#mongolian expedition

[venky45]

Set out on a mongolian expedition with Nomadic Road

Embark on an unforgettable journey with Nomadic Road's mongolian expedition. Their mongolia road trip uncovers an opportunity to witness the rugged Altai Mountains, vast open plains, and spectacular landscapes. Discover this fascinating country's culture and history through authentic cultural experiences and breathtaking views. Visit Nomadic Road’s website to plan your next adventure https://www.nomadicroad.com/expeditions/road-to-altai

[digitalagepulao]

Expedition Pilgrims

Sha Wujing (435cm): His outfit is mostly inspired by Mongolian clothes since he's found in the Gobi desert stretch of the journey. His bangles are made of fossil bone, and he can use the waist cloth as a headwrap during adverse weather. His markings are inspired by African Lungfish and Mudfish fins, as they are species that exist somewhere between water and dry air. The beasts on his knees are an extension of him, and he can see and speak through them as needed. His beard and long hair can have Ghibli physics depending on his mood and emotions. Zhu Wuneng (~300cm): Inspired by Northern Tibetan clothes, as that's the region the group recruits him. Traditional clothes tend to have way more accessories and golden details so I had to simplify a bit. His features are a mix of wild boars and Indonesian babirusa, with the iconic bristles on his head. I leaned on ceremonial Tibetan swords and necklace beads for the decorations on his rake. His vest can be closed, he just prefers not to most of the time. Sun Wukong (125cm): I've already commented on his design over here, but I'll elaborate that the yellow shirt is the one he gained from Tripitaka soon after he was released, while the pants and red half-robe were the garments he was given by Guan Yin. The hoops on his feet and purple beads were reacquired back in Huaguoshan when he first fled the pilgrimage, heading to his family instead of Ao Guang's palace. (A-ma and Jinju gave them to him so he'll always have something to home to remember them by, as well as where he first started, as the beads were gained during his lessons with Subodhi.) Tripitaka (163cm): This is but one of his many outfits since travel can be rough on clothes, and even more so when you get kidnapped by demons and thrown off your horse all the time. He wears the usual orange monk robes, with some kind of travel clothes over them. He gains some fur boots from Boquin for cold weather but usually prefers sandals most of the time. He seldom uses the cassock and crown he received from Guan Yin, save for when he pays respects to temples and holy sites, but the staff is a constant companion. Ao Lie (167cm, 130cm at the shoulder as horse): Being effectively in exile until the journey is complete, he wears less fancy clothes than he usually would as a prince, but his status still shows. I tried to balance more casual hanfu of the era with some armor parts, like the waist guard and armored boots. He was given the skill to shapeshift into a horse by Guan Yin when she commanded him to wait for the chosen pilgrim monk, so he can shift at will, but preferably when the tack has been taken off. Speaking of, tack is lost and replaced multiple times during the journey, so I didn't depict any specific one.

my Expedition AU designs and heights for the five lads, ive spent so much time on this its not even funny lololol but hey it's done!! i'm free!!

[irithnova]

I would love to hear more on, Mongolia's children? Ilkhanate and all the others.

But I would really love to hear is more about the central Asians!

Thank you for your ask. I'll take this opportunity to talk more about IIkhanate/Chagatai Khanate and their relationship with Mongolia as I don't think they get much attention, the Golden Horde and Kazakhstan, and then the Central Asians. 

I would really like to thank @peonycats for their help with the Central Asian section! 

With Ilkhanate: I think Ilkhanate's relationship with Mongolia was a little strange, but part of it can be chalked up to the fact that it followed traditional structures within Mongol culture in father-son relationships. Typically in Mongol culture, the youngest son would be kept closest to the father/parents, whereas the oldest would inherit the father’s land furthest away from them (golden horde). The youngest son would be called the Otchigen, meaning "prince of the hearth", being kept close to his parents and being expected to take care of them. With IIkhanate being the youngest, this tradition was reflected in his relationship with Mongolia. IIkhanate - out of his 2 brothers, not only was the youngest born but also the youngest in terms of establishing his Khanate, with the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate establishing their rules in 1226/7, and the IIkhanate in 1256 after the conquest of Baghdad under Hulegu Khan. This means that Ilkhanate had alot more time with Mongolia personally before he was sent off officially to govern his own lands, and additionally because of his status as the "prince of the hearth" being the youngest, Mongolia was more emotionally involved with Ilkhanate compared to his brothers. I'll elaborate on their relationship a little more later. 

The Ilkhanate was a result of the Great Khan at the time (Mongke) sending Hulegu (his brother) out to the middle east to conquer it. Despite plans of Hulegu returning to the Mongolian heartland after his expedition to the East, he stayed and established the IIkhanate. It is thought that this was the plan all along. 

It is my headcanon that the golden horde, chagatai khanate and ilkhanate were born some years before the official establishment of their khanates because they were representatives of the lands that Chinggis Khan's sons would inherit, as per Mongol tradition which is in turn reflective of what lands Chinggis assigned to each of his sons in the year 1219, just before the invasion of the Khwarezmian Empire. In 1219, Empress Yisui convinced Chinggis that he needed to choose an heir before the invasion of the Khwarezmian empire. He agreed, and chose Ogedei, his third son, as his heir, leaving Jochi (his eldest) and Chagatai (his second eldest) inheritance to their own lands in the future after his death and Tolui, his youngest, to act as the Otchigen. 

You're probably wondering why Chinggis did not choose Jochi, his eldest, to become the next great Khan. This was for quite a few reasons. 

Between Ogedei and Tolui, the two youngest, both were the strongest candidates to become the great Khan/heir/who Mongolia would accompany. This is because Mongol succession tradition was ultimogeniture, meaning that the youngest born had the position of inheriting their parent's wealth. Jochi and Chagatai were already cut out of the inheritance race for various reasons including the fact that they were the eldest and because of this, they did not have succession privilege, but ultimately electing either one of them could be a recipe for disaster in the future considering how much they hated each other.

So it was left between the two youngest - Ogedei and Tolui, either one of them could have been the next Great Khan and ruler of the Mongol Empire/who Mongolia would be accompanying/ruling alongside. In the end, Ogedei was chosen as he was seen as fair tempered and generous.

Now that it was official that Ogedei was to become the next great Khan, and that Jachi and Chagatai would be given their own domains to rule over once Chinggis died (still answering the Ogedei, as he would be the great Khan, of course), this meant that the representatives of Jochi and Chagatai's future domains would begin to be born. I headcanon that Jochi's future ulus (kingdom), the Golden Horde, was born in the year 1219, and Chagatai's ulus was born one year afterwards in 1220. I gave them a one year age difference to reflect the one year age difference between Jochi and Chagatai themselves.

From now on, I'll begin to refer to them using their human names. 

Ogtbish = Golden Horde 

Khenbish = Chagatai Khanate

Khunbish = Ikhanate  

I won't exclusively refer to them as their human names however just for reference, if I say "Ogtbish" for example lam referring to Golden Horde. 

Golden horde, the first born, represented future Jochid land (the Golden Horde was ruled by Jochid Khans), the Chagatai Khanate represented future Chagataid land (ruled by the Chagataids) and lastly, the IIkhanate represented future Hulagu/Toluid land (I say Toluid lands because the IIkhanate was ruled by Toluids because of Hulegu, who was a son of Tolui. It should be noted that the heartland of the Mongol Empire, later the yuan dynasty who Mongolia himself represented also became ruled by Toluids after the death of Guyuk Khan who was the son of Ogedei, and Mongke Khan took over. He was the first Toluid Khan.) 

Now this begs the question, what about IIkhanate? When was he born? Wasn't the Ilkhanate established later in the late 1250s? 

That would be correct. However | see IIkhanate as being born in 1224, and here is my reasoning: 

1) The future ruler/establisher of the IIkhanate, Hulagu (grandson of Genghis and son of Tolui) was already born by this point (born in 1217), and just like how the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate were ruled by Jochi and Chagatai's bloodline, the IIkhanate was ruled by Hulagu's bloodline. 

2) The IIkhanate was originally based off of the Mongol invasions of the Khwarezmian Empire that lasted from 1219-1224. Strong Mongol rule was later consolidated in 1256 by Hulagu Khan, however it was based off of these original invasions. 

3) So, two foundations of the IIkhanate, the future ruler and the original invasions it was based off of, were in existence by 1224. The first foundation may be a little more mystical in nature however even without the first reason, the Ilkhanate being based off of those original invasions is enough justification for me to make him be born in 1224. 

So, the official birth dates in my canon: 

1219: Ogtbish (Golden Horde) 

1220: Khenbish (Chagatai Khanate)

1224: Khunbish (Ilkhanate) 

 The Golden Horde was officially established in 1227, ahd the Chagatai was officially established in 1226, one year before. The fact the Khenbish had his ulus established one year before his eldest brother definitely gave him a further sense of superiority over his brother. I'll elaborate on this later when I talk about Khenbish specifically. 

It is my canon that Ogtbish and Khenbish were officially released to their lands by 1235/6 despite the fact that the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate were established in 1227/6. This doesn't mean they were completely cut off from the ongoings/politics of their lands, and they were allowed frequent visits, however they were kept back temporarily in a bad attempt on Mongolia's part to instil a sense of supremacy over them. To teach/remind them that despite the fact that they had their own domains, that they would always answer back to Mongolia/the Great Khan. As Jack Weatherford describes in "Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world", Chinggis only began to realise nearing the end of his life that he should have been more present of a father, and desperately tried to get his sons (particularly Jochi and Chagatai) to get along by sending them on joint military campaigns for example as a way of mending their relationship and teaching fhem the importance of unity, along with a load of other life lessons. The siege of Ugrench for example lasted for months longer than it should have because Jochi and Chagatai kept on sabotaging each other. Similarly, holding them back was a failed attempt on Mongolia's part to teach them about unity. Remember that the Mongol Empire split up in the 1260s, and the four Khanates were still functioning as a unit in the 1230s, hence why I don't think that this headcanon is unreasonable.

Now onto IIkhanate's relationship with Mongolia and what I was previously talking about: Considering the fact that "iIkhanate" literally meant "subordinate/obedient Khanate", that traditionally the youngest son would be kept close to the father and the official establishment of the Ilkhanate as a state was a bit later than his older brothers, llkhanate spent a lot of time with Mongolia personally. Mongolia was quite sticky towards IIkhanate in particular, especially when his eldest sons would fight with each other and then with him.

Before being released to his own domain, Ilkhanate took on a similar supportive role that Tolui did, and acted as kind of an assistant/administrator for Mongolia. He was certainly very keen on doing a good job. His older brothers on the other hand thought he was quite pathetic and spoiled - they had bigger responsibilities pushed onto them earlier than he did after all.

From Christopher Attwood, a prominent historian on Mongolia "The dynasty's traditional foreign policy revolved around three rivals, Mamluk Egypt, the Golden Horde, the Chagatay Khanate, and one ally, the Yuan Dynasty." 

One ally. The Yuan Dynasty (Mongolia.) 

The Mongol empire, after breaking into 4 parts in the 1260s, never collaborated closely with each other again. In fact, the different Khanates began fighting each other (much to Mongolia's chagrin because wtf I'm your father why aren't you listening to me stop that-). 

That is except, between the Yuan dynasty and IIkhanate. Not only were they allies, but they collaborated with each other on different scientific ventures too. They did eventually lose contact with each other, however the Yuan and llkhanate were closer to each other for a longer period of time than the other Khanates were. 

(Quick sidenote, Hulagu Khan actually commissioned an observatory to be built swiftly after the establishment of the iikhanate. I see Ilkhanate as being a bit more reserved compared to the likes of Chagatai Khanate and was the nerdiest out of his brothers. Also fluff headcanon but I think IIkhanate loved astronomy so much because when he was a small child and would cry at night, he'd be taken outside by Mongolia so as to not disturb others and the stars would calm him down.)

The ties between the Yuan and Ilkhanate was so much so that the Yuan dynasty kept suzerainty over the Ilkhans for quite a long period of time. This suzerainty was proclaimed over Ilkhan coinage, there was an active tributary relationship between the IIkhanate and Yuan dynasty, and Ilkhans sought after Yuan/Chinese titles, such as chingsang (grand councillor) and gong (duke). 

Because of this, Mongolia saw IIkhanate as sort of a "golden child". He never fought back against him or strayed too far away from him, he always listened to him when he wanted him to, he was the "obedient" one. This was evident even before Mongolia's children flew the nest and they lived under one (felt) roof. Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate were constantly arguing or fighting with each other, meanwhile IIkhanate was just sitting there in the background. He never gave Mongolia a headache like his brothers did in his earlier years and even in the later years - the yuan and Ilkhanate allied together to defeat Chagataid forces. 

This was not necessarily a good thing for IIkhanate. Mongolia was also mentally immature during this time so did not have thie maturity to be a good father figure. This meant that not only could he not properly control the spats that Chagatai Khanate and Golden Horde got into, but he would then use Ilkhanate as a live-in therapist to not only vent about his two eldest not getting along, but also about anything that bothered him at the time really once he realised that IIkhanate pretty much would always hear him out. In this sense he parentified IIkhanate and was an overbearing parent to him, even after the Ilkhanate as an official state was established (previous example: the coinage.) 

About the coinage again. There was a period of time when the Ilkhanate tried to kind of break free from Yuan influence instead of deferring to the Yuan all the time. Under Ahmad Khan, the coinage of the iIkhanate would show Islamic inscriptions instead of inscriptions acknowledging the supremacy of the Yuan. However in some areas, it would show both (Islamic on one side, deferral to the Yuan on the other). However after Ahmad Khan, his successor Arghun deferred back to recognising the supremacy of Yuan rule. It is speculated that this move may have been encouraged by Khublai Khan (yuan dynasty emperor) himself. Mongolia was definitely overbearing towards IIkhanate, especially so when the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate flew the nest and became "rebellious" (The Kaidu-Qublai civil war, when Kaidu as the defacto leader of the Chagatai Khanate tried to overthrow Qublai, the IIkhanate supporting Qublai/the Yuan, the Esen Buga-Ayubarwada war, when it was Chagatai Khanate vs the alliance of the Yuan and Ilkhanate.) 

Under Ghazan of the IIkhanate, there was another attempt at trying to remove the IIkhanate from acknowledging Yuan supremacy all the time when he'd publicly downplay the Yuan's relationship with the Ilkhanate for Islamic codes and laws. Regardless, ties between the Yuan and IIkhanate remained relatively strong.

About the other two Khanates being "rebellious", even throughout all of that "rebellion" (in Mongolia's eyes), IIkhanate always remained an ally, which only further solidified his golden child status. Circling back to the Qaidu-Khublai war, this was essentially the Golden Horde and Chagatai Khanate coming together to repudiate Khublai's status as the great Khan, accusing him of turning his back on Mongol tradition in favour of Chinese laws. 

What happened was, when Khublai took the throne as the Yuan emperor, he invited Kaidu, but Kaidu refused. Khublai then urged the Khan of the Chagatai Khanate, Baraq to attack Kaidu. Although Baraq defeated Kaidu, upon discovering that the golden horde sided with Qaidu, Baraq, in turn, joined them. A subsequent alliance was born at the Talas Quriltai of 1269, and down the line, Kaidu became the defacto leader of the Chagatai Khanate. Ultimately, Khublai/the Yuan came out victorious, however during this time, the IIknanate supported the Yuan dynasty as opposed to allying with the golden horde and chagatai khanate against the yuan dynasty. The IIkhanate and Mongolia remained close, and Mongolia was an overbearing parent towards Ilkhanate despite the IIkhanate having pretty much it's own dominion. 

IIkhanate found it difficult to socialise and to form alliances. Quoting Christopher Attwood again, "The dynasty's traditional foreign policy revolved around three rivals, Mamluk Egypt, the Golden Horde, the Chagatay Khanate, and one ally, the Yuan Dynasty." 

Ilkhanate could only really consider his own father as a Stable/strong ally. To an extent he held some resentment towards his father but not enough to stop him from being needy. Not exactly the healthiest relationship. 

Also: Ilkhanate definitely isn't as uh, timid as he is on the surface. The Berke-Hulagu war (Golden Horde vs IIkhanate war) was mainly fuelled by the fact that some Golden Horde princes were executed under Hulagu's watch, apparently because of "sorcery." He was definitely sneaky in his own ways and this showed even when the whole family were still living together. He was quite the snitch. 

Ilkhanate: 

Favoured youngest child 

The more reserved/artsy one 

Also the nerdiest one - really liked astronomy 

Unhealthy attachment to his father

Somewhat coddled

Sneakier than you think he is 

Onto the Khenbish (Chagatai Khanate) I find him interesting. Being the middle child, I think he knew he had to fight more for attention, and resented the attention Ogtbish would get for being the eldest (even if it was only a marginal amount more because Mongolia was very much preoccupied with other things) , especially with the rumours surrounding the parentage of Jochi and golden horde representing future Jochid lands.

He'd tell Ogtbish that he was the adoptees’ ulus and that therefore he had no right to call himself one of Mongolia's sons. He'd instigate a majority of the arguments he had with Golden Horde and probably rubbed in how he was the first to be granted his own ulus officially in 1226 - a year before the Golden Horde despite the Golden Horde being the eldest, under the provision of Chinggis Khan (golden horde gained his own territories in 1227 when Chinggis Khan died.) He always saw himself as more strong-willed than his brothers, and absolutely turned his nose up at Ilkhanate's seeming dependence on Mongolia even after gaining his own lands and being granted dominion over them. 

Despite Chagatai Khanate and Golden horde arguably being the most keen on fighting for their father's attention and approval, ironically, ultimately they were the first to explicitly express their disenchantment with their father. Circling back to Kaidu-Qublai war, they believed that their father was abandoning Mongol tradition for Chinese. This situation can be seen as somewhat comedic if you see it as Mongolia's children rebelling against him because they don't like their new stepmom. I digress. 

Khenbish was odd. He was very much someone who clung to rules and tradition. This stemmed out of his need for Mongolia's approval - especially over Golden Horde's, so the harder he stuck to the rules, the more he respected tradition, the more (he thought, anyways) his father would appreciate him. So queue his surprise when his father established the “Yuan dynasty" in China and subsequently went through some levels of cultural syncretism with China (different from full on Sinicization). I'd say that Chagatai was a little irked at his leader - Baraq, at seemingly siding with Qaidu only after the Golden Horde Khan sided with Qaidu. Of course there was discontent about Khublai already there however the way things unravelled, it was as if Chagatai Khanate quickly took Golden Horde's side rather than again, the discontent already being there and it seemed like he only spoke out after he found out that Golden Horde had the same opinion. Golden Horde definitely rubbed this in.) 

Note: Qaidu was the defacto ruler of the Chagatai Khanate from 1266 to 1301. This did not mean that he was the official Khan of the Chagatai Khanate however he held massive amounts of influence and would appoint Khans himself.

The alliance did not last long. Qaidu defeated a major Yuan army in 1289 in the Khangai range, and managed to briefly occupy Kharakhorum - the capital. Nauruz, a commander from the Ilkhanate, led a rebellion in the same year in Khorasan, starting a succession struggle in the West, which allowed for Du'a's (Baraq Khan of the Chagatai Khanate’s second son) 1295 invasion of Mazandaran into Eastern Iran 2 few years later. Kaidu essentially told Du’a to take advantage of the situation and invade the Ilkhanate in order to spread his influence. This expansionism lead to Qaidu losing support from the Golden Horde.

Ultimately, the Golden Horde stopped supporting Qaidu after Mengu-Temur’s death and his successors, in a peace overture to the Yuan, returned Nomugan. This then urged Qaidu to return Hantum to the Yuan as well.

This was also definitely rubbed in Chagatai Khanate's face by Golden horde as, once again, it seemed like Chagatai Khanate was going along with things just because Golden Horde did it.

I'd say Mongolia was... annoyed, to say the very least when his own two sons went against him and accused him of all people of going against Mongol tradition and his own two sons became a thorn in his side. 

Chagatai Khanate really irked him in particular though because not only was he the most incessant in his attacks but Mongolia remembers just how keen Chagatai Khanate used to be when it came to pleasing him, only for him to end up like that. Mongolia found himself to be the most annoyed at Chagatai Khanate and his clingyness to tradition. Not to say that Mongolia himself did not cling to tradition, because that is exactly how the Mongols of the Yuan managed to avoid sinicization and Mongolia was not about to call the Yuan a Chinese dynasty anytime soon. However I guess Chagatai crossed the line in his eyes when he decided to try and dictate to him what he should and shouldn't be doing. 

In addition, I think Khenbish held resentment towards his father and brothers because he believed he was given the short end of the stick. Baraq Khan of the Chagatai Khanate in 1269 even complained that the Chagatai Khanate was a “miserable little ulus (realm)" compared to the Yuan, IIkhanate and even Golden Horde. The foreign policy of the Chagatai Khanate until 1300 was expansionist, so he was the main instigator of inter-Khanate conflicts as all of his neighbours were, well, his family.

Mongolia/the Yuan continued to battle it out with Qaidu/Du'a until their deaths in the early 1300s. A peace treaty was held in 1304, giving the Yuan nominal suzerainty over the other Khanates, but it was honestly never the same. I mean it was already fragmented after the 1260's however this peace treaty didn't actually do much to bring the four Khanates closer together or to help each other. For example, the IIkhanate’s decline in the 1330's was definitely seen as a good thing for Golden Horde who took full advantage and used it to become a major route for Mediterranean trade with the East. Queue 1304's most awkward family dinner ever though with Mongolia basically being like "...Well you guys still acknowledge my supremacy right?" 

As said before, Chagatai Khanate was almost unhealthily obsessed with adhering to tradition, even in later life. By 1344, the Chagatai Khanate split into 2, the Mongols in the West/Transoxania, and Moghulistan in the East. Chagatai Khanate came to represent Moghulistan, as they still revered the Chagataid lineage and culture wise - kept a lot of the original tradition. The broken off Western part of the Chagatai Khanate - Transoxania, adhered much less to the original tradition, quickly converting to Islam and becoming semi-nomadic rather than remaining fully nomadic. The Mongol ruling elite mixed with the sedentary population and integrated into the local settled lranic culture. The Mongols in Transoxania/ the West dismantled the power of the Chagataid elite and merely used them as puppet rulers, unlike Moghulistan who clung to Chinggisid/Chagataid tradition. 

In short: Chagatai Khanate (as Moghulistan) hated the Mongols of Transoxania and vice versa. The Mongols of Moghulistan considered the West to be too sedentary, too mixed, too non-traditional. The Mongols of Transoxania/the Western Chagatai Khanate considered the Mongols of the East to be outdated, uncultured and barbaric. Both sides attacked each other. At first, the Mongols of Moghulistan payed little attention to what the Mongols in West were doing, and elected strong leaders of Chagataid lineage, whereas the Mongol elite in Transoxania were struggling with a succession of puppet Khans. Moghulistan converted to Islam, and invaded the Mongols in the West, using religion partly to justify their invasions. To Chagatai Khanate (now as Moghulistan), he saw this as a triumph of tradition - the fact that his clinging onto old Chinggisid rule served him right in the end.

The Moghulistan leader, Tughlugh Timur (not the Timur of the Timurid empire) took advantage of the terrible state that the Western Chagatai Khanate was in and invaded - temporarily holding power there and bringing the two halves of the Chagatai Khanate back together again. Chagatai Khanate/Moghulistan definitely wanted to show this brat that he had a few more tricks up his sleeve. This did not last long however when Timur (of the Timurid Empire) and Amir Husayn expelled the Moghols, and fought to take Transoxania amongst themselves, much to the Chagatai Khanates/ Moghulistan's dismay. 

Chagatai Khanate: 

Typical middle child who acted up 

Probably the biggest jock out of all of his brothers 

Highschool bully vibes 

At first was obsessed with pleasing his father but came to resent him 

Loud/not afraid to say what he thinks 

One more factoid about Chagatai Khanate, when the Mongols were booted out of China, quite a few Yuan Mongol refugees made their way into the Chagatai Khanate/Moghulistan. Chagatai Khanate definitely found this amusing. 

Golden Horde and Kazakhstan

Now talking about (1) Central Asian and his relationship/feelings about the Golden Horde - Kazakhstan. I think Golden horde pretty much was. Dead/close to death when the "Great Horde" rump state was created. The rump state of the Great Horde was a product of the overall Golden Horde disintegrating into smaller units. The Golden Horde was officially dead by 1502 when the Crimean Khanate finished off the last remnants of the Golden Horde. The "Great Horde” rump state which included the likes of the Crimean Khanate, Astrakhan Khanate, and Kazakh Khanate happened in the 1460's I think was when he was pretty much on his death bed and the only lands he had left was Sarai, and little control over the caravan trade. So he would have been dead by the 1502 at most - when the Crimean Khanate finished off the remnants of the Golden Horde, possibly even a few years before. 

I don't think Kazakhstan was born as soon as the Kazakh Khanate was created, he was definitely around for a bit as the Kazakh tribes under the rule of the Uzbek Khanate. You could make a good argument that he was around even in the 14th century as it is specutated that from the 13-15th century was when the ethnogenesis of the Kazakh people took place. I believe, in hetalia terms, the Kazakhstan was "born" in the (very) late 14th century to signify this ethnogenesis as Kazakhs became fully emerged by the mid 15th century.

Another reason why I believe it is realistic to make Kazakhstan's birthdate around the late 14th century is because of the chain of events that lead tothe beginning of the Kazakhs. Urus Khan, son of Toga-Temur who was Jgchi Khan's 13th son, seized control over the Eastern Golden Horde - where modern day Kazakhstan is. The Uzbeks however, drove them out in the mid-15th century, and the descendants of Urus Khan (most notably Janibek and Kerei, his great grandchildren. Urus died in 1377) became the "Kazakh" (meaning free booter) aristocracy around the Xinjiang-Kazakhstan border. Hence why I think it would be logical to make him be born in the late 14th century, both to signify the ethnogenesis of the Kazakh people during this time and because this chain of events allowed for Kazakhs as a group to emerge/the events surrounding Urus Khan and his death and descendants was a major catalyst in Kazakh history that drove forward the emergence of the Kazakh people/aristocracy of the Kazakhs. 

The Golden Horde was in it's decline by the late 14th century anyways, so Kazakhstan never got to experience Golden Horde rule during its peak. To note: The Kazakh Khanate became a thing when the Kazakh's became dissatisfied under Uzbek rule, and under Janibek and Kerei, fled the Uzbek Khanate in 1459. The Kazakh Khanate was then established in 1465, and 3 years later in 1468, the Kazakhs fought against the Uzbeks for independence. 

What did Kazakhstan think of the Golden Horde? | don't think he ever met Golden Horde face to face to be honest. 

The Golden Horde capital of Sarai and where the Kazakh tribes were situated were some distance from each other, and quite honestly Golden Horde was both too busy dealing with his own issues, conquests, politics etc and really not in the mood to think about other nation personifications that were either popping up because of him or gaining power within him - as they only served at testaments to his potential doom. Despite this, Kazakhstan definitely knew of the legends of the Golden Horde. 

He was more of a legend figure to Kazakhstan than someone he had a tangible relationship with - being told he shared a resemblance to him when he was younger did give him a bit of a complex. | don't think this is something he obsesses over today (for the most part, I mean some Kazakh nationalists online are wilding and Mongolia can't help but waste time flaming them) but he definitely acknowledges his ties to the Golden Horde when it comes to his origins. For example, leaders of the liberal-nationalist Alash-Orda party until 1919 proudly traced their origins back to Chinggis Khan or Arghun Khan of the Golden Horde. 

More on Kazakhstan's personality these days: 

He's the baby of Central Asia but also the most successful 

Because of this he feels a lot of pressure to do well 

Smokes to deal with it 

Workaholic

Very particular on keeping a stable/good public face. Especially with Russia Kyrgyzstan sort of scolds him for not being meaner to Russia LMAO but Kazakhstan finds importance in keeping things professional

Might snap one day who knows but he's doing good for now

Quite big on Central Asian unity/comradery and usually organises the meet ups 

Which Uzbekistan finds really ironic considering that Kazakhstan breaking away from her Uzbek Khanate back in the 15th century is why he is who he is but oh well

Doesn't really like addressing the Soviet era but will speak about it objectively if someone asks him about it, both because it’s not a nice time to remember and also he'd prefer to give rigid responses so the asker eventually gets bored. 

Those closer to him get the full scoop

Usually seen spotted with Kyrgyzstan 

A bit of a space nerd he'll let you know that Yuri Gagarin took off from a launch site in his central country 

Interests: He's sporty! And really loves falconry. Very good singer

Uzbekistan: 

More religious/strict compared to quite a few of her CA counterparts 

Serious face 

I'd say she's quite disciplined and this extends to her work 

At times she catches herself being authoritative towards Kazakhstan because she sort of treats him like annoying younger brother . 

She's more reserved and tends to keep her personal feelings private. Less so for political/diplomatic reasons like Kazakhstan but because she prefers it that way. She's particular on who exactly she keeps close to her

Despite her disciplined exterior, she does have a compassionate side, particularly to those who have faced similar hardships as her 

Her faith is incredibly important fo her, especially given the history of religious persecutions in her country 

The second biggest player in CA beside Kazakhstan 

Kyrgyzstan's face when the babies are the most successful: 🙄

Difficult on/off again relationship with Kyrgyzstan (not in a romantic way) considering their history of conflict/comradery between each other 

Still doesn't have the best relationship with each other but Kyrgyzstan has to suck it up considering he almost entirely is dependant on Uzbekistan for natural gas 

Is a little bit of a gossip but you'd never know on the surface 

Interests: Reading, art museums, pottery, quilt making... gossiping 

Kyrgyzstan: 

A little bit. Batshit. But I say that in the most affectionate way possible 

Has a bit of a complex about Kazakhstan being younger yet more successful 

Cares a lot less about keeping a cool exterior/diplomatic face and can sometimes let out of pocket stuff escape him 

Not exactly happy about his position in Central Asia wealth wise 

On/off again relationship with Uzbekistan as said before and is one of the only people who have seen her more vulnerable side 

This didn't last long though and now he finds her overbearing and uptight considering how much younger she Is. 

Despite his somewhat emotionally erratic behaviour he too has a compassionate/understanding side, but this is unlike Uzbekistan.

With both, it's hard for them to let people in. However with Uzbekistan, once she let's you in she'll keep you close/you're there for life. With Kyrgyzstan, he has moments of vulnerability towards people who he secretly does trust and would consider his inner circle but will never explicitly tell them, and when that moment ts over it's gone in a blink and you wonder if it even happen 

Relationship with Tajikistan is a little rocky and he has a lot less of a filter around vocalising his grievances about her to her than Uzbekistan

If you're his friend though he is a ride or die 

Interests: Really big on poetry/ (epic of Manas anyone?), falconry/horseriding (tends to do this with Kazakhstan most of the time). Also goldsmithing!

Tajikistan:

Unlike Kyrgyzstan, she doesn’t mind being perceived as younger than the babies of the region as she sees that as adding to her natural youthful appearance 

Has a somewhat bouncy/bubbly personality 

However if something gets on her nerves she can get exasperated quite quickly but doesn't reach Kyrgyzstan levels of lashing out. Just sulks really 

Very proud of her history 

Isn't one to hold grudges usually however if there is an event that had happened to her that gets in the way of her #proudhistory narrative she can get sulky about it 

She admittedly does hold some resentment about being held under foreign rule for so long (since about the 10th century) 

Speaking about history, at times she can prattle on about her own history quite a bit like her close ties to Persia but she does like history in general. 

Is quite dose to Iran/Afghanistan 

Hobbies: I can see her being really into embroidery because a lot of Tajik arts/crafts includes embroidered wallhangings and bedcovers! I can also see her being a sporty/active to keep up with her “natural youthful appearance”, blasting Iranian music. 

Turkmenistan: 

Quite cut off/isolated from the rest of CA because of her government so isn't particularly close to a lot of people 

So in this sense she is quite reserved on the surface but inside she is kind of itching to talk to other people 

Because she's so cut off, to the very few people who she is close to or that she does talk to, she can be quite sticky/needy with them and has a tendency to overshare 

As mentioned before, she is itching to talk to more people/make new friends but at the same time 1) government 2) she is very cautious when it comes to falling under the influence of other nations (Russia, USA etc) so she sees it as a way of protecting her own interests

She kind of justifies the extent of isolation she puts up with by comparing herself to more unfortunate nations/neighbours and using excuses such as "It could be worse at least the food is cheap..." etc etc. — 

So, not the best coping mechanism but it's not as bad as the chain smoking Kazakhstan participates in 

As said before, she is reserved but her reserved-ness doesn't give the same sort of resting-bitch-face vibes that Uzbekistan's reserved nature does. People just look at her and think "oh she seems quiet” 

This does not mean she is shy though - just has hard boundaries with talking to new people 

I can see her really liking Turkey! I'd say that Turkey is a bit more enthusiastic about their friendship than she is because he is a bit of a larper lol but she really appreciates his company. Lots of Turkmen students go to Turkey and speak very good Turkish! 

Interests: I think she does a lot of reading but also I can see her doing beadwork/jewellery making to pass the time :3 

I hope you enjoyed reading !

[paleopinesofficial]

[ALT TEXT: Two Gallimimus. On the left, a drawing by a palaeontologist- brown, speckled, feathered. On the right, an image of a 3D Gallimimus in the game Paleo Pines: light green, with a swirled, dark green pattern across its back.]

Our resident Paleontologist, Natalia Jagielska is back to give us a rating on how accurate our Gallimimus is and to share some dino knowledge with us!

GALLIMMUMUS

The bare bone basics: Gallimimus is one of the better-understood ornithomimids (also known as "ostrich-mimic dinosaurs", for its similarities to modern large birds). The discovery of bone beds with the same species suggests the animal could be gregarious (live in groups). It had large eyes, a long flexible neck and a gracile toothless beak.

An interesting story: The fossil was discovered during collaborative Mongolian-Polish expeditions in the Gobi Desert led by numerous women behind the Iron Curtain. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska found the holotype (a species-defining skeleton) while Halszka Osmólska led the publication that initially described it; it was one of the first famous dinosaurs discovered and described by women. Currently, sadly, fossils of animals like Gallimimus are under threat of illegal poaching.

The Known Unknowns: Despite being known from rather well-preserved specimens, specificities about the diet of Gallimimus remain arguable. Understanding the feeding habits of prehistoric animals isn't that straightforward, to narrow down food scientists look at the presence of edible material in the gut and coprolites (fossil poop) of the animal, textures of the teeth, presence of gastric mill (gizzard) stones, anatomy of the animal and comparisons to living animals with analogous skeletal structures. Different scientists proposed varying views on the Gallimimus diet, varying from filter feeding to opportunistic all-eater! Gallimimus: 4/5 (the beak has characteristic curve; the animal was light, it had hollow, pneumatised bones, it is unlikely, us heavy people, people could ride it!) The Paleo Pines demo is available to play now!

[jurakan]

Welp absolutely no one asked but it’s Fun Fact Friday and I’m about to go to bed, so Today You Learned about the Mongolian Death Worm!

Ew.

So in 1926, Roy Chapman Andrew discussed in his book stories about a killer worm thing in the Gobi Desert. Apparently everyone is terrified of it, and it’s so poisonous that touching it will kill you. Some time later, some guy (Ivan Mackerle) proposed that maybe it could shoot venom, or maybe it could produce electricity, like an electric eel?

Yeah, it’s weird.

After that, the story sort of spun out, but mostly from Western sources claiming this was an ancient Mongolian thing. Several expeditions were mounted, but no one’s ever found the darn thing. There were supposedly several sightings by locals, but hardly any hard evidence.

Cryptozoologists go nuts over this thing, though.

[gingericywolf]

It's Kai's birthday!! Happy Kai day beyfam. Have Kai's current design in my dinosaur Au ,and some hints of lore, in a style partly inspired by Ark's dossiers. I know many people wanted him to be a T.rex or pteranodon like(which I remember you are Not Dinosaurus).

I left this colorless since I still haven't figured out a color scheme/pattern for him and this is probably not the final design. I may move the iconic blue triangles further on the top of muzzle (one of the ideas was having them on the wings). It's good to have finally a species pinned for him.

Some facts:

Achillobator means 'Achilles hero'.

The first remains where found in 1989 during a mongolian-russian expedition.

It is one of the largest dromeosaurids with Utahraptor, Austroraptor and Dakotaraptor, estimated at 3.9-5m (13-16ft) long and 165-250kg.

Some AU things:

In this universe Kai is a 'fancy' breed of Achillobator, think like your fancy pigeon breeds. Being a fancy breed he does not resemble the wild/standard achillobator. The decorative feathers are inspired by Dranzer and birds of paradise.

He was bought as a baby by Voltaire/Soichiro Hiwatari from a black market breeder.

He was not the only dinosaur that was bought by Hiwatari, but the others got lost in shipment.

As usual more sketches/progress under the read more.

Bonus also an older design from last year when still I didn't know what species to use

[chororine]

The Who's Who of Hipipo

("Open Image In New Tab" highly recommended!)

one of my favourite scenes in "Osomatsu-san: The Hipipo Tribe and the Glistening Fruit" was the climactic chase featuring cameos from many reoccuring and one-off characters (some of whom also appeared in the film's opening) from all three seasons of the anime - some well-known among fans of the franchise, others not so much.

in an attempt to fill in those "not so much" gaps, I proudly present a project I've been looking forward to posting for three months: a visual guide to the name and origin of every character who cameos in the climax and/or opening. see the list in text form under the cut!

Nanmaiders (season 3 episode 16: "Nanmaider Attacks")

Potato Kingdom citizens (season 3 episode 17: "Imoni")

Tatsunami/"Tacchan" (season 3 episode 23: "Friend")

Satozaki (season 3 episode 5: "Well, Yeah...")

Drunk couple (season 3 episode 2: "Let's Be Quiet At Night")

Sanematsu/Sanecop and Kaoruko (season 1 episode 13: "Sanematsu-san", season 2 episode 14: "Sanematsu-san Episode 9" and season 3 episode 16: "Sanecop")

Jyushi-senpai (season 3 episode 3: "Magical Angel Magi Lunatic Icchi")

Kouji Murakami (season 3 episode 1)

Shonosuke Hijirisawa (season 1 episode 2: "Aesop's Fables That Are Actually Terrifying" and others)

The New Sextuplets (season 3 episode 1)

Dobuko Busujima/"Dobusu"/"ugly flower fairy" (season 1 episode 15: "The Life of Chibita's Flower" and others)

Sukeroku (season 3 episode 12: "AI")

Tortoise and Hare (season episode 15: "Cosplaymatsu" ("Mister"))

The voice actors: Takahiro Sakurai, Yuichi Nakamura, Hiroshi Kamiya, Jun Fukuyama and Daisuke Ono (season 3 episode 1)

Miyu Irino (season 3 episode 24: "A-1 Grand Prix")

The director: Yoichi Fujita (season 3 episode 1)

Kumi and Miwa (season 2 episode 7: "Osomatsu and Todomatsu")

Sextuplets as "kill the cacao" demons (season 2 episode 19: "Valentine's Day")

Shoei (season 2 episode 3: "Totoko's Challenge")

Kinko Inuyama (season 2 episode 16: "The Cutie Next Door")

Devil Yeti (season 2 episode 17: "UMA Expedition Team")

Eitaro (season 2 episode 12: "The Eitaro Family")

Eitaro's mother (season 2 episode 12: "The Eitaro Family")

Michaelmatsu (season 2 episode 13: "Discharge Notice 2017: The Youngest Brother Who Got Fired")

Osoma (season 2 episode 17: "Inn")

Matsuzou as "Cherryzou" (season 2 episode 4: "Matsuzou and Matsuyo")

Sousou (season 2 episode 7: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms")

Giant oni/demon (season 2 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san in Hell")

Regular oni/demons (season 2 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san in Hell")

Chupacabra Deluxe (season 2 episode 15: "UMA Expedition Team"

F6 (season 1 episode 1: "Osomatsu-kun Returns" and others)

Super Mongolian Death Worm (season 2 episode 14: "UMA Expedition Team")

Chanto Shitaa/"Propershitter" (season 2 episode 1: "Osomatsu-san Returns")

Aida and Sacchi (season 1 episode 2: "The Melancholy of Osomatsu", season 1 episode 7: "Todomatsu and the Five Demons" and others)

Dayon girl/"Dayoko" (season 1 episode 23: "Dayon Tribe")

Black Factory supervisor (season 1 episode 2: "Let's Get A Job")

Sutabaa Coffee manager (season 1 episode 7: "Todomatsu and the Five Demons")

Dayon Tribe members (season 1 episode 23: "Dayon Tribe")

Totoko's parents (season 1 episode 4: "This Is Totoko" and others)

Flag Corporation employees (season 1 episode 6: "It's A Birthday Party, da jo")

Kamimatsu/Godmatsu (season 1 episode 21: "Kamimatsu")

Jiguzou (season 1 episode 3: "Tidbits Collection" ("OAW/OSO"))

"Christmas couple" (season 1 episode 11: "Black Santa" and season 2 episode 5: "Summer Kamen")

"Fheeeh" master (season 1 episode 22: "Final Sheeeh")

Shaorin (season 1 episode 22: "Final Sheeeh")

Atsushi (season 1 episode 22: "The Star of Hope, Todomatsu" and others)

Oil magnate (season 1 episode 24: "Totoko's Huge Panic")

Coachmatsu (season 1 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was")

"Kanojo"/"Homura" (season 1 episode 9: "Jyushimatsu Falls In Love" and season 2 episode 8: "Jyushimatsu and the Dolphin")

Akumatsu/Evilmatsu (season 1 episode 21: "Kamimatsu")

President of France (season 1 episode 6: "Iyami Has Arrived")

Musashi Ironworks baseball team (season 1 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was")

Fourth Galactic University Affiliated High School baseball team (season 1 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was")

Oguri Overbite (season 1 episode 6: "Iyami Has Arrived")

Wanta (season 3 episode 19: "Dogs")

PHEW 💦

[anomalocaris-for-season-four]

Therizinosaurus (/ˌθɛrəˌzɪnoʊˈsɔːrəs/; meaning 'scythe lizard') is a genus of very large therizinosaurid that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Nemegt Formation around 70 million years ago. It contains a single species, Therizinosaurus cheloniformis. The first remains of Therizinosaurus were found in 1948 by a Mongolian field expedition at the Gobi Desert and later described by Evgeny Maleev in 1954. The genus is only known from a few bones, including gigantic manual unguals (claw bones), from which it gets its name, and additional findings comprising fore and hindlimb elements that were discovered from the 1960s through the 1980s.

🦔

[foxghost]

Joyful Reunion

Translator: foxghost @foxghost tumblr/ko-fi1 Beta: meet-me-in-oblivion @meet-me-in-oblivion tumblr Original by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang Masterpost | Characters, Maps & Other Reference Index

Watchtowers of the Seven Stars

3. All the Realm’s Rivers End In the South

The eternal Silver River spans the northern night sky. Like a bolt of silk, the gentle aurora shines on the present just as it had shone on the past. Duan Ling remembers Wu Du telling him once that he didn’t like the nighttime, if only because the night is pitch-black.

But sometimes, Duan Ling favours the night, for nighttime has a sky full of stars, rare hours of tranquillity, brief moments of solitude, and dreams without boundaries and without end.

Night, like how right now he has his arms around his father’s waist, his head against his father’s powerful back. The sound of hoofbeats thunder through the snow and vibrate through his ears; the fragmentary noises of armour scraping against armour string together into a continuous, gentle rustling in the night.

The sun slowly rises between the mountains, and the world finally takes on colour again.

What he hears is the long-lost clamour of civilization; coming back from the wilderness, Duan Ling feels as though it’s been a long, long time since he’s seen the hustle and bustle of a city.

From the day the army set off on their expedition and Duan Ling stole away to follow them, leaving Jiangzhou for the north, three months have already gone by. Wu Du once asked him if he misses Jiangzhou, but of course he doesn’t. Both Wu Du and his father are here, so that’s basically home anyway.

Li Jianhong has been looking displeased this whole time, and his murderous aura is even more pronounced than usual. When they arrive at the encampment in Baihe, he throws Duan Ling over his shoulder and carries him off like some sort of animal. Duan Ling is all at once awake, and he starts struggling, but Li Jianhong simply carries him all the way into the marshal’s residence and drops him onto the daybed in the main hall.

“Are you so sure that I won’t beat you to death?!” Li Jianhong says, furious.

Yawning, Duan Ling grabs the blanket on the daybed and wraps it around himself. Li Jianhong is basically so angry that he’s not even sure where to begin anymore. He takes off his bracers and unstraps his armour, tossing each piece to the floor loudly in a series of metallic clangs.

“Why you …” After Li Jianhong has finished removing his armour, he strides up to Duan Ling, and Duan Ling immediately retreats into the blankets, leaving two eyes exposed to stare at his dad.

“Don’t yell at me anymore,” Duan Ling protests, “I’m going to sleep!”

Li Jianhong glares at him. Then he says grimly, “Get in here.”

“Aye,” Chang Liujun replies from outside and briskly walks in.

“Pass this message onto the rest of the army: we’ve found the crown prince. Wu Du failed in his duty. Although he’s already been dispatched to perform a mission, martial law must not be neglected. He will be demoted three ranks, and once he returns, he will be beaten by the truncheon …”

Duan Ling throws his blanket off and sits up. “Don’t you hit Wu Du anymore!”

“If it wasn’t for him, who’d take you all over the place and let you get into trouble all the time? This could have turned into a much bigger problem. What are we supposed to do if you fell into Mongolian hands?”

“The situation we were in was complete chaos at the time,” Duan Ling disputes, frowning. “At the moment of the ambush, how were we supposed to know where our people were and where the enemy was? They all say that when a general is on the field he can’t always follow orders. And here you are punishing him again!”

Li Jianhong bellows, “If he doesn’t go along with everything you say, why would you have ever run away from Jiangzhou to begin with and come all the way here?! You’re out of control!”

Duan Ling yells back, “Can’t you at least be reasonable?! I ran away myself! What did that have anything to do with him?!”

“Recall Wu Du for me right this minute!” Li Jianhong howls angrily at Chang Liujun.

“If you hit him again, I’m leaving!” Duan Ling is also howling angrily.

Chang Liujun keeps mum. He looks one way at Li Jianhong, then the other way at Duan Ling, and he’s finding it momentarily difficult to manage being stuck in the middle.

Li Jianhong’s breathing is coming in hard. Chang Liujun slowly backs away, saying, “Then … I will go in a little while.”

At the drop of his last word, Chang Liujun is gone like a gust of wind.

In a prolonged bout of silence, Li Jianhong finally speaks again, sounding entirely hostile, “Even since that knave started following at your side, you and I have been constantly at odds.”

Duan Ling’s also got a dark expression on his face. He refuses to speak.

“That docile and decorous demeanour you used to possess has vanished entirely,” Li Jianhong adds coldly. “My whole life, I only ever wanted you to be happy, and so you often behave atrociously under his abetment, putting yourself in danger, keeping me always in constant dread …”

“I’m the one who did wrong,” Duan Ling says, still as stubborn as ever. “That has nothing to do with him. You never used to speak harshly to me either, but ever since Wu Du’s been with me, you’ve been constantly finding fault with him. At any rate, if you don’t like someone then no matter what he does you’re going to say he’s doing wrong. Someday, once I’ve annoyed you once too many times, I’ll make sure to vanish from your sight without you having to ask. I won’t stick around to bother you.”

Li Jianhong remains silent.

Once Duan Ling finishes speaking, he turns away and falls onto the daybed with his face to the wall, ignoring Li Jianhong out of spite.

Li Jianhong can but sit behind the table helplessly, letting out one long sigh. All the murderous rage has gradually, finally subsided.

Soon, Duan Ling stirs. Li Jianhong says, “Are you hungry? Want breakfast?”

Duan Ling retreats closer to the wall, sneaking a glance at Li Jianhong in the meantime. Li Jianhong is squatting behind the table, drinking without looking at him.

“You should have at least found someone who’s less of an eyesore,” Li Jianhong says.

Duan Ling ignores his dad and flips over again.

“You making pancakes over there?” Li Jianhong continues, “if you’re thirsty, get up and have some water.”

Now Duan Ling gets up. Li Jianhong’s slender fingers pick up a cup of tea and set it down before him. Duan Ling drinks it in one gulp.

“I want more,” Duan Ling says.

And so Li Jianhong gets up and pours him more tea. When their eyes meet, Duan Ling’s gaze is full of resentment.

“Look at you. Are you just itching to fight your dad to the death or what,” Li Jianhong says offhandedly as he hands the second cup of tea to Duan Ling.

Duan Ling drinks that as well, and he wants more. “I can fight somebody else to death.”

“Now that definitely won’t do. Can you bear to leave me behind all by my lonesome to feel sad?”

Upon hearing these words, the edges of Duan Ling’s eyes go red in an instant.

Li Jianhong adds, “Judging by the way you look at me like I’m some nemesis you’d fight to the last breath, someday, if I really do die first, you’d probably be sad once it hits you. If I die alongside you, then we’d save us all this shouting. In the next lifetime, I’ll reincarnate as your son, and you can be my dad. Whatever you owe me now, I’ll make sure to get it all back. That’d teach you how much grief it is.”

“Pfft,” Duan Ling laughs. To him, if he ever holds a grudge against anyone it wouldn’t be against Li Jianhong. With this one laugh, they’ve basically reconciled.

“Hey,” Duan Ling says.

“Hay’s for horses.” Li Jianhong hands him his third cup of tea.

Duan Ling stops after drinking only half of it.

“Dad,” Duan Ling calls him.

Li Jianhong raises an eyebrow, meaning if he’s got something to say he should just say it. Duan Ling sits there a bit awkwardly and suddenly starts to hate himself. That day, when Li Jianhong left to go on this campaign, he’d taken Wu Du and Chang Liujun with him, while Li Yanqiu was supposed to guide Duan Ling in administration work for the court, leaving Lang Junxia and Zheng Yan to protect Duan Ling and to keep him company. Duan Ling couldn’t stop worrying about Li Jianhong though, and he missed Wu Du besides, so thinking that once they part it’d be at least a year before they get to see each other again, he’d hid in a carriage and came along.

It had taken Lang Junxia ages to catch up to him. Duan Ling was in the forest then, catching hares for dinner, and got caught right then and there. Once they met up with the army, he clung onto Li Jianhong and refused to let go, so Li Jianhong could only take the little young master along.

“Originally, I’d …” Duan Ling says, “never mind.”

Duan Ling was going to say that he only followed Li Jianhong because he couldn’t bear to part with him, but he’s not a kid anymore, so it’s embarrassing to admit to being so clingy.

Li Jianhong sits on the daybed in front of Duan Ling with his back to him. “Rub my shoulders for me.”

So Duan Ling tries his best to drum along Li Jianhong’s shoulders, gripping his sore muscles. A slight furrow remains between Li Jianhong’s brows. Duan Ling says, “The day you left, I had a dream about that year in Shangjing.”

“Which year?” Li Jianhong says offhandedly.

“That year. I dreamt that you came to rescue me, and on the street just outside the Viburnum, you were shot to death.”

“You’re clearly thinking about that guy. You think I’m a child you can fool by making up a story like this?”

“I’m serious!” Duan Ling says anxiously, “I had such a long dream too … During that time in the dream I didn’t know you were gone, so I went all the way to Xichuan in the snow, but Lang Junxia tossed me into the river. Good thing Wu Du saved me.”

“Look at this look at this,” Li Jianhong just finds this hilarious. He says, “What on earth kind of grievance do you have against Wuluohou Mu anyway? And you say I hold a grudge?”

“Are you going to listen or what?”

Duan Ling pulls at the red string with the jade arc that Li Jianhong wears so it tightens around his strong neck, and Li Jianhong immediately begs for mercy. Duan Ling pulls him closer then, pushing him onto the bed. Duan Ling straddles his waist and rubs at his face. Li Jianhong’s handsome face gets kneaded and he sighs with pleasure.

Duan Ling grabs a towel and puts it across his father’s forehead, then sits down on the step at the edge of the daybed. “In the dream, everyone was picking on me. Cai Yan passed himself off as me and became the crown prince.”

“This Wuluohou Mu is seriously reprehensible,” Li Jianhong says, the corner of his mouth quirking up a tiny angle, “on the contrary, Wu Du is so loyal …”

Duan Ling kneads Li Jianhong’s knees for him, the back of his legs, and the joints of his fingers to loosen the knots, narrating every detail of that nightmare in the meanwhile — from the Xianbei Mountains to Xichuan, then Jiangzhou, Hebei … halfway through, thinking that Li Jianhong’d fallen asleep, he lowers his volume, but he still doesn’t want to stop, and so starts to mumble to himself.

“… Batu brought twenty thousand soldiers to lay siege to my city …”

To his surprise, Li Jianhong says, “I’m still listening.”

Duan Ling is massaging the knots out of his hands, so Li Jianhong turns his palm over and grabs Duan Ling’s fingertips, locking their fingers together, and then he sways their hands back and forth. He withdraws his hand again, gently strokes his fingers over Duan Ling’s face, and gives his cheek a squeeze.

And so Duan Ling continues his story all the way to the end. When he’s done, his mind is still engrossed in the dream, and his words come haltingly. For a long time, he can’t seem to shake it off.

“That’s the end of it,” Duan Ling says. He climbs onto the daybed and takes away the towel he’d placed over Li Jianhong’s eyes earlier. His father’s eyes seem a bit red to him; they stare at each other without a word.

Duan Ling looks wonderingly at him.

Li Jianhong stretches, sits up cross-legged, and hugs Duan Ling, putting his head on his shoulder. The jade arc on his bare chest sways with the motion, and it touches the jade arc in front of Duan Ling’s neck. They shimmer with a gentle glow.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Duan Ling says.

“It’s a dream. What can I ever say about it?” Li Jianhong looks at him strangely, “Let’s go practice your martial arts.”

Duan Ling is left speechless. He follows Li Jianhong outside to practice. It is getting close to evening, and the snow is gilded in gold.

“Dad,” Duan Ling says when they’re halfway through the set, turning at the same time as Li Jianhong. Li Jianhong’s eyes are focused on Duan Ling’s back, his palm held up vertically as he fixes Duan Ling’s posture.

“Yeah, my son.” Li Jianhong is clearly preoccupied.

“Don’t punish Wu Du again,” Duan Ling stops moving and implores.

“Fine fine fine,” Li Jianhong says, “out of everyone in the world, Your Highness Li Ruo is the greatest of them all. Whatever you say goes.”

“Out of everyone in the world, you’re the one who’s greatest,” Duan Ling says resentfully. “You just can’t stand to see me being nice to anyone is all.”

“Of course I can’t stand to see you being nice to anyone,” Li Jianhong says, baffled. He holds up a finger and beckons Duan Ling over to block his moves, and as Duan Ling blocks and parries, he continues, “You’re only realising this now? That scoundrel’s swindled you away, so then what about me?”

Duan Ling’s not sure if he should laugh or cry — neither in words nor in fights is he a match for his father.

“Can I castrate him?” Li Jianhong says.

Duan Ling is utterly speechless.

“That or we can make things fair,” Li Jianhong says with a deadpan expression on his face, "Some other day I’ll also …’

Li Jianhong was going to say I’ll also go find myself a lover, but as soon as he thinks of his late wife, he feels a sadness coming over him. Duan Ling naturally knows what he was about to say as well, and his expression darkens immediately. Li Jianhong stops himself in time and says instead, “Don’t do unto others what you would not want done to you. Can’t you stop for a moment and think about how your dad feels?”

“It’s not the same thing.” Duan Ling feels a bit bitter, and he stands there dejectedly in the snow.

Li Jianhong knows he’s gone too far and feels rather remorseful about it; he immediately vows that he would never do such a thing. But Duan Ling is still a bit sulky.

“Alright, alright,” it’s Duan Ling’s turn to fly off the handle, “stop talking! I’ve forgotten it all already!”

“Sure sure sure,” Li Jianhong knows he’s said something out of line and must make amends. He gets an idea and says, “We won’t demote Wu Du anymore.”

Duan Ling finally feels somewhat happier, but as night falls, he’s still a bit worried about what Wu Du is doing. After dinner, Li Jinghong takes his son into his room.

“You’re not going to convene a meeting and plan the next battle?” Duan Ling asks.

“My head hurts,” Li Jianhong says. “I don’t want to fight right now. There’s a bed here so let’s sleep today. We’ll worry about all that tomorrow.”

And so Li Jianhong tosses his son into the bed, lies down next to him, and goes to sleep.

This translation is by foxghost, on tumblr and kofi. I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, it was reposted without permission. Do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎

[mybeingthere]

"Mongolian types" by Nikolai Charushin (1852 - 1937), Russian. 

Charushin was a publisher, writer, "narodnik", a member of the  Grand Propaganda Society, later a socialist. In 1888 he visited the Capital of Mongolia, Urga as a member of the Potanin's expedition. 

He brought a large collection of photographs, later produced as a book. He was one of the founders of the ethnographic museum in Troitskosavsk (Kyahta).

[i-said-khasar]

I requested you for the team because I believed you to be a good fit for the task, Dr. Khasar. Regardless of your opinion of me, I do hope that intention will prove itself true … even with your distaste for the ship as a whole. / @captsize

...My apologies for that. I believe I was hacked.

A good fit? [He curls a lock of hair around his finger, smiling up from under his lashes.] Oh, don't insult me - of course I'm a good fit. I'm a good fit for almost everything as far as diplomacy is concerned. My flaws are few and far between, and largely sports-related. (I also can't handle my alcohol, but despite what my countrymen may have you believe, that is not a personal failing.)

You're right to say I have a distate for the ship as a whole-- though I haven't been, ah, particularly subtle about it. Do you know what was served for lunch in Ozzy's cafeteria today? She'd ran out of re-hydrated shepard's pie - which I didn't exactly mourn; eating it is like trying to swallow a pack of playdough whole - so I had to pick up a 'nutrient block'. What nutrients, you may ask? That remains unclear, though I struggle to believe it contained any at all-- if you told me I was chewing on compact sawdust, I would've believed it. I feel a sort of grief for Ozzy. I would hate if I wanted all my life to work with food - only to be forced to serve that.

Aren't you close to retirement? Mhm... Yes, I'd heard it on the rumour mill the Aurora is to be your last expedition. I hope you've found fulfilment as a ship captain. [He props his head on one hand and bats his eyes.] Take a stint in the Mongolian States once you've retired. If only to experience some half-decent food before you move onto your next flesh prison. Though, I'll, ah - I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of Mongolian food myself.

...What? [He covers his mouth to laugh, a little bashfully.] Shush. I'm not a caricature. You can't expect me to be a raging nationalist a hundred percent of the time.

[itsmarjudgelove]

1185-1333 — Kamakura Government

The most important feature of the medieval period is that the samurai (warrior-administrators) replaced the court government in managing local government.

Because the court government had no police force, bands of samurai gained power when the Heian government neglected the administration of the provinces. Samurai strength rested on strong group loyalty and discipline. These bands managed large areas of rice land in eastern Japan, around modern Tôkyô.

In 1185 a new government was founded by the Minamoto family in Kamakura, south of modern Tôkyô. In 1192 Minamoto Yoritomo was given the title 'shôgun' to signify his military control over the country. While it followed the laws of the Heian government, the Kamakura government was run by a network of samurai throughout the country, pledged to keep the peace. Since they exercised real power on the spot, they were able to take over land from rich aristocratic land proprietors and thus caused the Heian government in Kyôto to become even weaker. Gradually the samurai took the lead in developing the law of the nation.

The Mongol invasions, the only military invasion of Japan before World War II, occurred during this period. Khubilai, Great Khan of the Mongols, invaded China and in 1263 became Emperor of China. He pressed his conquest on to Japan. In 1274 and 1281 Mongols and Chinese led great expeditions across the seas to southwest Japan. Samurai in Kyûshû were greatly outnumbered and technically disadvantaged. In 1274, a great storm arose that destroyed or set to sea the whole invasion fleet. In 1281, after 50 days of fierce struggle, the Japanese were again saved by a great storm. These storms became known as kamikaze, divine winds. (More than 650 years later, during the second invasion of Japan, by America, the suicide pilots protecting the islands were called kamikaze, too). The Mongolian attempts to invade Japan united the Japanese against an outside force for the first time in history. Shintô priests, involving the country's deities for protection, were richly rewarded.

1336-1573 — Ashikaga Government

In 1333, the Kamakura shogunate lost control of the country to a rival samurai family, the Ashikaga family. The Ashikaga shogunate moved the capital back to Kyôto, but was not able to assert as much control over the various provinces as the Kamakura government had. In the surrounding countryside, daimyô (provincial barons) ruled the people, and often fought against one other over territorial claims. The daimyô built bureaucratic governments in each province and attempted to bring all elements of society under their military rule. Local rule was more developed that before, but the central government represented by the shôgun was weak.

1600-1868 — Tokugawa Government

In 1600, one of the powerful military families, the Tokugawa, was able to gain military control over all the local daimyô. The Tokugawa created a much stronger bureaucratic military government in Edo, now named Tôkyô. It controlled — either directly or indirectly — all elements of society, such as the agrarian and commercial sectors.

The government legally differentiated four classes of society — samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Since it was concerned with a possible samurai rebellion (it had taken away the weapons of all other classes), the Tokugawa government made the daimyô live part of the time in Edo, the new military capital, and leave their families in Edo as hostages whenever they returned to their domains. Edo became a giant urban center because so many people came to make a living by supplying the huge samurai population. By 1700 there were about one million people living in Edo. In time, the Edo merchants supplying the military became richer than the samurai, many of whom lived in poverty. When Commodore Perry came to Japan from the United States in 1853 seeking commercial relations, many groups in society were ready for changes in the old legal and economic systems. Japan's feudal period ended shortly thereafter with the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

[prettykikimora]

I had a dream I was taking an expedition into the steppes of mongolia to reach lake baikal at the end and we had many stops on the way. Starting from the Chinese border we made our way through the capital city for supplies. We had a little competition where we had to prepare dinner of our choice with a mongolian family together. I told them I was hiking north on a long journey into the cold amd they said they had just the thing. I've had a dream like this before so it was easy for me I rushed past every other tourist on the trip for 1st prize. I peeled vegetables like a champ but I fuckes up this time. I was peeling a gourd I guess but then they were like "that's the mac and cheese root be careful not to break the membrane" so of course I do because wtf does that mean and raw macaroni noodles come spilling out and the father was like "here come with me to the spice closet, if you can still prepare the dish to taste good you will still win the challenge". I remember audibly saying "fuck" outloud totally awake afterwards.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

I came across a GameRant article that is suggesting that "The upcoming Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider game should refresh Lara Croft by using her archeological skills to preserve instead of destroy." and more specifically that it should "depict accurate archeological techniques and show Lara working with a team of fellow archeologists during her next adventure." while also citing the fact that "Lara is sometimes a bit too callous while exploring -- frequently destroying ruins, hacking at ancient structures with her climbing axes, and absconding with rare and powerful artifacts." as a drawback.

I'm sorry but that is a shit take 🤣

Lara is an archaeologist yes, but, like Indiana Jones or Nathan Drake, she's "not a regular mum, she's a cool mum". She does all these illegal and morally questionable stuff that would be absolutely, unanimously, condemned in our own world, and Crystal actually made the fact that people actively criticize Lara in her own world as a part of her backstory all the way back in 2006.

But that's what makes the character interesting and, most importantly, who she is as a character.

Lara is not a hero. She's not outright evil or a psychopath, like some fans like to suggest, and she would never actively try to destroy the world just to add another artefact to her collection, but if she happens to save the world it's most likely a happy accident because she initially set out to find a new artifact to add to her collection and ended up having to dispose evil maniacs along the way. More personal stakes involving her family have been added in both the Legend and the Reboot trilogies, but Lara is still in it for the treasure. I mean heck it's in the game's title 🤣 she is a tomb raider first and foremost. The series is not called Hero, or Explorer or Archaeologist. It's called Tomb Raider. Lara and the premise of the series itself is inherently problematic. They tried to excuse her stealing artifacts and destroying tombs in Shadow by making it look like she has to do those things to prevent the apocalypse but all it did was end up flirting too much with the boundaries of portraying her as a white saviour to the Paititians.

Lara should absolutely never ever again have other people on the field with her, and the Survivor trilogy, whether knowingly or by chance I'm not yet sure, perfectly illustrated that people like the Endurance Crew or Jonah being on expeditions with her are an active hindrance because none of them could keep up with her and she ended up needing to save them from harm almost all the time. Lara should absolutely have allies around her but they should stay the fuck home. Have Zip and Alister chat with her via radio, sure. Have Jonah or Anaya or Sam or Von Croy pop in to give her tips on artifacts or sites she could potentially investigate, that's great. But she should be doing the raiding part alone. She always worked better alone and it should stay that way. You don't need to have people next to her at all times to portray a bond with them or flesh out her personality and character. Lara doesn't need to have someone to talk to at all times to be relatable or interesting.

Furthermore, the author suggests that previous titles' more supernatural or unrealistic elements like Lara fighting dinosaurs in the first three games and Anniversary (they actually only site Anniversary, which makes me think that maybe they don't have enough experience with the series in the first place) or having a super-powered doppelgänger in Underworld were interfering with Lara being portrayed as a knowledgeable archaeologist. I'm sorry but this suggests to me a clear lack of media literacy.

Lara is always the smartest person in any room she walks in, she is shown deciphering ancient texts, like ancient Egyptian, Greek or Mongolian, and speaking various foreign languages, from Japanese to Russian, with ease. She knows and informs players, and sometimes her own allies, on the myths she's currently investigating. Ever since as early as Anniversary, she also gives players detailed descriptions of the artifacts players find, and in the Survivor games they went the extra mile of having recorded voiceovers of Lara's descriptions of the artifacts and I think this is where Camilla shines the most as an actress because you can actually hear the excitement in her voice as she giddily describes her new find, or her disappointment when she read a "made in China" tag on one artifact in TR 13. If the writer, or any player for that matter, paid more attention to the dinosaurs and the supernatural stuff than the actual archaeology and not the actual archeological knowledge Lara has, that's not the games' fault, and no amount of making things overly realistic will change that, just like dressing and modelling Lara in a more realistic way didn't stop players, gay and straight alike, from gushing about Lara's thick ass (in Shadow specifically) or making sexy mods.

Honestly, yes, making more grounded and realistic games and characters is a good thing, because variety is a good thing to have in general. Making every single game and character realistic is not fun, however, not necessary and, ultimately, not gonna help make a game more successful or more popular or more fun, which is the thing that matters the most. Realistic does not always mean entertaining.

Ultimately, if you feel like Lara Croft being portrayed as a reckless treasure hunter fighting dinosaurs is not entertaining, maybe Tomb Raider just isn't for you? And this is not me trying to gatekeep, but just like I keep saying to all the Core fans who have been crying for almost two decades now about Crystal "destroying" Tomb Raider and Lara Croft but still continue to buy every single game, every single DLC and every single merchandise that comes out, if the series no longer provides what you specifically want, maybe you just need to move on and give your money and time on the things you actually like.

And yes, games and media do impact how we think and act in real life situations, but just because I think it's fun when Lara steals things and keeps them for herself just because she wants to, I don't think the British Museum or the Louvre doing the exact same thing is okay. Context matters.

[venky45]

Experiencing Tradition and Transition: A Mongolian Nomadic Expedition

Setting out on an adventure through Mongolia reveals a world where modernity and tradition meet in the most amazing ways. Through a thorough photo essay, Nomadic Road provides a unique window into the adaptability and tenacity of Mongolia's nomads.

Recognizing Mongolia's Modern Nomadic Lifestyle

Though sometimes imagined as a country of boundless steppes and traditional yurts, the story of Mongolia is richer and more nuanced. Despite its continued prosperity, the nomadic way of life—which is marked by mobility and a close bond with the natural world—is not immune to the influences of the contemporary world.

Day 1–2: Welcome and Get Used to It

The starting point of your journey is Ulaanbaatar, the fusion of modern and traditional. Explore the city's blend of historic monasteries and vibrant marketplaces as you acclimate to the altitude and environment. This will set the scene for the contrasts you will see.

3-5 Days: Travel to the Steppe

You get a personal look at the nomadic way of life when you visit the center of the Mongolian steppe. Families are accustomed to living in gers, which are felt tents, and their lives are governed by the requirements of their animals. Modern technology has however been added to these age-old customs; solar panels are mounted on gears, and cell phones allow nomads to stay connected to the outside world. 

Day 6–7: Coexisting with Nomads

Visiting a nomad family provides an opportunity to observe how modern customs and ancient traditions coexist peacefully. Take part in routine chores like milking goats or cooking traditional meals, and notice how some tasks have been replaced by motorbikes and other innovations in place of horses.

Day 8–9: Local Celebrations and Cultural Immersion

Visit a nearby Naadam festival for a thrilling display of Mongolian culture that includes archery, wrestling, and horse racing. A new generation of Mongolians is now being taught these strongly ingrained activities, like archery and wrestling, which are breaking down barriers based on gender.

Day 10: Reflection and Farewell

When your journey comes to an end, consider how incredibly resilient the Mongolian nomads are. Their ability to navigate technology while preserving cultural integrity is nothing short of amazing, from embracing technological advancements to adjusting to harsh climate conditions.

The Expedition's High Points

Cultural Exchange: Being among nomads provides a deep understanding of their values, which are reflected in ceremonies and day-to-day interactions. These values include respect for community and the natural world.

Adaptability and Innovation: See how contemporary conveniences augment traditional nomadic traditions to ensure survival and enhance quality of life in remote regions.

Preservation of Heritage: The heart of nomadic culture, such as Kazakh eagle hunting, is still strong despite modern influences, ensuring that traditional customs don't disappear but instead change.

Getting Ready for Your Journey

You must be prepared for both the physical and cultural aspects of this excursion in order to fully appreciate and enjoy it. Don appropriate clothing for the changing weather and arrive with an open mind, eager to take in fresh insights and experiences.

The Effects of Your Arrival

Your trip is an immersive experience that promotes mutual respect and understanding between local populations and nomadic cultures, surpassing the scope of a typical tour. It's a chance to witness, discover, and aid in the maintenance of a distinctive way of life.

In summary

A trip to Mongolia with Nomadic Road is more than just a travel experience; it's an immersive investigation into a world where the past and present harmoniously coexist. It alters perspectives, deepens comprehension, and leaves visitors with a profound appreciation for the resiliency and ingenuity of the Mongolian nomads.

For more details and to start planning your own adventure, visit - https://www.nomadicroad.com/stories/same-same-but-different-life-for-the-nomads-of-mongolia-today

[sciencestyled]

Genghis Khan Schools Us on Newton's Laws of Motion

Hey there, esteemed scholars of the digital age! Gather around the screen’s glow, for we’re about to narrate a tale that gallops across the laws of motion with the mighty Genghis Khan as our guide. This isn’t your drab Physics 101 lecture, no. This is an expedition where the formidable Khan, with a sword in one hand and the reins of science in the other, maneuvers through the fundamental laws that govern our world. Prepare to saddle up on a horse of enlightenment galloping at the speed of curiosity.

In this stellar narrative, our valiant Khan doesn’t merely teach; he unveils the cloak of mystery shrouding Newton’s Laws of Motion. With a Mongolian twist, he takes us through a journey where every arrow shot and every horse galloped breathes life into the age-old laws that Mr. Isaac Newton penned down. Ah, who knew physics could be narrated over a campfire amidst the boundless steppes under a starlit sky? Only in the company of the Great Khan, we dare say.

Our voyage commences with “The Charge: Newton’s First Law of Motion”, where Khan illustrates the essence of inertia with a lone horse galloping across the plains. It’s not merely about objects staying at rest or in motion. Oh no, it’s about the unseen forces that dictate the rhythm of life and battle. With every arrow released and horse spurred, Khan unveils the poetic dance of force and motion that governs the cosmos.

But hold your horses (quite literally)! For the narrative gallops ahead into the heart of “The Momentum of a Thousand Arrows: Newton’s Second Law of Motion”. Here, the physics of arrows flying and hordes charging paints a canvas illustrating how force, mass, and acceleration are intertwined in a deadly ballet on the battleground. It’s an exploration not just of physical forces, but of destiny’s pull on the Mongol Horde.

As we near the crescendo of this cosmic symphony, “Echoes from the Mountains: Newton’s Third Law of Motion” resonates with the eternal truth of action and reaction. Every battle cry, every clashing sword, and even the whispers of love and ambition send ripples through the fabric of existence. The Khan’s musings on the third law are not just a lesson in physics, but a philosophical dive into the essence of life and legacy.

The finale, “The Art of Balancing Forces: Mastering Motion on the Steppes”, is where the Khan’s narrative transcends into a realm where mastery over friction, gravity, and tension becomes synonymous with conquering the heart of existence itself. It’s about ruling not just the earthly dominions but the unseen forces that beckon our destiny.

As the tale winds down by “The Final Campfire: Conclusion and Reflections from the Khan”, the embers of wisdom glow brighter in the night of ignorance. Genghis Khan, with a heart of a warrior and the mind of a sage, leaves us with pearls of insight that meld the spirit of conquest with the essence of understanding the cosmos.

This narrative isn’t merely a read; it’s an expedition into the heart of existence where the beats of war drums resonate with the eternal laws of motion. It’s a confluence of swords clashing, arrows flying, and the echoes of Newton’s laws amidst the vast steppes. So, grab your armor of curiosity and ride with Genghis Khan into the vast expanses of Newton’s revelations. A horde of knowledge awaits!