Wanshang hao. Konnichiwa. Namaste.
Dateline: The Orient. Well, boys and girls, things have been awfully quiet in the Orient lately, which has kept me in a constant state of amazement. Although if you think about it, I don't know why it should. We've always been very dignified in our part of the AncientWorlds, being represented by three such quiet, shy, and retiring scribes.... Speaking of which,
Lalita Ashoka is back from a long absence and in rare form as you can see from this very paper. Donning a stola and slipping into secret (secret, who doesn't know?) Roman persona Laurels Curius, she's been named as one of the managing editors of the Acta and is responsible for the new layout...as well as for many of the graphic images you see throughout these pages. Rumors have reached this reporter that Lalita and Sankira are up to their scheming again and we may hope to have a very merry New Year's celebration in a few months — February 9th to be exact. Personally, I expect to see a call for volunteers any day. Watch this paper for more information as plans are leaked.
So, the summer came and went without too much hoopla, which was probably a good thing since all over AncientWorlds, the neighborhoods have been occupying citizens, patrons, and scribes alike — and that's not to mention the inordinate number of lightning bolts we've seen over Rome and Mount Olympus this summer. The good news, though, is they're open for business now. Our Orient scribes are slo-o-o-wly creating discussion boards in each hood for history, fun and games, ideas and "Correct me if I'm wrong, but..." threads for posting errors found in our research. (And if you see any hoods without their boards, you can tell that slacker Sank to get busy!!! *pant, pant*)
The Scribes of the Orient have already thanked the city-builders who helped to bring the Orient hoods to life, but they also deserve public recognition here, so without further ado, a huge thank you to:
Aside from the hoods, a few other things of note have been happening. I'm sure you were all witnesses to the atrocious manner in which that Mesopotamian tabloid
The Babylon Beat twisted our own Sankira Qin's words, wantonly accused us of holding His Zigful Majesty against his will (when everyone knows you couldn't drag him out of Yoshiwara by his toes), and nearly sparked a full blown War of the Worlds. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the impending conflagration was peacefully settled—at least for the moment.
Bao Bei (our poor kidnapped panda) has been returned and was last seen munching on bamboo, sushi, and downing sake by the koku in
Aria Murasaka's pavilion. The armistice was commemorated by a Celebration of Peace and Harmony, held in
The Hall of Supreme Harmony on September 18th. This reporter has been told that, despite a number of real world conflicts which arose for some of our members, a grand time was had by all. It's also more than a rumor now that Mesopotamia will be reciprocating with a reception to be held at The Ziggurat on November 5th. So,
join us this Friday night for e-cocktails, e-dancing, and a bit of Mesopotamian Madness!
The Godfather of Seoul, jojo Chi (aka our Mesopotamian demi-god
jojo Nebuchadnezzar) made a RL trip to China and has been visiting the
Vacationer's Paradise daily, regaling us with his adventures. This is a new thread in the Floating Garden Social Center especially designed for our members to share their vacation (or daily life) memories of the RW Orient. Now, if I could just manage that trip to Chang'an, I would be happy! Be sure to pop in and read about jojo's trip. The pictures are great. But I warn you, you might just turn Dragon Shogunate green with envy. I know I did.
Orient Group News
So what's going on in the Orient's various groups? I asked several group leaders to let us know. Here's what they had to say:
The Orient's very own art museum
Art of AncientWorlds is open for business. After a lively (and slightly bloody) discussion concerning the merits of Gentileschi and Caravaggio's differing treatment of "Judith Slaying Holofernes", the members are actively engaged in the daunting task of trying to decide their favorite works of art. The next exhibition will focus on Oriental Silkscreens and collecting the works to be displayed is now in progress. Equally of note; the board Member Galleries exists to display the work of AW's resident artists. So if you're interested in having your own exhibit gallery, contact
Lalita Ashoka,
Onions Hatshepsut, or
Ningyo Minamoto, the AAW group leaders.
The Healing Arts Through the Ages group leader
Xuemei Qin reports that HATTA has decided to hold a chat on Friday the 26th of November at 17:00 AWT. HATTA is a group that covers all topics medical from herbology to ayurveda to forensic medicine. So, if you're a budding AW physician or just find the subject fascinating, join the group. And remember to stop by for the chat. Everybody will be there and would love to meet you.
Group leader
Ji Song Zhou tells me that
Early Dynastic China focuses on those dynasties prior to AD 220. Recently,
Genji Shang has posted about the origins of the famous Silk Road, as well as the Chu-Han War of 206 BC and the beginnings of the Shang dynasty. (Way to go, Genji!) EDC welcomes everyone to join them in exploring the history, culture, and daily life of those ancient people.
Fun and Games
How adept at Haiku are you? See if you can spot the three haiku hidden in our world news! Post your findings in our
Falling Cherry Blossoms Haiku Thread and see if you're correct.
