aella_irene: (Default)
[personal profile] aella_irene posting in [community profile] rheinsberg
It began with me being unsupervised at the Charlottenburg Palace, and posting "I'm in Berlin, and I find myself wondering...if Fritz and EC had somehow conceived a child during the Rheinsberg years, what happens? Other than trauma."

In which we all traumatise hypothetical children )

So, here they are, Sophia Wilhelmine Antoinette of Prussia, b. 1737, and her little brother Friedrich Karl Emil, b. 1739, ready for the horrors of the 18th century. Specifically...marriage.

I wanna marry Friedrich Karl Emil )

Whether SWA marries, I could not say. I feel like either Fritz finds her the most brilliant match possible, or her makes her a lady Abbess so that she can stay with him like Wilhelmine couldn't, and she gets to have an affair with her SIL.

(I also like the idea that, whatever FKE's personality was, he has the reproductive luck of the father of the current King of Sweden, who had four daughters before they managed a son, and died nine months later)

Heinrich, in 1786, made regent for a small child: My time has come.
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Posted by Zach Weinersmith



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travel-related books and war fiction

Jun. 3rd, 2025 05:38 pm
philomytha: image of an old-fashioned bookcase (Bookshelf)
[personal profile] philomytha
The Royal Navy: a history from 1900, Duncan Redford and Philip Grove
I read this in preparation for our Portsmouth trip, because I know nothing about naval history other than what can be gleaned from watching Hornblower and reading Alistair Maclean. This was a general overview of the 20th century, one book from a twelve-volume history of the Navy, very dense, but surprisingly readable for all that. I never lost interest even when deep in discussion of relations with the navy's one true enemy: Whitehall. Or the other great enemies, Churchill, and the RAF. It was quite clear that the French, Germans and so forth are all incidental to these long-lasting and deep emnities. To be fair, I'll give them Churchill, especially after Gallipoli.

As well as the details of battles and events and so forth, the book somewhat inadvertently told me a lot about the navy's biases and beliefs about itself: the Senior Service, it's known as, and they very much identify with that name. So much outrage at the RAF wanting to be in charge of airplanes, and getting funding that should really all go to the navy because the navy is the true defender of the realm. Which is not entirely false: anyone who wants to get here has to cross the sea, and anyone who wants to get here in large numbers has to cross the sea in boats, and stopping them is very much the navy's reason for existence. And they did it once, spectacularly, defeating the French invasion fleet at Trafalgar, with their great heroic admiral organising the battle brilliantly and dying at the moment of victory, and wow have they spent the next two centuries obsessed by this, clinging to it as a reason for their existence, and trying to find an opportunity to do it again to gain equal glory a second time around. And it was very clear that especially in WW1, this warped their thinking and their planning, which is why their attempt for a repeat at Jutland was, at best, a stalemate, and very far from the glorious triumph they thought was their due - but didn't have the training, strategy or skills to make happen, owing to being heavily mired in the past.

They did learn this lesson by WW2, where they did not attempt to replay Trafalgar, and instead they do their best to claim the triumph of the dog that didn't bark: the argument runs that the real reason the Nazis didn't invade is nothing to do with the RAF's Battle of Britain, but because the Germans didn't want to face the Royal Navy - and it's a fairly strong argument. But their main work in WW2 was grinding, difficult and focused on the economics of war rather than the drama, protecting shipping from U-boats across the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean so that food and the materiel of war could reach the UK at all. And they got pretty good at this after a while, due to throwing lots of effort at the technical and strategic ideas involved. Which was mostly convoy work. There's a whole rather dismaying thing about convoys in both wars: the navy hates convoy work because you sit around and wait to be attacked and it's not dashing and heroic and dramatic at all and you just go very slowly - for a warship - back and forth like a bus driver shepherding a lot of fractious cargo ships until someone attacks you. In WW1 the RN really didn't want to do it even though it was very clear that convoys work amazingly well at protecting merchant shipping compared to letting them go on their own and the navy just wandering around looking for trouble, and it took them a long time to agree to do it. In WW2 they did go straight to convoys, though they had an equally hard time persuading the Americans that they also needed to use convoys once they joined the war; there seems to have been a frustrating period after the US joined in when the RN would escort ships up to American waters and then leave them, and since the Americans didn't convoy them the rest of the way, the U-boats immediately sunk hundreds of merchant ships that had been safely convoyed across the rest of the Atlantic; eventually the US navy agreed to convoy the ships, though it wasn't clear whether they ever agreed to black out coastal settlements (this is important because otherwise the silhouettes of ships are clearly visible against the coastal lights). Anyway, there was that and then the business of getting everyone back into Europe for D-Day and onwards, but again, the navy are obviously a little frustrated that this was clearly the army's moment of glory rather than theirs.

From 1945 onwards, the navy's big enemy has been Whitehall, trying to persuade the government to disgorge enough money to build ships and crew them even though there is nobody particular they're intending to fight, and Redford and Grove make a lot of arguments that you can tell have been made in government offices about how if you want to do anything military anywhere what you need are ships, not airplanes or armies, and so please give the navy more money. Watching the story slowly approach to discussions I hear on the news now, about the point of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, was interesting: naturally the navy is always on the side of more ships and more money. An interesting read all around. The funniest bits were where the author interrupts his usual fairly dry style to explain that in this particular operation, everything the navy did was perfect but unfortunately the army/the RAF/Churchill/Whitehall/the Americans/someone else who was definitely not the navy fucked up their part of it so the operation wasn't a success. One of those I'll grant them, but apparently every time an operation involving the navy went wrong it was someone else's fault!


And I also reread The Cruel Sea, which remains THE book for the Battle of the Atlantic and also for adorable levels of shippiness between the captain and first officer of the ship. Every bit as good on a reread, and it was great fun to see models of the Flower class corvettes in the Navy museum after that.


Berlin: Imagine a City, Rory Maclean
I picked this up thinking it was an ordinary history book. It really wasn't, but once I got used to what it was, I enjoyed it a lot. It's a biography of Berlin as told through the fictionalised life stories of a couple of dozen Berliners over time. Unsurprisingly, it's very 20th-century heavy: the book is 400 pages and we get into the 1900s a little past page 100. The individuals who make up the book are mostly real people, though a couple are fictional or semi-fictional (ie people for whom history has left a name and not much else, or people invented as a stand-in to fill a particular category Maclean wants to explore).

The author's presence is quite strong in this book, there are parts that are fictionalised versions of his own Berlin experiences over the years, and the authorial voice and choices and decisions are all very prominent in the book - though oddly there were times when it felt like he was doing himself down. He includes Marlene Dietrich and David Bowie because in various capacities he worked with both of them and was evidently utterly starstruck by both, especially Bowie, and I was not so interested in his hero-worship, if that makes sense; if I'd wanted to find out about David Bowie I'd be somewhere else, I was here wanting this author's voice. His account of Kathe Kollewitz's life was particularly poignant and I am now looking forward very much to seeing her statues in Berlin - though I was moved to tears dozens of times in reading the book, the history of Berlin is the history of horror upon horror and people making their lives in the midst of that. The early chapters in particular did bring home to me just how war-ravaged central Europe was in relatively recent history, compared to the UK; I hadn't actually registered that Napoleon had occupied Berlin, and I also learned a lot about the Prussian kings and Frederick the Great. Absolutely a book to make me even more excited about our upcoming trip.


Olive Bright, Pigeoneer, by Stephanie Graves
The cover of this depicts a young woman, pigeons, a Lancaster and a Spitfire: there was no chance I wouldn't pick it up. It was a frustrating book, alternating between very good bits and rather weak bits and with a heroine whose essential personality was much less defined than any of the other characters'. But I enjoyed reading it anyway, because it had a WW2 setting, spies, a murder mystery and pigeons, so it was not hard to persuade me to like it. Our heroine runs a prize-winning pigeon loft and is hopeful that the National Pigeon Service is going to show up any day now to recruit their pigeons for war work. But instead her pigeons are recruited by the SOE who are training at a nearby stately home. spoilers for the plot )


In Love and War, Liz Trenow
A sweet read about three women heading to Ypres in 1919 to find the graves of their loved ones. This was also a bit on the sentimental and predictable side, but fairly well-researched and did a decent job evoking the return to the battlefields and the start of battlefield tourism. The author clearly did her homework about Toc H - complete with an extended cameo from Rev Tubby Clayton - and also about some of the process of identifying graves. And I liked all the main characters and the way their experiences of travel to the battlefields changes them. Workmanlike and well done.
runpunkrun: combat boot, pizza, camo pants = punk  (punk rock girl)
[personal profile] runpunkrun posting in [community profile] fandomcalendar
Photograph with added text: Female Relationships, at Fancake. Four old Nepalese women sit together on a low brick wall, their feet dangling, most of them barefoot, their shoes kicked off below them. They're dressed in loose patterned fabrics in various shades of red and the mood is relaxed.
[community profile] fancake is a thematic recommendation community where all members are welcome to post recs, and fanworks of all shapes and sizes are accepted. Check out the community guidelines for the full set of rules.

This theme runs for the entire month. If you have any questions, just ask!

Tae Kwon "DO'H"

Jun. 3rd, 2025 01:00 pm
[syndicated profile] cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

Approach, students.

You have come to me asking that I be your guide along this tale of Wreckage, but first I should mention that little Kyle here is taking Tae Kwon Do:

I should also probably stop calling him "little" Kyle.

After all, he could be earning his "Black Blet:"

(Presumably by doing step aerobics.)

Or, he might look like this:

(And wouldn't that be a boot to the head?)

Or - OR - he might know 6-year-old Mercedes here:

And, shoot, that's one little pistol I aim to avoid.
(I hear she's got a hair-trigger temper.)


Thanks to Heather H., Heather D., Liz M., and Kelsey E., for today's round of bullet points.Now, let us rejoin the mind to the body and meditate upon this wisdom.

And maybe sing a little.

Nyaa nyaa!

*****

And because I believe we should all celebrate our accomplishments:

I Got Out Of Bed Today Tee

More colors and styles at the link!

*****

And from my other blog, Epbot:

sholio: (B5-station)
[personal profile] sholio
I haven't rewatched more B5, but I was watching various early episodes earlier this week for vid clipping purposes, and I'm still thinking about that.

Full series spoilers, mostly Londo related )

Detective Comics #656

Jun. 3rd, 2025 02:33 pm
iamrman: (Buggy)
[personal profile] iamrman posting in [community profile] scans_daily

Writer: Chuck Dixon

Pencils: Tom Mandrake

Inks: Scott Hanna


Knightfall prelude.

The General and his gang lay siege to the police precinct. (Thankfully, it’s not the one where Commissioner Gordon works so nobody we actually care about will get hurt.)


Read more... )

2509 / Fic - The Old Guard

Jun. 3rd, 2025 08:25 am
siria: Joe and Nicky touching. (old guard - boys)
[personal profile] siria
One Boyfriend, Free with Purchase
The Old Guard | Joe/Nicky | ~1400 words | For [personal profile] sheafrotherdon.

(Also on AO3)

Nicky goes out in search of a new mattress, and gets more than he bargained for. )

Amazing Spider-Man #97

Jun. 3rd, 2025 12:41 pm
iamrman: (Bon Clay)
[personal profile] iamrman posting in [community profile] scans_daily

Writer: Stan Lee

Pencils: Gil Kane

Inks: Frank Giacoia


The Harry Osborn overdose issue.


Read more... )

Uncanny X-Men #215 and 216

Jun. 3rd, 2025 10:41 am
iamrman: (Chopper)
[personal profile] iamrman posting in [community profile] scans_daily

I am concentrating on the X-Men who travel to Muir Island because their subplot is important to an upcoming issue with the Juggernaut. I could care less about Storm and Wolverine being hunted by elderly vigilantes.


Read more... )

Episode 2630: Mad Wax: Fury Mode

Jun. 3rd, 2025 09:11 am
[syndicated profile] darths_and_droids_feed

Episode 2630: Mad Wax: Fury Mode

Getting people unexpectedly onto a race track is a great device for mayhem and clever tricks. Refer to the ice demolition derby chase scene in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. (If you haven't seen it, it's as much fun as it sounds.)

aurilee writes:

Commentary by memnarch (who has not seen the movie)

There we go, the sand people are being pushed back to a life of crime by one of Jim's characters. All is back to normal with the comic's game universe. I wonder if this could have been avoided if anyone had made Poe listen to BB's suggestion of just asking politely.

.... Nah, the GM would probably just have had them blame the group for attracting the PIE fighters and parts of the village getting destroyed because of that.

Speaking of, where'd the PIE fighters go? I guess having "treadspeeders" chase is closer to Episode VI, but it's just silly to have the air fighters disappear beforehand. They could have at least been shot down first by Chewie and his super-crossbow or been shot at from elsewhere as a distraction. Ah well, I can hope that comes later after these treadspeeders get plastered into the sand.

"Not looking where you're going" penalty? Does that mean we should expect to see one or more speeders get scrapped by boulders in the next comic? I certainly am now!

Transcript

Mod Post - Off-Topic Tuesday

Jun. 3rd, 2025 09:26 am
icon_uk: Mod Squad icon (Mod Squad)
[personal profile] icon_uk posting in [community profile] scans_daily
In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.

As I'm supposed to be in a training course at the moment, with a soothing yet informative voice on Teams lulling me as much as it is educating me, so I shall try to be short and snappy here.

Which is perhaps more than can be said for this weeks season finale of Doctor Who which was... cramming a LOT of things into even an extended runtime. A lot of rot13 here, so sorry about that

Nsgre nyy gung ohvyq hc naq gur pbzcyrk cyna, gur Enav vf zber be yrff jnfgrq nf n punenpgre, gubhtu Bzrtn vf rira ZBER jnfgrq (Frevbhfyl, jr qvq abg arrq gur PTV fxryrgba guvat qvq jr? Whfg tvir hf gur thl va gur eborf naq snapl uryzrg vs lbh'er tbvat gb guebj uvz njnl yvxr gung. V xabj Zef Sybbq tbg njnl fb gur Enav vf fgvyy bhg gurer, ohg jvgu ab qvferfcrpg gb Navgn Qbofba jub vf n svar npgerff, fur'f abg Nepuvr Chawnov.

Ybiryl, vs enaqbz, gb frr Guvegrra fubj hc, ohg n funzr jr'er ybfvat Aphgv fb fbba, nsgre oneryl zber rcvfbqrf guna Puevfgbcure Rppyrfgba tbg nf ur frrzrq gb or trggvat zber pbzsbegnoyr jvgu gur ebyr naq gur jevgvat jnf vzcebivat... jryy, zbfgyl.

Naq nf sbe gur arj Qbpgbe? V unir zl fhfcvpvbaf nobhg ubj ynfgvat gung vf fhccbfrq gb or (Gur perqvgf orvat gur ovt pyhr).

New episodes of Phineas and Ferb start this week!

It is Pride Month, which we shall make a separate post about shortly as this year, perhaps more than most recent years, needs to be emphasised.

Though (and I admit itt rainbow capitalism) I will mention that this years Disney's Pride Month Droid is C1-RN8W, a black variation of Chopper from Rebels, with rainbow accents which, given Chopper's general disposition, seems to make "Be gay, do crimes! the subtext here.

stuff

Jun. 3rd, 2025 01:48 pm
tielan: ant in a line diverges because: bookstore (books - shiny)
[personal profile] tielan
Remember the days in ye aulde fandom when someone would just stop talking to you and you never worked out why?

Ghosting, before it became common.

--

Just put in my expense requests for the start of May.

--

Hockey training has been cancelled because we don't have a coach, and we don't have a game on Sunday (long weekend in Australia: the King's birthday). I'm trying to get people over to the local club for dinner and drinks but...it's always a bit tricksy. Just me and a couple of other women, I think.
sovay: (Sovay: David Owen)
[personal profile] sovay
All praise to the makers of Bar Keepers Friend, which enabled me and [personal profile] rushthatspeaks to de-blue the shower tonight after he had re-dyed his hair. It took us four tries to find a restaurant that wasn't dark Mondays, but eventually El Vaquero came through with, in my case, a spectacularly stuffed burrito de lengua which did its best to be bigger than my head. I am not at the top of my health and feeling more than a little disintegrated about current events. Have a picture from a window of MIT.

full_metal_ox: Escher’s “Print Gallery” as a rotating TV image. (TV)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] fancake
Fandom: “Dark Lady” (Cher song), Barbie
Pairings/Characters: F/M; F vs. F; Narrator/Narrator’s Partner, Narrator & Madame Fifi (with Madame Fifi/Narrator UST?), Madame Fifi/Narrator’s Partner
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: 3:24
Content Notes: Major Character Death, anti-Romani stereotyping (including the bad word), (toy) Clothing Porn, corny boomer music, dominance-jockeying, infidelity, hootchy-kootch dancing, love triangle, murder, occultism, psychic malpractice, (toy) Scenery Porn, please tell us the cat survived?
Creator Tags: cher, darklady, barbiestopmotion, stopmotion, animation, megotoys, barbie

Creator Links: (YouTube): [youtube.com profile] 74renren; (Instagram): [instagram.com profile] Warrencito

Theme: Female Relationships, Fanvid, Old Fandoms, Non-AO3 Works, Unconventional Format & Style

Summary: A stop motion tribute to the Cher hit “Dark Lady” done with vintage Barbie and Cher dolls with other special guests.



Reccer's Notes: The list of Content Notes should suffice to explain why this song was embraced by a particular sort of overwrought 70’s kid (1); Wright reimagines the cartoon music video that aired on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.

(1) Me, for example. Disclaimer: the song has become a guilty pleasure in retrospect not because of its melodramatic nature, but because of the realization that Romani probably caught a lot of grief over it.)


Fanwork Links: Dark Lady by Cher Dollmation, by Warren Wright.

Catburglar of the Constellations

Jun. 2nd, 2025 10:55 pm
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
[personal profile] marycatelli posting in [community profile] books
Catburglar of the Constellations by John C. Wright

Starquest book 3. Spoilers for the earlier books ahead.

Read more... )

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