Friday Five
20 Mar 2026 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmolinguist1. What was the reason you began a Dreamwidth or LiveJournal account (or both)?
I started LiveJournal in 2002 when a new friend (soon girlfriend) heard me saying that I wanted to write more and suggested LiveJournal. "What's LiveJournal?" I said, and she gave me an invite code, and here I am.
I moved to DW in 2011, I can't remember which exact thing made me do it but it was after Strikethrough, before things got very Russian but I think they were getting pretty Russian.
2. How many DW or LJ communities do you subscribe to?
Five.
3. Do you have a favorite community or one you check out often to see what's new?
I mean, they're all on my reading page. Most are pretty quiet; one I made for covid-cautious people and don't use much myself any more either (its name is a pun based on "herd immunity," that's how old it is...). The best are ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
thisfinecrew, for U.S. political actions people can taken (often online or relatively low-spoons) and thissterlingcrew, the British version of the same thing. Very useful communities to have In These Times.
4. How did you pick your user name?
This one was picked by D and another friend (I now cannot remember who) independently when I was looking for a new one.
5. If you could change your user name, would you?
It's clearly from a very specific time in my life, when I was using the name Cosmo and studying linguistics.
As for changing it, I mean, I could. I have. My LJ went through a couple of names too. I almost never re-use user names either; I just use whatever sounds like a good idea at the time. I can barely remember what it was before, and would probably prefer that one now. I did make a concerted effort to get away from puns, things based on my real-life first name, or both; no wonder this is what my friends suggested for me, this is my Brand.
While I'm here, another point I've been meaning to make under this tag for a bit but haven't gotten around to: having been writing about my life for half of it now, I find myself wishing there was a way for tags to become, like, dormant or something. There are lots of tags that I want to keep having but am not going to add new entries to, so I wish I didn't always have to look at them in the list or when I'm choosing tags.
Questions: Dyslexia
20 Mar 2026 09:00 amasakiyumeIf you have dyslexia, what strategies helped you master writing? Was there anything that helped when you were of school age? If you weren't able to deal with it during school, how have you dealt with it since then?
If you have kids with dyslexia, how have you helped them with the task of writing?
If you have kids with dyslexia, how have you helped them with the task of writing?
In Case of Canadian Disasters?
20 Mar 2026 07:21 amdewlineThis seems like a good idea...
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/20/japan/japan-roaming-service-disasters/
Update: When I raised the question on Bluesky, reporter David Reevely pointed out to me that it was already in place to some extent:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/emergency-communications/en
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/20/japan/japan-roaming-service-disasters/
Update: When I raised the question on Bluesky, reporter David Reevely pointed out to me that it was already in place to some extent:
https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/emergency-communications/en
Friday Five
20 Mar 2026 06:56 ammelagan1. What was the reason you began a Dreamwidth or LiveJournal account (or both)?
I was reading a lot of fanfic and following the writers on LJ. At one point I decided that if I wanted to leave a Thank You comment, I should join. I did. Eventually, I moved over to DW
2. How many DW or LJ communities do you subscribe to?
78. Most of them are inactive, but I can't quite bring myself to leave.
3. Do you have a favorite community or one you check out often to see what's new?
sga_saturday It's one of the few active communities associated with Stargate Atlantis and has a monthly prompt. I do check in on my reading circle (it will always be my flist to me) on a daily basis so if a community has posted (like thefridayfive) I'll see it.
4. How did you pick your user name?
As I recall, I'd had a long run of the user name you have chosen has already been used. I decided to take my first and last name and scramble the letters. And that is why my user name is what it is.
5. If you could change your user name, would you?
Maybe in the early days, but not now. I'm the same name too many places at this point.
From the community:
The following bonus questions are brought to you by the fact that I (anais_pf) have been unable to access any page of LiveJournal for more than a week (and therefore cannot post to The Friday Five there):
6. If you have a LiveJournal, are you currently able to access it?
Yes. (to my surprise)
7. Do you have any information about why one would be unable to access LiveJournal?
I had heard that they were planning to remove access to members outside of Russia. If that is about to be the case (and they'd probably hit communities first) maybe a vpn would help?
I was reading a lot of fanfic and following the writers on LJ. At one point I decided that if I wanted to leave a Thank You comment, I should join. I did. Eventually, I moved over to DW
2. How many DW or LJ communities do you subscribe to?
78. Most of them are inactive, but I can't quite bring myself to leave.
3. Do you have a favorite community or one you check out often to see what's new?
sga_saturday It's one of the few active communities associated with Stargate Atlantis and has a monthly prompt. I do check in on my reading circle (it will always be my flist to me) on a daily basis so if a community has posted (like thefridayfive) I'll see it.4. How did you pick your user name?
As I recall, I'd had a long run of the user name you have chosen has already been used. I decided to take my first and last name and scramble the letters. And that is why my user name is what it is.
5. If you could change your user name, would you?
Maybe in the early days, but not now. I'm the same name too many places at this point.
From the community:
The following bonus questions are brought to you by the fact that I (anais_pf) have been unable to access any page of LiveJournal for more than a week (and therefore cannot post to The Friday Five there):
6. If you have a LiveJournal, are you currently able to access it?
Yes. (to my surprise)
7. Do you have any information about why one would be unable to access LiveJournal?
I had heard that they were planning to remove access to members outside of Russia. If that is about to be the case (and they'd probably hit communities first) maybe a vpn would help?
Proton Mail Shared User Information with the Police
20 Mar 2026 11:02 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
bruce_schneier_feed404 Media has a story about Proton Mail giving subscriber data to the Swiss government, who passed the information to the FBI.
It’s metadata—payment information related to a particular account—but still important knowledge. This sort of thing happens, even to privacy-centric companies like Proton Mail.
I have not managed to return to this regularly
20 Mar 2026 03:59 pmsamiI'm still just so tired.
Today is my son's second birthday, which does not feel real or plausible. Also feeling implausible: his brilliance. In the last few weeks his language skills have been improving by leaps and bounds, with new turns of phrase and complexities of language use seemingly daily.
As I type this he and his father are playing with Duplo and he's giving complex descriptions of his plans and instructions to Daddy. He's really good at assembling Duplo now.
The latest thing he's been determined to learn is the months of the year.
Some of his descriptions are fascinating, because his vocabulary is obviously a little limited and he hasn't yet fully internalised the rules of adjective order in English. So we get "that long big bit" and he has two small balls that are, very specifically, "little ball" and "cricket little ball".
He has an amazing imagination. Earlier today he explained that the little holes on the hips of the Duplo people are their pockets. He loves pretending to play cricket, and sometimes this involves his foam cricket bat and a ball and sometimes this involves him swinging his cricket bat to hit pretend balls and sometimes it involves him using another object (could be anything) as a pretend cricket bat to hit pretend balls.
He's learning manners. He says hello and goodbye (including to inanimate objects). Asking for things politely often takes the form of: "Please may I have [thing] pleeeease?"
"Thank you" is now comprehensible to people who aren't us, even, because at first we'd prompt him to say thank you and he'd say "inkyee" and we had to tell people that was thank you, because Toddler, words are hard.
He's still amazing and wonderful in every way.
Today is my son's second birthday, which does not feel real or plausible. Also feeling implausible: his brilliance. In the last few weeks his language skills have been improving by leaps and bounds, with new turns of phrase and complexities of language use seemingly daily.
As I type this he and his father are playing with Duplo and he's giving complex descriptions of his plans and instructions to Daddy. He's really good at assembling Duplo now.
The latest thing he's been determined to learn is the months of the year.
Some of his descriptions are fascinating, because his vocabulary is obviously a little limited and he hasn't yet fully internalised the rules of adjective order in English. So we get "that long big bit" and he has two small balls that are, very specifically, "little ball" and "cricket little ball".
He has an amazing imagination. Earlier today he explained that the little holes on the hips of the Duplo people are their pockets. He loves pretending to play cricket, and sometimes this involves his foam cricket bat and a ball and sometimes this involves him swinging his cricket bat to hit pretend balls and sometimes it involves him using another object (could be anything) as a pretend cricket bat to hit pretend balls.
He's learning manners. He says hello and goodbye (including to inanimate objects). Asking for things politely often takes the form of: "Please may I have [thing] pleeeease?"
"Thank you" is now comprehensible to people who aren't us, even, because at first we'd prompt him to say thank you and he'd say "inkyee" and we had to tell people that was thank you, because Toddler, words are hard.
He's still amazing and wonderful in every way.
New Worlds: The Questionable Art of Forgery
20 Mar 2026 08:08 amswan_towerForgery: where art and crime intersect.
Not all kinds of forgery are art, of course. When my fourteen-year-old self forged my father's signature on my practice records to assure my band director that yes, of course I practiced at home as much as I was supposed to, there was no art involved there. (Rather the opposite, in fact.) I suppose you could argue that mimicking someone's handwriting is calligraphic forgery, but that feels to me like it's stretching the point. Counterfeiting we've already talked about separately, in the first year of this Patreon; the manufacture of fake IDs or other legal documents, or of something like knockoff Gucci purses, are also not the focus of this essay.
No, here we're concerned with the creation of fake objects of art, whether works attributed to a specific artist, or anonymous artifacts of a particular place and time. And this is a topic I find fascinatingly squirrelly.
The techniques necessary to pull this off have gotten increasingly sophisticated over time. Back in the day -- or even now, if you're selling to a credulous enough fool -- anything that passed muster to a casual glance might suffice. Get yourself a fresh sheet of parchment, papyrus, or paper, write or draw on it, apply some physical and chemical stresses to make it look old, and you're good to go. Fire a pot or clay figure, or carve something out of stone, then batter it around for that authentic chipped look. Maybe even stamp out an ancient coin or two, if it's a piece rare enough to be worth substantially more than its metal content.
These days, it's not nearly that simple. We have carbon dating, spectroscopic analysis, and other high-tech methods of determining whether some detail is out of place. Which doesn't mean forgeries have gone away; it just means that talented forger needs to know a lot more than just what their proposed artifact should look like. There's a thriving market in blank fragments of ancient papyrus -- so the substrate will pass an age check even if what's written on it is new -- and who knows what texts have been scraped off bits of parchment, what paintings have been covered or rubbed away, so something more lucrative can be put in their place. The best forgers need to know the chemistry of inks and paints, how to make the right tools, the techniques used back then, so that only the closest analysis by the most skilled experts can spot the fake.
Nor is it only about the object itself. These days, we also pay a lot of attention to provenance: the history of an object's ownership, which can help to prove that it wasn't made last week. (A very similar term, provenience, is used in archaeology to refer to where the object was found: relevant to sifting out illegally looted objects from those excavated under legitimate conditions.) Of course, if you want to pass off a fake as the real thing, you also have to forge a provenance -- hence the massive upswing after World War II in items that had been the property of an "anonymous Swiss collector," a fig leaf to cover Nazi theft and forgeries alike.
That's when you're just trying to make a Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian ushabti or a bronze ornament from Sanxingdui: a plausible example of a type, but nothing more specific than that. When you're trying to pass something off as a previously-unidentified Picasso or Rodin, then you can't hide behind the expected variations between different nameless historical artisans; you have to mimic not just the materials but the ideas, composition, and execution of that specific person -- well enough that it seems like it could have genuinely been their work.
And at that point, you very nearly have a Zen koan on your hands: if someone forges a Rembrandt so well it can't be told from the real thing, is there a meaningful difference? Is the art itself what's worthwhile, or the fact that it was made by a specific person?
The answer to that really depends on context. If I'm a layperson who likes Caravaggio's style of painting, and somebody else comes along who paints just like Caravaggio (without claiming those are his works), I might be delighted to acquire things of the exact type I like for a fraction of the cost. Yay for pretty art! By contrast, if a forger lies to me and I pay Caravaggio prices for something that doesn't suffer from the scarcity of the artist being dead for centuries, I'm probably going to be pissed. And if I'm an art historian trying to learn more about Caravaggio, that forger has actively poisoned the well of scholarship by introducing false data.
Some of our "forgery" problems now actual stem from situations more like that first example. You can buy a million and one plastic replicas of Michaelangelo's David in Florence, and nobody thinks of those as forgeries . . . but rewind a few centuries or millennia, and those replicas had to be hand-crafted out of marble or bronze or whatever suited the sculpture being copied. That wasn't forgery; it was just how art got replicated, and the best copyists were deploying a useful, legitimate skill. The same was true of paintings. Now, however, the interests of both scholarship and the aura of owning a verified-as-legitimate original mean we have to sort that historical wheat from the chaff.
Or take the workshop context in which many Renaissance artists operated. Apprentices were expected to mimic their master's style, and if the result was good enough, the master was free to sell those works under his (or, more rarely, her) own name. Again, nowadays we strive to separate those out from the authentic works of the master -- but that reflects a modern attitude where the individual genius is the most important thing, above whether it reflects their style or was made under their auspices.
Some forgeries are extremely famous. Han Van Meegeren had to out himself as a forger when he was accused of collaboration for selling a Vermeer to the Nazi Hermann Göring; to prove that he hadn't hocked a piece of cultural patrimony, he painted another one while court-appointed witnesses stood and watched. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles has spent quite a bit of money trying to prove the disputed authenticity of a kouros (a specific style of statue) they bought for seven million dollars, but the best they've been able to achieve is a label identifying it as "Greek, about 530 B.C., or modern forgery." The Boston Museum of Fine Arts similarly clings to the hope that their probably-fake "Minoan snake goddess" statuette might be the real thing.
One thing these forgeries have in common: the demand for the genuine article is high enough to make fakes worth the effort of their creation. Minoan snake goddesses got manufactured because Sir Arthur Evans' excavations at Knossos attracted a ton of publicity, and he was not particularly discriminating in buying the "discoveries" people brought to him. Few criminals bothered forging Indigenous art until collectors turned their attention toward those parts of the world, thereby creating demand. This can in turn come full circle: van Meegeren's post-trial fame made his paintings rise high enough in value that his own son wound up forging more of them.
Nobody knows for sure how many fakes are on display in museums, galleries, and private collections. Some estimates run very high, due to the way today's plutocrats treat the acquisition of art as an investment strategy and display of status, while others say that improved methods of detection and the emphasis on authenticating an object before somebody forks over millions for it have greatly reduced the incidence. We'll never really know for sure, because of the loss of face inherent in admitting you paid too much for a forgery -- including the cratering in value for other works that might become suspect by association. But if you want to tell a story of trickery and sordid doings, the art world is rife with possibility!
(originally posted at Swan Tower: https://is.gd/aYnVC2)
Not all kinds of forgery are art, of course. When my fourteen-year-old self forged my father's signature on my practice records to assure my band director that yes, of course I practiced at home as much as I was supposed to, there was no art involved there. (Rather the opposite, in fact.) I suppose you could argue that mimicking someone's handwriting is calligraphic forgery, but that feels to me like it's stretching the point. Counterfeiting we've already talked about separately, in the first year of this Patreon; the manufacture of fake IDs or other legal documents, or of something like knockoff Gucci purses, are also not the focus of this essay.
No, here we're concerned with the creation of fake objects of art, whether works attributed to a specific artist, or anonymous artifacts of a particular place and time. And this is a topic I find fascinatingly squirrelly.
The techniques necessary to pull this off have gotten increasingly sophisticated over time. Back in the day -- or even now, if you're selling to a credulous enough fool -- anything that passed muster to a casual glance might suffice. Get yourself a fresh sheet of parchment, papyrus, or paper, write or draw on it, apply some physical and chemical stresses to make it look old, and you're good to go. Fire a pot or clay figure, or carve something out of stone, then batter it around for that authentic chipped look. Maybe even stamp out an ancient coin or two, if it's a piece rare enough to be worth substantially more than its metal content.
These days, it's not nearly that simple. We have carbon dating, spectroscopic analysis, and other high-tech methods of determining whether some detail is out of place. Which doesn't mean forgeries have gone away; it just means that talented forger needs to know a lot more than just what their proposed artifact should look like. There's a thriving market in blank fragments of ancient papyrus -- so the substrate will pass an age check even if what's written on it is new -- and who knows what texts have been scraped off bits of parchment, what paintings have been covered or rubbed away, so something more lucrative can be put in their place. The best forgers need to know the chemistry of inks and paints, how to make the right tools, the techniques used back then, so that only the closest analysis by the most skilled experts can spot the fake.
Nor is it only about the object itself. These days, we also pay a lot of attention to provenance: the history of an object's ownership, which can help to prove that it wasn't made last week. (A very similar term, provenience, is used in archaeology to refer to where the object was found: relevant to sifting out illegally looted objects from those excavated under legitimate conditions.) Of course, if you want to pass off a fake as the real thing, you also have to forge a provenance -- hence the massive upswing after World War II in items that had been the property of an "anonymous Swiss collector," a fig leaf to cover Nazi theft and forgeries alike.
That's when you're just trying to make a Twelfth Dynasty Egyptian ushabti or a bronze ornament from Sanxingdui: a plausible example of a type, but nothing more specific than that. When you're trying to pass something off as a previously-unidentified Picasso or Rodin, then you can't hide behind the expected variations between different nameless historical artisans; you have to mimic not just the materials but the ideas, composition, and execution of that specific person -- well enough that it seems like it could have genuinely been their work.
And at that point, you very nearly have a Zen koan on your hands: if someone forges a Rembrandt so well it can't be told from the real thing, is there a meaningful difference? Is the art itself what's worthwhile, or the fact that it was made by a specific person?
The answer to that really depends on context. If I'm a layperson who likes Caravaggio's style of painting, and somebody else comes along who paints just like Caravaggio (without claiming those are his works), I might be delighted to acquire things of the exact type I like for a fraction of the cost. Yay for pretty art! By contrast, if a forger lies to me and I pay Caravaggio prices for something that doesn't suffer from the scarcity of the artist being dead for centuries, I'm probably going to be pissed. And if I'm an art historian trying to learn more about Caravaggio, that forger has actively poisoned the well of scholarship by introducing false data.
Some of our "forgery" problems now actual stem from situations more like that first example. You can buy a million and one plastic replicas of Michaelangelo's David in Florence, and nobody thinks of those as forgeries . . . but rewind a few centuries or millennia, and those replicas had to be hand-crafted out of marble or bronze or whatever suited the sculpture being copied. That wasn't forgery; it was just how art got replicated, and the best copyists were deploying a useful, legitimate skill. The same was true of paintings. Now, however, the interests of both scholarship and the aura of owning a verified-as-legitimate original mean we have to sort that historical wheat from the chaff.
Or take the workshop context in which many Renaissance artists operated. Apprentices were expected to mimic their master's style, and if the result was good enough, the master was free to sell those works under his (or, more rarely, her) own name. Again, nowadays we strive to separate those out from the authentic works of the master -- but that reflects a modern attitude where the individual genius is the most important thing, above whether it reflects their style or was made under their auspices.
Some forgeries are extremely famous. Han Van Meegeren had to out himself as a forger when he was accused of collaboration for selling a Vermeer to the Nazi Hermann Göring; to prove that he hadn't hocked a piece of cultural patrimony, he painted another one while court-appointed witnesses stood and watched. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles has spent quite a bit of money trying to prove the disputed authenticity of a kouros (a specific style of statue) they bought for seven million dollars, but the best they've been able to achieve is a label identifying it as "Greek, about 530 B.C., or modern forgery." The Boston Museum of Fine Arts similarly clings to the hope that their probably-fake "Minoan snake goddess" statuette might be the real thing.
One thing these forgeries have in common: the demand for the genuine article is high enough to make fakes worth the effort of their creation. Minoan snake goddesses got manufactured because Sir Arthur Evans' excavations at Knossos attracted a ton of publicity, and he was not particularly discriminating in buying the "discoveries" people brought to him. Few criminals bothered forging Indigenous art until collectors turned their attention toward those parts of the world, thereby creating demand. This can in turn come full circle: van Meegeren's post-trial fame made his paintings rise high enough in value that his own son wound up forging more of them.
Nobody knows for sure how many fakes are on display in museums, galleries, and private collections. Some estimates run very high, due to the way today's plutocrats treat the acquisition of art as an investment strategy and display of status, while others say that improved methods of detection and the emphasis on authenticating an object before somebody forks over millions for it have greatly reduced the incidence. We'll never really know for sure, because of the loss of face inherent in admitting you paid too much for a forgery -- including the cratering in value for other works that might become suspect by association. But if you want to tell a story of trickery and sordid doings, the art world is rife with possibility!
(originally posted at Swan Tower: https://is.gd/aYnVC2)
Challenge 233: birthday
19 Mar 2026 09:43 pmthesleepingbeauty posting in your_favouritesAlice in Wonderland x4
One of my favorite birthdays was when I turned 7 years old, so I used Disney’s Alice Wonderland to remember that day. ♥️
I helped set up the floral decor || I helped setup the table with snacks
I made a wish and tried my cake || then I had a very nice nap afterwards
( links )
One of my favorite birthdays was when I turned 7 years old, so I used Disney’s Alice Wonderland to remember that day. ♥️
I helped set up the floral decor || I helped setup the table with snacks
I made a wish and tried my cake || then I had a very nice nap afterwards
( links )
Topics for talk March
20 Mar 2026 12:20 ampattroseTopics for talk:
Things I Need/Want to Control
I like being in control of myself and realized that if I can control myself, I wouldn't need as much help from other people. Ì like taking care of my own destiny.
Things I Need/Want to Control
I like being in control of myself and realized that if I can control myself, I wouldn't need as much help from other people. Ì like taking care of my own destiny.
90 discussion questions.
20 Mar 2026 12:17 ampattrose90 discussion questions.
1. When were you most outside of your comfort zone?
When I have to talk about things that bother me.
I'm not crazy with this focusing on myself all the time.
1. When were you most outside of your comfort zone?
When I have to talk about things that bother me.
I'm not crazy with this focusing on myself all the time.
March Not quite 365 days questions
20 Mar 2026 12:13 ampattroseMarch, not quite 365 days, questions.
20. Was learning a new language part of your education when you were at school? Can you still remember any of it?
Yes, I took two years of Latin. And no, I don't remember any of it. I wish I had taken something more beautiful. I'm terrible at languages. I’m not even good with English.
20. Was learning a new language part of your education when you were at school? Can you still remember any of it?
Yes, I took two years of Latin. And no, I don't remember any of it. I wish I had taken something more beautiful. I'm terrible at languages. I’m not even good with English.
Dreamwidth and Icons
20 Mar 2026 01:46 amsoc_puppet posting in newcomersBuckle in, everyone, this is going to be a long one!
One of the things that has made Tumblr wildly popular with fandom is its unlimited image hosting capacity. Content, Tumblr eventually put limits on, but number of total images (rather than images per post) and size of images? Not so much.
Unfortunately, that's one of the big reasons why Tumblr is basically hemorrhaging money: Because data is expensive, and image data is much more so than text data, mainly because it's a lot more data. That number just goes up with gifs and videos, the former especially being a favorite on Tumblr.
The ways to get money to run a social media site on the internet are basically venture capitol (the investors will want their money back someday, somehow), selling user data (doesn't everyone love ads and hate privacy?), and users directly paying for services (in this economy?).
Dreamwidth started from a foundation of prioritizing privacy and user freedom, and that meant that they compromised on image hosting in order for their users to truly be the main focus of this site. A dedicated user base pays to keep Dreamwidth running, and while there's a price rise on the horizon, we've managed to keep Dreamwidth's doors open with just our own money for sixteen years now.
So what does this have to do with icons? Well, with the limited image hosting options in Dreamwidth's budget, they're one of the main ways we use images at all—and Dreamwidth users make the most of them!
( Hold up; what exactly IS an icon? And what do you mean by 'make the most of them'? )
( How do I get and upload icons? )
Is that it?
Well, it's everything I can think of, at any rate! But you might have questions that I haven't covered. This is a great place to ask them! I may not have the answers, but odds are decent that someone here will be able to point you in the right direction.
One last favor before I go...
Dreamwidth users, if you've got favorite icons, show them off in the comments! I think it would be great to be able to share examples of just how fun and creative we can get with this medium, and this seems like the perfect opportunity 😉 Reply to your own comment if you have more than one, or to other people if the icon fits, so it's not just a mass of top-level comments.
As for any newcomers, if this post gets enough comments, you may get a chance to try out another one of Dreamwidth's features; at 50 comments, comment threads will collapse to keep loading time down and limit data transfer costs. Towards the topmost comment, at the bottom of the comment below which everything gets folded up, there's a clickable option to Expand the thread. This will open up and display all of the comments below that for you! The thread will collapse back down if you click away, though.
If this post doesn't get that many comments but you still want to try it out, I'd recommend checking the latest post at![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_news. (Incidentally, if you have a Paid account, there's an option to expand all the comment threads at once at the top of the comment section. Pretty neat, yeah?)
Thanks, everyone, and I hope this post was helpful! I'm going to go collapse for a while now 😅
Edit: I've added a clarification about which icons will be kept if you go from a paid account to a free account with more than 15 icons.
One of the things that has made Tumblr wildly popular with fandom is its unlimited image hosting capacity. Content, Tumblr eventually put limits on, but number of total images (rather than images per post) and size of images? Not so much.
Unfortunately, that's one of the big reasons why Tumblr is basically hemorrhaging money: Because data is expensive, and image data is much more so than text data, mainly because it's a lot more data. That number just goes up with gifs and videos, the former especially being a favorite on Tumblr.
The ways to get money to run a social media site on the internet are basically venture capitol (the investors will want their money back someday, somehow), selling user data (doesn't everyone love ads and hate privacy?), and users directly paying for services (in this economy?).
Dreamwidth started from a foundation of prioritizing privacy and user freedom, and that meant that they compromised on image hosting in order for their users to truly be the main focus of this site. A dedicated user base pays to keep Dreamwidth running, and while there's a price rise on the horizon, we've managed to keep Dreamwidth's doors open with just our own money for sixteen years now.
So what does this have to do with icons? Well, with the limited image hosting options in Dreamwidth's budget, they're one of the main ways we use images at all—and Dreamwidth users make the most of them!
( Hold up; what exactly IS an icon? And what do you mean by 'make the most of them'? )
( How do I get and upload icons? )
Is that it?
Well, it's everything I can think of, at any rate! But you might have questions that I haven't covered. This is a great place to ask them! I may not have the answers, but odds are decent that someone here will be able to point you in the right direction.
One last favor before I go...
Dreamwidth users, if you've got favorite icons, show them off in the comments! I think it would be great to be able to share examples of just how fun and creative we can get with this medium, and this seems like the perfect opportunity 😉 Reply to your own comment if you have more than one, or to other people if the icon fits, so it's not just a mass of top-level comments.
As for any newcomers, if this post gets enough comments, you may get a chance to try out another one of Dreamwidth's features; at 50 comments, comment threads will collapse to keep loading time down and limit data transfer costs. Towards the topmost comment, at the bottom of the comment below which everything gets folded up, there's a clickable option to Expand the thread. This will open up and display all of the comments below that for you! The thread will collapse back down if you click away, though.
If this post doesn't get that many comments but you still want to try it out, I'd recommend checking the latest post at
dw_news. (Incidentally, if you have a Paid account, there's an option to expand all the comment threads at once at the top of the comment section. Pretty neat, yeah?)Thanks, everyone, and I hope this post was helpful! I'm going to go collapse for a while now 😅
Edit: I've added a clarification about which icons will be kept if you go from a paid account to a free account with more than 15 icons.
Just One Thing (20 March 2026)
20 Mar 2026 05:48 amnanila posting in awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
hello~
20 Mar 2026 01:27 amreggiekray posting in addme_fandomName: reggie.
Age group: late 30s.
Country: USA.
Subscription/Access Policy: 99% open! very rarely will anything be locked.
Main Fandoms: stranger things, joe keery, joseph quinn, dacre montgomery, fred hechinger.
Other Fandoms: old-school anime/manga/doujinshi, the kray twins. (real life and legend 2015 with tom hardy)
Fannish Interests: fanart, fanfic, graphics... pretty simple, lol.
OTPs and Ships: billy hargove/eddie munson, billy hargrove/steve harrington, steve harrington/eddie munson (stranger things), geta/caracalla (gladiator 2), johnny storm/ben grimm aka the thing (fantastic four: first steps), logan howlett/remy lebeau (x-men), eddie brock/venom (venom), haddock/tintin (tintin), vegeta/bulma (dragonball), gojyo/hakkai (saiyuki), yusuke/hiei (yyh), sam/dean (spn), reggie kray/ronnie kray (rpf).
Favourite Movies: aladdin, buckaroo banzai, rocketman (2019), hot fuzz, the nice guys, legend (2015), kingsman: the secret service, bronson.
TV Shows: twin peaks, generation kill, queer as folk UK, supernatural, the young ones, metalocalypse, king of the hill.
Books: profession of violence: the rise and fall of the kray twins.
Music: marianas trench, above & beyond, H.I.M, savage garden, djo, elton john, ghost, basshunter, BUCK-TICK, dir en grey, versailles.
Games: the legend of zelda: ocarina of time & majora's mask, pokémon gold, donkey kong country 2, detroit become human.
Comics/Anime/Misc: x-men, dragonball, yu yu hakusho, saiyuki, gundam wing, one piece, sailor moon, evangelion, fullmetal alchemist, cyborg 009, nightwalker, danny phantom.
askamanager_feedIt’s four answers to four questions. Here we go…
1. Is it out of touch to expect student workers to check their email?
I work at a fairly small college, and I’m noticing that more and more students aren’t checking or responding to their email regularly. Some of my colleagues say that they have to text the students in order to get a response. I really don’t want to do that unless it’s a time-sensitive situation.
My instinct is to tell the students (the ones who work for me anyway) that email is still a really normal business tool and they need to get used to it because it will be part of their professional lives for a while to come. But I also recognize that I’ve worked here for almost 15 years, and norms may have changed. So is email still as widely used as I think it is? Or am I out of touch?
Email is still widely used at work. You are not out of touch about this — or at least you’re not as long as you have told these students that your office uses email to communicate and they are expected to check it with at least X frequency and respond within Y timeframe. It’s true that students aren’t still using email in their personal lives the way students before them did, and so you do need to spell out what you expect — but after that, it’s reasonable to expect them to do it, although you might need to reinforce it with a few reminders.
For what it’s worth, though — even if email weren’t still widely used at work, you could still require them to use it if you needed to; employers require employees to use specific communication tools all the time (whether it’s email or Slack or Teams or on and on). But you can certainly point out to them that this will be something they’ll need to get used to for future jobs as well.
Related:
employee didn’t check email for 60 days
2. Should I tell my manager that a vendor was rude to me?
I work for a tiny retail store (Store A) that is owned by a larger chain of similar stores (Chain B), which is itself owned by an even larger chain of stores (Chain C). It’s ridiculously fiddly to get things approved or fixed because we have to jump through so many hoops. We get a lot of promises from the big bosses that never come to fruition. It’s frustrating for us, but my manager is an angel and no-nonsense and fields a lot of higher-up stuff for us.
She’s on (a deserved!) vacation at the moment and today I answered a phone call from a vendor. He told me that Chain C hasn’t paid any of our bills to his business since August. I was shocked and kind of exclaimed and laughed and said, “Oh that’s ridiculous, I’m so sorry–” and he cut me off and told me that it wasn’t funny and that it needed to be fixed.
I’m autistic and often laugh in inappropriate situations as a reflex when I’m surprised or confused. I wasn’t laughing at him; it was more of an exasperated reflex because of course Chain C hasn’t paid that bill, they never pay anything on time! I apologized and tried to explain to him that Store A doesn’t get answers from Chain C when we need things, let alone when they owe people money, and he cut me off again abruptly saying again that it’s not funny and how unprofessional we are and that he needs to be paid.
I understand that his business is losing money because of something that Chain C is doing, and that must be so much more frustrating than it is for me as an employee, but I can’t stop thinking about him! Because of my autism I don’t know if I’m taking this more personally than I should, but the vendor was so rude to me over something that I have absolutely no control over.
My manager is in constant communication with Chain B and Chain C trying to get them to actually do the things they’re supposed to do but we’re at the bottom of their priorities. It sucks, but we literally could not be doing more than we already are to get things fixed; it’s all above our heads.
Part of me thinks I should tell my manager about the call when she’s back but leave out the vendor being rude. Another part of me wants her no-nonsense side to tell him to direct his anger at the people who are actually screwing him over. We deal with his company frequently and it would upset me if I had to just continue communicating with him knowing how rude he was. I’ve been in retail for over a decade now and I’m used to customers being rude, but it’s shaken me that another business we work closely with could be so harsh with me. Do I tell my manager? Should I just try and shake it off?
His reaction doesn’t sound outrageous to me! He’s justifiably frustrated that he hasn’t been paid since August, and when you laughed that likely sounded to him like you weren’t taking it seriously. I get that you were laughing more in disgust about what Chain C is doing, but that wouldn’t necessarily be clear to someone who doesn’t know you and doesn’t have that context and who is already understandably upset. He’s presumably doing business with your store, Store A, and shouldn’t need to care about the intricacies of how Store A’s bills get paid — just that he gets the money that Store A owes him. And while I get why you feel like he should direct his anger at the people actually responsible, you are representing Store A, regardless of what power you do (or more accurately, don’t) have in this situation.
It doesn’t sound like he was abusive; he just told you it wasn’t funny … which it’s not, and while I know your laugh didn’t mean “this is funny,” it’s pretty common for someone to interpret a laugh as a light-heartedness that wasn’t well-matched with the situation he’s in.
You should definitely tell your manager when she’s back that this vendor is upset, but your focus should be about him being frustrated that he still hasn’t been paid, not that he was rude — because for the reasons above it doesn’t really sound like he was!
3. Informal references and “character assassination”
I recently joined the management team of a company, and we are in the process of hiring for a number of positions. A few candidates have worked with past colleagues, though not under me directly. When I told my new team members that I’d be happy to reach out to my network and get the inside scoop on these potential new hires, I was informed that under no circumstance should I do so. We are to confine our reference checks to just the names shared by the job candidates. If we were to talk to someone who wasn’t an official reference and learn negative information that persuaded us away from hiring a candidate, we could be sued for “character assassination.”
Is this true? Can we really only talk to official references? And if so, does that mean that references are basically worthless? Of course an applicant is only going to provide the names of people who will speak well of them. But that can mean that someone with a history of racism or sexual harassment or other problematic behaviors basically has a level playing field with other candidates walking into an interview. When it comes to hiring, experience has taught me that an applicant’s past behavior and work habits are a good indicator of future performance. Having to confine ourselves to resumes, interviews, and sanctioned work references curbs our ability to make informed hiring decisions. So should organizations basically throw reference checks out the window? If a peer happens to mention an applicant was let go for poor performance, should I shut them down and try to forget I ever heard that information?
No, this is not true, at least if you’re in the U.S. It’s perfectly legal to check any references you want, whether they are supplied by the candidate or not, and you are allowed to factor what they tell you into your hiring decision as long you’re not basing it on information about their race, religion, disability, or other protected characteristics.
Your team’s stance is especially weird because they’re implying that your company could be in trouble for “character assassination” (by which they probably mean defamation) when the company wouldn’t be the party “assassinating their character” in this situation; if anyone were on shaky legal ground in this line of thinking, it would be the reference themselves — but they’re not, because U.S. law is clear that providing honest and accurate references is legal.
Related:
we hired without checking references … and it went badly
4. Are company handbooks legally binding?
Are company handbooks in any way legally binding?
My very small company doesn’t have its own handbook. When the company was started, however, we were given the handbook of another (larger) company. The clear implication was that the handbook applied to our company, but no one has so much as mentioned the handbook in the 15 years of my company’s existence.
I ask mostly as a hypothetical exercise. There are some sections in the handbook that some current employees could probably be found in violation of (these would not be actual legal matters, just procedural things spelled out in the handbook). But there are entire sections in the handbook that spell out obligations of the company that have been completely ignored. If the company fired an employee on the basis of a handbook violation, would that employee possibly have a legal leg to stand on by countering that the company’s failure to uphold its own handbook-defined obligations negates the handbook altogether? Given how U.S. employment law always seems to work, I’m guessing not. But I’m interested in your take.
It depends on the specifics and it can vary by state, but in many cases courts have ruled that promises made in employee handbooks may be contractual promises, particularly when an employer writes that it “will” or “shall” take a particular action (as opposed to “may” or “can”). But again, it varies based on the exact circumstances — and either way it’s probably moot here since this is a handbook that belonged to another company and hasn’t been mentioned in the 15 years since.
If it were a currently used handbook, though, the employee in your hypothetical still likely wouldn’t have the sort of recourse you’re talking about. Employers can fire employees for pretty much whatever they want (as long as it’s not for a specifically illegal reason, like discrimination or in retaliation for exercising legally protected rights, such as reporting harassment). It’s possible that the employee could have a completely separate case over the company breaking legally binding promises (again, if the promises in question would qualify as legally binding), but that wouldn’t negate the company’s ability to legally fire them for something else; it would be a separate issue.
The post is it out of touch to expect students to check their email, should I tell my boss a vendor was rude, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.
Overwatch x Sanrio Collab Icons
20 Mar 2026 12:40 amtinkaton posting in icons30 Overwatch x Sanrio collab icons
Juno, Mercy, Kiriko, Dva, Widowmaker, Lucio
icons here @tidemakers
Juno, Mercy, Kiriko, Dva, Widowmaker, Lucio
icons here @
tidemakerseureka
20 Mar 2026 01:00 ammerriamwebster_feedMerriam-Webster's Word of the Day for March 20, 2026 is:
eureka • \yoo-REE-kuh\ • adjective
As an interjection, eureka is used to express excitement when a discovery has been made. When used as an adjective, eureka describes something (typically a moment) that is characterized by a usually sudden triumphant discovery.
// After years of trying to piece together a concrete business idea, I had a eureka moment and everything made sense.
Examples:
“Back in 2020, Trautmann and fellow college student Max Steitz were lamenting the unrelenting loss of Louisiana wetlands, while sharing a bottle of wine. It was a eureka moment, as Trautmann and Steitz realized that by crushing wine bottles and other disposable glass into sand, they could relieve pressure on landfills and simultaneously help fend off coastal erosion.” — Doug MacCash, nola.com (New Orleans, Louisiana), 5 Dec. 2025
Did you know?
When people exclaim “Eureka!” they are harking back to a legendary event in the life of the Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes. While wrestling with the problem of how to determine the purity of gold, he had the sudden realization that the buoyancy of an object placed in water is equal in magnitude to the weight of the water the object displaces. According to one popular version of the legend, he made his discovery at a public bathhouse, whereupon he leapt out of his bath, exclaiming in Greek “Heurēka! Heurēka!” (“I have found it!”), and ran home naked through the streets. The absence of a contemporary source for this anecdote has done nothing to diminish its popularity over the centuries. The English word eureka, which of course hails from heurēka, has also retained its popularity; its use as an interjection dates to the early 17th century, and it gained a brand-new use in the early 20th century as an adjective describing moments of discovery or epiphany.
pianissimo
20 Mar 2026 12:06 amstarandreatip: try not to get so sick you lose your voice the same week you start a speaking challenge.
relatedly, apps that will let you whisper: duolingo, of course, since duolingo doesn't really care what you say and gives you points for trying no matter what you mumble at it. (thanks duolingo!)
apps that will fail you for whispering: talkpal, superchinese.
apps that will let you do something other than speak to keep your streak: ironically, speakchinese.
good news, recordings for the htlal output challenge only have to exist to count, regardless of content or quality. I have recorded at least an hour of me whispering this week.
tomorrow is day six!!
relatedly, apps that will let you whisper: duolingo, of course, since duolingo doesn't really care what you say and gives you points for trying no matter what you mumble at it. (thanks duolingo!)
apps that will fail you for whispering: talkpal, superchinese.
apps that will let you do something other than speak to keep your streak: ironically, speakchinese.
good news, recordings for the htlal output challenge only have to exist to count, regardless of content or quality. I have recorded at least an hour of me whispering this week.
tomorrow is day six!!
I have a question for you
19 Mar 2026 11:39 pmcornerofmadnessSince today was boring and no one would care about it (me included) so let's have another writing question.
Do you have something about your characters that you love and think about it, even though you know it might not be in the story? Tell us all about it. I want to hear it. Original characters or your favorite fandom characters.
Here's mine for my new characters Ezio and Remo (Remo might have a name change). They dance together. A lot of my characters dance. I might mention they're dancing but I don't do a lot of writing about it because it's not all that interesting to read. But it also has me thinking about what kind of music would these people have.
Yes it's a 1920s era tech level but that doesn't mean necessarily that the music is the same. that said I love the fast step, jive, boogie woogie styles and if by some miracle this novel ends up a movie...well then.
Anyhow I stumbled over this British version of Dancing With the Stars (kinda sorta, at least they allow gay partners) and thought these two would be exactly how Ezio and Remo learn to dance with each other (in book two, ha!) These are three of my favorites.
My favorite. I'm beginning to think I'm a reborn flapper because damn men in suspenders dancing does something for me
And while not my favorite tango I liked this one because Ezio is genderfluid and just as likely to be in a dress as a suit. Also Layton does a fucking backflip in heels and I am jealous
In theory I'm doing themarchmetamatterschallenge but I have done nothing until now. Finally got some going. I posted it to AO3 but ( It's also under here )
Do you have something about your characters that you love and think about it, even though you know it might not be in the story? Tell us all about it. I want to hear it. Original characters or your favorite fandom characters.
Here's mine for my new characters Ezio and Remo (Remo might have a name change). They dance together. A lot of my characters dance. I might mention they're dancing but I don't do a lot of writing about it because it's not all that interesting to read. But it also has me thinking about what kind of music would these people have.
Yes it's a 1920s era tech level but that doesn't mean necessarily that the music is the same. that said I love the fast step, jive, boogie woogie styles and if by some miracle this novel ends up a movie...well then.
Anyhow I stumbled over this British version of Dancing With the Stars (kinda sorta, at least they allow gay partners) and thought these two would be exactly how Ezio and Remo learn to dance with each other (in book two, ha!) These are three of my favorites.
My favorite. I'm beginning to think I'm a reborn flapper because damn men in suspenders dancing does something for me
And while not my favorite tango I liked this one because Ezio is genderfluid and just as likely to be in a dress as a suit. Also Layton does a fucking backflip in heels and I am jealous
In theory I'm doing the
marchmetamatterschallenge but I have done nothing until now. Finally got some going. I posted it to AO3 but ( It's also under here )
no subject
19 Mar 2026 08:37 pmolivermossLike Real People Do by E L Massey - I finished the book, sort of. I knew there was a sequel, but I didn't realize that it's part of a four book series and the first two books are basically part 1 and part 2 of the same story. Like Real People Do picks a stopping point rather than having a solid ending, but that's fine with how the book is structured.
It's about a college kid who is a serious figure skater trying to navigate a seizure disorder. He winds up dating a closeted NHL hockey prodigy. I enjoyed it, but might take the rest of the series a book at a time.
It's very medium stakes. Nothing is high drama, but there are serious issues in both of the MC's lives that grounds the romantic fantasy elements. It's really well written, just not exactly my cup of tea. But, definitely the palate cleanser I needed after Goaltender Interference.
I don't typically like YA, anything involving teens, or meant for teens. One of the characters struggles to deal with his emotions in a way that feels real for his age without milking it for drama or making him feel unsafe to be around. I also liked how the characters are trying to handle a difficult situation and be mature about it, but every once in a while the far-more-mature character is just done with trying to be an adult and decides to just make out or lets himself sound a bit whiny. Basically, he goes easy on himself sometimes and gives himself permission to not try to be perfect, and that lets both Main Characters relax and keeps stress from building in the relationship. A lot of things are just really well handled.
Hockey score - I am going to give all hockey romances a hockey score from now on. It's decent! Doesn't really get much into hockey culture or crunchy things about hockey, but does get into the realism of things like minor injuries. There is no Major Injury plot point or drama, but the Hockey Player Main Character being banged up, run down and also on medication after a bad hit messing up his life a bit was a nice bit of realism. Massey definitely gets a point there. The Hockey Player Main Character being a captain at nineteen without someone wearing the 'A' to either support him or help mentor him into the role feels very unlikely, especially since he's a mess. He's not a mature young man, he's got underage DUIs. Making part of a leadership core and giving him the C symbolically would make more sense. But, it's part of the set up the author was going for so I'm not bothered. The unlikely-but-not-impossible bits are there for a reason.
Also, I really liked that the author understood the difference between hockey skating and figure skating, like that certain figure skate moves don't work in hockey skates. One reason I was very reluctant about trying this book was other authors ignoring all that, sometimes aggressively ignoring skating physics for cute moments.
It's about a college kid who is a serious figure skater trying to navigate a seizure disorder. He winds up dating a closeted NHL hockey prodigy. I enjoyed it, but might take the rest of the series a book at a time.
It's very medium stakes. Nothing is high drama, but there are serious issues in both of the MC's lives that grounds the romantic fantasy elements. It's really well written, just not exactly my cup of tea. But, definitely the palate cleanser I needed after Goaltender Interference.
I don't typically like YA, anything involving teens, or meant for teens. One of the characters struggles to deal with his emotions in a way that feels real for his age without milking it for drama or making him feel unsafe to be around. I also liked how the characters are trying to handle a difficult situation and be mature about it, but every once in a while the far-more-mature character is just done with trying to be an adult and decides to just make out or lets himself sound a bit whiny. Basically, he goes easy on himself sometimes and gives himself permission to not try to be perfect, and that lets both Main Characters relax and keeps stress from building in the relationship. A lot of things are just really well handled.
Hockey score - I am going to give all hockey romances a hockey score from now on. It's decent! Doesn't really get much into hockey culture or crunchy things about hockey, but does get into the realism of things like minor injuries. There is no Major Injury plot point or drama, but the Hockey Player Main Character being banged up, run down and also on medication after a bad hit messing up his life a bit was a nice bit of realism. Massey definitely gets a point there. The Hockey Player Main Character being a captain at nineteen without someone wearing the 'A' to either support him or help mentor him into the role feels very unlikely, especially since he's a mess. He's not a mature young man, he's got underage DUIs. Making part of a leadership core and giving him the C symbolically would make more sense. But, it's part of the set up the author was going for so I'm not bothered. The unlikely-but-not-impossible bits are there for a reason.
Also, I really liked that the author understood the difference between hockey skating and figure skating, like that certain figure skate moves don't work in hockey skates. One reason I was very reluctant about trying this book was other authors ignoring all that, sometimes aggressively ignoring skating physics for cute moments.
What's Making Me Happy Today: Dandelion (2025)
19 Mar 2026 07:56 pmdelphiDandelion is a very sweet short film starring Ava Lalezarzadeh as Margaret, a queer teen in the foster care system in the 1970s, and Vic Michaelis as Joyce, the volunteer trying to find her a new placement after she's kicked out of convent school. The short's a lovely standalone, but I was really happy to hear it's being made into a full-length movie!
Book Spine Poetry
19 Mar 2026 10:31 pmlb_leeWe keep a little stack of books we're reading on the kitchen table and our roommates noticed that the spines lined up in amusing ways. This was accidental, but then we thought, "what if we did that... ON PURPOSE?"
And today, we trashed our room stacking books to make poems. We hope they amuse you!
And today, we trashed our room stacking books to make poems. We hope they amuse you!
Burn, doors
19 Mar 2026 06:44 pmranunculusTook till about 2 pm but all of the brush from yesterday's activities has been burnt up. I got pretty hot and tired. Drank about a gallon of water/gatoraid. Missed the rock show/conference in Willits. Oh well, next time.
Tomorrow is planting little plants in the garden, finishing the compost bin cleanout and cleaning the filthy horse corral.
There are still broccoli plants to put out, some pink mitzuna and dill that really wants to be planted out. I'd love to transplant some of the baby marigolds but don't think they are quite ready yet, we'll see. I might even risk planting out squash and cucumbers...
There is a big kerfuffle going on down in SF about doors. All four of the doors that lead to the garden need replacing. The bottom of the downstairs flat door was substantially rotted with the exterior face peeling off up about a foot. ICK. We like getting lots of light into the house so chose doors that were 3/4 glass with about 18 inches of wood on the bottom. Sadly they don't actually make that door in an exterior model. These are aluminum clad doors that come with an exterior finish that matches the windows. We thought we might use a different manufacturer but of course the finishes don't match. In fact the color pallets were so different we couldn't even see a contrasting color we could use. Sigh. So full glass, double pane doors. They have a coating on one pane that is virtually unbreakable so no security worries.
Tomorrow is planting little plants in the garden, finishing the compost bin cleanout and cleaning the filthy horse corral.
There are still broccoli plants to put out, some pink mitzuna and dill that really wants to be planted out. I'd love to transplant some of the baby marigolds but don't think they are quite ready yet, we'll see. I might even risk planting out squash and cucumbers...
There is a big kerfuffle going on down in SF about doors. All four of the doors that lead to the garden need replacing. The bottom of the downstairs flat door was substantially rotted with the exterior face peeling off up about a foot. ICK. We like getting lots of light into the house so chose doors that were 3/4 glass with about 18 inches of wood on the bottom. Sadly they don't actually make that door in an exterior model. These are aluminum clad doors that come with an exterior finish that matches the windows. We thought we might use a different manufacturer but of course the finishes don't match. In fact the color pallets were so different we couldn't even see a contrasting color we could use. Sigh. So full glass, double pane doors. They have a coating on one pane that is virtually unbreakable so no security worries.
no subject
19 Mar 2026 07:15 pmolivermoss* There is going to be a Heated Rivalry night at a Red Sox game? The baseball team? Okay, sure. Hockey teams keep doing Fourth Wing nights and a baseball team is going to do HR.
* Connor Storrie is going to be on an upcoming ep of Criminal Minds? That show still exists? It's on season 18, and has been renewed for 19? Wow...
The ep filmed a while ago. Connor posted some pics to his insta during filming and then deleted them. I remember the pics, now we know what they were from. Him and Hudson both deleted a lot when they blew up. Hudson deleted whole accounts. The two of them, especially Hudson, joke like they have no media coaching but I am pretty sure they actually do have a consultant or something, they are just very in control rather than having a studio try to leash them. (It is actually possible to leash Hudson, I've seen video footage of it. It's in one of this student films. Wait, in one of them or two?)
* Connor Storrie is going to be on an upcoming ep of Criminal Minds? That show still exists? It's on season 18, and has been renewed for 19? Wow...
The ep filmed a while ago. Connor posted some pics to his insta during filming and then deleted them. I remember the pics, now we know what they were from. Him and Hudson both deleted a lot when they blew up. Hudson deleted whole accounts. The two of them, especially Hudson, joke like they have no media coaching but I am pretty sure they actually do have a consultant or something, they are just very in control rather than having a studio try to leash them. (It is actually possible to leash Hudson, I've seen video footage of it. It's in one of this student films. Wait, in one of them or two?)
Happenstance (part 1 of 1, complete)
19 Mar 2026 10:02 pmdialecticdreamerHappenstance
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1698
[Morning of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]
:: By the time Jules reached the downtown library, he still hadn’t found a share bike… But he did find Blainn. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::
November sunshine in this part of California had, apparently, decided to copy the high desert profile. By the time Jules reached the library, a wet triangle soaked the back of his shirt along his spine, and the liter water bottle clipped to his belt loop was empty. He hadn’t found a single share bike, though the buses were running smoothly, and mostly on time.
He frowned, worried that the schedule had changed while he was gone.
( Read more... )
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1698
[Morning of Saturday, 4 November of 2017]
:: By the time Jules reached the downtown library, he still hadn’t found a share bike… But he did find Blainn. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::
November sunshine in this part of California had, apparently, decided to copy the high desert profile. By the time Jules reached the library, a wet triangle soaked the back of his shirt along his spine, and the liter water bottle clipped to his belt loop was empty. He hadn’t found a single share bike, though the buses were running smoothly, and mostly on time.
He frowned, worried that the schedule had changed while he was gone.
( Read more... )
no subject
20 Mar 2026 12:28 pmthawreckaLife is so short. I want to say that I don't know what to say, but I do. I was very intensely into LJRP/DWRP in my 20s; at a time when other people were doing uni and postgrad and forming friendships with people at uni, I was making RP friends. I slowly drifted away from a lot of people, without even meaning to, because life happens, but they were present for a very important, very intense part of my life and I kept meaning to reach out and get to know them again. And then someone dies, and I realise it's too late. A strange, wistful feeling. I think I'm crying more because people I love are grieving than anything else, because I didn't know AJ very well anymore, but really, what a loss.
If there's any upside, it's that this motivated everyone to get back in touch. We are all so much older than we used to be, and some people we still can't find, but it's so nice to get back in touch.
Watched:
I'm still deep into the Prince of Tennis marathon. I remembered nothing of this junior selection camp filler arc until I got to the point where they were all like, wow, Sengoku got shredded!!! Why is that the thing I remember? The boxing style tennis is hilarious, sorry to say. Also, Samada telling Atobe he doesn't care about Atobe's obsession with Tezuka and then Dan faithfully reporting this to Tezuka is hilarious.
Though Tezuka slapping Ryoma to the ground just because Ryoma wants to play a tennis game Tezuka didn't sanction is um serious values dissonance moment, because I think this makes Tezuka look shitty and the anime does not.
If there's any upside, it's that this motivated everyone to get back in touch. We are all so much older than we used to be, and some people we still can't find, but it's so nice to get back in touch.
Watched:
I'm still deep into the Prince of Tennis marathon. I remembered nothing of this junior selection camp filler arc until I got to the point where they were all like, wow, Sengoku got shredded!!! Why is that the thing I remember? The boxing style tennis is hilarious, sorry to say. Also, Samada telling Atobe he doesn't care about Atobe's obsession with Tezuka and then Dan faithfully reporting this to Tezuka is hilarious.
Though Tezuka slapping Ryoma to the ground just because Ryoma wants to play a tennis game Tezuka didn't sanction is um serious values dissonance moment, because I think this makes Tezuka look shitty and the anime does not.
Thursday Recs
19 Mar 2026 07:52 pmsoc_puppet posting in queerly_belovedHello, all! It's time once again for Thursday Recs!
With Tumblr's recent foibles in mind, this week I'm going to recnewcomers; if you're new to Dreamwidth, or even if you've been here a while, there are lots of friendly people there who are willing to help answer questions and figure things out with you. I personally have posted a lot of (rather Tumblr-centric) tutorials about Dreamwidth there. If you know someone who's interested in learning more about Dreamwidth, it's a good place to point them!
Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
With Tumblr's recent foibles in mind, this week I'm going to rec
newcomers; if you're new to Dreamwidth, or even if you've been here a while, there are lots of friendly people there who are willing to help answer questions and figure things out with you. I personally have posted a lot of (rather Tumblr-centric) tutorials about Dreamwidth there. If you know someone who's interested in learning more about Dreamwidth, it's a good place to point them!Do you have a rec for this week? Just reply to this post with something queer or queer-adjacent (such as, soap made by a queer person that isn't necessarily queer themed) that you'd, well, recommend. Self-recs are welcome, as are recs for fandom-related content!
Or have you tried something that's been recced here? Do you have your own report to share about it? I'd love to hear about it!
Daily Check-In
19 Mar 2026 07:52 pmmecurtin posting in fandom_checkinThis is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Thursday, March 19, to midnight on Friday, March 20 (8pm Eastern Time).
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Poll #34386 Daily check-in poll
This poll is closed.
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
Open to: Access List, detailed results viewable to: Access List, participants: 23
How are you doing?
I am OK
12 (52.2%)
I am not OK, but don't need help right now
11 (47.8%)
I could use some help
0 (0.0%)
How many other humans live with you?
I am living single
9 (39.1%)
One other person
9 (39.1%)
More than one other person
5 (21.7%)
Please, talk about how things are going for you in the comments, ask for advice or help if you need it, or just discuss whatever you feel like.
Day 1885: “Don’t do that.”
19 Mar 2026 03:54 pmwtfjht_feed
Today in one sentence: The Pentagon asked for more than $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war; Iran attacked Gulf energy sites after an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field; Israel said it would stop attacking Iran’s South Pars gas field after Trump said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “don’t do that”; the Justice Department subpoenaed former FBI Director James Comey as part of a “grand conspiracy” case against the former officials who investigated and prosecuted Trump; about 9% of people who had Affordable Care Act insurance in 2025 are now uninsured after the enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025; a coalition of 24 states and more than a dozen cities and counties sued the EPA over its repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding; and Trump’s hand-picked federal arts commission approved a commemorative 24-karat U.S. gold coin depicting Trump leaning on a desk with clenched fists.
1/ The Pentagon asked for more than $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “it takes money to kill bad guys […] for what’s being done, for what we may have to do in the future,” adding that the number “could move.” Trump said the large funding request was necessary for “vast amounts of ammunition” and “beyond even what we’re talking about in Iran.” The request hasn’t yet been formally transmitted to Congress, where it faces broad Democratic opposition and growing unease among Republicans anxious about an open-ended conflict, mounting costs and the prospect of ground troops. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it “remains to be seen” whether the package could pass, with Democrats calling it a blank check and some Republicans saying the administration still had not explained the cost, timeline or strategy. (Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico / New York Times / CNN / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / ABC News / CNBC / Axios)
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What else could $200 billion buy?
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More than six years of rent help for millions of low-income households; roughly 23 years of federal childcare funding; about 16 years of Head Start for young children and families; fill the Pell Grant program’s projected 10-year shortfall and still leave roughly $100 billion left over; enough to fix the country’s entire bridge-repair backlog; and fund more than 60 years of programs aimed at ending veteran homelessness. (FHWA / HUD budget highlights / First Five Years Fund / CRFB / HUD vouchers)
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Trump said “I’m not putting troops anywhere,″ but then immediately added: “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.” (New York Times / Politico)
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poll/ 65% of Americans believe Trump send troops into a large-scale ground war in Iran. 7% support sending ground troops to Iran. (Reuters)
2/ Iran attacked Gulf energy sites after an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field, damaging Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex and knocking out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity for 3 to 5 years. Brent crude briefly jumped above $119 a barrel before retreating, as markets priced in the risk that damage to oil fields, refineries, and export terminals could last longer than reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Trump administration, meanwhile, said it may lift sanctions on about 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already at sea to ease the market. (Washington Post / Reuters / Associated Press / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Politico / New York Times)
3/ Israel said it would stop attacking Iran’s South Pars gas field after Trump said he told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “don’t do that,” and later declared on social media that “NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL.” Netanyahu confirmed the pullback, saying, “Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks,” after the Israeli strike set off Iranian retaliation against energy sites across the Gulf and sent oil prices higher. Iran, meanwhile, warned it would show “ZERO restraint” if its energy infrastructure was struck again. (Bloomberg / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Politico / New York Times)
4/ The Justice Department subpoenaed former FBI Director James Comey as part of a “grand conspiracy” case against the former officials who investigated and prosecuted Trump. The subpoena was issued last week and seeks information about Comey’s role in the January 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference. More than 130 subpoenas have been issued in the probe, including to former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, and Lisa Page. It’s unclear what crime prosecutors believe the subpoenaed officials committed. (NBC News / Axios / CBS News / Bloomberg)
5/ About 9% of people who had Affordable Care Act insurance in 2025 are now uninsured after the enhanced federal subsidies expired at the end of 2025. Of those who kept ACA plans, 17% aren’t confident they can afford the premiums for the full year, and 28% switched plans, often to cheaper coverage with higher out-of-pocket costs. Average ACA premiums more than doubled for subsidized enrollees in 2026, and more than half of returning policyholders said they have cut or plan to cut basic household spending to keep coverage. (CNBC / Wall Street Journal)
6/ A coalition of 24 states and more than a dozen cities and counties sued the EPA over its repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding, the legal basis used to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The case aims to restore the finding and reverse the repeal of vehicle emissions limits, arguing the agency ignored settled law, Supreme Court precedent, and longstanding science on climate harm. (New York Times / Associated Press / Reuters / Los Angeles Times / The Guardian)
7/ Trump’s hand-picked federal arts commission approved a commemorative 24-karat U.S. gold coin depicting Trump leaning on a desk with clenched fists – a design that Trump personally approved. A separate bipartisan coin advisory panel, however, already refused to consider the proposal. (Washington Post)
The 2026 midterms are in 229 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 964 days.
- Today last year: Day 1520: "Common sense."
- Two years ago today: Day 1155: "Further chaos."
- Five years ago today: Day 59: "Wasting time."
- Six years ago today: Day 1155: "Nobody knew."
- Seven years ago today: Day 789: A little longer.
- Eight years ago today: Day 424: Brilliant and courageous.
- 9 years ago today: Day 59: Collusion.
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Visiting past lives
19 Mar 2026 03:42 pmsusandennisI always forget how easy it is to get from here to Goodwill. It's actually a straight shot on the interstate and take the first exit. I didn't score big but I scored a little. I got everything on my list and not too much that I didn't want or need or regretted. I would have shopped more but, turns out, they have shut down their bathroom and I needed one so, I just paid and split. I guessed that the Uwajimaya bathroom which is a loooooong way from the parking lot would not be as nice as the Metropolitan Market bathroom so I headed on to the Met.
The last couple of years that I lived in the condo, Metropolitan Market did my cooking for me. It's a high end fancy assed grocery with a huge selection of very tasty prepared foods. I had favorites and that's what I bought today. All the favorites that I could freeze or save. They had everything on my list in stock. So yeah! (Oh, and their bathrooms are just lovely.)
I got home a little after noon and it was kind of a jolt. I'd spent the morning in my old life and now I was back in Timber Ridge. Kind of weird. I did the laundry and then prepped all the food. Sectioned it into appropriately sized servings and put it into the freezer. Except for the dinner option for tonight. Then I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher.
Now I'm back in my regular life.
Lately I've had trouble with Thursdays. I keep thinking they are Fridays. And today is no different. Bonny's leaving on Friday and I could not figure out what she was still doing here this afternoon. Doh.
The last couple of years that I lived in the condo, Metropolitan Market did my cooking for me. It's a high end fancy assed grocery with a huge selection of very tasty prepared foods. I had favorites and that's what I bought today. All the favorites that I could freeze or save. They had everything on my list in stock. So yeah! (Oh, and their bathrooms are just lovely.)
I got home a little after noon and it was kind of a jolt. I'd spent the morning in my old life and now I was back in Timber Ridge. Kind of weird. I did the laundry and then prepped all the food. Sectioned it into appropriately sized servings and put it into the freezer. Except for the dinner option for tonight. Then I cleaned the kitchen and ran the dishwasher.
Now I'm back in my regular life.
Lately I've had trouble with Thursdays. I keep thinking they are Fridays. And today is no different. Bonny's leaving on Friday and I could not figure out what she was still doing here this afternoon. Doh.
Prompt 2792: Party
19 Mar 2026 10:41 pmimmortalje posting in dailyiconsclosed
Today's prompt is: party
• You have 2 days time to submit an icon for this prompt (in other words, until prompt 2794 gets posted)!
• Prompt 2790 has been closed.
• If you have any questions regarding the prompt, feel free to ask in a comment.
• To submit an icon you simply reply to this post with the following information:
Icon:
Claim: (only necessary if it's a specific claim)
Status: (e.g. #1/10 - number of icon completed/table size)
Dogfighting in space won't look like the movies, but this company wants in on it
19 Mar 2026 07:45 pmarstechnica_science_feedIf a battle is fought in space, it will look nothing like those depicted in the Star Wars franchise, with sleek TIE fighters blasting enemy ships with laser cannons and mag-pulses. Instead, these battles will be cerebral and unhurried, somewhat like the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, a slow-burning political thriller with a plot that somehow mixes tension with clinical precision.
In that film, an assassin sets out to murder the French president. The main character's moves are meticulously planned, with backup plans for backup plans. A police commissioner, just as clever, must pursue the assassin and stop the conspiracy. The events play out over weeks and months, not seconds and minutes.
True Anomaly, which emerged from stealth just three years ago, is planning for The Day of the Jackal in space. The startup's primary hardware product, aptly named Jackal, is a war-ready satellite platform designed for mass production. In nature, jackals are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and hunting prowess. True Anomaly's Jackal boasts similar traits in space.
Returning to a WIP last touched in 2023
19 Mar 2026 08:50 pmextrapenguinOver the past few days, I've rediscovered my drawerfic, All That is Solid Melts into Air (currently at ~65k). RotS canon divergence, TCW/Prequel Trilogy. I thought it was great, so I immediately went and bugged the author for an ending.
As it currently is, I'd written the setup for the grand climax, had notes for the grand climax, and had written a ~700-word epilogue chapter.* Why, then, was a I blocked?
I realized it was a matter of pacing. I could have hopped straight into the climactic battle, sure, but that would have been unsatisfying. I knew, instinctively, that I needed something in between to make the transition less abrupt, but not exactly what I needed to write to build the tension and anticipation. Now I have an idea for the necessary two scenes in there, after which I can write ~3 scenes of climactic space-and-ground battle, plus ~4 shorter scenes of wrap-up before transitioning into the epilogue chapter.
* I find epilogue chapters very useful if you're posting chapter by chapter and also want reactions to the climax. Usually, reader comments on the final chapter are less about the contents of the final chapter and more about the fic in its entirety, which can be a bit of a bummer if you did something cool in there and wanted to see people's reactions.
As it currently is, I'd written the setup for the grand climax, had notes for the grand climax, and had written a ~700-word epilogue chapter.* Why, then, was a I blocked?
I realized it was a matter of pacing. I could have hopped straight into the climactic battle, sure, but that would have been unsatisfying. I knew, instinctively, that I needed something in between to make the transition less abrupt, but not exactly what I needed to write to build the tension and anticipation. Now I have an idea for the necessary two scenes in there, after which I can write ~3 scenes of climactic space-and-ground battle, plus ~4 shorter scenes of wrap-up before transitioning into the epilogue chapter.
* I find epilogue chapters very useful if you're posting chapter by chapter and also want reactions to the climax. Usually, reader comments on the final chapter are less about the contents of the final chapter and more about the fic in its entirety, which can be a bit of a bummer if you did something cool in there and wanted to see people's reactions.
The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, March 19th
19 Mar 2026 04:09 pmfatalfae posting in su_heraldEVE: I mean, I understand. You're running the whole circus now, a lot of pressure, especially with your hands-on policy. No pun intended. I'm sure you could use a release.
ANGEL: No releasing, just bathing. That's what one does after bashing open a demonic pinata full of rancid Tabasco. What do you want, Eve?
EVE: You stood me up. We had a 7:30, Angel, a meeting.
ANGEL: Oh. Right. Uh... I'll get my pants.
ANGEL: No releasing, just bathing. That's what one does after bashing open a demonic pinata full of rancid Tabasco. What do you want, Eve?
EVE: You stood me up. We had a 7:30, Angel, a meeting.
ANGEL: Oh. Right. Uh... I'll get my pants.
[Drabbles & Short Fiction]
- Just an Observation (Angel/Buffy, G) by DeezBoots
[Chaptered Fiction]
- The Seal of Solomon, Ch. 1 (Giles/Buffy, E) by Cosmic__Cowgirl
- Faith, and How I Fell, Ch. 4 (Faith/Buffy, M) by Willowhand
- Dolls Underground, Ch. 6 (Drusilla/Spike, Angel/Buffy, G) by Naming_stars
- Once More With Feeling, My Wayward Sons, Ch. 9 (Crossover w/ Supernatural, Buffy/Dean, Faith/Sam, M) by SequelNeeded
- Slayer in Hell, Ch. 4 (Buffy/Spike, Dawn, Ensemble, NC-17) by DeamonQueen
- The Transfer, Ch. 11 (Buffy/Spike, Ensemble, R) by Blackmysteria
- Cross Purposes 5, Ch. 78 (Multiple Crossings, FR13) by DianeCastle
- The Last Rose of Summer, Ch. 4 (Buffy/Spike, Ensemble, PG-13) by number1angirl
- Captive Audience, Ch. 19 (BtVS - Ensemble, NC-17) by Grief Counseling
- Short and Spuffy 26, Ch. 19 (Buffy/Spike, Ensemble, OCs, Other, PG-13) by Sarahvampgrl
- Fluffy Times in Paradise, Ch. 10 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by Lashyan
- Short and Spuffy, a collection, Ch. 19 (Buffy/Spike, Ensemble, PG-13) by Sirabella
- Home Sweet Home, Ch. 19 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms
[Images, Audio & Video]
- Art: You hear me? You don’t know what evil is! I’m bad— fight back! (Faith, SFW) by poisonoyous
- Autographs: My dad was clearing out his closet, found and gave me these signed photos of SMG and David Boreanaz, including Certificates of Authenticity! (SFW) by Zwerik2
- Playthrough: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002) - Xbox Exclusive - RIP Return of Buffy - Day Two of Suffering by ChimeTime
- Fanvid: Tillow | Magic by leticia
[Reviews & Recaps]
- BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 4x19 & 4x20 REACTION | New Moon Rising & The Yoko Factor | Buffy S4 by Chance's House of Horror
[Fandom Discussions]
- Poll: do you ever skip the Buffy intro? by shesnake
- if darla from btvs has a million fans, then i am one of them. by witchinthewindows
- in a wave of btvs reboot cancellation discourse I figured the silliest and the most selfish reason by mangio-formaggio
- The HUGE difference between Spike and Angel by buffytheslaypire
- Something I love so much about the Buffy episode “Hush” by kat–writes
- Watching through buffy for the first time is great by earlofnewshire
- Thinking about the Buffy sequel series cancellation by talkingnerd
- Hot take: There should be more Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Batman crossover fan fiction. by originalleftist
- regular buffy fans after finishing the first season by selkiemaidenfae
- I got a ton of housework done today. How? I put the toddler in her playpen in the living room and turned on OMWF. by norseshadows84
- Am I the only one who has like- no interest in the concept of new scoobies?? by thepopsicle
- Sarah has been asked if conversations/something will come out of this due to fan reaction by user_Second
- Anyone own the Willow and Tara once more with feeling busts? by Top-Monk-5391
- Tales of the Slayer by SonnybytheSea
- Singer Ashanti As Lissa (s07e14) by Specialist_Art2223
- Would Roberto (Riverdale writer) be a good fit for Buffy? by IntelligentPumpkin74
- None of us are going to have a happy normal relationship. by BullfrogRound4235
- Help me understand by Free_Package_9006
- For those who watched season 4 without spoilers by pizzaseafood
- Buffy roles in the rewritten script? by matt-89
- Sarah Michelle Gellar has a biography coming out. by CandidateHefty329
- Why not just adapt the comics by GoldbloomStudios
- The S5 Finale was so underwhelming by PunkLaundryBear
- Fun facts about Sarah Michelle Gellar. by ceecee1909
Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!
Luytens’ Crypt in Liverpool, England
19 Mar 2026 04:00 pmatlas_obscura_places_feed
The Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is one of Liverpool’s two largest churches as well as a notable part of Liverpool’s skyline. The brutalist Catholic church features a conical structure topped by a cylindrical spire. The interior is noted for its unusual round layout, with the altar placed at the center of the church and with chapels arranged along the church’s periphery.
However, what is truly unexpected for such a modern and unconventional church is the spacious neoclassical crypt hidden directly underneath it. The reason why the architectural styles of the top and bottom parts of the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral differ so dramatically from each other is a consequence of the complicated history of the building’s construction.
The local Catholic church leadership decided in 1922 to pursue the construction of a cathedral for the city’s burgeoning Catholic population, and they initially employed famed British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens to design the church. Luytens’ design featured an enormous neoclassical brick building topped with a giant dome that would have been 520 feet (158 m) tall. Such a building would have been comparable in size to the Liverpool Cathedral being built nearby by the Church of England at the same time, and its dome specifically would have been bigger than the dome of St. Peter’s in Rome.
The cornerstone was laid in 1933, and construction proceeded on the cathedral’s crypt until rising costs and disruptions from World War II brought the building work to a stop. Sir Edwin Luytens would unfortunately pass away in 1944 without seeing the realization of his grand project.
The worksite stood idle for multiple years after World War II simply because the original design was too costly to construct. In 1960, a competition was held to redesign the church so that the something affordable could be placed at the incomplete construction site, and Sir Frederick Gibberd’s brutalist conical design won. Construction of the concrete structure on top of Luyten’s neoclassical crypt began in 1962, and by 1967, the new brutalist cathedral was completed and consecrated.
While the brutalist cathedral is widely recognized as one of Liverpool’s architectural treasures and while it still plays a major role in Liverpool’s society today, the crypt is not only less prominent architecturally but also psychologically. Still, the crypt continues to be used by the church for multiple purposes. The crypt contains chapels and meeting spaces as well as a small exhibtion area and a treasury containing many historical religious items from a range of time periods extending to before the Reformation. Visitors to this hidden area can not only learn about the history of the cathedral but get insights into the original architect’s ambitions for the building.
New K-9 fic: Vigil (Ren)
19 Mar 2026 07:31 pmvriddy300th fic posted on AO3 :D
(overall, I mean. Not just for K-9!!!!!!!!!! ;D Not yet 😌)
We've seen multiple times in canon now how Ren always waits for teenage girls to wake up after they get involved in Sin-related incidents usually way bigger than they are. Even if she has nothing to say, even if she knows her encouraging words won't be enough. She waits, says something kind, doesn't mind if she gets talked to rudely, then goes on her way, back to her work trying to fix all this.
Another thing I like to do when I'm tired of thinking about K-9 directly (haha as if) is trying to analyse the story structure, how information gets drip-fed to us, what kind of information. What questions are raised, which ones get answers, what new questions those bring up. I am enchanted. May I write such fascinating stories with fascinating casts when I grow up :D <3
Vigil | K-9 | Ren | 300 words | rated T
Summary: Ren always waits for the girls to wake up at the hospital afterwards, like no one did for her.
Read it on Dreamwidth or AO3.
(overall, I mean. Not just for K-9!!!!!!!!!! ;D Not yet 😌)
We've seen multiple times in canon now how Ren always waits for teenage girls to wake up after they get involved in Sin-related incidents usually way bigger than they are. Even if she has nothing to say, even if she knows her encouraging words won't be enough. She waits, says something kind, doesn't mind if she gets talked to rudely, then goes on her way, back to her work trying to fix all this.
Another thing I like to do when I'm tired of thinking about K-9 directly (haha as if) is trying to analyse the story structure, how information gets drip-fed to us, what kind of information. What questions are raised, which ones get answers, what new questions those bring up. I am enchanted. May I write such fascinating stories with fascinating casts when I grow up :D <3
Vigil | K-9 | Ren | 300 words | rated T
Summary: Ren always waits for the girls to wake up at the hospital afterwards, like no one did for her.
Read it on Dreamwidth or AO3.
Everything I love is on the table, everything I love is out to sea
19 Mar 2026 01:49 pmsovayI can't believe I dreamed an entire opera whose closing performance by a small local outfit I was all set to attend before it was canceled at the last unavoidable minute. It was a Gian Carlo Menotti from 1948 and had never before received a Boston premiere. I had read its libretto for years because it was full of sand and sea-haunting: No body that presses its mouth to the shore closer than your mouth to mine. No eye that fades into the haze of the sun more fixed than your eye to mine. No ship of a letter that crosses the seas faster than my hand to yours, unless it has foundered, unless it has torn on the black rocks of the heart. It had one of his terse, enigmatic titles, The Visitor. The company that had put it up was called Marmalade and Gold, an allusion whose meaning did not escape the event horizon of waking, and specialized in bare-bones, slightly more than concert performances of oddities or undeserved obscurities of the twentieth-century opera world: I remember perusing the catalogue of previous seasons on their website and approving of their choices, all of which I suspect of not existing outside of the hour or so I was asleep. Erich Wolfgang Korngold did write a bunch of operas, mostly before—very popular choice—leaving Germany, but I do not believe a 1932 Der lahme König was among them. I am having a terrible week for which the external world offers nothing in the way of respite and even if I didn't get to hear any of its music, I appreciate the inside of my head attempting to furnish a break of art.
Media Roundup: On the Mend (I hope)
19 Mar 2026 11:53 amforestofgloryI’ve been sick for the last week or so which meant there was a lot of time to sit around reading but I didn’t have a lot of energy to write things up. But now I’m doing better so have a media roundup! (This isn’t everything I read while sick because some of it I didn’t have the energy to write up, and also I’ve been slowly reading Batman: No Man’s Land and if I write something about it, I’m going to do so after I finish the whole story. )
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi— For kiddo’s school book club. This is so not my kind of book and I wouldn’t have read it if the kiddo hadn’t insisted. I just find contemporary books with political themes really really stressful! So this book about a Syrian-American boy in 2016-2017 was really not my cup of tea. So I think it was doing ok at being the book it wanted to be, but that book is not for me. Also the whole book was in poetry, and I don't think that actually added much – but also I’m not really a poetry person.
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton by Ryan North and Mike Norton— Since I've been reading a lot of superhero stuff an algorithm showed me this, and it's got a cute dog and is written by Ryan North so I thought I'd check it out (What has Ryan North been up to since Squirrel Girl? Maybe I should find out. Maybe I should reread Squirrel Girl)* This was a bit darker than I was expecting! And did really feature the elements of North’s style that I remember enjoying alot (witty dialogue and certain wacky over the top-ness) Though still mostly a sweet story. (Content note: abusive training/animal harm, animal death, children in peril)
Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks and Lumberjanes: Campfire Songs— These are single issue Lumberjanes stories by a bunch of different writers and artists. I enjoyed the variety! I think my favorite story was the one that had Last Unicorn vibes (Look I watched that movie a lot as a kid)
Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass by Lilah Sturges, polterink, et al— Lumberjanes original graphic novel – this was honestly a little disappointing, I didn’t feel like it really captured the vibe of the original comic. It did not help that this was one of those graphic novels with a very limited color palette (black, white and green) and I really missed the colorfulness!
Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship by Lilah Sturges, polterink, et al— Another lumberjanes graphic novel – I liked this one a lot better. It probably helped that my expectations were lowered after the first one but I do think it was a better story overall as well.
The Ribbon Skirt: A Graphic Novell by Cameron Mukwa— A middle grade graphic novel about Anang, a two-spirit and nonbinary Anishinaabe kid, who wants to wear a ribbon skirt to an upcoming powwow. This is very sweet! There are talking turtle spirits! There’s also Anang’s friend who is uncomfortable with Anang’s identity and kinda transphobic about it as heads up
* after writing this I did look up what Ryan North has been up to, some library holds have been placed. Also I noticed that he has PDF’s of all of his academic papers available on his website and I think that’s very charming and helpful of him.
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi— For kiddo’s school book club. This is so not my kind of book and I wouldn’t have read it if the kiddo hadn’t insisted. I just find contemporary books with political themes really really stressful! So this book about a Syrian-American boy in 2016-2017 was really not my cup of tea. So I think it was doing ok at being the book it wanted to be, but that book is not for me. Also the whole book was in poetry, and I don't think that actually added much – but also I’m not really a poetry person.
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton by Ryan North and Mike Norton— Since I've been reading a lot of superhero stuff an algorithm showed me this, and it's got a cute dog and is written by Ryan North so I thought I'd check it out (What has Ryan North been up to since Squirrel Girl? Maybe I should find out. Maybe I should reread Squirrel Girl)* This was a bit darker than I was expecting! And did really feature the elements of North’s style that I remember enjoying alot (witty dialogue and certain wacky over the top-ness) Though still mostly a sweet story. (Content note: abusive training/animal harm, animal death, children in peril)
Lumberjanes: Bonus Tracks and Lumberjanes: Campfire Songs— These are single issue Lumberjanes stories by a bunch of different writers and artists. I enjoyed the variety! I think my favorite story was the one that had Last Unicorn vibes (Look I watched that movie a lot as a kid)
Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass by Lilah Sturges, polterink, et al— Lumberjanes original graphic novel – this was honestly a little disappointing, I didn’t feel like it really captured the vibe of the original comic. It did not help that this was one of those graphic novels with a very limited color palette (black, white and green) and I really missed the colorfulness!
Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship by Lilah Sturges, polterink, et al— Another lumberjanes graphic novel – I liked this one a lot better. It probably helped that my expectations were lowered after the first one but I do think it was a better story overall as well.
The Ribbon Skirt: A Graphic Novell by Cameron Mukwa— A middle grade graphic novel about Anang, a two-spirit and nonbinary Anishinaabe kid, who wants to wear a ribbon skirt to an upcoming powwow. This is very sweet! There are talking turtle spirits! There’s also Anang’s friend who is uncomfortable with Anang’s identity and kinda transphobic about it as heads up
* after writing this I did look up what Ryan North has been up to, some library holds have been placed. Also I noticed that he has PDF’s of all of his academic papers available on his website and I think that’s very charming and helpful of him.
why don’t more companies try to retain key employees with raises?
19 Mar 2026 05:59 pmaskamanager_feedA reader writes:
My brother-in-law works for a company of about 600, with branches of 80 or so in several cities across North America. His department had three employees who served their branch in an HR-type capacity. One employee moved, leaving only him and his manager to handle their caseload. This was okay. Then the manager left.
The branch managers called my brother-in-law in and told him that he was now the acting manager but there would be no pay raise “at this time” but they appreciated his work and knew he could handle this opportunity. While the caseload on him went up, he was able to shift work to other branches so there were no late nights or long hours. Still, he was now in charge of a large branch’s department.
He immediately started looking at other employment opportunities and after four months has secured a better position elsewhere.
Had they offered up an initial pay bump of $10,000 or so, I wouldn’t even be writing this letter. But why do companies not think to raise the salaries of employees under these sorts of conditions? (Even good workplaces?)
Now, old company has to:
• Go through a hiring process (cost #1)
• Bring in a temporary manager from another branch (cost #2)
• Train someone who is new to the organization (cost #3)
• There’s likely a hidden cost I haven’t thought ofMeanwhile they lost someone who was considered strong enough to become head of their department with a title bump but not strong enough to get a pay bump.
I continue to be perplexed.
They underestimate people’s willingness to leave. They know people can leave; they just don’t think the person will go through the hassle of doing it.
This is obviously absurd; people leave jobs all the time. But employers often overestimate their own power in these situations.
The other thing that’s often at play is that the employer doesn’t really care that much if the person does leave. They figure if that happens, they’ll hire someone new — which they will. And yes, the costs involved in doing that (all the ones you laid out, plus the opportunity costs there are from having someone new who will take a while to master the job) usually exceed the amount of the raise they’d need to give to retain the person, so from that perspective the math doesn’t add up.
Plus, if they end up having to replace the exiting employee with an external hire, they’re probably going to have to pay the external hire more than they were paying the person who left — because a new hire coming in off the street is far less likely than an internal hire to accept “we’re hiring you for a manager job but paying you for a level below that because the money isn’t there right now.”
For what it’s worth, it’s possible that they didn’t want to hire your brother-in-law into the manager job permanently and just intended for him to be the interim fill-in while they searched for the permanent hire (which is why he was just acting manager). If that’s the case, well, they got the interim job covered at no extra cost to themselves for a while, and they might not care that much that now there’s turnover in his initial role.
Mostly, though, it’s that they figure they can exploit people and so they do.
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