The Jewish War: Book 3
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cahnLast week: The Jews are basically in an abusive relationship with Rome and have no good options; they choose the particular bad option of picking a war with Rome that they can't win. The Romans are terrible. Also continuing discussion here about Britannicus, Messalina, and the Praetorians.
This week: Vespasian comes down like a ton of bricks. That whole !!!! part of Josephus happens, where he gets stuck in the cave with a bunch of others and invents and wins the Josephus problem (well, in the text it says they draw lots, so he doesn't actually really cite what developed into the problem) (*) and surrenders to the Romans once he and another guy are the only ones left, and prophesies to Vespasian that he will become emperor. (selenak: Is it Feuchtwanger's invention to add the nomenclature of Messiah in there too? That definitely... upped the ante.)
(I'll comment more on this tomorrow -- I got done with the reading late and obviously barely got this written.)
Next week: first part of book 4? Where to?
(*) E. wanted to know what I was reading, so I told her about the Josephus problem, and she said, "Real-world applications of math!"
This week: Vespasian comes down like a ton of bricks. That whole !!!! part of Josephus happens, where he gets stuck in the cave with a bunch of others and invents and wins the Josephus problem (well, in the text it says they draw lots, so he doesn't actually really cite what developed into the problem) (*) and surrenders to the Romans once he and another guy are the only ones left, and prophesies to Vespasian that he will become emperor. (
selenak: Is it Feuchtwanger's invention to add the nomenclature of Messiah in there too? That definitely... upped the ante.) (I'll comment more on this tomorrow -- I got done with the reading late and obviously barely got this written.)
Next week: first part of book 4? Where to?
(*) E. wanted to know what I was reading, so I told her about the Josephus problem, and she said, "Real-world applications of math!"
Access denied: why Muslims worldwide are being ‘debanked’ – podcast
Mar. 16th, 2026 05:00 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
theguardian_longread_feedInnocent people are being frozen out of basic banking services – and it all traces back to reforms rushed through after 9/11
By Oliver Bullough. Read by Elis James
Continue reading...Quiet Mix For Jeremy, Reconstruction
Nov. 15th, 1998 09:35 pmgaroteThis is a two-part mix I assembled for my friend Jeremy. I might be misremembering, but I think he heard "numbah crunch, second edition" and liked the way the first two tracks went, with the rain and the slowly building beat, and he asked for something that would start that way and keep going.
We both loved the "Throne Of Drones" anthology, so I picked my favorites from that, then spliced in quieter pieces from Pink Floyd, Coil, Download, and my other musical obsessions in 1998. I wasn't entirely happy with the result but Jeremy must have enjoyed it, because almost 30 years later he unearthed an mp3 version of the mix from his library and sent me a copy. (I'd only saved a chunk of the first part, and lost the second part entirely. Bad filing clerk! No donut! Or stapler, or whatever.)
The mix posted here is what I think I would have built, if my library was just a bit bigger in 1998. The first part is about the same, but the second part has a new back half. I was aware of all these artists, but believe it or not, music piracy in 1998 just wasn't quite good enough for me to find what I wanted, and I was already blowing a hundred dollars a month in music stores up in Berkeley. If the adults in my life (age 22 is definitely not adulthood!) had known I spent my money this way, they would have rightly called me an idiot. Which of course is exactly why I never told them!
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_1-ALAC.m4a
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_2-ALAC.m4a
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_1-AAC.m4a
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_2-AAC.m4a
The cover art is a photo taken by my father in the 1970's. One summer he drove a truck up through Canada into Alaska, and one day he walked into a tiny church that was converted into a museum, housing artifacts brought there by Russian settlers before Alaska was purchased by the United States. The situation of these weird, mostly forgotten silver-and-glass portraits hanging in a wooden church deep in the wilderness feels appropriately unexpected.
We both loved the "Throne Of Drones" anthology, so I picked my favorites from that, then spliced in quieter pieces from Pink Floyd, Coil, Download, and my other musical obsessions in 1998. I wasn't entirely happy with the result but Jeremy must have enjoyed it, because almost 30 years later he unearthed an mp3 version of the mix from his library and sent me a copy. (I'd only saved a chunk of the first part, and lost the second part entirely. Bad filing clerk! No donut! Or stapler, or whatever.)
The mix posted here is what I think I would have built, if my library was just a bit bigger in 1998. The first part is about the same, but the second part has a new back half. I was aware of all these artists, but believe it or not, music piracy in 1998 just wasn't quite good enough for me to find what I wanted, and I was already blowing a hundred dollars a month in music stores up in Berkeley. If the adults in my life (age 22 is definitely not adulthood!) had known I spent my money this way, they would have rightly called me an idiot. Which of course is exactly why I never told them!
Lossless-encoded version:
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_1-ALAC.m4a
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_2-ALAC.m4a
AAC-encoded version:
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_1-AAC.m4a
DJ_Fixed-Jeremys_Quiet_Mix_Rebuild-Part_2-AAC.m4a
The cover art is a photo taken by my father in the 1970's. One summer he drove a truck up through Canada into Alaska, and one day he walked into a tiny church that was converted into a museum, housing artifacts brought there by Russian settlers before Alaska was purchased by the United States. The situation of these weird, mostly forgotten silver-and-glass portraits hanging in a wooden church deep in the wilderness feels appropriately unexpected.
Signal boosting: Virtual Memorial for Minoanmiss
Mar. 16th, 2026 01:05 amgossThe Virtual Memorial for minoanmiss will be April 12, 1PM EDT (GMT -4)
Other info shared bygingicat:
It's now okay to unlock and make public posts regardingminoanmiss.
The funeral took place on the afternoon of March 13th. If any of you want to go visit her grave, it is in Mount Auburn Cemetery near the corner of Sycamore Ave and Gerardia Path.
Her organs were donated:
- heart to research
- liver to a woman in her 30s
- right kidney to a woman in her 40s
- left kidney to a woman in her 70s
Announcement sign-up:
https://groups.google.com/g/nyani-announce
---
I'm so glad to know MM's final resting place is at a peaceful, beautiful location, and that her friends were able to honour her wishes to donate her organs to those in need. ♥
minoanmiss will be April 12, 1PM EDT (GMT -4)Other info shared by
gingicat: It's now okay to unlock and make public posts regarding
minoanmiss.The funeral took place on the afternoon of March 13th. If any of you want to go visit her grave, it is in Mount Auburn Cemetery near the corner of Sycamore Ave and Gerardia Path.
Her organs were donated:
- heart to research
- liver to a woman in her 30s
- right kidney to a woman in her 40s
- left kidney to a woman in her 70s
Announcement sign-up:
https://groups.google.com/g/nyani-announce
---
I'm so glad to know MM's final resting place is at a peaceful, beautiful location, and that her friends were able to honour her wishes to donate her organs to those in need. ♥
portrait of the artist, 1918 ...
Mar. 15th, 2026 11:40 pmnineweaving... in a garden in Oxford.
The year was actually 1988, but finding it gave me the strangest sense of timeslip.
Nine
The year was actually 1988, but finding it gave me the strangest sense of timeslip.
Nine
scaturient
Mar. 16th, 2026 12:01 amwordsmithdaily_feedadjective: 1. Overflowing. 2. Overly demonstrative; effusive.
Poem: "Colorful Opportunities"
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:01 pmysabetwordsmithThis is the freebie for the March ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by the "tape" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America.
"Colorful Opportunities"
Tape is a material
that is always full of
colorful opportunities.
It can make borders and
frames on scrapbook pages.
It stripes the handles of
tools for easy identification.
It flags pages for future reading.
It makes cute cutouts for
decorating boxes and books.
Tape holds hobbies together.
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by the "tape" square in my 3-1-26 card for the National Crafting Month Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Arts and Crafts America."Colorful Opportunities"
Tape is a material
that is always full of
colorful opportunities.
It can make borders and
frames on scrapbook pages.
It stripes the handles of
tools for easy identification.
It flags pages for future reading.
It makes cute cutouts for
decorating boxes and books.
Tape holds hobbies together.
Tags:
Original Work: Three Sisters. For Mermay., by Rubynye.
Mar. 15th, 2026 11:05 pmfull_metal_ox posting in fancake.Fandom: Original Work
Pairings: Gen
Characters:: OCs
Rating: Gen
Length: 1 panel
Content Notes: Nudity, although no breasts or genitals are visible.
Creator Tags: I kind of love the reverse mermaid, mermaids, my art, mermay 2021, I am ridiculous
Creator Links: (AO3)![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Rubynye; (Dreamwidth) minoanmiss; (Tumblr) ![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
rubynye
Theme: Siblings, Non-Fic Recs: Fanart, Mythical Creatures: Mermaids, Non-AO3 Work, Original Work, Tumblr Work, Worldbuilding, Xeno/Alien Biology
Summary: Three mermaids of vastly different conformations sunning themselves together on a rock.
Reccer's Notes: An example ofminoanmiss’s exuberant, joyous, and cartoony artwork, informed by Minoan artifacts and Afro-Caribbean art. The picture is a spur to speculation, raising the question of the exact nature of the three mermaids’ sisterhood (and, if they’re direct birth siblings, exactly how the razzlefrazz the biology played out): a worldbuilding prompt asking to happen.
Fanwork Links: Three Sisters. For Mermay., byrubynye.
Pairings: Gen
Characters:: OCs
Rating: Gen
Length: 1 panel
Content Notes: Nudity, although no breasts or genitals are visible.
Creator Tags: I kind of love the reverse mermaid, mermaids, my art, mermay 2021, I am ridiculous
Creator Links: (AO3)
minoanmiss; (Tumblr) Theme: Siblings, Non-Fic Recs: Fanart, Mythical Creatures: Mermaids, Non-AO3 Work, Original Work, Tumblr Work, Worldbuilding, Xeno/Alien Biology
Summary: Three mermaids of vastly different conformations sunning themselves together on a rock.
Reccer's Notes: An example of
minoanmiss’s exuberant, joyous, and cartoony artwork, informed by Minoan artifacts and Afro-Caribbean art. The picture is a spur to speculation, raising the question of the exact nature of the three mermaids’ sisterhood (and, if they’re direct birth siblings, exactly how the razzlefrazz the biology played out): a worldbuilding prompt asking to happen.Fanwork Links: Three Sisters. For Mermay., by
goodbye minoanmiss
Mar. 15th, 2026 10:51 pmcellioI've known minoanmiss online for decades, and got to meet her in person twice. She turned fifty in January, and two weeks ago she had a fatal seizure. Complicated family stuff meant delaying saying anything in public.
MM had an infectious smile and took joy in sharing art, music, and food. She always had stickers to give to children she encountered when out and about, she cooked meals for her local food bank, and she spread drawings and poetry online and in tangible form. I have many postcards, holiday cards, and magnets with her work, and I've enjoyed many of her fruitcakes and confections. In a last act of giving, her organs gave life to three other people.
Due to an abusive past she struggled to see her own value sometimes. But she also saw the many friends who gathered around her and the unknown people she helped in the world, and I hope that that helped her get through rough times. There was a non-religious service on Friday (which I attended on Zoom) and an in-person memorial gathering today in Boston, and it stands out how many people from different circles were together in those places. There's going to be a virtual memorial on April 12; details will be shared later on the announcement list (signup link).
She was doing what she loved -- cooking -- when it happened, way too early. I miss her.
Goblin Emperor: Four Sisters by Akallabeth
Mar. 15th, 2026 07:57 pmbeatrice_otter posting in fancakeFandom: the Goblin Emperor
Pairings/Characters: Ursu Perenched, Holitho Sevraseched, Nadeian Vizhenka, Shaleän Sevraseched
Rating: Gen
Length: 9k
Creator Links:Akallabeth
Theme: siblings, minor characters, book fandoms, small fandoms, family, gen, female characters
Summary: Short scenes from the lives of four (half-)sisters, the unacknowledged daughters of the Great Avar.
Canon-compliant, to the best of my knowledge and ability.
Reccer's Notes: We only get a sentence in canon about each of these four sisters, but the details we get are really interesting. This is one of the best fics exploring the scant details we get.
Fanwork Links: Four Sisters
Pairings/Characters: Ursu Perenched, Holitho Sevraseched, Nadeian Vizhenka, Shaleän Sevraseched
Rating: Gen
Length: 9k
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, minor characters, book fandoms, small fandoms, family, gen, female characters
Summary: Short scenes from the lives of four (half-)sisters, the unacknowledged daughters of the Great Avar.
Canon-compliant, to the best of my knowledge and ability.
Reccer's Notes: We only get a sentence in canon about each of these four sisters, but the details we get are really interesting. This is one of the best fics exploring the scant details we get.
Fanwork Links: Four Sisters
Long-term psychological effects of physical isolation
Mar. 16th, 2026 04:12 amvoidbeetles posting in little_detailsHi!
I have a character in a sci-fi universe who ends up "shipwrecked" alone on a completely uninhabited planet for two years. The planet, and the specific environment he lands in, are perfectly habitable by humans (we are in soft scifi territory here, very Star Trek inspired) and he's able to survive with some effort. (The details of how are not really important to the story - I know at least that he's the kind of guy who'd be able to salvage some tech and emergency supplies from his wrecked ship, and I'm comfortable with brushing past the details of what exactly he brought with him - but if anyone's really interested in coming at it from that logistical angle, I won't stop you!)
What is more relevant to the story is how this experience would continue to affect him by the time he's back home safely. I think there are a bunch of possible avenues here and I'd love to see people's takes on how they would approach this or approach researching it. For example, here are some of my cursory thoughts:
I have a character in a sci-fi universe who ends up "shipwrecked" alone on a completely uninhabited planet for two years. The planet, and the specific environment he lands in, are perfectly habitable by humans (we are in soft scifi territory here, very Star Trek inspired) and he's able to survive with some effort. (The details of how are not really important to the story - I know at least that he's the kind of guy who'd be able to salvage some tech and emergency supplies from his wrecked ship, and I'm comfortable with brushing past the details of what exactly he brought with him - but if anyone's really interested in coming at it from that logistical angle, I won't stop you!)
What is more relevant to the story is how this experience would continue to affect him by the time he's back home safely. I think there are a bunch of possible avenues here and I'd love to see people's takes on how they would approach this or approach researching it. For example, here are some of my cursory thoughts:
- PTSD is certainly a likely long-term complication
- It's implied that his shipwrecking was not an accident/was engineered maliciously - I imagine this is something he has dwelt on heavily throughout the two years and will affect his ability to trust people (and to visit other uninhabited planets in the future!). Seems like it would be easy to get caught in delusional spirals in a situation like that.
- I know that prolonged isolation can cause hallucination/psychosis in some cases, especially in solitary confinement, sensory deprivation contexts, etc. Is that as much of a risk in this case? And if so, do you think he'd still be experiencing psychotic symptoms after the fact?
- One of his personality traits is that he's fairly attention-seeking - I think it's likely this incident will exacerbate that and make him more desperate for connection
- It'll probably alter how he approaches social situations in the future in general; that's something I'll definitely be thinking about
- Perhaps he got into the habit of talking to himself on the planet, and this never went away
Batman: proper rites by the magpie said (hollowmen)
Mar. 15th, 2026 07:44 pmbeatrice_otter posting in fancakeFandom: Batman
Pairings/Characters: Jason Todd, Damian Wayne
Rating: gen
Length: 7k
Creator Links: the magpie said (hollowmen)
Theme: siblings,
Summary: Being a cat for three weeks has repercussions, it turns out.
Jason snacks his way through one of them. Damian reads books. Both of them drink a lot of tea. It's nice, mostly, which Jason finds highly suspicious.
Reccer's Notes: This is sweet and deeply in character for both of them
Fanwork Links: proper rites
(Note: other fics by this author have been recced, but under a different pseud--they used to be magpiemountains (hollowmen))
Pairings/Characters: Jason Todd, Damian Wayne
Rating: gen
Length: 7k
Creator Links: the magpie said (hollowmen)
Theme: siblings,
Summary: Being a cat for three weeks has repercussions, it turns out.
Jason snacks his way through one of them. Damian reads books. Both of them drink a lot of tea. It's nice, mostly, which Jason finds highly suspicious.
Reccer's Notes: This is sweet and deeply in character for both of them
Fanwork Links: proper rites
(Note: other fics by this author have been recced, but under a different pseud--they used to be magpiemountains (hollowmen))
Persuasion: the natural sequel by rain_sleet_snow
Mar. 15th, 2026 07:21 pmbeatrice_otter posting in fancakeFandom: Persuasion
Pairings/Characters: Anne/Frederick
Rating: Gen
Length: 8k words
Creator Links:rain_sleet_snow
Theme: siblings, book fandoms, old fandoms, minor characters, small fandoms, five things
Summary: Five people who were surprised by Anne and Wentworth's engagement, and one who wasn't.
Reccer's Notes: Anne's siblings (and siblings-in-law) are not the only ones reacting to news of the engagement in this story, but they are most of the people reacting. I love the way the news causes each of them to re-evaluate Anne, and what they thought they knew.
Fanwork Links: the natural sequel
Pairings/Characters: Anne/Frederick
Rating: Gen
Length: 8k words
Creator Links:
Theme: siblings, book fandoms, old fandoms, minor characters, small fandoms, five things
Summary: Five people who were surprised by Anne and Wentworth's engagement, and one who wasn't.
Reccer's Notes: Anne's siblings (and siblings-in-law) are not the only ones reacting to news of the engagement in this story, but they are most of the people reacting. I love the way the news causes each of them to re-evaluate Anne, and what they thought they knew.
Fanwork Links: the natural sequel
irritatingly
Mar. 15th, 2026 09:41 pmjulianI did manage to lose my wallet after Ny's thing, at/near Moruichi in Arlington, because I am Good Like That. I likely tried to put it back in my purse and it fell out.
Found out after the place closed, when I stopped for gas, so I couldn't even call them to see if they found it. (Will tomorrow, just in case.)
On the bright side, I'm going to be near my main bank tomorrow anyway, due to visiting my parents, so I can just get a new ATM card then. And I had to get a new driver's license anyway due to address change and not getting around to it yet, so, again, not a big thing.
Just, as usual, I liked that wallet, and I annoy myself. Harumph.
Found out after the place closed, when I stopped for gas, so I couldn't even call them to see if they found it. (Will tomorrow, just in case.)
On the bright side, I'm going to be near my main bank tomorrow anyway, due to visiting my parents, so I can just get a new ATM card then. And I had to get a new driver's license anyway due to address change and not getting around to it yet, so, again, not a big thing.
Just, as usual, I liked that wallet, and I annoy myself. Harumph.