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2/8/2010 - Look! Jujube snuck into my post, because I am just so cool! I will now preserve this momentous occasion forevermore:

Dju: It means "under construction", foo' :U

Oh, the sweet sound of young love.



Yes, this is not a real post. I am just posting now so I won't forget later. My memory is bad. You don't want to test it. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Any languages used in this thread are likely to be contrived, mangled, half-remembered, or worse. Language purists may wish to turn away now.

mnayn int?
mni l3iraaq.
aah... l3iraaq.

A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF ANCIENT HISTORY
(=No major changes from RL events pre-20th century.)

It's been many years since the word Iraq last conjured up images of luxury. But there was a time when the region seemed blessed. In sharp contrast to the surrounding desert steppes, the land we now know as Iraq was once fertile and rich, nourished by the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Droughts were then infrequent and the soil had not reached its current level of hypersalinity, not to mention that in those times the weather was both hot and sunny. As crops began to flourish, so did civilization - the world's earliest, in fact, hence the contemporary epithet "Cradle of Civilization." Sumer fell, but others took its place, and for centuries Iraq enjoyed a privileged place as the seat of culture. Writing was first invented here, as was the wheel. The beginning of mathematics, science, philosophy, literature - all this and more can be traced back to ancient Iraq and no further. Small wonder then that the Iraqi people are proud of their roots!

Unfortunately, Iraq's luck was due to run out, and by the 15th century the region was already under the thrall of foreign invaders. In the 20th century, the population decreased, the land beset by drought, the soil now highly saline, Iraq found itself suddenly and unexpectedly under British control. There was military occupation and quelled rebellion. To put it lightly, things really sucked, and they didn't get much better after Iraq gained independence. The rest of the 20th century was a complex mess of bloodshed, religion, politics. Foreign occupation once more reared its ugly head, as did lots of what our forefathers once termed "human rights abuses." There was war and oppression. Iranians were killed. Kurds were killed. Kuwait was temporarily decreed nonexistent. More people died. In the early second millennium C.E., Iraq was invaded. Al-Qaeda wormed in, Saddam Hussein was hung, and for a long time, there were lots and lots of foreign soldiers in the country.

This is all the government has seen fit to tell us. All other accounts of ancient Iraqi history have been suppressed for the good of the people and the nation.

A BRIEFER ACCOUNT OF RECENT HISTORY

All accounts of recent Iraqi history have been suppressed for the good of the people and the nation.

THE THIRD MILLENNIUM (COMMON ERA)

All accounts of current affairs are highly regulated for the good of the people and the nation.

That said, here's a quick run-down of the current situation. After centuries of oppression from various angles, Iraq has become little more than a strife-torn backwater. Neighboring Syria, the only other similarly Allied Arabic-speaking country in Iraq's direct vicinity, has become the intellectual and political center of the region to such an extent that the native Iraqi dialects have actually been wholly superseded by Levantine colloquial. But in the third millennium, the Iraqi government is once more vying for political recognition. Although the Iraqi government is clearly allied to MOTHERLAND and adheres to its strictures, the government has implemented its own initiatives as well, for example a thriving nationalist campaign to promote patriotism. The recent influx of information regarding ancient Iraqi history is in fact a component of this same campaign, and judging by the fervor with which the people embrace their newfound historical heritage, it seems the government is on the right path. The region may still be impoverished and the government as corrupt as ever, but at the least hoi polloi are proud to be Iraqi!

Well, most of them are proud to be Iraqi anyway. Democratic, capitalist Iraqi Kurdistan was exterminated as a political entity at some point during the war years and the Kurds themselves slaughtered en masse, and certain other political dissidents and ethnic minorities now fear the same fate. But given the government's approval of torture and tyranny in the name of the greater good, not to mention its alliance with the equally strong-fisted MOTHERLAND, nobody quite dares to speak out about these concerns. A casual tourist might not even realize that Kurdistan once existed.

Culturally, class stratifications have ironically become more divisive in the wake of the new socio-communist policy, as old families with illustrious genealogies strive to re-assert social dominance despite the (only partially successful) equalization of wealth. Islam is still the most prominent religion in the region, but for the most part the people are middle-of-the-way Muslims, and religious extremists are persecuted by the government. The government itself has not declared an official religion, possibly out of deference to MOTHERLAND, but the state certainly enforces the concept of zakat, in which Muslims must annually tithe a certain percentage of their wealth and assets to charity (and according to the government, charity = the government, so you can see why the state would like this arrangement).

In terms of foreign affairs, Iraq has little to do with the outside world, other than general niceties. The country is on good terms with nearby Syria and Egypt and obviously respects its affiliation with MOTHERLAND. But Iraq is too poor to wield much political clout in the international community, and most of its direct neighbors are Enemy lands rather than Allied and thus cordial relations with Iran et al are an impossibility.

THE PRINCE

To be honest, I'm not very particular about the Prince, nor do I have much to say about him quite yet. It's very hard to write about a character when you do not yet know what will happen to him. I mean, isn't that kind of the point of a growing character? To have the damn thing change with time and experience? Well, anyway, here are some general thoughts:

1. THE FROG

My favorite species from Iraq thus far is probably Pelobates syriacus. (All these species are gonna be from the Middle East, so that Shady can indulge in a little cultural pride.) Just look at these googly eyes!

http://tinyurl.com/pelobates

Some other options: Bufo variabilis, Rana ridibunda.

2. BEHAVIORAL TRAITS

Froggy frog frog (well, toady toad toad) is definitely a night creature, which is sure to drive Shady insane once the Prince discovers loud music. Just as his species enjoys burrows and holes under stones, the toad-boy is very fond of tight, enclosed spaces. Closets, chests, drawers are all fair game, as is the dark hollow under the bed. He also likes to dig his own holes (backwards!), an activity his spadefoot certainly helps in.

3. THE NAME

.... is hard to decide on. I'll update this post when I think of something appropriately lame.

TECHNOLOGY

.

So here's the plan:

1) Fill out "History" post and get approval. (✓ on post, __ on approval)
2) Fill out "Guardian" and "Prince" posts.
3) Open thread for crits and hope for a pass!

Everything else can be tackled slooooowly.

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