#turks world domination

[jokesasideiamajoke]

our Ukrainian hero @queenhida

[mapsontheweb]

The Central Powers during World War I were composed of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

As the dominant power among the Central Powers, Germany had a highly industrialized economy and a strong military. It sought to expand its influence in Europe and globally. Germany had a homogeneous population, mainly Germans (92%), but also Poles and others minorities.

Austria-Hungary was a multi-ethnic empire, comprising numerous ethnic groups such as Austrians (23%), Hungarians (19.6%), Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Ukrainians, Croats, Italians and others. The empire faced internal tensions due to nationalist aspirations of different ethnic groups seeking greater autonomy or independence.

The Ottoman Empire was a vast, multi-ethnic state that encompassed diverse regions in the Balkans and Middle East. Its population included Turks, Arabs, Kurds, Greeks, Armenians, and others. The empire was experiencing internal decline and faced challenges from nationalist movements within its territories.

Bulgaria, though smaller in size compared to the other Central Powers, played a significant role in the Balkans. Its population was predominantly Bulgarian, but it also had sizable minorities such as Turks and Greeks.

Overall, the ethnographic situation within the Central Powers was complex, with various ethnic groups coexisting within their respective empires. Nationalist sentiments and aspirations for self-determination among different ethnicities contributed to internal tensions and challenges for these powers during World War I.

by danmaps_org

[nobody-viii]

The Turks - Context Clues (The Kids Are Alright)

@accala posted an excellent inquisitive post about the Turks here and their motivations and to add some The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story book context, imma leave this here. Couldn't find the quote I was looking for, but here's some things I found interesting. NOTE: I feel like Advent Children did the Turks a little dirty, but I really loved the banter as a kid. This book has some of the same campy shortcomings, but take it or leave it, here's what I found.

1.) The Healen Lodge from Advent Children was an R&R facility for Shinra, universally accepted as the worst one by employees. The Turks/Rufus chose it for its tactical advantages, but it also shows how far back on their heels they were. "The Shinra empire had ruled most of the world up until two short years ago, and it didn't sit right with Elena that the company president had to live in such a desolate place. Yes, medical treatment was available, security was way better away from the city, and the commute was only two hours by car; the staff could have had it much worse." - pg. 14

2.) The abandoned rec hall was being used by Shinra as a lab to convert SOLDIER stimulants into geostigma treatments. The project was Elena's idea, with the resulting medication being donated free of charge to city medical professionals and the WRO. (pp. 16-17)

3.) Reno & Rude were sent into the city to retrieve a stolen item from a teenager (read the book for details I'm too lazy to go into it), and when he started crying and shaking, Reno and Rude switched to a new script. "Aw, look. The kid's really scared." The redhead sounded sympathetic now. "That's what we came to do," the bald one pointed out. And: "Now, we put on our best tough-guys acts on the way over, so we can't just leave without roughing anyone up," said the redhead. "Our job is to teach a lesson to anyone who tries to mess with us." I was still scrambling for an explanation to give them. "Y-you mean, kill me?" was what came out instead. My voice even cracked for good measure. "That's one way to teach a lesson. But we're trying to strike a balance for Shinra, here. We want everyone to love us and maybe be a little bit scared. Killing you would have the opposite effect." (pg. 23) Reno opted to punch the kid in the face, then tell him to keep his chin up, so...balance? Sure. Shinra is, at this point, technically trying to figure out their PR while simultaneously leaning on old habits. Also, the kid calls Reno and Rude a knife and a fork and I thought that was funny.

4.) Reno is described as someone who looked like he 'turned delinquent as a teenager and never grew out of it, like those kids in the Sector Eight warehouses who I still hated and admired in equal measure.' (pg. 23)

5.) Elena roughs up one of the protagonists, but reins herself in when context is presented: She'd paid a visit intending to break Fabio's dominant arm, but when she saw him fight back to protect the child, she changed her plan. Her objective was to punish a thief, not deprive a child with geostigma of his only guardian. (pg. 47)

6.) Reno calls a doctor for the guy he roughed up. Kyrie nodded. "I figured, these guys must have phones, so I asked them to call Dr. Drake. 'Evan's in a bad way 'cause you guys beat him up,' I told them. And guess what? They said they don't know any Evan. So I lost it and said, 'Yeah, 'cause Evan's the one you whaled on when you mixed him up with Fabio. You owe him..... So then the redhead--his name's Reno--he called a doctor. Not Dr. Drake, he said, but a good one..." (pg. 55)

7.) Evan (the protagonist) is trying to work out who would be the easiest Turk to try to forge an alliance with and we get a glimpse of how the Turks are perceived by outsiders (Tseng is an unknown entity to Evan at this time): The most dangerous one was probably the lady Turk who went after Fabio. A close second would be the slab of muscle out there, Rude. Maybe the redhead Reno was more on our level. I thought back to my first impression of him--the grown-up teenage delinquent. Guys like that generally looked out for their own. A sense of solidarity. There had to be an angle I could work. (pg. 57)

8.) There's a whole scene where Evan and Kyrie try to ambush Rude. They choke him, break a chair over him, kick, scratch, the whole shebang and he just brushes himself off and manhandles them to a car (which made me laugh).

9.) Reno and Rude take the protagonists towards Healen in a truck and there's a few moments I found interesting. "So anyway..." Reno was looking at me in the rearview mirror. "Sorry about the shiner, dude. We totally did think you were Fabio. But y'know, I'm impressed you stayed mum and protected your buddy," Reno went on. "Even if you were about to piss your pants." (lol) Then, "Some of us have been slower to to adapt to the new way of doing things," Reno continued. "How many Turks are left?" asked Kyrie. "Can't tell you. That's Shinra's most closely guarded secret." "It's just you three, isn't it?" "Not telling." "But I'm right." "Yeah, you keep thinking that." (pg.63) Rude sleeps through the majority of the ride despite Reno trying to keep him awake. They talk quite a bit about Aerith, because Kyrie and Reno both knew her. Reno warns them not to get mixed up with Shinra's science department.

10.) Evan gets introduced to Rufus for the first time after believing the former president has been dead for two years and Tseng finally exists in this book for two seconds. "He's alive...?" Evan was still speaking to Reno. "I am. The decoy who took my place is not," Rufus replied. "You're a candidate for the position--and from what I can see, you'll do." Evan's jaw dropped, and he stared agape at Reno, then Rufus, then Tseng. Tseng looked down at the ground, trying to hide his laughter. Evan's description of Tseng: He looked like a Turk, too. The very definition of one, in fact. Reno and Rude both showed an awkward humanity--well, sporadically in the latter's case--but this guy was pure ice.

11.) An ill-conceived escape attempt by Evan and crew sees Rufus temporarily kidnapped, as Tseng and Elena are investigating an explosion. Reno and Rude try to stop it, but are ordered back. "Reno, stay back!" Reno obediently halted. I had expected to see fury in his eyes, but all I say was sorrow. Surprisingly, I felt a pang in my chest, too. But there was no other way. I pulled Kyrie's knife from my pocket and opened it--a sad, flimsy little blade, but it could still slice open a throat. "Hey, don't be stupid." I ignored Reno and held the knife to Rufus Shinra's neck. Then, "Reno, take Rude and check on the lab." Suddenly Rufus was giving orders. "Tell Tseng not to get involved here." "Wait, what? Boss, are you sure?!" "Don't worry. I'm as interested in staying alive as you are." Reno reluctantly descended the stairs, glancing over his shoulder almost every step. (pg. 77)

12.) Reno and Rude talk about family and have a lil tiff. "If I found out about a brother I'd never seen, I'd make way more of an effort than those two," Reno insisted. "That right?" Rude said. My colleagues are all I need. "You're not much into family, eh, Rude?" "I'm a Turk," Rude said flatly. "Coolheaded and cold-blooded." He turned and headed for the truck. "Hey, Rude. You pissed at me?" Reno called, an unabashed whine. "C'mon, man. You can't cold-zone me now. Tseng and Elena aren't answering my calls, and the boss just tells me to finish the monument. I know they're starting something awesome without us. We're outcasts! Me and you, you and me. If we don't stick together, then what?" Rude looked back. "Tseng isn't answering calls?" (pg. 94) Reno goes off several times throughout this book about how he'd act if he got the chance to meet family, which makes me wonder about him. "So how'd it feel, meeting your brother?" "I don't think it's sunk in yet." "Well, it's a process, I guess," said Reno. "But you gotta visit once in a while, you know? Then you'll get to figure each other out. Break the ice." (pg. 97)

13.) Reno and Rude are actually partially responsible for the monument in the city. This lil bit kinda gives weight to how long they've been in Shinra. Evan was one of those types who wasn't quite grounded in reality but was full of bravado. A show-off. A scared kid determined to buck people's expectations by pretending he had no fear. And if he kept it up, he was gonna do something stupid enough to get himself killed. Both Reno and Rude had known too many kids like that, from rookie Turks to infantrymen to SOLDIER operatives wet behind the ears from mako infusion tanks.

14.) Reno & Rude get amused by Kyrie treating them like they're not scary. The concern over redemption makes an appearance. "Now what?" Rude stepped closer from his vantage point. Apparently, he'd been watching the whole time. He was pretending he didn't care, but inwardly, Reno was convinced, Rude was intrigued by every act of the farce. Which only made the whole thing funnier. "She said she's hungry," said Reno. "So she's gonna grab something to eat." "It's like she's never heard of the Turks. It's almost refreshing," Rude remarked. So this is what happens when Shinra wins hearts and minds. Reno chuckled again but then remembered that the girl was still afraid of them. He'd seen the goosebumps on her arms. Her toothless threats were her way of gauging the danger he and Rude presented. Evan might trust them, but not Kyrie. Despite what Rude said, she knew what they were and what they were capable of. "You know," said Rude. "She reminds me of Aerith." "Yeah, I was thinkin' that too." Maybe helping them out will redeem us, at least a little bit, he thought. A guy can hope. (pg. 106)

15.) Shinra's resources are thin...and that chopper that ate it in AC was one of the last ones left (cue gross sobbing because in the words of a certain Puppy, Shinra makes good stuff). No one knew exactly how many helicopters the Shinra Company used to have. Within a half a year of Meteorfall, many of them had been looted. Accidents, mechanicals, and other circumstances had taken out others, and now Rufus Shinra and the Turks were left with only three. But even with so few, it was a constant battle to keep them in working order. Also, Rude has mechanical experience and is the one on repairs.

16.) A civilian points out the flaws in Reno's hopes for the future of the Turks. "Well, to be honest, maybe my opinion of you guys is changin'." Doyle looked at Reno again with a level stare. "You're up to better things." Reno couldn't help averting his eyes. Unless it came from a fellow Turk, approval tended to make him uncomfortable. "The monument and the medicine are only one step, you know. Just wait. It might take a while, but Shinra's gonna get off the ground again. Rise again, you hear?" That general idea had been floating around in his head for some time. This was the first time he'd said it aloud. "How?" Doyle scowled, his thick eyebrows lowering. Reno cursed himself for the thoughtless comment. "Can't tell you." "Yeah, I figured. But no one is going to let a violent regime lord it over them again. Not anymore. You tell your president that."

17.) Tseng and Elena bring up the notion of inviting old Turks back into the fold. "For any one person, finding it (Jenova's head) may well seem like a futile task. But there is still a nonzero chance. Either way, staying in contact with our agents and meeting regularly are essential to maintaining organizational cohesion." " But how many...?" Elena glanced around and spoke in a stage whisper. "How many former Turks can we expect to help us?" In his mind, Tseng saw the faces of the old Turks, his former subordinates. Of those, he had made contact with-- They get interrupted and Elena rushes off to investigate something. Tseng watched his operative go with a wry smile. Below the hem of her sundress, old scars marked her legs. Once you joined the Turks, you were in for life. Even those who tried to get out and build new lives could be summoned back with a single phone call. Maybe it was a cruel call to make, Tseng thought. and he sighed.

18.) Reno & Rude defy a direct order from Tseng. "Dumbass," Reno muttered. "What are you waiting for? Engage!" Tseng's command rang from the speakers. "Evan's down there," Rude answered in Reno's stead. "He's already done for," said Tseng. "Fire." "No can do," said Reno. "Reno." Tseng made his name a sharp rebuke. "He's our friend." "Fine. Let me briefly explain--" Tseng's voice abruptly cut out. "Radio trouble," Rude mumbled, his hand drifting away from the radio's master switch.

There are a lot of quirky, funny, violent, or neato moments I didn't list, so check out the book if you want more insight. Hope this gave you some headcanon fodder.

[starsandhughes]

Penalty Box— Trevor Zegras (Part Twenty-Four)

SERIES MASTERLIST

previous: twenty-three

next: twenty-five

SUNDAY, APRIL 9TH

yourusername

liked by trevorzegras, colecaufield, and 10,776 others

yourusername welcome to my postgame penalty box update show: slutty z edition! my mom (not shatty) was off work early enough to watch you play tonight, and she told me to announce that she remains truly amazed by your skills and can’t wait to see what you do next!

there was a total of eleven penalties, including tank’s two in ot (i still don’t know what he did to get a misconduct)— and z was one of them! i’m sorry you won’t get to eleven games without one, but i cheered! thanks for the content, babe! you looked super cute in the sin bin <3 can’t wait to commit some sins when you come home ;)

p.s. grant, baby, boo boo, ilysm but you’re public enemy number one right now. i’ll text you when that changes.

and to the love of my life, i agree with my mom. i can’t wait to see what you do next! i love you, always<3

tagged trevorzegras

view all 217 comments

jackhughes i love you, forever, soulmate❤️

yourusername i mean i love you, too, soulmate but read the room

trevorzegras this is the second time you’ve done this and for what

jackhughes @/trevorzegras to establish dominance

trevorzegras *I* love you, forever, my heart🧡 and i’ll call mom (not shatty) and tell her thank you!

yourusername good because she might be a bigger z-lieber than i am

_quinnhughes @/jamie.drysdale would you like the honor?

jamie.drysdale SAPS

user1 clearly jamie didn’t sit on y/n tonight to not post z getting hit😂

tterry19 i’ve been told to ask why grant is public enemy number one?

yourusername he knows what he did

tterry19 right of course how did i not get that

trevorzegras @/tterry19 bad dad (to y/n only) alert

user2 z’s face in the third slide is so cute!!

jamie.drysdale rip no penalty z. he had a good run.

yourusername sometimes i can still hear his voice

trevorzegras he’d like a burial at sea

yourusername @/trevorzegras too late i sent him to jersey

jackhughes @/yourusername I DON’T WANT HIM

lhughes_06 @/yourusername hard pass

user3 “slutty z edition”

user4 the question is: did the soulmates bet?

yourusername no we decided to give quintin a break

_quinnhughes thank fuck for that

colecaufield NOT MY SOULMATE

trevorzegras I’M SORRY, SOULMATE

yourusername don’t take mine and jacky boy’s brand you human dildos

colecaufield @/yourusername i’m sorry, what?

trevorzegras @/yourusername i-

jamie.drysdale AHAHAHAHA

user5 i am losing my will to live because of this team

_quinnhughes @/jackhughes our manifesting worked

trevorzegras watch your back, hughesy boys

jackhughes i think we control the fate of the universe now

_quinnhughes @/jackhughes we do

yourusername who runs the world? hughesy boys i guess

user6 my favorite menace returns

_alexturcotte i might need to change my bets

jackhughes cheater

yourusername your deadline is soon turks

colemcward @/yourusername bets?

edwards.73 @/yourusername bets?

yourusername @/colemcward @/edwards.73 care for some chaos?

[velnat004]

Hi! I love the idea of Turkish qunari, I was wondering if you'd be willing to share your headcanons about them? No pressure, I just think it's a fun concept to explore!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a meta but rather just self-indulgent stuff, if you headcanon the qunari as a different ethnicity OR have a non-qunari oc that is turkish-coded,  that’s completely fine by me!

“Before their arrival in Thedas, the aforementioned race were once a part of the kossith that predated the Qun. The earliest known kossith contact with Thedas was when a colony of them had settled in the southern Korcari Wilds in -410 Ancient. It was overrun by darkspawn during the First Blight, and it is presumably this colony which led to the darkspawn developing ogres. There were no other recorded sightings of the horned race for another 1000 years.

They returned as the Qunari en masse on warships, called dreadnoughts, and arrived in Thedas from the north in 6:30 Steel. It's said that they originate from an unknown eastern land across the Boeric Ocean. Some scholars theorize that the Qunari come from the supposed eastern continent known as Amaranth.[20] They once threatened to conquer all of the known world, but after several Exalted Marches during the Qunari Wars they have lost much of the conquered land. Since then, peace has been made since with every nation except the Tevinter Imperium; with whom they are still involved in a prolonged war for dominance of the north.” (https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Qunari)

Turkish history extends back thousands of years before the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Turks, originally a nomadic people from Central Asia, established several empires, including the Seljuk Empire and later the Ottoman Empire, which was founded in Anatolia by Turkish ruler Osman in 1299. The Ottomans took Constantinople in 1453 and became a dominant world power encompassing Anatolia, the Maghreb in North Africa, southeastern Europe, parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Persian  Gulf, modern day Iraq, and portions of the Caucasus. Consequently, the Ottoman Empire had a religiously and ethnically diverse population. Ottoman loss of territory starting in the 17th century prompted constitutional, educational, and military reforms to begin in the late 18th century. However, due to fragmentation of national groups within the empire, slow economic and technological progress, and the Ottomans’ ill-fated alliance with Germany, the empire collapsed at the end of World War I. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who had risen to prominence as a war hero in the Battle of Gallipoli (Gallipoli Campaign, (February 1915–January 1916), in World War I, an Anglo-French operation against Turkey, intended to force the 38-mile- (61-km- [https://www.britannica.com/event/Gallipoli-Campaign]) long Dardanelles channel and to occupy Constantinople., subsequently united disparate Turkish forces against the foreign occupation of Turkish lands and in favour of national sovereignty. (https://www.tc-america.org/issues-information/turkish-history-28.htm)

-----------------------------------

"The Qunari do not have a concept of personal identity. While they possess names, they do not use them, primarily using titles rather than names to identify and present themselves. The names are in fact simply strings of genealogical information used only by the Tamassrans for record-keeping. Some of the name-titles include Sten, Arishok, and Tallis. However, they do make frequent use of nicknames."

Before that, Turks, as well as other ethnicities living in the Ottoman Empire, had no surname. People were addressed with titles like "hadji" (pilgrim), "hodja" (teacher), "agha" (master), "pasha" (general), "hafiz" (someone who have completely memorized the Qur'an), "lady/madam" and so on.  (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/surname-law-a-profound-change-in-turkish-history)

-----------------------------------

"The Qunari call outsiders bas ("thing") and consider them unfortunate beings who, however, have a potential to grow if the Qun's wisdom is imparted to them.The best an outsider can hope for amongst the Qunari is to be considered a basalit-an, "worthy of respect"; a basalit-an is a worthy foe, and one that can be negotiated with to an extent, but still bas regardless."

Giaour/Gavur (a Turkish adaptation of the Persian gâwr or gōr, an infidel), a word used by the Turks to describe all who are not Mohammedans, with especial reference to Christians. The word, first employed as a term of contempt and reproach, has become so general that in most cases no insult is intended in its use; for example in parts of China, the term foreign devil has become void of offence. A strict analogy to giaour is found in the Arabic kafir, or unbeliever, which is so commonly in use as to have become the proper name of peoples and countries. (https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Giaour)

---------

Aside from the historical jazz, the word "Kadaan" sounds and translates similar to "Kalbim" in Turkish <:

Kadan: Literally, "where the heart lies;" friend. An all-purpose word for a "person one cares about," including colleagues, friends and loved ones. Also means "the center of the chest."

Kalbim : "My heart" in Turkish, an endearment word

i couldn't find her reply under one of my posts but @loghainderolo mentioned that Seheron is the Thedas equalevent of Cyprus

Thank u for the ask! :D

[sgiandubh]

I salute the brave Greek singer Despina Vandi 👏- who refused to go on stage in Turkey, because of hanging a photo of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Dear Despina Vandi Anon,

As promised, here is your audio. It should count as Sunday's delivery for the vast majority of this fandom's time zones, so expect another one the week that just started, on a different topic - Anons never cease to amaze me:

I very much doubt our readers know who Despina is, so I'll make a proper introduction:

Yeah, she'd like to think of herself as Greece's Taylor Swift, but the honest truth is her decent voice serves the cause of bubble-gummy Balkan turbo pop. The kind of forgettable BS you hear on a beach, somewhere around Paralia Katerini, Anon. My favorite in Greece, Kambos Beach, on Patmos, will give you Janis Joplin instead, and I love those guys to bits for that.

But anyhow, the topic is serious, even if the event itself might sound as just another starlet's whim. What happened was immediately instrumentalized by the press on both sides of the Great Post-Ottoman Divide, simply because we are dealing here with fundamental identity tropes - handle with care, always.

In a nutshell, on July 17th, Despina Vandi was scheduled to appear in concert in the (otherwise positively sleepy) town of Çeşme, on the South-western coast of Turkey. The problem with Çeşme is double: a) it is near Izmir, formerly known as Smyrna, before the early-ish days of the Turkish Republic, in 1930, and the epicenter of the troubled transition from the sultan's powerless despotism to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's aggressively secular autocracy. And to add insult to injury, b) it is a municipality run by the left-wing CHP, the main opponent to Erdoğan's overbearing political project. The New Sultan's dream clashes mightily with the Founding Father's ambition of an emancipated, literate Turkey. So much so in fact, that one might see a mild rebellion gesture in the fact that the organizers thought fit to decorate the stage with a Turkish flag and Mustafa Kemal's portrait - something you see pretty much everywhere in today's Turkey, from libraries to pastry shops, to be honest. What followed is emotionally logical: Vandi abruptly canceled her appearance, because she felt that her performance was politically manipulated and the mayor of Çeşme angrily invited her to get out of his town ASAP, because he felt that nobody puts Baby Atatürk in a corner.

Vandi's reaction is entirely faithful to the Byzantine centuries-long tradition of defiance and spite towards the Turks. The Mayor's reaction is an irked reply to the uncomfortable situation of losing face because and in front of a woman singer, who showed utter disrespect for the Father Figure in the room. But beyond the heated, almost farcical argument we are perhaps talking about what Jay-Z called an 'Empire state of mind'. 'Never the twain shall meet', to respond to the golden-fanged rapper with some Kipling. At least since the evening of that fateful day of May 30th 1453, when Constantinople finally capitulated in fear, fire and collective trauma to the Ottomans.

Steven Runciman sums up best that feeling of cosmic impending doom:

"The month of May was drawing to a close; and in the gardens and the hedgerows the roses were now in bloom. But the moon was waning, and the men and women of Byzantium, the ancient city whose symbol had been the moon, prepared themselves to meet the crisis that all knew to be upon them." (The Fall of Constantinople)

The Greek mind never quite came to terms with that feeling of being under siege. The Ottoman (and post-Ottoman) mind never quite came to terms with the imposter syndrome that ensues a cursed victory. Its genuine administrative genius that ensured for hundreds of years an almost complete domination of the Levantine world failed to adapt itself to the industrial and bourgeois revolutions of the Nineteenth century. Despite that very costly Berlin-Bagdad railway, the train of modernization was never caught at a moment that could ensure the political survival of its Empire.

But an Empire is never completely dead and done with. As Philip K. Dick famously wrote in VALIS, one of his most strange novels, 'The Empire never ends'. He was, of course, talking about the Roman Empire and how he bizarrely felt about its timeline overlapping with the Watergate Scandal. Yet, despite the clearly psychotic inspiration of that book, I think he was onto something. An Empire never ends, to the extent that its faint echoes still inform even the most apparently trivial news of our own reality.

But this, I suspect you might know better than me, Anon, judging from the tone of your comment. In that case, γεια σας και σας ευχαριστούμε πάρα πολύ για την υπομονή σας.

[fruityyamenrunner]

Meanwhile, there was at least one major entity on the world stage that should have been a given, but I hesitated to commit due to historical baggage—namely, our sometime nemesis Germany, which had finally allowed the last of my banned games, F-15 Strike Eagle, back onto its shelves barely one year earlier. I knew I wanted each civilization to have its most iconic ruler at the helm, but German law prohibited any media that mentioned Hitler by name, regardless of context, and it felt wrong in any case to create a game where he could potentially come off as the good guy. On the other hand, leaving the Germans out felt like a blend of cowardice and censorship—and for all I knew, the BPjM would still ban Civilization even without the presence of their former Führer. But again, this was Hitler. I didn’t want anyone using my game to celebrate him. (It’s worth noting that Chairman Mao and Stalin both went into the game without any doubt on my part or comment from others. The rules about what was acceptable didn’t always make a lot of sense.)

I struggled over the inclusion of the Germans right up until the end of development, before finally putting them back in under the leadership of Frederick the Great. We’d probably all know a lot more about poor Frederick if Germany didn’t dominate the history books in other ways: he had one of the longest reigns of his era, and won several wars despite tactical disadvantages. He was a generous patron of the arts, instituted freedom of the press, and encouraged the lower classes to become judges and government officials. It’s not his fault someone else stole the spotlight through notoriety instead of the traditional qualities of leadership. At any rate, the Germans’ reinstatement came so late in the process that our first run of manuals still referred to their former placeholder, the Turks, and we had to include a note in each box explaining the discrepancy.

it is so strange that having Hitler be the leader of the German civilization was so solid to Sid Meier in 1990 that having Anybody Else would weaken the integrity of the civilization and that he was going to include Turks instead...

[dontforgetukraine]

To understand Ukraine better, think about Ireland

What analogy would help American Catholics understand the situation in Ukraine?

Perhaps we should think about Ireland.

Like Ukraine, Ireland was dominated for more than 200 years by a huge imperial neighbor. Britain in Ireland. Russia in Ukraine. Both nations disappeared from political maps for more than two centuries.

Ireland got its independence from Britain in 1921 after 230 years of domination. Ukraine was finally free of Russian (Soviet) domination in 1991, after more than nearly 300 years of domination. Ukraine had the added problem of more than one colonial ruler, with Poland and Lithuania and Austria in the west, the Ottoman Turks in the south, and the Russians in the east.

Ukraine is a huge country, with relatively level topography, in the middle of Europe. It has been overrun with invaders since the Mongols invaded in the 13th century from the east. Poland and Lithuania dominated Ukraine in the west. In 1686, the Treaty of Eternal Peace between the Polish/Lithuanian confederation and tsarist Russia divided Ukraine in two, with everything east of the Dnieper River and Kyiv going to the Russians. So, beginning in the 1690s Russia dominated eastern Ukraine. They did their best to eclipse Ukrainian culture and referred condescendingly to Ukrainians and "Little Russians." Even the name "Ukraine" is from the Russian perspective. It means "borderland" — and the border is from Moscow's perspective. 

Language is an important part of identity. The indigenous languages of Ireland and Ukraine were both suppressed and supplanted by their colonial rulers. Ireland's educated elite spoke English and were sent to England to study. Ukraine's educated elite spoke the languages of their cultural masters: Polish in the west, Russian in the east. Under the tsars and the Soviets, the elites from Ukraine were sent to Russia to study and were expected to become cultural Russians. Today the Ukrainian language is making a comeback, even in the east. In Ukraine, I've met several Russian-speaking Ukrainians who now refuse to speak the Russian language. And Ukrainian is not a dialect of Russian, any more than Spanish is a dialect of Italian. They are distinct.

Both Irish and Ukrainian cultures were preserved in the rural areas. In the countryside, people spoke their native languages at home, in church and among themselves. But in business and in cities they spoke the language of their colonizers, English and Russian. That seems to have been especially true in Ukraine.

While neither Ireland nor Ukraine governed themselves for more than 200 years, their sons were drafted to fight the wars of their colonizers. The people of both nations generally remained poor, while the agriculture of both nations fed their rulers.

Both nations were visited by unnecessary starvation, despite their rich land and agriculture. Ireland had the Great Hunger of the 19th century, brought on by the potato blight and land rents. It killed a million people and sent another million into exile.

In Ukraine, the breadbasket of Europe, at least 4 million Ukrainians starved to death in the 1930s under Joseph Stalin during the Holodomor ("death by hunger"). It was totally unnecessary, brought on by Stalin's policy of  "collectivization" of farming and persecution of Ukraine's Culak farmers, who were perceived as anti-Bolshevik. Russian police entered Ukrainian homes and literally took the food from families.

Eastern Ukraine was severely depopulated by starvation, war and political purges by the end of World War II. Russian speakers were brought in to repopulate eastern Ukraine. (That's similar to what the English did in Northern Ireland when they brought in Scots.) This "Russification" changed the ethnic makeup of eastern Ukraine. 

World War II was especially cruel in Ukraine. Between 7 and 8 million Ukrainians died in the war; at least 5 million were civilians. The population of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic was 41 million in 1940 and 36 million people in 1950. 

Millions of people have emigrated from both Ireland and Ukraine. After World War II, many Ukrainians came to the U.S. and Canada. The Ukrainian Catholic churches that dot our landscape today are testament to their presence here. A new exodus took place from Ukraine in 2022, when about 6 million people left the country as refugees in just a few months. They settled mostly in western Europe. The population of Ukraine had been 41 million before Russia's full-scale invasion began Feb. 25, 2022. Now it is estimated at about 36 million. (No one is sure because a census is impossible to do in wartime.)

Both Ireland and Ukraine have seen severe religious persecution. In Ireland, the British crown banned Roman Catholicism under Irish penal laws. In Ukraine, under the Soviets, all religion — except Orthodox Christianity under the Moscow patriarch — was banned. The state was officially atheist during the Soviet era, 1921 to 1991. Today, as a result of Russia's invasion, the number of followers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is  declining and the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine is growing. Whole parishes are leaving the Moscow patriarch. A July 2022 survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found only 1 of 25 of Ukrainians (4%) identified with Moscow Patriarchate, a considerable drop from nearly 1 of 5 (18%) in June 2021.

Catholics, of both Eastern and Western rites, saw their churches, seminaries, monasteries, convents, schools and universities seized and closed during the Soviet period. Many church leaders had to go into exile. We visited one formerly Latin Rite church in Lviv, built by Polish Jesuits in the 1700s, which had been a book warehouse under the Soviet regime.

The war seems to have promoted the growth and independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It was recognized as a self-governing (autocephalous) church only in 2018, by the Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul). That resulted in the patriarch of Moscow excommunicating the patriarch of Constantinople. 

Why is this important for American Catholics? Because I have heard a fair amount of Russian disinformation from American Catholics after our two visits to Ukraine in the last two years.

People ask: Isn't Ukraine really just part of Russia? Answer: No. Not willingly.

Isn't the Ukrainian language just a dialect of Russian? No. It is a distinct Slavic language.

Wasn't Crimea always Russian? No. Catherine the Great seized it from the Ottoman Turks in 1783. Stalin deported most of the local Tatars to concentration camps in the 1930s.

History matters. It helps us to understand the past and deal with the present.

In 1991 Ukrainians took their rightful place among the peoples of the world. It has been a centuries-long struggle to be free of domination by their imperial neighbors. From what I have seen, they are absolutely determined that they will not again disappear from the maps of the world. 

[heretic-child]

Throughout the history Kurds have lived under many different nations’ sovereignty. The separation of Kurdistan following World War 1 led to different cultural aspects, and dialects of Kurdish language appeared. In their own homeland, many Kurds needed to cross the borders in order to cultivate their farms or visit their families on the other side of the border. Bahman Ghobadi in the analyzed films studied such notions as being an immigrant in your own homeland, search for identity, and struggle for survival by working in minefields and engaging in smuggling activities.

Identifying Kurds since the beginning of the 20th century is challenging. Kurdistan has been separated between four different countries, the national identities of the Kurds have been re-shaped, and four different borders (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria) have become their life stories. One of the most famous Kurdish film directors Bahman Ghobadi depicts the Kurdish identity through these borders in his A Time for Drunken Horses (2000) and Turtles Can Fly (2004).

The stories of the Kurds have always been related to the motherland, free Kurdistan and borders since centuries. Cultural identities of the Kurds have been shaped through these borders struggling to retain their language and culture in the countries they live in. However, in each country Kurds have faced oppressions and massacre since 1920s. They were forced to emigrate and were not allowed to speak their native language. The assimilation policies have serious impact on today’s Kurdish identity.

“In their attempts to suppress Kurdish identity and revivalism, Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq have used many forms of repression against Kurds with varying degrees of success. More effective than either political oppression or economic exploitation, cultural oppression has proven itself a weapon by which Kurds may be prevented from asserting their identity.'”

“They have suffered discrimination, marginalization and assimilation in each of the states in which they reside: Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. In each of these countries, the nationalism of the sovereign dominant ethnic group has fed the official ideology and each national ideology has endeavored to establish a homogenous nation state.”

Thus, Kurds structured their identities by revealing their otherness against the states which occupied them. This led to a different identity in each sovereign state where Kurds lived and fought for their freedom and ethnic identity as the struggle was against a different nation in each state: the Turks, Arabs and Persians. These cultural differences have also shaped the stories of the families, and the same people have been separated in four countries and these differences have served as the major subjects of Kurdish stories, literature and cinema.

Identifying Kurds in Bahman Ghobadi’s Films

[homosapiennns]

LET’S TALK ABOUT MR. SADIK ADNAN AKA UNCLE DILF OF HETALIA

Sadık is an unique name. I never met a Sadık in my life. It means loyal. Adnan is usually a name, not a surname. It’s an old name, people don’t name their sons Adnan anymore. Both names are pretty masculine sounding. “Sadık” is pronounced S, A in dark, Dı is read the same as the word “the”, K is normal. Adnan is pretty easy, all As in our language are the same.

Sadiq is not a real name, we don’t have q in our alphabet. But I understand that people don’t know this so I forgive u guys 😙

Do I like his name? Tbh the first time I’ve seen it I didn’t, but I like it now. I can’t imagine him having a different name.

I have a few headcanons of him!!!

First of all, this man is LOUD. Like he is not shouting obv, but he talks loudly, energetically, and a little fast paced. He is extroverted, he can carry a conversation easily, and I can see him being “the dominant one” in a convo if it makes sense. Like u don’t have to worry about finding a topic bc Sadık naturally finds it.

His voice is deep.

He is friendly, but he doesn’t share his romantic life if it’s not a close friend. I can see him being close w Balkan countries, Bulgaria especially. A lot of Turks came to Turkey from Bulgaria in 50s and 90s (bc yk Ottoman Empire was there) But I think his personal relationship with Balkans doesn’t get affected by foreign policies. Bc fuck governments and politics. Anyways LOL. He is friends with Russia too. I read some RusTur fanfics? I don’t even know the name of the ship but it was fucking hot. He likes Europeans, Germany is his fave, but he isn’t close with them. Greece will have his own section 😉

He lives in Istanbul, in Anatolia side. He just can’t escape this city he loves it so much even tho it’s overpopulated.

He likes fishing like every uncle ever. He falls asleep in front of his TV like every dad. He loves drinking rakı and eating the fish he caught w it. He loves to eat, he has a dad bod. When he’s drinking he prepares the table like this n people go insane for it, also he always pays the meal’s bills. His hospitality has no limits like this man can die of hypothermia if it means his guests are warm and tucked in bed.

He has ZERO drip 😔 he has a beard n a hairy body. Idk why but I can’t rlly imagine him with abs. Maybe Osmanlı (Im gonna use Turkish bc Ottoman Empire is so long bro) had an athletic body, but Mr. Turkey just doesn’t care.

He loveeees cooking. Ok so Turks hate takeouts unless u live alone. If u go to a Turkish household and suggest that u want to order a pizza they will act like u just cursed their entire family. Sadık is the same unless he eats kebap outside bc mmm kebap is yummy.

He is a Muslim, not a hardcore tho, he only practices it in Fridays the same way Christians go to church in Sundays.

LETS TALK ABOUT OSMANLI OMG. So yk Mr. Adnan is friendly softie etc etc. But Osmanlı was different! I think his personality changed after the Turkish War of Independence and the Republic has founded. He had to change himself, we the people had to change ourselves to fit the modern Western world.

But at it’s prime Sadık was crueler, focused on wars and fighting and conquering, making his Empire bigger. He has seen many things. Had to betray, manipulate. He was impatient, cunning, cynical. He was never cold though. I think he was always sincere, like yeah his words hurt but he was telling the truth. I don’t like portraying him evil, like a villain. He doesn’t have a bad heart. He knows how to have a good time if u are his friend.

I think he got THE drip bro. Like his clothes were the most expensive fabrics, sewn by the best tailors.

His sexuality hmmm well 🤔 I think he likes woman but Osmanlı was really gay at that time. Lots of gossips about bisexual Sultans. So I hc him as bi leaning to woman. He loves woman but he bedded many manyyyyy men yk. Especially when he was younger and sexier and he fucked some Sultans with their wives. Like casual not-so-secret threesomes in Has Oda, yeniçeri’s blushing listening outside of their door (Sultan’s main bedroom 😉) he probably wanted to sleep w women in harem too but he couldn’t 😔 no men were allowed inside.

I don’t ship TurGre. I’ve read fics, some I really like, but when I think about it I feel weird and uncomfortable. I like their dynamic as complicated frenemies. Sadık was never a parent to Hera. I think their dynamic was like Romano-Spain. Boss and ??? Child??? I think Hera never did housework though. Humans already did that. When Hera was little, he hated Sadık. But as he spent time w him, he liked him a little bit. Sadık taught him many things, but he never saw him as his “son” or “student” it’s just. It was a land under Osmanlı, and Sadık wanted to know him. He looked after him of course, and he enjoyed his company. Telling him stories, traveling Istanbul, talking philosophy. We all know Hera loves philosophy. I also think they didn’t spend a lot of time anyway, Sadık was too busy.

Today, they pretend to hate each other but they don’t actually hate each other?? Wowneifnifj. It’s like Turkey vs Greece memes. Like they make fun of each other but it’s teasing, it’s not mean, both went through so many things. They both suffered n they understand each other.

AND TURKEY TOUCHES PEOPLE. A LOT. He hugs n slaps n pokes. Hera is used to it. Turks are touchy in general, including men. No boundaries at all. I’m glad Hima put this in the comic :D

That’s all about the Istanbul gentleman 😙✨

[protoslacker]

Bias in AI image generators is a tough problem to fix. After all, the uniformity in their output is largely down to the fundamental way in which these tools work. The AI systems look for patterns in the data on which they’re trained, often discarding outliers in favor of producing a result that stays closer to dominant trends. They’re designed to mimic what has come before, not create diversity. 

Victoria Turk at Rest of World. How AI reduces the world to stereotypes

Rest of World analyzed 3,000 AI images to see how image generators visualize different countries and cultures.

[avispatr]

Random rant of a history major below

I don't like how the west has grown to view the crusades. There was plenty of wrong doing and evil conducted by crusaders certainly, but I hate how we've evolved to view the crusades as a proto form of colonization, putting our modern values and politics on the movement.

Christianity/the west was not the dominant power that it was now back then, it was largely colonization that shaped the reality we live in today...which started more then four centuries after the crusades. Back then the middle east was the center of civilization and where technology and sciences were becoming more and more advanced, with western Europe being viewed more as a backwater.

The Caliphate invaded the Roman Empire and Sassanid Persians in the 7th century, and the thing that prompted the first crusade was the expansion of the Seljuk Turks into Asia minor, land that belonged to the Roman Empire. The emperor asked for help from the pope and the pope organized the first crusade as a retaliation against the aggressive Seljuke expansion.

Many many evil things were done in the name of God and in the crusades. I am fine with the movement being criticized and actions being looked at with disgust. What bothers me though is the view they were this unprovoked movement to take land and money from the peaceful people living in the middle east nearly a thousand years ago. The world was a very different place back then, with different realities and issues. Its become a new pet peeve of mine and its not unique to the crusades!

We should not project our current issues onto the distant past and we shouldn't just consume the same primary and secondary sources to fuel research that is popular for the sole purpose of making a profit. Being a historian should not be about money! It should be honest work done out of love for history. The moment a historian tries to make history into what they personally want it to be vs what sources show it was they have failed at their job.

[mapsontheweb]

The territorial history of Armenia and Azerbaijan

“Atlas of the Ethno-Political History of the Caucasus”, Arthur Tsutsiev, Yale University Press, 2014

The Armenian historical view centers on the global threat associated with the expansion of Turkic-speaking tribal groups into former Armenian territories, including Artsakh (Karabakh). Today's Azerbaijan is itself largely the former Caucasian Albania, a land which became Christian in the middle of the 4th century, submerged from the 11th century by Turkish invasions and which, in the 19th century, completely disappeared, transformed into a territory Turkish and Muslim.

Azerbaijan comes from the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan of 1918-1920, created following Turkish intervention and taking its name from a Persian region located further south. This part of Eastern Transcaucasia, incorporated into Russia between 1803 and 1828, is in fact a former Persian territory with an indigenous sedentary Armenian population and a nomadic Turkish-Kurdish population who arrived later.

After the First World War, the Armenians would not have a state in the former Ottoman territories but a small formerly Russian territory around the city of Yerevan, southwestern part of the Transcaucasian Federative Democratic Republic (April -May 1918) which takes the name of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. From June 1920, the Kemalist Turkish nationalists began negotiations with the Soviets and the demarcation of the borders of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (born December 2) was ultimately to the detriment of the Armenians themselves, since it did not does not include Karabakh, included entirely in Azerbaijan, at the insistent request of the Turks.

From then on, the Armenians are a people who have the particularity of being deprived of a large part of their historical territory even though it dates back to the 9th century BC with the kingdom of Urartu and its territorial peak dates from the end of the 2nd century BC when King Tigranes dominated a territory stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean.

by cartesdhistoire

[dutch-and-flemish-painters]

Frans Geffels - The relief of Vienna in 1683 - 1683-4

oil on canvas, height: 184 cm (72.4 in); width: 272 cm (107 in)

Vienna Museum at Karlsplatz, Austria

The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 12 September 1683 after the imperial city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, both under the command of King John III Sobieski) against the Ottomans and their vassal and tributary states. The battle marked the first time the Commonwealth and the Holy Roman Empire had cooperated militarily against the Ottomans, and it is often seen as a turning point in history, after which "the Ottoman Turks ceased to be a menace to the Christian world". In the ensuing war that lasted until 1699, the Ottomans lost almost all of Hungary to the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.

The battle was won by the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the latter represented only by the forces of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland (the march of the Lithuanian army was delayed, and they reached Vienna after it had been relieved). The Viennese garrison was led by Feldzeugmeister of the Imperial Army (Holy Roman Empire) Ernst Rüdiger Graf von Starhemberg, an Austrian subject of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. The overall command was held by the senior leader, the king of Poland, John III Sobieski, who led the relief forces.

The opposing military forces were those of the Ottoman Empire and its vassal states, commanded by Grand Vizier Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha. The Ottoman army numbered approximately 90,000 to 300,000 men (according to documents on the order of battle found in Kara Mustafa's tent, initial strength at the start of the campaign was 170,000 men). They began the siege on 14 July 1683. Ottoman forces consisted, among other units, of 60 ortas of Janissaries (12,000 men paper-strength) with an observation army of some 70,000 men watching the countryside. The decisive battle took place on 12 September, after the arrival of the united relief army.

Historians maintain that the battle marked the turning point in the Ottoman–Habsburg wars, a 300-year struggle between the Holy Roman and Ottoman Empires. During the 16 years following the battle, the Austrian Habsburgs gradually recovered and dominated southern Hungary and Transylvania, which was largely cleared of Ottoman forces. The battle is noted for including the largest known cavalry charge in history.

Frans Geffels, known in Italy as Francesco Geffels (25 August 1624 – 18 February 1694) was a Flemish painter, printmaker, architect, stage designer and designer of ephemeral structures for solemn and festive occasions. After training in his native Antwerp, he was mainly active in Mantua, where he was prefetto delle fabbriche to the Duke, a role that gave him the direction of the artistic and construction activities undertaken by the Ducal court. He worked also on projects for the local aristocratic class of Mantua. In addition, he completed projects for the Liechtenstein princes and for the imperial court in Vienna.

He was both a canvas and fresco painter. He created portraits, history subjects, military scenes, architectural scenes and genre art, in particular merry companies. Geffels is mainly remembered as the designer of some of the key examples of Baroque architecture in Mantua.

[maksimkurylenko]

FOR: @mobscene-starters

WHEN: 04th of August, 2023.

WHERE: Emine's Birthday / Engagement Party.

Maks stepped into the room, his presence a study in quiet confidence. He'd always been one to observe rather than dominate until he needed to, and tonight was no exception. The room was abuzz with laughter, music, the clinking of glasses, but Maks navigated through the crowd with a composed ease that drew subtle glances from a few. For some reason, it unnerved some. Others, it simply irritated.

Dressed in a tailored charcoal suit that accentuated his lean frame, Maks exuded an air of understated elegance. His blond hair was neatly combed, and his piercing blue eyes held an enigmatic depth that hinted at a wealth of thoughts beneath the surface. He hummed, flipping a coin in his hand repeatedly. How had he managed to find himself amongst the Turks? While the Rutherford's partied it up in the most refined locations in the world. When did they get their pay out for the things they'd lost and sacraficed.

The figure next to him, only drew a sigh. ''This is something,''

[mostfuckableffvillain]

Round 3 - Eliminations

Some big losses here today as we say goodbye to Shuyin, Jack Garland, Sorceress Ultimecia, Rufus Shinra, Seifer Almasy, Ardyn Izunia, Angeal Hewley, and Fordola rem Lupis. We're sad to see you go.

Congratulations to Sorceress Edea, Estinien Varlineau, Reno of the Turks, Barbariccia, Elena of the Turks, Yotsuyu goe Brutus, Aranea Highwind, and Vayne Carudas Solidor! We look forward to seeing you in Round 4!

For some of the reasons this lot was nominated in the first place, look no further than the link below:

Jack Garland: >He just wants to kill chaos, gotta admire a man with a goal in life. >Dedication and resilience. >I want him to break my spine over his back and turn me into a million little rock candy fragments and he loves his tall goth wife Astos >He doesn’t give a fuck who you are unless you’re Chaos. Also, you can strip him naked ingame and play him that way. He’s waiting 2000 years for the Warrior of Light to get stronger and take him >Love >He act smart and focused but actually a moron who in fact is a genius but lost all his brain cells due to world reset. Also his constant grumpy face and the most fuckable attitude doesn't help him being less fuckable. Despite all that he is a genuine good guy who treasure his companions. Anw his tits is fucking fat.

Ultimecia: >overall insane style and serving cunt also she has a cool plan to become a god instead of just being some guy >She is very hot >mommy milkers (praying emoji) i'm not a furry but….

Rufus Shinra: >He’s Rufus Shinra.

Seifer Almasy: >Cocky smirk, sexy scar, broad shoulders, giant weapon, damaged bad boy who needs hugs and then to be put on his knees >He’s so stupid. And sexy at the same time yes sir

Ardyn Izunia: >Tol bitch, do what he wants also look at dat hair c,: >The attitude >fam have you seen that man? Have you heard his voice? I would let that man do truly unspeakable things to me. >Tall, broad shoulders, sexy dark smirk, goody-goody past and tragic fucked up backstory, immortal and stupid powerful but has an obsession with goofy hats. Tentacle sex with black demon powers a possibility. >Rat man rat man rAT MAN RAT MAN. Also, like. 10k demons in a trench coat >He's pathetic and that's a very fuckable trait for me <3 I don't know how to explain this in english listen, he's just… he's a dramatic little man and he clearly needs and deserve to get fucked (honestly by Verstael not by me but I'm getting out of the current context here) I'm saying this in the most positive way possible I love him :') >look at him. look at his stupid face and hair and clothes and vibes. also have you heard his voice. also: forsaken king. also also: doomed by the narrative/bahamut. also also also: chronic pain plague king. >Cocky but can back it up >sexy hobo chic + gorgeous red hair and an incredible voice >I think it’s the spite >The pink hair

Angeal Hewley: >idk if he's really a 'villain' but it's worth a shot…. I love him and his huge tits more than anything. he's a handsome, kind, muscular man waiting to be dominated and I think that's so sexy of him