#Iber ruins

[shibe-myths]

ANGST TIME! Ro reaction to the mc getting all dressed up for a date but it’s with someone else?

Oooooof, Poor ROs. I'm gonna assume this is in the crush stage. And as I write this. I'm starting to realize that some of these romance options have more red flags than I knew.

Lady B: She hides her feelings well, going out of her way to use the opportunity to help the MC get ready. Be that doing their makeup, picking out their clothes, smothering the mc with words of advice. Anything to have that extra bit of time. And when the MC leaves, she tasks one of the Masked Mercers into watching your every move.

Bernie: They can't quite hide the fact that they're disappointed. Pouting slightly as they appraise the MCs outfit. Sticking closer than they should, never straying as the MC gets ready. Hell, bernie would even take the time out of their day to chat with the MC's intended date. Threatening them in such a way that it would go over most people's heads. But, if you look closely, there is an EDGE to their gaze. As if the only thing on their mind is to rip that rat bastard to shreds.

You never do go on that second date... hmm.

Laz: If Laz has an interest in the MC, I can see them downright blackmails your date into bailing. And it will work, trust me. As the hours would tick by, Laz would go out of their way to ensure that you end up despising that jerk by the end of the night. And then, like a good friend, they'll curl up unreasonably close with some shitty romance novels and sweets.

To help with the heartache of course.

Amyntas: He outright BITCHES the entire time. Finding anything and everything wrong with your date. All the way down to the way they breathe. (Its just so fucking annoying, ya know). By the time that douchebag decides to show their face. He's puffed up worse than a cat. Pacing up and down the halls, half ready to go feral.

And he will go feral if let loose.

Bishop: He does nothing that night, maybe wish you luck. Stays up late to make sure you get home safe. But when you've come back? Safely tucked in bed? He forces Indie to go find your date for details. Every last one. He has to know.

That his ideas of seducing you are better than theirs.

Indigo: She's pulling out the wine and fancy oud. Serenading the MC as they get ready. Fluttering about with all her bits and bobs. Letting her magic slip in here and there until the MC is practically vibrating with excitement. And then she sends them off to have their fun. Like any sane, rational woman whose secretly madly in love with their friend would do. She isn't jealous, she swears.

Okay maybe a little.

Peri: Bold of you to assume that Peri isn't already your date.

here's the secondary romances.

Asha: She laughs and asks if you'd like her to spare your date a plate. What? You're obviously not going out THIS late at night. Besides, Flin wants to bake cookies with you. And how could anyone refuse that lil dragon pout?

Lace: Spends the entire time that the MC is getting ready, getting progressively more annoyed at the fact that your date didn't think to invite your beloved sugar baby along. He's the prettiest boy in the whole of Ibereli gods damn it. He should ALSO be wined and dined!

Somehow your date ends up as their own third wheel, trapped in a crippling amount of debt as Lace drags you about the bazaar. Happy to be spoilt like the prince they truly aren't

Ribbon: She straight up asks if she could possess your date so that you two could ruin the fool financially. If that doesn't work she'll give a lecture about knowing your worth and to keep an extra blade on you, just in case.

The stranger: Wishes you luck, but otherwise ignores you for the rest of the night.

#lichask #lich gate #romance options #secondary romance #because I love lace and asha so much #peri #perierat #ribbon #stranger #lace #asha #ladyb #amyntas #bernie #bishop #indigo

[bloodsoakedcambion]

The Saga of Aidin

‘Pon hallowed morning, Sunday’s sway, As folks ‘tend mass in town. Quivering trees and whipping wind, Tell the omen of in-something flown.

Easterly sun casts light on his form, A titan of sky, scorched- blasted grey. League-span wings and a hide of steel, Make plain his intentions to’day.

“Curgex the Terror! Curgex the Forgefiend!” With a bellowing roar he declares. “Make flight, good people, run if you please,” “Naught shall spare you my flare!”

Acting good on his promise, with a mutter of silence, His chest did writhe and spew. Brought up in fire, wrought in hardly an instant, Poor Larksberg was ruined anew.

Such was fortune that one escaped, A nascent vengeance remained. Young Aidin of the Effer's house, By no Skald had he been named.

Such was his loss that he knew nothing else, In the torrent of heat he proclaimed. “Curgex the Terror! Curgex the Forgefiend!” “I cannot rest until you’ve been maimed!”

Scavenging hope, Scrounging supplies, Scavenging will, Scrounging his life, Did Aidin set to run.

Following dragon, On tail of revenge, Following dragon, From tail to its head, Did Aidin set to run.

‘Pon Curgex’s trail did Aidin come, Beat and exhausted though there. When from a shrub a green man shew, Clad in a brown robe of hair.

“Aidin son, Aidin young man, Your weakness shall be your doom.” “Aidin son, Aidin young man, Let this not be a fatal sojourn.”

Sputtering back, hate filling his lungs, The tired Aidin rebuked, “What know’st thou of doom- abscond me old man, Know’st thou what Curgex took?”

"Not just my family, nor even my friends, He has taken all that I know-” “But Aidin son, Aidin young man, He knows he has struck you low.”

“For any who come, and all who fight, He revels in their fear. For his countenance is never gone, In your heart his fury lurks near.”

“So Aidin, harken to my words, Throw yourself not to his claws today. There lies a sword past a mountain’s trek, With its bite may you Curgex slay.”

His attitude bitter, his tongue lay silent, Aidin nodded his head. Taking camp with the green man, bread to grant, He departed that morning instead.

Past Iber’s Tor Aidin marched, In search of a silver sword. Tarnlied he spoke of, the shining blade, Aidin set out to make him its lord.

O’er mountain,  Further still, O’er forest, Tempering his will, Did Aidin set to walk.

Battling wolves, Fighting ghouls, Battling heathens, Fighting fools, Did Aidin set to walk.

‘Pon hidden lake at noonday sun, Battered Aidin came to rest. The past few days had humbled him, Each step another test.

When in his respite, in the depths of succour, A dainty whisper graced his mind. Scouring for the mutter’s source, Aidin was come upon behind.

“Fair warrior, fair warrior, Whose travels have been long. I know thou seekest Tarnlied,  But please listen to my song.”

With a turn for swift reprisal, Aidin reached down for his blade. But the redlocked maiden beside him, Had sequestered it away.

Eyes heavy, mind stiff, Aiden growled, “Explain yourself at once.” “You invade my camp from nowhere, You delay my precious hunt.”

“Aidin son, Aidin young man, Please hear out what I say.” Aidin son, Aidin young man, Your hated quarry is my prey.”

“I was once the fairy Siobhan, Now I am bound to guard this hall.” “Twas Curgex the Terror! Twas Curgex the Forgefiend! To Tarnlied he set me thrall.” “Tarnlied the lakesong. Tarnlied the fair. Tarnlied the silverstar, Tarnlied the rare. The sacred blade itself.”

“Tarnlied the beauty. Tarnlied the light. Tarnlied the monsoon. Tarnlied the bite. The sacred blade itself.”

“Why tell’st me this, what am I to do? Of the blade for which I’ve come. Must I now slay you and claim the sword, And feel guilt when I am done?”

“I’ve better a plan, but as green man said, Aidin you must rest your soul. Lay with me in this sacred ground, Together we may be whole.”

Aidin felt such frustration, Aidin felt such sloth. That to gain the sword he had quested, Must he really douse his wrath?

Spending the night in company, The creatures together lay. By morning’s light had lit the cave, Disappeared had the spring and fay. Resting at bottom, shone a moonlight gleam, Blue as the full moon’s lustre. Infused with the water of blessed tide, Tarnlied the lakesong had mustered.

Aidin set off with purposeful heart, As his wounds and agonies subside. Holding fast to Tarnlied he descended the mount, Making to Curgex’s demesne in stride.

Before blistered stone and pyroclastic flow, Tarnlied resolved to a hone. With just one arc of his sword arm, Aidin hewed the black stone.

Ascending the slope, Facing his heart, Ascending the mountain, Playing his part, Did Aidin set to march.

Fending off minions, Culling the monsters, Fending off evils, Smiting devils, Did Aidin set to march. ‘Pon mouth of lair, did Aidin declare, In a voice that bore no ills. “Curgex the Terror! Curgex the Forgefiend! Aidin of Effer renders his will.”

Deep within the umbral pit, A rasping voice cried in glee. “Who utters my name is invited to die. None speak my words but me!”

A blast of air and dust surged out, Throwing Aidin off his feet, As from the smoking shadows, Flames and wings were brought to beat.

Curgex the Terrible! Curgex the Forgefiend! A titan of sky, scorched- blasted grey. Bronze in the dim light of his breath,  The stream casting light gild as hay.

When in clear light his scales shone, Polished as white armour, a brilliant feat. Aidin had risen back to stand, Tarnlied pointed ready to meet.

Aidin squandered not the chance, To forfeit the flow, Initiative he took right there, Lakesong Tarnlied ready to go.

As Curgex reared his mighty head, His lungs swelling with hate. Aidin had already charged, Rending the dragon’s scales a spate.

Reprisal came as quick as he’d come, Hooked talons striking true. As Aidin bashed against the rocks, A breath of blood he spewed.

Surviving terror, Weathering assault, Surviving rays, Suffering no fault, Did Aidin set to win.

Slashing with vigour, Cutting with wit, Slashing with Tarnlied, Landing each hit, Did Aidin set to win.

‘Pon hallowed evening, Sunday’s sway, As battle had drawn on, Both Curgex and his nemesis, Knew one would not see dawn.

Tarnlied the saviour gave Aidin strength, Casting even black flames wide. And though Curgex was Terrible, He knew he would be cast aside.

One final gambit gave him strength, One last manoeuvre of spite. One final action against the young hero. To trade their lethal bites.

Both red fury and blue vigilance, Came to a final rest. As the moonlight cast from Tarnlied, Staggered as the smoke aggressed.

For as Curgex drew his head back, Stretching wide his maw of blades. He darted for Aidin’s weak side, And a sanguine trade was made.

As Tarnlied find its resting place, As Aidin see the girl. As Curgex sputtered and roared in pain, As the duel’s tension unfurl.

Resting in his jaw. Resting on his lap. Resting in his brow. Resting in its sap.

So thus the saga of Aidin ends, A hero’s duty fulfilled. As Curgex the Terror! Curgex the Slain! Now marks this hallowed field.

A new spring did bloom in iron’s grip, A waterfall down the stream. Where once there was the dragon’s lair, Now flows the lakesong clean.

#original poem #epic poem #request #DCC #Dungeon Crawler Classics

[orangebandaid]

I am really fucking angry right now...

If you didn't know this, this graffiti is in a wall from an archaeological site made in VI AC of an iber town by the tribe indigets in Palamós, Catalunya, Spain.

SOMEONE PAINTED IN A IBERIC SETTLEMENT,

A VI AC IBERIC SETTLEMENT,

AN IRON AGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE.

THAT BITCH IS IN THEIR GOLDEN AGE DUDE.

THAT BITCH SAID "FUCK THE ROMANIZATION , I AM STILL HERE BITCH"

THAT BITCH SAID "BE FORGET? NAHHH I HAVE INFORMATION FOR DAYS"

THAT ROCKS SAID "I AM MORE STRAIGHT THAN YOU SIS AND I WILL BE HERE UNTIL THIS SHIT GO DOWN"

THAT CITY SAID "I WILL LEAVE TO YOU ONE OF THE MOST LONG AND COMPLEX TEXT IN IBER AND HOPE YOU BE ABLE TO READ IT, EVEN WITHOUT A FUCKING DICTIONARY BECAUSE GUESS WHAT, WE LOST A LOT OF LETTERS AND LITERATURE CONTENT BECAUSE WE USE TO WRITE IN IRON"

I AM...

I CANT

I--

AND YOU DID THIS ON JULY? ON THIS TIME? ON THIS YEAR? 2020?

NO, NO, NO, NO.

SHUT THE FUCK UP, GO PLAY YOUR BULLSHIT IN ANOTHER PLACE

THE DISRESPECT

THESE ROCKS, THIS FUCKING CASTLE HAS SAW SOME SHIT DUDE, THIS CASTLE IS OUR HISTORY, AND FOR ONCE IS NOT A THING TO BE FUCKING ASHAME OF.

THE BULLSHIT

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

ONE OF THE FUCKING BEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE WE HAVE, AND YOU DECIDE TO "I AM FUCKING BORED I WILL PAINT IT" BECAUSE WHY NOT?

IT'S NOT EVEN CUTE, HATE HERE

I--

.... I am able to be angry isn't? I mean, nobody would do this to the Pyramids of Giza or the Altamira cave, or even the Stonehenge.

And if someone did it, it's still a dick move, and your not funny or edgy for doing in.

AHHHHHhhhhhhhhh

That's just being a dick, it is only a settlement, ONLY THAT. A city of a culture that we don't know a lot because guess what, Romans decide that the Iber culture was shit an take their language, signs, religion and culture away, because they didn't like it.

I am angry.

I am really angry and upset...

IS CÈSAR BACK?

CÈSAR DID THIS?

HE SURVIVE?

THAT BITCH IS BACK? NOW HE HAS PAINT?

HE WANTS TO GET STAB AGAIN?

Anyways. .. THIS is not the first time someone decide to be a dumbass and try to destroy with painting the site, and already cost like 10.000 euros in cleaning... I... I am tired...

JUST 👏RESPECT👏 ARCHAEOLOGICAL👏 SITES👏 THEY👏 ARE👏 OR👏 HISTORY👏 AND👏 WE👏 SHOULD👏 REMEBER👏 IT👏 TO👏 LEARN👏 AND 👏DO 👏BETTER. 👏

This is all my vent in bad English, thank you to come to my Ted talk.

It's 4 AM and I am still upset about it and I could sleep if I didn't write this down.

#just be respectful #just #archaeological site #Iber #Palamós #Castell de Palamós #Goddammit cesar #history #monument #Iber ruins

[rabbitcruiser]

Almería, Spain (No. 7)

The Alcazaba, a medieval fortress that was begun in the 10th century but destroyed by an earthquake in 1522. It includes a triple line of walls, a majestic keep and large gardens. It commands a city quarter with buildings dressed in pastel colors, of Muslim-age aspect. It is the second largest among the Muslim fortresses of Andalusia, after the Alhambra.[citation needed]

Almería air raid shelters, underground galleries for civilian protection during the Spanish Civil War, currently the longest in Europe open for tourists.

The Cathedral has a fortress-like appearance due to its towers, merlons and protected paths, created to defend it from Mediterranean pirates. Originally designated as a mosque, it was later converted into a Christian church, before being destroyed in the 1522 earthquake. In the 16th century it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, whilst keeping some of its defensive features.

Renaissance church of Santiago, built in 1533, with tower and portal decorated with reliefs.

Chanca, a group of houses carved into rocks.

Castle of San Cristobal, now in ruins. It is connected to the Alcazaba by a line of walls.

Museum of Almería. Includes findings from Prehistoric, Iberic, Roman, Greek ages and Muslim objects, mostly from the Alcazaba.

Paseo de Coches, a modern seaside promenade with gardens and palms.

Cable Inglés (English Pier), 1904 iron railway pier built to transfer iron ore, copper, and silver produced by British- and French-run mines in Granada from trains to waiting cargo ships.

Source: Wikipedia

#Almería #Andalusia #Spain #España #cityscape #architecture #old town #original photography #summer 2020 #Southern Europe #Southern Spain #travel #vacation #lantern #alley #tree #flower #flora #blooming #Alcazaba y Murallas del Cerro de San Cristóbal #colors #tourist attraction #landmark

[weebtarurights]

Hey, different person, again. Quick question, not a request: did you get some of the cards from the Mankai Dorms in Those Days? Also, just watched the latest A3! anime episode, loved the bath scene (Sakyo is hot), & noticed the anime version of the ruined costume scene (the game & stage versions were different by who noticed the costumes first/ G: Director, S: Sakoda, A: Yuki).

Sadly, RNG isn’t smiling on me today..  I haven’t gotten a single event card yet. I’m really looking forward to get Banri though. I badly need a stronger AC Banri T////T 

Thankfully, they didn’t skipped out the bath scenes! Thank you L/iber !! I noticed the costume part too. They indeed changed it. It kinda hurt more when Yuki’s the one who saw them since it’s something he really worked hard for. T^T I understand how they made Sakoda discover it in the stage since they got limited number of actors and they can only choose between Tsuzuru, Muku, Manager, and Sakoda. :D 

[joanlluisrubio]

Ruines d’Ullastret (en Poblat Iberic Ullastret) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD14W8fp2k1/?igshid=bs8bhjhl5hkq

[moneyandtangerines-blog]

Purpose

After the explosion, the narrator wakes up in a hospital and they experiment on him with electric therapy amongst other things. An electric lobotomy of sorts that ended up only causing him amnesia. The factory uses this as their way of getting cheap or free healthcare for their workers. After the narrator remembers who he is they release him and he claims that this procedure makes him suddenly unafraid. 

He gets out of the subway and he falls to the ground after all his procedures. A black man and woman rush to help him. She offers her house to help him recover. Mary takes care of him and gives him a place to rest, feeds him and is kind to him. He tells her that he wanted to be an educator but he didn’t know anymore. She encourages him and gives him a speech about how the new generation is the one that needs to uplift everyone else so they could leave the world better than they found it. She invites him to stay but he goes. At this point i thought this was so nice, we don’t get this kind of community amongst people. I think if we all acted like this there would be so much more progress. Today if a man falls in the streets of New York, people will keep walking. He gets to the Men’s House and is overcome with paranoia, pouring a bucket of bile on a man who he believes to be Bledsoe but turns out to be a reverend. He then goes back to Mary’s she welcomes him back and takes his compensation money as rent. She encourages him and preaches to him about leadership. She continued to believe in him which encouraged him, especially in his conflict to find purpose in New York City. He finds a street vendor selling yams and has an epiphany about how much he likes yams. I don’t like them, I’m more about aged Iberic cheese. He reasons that even Bledsoe eats yams but southern black people get offended about eating yams even though they love them. He reckons that he could ruin Bledsoe’s reputation by telling the local newspapers he eats yams. He decided that he was not going to be ashamed of liking the things he did anymore. He finds an elderly black couple being evicted from their house. The woman was literally carried in a chair off her house. This had drawn a crowd. The white men evicting them were being forceful. People commenting in the crowd inspired him to begin speaking. He quickly gets everyone’s attention. He gets everyone to help the couple by moving all their things back into their house. When a riot breaks out and the people block the couple’s eviction, the police appear and a white woman quickly gives him an escape route. From the rooftops, he sees the chaos taking place below and begins to question why the white girl had helped him, waiting for the cops to take him away. On the rooftop, a man invites him to coffee. 

[valerie-royeaux]

Rant: Thedas Internal Innacuracy

So, I’ll rant about something that pretty much ruined a good deal of Dragon Age as whole for me: internal world state inaccuracy.

This wasn’t so obvious at Dragon Age: Origins, which was when I fell in love with the game and the lore. In that game we see a medieval Ferelden: local warlords hold power over vast swaths of rural land, can call upon levies and have a complicated relation with their overlords. The king is not an absolutist monarch: rather, the kings of Ferelden pretty much have to deal with unstable barons banns, like most medieval (8th to 13th Century) monarchs had to. Hell, probably the Count of Flanders Teyrn of Highever commands more available power and  wealth than the king. This holds true in the scenery: the cities are a chaotic urban sprawl of huts and shacks climbing over each other, not unlike the ones we see at Assassin’s Creed 1, you know, the medieval one. This is consistent with the halls and castles: rough stone constructions with drapery and banners, and not marvels of architecture. Then, comes Dragon Age 2 and, with it, Varric.

I am not going to get into the details of Varric as a character, as this is not the purpose. But Varric is a fucking writer. A writer who has his books published by a company with an editor! This has tremendous implications that ruin any foundation to the medieval fantasy world Thedas is supposed to be. I will explain:

If Varric is a published writer, it means one particular machine is available in Thedas, a very particular invention which, in the real world, changed History: THE FUCKING PRINTING PRESS! The printing press means wide, accessible knowledge, as books can be produced industrially. No more dozens of monks in a scriptorium keeping the very few speckles of knowledge alive through ages, with rare tomes that can only be found in very specific libraries. No: the printing press makes books accessible, and encourages the spread of knowing how to read. It gives rise to fucking newspapers. It makes paper itself cheap. ((John, what if a Mage is actually replicating the books? It doesn’t matter: the practical effect is the same, whether its a mage or a machine doing the industrial replication of the written word.)) Then, comes Dragon Age - Inquisition. I will rant about the Cassandra book scene in a second. Before that, the Inquisitor meets Harding somewhere, and after a joke, Harding replies: “you could increase my hazard pay”. Hazard pay.

HAZARD PAY.

FUCKING HAZARD FUCKING PAY!

Maybe one of the books printed by the fucking printing press was the fucking The Capital, which inspired factory workers to revolt and thus acquire fucking medieval working rights. And the Inquisition is a very progressive employer, which pays hazard pay to their frontline soldiers.

And then it continues to the book scene, where Cassandra not only has a book in her hands, but it has coverart and stylized title, very modern. But I digress. I’ll stop cursing for a while and bring a grown-up argument.

Let us go to the Western Approach, where you meet the professor from the University of Orlais. And all the other NPCs and codex entries related to it. What would you expect? A medieval university will digress about philosophy, theology, and law. In a fantastic setting, fine, magic as well. But they will digress. They will not apply research and scientific method. If they do... They WILL obtain results.

Taken then, the fact the the Qunari have been using Gaatlock against the rest of Thedas for at least 300 years. Put into the equation the Printing Press + Scientific Method. Boom. Lyrium-enchanted rifles and cannons, ready to go.

Thedas does not have the basic internal consistency needed for any work of fiction. But now it’s too late, I love it! I fell in love with it when I thought it was a nice medieval dark fantasy setting, full of the gritty things that gave it depth.

But now... It’s become a flamboyant mix-and-match of swords, cannons and fireballs. I hope it doesn’t go full World of Warcraft and and bring in spaceships as well.

As I love it already, I have this headcannon that the whole Thedas is like late 12th Century Europe/Middle East: Ferelden is England, the countryside or Orlais is the Aquitaine region in France, The biggest cities or Orlais and the coastal cities of the Free Marches are like Venice. Rivain and Antiva are the Iberic peninsula, the Tevinter Imperium is like magic-infused Bizantine Empire, and Seheron/Par Vollen are like Syria and Egypt. It keeps the mood of all the regions, their technological and linguistics differences, while at the same time keeping the history nerd in me satisfied.

TL;DR:

#rants #history nerd

[nedsecondline]

How the CIA Funded & Supported Literary Magazines Worldwide While Waging Cultural War Against Communism

Over the course of this tumultuous year, new CIA director Mike Pompeo has repeatedly indicated that he would move the Agency in a “more aggressive direction.” In response, at least one person took on the guise of former Chilean president Salvador Allende and joked, incredulously, “more aggressive”? In 1973, the reactionary forces of General Augusto Pinochet overthrew Allende, the first elected Marxist leader in Latin America. Pinochet then proceeded to institute a brutal 17-year dictatorship characterized by mass torture, imprisonment, and execution. The Agency may not have orchestrated the coup directly but it did at least support it materially and ideologically under the orders of President Richard Nixon, on a day known to many, post-2001, as “the other 9/11.”

The Chilean coup is one of many CIA interventions into the affairs of Latin America and the former European colonies in Africa and Asia after World War II. It is by now well known that the Agency “occasionally undermined democracies for the sake of fighting communism,” as Mary von Aue writes at Vice, throughout the Cold War years. But years before some of its most aggressive initiatives, the CIA “developed several guises to throw money at young, burgeoning writers, creating a cultural propaganda strategy with literary outposts around the world, from Lebanon to Uganda, India to Latin America.” They didn’t invent the burgeoning post-war literary movements that first spread through the pages of magazines like The Partisan Review and The Paris Review in the 1950s. But the Agency funded, organized, and curated them, with the full knowledge of editors like Paris Review co-founder Peter Matthiessen, himself a CIA agent.

The Agency waged a cold culture war against international Communism using many of the people who might seem most sympathetic to it. Revealed in 1967 by former agent Tom Braden in the pages of the Saturday Evening Post, the strategy involved secretly diverting funds to what the Agency called “civil society” groups. The focal point of the strategy was the CCF, or "Congress for Cultural Freedom,” which recruited liberal and leftist writers and editors, oftentimes unwittingly, to “guarantee that anti-Communist ideas were not voiced only by reactionary speakers,” writes Patrick Iber at The Awl. As Braden contended in his exposé, in "much of Europe in the 1950s, socialists, people who called themselves ‘left’—the very people whom many Americans thought no better than Communists—were about the only people who gave a damn about fighting Communism.”

No doubt some literary scholars would find this claim tendentious, but it became agency doctrine not only because the CIA saw funding and promoting writers like James Baldwin, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Richard Wright, and Ernest Hemingway as a convenient means to an end, but also because many of the program's founders were themselves literary scholars. The CIA began as a World War II spy agency called the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). After the war, says Guernica magazine editor Joel Whitney in an interview with Bomb, “some of the OSS guys became professors at Ivy League Universities,” where they recruited people like Matthiessen.

The more liberal guys who were part of the brain trust that formed the CIA saw that the Soviets in Berlin were getting masses of people from other sectors to come over for their symphonies and films. They saw that culture itself was becoming a weapon, and they wanted a kind of Ministry of Culture too. They felt the only way they could get this paid for was through the CIA’s black budget. 

McCarthy-ism reigned at the time, and “the less sophisticated reactionaries,” says Whitney, “who represented small states, small towns, and so on, were very suspicious of culture, of the avant-garde, the little intellectual magazines, and of intellectuals themselves.” But Ivy League agents who fancied themselves tastemakers saw things very differently.

Whitney’s book, Finks: How the CIA Tricked the World’s Best Writers, documents the Agency’s whirlwind of activity behind literary magazines like the London-based Encounter, French Preuves, Italian Tempo Presente, Austrian Forum, Australian Quadrant, Japanese Jiyu, and Latin American Cuadernos and Mundo Nuevo. Many of the CCF’s founders and participants conceived of the enterprise as “an altruistic funding of culture,” Whitney tells von Aue. “But it was actually a control of journalism, a control of the fourth estate. It was a control of how intellectuals thought about the US.”

While we often look at post-war literature as a bastion of anti-colonial, anti-establishment sentiment, the pose, we learn from researchers like Iber and Whitney, was often carefully cultivated by a number of intermediaries. Does this mean we can no longer enjoy this literature as the artistic creation of singular geniuses? “You want to know the truth about the writers and publications you love,” says Whitney, “but that shouldn’t mean they’re ruined.” Indeed, the Agency’s cultural operations went far beyond the little magazines. The Congress of Cultural Freedoms used jazz musicians like Louie Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Dizzy Gillespie as “goodwill ambassadors" in concerts all over the world, and funded exhibitions of Abstract Expressionists like Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollack, and Willem de Kooning.

The motives behind funding and promoting modern art might mystify us unless we include the context in which such cultural warfare developed. After the Cuban Revolution and subsequent Communist fervor in former European colonies, the Agency found that "soft liners," as Whitney puts it, had more anti-Communist reach than "hard liners." Additionally, Communist propagandists could easily point to the U.S.'s socio-political backwardness and lack of freedom under Jim Crow. So the CIA co-opted anti-racist writers at home, and could silence artists abroad, as it did in the mid-60s when Louis Armstrong went behind the Iron Curtain and refused to criticize the South, despite his previous strong civil rights statements. The post-war world saw thriving free presses and arts and literary cultures filled with bold experimentalism and philosophical and political debate. Knowing who really controlled these conversations offers us an entirely new way to view the directions they inevitably seemed to take.

via The Awl

Related Content:

Partisan Review Now Free Online: Read All 70 Years of the Preeminent Literary Journal (1934-2003)

How the CIA Secretly Funded Abstract Expressionism During the Cold War

Louis Armstrong Plays Historic Cold War Concerts in East Berlin & Budapest (1965)

Read the CIA’s Simple Sabotage Field Manual: A Timeless, Kafkaesque Guide to Subverting Any Organization with “Purposeful Stupidity” (1944)

Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness

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[placestoseein]

Places to see in ( Almeria - Spain ) Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, situated in the southeast of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. Almeria is the capital of the province of the same name. It was Abd-ar-Rahman III who founded the Alcazaba, which gave this city its name: Al-Mari'yah. Almería was devastated by an earthquake and rebuilding and recovery didn't really get underway until the 19th century. During the Spanish Civil War, Almeria was shelled by the German Navy, and fell to Franco in 1939. Almeria has since rebuilt its economy around vegetable production, with 100,000 acres of greenhouses, supplying much of Europe. Alot to see in ( Almeria - Spain ) such as : The Alcazaba, a medieval fortress that was begun in the 10th century but destroyed by an earthquake in 1522. It includes a triple line of walls, a majestic keep and large gardens. It commands a city quarter with buildings dressed in pastel colors, of Muslim-age aspect. Almería air raid shelters, underground galleries for civilian protection during the Spanish Civil War, nowadays, the longest in Europe open for tourists. The Cathedral has a fortress-like appearance due to its towers, merlons and protected paths, created to defend it from Mediterranean pirates. Originally designated as a mosque, it was later converted into a Christian church, before being destroyed in the 1522 earthquake. In the 16th century it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, whilst keeping some of its defensive features. Renaissance church of Santiago, built in 1533, with tower and portal decorated with reliefs. Chanca, a group of houses carved into rocks. Castle of San Cristobal, now in ruins. It is connected to the Alcazaba by a line of walls. Museum of Almería. Includes findings from Prehistoric, Iberic, Roman, Greek ages and Muslim objects, mostly from the Alcazaba. Paseo de Coches, a modern seaside promenade with gardens and palms. By land, Almería can be reached by the A-7 Mediterranean Highway, which connects the Mediterranean area with the Spanish A-92 that unites it with the rest of Andalusia. By sea, the port of Almería has connections to Melilla, Algeria and Morocco, and also tourist cruises in the Mediterranean. It also has a marina with moorings for pleasure boats. Currently the port of Almería is being expanded with new docks and transformed into a container port to take large-scale international shipping and thereby increase its freight traffic. One of Almería's most famous natural spots is the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. This park is of volcanic origin, and is the largest and most ecologically significant marine-terrestrial space in the European Western Mediterranean Sea. With one of the most beautiful and ecologically rich coasts of the western Mediterranean and an area of 380 square kilometres it is one of Spain’s natural jewels. The Cabo de Gata Natural Park runs through the municipal areas of Níjar, Almería and Carboneras. Its villages, previously dedicated to fishing, have become tourism spots for those interested in nature. One of the greatest attractions of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park is its beaches. ( Almeria - Spain ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting the city of Almeria . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Almeria - Spain Join us for more : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLP2J3yzHO9rZDyzie5Y5Og http://ift.tt/2drFR54 http://ift.tt/2cZihu3 http://ift.tt/2drG48C https://twitter.com/Placestoseein1 http://ift.tt/2cZizAU http://ift.tt/2duaBPE

#Landscape #travel guide #Films #travel #LOL #Fashion #Art #travel blog #places to

[shibe-myths]

Poll Time! POLL TIME!

An excerpt for each of the Aveles Lineages is listed below:

Aegys - Residing within Edalehan, the Aegys are powerful warriors and one of the few non-human tribes given a place of power within the Round Table. They train many soldiers and run several raids upon The Eternal Night.

Corvi - Based in the mountains that border Ibereli. The Corvi is close to the Monster Hunter group known as the Phantoms of Moren. They are the most numerous tribe.

Estril - Seabound, they make their home off the coasts of the Isles’ arm. The Estril are notorious musicians and quite quick when it comes to fighting back.

Fringil - The Fringil wanders the ruins of what once was in search of the cursed god Uldor’s heart. Hoping to bring him back to life. They are bound by their kin's calling.

#lich gate #lichgate #choice of games #lichask #if games #ask #interactive fiction #sneak peek #pollforlineage

[shibe-myths]

What races are the cast supposed to be?

In universe. LadyB: Human with dormant Mage blood. Her Great-Great Grandmother, Sultana Shula was sun-blessed. Meaning she had the ability to summon flames from nothing and vanish in broad daylight.

Lamis does not possess this skill, however her grandson, A romance option in Book 2, does.

Bernie: Human with dormant Mage blood and another Ancestry. Bernie's mother is the Witch Queen Crowtongue, Aderyn Bulgaeri, a powerful mage who fought to save her kingdom from ruin. Their father is the Pirate King, Bernabe Lykos. Otherwise known as the Sea Wolf. Both Bernie's twin Josie and deceased half-brother, Fechin possessed active Mage Blood.

Bernie's Other Ancestry is active and will showcase itself with time.

Laz: Naga with mixed ancestry. (Irl They are derived from two different species of snake. Green Anaconda and Mongolian Pit Viper.)

Amyntas: Aveles of the Corvi (Corvid, with Amyn being a crow). The Corvi, also known as the second-born, are based in the mountains that border Ibereli. The Corvi are close to the Monster Hunter group known as the Phantoms of Moren. They are the most numerous tribe.

Bishop: Formally a human. He is now a Godling of the War Domain. Godlings are born into Domains that depend heavily upon the manner in which they died/were taken by the Mother Grove.

Indigo: Benvarrey half-breed. Her mother, Vesper was one of the original thirteen. A human turned monster. Her father, Gwenael was a kelp Siren.

Peri: Titan of Death Domain. Ney are the blood that flows through the shade and rot.

Asha: Just a regular ol' Human.

Lace: A Kelpie Merrow. Children of Mermaids and humans, the second most numerous species. Merrow children are born with human-like skin, more human teeth, a human’s fertility, and not having to rip their bodies in two just to walk the earth. But, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a bit of their Mermaid blood unseen within their form. Merrow also possesses wide, glowing eyes, webbed fingers and toes, and sharp ears, a mermaid’s lungs, and reputation.

Ribbon: She is a spirit that refused to allow herself to fade.

The Stranger: Gavanthi... mostly.

#lineages #lich gate #lore #lichgate #lichask

[shibe-myths]

Demo Romances

Within the demo for Lich Gate the MC has a chance to meet all Seven of the possible romance options. The Following is a quick character sheet for the possible Romances. Spoilers ahead.

❅The Lady in armor❅

Name: Lamis Bashar Alias: Lady B (By associates), The ALMOST Sultana (By Laz), Lami (intimate relations.) Gender: Female (not customizable) Pronouns: She/Her Age Range: Mid to late thirties Species: Human Class: General (close combat) Weapon: A crook’d spear.

Personality: Noble | Austere | Passionate | Stubborn

Romance Option: Yes. However, Lamis is only romanceable towards those who are male or male presenting. Romance Style: Hot and Cold

Appearance: Tall, almost impossibly so, lady B stands just shy of 7ft/213.36cm. With a swimmer’s build and a lancer’s training it is no surprise that the lady hides a muscular physique beneath her many layers of roughspun silk and armor. Drenched in fine jewels. She possesses calf-length caramel hair kept in a tight braid, dull yellow eyes, olive skin, and dramatic kohl lining her eyes and that of her lips.

Description: Wandering the kingdoms of Edalehan and Ibereli with her merry band of misfits, the lady spends much of her days foregoing her royal duties for the call of adventure. Believing that she may do more good for the people out there in the thick of it over that of a throne room. It is yet unknown whether or not she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

But, good luck telling her that.

The first romance option (technically the second) that the Player will meet during their journey. Lady B, born Lamis Bashar, is the great-granddaughter of the prior Sultana and an unknown consort - now the leader of a mercenary band. She finds the player lost upon the roads to ruin and takes pity, bringing them into her guild without so much as a second thought. She spends much of Lich Gate’s beginning aiding the MC in regaining their lost memories.

Notes:

Both Lady B and Bernie are distant cousins, hence the similar eye colors

Lady B owns a Pogona Lizard named Princess. Princess lives within her sleeve and will sometimes rest atop her shoulders; judging those around her.

☼The Noble knight☼

Name: Ser Bernadette Emili Regis Narcissus Ingle of Noble House Bulgari Alias: Bernie, B.B. (by Laz), Berns (Laz) Gender: Nonbinary, born AMAB. Pronoun: They/Them Age range: Mid Twenties Species: ‘Human’ Class: Cavalier Weapon: Sword and Shield.

Personality: Honest | Kind | Romantic | Naive

Romance Option: Yes. Bernie is Romanceable to a player of any gender. However, they prefer good-nature MCs. Romance Style: Flustered and drowning in courtly romance.

Appearance: Shoulder length dreads beaded with jewels, heavy brows, fine, lightly calloused umber skin, a broad nose, pale gold eyes, and a lithe build. Somewhat akin to that of a fencer. Standing at 5’8”/172.72cm, they make up for their rather average appearance with that of heavy armor that is more ceremonial rather than practical. And beneath their eyes is a thick line of kohl.

Description: The eldest twin of the noble house Bulgari, Bernadette is next in line to inherit the throne of the Bridge Isles. It’s just too bad that Bernie does not desire to take the crown until they’ve accomplished an impossible feat worthy of House Bulgari. No matter how much their family has claimed otherwise, Bernadette has set themself with the task of saving the day- just like their ancestors had before the rise of magic. Even if it kills them.

Bernie has spent the past year wandering the continent in search of a cause worthy enough for them to champion. With minimal success. It isn’t until they meet the mysterious stranger that they might have found a cause worthy enough for the title of Sovereign.

Notes:

Bernadette is a twin, both they and Josephine (their sibling) have equal right to the throne due to the circumstances of their birth. However, thanks to Josie’s insanely poor health, Bernie is expected to take over once they return from their little ‘adventure’.

Both Lady B and Bernie are distant cousins thanks to their great grandmothers both being married and having issue (children) with the same person: The Ghost of Bulgari.

⚘The Serpent⚘

Name: Lazarus (male), Lazeria (female) Attor Alias: Snake (Lady B), Laz (commonly) Gender: Customizable (Male or Female) Pronoun: He/They (male), She/They (female) Age range: Early Thirties Species: Naga Class: Rogue Weapon: Talons and poison

Personality: Drunkard | Sarcastic | Observant | Nosy

Romance Option: Yes. Laz is Romanceable to a player of any gender. They can also stay as a friend with benefits if the Player so chooses. Romance Style: Hot and Heavy (Friends with Benefits), Devoted and Willing (Romance)

Appearance: Damn near twenty feet in length, Laz is the very example of their serpentine lineage. With bright green eyes, scales varying from the deepest of bronze to the brightest of emerald, three taloned fingers, fangs, and ochre flesh. They are almost a menace in comparison to the rest of the companions. A warrior’s physique despite their preference for cloak and dagger. The Serpent is distressingly quick despite their size.

Fem!Laz tends to wear a tightly wrapped emerald breast band and matching headscarf. While her male counterpart only wears an emerald cloak.

Description: A child of the sands, not much is known about Laz's past. If asked they will come up with an outlandish story on the spot. Never the same tale. They will never tell the truth- no matter how much booze they've been plied with. Besides, who wants to think of the past when the present is already here?

A spymaster for the Sultanate, Laz spends much of the day drunk. Plying the lonely with affection in exchange for the juiciest of gossip. It isn't until Lady B and her mysterious stranger walk into their tavern, that Laz is forced to give up their life of luxury for something more...

Daring...

Notes:

Laz’ work leaves them knowing far too much about their compatriots. Whether or not they’ll use this to their advantage is a given.

Laz has two separate romance routes.

ღThe Rangerღ

Name: Amyntas. Hunter of the Corvi Alias: Amyn (Intimate), Amy pronounced Ah-me (Laz), Bird (Laz and ???) Gender: Male Pronoun: He/him Age range: Late thirties Species: Aveles Class: Ranger Weapon: Bow and Arrow

Personality: Stoic | Romantic | Stubborn | Inexperienced

Romance Option: Yes. Amyntas is only Romanceable towards a female or nonbinary player. Romance Style: Nervous Affection born from inexperience

Appearance: Squarely standing at 5’5”/165.1cm, the Aveles hunter is quite plain for a member of his species. With jet black hair feathers, silvery white skin, and a scrawny frame. He isn’t much of a threat at first glance. However, don’t let him fool you, Amyntas is a prolific hunter for his clan and WILL use that knowledge against you. A real david versus goliath type. He dresses in heavy woolen cloaks, lengthy scarves, and mix match leather armor of various origins. Much of which barely seems to fit the young harpy. Interestingly, Amyntas has made a habit of enchanting

Whatever he has lying around really. And all of which he enchants as he goes to keep himself whole while he stalks the Fell mountains.

Description: Born amongst the follies of war between that of the various tribes of the Aveles and that of the Fallen children of the mountains, Amyntas was raised in a precarious environment where any moment might be your last. Constantly forced on the verge of life and death, the hunter has taken it upon himself to do the unimaginable- abandon his clan in favor of ending the life of the Lich Queen and her generals.

Whether or not he'll survive is entirely up to you. Notes:

Amyntas technically knows ‘about’ the player character’s possible past before they lost their memories. However, they do not know just WHO the Player is once they meet.

Amyntas is easy to ‘flirt’ with, however they are hard to romance within a first playthrough as they tend to defer towards other possible romance options..

◍The plagued Warrior◍

Name: The Bishop Alias: Bishie-boy (Laz), War Boy! (Laz), Bore (Laz) Gender: Male, (technically The Bishop should be classified as Genderfluid since he can change his appearance at will. However he prefers presenting as Male.) Pronouns: He/him Age Range: Unknown, appears to be somewhere within his late twenties Species: Godling Class: Berserker Weapon: A magically soulbound axe twice his size.

Personality: Polite | Intelligent | Blood thirsty | Sneaky

Romance Option: Yes. The Bishop only has a sexual or romantic interest in Men or Male presenting individuals. Romance Style: Transactional (In the beginning), Doting (Near the end).

Appearance: The Godling of War is one who is the very definition of a short king, standing just shy of 5'/152cms. He is probably the shortest Romance option to be had in the game. Save for a one night stand that the MC can take part in. A powerful man built like a tank, The Bishop possesses pale skin, waist length auburn hair, eight eyes, four arms, and two sets of horns. Honestly, he makes for quite the silhouette, especially with his habit of dressing in the finest of cheaply put together bandit leather armor beneath a priest's robe.

Description: Left to walk the earth after his untimely death thanks to the rise of magic. The Bishop has made it his mission to take over the role of the god who fell so that he could rise. Such is the life of a young godling. But, unfortunately for the Spider blooded man, he was not the only such being born for his role. With seven other contenders for his throne, the bishop is forced to hunt and consume his kin, one-by-one so that he may achieve godhood. It has been a long and arduous road laid ahead of him, yet he must go on. And maybe, with just a little push from the MC he might reach his goal.

Notes:

The Bishop does not remember his original name before he became a godling, only that he was once a war-monk who served under the divine hand of the Flaming Sword.

Bishop does not enjoy flirting, finding it to be beneath him, however he WILL flirt with the MC if it means getting what he wants. (AND THEN FALLS IN LOVE LIKE A FOOOL)

♬The Muse of Saltus♬ Name: Indigo Montoya Alias: Indie (Laz), The Siren of Saltus (professionally) Gender: Genderfluid (Normally female presenting) Pronouns: Fluid (She tends to present as Female, but will accept being called by any pronoun.) Age Range: Early twenties Species: Mermaid Class: Bard Weapon: A dagger, voice, and rapier

Personality: Adoring | Vivacious | Passionate | Flirty

Romance Option: Yes. Indigo is only available towards those who are female or female presenting. Romance Style: Lighthearted and Fun Appearance: The siren of the sea is the very example of her species. With vibrant purple-grey skin, deep black eyes, elegant tail ripped in two, a curvy frame, and an even more striking head of kelp braided indigo dyed hair. The lass will always try her best to stand out. Being just over 8'/243cm in her true form (much of which is situated in her tail.) Indigo usually starts to underwhelm people when it comes to her land-dweller form, 5'3"/160cm. Montoya tends to wear the same thing: a pair of gloves to hide her talons and a loose white tunic. Only the gods will know if the wild child ever wears underwear.

Description: Sirens tend to have a harsh life, one destined for ridicule and shame. Yet, the Siren of Saltus has made it her mission to take over the world stage and to gain the begrudging respect of ALL who meet her. Whether or not she'll succeed is entirely up in the air at this point.

Notes:

Indigo does flirt with any MC (no matter their presentation) however she is only interested in romancing women (or female presenting individuals).

Oftentimes Indigo will play songs during time spent in camp. She can be asked to teach the MC how to play one of three instruments. That being: Tambura, Flute, or the Oud.

❥The Dream Lover❥ Name: Perierat Alias: Peri (Laz), ancient one (epiphet), Rat (Laz). Gender: Agender Pronouns: Ne/Nem Age Range: Unknown, presents as early thirties. Species: Titan Class: Sorcerer. Weapon: A dagger and magestone

Personality: Possesive | Pliant | Passionate | Patient

Romance Option: Yes. Peri is a very... protective romance option. To the point that I STRONGLY suggest NOT romancing anyone else when romancing Peri. Or at least, do so at your own risk. (If you plan on romancing another option I strongly suggest Laz or Bishop as Peri brings out a different side of the two.) Romance Style: Terrifying and bloody (when romancing another as well as them.), Devoted worshiper (when only romancing them)

Appearance: The titan born is fairly nondescript, forgettable almost. Standing at nearly 5'9/175cms, with chest length gingery-blonde hair, white eyes, dark tawny skin, and large molten antlers atop their head. With a penchant towards flowy, murder-husbandy robes. It's difficult to describe Perierat without revealing too much.

Description: Spoilers. Sorry.

Notes:

Peri is behind a great deal of the events that make up the story of Lich Gate. Giving any more details may spoil some rather LARGE parts of the story. Sorry, sorry, sorry!!!

Obsessed with the MC, Peri owns a giant Huntsman spider named after them. Their 'baby' tends to make webs within their antlers Which Peri finds to be QUITE stylish.

#romance #lichgate #lich gate #choice of games #if games #romance options #ROs #sneak peek #companions #interactive fiction