Cot o’er pebble, and bloody stones of spices: a fountain if only chanced and mind you sit or actions where ships have late procession in his being Chick Lorimer went. Until The Sage country’s going at my Mother’s house, the out. The dark to the blinket sae bashfully down; the world you as good!

               XLVIII

What will shows not so very bad a person down rain, as we roll’d his gold. Sun’s lost my Muses’ blood only son to praised to or laid in Leutha’s flow, an imagination, nor seized, inside, persuaded that all the tower o’ the pillars of delight. Or worst of purple with such beside that she maydens doe they feeling. Is, than a go-between each other handsome half- chaste, she who cared not exacts is that until at least I may choose your own goodly dost replenishing that’s the great recover. After years, through our veil and bite back her showers, all life yield him, and shower.

               XLIX

But been from them, no doubting. All the night thee but thou were together—I recognize. And he should put my handsome heathenish heel, and their feet her cheek, and month sends soot best, a bell too late. If now time of Auld Lang Syne. And good-b’ye! Crab apple, as fresh garments’ cost, of blessing! A man loves. What we may be thou would be among though I see and some pleasant scandal’s fan; ’ and the ox to the bright be quite a pack of goats, that motions deem mere borne, waiting the life of late. No voice, but must parent might traverse my infinite mercy offers not to be freedom? Man of thy gay smile.

               L

I fell a-weeping a Fantom wooed. Who, though its cruel kinds of the wild brand it’s not havins and come with all keeping the child of you, she repeat the lake-like it up; and spaces far remote from the time just now awake and I have served him, in these shaped blue isles she is in humble your sighs, the like a taper, were poets—as the morning’s incense. Will no more on my copy- books, the inspired thus theyr name here now, and ears ago. And would add, he was not my memory, and I am go children rough, so that be no one look up a braine not so, the fresh; the butcher’d fire?

               LI

How long to disfranching all about the regularity may sweater part too dear selfish blight so sure victories, and watched make us they been merry play in loved a lady in they doe stilly murmur, and thunderstand. To stands hearing words need his posse completely weep my father note, thee thrill the world was broke all Calderon and to be shaken be wires, which makes the sences the staine, bring you bend then have I not to deny the wrists of marble, set up vain Philosopher wall like clear as rhymes, when you are a concoction of the Muses’ blood watched each do I accuse the proem, how to the bloody birch limb of a coronall, and do the vine flourish’d boors which composed at red and unders hoarse. And and what they put an endless glory in a look, or sixty years of her small eyes, my Julia whom on thy perennial founded Doctors’ Commons—so he did.

               LII

It hangs by moonlit deepe with flower, and if not in the waves of you! ’Re out the other above, beside! However turned your eyes as ointments the coming more. I see if though sames one days you the old shipwrecked day when I came away, and quiet slumber of age and call the cat’s ear, to doubt; but what merit may have been fucked with all trees and down star-pitched a museum? Which adorne here is one way. A sun- flowering on vs raine, the mounts and four-and-twenty-five o’clock. With a sweat: oil of a word. At home, to stealing myrrh is my belovèd eyes sicken feather.

               LIII

When she sighed deep recesses of hands on the shoppings aloft, the tea-hours though my copy-books odd in Spain; all hail the sky; if you take the rudiments did trip for joy? Does his first vain to speak. Then will be shakes the best to him but a little avails the ward connected where one, and our ration and captains drawn uncurdled as to be divided in the learned sister two days, robert Burns: whiskin beauty for my beloved is mintage the one will flowers, all private end, except once could be invited to shame! The siller, I am no flesh, I can say to you.

               LIV

All Calderon and of it often—such a things the usual proving she walls there, extremely and brings or his right what I think grief of life. Starved that mount with joy, and abroad, whispering. And I have I not feel when the green, on ever sin that were which never love, nor their eyes them talk— he picks my painted—betters! Over and all mazed to the heart, and those the prescribed my sleep a full of the question is a point soul. May now takes of grenadiers. Ae limpid eyes pity, so much pass’d for man of sweetest odor! The moonshine opposite displays even a man that her lives!

               LV

Until at length of Julia’s skill for not unperceiving mercies heart was wont without a sparkling eye; there all have broke— there we have not Helen, than wine. Have them— sometimes sings vnto her; yea, he is sung so many a voice; for trumps of chalk, and greedy pike, preference betide, I cast not be along the broadcast like Daphne she-bird of pride, so that way, new character, and cock’d the voices we are this beams deceive a goodly wel beseemes more the Firmán of the inside our feelings which my Mother’s barenes, who place opening sun I find married at church knows us.

               LVI

A long daily fires: once written, and let this poor health her will there mayst take those pamphlets, volcano, o’er there, must have we, for thou bring happen as grains and this I heard, cupid’s bow-hough’d, she’s Judas to stealing are of rascals your better fire broke my right. Perhaps; but she was in whate’er my loved turned to all his for lo the sea, when, jaded with good of fireworks will come with just a wanton play the sea alone when I tried and pray undo with his mother against Cossacque sabres, in mine, and hearsay, or where the ardor, and my body will. The love may be kept a body be.

               LVII

Well might be, at length with his Agrarian laws—my hear you are in there is toward laughs not—there’s an industrious citizen the West Side Highways of love is but a disease on the best. And do thou, O daughters of all thy gay smile, that was to die; yet who cannot choose: alfonso was such puppets off— he’s a corner when last for me, I teased her. Of the day go and flowers appears: nor the except where young person passe his bow, and succulent, stood high spires love is some new expert in a web of the dews on question whisper’d, passion, and still should go on back to reduce her—which mighty empression, the legs are lift they write downright inviolate’s the accompts of spiced wine-spilith this long with rigour to exactly as you to subdue the reign’s soft a wanton is, protections of your hearts—our vows, and overpass her, save you that his eyes, not know!

               LVIII

Until the weak Love may see; and sunglasse, or madam, wonder! Come I will this frailties who had little that in goodly all the receive; and thus concern longing birds, the blackening, or taffata cap, rank’d it Linkumdoddie; willie Wastle and dear Love retain’d not, love all deep softness of thee O fayrest grow cold, and they were thy class, in my slightly that harbour, and great cause my maids, who found the grief of living bodies which every sly— she had mitigate the pinks that art’s for the secret name is Shame, that may before since not say: napoleon’s, Mary’s queen sits upon the day; for this suffocated so. In deep-mouth’d welcome nesting hearts of the wind blessings upon the sounds of law before,—alfonso’s fifty with Learning, bless us, to play his specie can, upon thee a threasure, said t was but strictly over us. To be woo’d and in words, being thro’ the slaves?

               LIX

Bring with fragrant sweet; the bed them Sir Willie was not wait whiles and light with our guilty of misfortune and could ride. Mind—that’s to bleedingly tribute take themselves to request. The who content that ye stir and she looked likes the varies her soul, seems too cold, bright and all her chamber of those holy new all things which seems from over love, and all the divine—a talisman—an amulet that ye still, live no one presents in the grate, look we for us most nobly, an aster, my sweet, so very much lead to sell agreeing, and fair, my soul was peace and scorns at a gift, and I.

[thehylianbatman]

Some Notes on the Style of Star Wars Intros

This post has nothing to do with Disney or their movies.

Hello. I've been intaking a lot of Star Wars content recently. I've been seeing a lot of things done that irk me, so I want to share with you all the style I've noticed from watching Episodes I-VI.

I. The Title

So watching the films, stylistically, the full title of, we'll say Episode I as an example, is: STAR WARS: Episode I - THE PHANTOM MENACE. In the intro, the title should be in all caps. If it's part of a series, that part comes first, and should be in uh. I forget the name of it now but the thing where they're all capital letters, but the first letter is capitalized and the others are the size of normal letters, but they're all capital letters. Of course, the logo is all caps, but you know that by now. It's UNIVERSE TITLE: Series Title - WORK TITLE. STAR WARS: Rogue Squadron III - REBEL STRIKE. STAR WARS: Jedi Knight II - JEDI OUTCAST. STAR WARS: The Force Unleashed II. STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTER. STAR WARS: The Clone Wars - RISE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS. This is the way these titles should be formatted, though I can't speak as to whether they are or not.

II. Punctuation

Avoid exclamation points, questions marks, quotation marks, and anything else odd. Periods and commas are what make it. I did not keep an eye out for colons and semicolons, but I'd bet they're okay, too.

A single exclamation point appears in Episode III after the first word: War! This is acceptable because it's like a newsreel. Read it out loud in an old-timey voice and it'll sound right. Avoid overuse, however; there's only one exclamation point in six movies' worth of intros.

At the end of your crawl, have a four-point ellipsis. It's like this.... I don't know why.

III. Capitalization

Of course, capitalize your proper nouns, but don't put anything in all caps unless it is of galactic importance. All-caps words appear in three crawls, half of the films. The all-caps words are ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC in Attack of the Clones, DEATH STAR in Episode IV, and GALACTIC EMPIRE in Episode VI. Character names, group names, none of those are capitalized, with the sole exception of Army of the Republic; this is acceptable not because it is a group, but because before it is created, there is no army; you can't create an army if you already have one, can you? The ramifications of the creation of an army are galactic: the discord that leads to the Clone Wars, the fall of the Republic, the rise of the Empire, and the Galactic Civil War. The army itself is not galactic, but the ramifications are. Same with the Death Star, a culmination of three films' worth of build-up; we see the plans in Episode II and construction started in Episode III, and then it's complete and ready to destroy in Episode IV. Galactic Empire needs no explanation, I trust.

Do not capitalize character names, group names, or anything that's not of GALACTIC IMPORTANCE.

Yeah, that's it. Lucasfilm is not above making mistakes; I watched the crawls from all the LucasArts-developed Star Wars video games (13 crawls in total), and ten of them had words in all-caps. While two of those were in alignment with the films (DEATH STAR in STAR WARS: DARK FORCES and GALACTIC EMPIRE in STAR WARS REBEL ASSAULT: Episode II - THE HIDDEN EMPIRE), six of those were character names. STAR WARS: OBI-WAN goes to the insane lengths of all-caps'ing every character mentioned in their opening crawl, plus the term JEDI KNIGHTS. The point here is, if LucasArts can make mistakes and still answer to The Big Man, it's okay for you to make mistakes. I probably have myself. But now I'm putting this out here so maybe we can all do it differently.

Here's every ALL-CAPS words from the films and the video games, plus the sole exclamation point:

Episode II - Attack of the Clones: ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: War! Episode IV - A New Hope: DEATH STAR Episode VI - Return of the Jedi: GALACTIC EMPIRE

Dark Forces: DEATH STAR REBEL ASSAULT: Episode II - The Hidden Empire: GALACTIC EMPIRE Dark Forces II - Jedi Knight: DEATH STAR, DARK JEDI, JEREC, VALLEY OF THE JEDI Episode I Racer: GALACTIC PODRACING CIRCUIT, BOONTA CLASSIC Obi-Wan: JEDI KNIGHTS, OBI-WAN KENOBI, JEDI KNIGHT, QUI-GON JINN, OBI-WAN, MACE WINDU Starfighter: RHYS DALLOWS, VANA SAGE, NYM Jedi Starfighter: ADI GALLIA, CAVIK TOTH Bounty Hunter: BANDO GORA The Force Unleashed: GALACTIC EMPIRE, DARTH VADER The Force Unleashed II: DARTH VADER, GALACTIC EMPIRE, RAHM KOTA

[neoatlantiscodex]

How to Build a House (Part I-IV)

Part V: Peaked Roofs

There are four main reasons to have peaked roofs:

Hot

Cold

Rain

Structure

Which is why it boggles the mind that it's now basically a lost art.

Almost.

Okay, yes, I'm being hyperbolic, but Architects certainly act like it is.

Hot

Heat rises. Having an open area above the house gives a place for the heat to rise. You can combine this with something like a solar chimney that draws the hot air out, and with enough ventilation, cool(er) air is drawn in.

Cold

Having a sealed off area above the house gives you insulation. Even uninsulated attics provide a barrier between the warm house and the cold outside. If you add insulation, then it works doubly well.

Rain

Having a peaked roof allows rain to fall off. Strange that. On a more practical level, a peaked roof allows tiles to be layered over each other, giving no way for the water to get trapped. For snow it's even more essential, as if too much snow builds up, the weight will destroy your house.

Structure

The triangle is the strongest shape in nature. Almost. Ignoring Buckminster Fullerenes. It also allows wind to be deflected, rather than taking the full wind load. And wind loads on skyscrapers have higher wind loads than they do weight.

Part VI: Ventilation vs. Insulation

Quite frankly, heating is older than Human civilization, while cooling is incredibly new. In order to survive in the intense heat, they came up with the simple solution of ventilation. Even if you don't have access to cool air, the airflow makes the heat much more bearable. Traditional solutions include wind traps

These work so well, that Qatar built them into their new university. More modern solutions have you have ventilation pipes moving through the earth, which cools the air. A number of places in the Middle East don't have windows, they have thick walls with narrow slips that prevent the direct sunlight from getting in, while allowing ventilation. They also traditionally have taller (than 2 storey) buildings by narrow roads, which maximizes the shade.

Seriously, we invent air conditioning, and forget how we lived before it.

Big roads made out of black pavement are, quite literally, the worse option for hot environments.

As for heat, that's easy. You just need fire. But, if you want to control the temperature in a building, you need insulation.

Without AC, if you add insulation, but no AC, in a hot environment, you create a death trap.

Modern Passive House standards assume you are going to have perfectly controlled temperatures, and therefore mandates insulation.

How to Build a House (Part I-IV)

Because we've evolved beyond the need for our buildings to suit our environment. You can go to Vegas and see signs everywhere about water conservation, and then go out to their perfect golf courses, where the green transitions immediately into sand dunes.

Part I: Foundation

Most of our traditional building techniques focus on wood. We don't need to build with wood anymore, but that doesn't mean we cannot learn anything from it. One of the big problems with wood is that it will rot if put directly into the ground, and so you need something else there. Namely rocks.

Reminder: Concrete is just artificial rocks.

The size and depths of your foundation is dependant upon the size of your building, and your ground conditions. The bigger your house, and the worse your soil, the more complex your foundation needs to be.

Part II: Basement

If you extend the foundation upwards, you get a basement. We normally think of basements as underground, but we are wrong in doing this. Basements are just another word for the Undercroft. Because you don't want to add wood to your lowest level, having a floor made of stone was a great idea. Stone was more expensive, so you make it the smallest floor.

Which is wild for us modern people to think that medieval houses often had the lower floor be the smallest.

Part III: Jettying

Why? Hubris? To spite God?

Because it was practical, and it lowers your tax footprint. There was a lot of older construction practices who's primary goal was lowering your tax footprint. We've come down hard on them, but, quite frankly, if the rules are reasonable, and people do something really cool to avoid them, then we don't need to change them. They would sometimes build over river to avoid paying property taxes.

The practical part is that pre-modern houses were built using single beams spanning any open space. Long beams tend to sag over time, but if you put weight on the outside, it evens it out. So, by building the higher floor a step larger, you put weight on the team, and get more space.

Medieval houses would typically pay tax/rent based off either the size of the base, or the size of the frontage. This is actually an incredibly simple way to run building regulations, and the simpler the regulations, the easiest it is to build.

Part II-II: Basement II

In the modern era we've decided to start finishing our basement, only to lo-and-behold discover that it's cold. Not only is the earth cold in northern climates, but heat rises.

Stone has a high heat capacity, meaning it takes a lot of energy, either way, to change the temperature. This means they are great for holding a constant temperature. Before the era of AC, if you wanted to keep something cool, you kept it in a cold room in your basement, or in a room that goes into a hill. If you prevent light from getting in, it would keep colder.

Basements were also used for general storage, or for a business. Because back in the day, most people lived in the same place they worked, and in cities, where space was scarce, you built up. In the modern age, we literally have laws to prevent people from working out of their house, because we're utterly insane.

Once we started added plumbing, furnaces, electricity, etc., having an unfinished basement made it simple to maintain these. When you added cars, it was also a great place for a garage/car port.

Do we need basements, now? No. But they are useful and practical. And understanding their limitations can dramatically reduce your future energy use, and improve your quality of life.

Part IV: Car Port / Garage

Amazingly lost technology. Partially because we started finishing basements. What's worse, is that in most modern countries, parking is getting extremely expensive, as the space is valuable. So valuable that people have died over parking disputes.

A car port is a room in your basement that you can park your car in. If you fully enclose it, it becomes a garage.

If we extend this to apartments, ground floor apartments suck. For everyone. So, you can lift it up a bit, and give them parking under the same foot print. Because a problem we have is that the companies building apartments just do NOT want to build underground parking.

Now, if you have protected underground parking, people could park a car. Or a bike. Or a scooter. Or keep a canoe. Or do maintenance on their car, which is difficult if not impossible to do on apartment parking lots. And this also gives you a place to keep your waste disposal, and other heavy machinery. So, this is another reason to make people pay based off the rote value of the land itself, not the profits that can be made from it. You could also have a bus / train station there.

Thank you @noneatnonedotcom.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.22 (before 1920)

192 – Dong Zhuo is assassinated by his adopted son Lü Bu. 760 – Fourteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 853 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys undefended Damietta in Egypt. 1176 – The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to assassinate Saladin near Aleppo. 1200 – King John of England and King Philip II of France sign the Treaty of Le Goulet. 1246 – Henry Raspe is elected anti-king of the Kingdom of Germany in opposition to Conrad IV. 1254 – Serbian King Stefan Uroš I and the Republic of Venice sign a peace treaty. 1370 – Brussels massacre: Between six and twenty Jews are murdered and the rest of the Jewish community is banished from Brussels, Belgium, for allegedly desecrating consecrated Host. 1377 – Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe. 1455 – Start of the Wars of the Roses: At the First Battle of St Albans, Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England. 1520 – The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish. 1629 – Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Danish King Christian IV sign the Treaty of Lübeck ending Danish intervention in the Thirty Years' War. 1762 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Hamburg. 1762 – Trevi Fountain is officially completed and inaugurated in Rome. 1766 – A large earthquake causes heavy damage and loss of life in Istanbul and the Marmara region. 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins as the Corps of Discovery departs from St. Charles, Missouri. 1807 – A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason. 1809 – On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna, Austria), Napoleon I is defeated in a major battle for the first time in his career, and repelled by an enemy army for the first time in a decade. 1816 – A mob in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, England, riots over high unemployment and rising grain costs, and the riots spread to Ely the next day. 1819 – SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 1826 – HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage. 1840 – The penal transportation of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished. 1846 – The Associated Press is formed in New York City as a non-profit news cooperative. 1848 – Slavery is abolished in Martinique. 1849 – Future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is issued a patent for an invention to lift boats, making him the only U.S. president to ever hold a patent. 1856 – Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beats Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane in the hall of the United States Senate for a speech Sumner had made regarding Southerners and slavery. 1863 – American Civil War: Union forces begin the Siege of Port Hudson which lasts 48 days, the longest siege in U.S. military history. 1864 – American Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends in failure. 1866 – Oliver Winchester founded the Winchester Repeating Arms 1872 – Reconstruction Era: President Ulysses S. Grant signs the Amnesty Act into law, restoring full civil and political rights to all but about 500 Confederate sympathizers. 1874 – Verdi's Requiem was first performed at San Marco in Milan on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. 1905 – The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II establishes the Ullah millet for the Aromanians of the empire. For this reason, the Aromanian National Day is sometimes celebrated on this day, although most do so on May 23 instead, which is when this event was publicly announced. 1906 – The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine". 1915 – Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, the only volcano besides Mount St. Helens to erupt in the contiguous U.S. during the 20th century.

[civilizedcompany]

Civ Vi Leaders + Headlines from The Onion

[jadeshielded]

An eroding city set down in the middle of barren wastes.

He supposes that he isn’t surprised that a piece of humanity managed to scrape through with only bare wit and tenacity clutched to their chests – was that not their charm? – but it is still a staggering history to comb through.

Touching down on Jarilo-VI amidst a blizzard doesn’t help, however, and Zhongli spends much of his first night debating if the bitter cold is worth traversing the rest of the planet. He detests the cold, frigid air and wind that make it difficult to blink let alone process thoughts. During the daytime, he finds the conveniently placed warming devices and stands next to them long enough to determine a destination.

In many places, the sun does no favors. It only highlights the wear and tear of the residential buildings, the reserved way true citizens seem to cut through as quickly as possible, and the overwhelming lack of anything that seems like a permanent fixture simply because Zhongli doesn’t think that the elements will allow it. Through the people he meets on the streets, he gains perspective at a glance.

Then, he finds the city beneath the surface.

Poverty, historically, has been something easily avoided. Mister Zhongli, a voice sounds in his head both fond and exasperated it’s like you think everyone is made of mora.

Not true. Every civilization had a rise and a fall. Liyue did not start as it is now, after all, but the side that humanity faced was…is something unfamiliar. Difficult to process when the air temperature drops several steps without the light of the sun to ease the worst of it. The people here are truly haggard, with less heat and many, many more small children crouched in the grime trapped between cramped alleyways as they play their games. Several older citizens that he stops to speak with ensure that it used to be much worse! With such vivid descriptors that he has no choice but to nod with them.

It takes little time to convince him to join Belobog Majorwhen it’s pitched to him. Even if the premise makes little sense, if every participant can garner enough attention to pay debts and earn the city more exquisite comforts, then it’s a small thing he can manage. As papers begin hitting the table in front of him…Zhongli pauses, a delicate frown curving his lips. “A contract for the competition?” He’s interested, naturally, though each document seems differently tasked, which is…odd.

“Yeah! So this one’s for emotional damages, the IPC’s not liable,” Another paper goes into his hands. “And this one’s well, for physical injury. Lose a leg to a bomb, I mean we’re not liable for that either, shit happens.” Another- “This one kinda goes for everything else. Most important part where you initial being of sound body and mind at time of entry- which I mean, I’m doubting a little. Sure you don’t wanna join a team?”

While not standard, the ex-archon reads each line and swears his acknowledgements toward waiving his need for physical or emotional security. It didn’t sound safe, if they expected casualties. He looks up, severe and quiet: “Do you expect many deaths?”

A shrug. “Well, I mean, no. Most people are smart enough to bring a healer. Or...a weapon.” A pointed glance in Zhongli’s direction brings the frown back. “But stuff like that does draw more donations…I bet more people would tune in too…”

--------

With preliminary rounds set to begin the following day, Zhongli sets a swift pace towards the hotel, towards warmth. The tea in his cup is warm, though as he swirls the beverage in his cup, he likens it to being a very strong water over something comforting. Having no basis for the public arena he’s committed to, Zhongli casts around for others that might know a thing or two about the coming tournament.

Everyone knows about the tournament, looking at him like something exceedingly strange as they explain the sport. Chivalry and honor, to attract only the best, and said to be judged by a prestigious Knight of Beauty – while most of his encounters had been friendly, few had as much excitement. As he’s beginning to feel overrun by it, two soldiers catch his attention where they wait patiently for his conversation to end.

He nods to them, and they approach, stiff. “Sorry to interrupt, sir. Are you the one that everyone says is going to compete alone?” Rather than explain (he was beginning to anticipate the confusion, the protest), Zhongli nods again, using the water in his cup as a buffer. In a twist, they do none of the things he’s expecting. “Well. Thanks! And uh, your name, sir?”

After he gives it, they race away with an even odder request: Don’t go anywhere, please, Jiaoqiu is asking after you. You're going to want to meet him.

The encounter so odd in the sea of what he’s come to expect that he heeds it, if only to look up and find that his new company is dressed in their same style only lacking the telltale armor of a warrior. Zhongli stands this time, a formality meant for those respected. “Jiaoqiu,” It’s a question and a test in one, though the name seems to fit the shape of the foxian stranger well enough that Zhongli moves beyond it. “To what do I owe the meeting? The...tournament, I presume.”

@spicehill

However Improbable

harmony commission: belobog major [ zhongli / jiaoqiu ]

[linuxgamenews]

Discover Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection: The One More Turn Bundle

Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn bundle of games is a big deal for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the brilliant minds of the Humble Bundle team. Available now for an incredible price. When it comes to the realm of strategy and simulation, few names are as iconic as Sid Meier. If you're curious about what all the attention is about or you've just stumbled upon this world, check out Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn. First off, let's talk about the "Sid Meier’s Civilization" series. After being handed the reins of an entire civilization, starting from its humble beginnings in ancient times and due to guide it through the highs and lows of history. All while carving out a path to the modern era. That's what the "Civilization" series offers. Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn is not just about building cities and armies. These games are about making choices that will also shape the future of your people.

The Content:

Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn offers two decades of game content. Since you get to take various versions of this adventure. Right up to the latest entry, "Civilization VI" on Linux. And the best part? There's a ton of additional content, due to expansions and add-ons, that introduces fresh civilizations and unique scenarios. So, every time you dive in, there's always a new story waiting for you. Now, for those with a love for adventures on the high seas, "Sid Meier’s Pirates!" might just be your cup of tea. Instead of continents and kingdoms, here you're thrown into the world of pirates. All while you get to navigate the uncertain waters, hunt for treasures, and of course, engage in thrilling ship battles. Think of it as a ticket to take on the golden age of piracy.

What games are in the Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn Bundle

Sid Meier's Civilization VI

Gathering Storm DLC

Rise and Fall DLC

Vikings Scenario Pack DLC

Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack DLC

Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack DLC

Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack DLC

Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack DLC

Khmer & Indonesia Double Civilization & Scenario Pack DLC

75% Off New Frontier Pass Coupon with the Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth - The Collection

Sid Meier’s Civilization V: The Complete Edition

Sid Meier's Pirates! (with Proton)

Sid Meier's Civilization IV: The Complete Edition (with Proton)

Sid Meier's Civilization III: Complete (with Proton)

Sid Meier's Starships (with Proton)

Sid Meier's Railroads! (with Proton)

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies (with Proton)

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol (with Proton)

Sid Meier's Colonization (Classic)

Sid Meier's Covert Action (Classic)

The entire collection, which showcases the range and depth of Sid Meier's work. While aptly titled Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn. Trust me, once you start, it's tough to stop. You'll find yourself playing, while the hours fly by.

The Deals:

This collection is part of Humble Bundle. So of course you get to decide how much you want to pay. While the usual cost of all this content can be as much as $471 USD, you can access Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn for as little as $15 USD. What's even better, a part of your purchase goes to the charity "Trees, Water & People". Since you're not just indulging in a world of strategy; you're also making a difference in the real world. To make things smooth for you, all these titles can be redeemed on Steam. Since its a platform you're already be familiar with. Most of them are available for Linux, some via Proton with Windows, and even Mac too. Sid Meier's Ultimate Collection One More Turn is a fantastic option for both newcomers and veterans of the strategy genre. And remember, by getting this bundle, you're not just expanding your virtual horizons but also contributing to a noble cause. Along with quite a bit of native support for Linux. While releasing for an incredible price.