Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak
Mar. 22nd, 2026 08:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicoll
One determined man struggles to save humanity from the mutant scheme to avert doomsday.
Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak
james_davis_nicollOne determined man struggles to save humanity from the mutant scheme to avert doomsday.
Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak
"Dum superbit impius" [music, pols]
Mar. 22nd, 2026 12:31 amsiderea[requires both audio and video]
Jonasquin on YT (previously) has written a wholly original motet in the 16th century style after Desprez upon the cantus firmus "Seven Nations Army", for the words of Psalm 10, verses 2, 3, 7-11.
Comment would be superfluous.
2026 Mar 20: Jonasquin YT: "A 16th century motet for the US President"
Click through to the video on YT to see the translation in the description.
Jonasquin on YT (previously) has written a wholly original motet in the 16th century style after Desprez upon the cantus firmus "Seven Nations Army", for the words of Psalm 10, verses 2, 3, 7-11.
Comment would be superfluous.
2026 Mar 20: Jonasquin YT: "A 16th century motet for the US President"
Click through to the video on YT to see the translation in the description.
"The People You Meet Along The Way." (The Parent Trap - 1998) G
Mar. 21st, 2026 09:27 pmlannamichaelsTitle: The People You Meet Along The Way.
Author:
lannamichaelsFandom: The Parent Trap (1998)
Rating: G
Archives: Archive Of Our Own, SquidgeWorld
Summary: Twelve years later, they meet at an airport.
( Meredith is so fun to write )
10trueloves: loss
Mar. 21st, 2026 06:32 pmsenmutAO3 Link | Distraction from Grief (200 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Birds of Prey
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sandra Wu-San, Dinah Lance
Additional Tags: Double Drabble, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis, [Birds of Prey Vol. 1 - 1999-2009]
Summary:
Move. Evaluate. Decide. Commit.
Shiva was making her work through her grief for Sensei in the way that mattered, now that they had foiled Cheshire's plan. Both of them excelled in the Arts, but the difference was being felt in every muscle, joint, and tendon as Dinah worked through the spar.
Shiva was a master, effortless in blending her many forms to always meet any rally that Dinah made, preventing Dinah from winning. Yet, Dinah also recognized that Shiva was having to rely on that blending to keep the upper hand.
In a formal, single style spar, Dinah and Shiva would likely be evenly matched.
Like this?
Dinah had to smile, a genuine one, to be pushed so far, so hard, so long.
Was that what Shiva had been waiting for? As the next move saw Dinah on the mats and Shiva pinning her, full length, hand in knife-strike pose at her throat.
"You choose life, not dwelling on death," Shiva purred, and damned if that didn't make Dinah remember other aspects of living that were worthwhile.
"Care to live a little with me, grab a hot soak, some good food?"
"Sensualist."
And yet, they moved together in that plan.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Birds of Prey
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Sandra Wu-San, Dinah Lance
Additional Tags: Double Drabble, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis, [Birds of Prey Vol. 1 - 1999-2009]
Summary:
Shiva pushes, so Dinah can put it behind.
Distraction from Grief
Move. Evaluate. Decide. Commit.
Shiva was making her work through her grief for Sensei in the way that mattered, now that they had foiled Cheshire's plan. Both of them excelled in the Arts, but the difference was being felt in every muscle, joint, and tendon as Dinah worked through the spar.
Shiva was a master, effortless in blending her many forms to always meet any rally that Dinah made, preventing Dinah from winning. Yet, Dinah also recognized that Shiva was having to rely on that blending to keep the upper hand.
In a formal, single style spar, Dinah and Shiva would likely be evenly matched.
Like this?
Dinah had to smile, a genuine one, to be pushed so far, so hard, so long.
Was that what Shiva had been waiting for? As the next move saw Dinah on the mats and Shiva pinning her, full length, hand in knife-strike pose at her throat.
"You choose life, not dwelling on death," Shiva purred, and damned if that didn't make Dinah remember other aspects of living that were worthwhile.
"Care to live a little with me, grab a hot soak, some good food?"
"Sensualist."
And yet, they moved together in that plan.
happy equinox, etc
Mar. 21st, 2026 10:12 pmkaberettToday was A Travel Day; yesterday, in preparation for same, I Ran Errands, including "acquiring Tiny Cake" and "visiting the pharmacy".
On the way from those two jobs to the next couple, I passed Several Good Things.
One was a new-to-me flavour of completely ridiculous daffodil:
It's a double not in the sense of having a confusing froth of intermingled trumpets (as of Double Fashion or Double Camparnelle, both of which exist locally), but in the sense of having two nested trumpets, one shorter and orange, from which the longer white one protrudes. I have never! previously! seen a thing like this! I am really enjoying my current streak of encountering varieties of daffodil that make me go "what the fuck???"
Shortly thereafter I checked over my shoulder while crossing a tiny bridge and was startled and delighted to see A COOT UPON THE NEST that, last I passed it, was clearly still derelict. Obviously I went back and Gazed Upon It for Some Time and was eventually rewarded by it STANDING UP to reveal SEVEN??? (possibly) EGGS!!!
And the Egyptian goslings were peeping about the place when I subsequently passed them on my way back up the hill. A+ errands would run again.
World Poetry Day again, apparently
Mar. 21st, 2026 04:44 pmoursinAnd I don't think I've had Edna before??
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.
We were very tired, we were very merry,
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed, “Good morrow, mother!” to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, “God bless you!” for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares.
Books Received, March 14 — March 20
Mar. 21st, 2026 08:56 amjames_davis_nicoll
13 books new to me, and save for one mystery, all fantasy. Man, fantasy is just eating SF's lunch. Not that that will be reflected in what I actually review.
Books Received, March 14 — March 20
Poll #34393 Books Received, March 14 — March 20
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 33
Which of these look interesting?
View Answers
The Siren by Tomi Adeyemi (October 2026)
6 (18.2%)
Twined Fates: Tangled Hearts, Book Three by K. Bromberg (October 2026)
0 (0.0%)
Light of the Song by Joyce Ch’Ng (September 2025)
8 (24.2%)
The First Flame by Lily Berlin Dodd (November 2026)
1 (3.0%)
A Destiny So Cruel by Amanda Foody & C. L. Herman (November 2026)
1 (3.0%)
Find Me Where It Ends by Cassandra Khaw (October 2026)
11 (33.3%)
Bad Company by Sara Paretsky (November 2026)
6 (18.2%)
The Kings’ List by Jade Presley (May 2026)
2 (6.1%)
My Unfamiliar by Mara Rutherford (December 2026)
6 (18.2%)
Ghosted by Talia Tucker (November 2026)
1 (3.0%)
The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki Vansickle (September 2026)
4 (12.1%)
The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo (October 2026)
11 (33.3%)
Chosen Son by Adrienne Young (November 2026)
1 (3.0%)
Some other option (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Cats!
26 (78.8%)
Varsity!
Mar. 21st, 2026 11:58 amrmc28This time a week ago I was on the ice with fellow Cambridge alumni for "Alumni game 1", kicking off Varsity. Photos (from one of my Warbirds teammates!) that actually make me look good are over at my hockey insta but here's my personal favourite, capturing a moment in motion:
After about an hour on the ice (2 periods running clock, 4 lines), I had a quick shower, and then spent the next ten or so hours mostly on my feet, doing music and announcements for my Huskies teammates, and scoresheet and in-game announcements for Women's Blues and Men's Blues. Final scores were:
- Alumni game 1: 1-1
- Alumni game 2: not sure, but we won
- Huskies: 3-8
- Women's Blues: 0-1
- Men's Blues: 5-1
The alumni games were a great vibe: we cared, but it wasn't that intense. A whole load of the women I played with in 2022-23 came back, and for me that was really joyful, plus I got to make some new friends. A couple of the older guys in game 1 had played with my old work colleague Brian Omotani back in the day. Although he didn't play, he was there to watch, and he made time to come and find me for a brief catchup later in the day.
The rest of the day though was a different gear. The Huskies game was especially tough to watch, and I felt every goal against my teammates. The Women's Blues game was incredible, the team worked so hard and it was probably the best I've seen them play. And the Men's Blues winning so decisively was delightful, especially as the first goal came from one of the two ex-Huskies (and they both got an assist each later). The whole day was incredibly intense. And then I took my kit home to hang it up, changed, met up with everyone at Mash, danced until the club closed, went to Maccies (and realised just how much my feet hurt) until that closed, and sat on a bench gossiping with two of my favourite people in the club while one of them finished his burger. Eventually we all cycled home. I didn't want the day to end, but I had things to do on Sunday.
That is, very nearly, the end of the season with just the Nationals weekends in Sheffield to go. We've finished the league games, we've had Varsity, we're shifting to "summer ice" open practices, and even had the very last "S&C" gym session on Thursday this week. Some people will graduate and leave soon, and I will miss them so much, but I am so grateful for this university season and the time I've had with these wonderful people.
Cat ...
Mar. 20th, 2026 10:10 pmazurelunatic... Make better choices.
Yellface went into Mila's room, hid under a table, beefed with Mila in some fashion, and was hauled ignominiously out.
As for me, my rescheduled retina appointment went fine. Some of the issues have cleared up. Prognosis very good. I had to transfer between power chair and clinic chair three times. As I told them on the final occasion: I have a bad knee and a worse knee. Trying CBD ointment in addition to Voltaren, on the advice of my now-former primary care. (And I know who my new primary care is going to be, yay.)
It's possible that my retina appointments this year are cursed. On the last attempt, my car was so low on battery that it died at an intersection and there was a whole drama with a guy who scared the whole block and tried to open my car door. This time we got there okay, but Belovedest suffered a flat tire while out withalexseanchai later in the day. This wrapped up with Thorn having to come rescue that Toaster with a wrench that actually fit the nuts. (Cue penis measuring jokes.)
Yellface went into Mila's room, hid under a table, beefed with Mila in some fashion, and was hauled ignominiously out.
As for me, my rescheduled retina appointment went fine. Some of the issues have cleared up. Prognosis very good. I had to transfer between power chair and clinic chair three times. As I told them on the final occasion: I have a bad knee and a worse knee. Trying CBD ointment in addition to Voltaren, on the advice of my now-former primary care. (And I know who my new primary care is going to be, yay.)
It's possible that my retina appointments this year are cursed. On the last attempt, my car was so low on battery that it died at an intersection and there was a whole drama with a guy who scared the whole block and tried to open my car door. This time we got there okay, but Belovedest suffered a flat tire while out with
alexseanchai later in the day. This wrapped up with Thorn having to come rescue that Toaster with a wrench that actually fit the nuts. (Cue penis measuring jokes.)(no subject)
Mar. 20th, 2026 08:52 pmursamajorI spent half an hour of my one wild and precious life filling out the Serious Eats Starch Madness bracket, because the world is going to hell so why not. (I will take the tiny light that California will be renaming Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day, and still observing it as a state holiday. Better to honor farmworkers as a class rather than continue the grand American tradition of hero-worshipping fallible individuals and then being shocked that "good people" can do "bad things" because we refuse to understand nuance, let alone act intelligently upon it. But goddammit that's one hell of a missing stair.)
( in which I get highly opinionated about baked goods, join me! 😁 )
Okay, I guess I should go figure out dinner that doesn't involve a stove because it got to 90F today, like 25-30F above normal. Rude. And yes, I started with ice cream. But I may need something a little more substantial.
( in which I get highly opinionated about baked goods, join me! 😁 )
Okay, I guess I should go figure out dinner that doesn't involve a stove because it got to 90F today, like 25-30F above normal. Rude. And yes, I started with ice cream. But I may need something a little more substantial.
The cost of literacy [medieval hist]
Mar. 20th, 2026 10:33 pmsidereaI knew that other contemporaneous cultures than those of Europe had unfathomably higher numbers of books than Europeans did, but I didn't know about this in retrospect obvious reason why:
2026 Mar 19: Dwarkesh Patel feat. Ada Palmer [DwarkeshPatel YT]: "Why Medieval Books Cost as Much as a House" (1 min, 7 sec):
2026 Mar 19: Dwarkesh Patel feat. Ada Palmer [DwarkeshPatel YT]: "Why Medieval Books Cost as Much as a House" (1 min, 7 sec):
Without papyrus, what you're writing on is a dead sheep. And if you think of the price of a head of lettuce and the price of a leather jacket, you're understanding the difference between a sheet of papyrus and writing on a dead sheep. So every page of a medieval book is as expensive as that much of a leather jacket. And a medieval book hand written costs as much as a house.* Three hundred thousand. It's been thirteen years and I am still not remotely over that fact. Every time I encounter it anew, my SCA persona gets acrophobic trying to imagine a library that big and has to sit down and put her head between her knees so she doesn't pass out.
And so to have a library is to be not just rich but mega rich. So only the wealthiest cities contain anybody who has a library. The great library of the University of Paris, the library from Europe's perspective, has 600 books.
There's definitely more than 600 books in this room. Every kiosk at an airport selling Dan Brown novels has more than 600 books. This is nothing.
And at the same time as that, in the Middle East, sultans have libraries of over a thousand books or 5,000 books. There are libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa with thousands of books.* There are libraries in China with thousands of books. Because they in China have cheap paper and rice paper. The Middle East has papyrus.
Europe, and only Europe, is writing on a leather jacket.
Massachusetts not the next? [Ω, MA/US]
Mar. 20th, 2026 09:34 pmsidereaThe previously expected ICE enforcement surge never materialized. Curious.
I wonder if this just means they're short-staffed. Or perhaps distracted.
(I also wonder if somebody made a judgment call not to try what they did in MN in MA, but have largely rejected the notion. It would not be to anybody's advantage if they did, on either side, but I'm not seeing a lot of good judgment in evidence anywhere.)
I wonder if this just means they're short-staffed. Or perhaps distracted.
(I also wonder if somebody made a judgment call not to try what they did in MN in MA, but have largely rejected the notion. It would not be to anybody's advantage if they did, on either side, but I'm not seeing a lot of good judgment in evidence anywhere.)
The Friday Five
Mar. 20th, 2026 09:09 pmnanilaThe preceding two weeks of Friday Five questions didn't pique my interest, but this week's are great. Love a bit of meta-blogging. Thank you for the opportunity to navel-gaze.
- What was the reason you began a Dreamwidth or LiveJournal account (or both)?
I started off on LJ in 2001 because everyone was doing it. I created an account and then let it sit for a couple of weeks while I figured out what it was for. I think it was victorine who prodded me into posting regularly and then I just…never stopped. - How many DW or LJ communities do you subscribe to?
A few dozen in total. Most of them are dead, the LJ communities in particular. The only one I participate in regularly is DW community![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
awesomeers, because I'm one of the two people who puts up the daily “Just One Thing” posts. I find it easier to write a short comment about my day there than to write up a full post, especially during the work week. - Do you have a favorite community or one you check out often to see what's new?
See above. I also enjoythefridayfive, and I like reading threeforthememories during its annual spate of activity. - How did you pick your user name?
My current username is a play on my actual name. My original LJ name was “lilith” as that's the pseudonym I first adopted when I started interacting with online communities back in the 90s. Eventually I felt I'd outgrown it, and I've been nanila ever since. - If you could change your user name, would you?
That would genuinely be a big decision after more than 15 years of using this one, in a lot more places than DW and LJ. I'd have to do substantive additional navel-gazing to work out what it would be.
(no subject)
Mar. 20th, 2026 09:43 pmmarinaHave things gotten better? They have not.
( the good and the bad )
*
Somehow, in the middle of this madness,roga and I have managed to take a trip. We were originally supposed to go on an organized trip that got canceled because missiles, but we already had a day off from work and we ended up booking a hotel by the sea for 1 night.
The hotel is in a region that gets far fewer missiles (less of a strategic target), and though I can't say I got much sleep on this trip it was still amazing to just... not be in my house? Not have to do endless dishes and laundry? Just wake up by the sea and have breakfast by the sea.
We drove 10 mins to a nearby picturesque town and went around the few shops that were open (making sure we know where the nearest bomb shelter is at all times of course). We went to a little museum by the hotel that randomly had a bunch of military equipment Napoleon dumped into the sea after the failed siege of Acre.
I posted some photos on Bluesky.
It was just 1 day off work, and just 1 night away, and almost the entire time it was raining and cold. We were woken up by a missile alert (the kind that SCREAMS at you from your phone using those natural disaster overrides, but only means there COULD be a missile headed your way, not to be confused with a siren) at 2am, and when roga didn't answer a text or a call I put on my warmest coat and boots and ran over to knock on her door, just to make sure she was awake if there WAS a srein and we suddenly needed to run to the hotel bomb shelter in less than 90 seconds.
I was on my period and taking painkillers basically the whole time.
And still it was so nice to do that. It helped so much. Just one small breath of fresh air.
( the good and the bad )
*
Somehow, in the middle of this madness,
roga and I have managed to take a trip. We were originally supposed to go on an organized trip that got canceled because missiles, but we already had a day off from work and we ended up booking a hotel by the sea for 1 night.The hotel is in a region that gets far fewer missiles (less of a strategic target), and though I can't say I got much sleep on this trip it was still amazing to just... not be in my house? Not have to do endless dishes and laundry? Just wake up by the sea and have breakfast by the sea.
We drove 10 mins to a nearby picturesque town and went around the few shops that were open (making sure we know where the nearest bomb shelter is at all times of course). We went to a little museum by the hotel that randomly had a bunch of military equipment Napoleon dumped into the sea after the failed siege of Acre.
I posted some photos on Bluesky.
It was just 1 day off work, and just 1 night away, and almost the entire time it was raining and cold. We were woken up by a missile alert (the kind that SCREAMS at you from your phone using those natural disaster overrides, but only means there COULD be a missile headed your way, not to be confused with a siren) at 2am, and when roga didn't answer a text or a call I put on my warmest coat and boots and ran over to knock on her door, just to make sure she was awake if there WAS a srein and we suddenly needed to run to the hotel bomb shelter in less than 90 seconds.
I was on my period and taking painkillers basically the whole time.
And still it was so nice to do that. It helped so much. Just one small breath of fresh air.
weekend stream plans
Mar. 20th, 2026 03:11 pmalthea_valaraOkay folks! I'm still catching up on sleep and am otherwise not up to doing anything strenuous, but I *would* like to stream this weekend to get back into it as it's been a few weeks!
Therefore, tonight's Final Fantasy XI will be a "Chill & Chat" stream! I plan to just grind levels on one of my non-main jobs tonight. What job? WELL, THAT'S UP TO YOU!
Feel free to vote on the poll even if you don't intend to watch the stream. Wanna watch? I'm at https://twitch.tv/altheavalara
You can read about the different jobs here: https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Category:Jobs
Tomorrow, I also plan to take it easy. We'll be doing the latest Hildibrand, then clearing out more open quests from my journal. I also might just keep an eye on the discords and hop around to FATEs or hunt trains. Whatever looks interesting and chill.
Start time is 7:30pm for both streams -- or later. Lately, we haven't even started dinner until 6:50pm (much to my displeasure, but can't be helped). I'm also not sure how long I'll stream, but I figure it will be at least 60-90 minutes?
Final Fantasy XI stream! (tonight)
Therefore, tonight's Final Fantasy XI will be a "Chill & Chat" stream! I plan to just grind levels on one of my non-main jobs tonight. What job? WELL, THAT'S UP TO YOU!
Feel free to vote on the poll even if you don't intend to watch the stream. Wanna watch? I'm at https://twitch.tv/altheavalara
Poll #34390 FFXI Job to Level?
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 0
What Job Should I Level in FFXI?
View Answers
Warrior (Currently level 1)
0 (0.0%)
Red Mage (Currently level 55)
0 (0.0%)
Ninja (Currently level 37)
0 (0.0%)
Dancer (Currently level 40)
0 (0.0%)
Monk (Currently level 1)
0 (0.0%)
Black Mage (Currently level 50)
0 (0.0%)
Thief (Currently level 53)
0 (0.0%)
Scholar (Currently level 52)
0 (0.0%)
What other job(s) should I unlock tonight?
View Answers
Paladin
0 (0.0%)
Dark Knight
0 (0.0%)
Beastmaster
0 (0.0%)
Bard
0 (0.0%)
Ranger
0 (0.0%)
Samurai
0 (0.0%)
Dragoon
0 (0.0%)
Blue Mage
0 (0.0%)
Corsair
0 (0.0%)
Puppetmaster
0 (0.0%)
You can read about the different jobs here: https://www.bg-wiki.com/ffxi/Category:Jobs
Final Fantasy XIV Stream! (tomorrow)
Tomorrow, I also plan to take it easy. We'll be doing the latest Hildibrand, then clearing out more open quests from my journal. I also might just keep an eye on the discords and hop around to FATEs or hunt trains. Whatever looks interesting and chill.
Start time is 7:30pm for both streams -- or later. Lately, we haven't even started dinner until 6:50pm (much to my displeasure, but can't be helped). I'm also not sure how long I'll stream, but I figure it will be at least 60-90 minutes?
The spring is sprung, the grass is riz
Mar. 20th, 2026 07:49 pmoursinAnd the boidies around here in the past week have included the heron in the eco-pond being very up for a closeup, Mr de Mille, parakeets, and several magpie courting couples.
There have been a fair amount of flowers blooming in the spring, trala, for some weeks now, the daffs have been a particular feature, calling Mr Wordsworth, and today there was a massive show of narcissi along one edge of the playing field.
Among the less flamboyant flowers, the Wildflower Corner included grape hyacinths, and dandelions.
The trees along the street are busting out in leaves and blossom.
We also note that toxic nitrogen dioxide pollution in London has fallen to air quality standards in under ten years (rather than the projected nearly 200).