Monday, April 20th, 2026 10:58 am
Consisting of four different novels covering the "Year of the Four Emperors"; I had heard good things about these books, and reading Flavius Josephus with [personal profile] cahn finally made me check them out. These four novels cover the "Year of the Four Emperors", aka the time between the uprising against Nero and his suicide and the emergence of Vespasian as the final victor of a year long struggle for the rule of the Roman Empire during which three different candidates before Vespasian all rose and fell. These novels' most inspired narrative decision was to tell these events from the pov of the palace staff, slaves and freedmen (and -women) alike, so we have an ongoing set of characters, partly historical in origin, partly fictional, through whose eyes we see wannabe Emperors come and go.

The individual novels are: "Palatine" (Nero dies mid book already, because the rise and fall providing the red thread of the novel isn't his but of one of the two Praetorian Prefects, Nymphidius Sabinus, who is instrumental in Nero's downfall but then gets ideas before the agreed upon successor, Galba, even has arrived in Rome), "Galba's Men" (Galba finally shows up in Rome; it doesn't end well for him), "Otoh's Regret" (Otho finds out what being Emperor really means) and "Vitellius' Feast" (Vitellius manages to make Nero look good postumously). And while the Emperors on question do get narrative space - I think Otho gets the most, because he's already an important character in "Galba's Men" - , none of them is ever the main character - their rise and fall just provides the outward plot, while what the novels are really about is how this effects our main cast who occupies all variations between "just tries to survive this insanity"' and "is very ambitious themselves" , with "can't stand seeing things done incompetently" and "actually starts to believe it's important who is Emperor'" are featuring as motivations.

This bunch of main characters we follow through all the novels are: Epaphroditos (Nero's wily private secretary, freedman, started out as a boy slave in the Julian-Claudian household in the reign of Tiberius), Philo (Epaphroditos' assistant - "the private secretary's secretary" - , very competent and sweet natured, too sweet natured, in fact, for his own good), Artemina ("Mina", quick-tempered, starting out as a towel holder for Nero's Empress but determined to do very much more), Sporus (eunuch, Nero's favourite), Lysander (announcer) and Felix (head of slave placements and overseers), Teretia (daughter of Philo's landlady, in love with ihm) . There are others, female and male alike, who don't make it through all four novels or are introduced not in the first one but later, like Caenis, a freedwoman of the Imperial Household (and thus everyone's old acquaintance) showing up in "Otho's Regret" with very much an agenda of her own (and I have to say this is my favourite fictional depiction of Caenis yet, including Lindsay Davis' novel about her, which alas I felt was a bit of a let down mid novel onwards), or the moody teenager who is the younger son of Caenis' lover, one Domitian. ([personal profile] gelliaclodiana, you were looking for a depiction of Domitian where he's not a (present or future) psycho; this is it. He has teenage angst, but is clearly bright, and the sympathetic characters of the novel like him.) There are also those who for entirely non lethal reasons are just in one novel but noth another (not least because they wisely high tail it out of Rome when their survival demands it, like Nero's mistress of the wardrobe - and orgy choreographer - Calvia Crispinilla). As I said, some of these are actual historical figures (like Epaphroditos, Sporus or Caenis), others are fictional, but all of them have had the experience of powerlessness in the past even if they don't in the present, and that means the emotional stakes are there in a way they probably wouldn't be if we were just following the Emperors. For example: there are plenty of good reasons to depose Nero, of course. You don't fret for Nero himself. But then you realise the Praetorians taking the palace also means they're going to feel themselves entitled to have a go (i.e. rape) at Nero's slaves, and suddenly you care very much. Or: there is a famous incident involving the crowd when Galba arrives at the Milvian bridge. But Teretia and her father are within the crowd who has shown up to greet their new Emperor, which means said incident now feels incredibly personal. and so forth.

There is a lot of black humour in these books, and yet - or perhaps even because of that - the actual tragedies hit very hard. (I was reminded of the tv adaption of I, Claudius in this regard.) And for 99% of the characters three dimensional characterisations. (Including the Emperors. The only one who is just 100% awful is Vitellius.) The narrative premise that the palace staff is the one who actually keeps the Empire going irrespective of who happens to be Emperor also reminds me of British tv, though in this case Yes, Minister, but of course there is no slavery in 20th century Britain. And since most of the main cast are either former slaves or currently slaves, I was curious ahead of reading the books of how the author would treat the subject. For starters: not via the Spartacus approach (i.e. focusing on slaves fighting for their freedom). None of the characters think slavery per se is wrong; the freedmen (and -women) have slaves themselves. (This is historically accurate but quite often doesn't make it into fictional depictions.) There is also, early on, a lot of emotional identification with their masters' causes. At the same time, the narrative, I think, succeeds in making it clear that being a slave, even if your owner is the "considerate" type actually bothering to use your name instead of "boy" or "girl" , is to be in constant non stop danger of life and limb, simply because there is no legal protection whatsoever, and even if your current owner doesn't see themselves as entitled to have sex with you or beat you, the next one might, and/or any misfortune they suffer could lead to your own (painful) death. For all the banter and black humor, this undercurrent is there.

(I also thought the relationships between classes and free/unfree worked for me. For example, Epaphroditos and Nero. )

Nitpicks: the first two novels feature one of my pet peeves, to wit, characters using the expression "okay", even in initialized form (i.e. "ok"). I'm not a linguistic purist when it comes to historical novels, but that's one of the exceptions. So I was really glad novels 3 and 4 no longer had this.

Trigger warnings: did I mention the main characters are either former or present slaves in a society where the idea of consent for anyone not a freeborn Roman man is non existent? I will say that explicit scenes in the sense that we get detailed descriptions are rare, not because they don't happen but because the author usually works via implication and/or showing the aftermath.

State of the history: While Suetonius and Tacitus are clearly the main sources here, I would say the novels take the current state of historical research into account. I.e. Nero may be loathed by the Senate and increasingly by the higher ranking military, but he's wildly popular with the masses (and not responsible for the Great Fire of Rome), Domitian does not spend his spare time as a moody teen killing flies to signal the future. The big twist of Otho's life - which is spoilery ) is build up to through two novels. I wll say that in addition to the above mentioned "OK" in the first two novels, I am thrown by some of the very Anglophone shortening of names (hence Mina, or Alex for Alexander), but the slave names themselves, where invented, strike me as plausible (mostly Greek, which is what the Romans liked to do), and the various celebrations of Roman festivals, not just the well known ones like the Saturnalia, to mark the year are a good way to get some exposition about Roman every day life across. Notably NOT catering for what's popular is the fact that is no gladiator among either the main or the supporting cast. I found that ever so refreshing.

In conclusion: an enjoyable series of novels set during a truly outrageously bizarre year of Roman history.
Monday, April 20th, 2026 11:38 am
Fandoms: Alias, Bed Friend, Derry Girls, Free!, Good Trouble, Heated Rivalry, Merlin, One Piece, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, The Last of Us, XO, Kitty

xokitty-2x01a.png merlin-9rotate.png heatedrivalry-lgbt7.png
the rest are HERE[community profile] mundodefieras 
Monday, April 20th, 2026 09:39 am
Happy birthday, [personal profile] forthwritten!
Monday, April 20th, 2026 08:00 am

Posted by Nancy Man

The character Anna Stern (played by Samaire Armstrong) from the TV series "The O.C." (2003-2007)
Samaire Armstrong (as Anna Stern)

The curious name Samaire appeared in the U.S. baby name data for three consecutive years in the early 2000s:

  • 2008: unlisted
  • 2007: 8 baby girls named Samaire
  • 2006: 8 baby girls named Samaire
  • 2005: 6 baby girls named Samaire [debut]
  • 2004: unlisted

What put it there?

American actress Samaire (pronounced sah-mee-rah) Armstrong, who could be seen on several different television shows (The O.C., Entourage, Dirty Sexy Money) around that time.

Here’s what she told the Chicago Sun-Times about her name in 2006:

My first name is Gaelic and means “dawning sun.” […] My dad read Conan the Barbarian when my mom was pregnant with me. That’s where he got my name.

I could not find her name in a Conan book, but I did spot it in a series of similar sword-and-sorcery books by Andrew J. Offutt. In one of these books, The Mists of Doom, the author claims that the name means “daybreak” in Irish.

(Of the several Irish Gaelic words for “daybreak,” the one that comes closest to Samaire is camhaoir.)

What are your thoughts on the name Samaire?

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of The O.C.

Monday, April 20th, 2026 10:26 am


How it works:
We're going to vote for two genres, based on the new voting selections. The two options with the most votes will be the choices for May. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the mods or comment in our suggestion
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You are voting for TWO genres. Please tick TWO boxes only.

Poll #34499 May Voting Poll
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 3


Vote for TWO options

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thriller: mystery, crime, suspense, police procedurals
2 (66.7%)

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1 (33.3%)

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nonfiction
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Female author
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Monday, April 20th, 2026 12:53 am
These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Nature
Fossils
Read "Carcinization"
Birdfeeding
Poem: "Food Is Everything We Are"
Nature
Moment of Silence: Sid Krofft
Today's Adventures
Water
Science
Birdfeeding
Creative Jam
Philosophical Questions: Free Speech
Birdfeeding
Follow Friday 4-17-26: Merlin
Poem: "Walnut Park"
Quantum Physics
Birdfeeding
Community Thursdays
Survival Skills
Art
Climate Change
Birdfeeding
Good News

Poem: "Walnut Park" has 29 comments. Early Humans has 22 comments. Philosophical Questions: Pregnancy has 66 comments. Safety has 77 comments.


The weather has been cooler here. There's a frost warning tonight. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, a pair of cardinals, a brown-headed cowbird, a male goldfinch, and a fox squirrel. Red-winged blackbirds have been singing overhead. I heard a bluejay screaming but didn't see it. Currently blooming: daffodils, violets, tulips, anemone, Solomon's seal, pansies, violas, sweet alyssum, bleeding heart, chokecherries, alliums, lilies of the valley. Flower buds: peonies. Green fruit: mulberries. I have a bunch more flowers to plant too.
Monday, April 20th, 2026 02:55 am
It was very nice to be told by the ophthalmologist this afternoon that I do not need surgery on my eye. I had been given some reason for concern. It was aggravating to be told that I should persist in spending hours of my time with a warm sheep, i.e. the cereal-filled microwaveable hot pack that lives in our freezer applied to my face, but at least it's working.

I read like a medical diary. Yesterday had social interludes in the form of [personal profile] rushthatspeaks and [personal profile] selkie and [personal profile] genarti who dropped unexpectedly by with a lifetime supply of bagels and other heymishe staples from Mamaleh's. I paused Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (宮本武蔵 完結篇 決闘巌流島, 1956) in order to show [personal profile] spatch that Kōji Tsuruta lived up to his character's billing of looking more like an actor than a swordsman, which had sounded self-referential until he stepped onscreen as if exactly out of an ukiyo-e print. This evening I felt so set on fire that I curled up in bed for an hour and Hestia snuggled herself under the covers and pushed her head kitten-fashion against my knee. I made myself a sesame bagel with chopped liver and watched another of the Warners B-pictures written by Raymond L. Schrock that TCM has been running to more than fast-cheap effect so long as they do not contain Ronald Reagan. I feel as though I measure my time by what I can do in between managing my health.

I cannot manage the state of the world and it remains exhausting. Nearly a decade of my life seems to have folded itself like a tesseract of the Echthroi and it is hard at the moment not to feel that all that happened in the interval is that people died.
Monday, April 20th, 2026 02:32 am
[community profile] goreswap is a multifandom exchange for fic and art, featuring gore. Assignments must be at least 500 words or a sketch on unlined paper, and contain significant gore content.

Rules | AO3 Collection

Current Pinch Hit Post

For details or to claim, see the pinch hit post above. These assignments are due April 23 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Pinch Hit #3: Art, Fic - 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018), 镇魂 | Guardian - priest

Pinch Hit #5: Fic - Night Prince - Jeaniene Frost, グノーシア | Gnosia (Visual Novel), Dracula Rising (Cartoon)

Pinch Hit #13: Art, Fic - Stranger Things (TV 2016), 지금 우리 학교는 | All of Us Are Dead (TV), The Walking Dead (TV)

Pinch Hit #16: Art, Fic - NoPixel (Web Series), Runescape (Video Games), Iron Lung (2026), Video Blogging RPF, MiSide (Video Game), 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs

Pinch Hit #18: Fic - 炎の蜃気楼[ミラージュ] | Honoo no Mirage | Mirage of Blaze, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dexter (TV), Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (TV)
Sunday, April 19th, 2026 09:25 pm
1. Yesterday was Record Store Day (a day to support indie record shops where they have a lot of limited release albums for sale) and we went to Record Surplus when they opened at nine only to find that there was a huge line all the way down the block. The people working there were passing out order sheets so you could write down the things you were interested in (including backups if your top choices were sold out) and Carla filled hers out, but after waiting for about 45 minutes and seeing the line barely move, she decided to tap out and we just went home.

Today we went to see if they had anything left over that she wanted and found several albums on her wishlist, including one of her top most wanted. We probably could have gone back yesterday afternoon or evening to check again, too, as there were only a handful of people who joined the line after us, so after that initial rush you were probably able to just go in the store normally, but it worked out in the end.

2. Tonight Alex came over for her usual Sunday dinner and TV and we were able to give her all the souvenirs we'd collected for her, which turned out to be quite a lot as we'd just been picking up stuff here and there that we thought was something she'd like. We actually found several small items with Gaara from Naruto, her favorite character, just at random shops, when last year we'd had to really go deep into the anime shop areas to find anything Naruto. Maybe it's having a comeback?

3. We've decided to get back into bike riding and that we'd like to get ebikes. The area we live in has a lot of flat spaces, but then also some directions you can't go without a hill, often a steep and/or long one, and having the ebike to get back up the hill would be very helpful, especially for Carla, and (hopefully) make us more likely to actually get out and use the bikes.

I had hoped that there would be somewhere around here that buys used bikes, but there doesn't seem to be, so I'm cleaning the old bikes up to try and sell on Nextdoor or Craigslist or something. I don't think I'll get much for them now, but they cost enough that I'd rather not just put them out on the curb for free. I got mine dusted off and pumped up the tires and took it out for a couple mile ride today and it was so nice. I haven't really ridden my bike much since we got a car again and I wasn't using it for my daily work commute. I'm looking forward to more bike riding in my future, and I think I might even take the old one out a bit while waiting for a buyer.

4. Lately Gemma has been spending a lot of time with Chloe and Chloe has been very tolerant of her. We often see them together on Carla's bed, but the other day they were both out in the dining room by the window.

Monday, April 20th, 2026 01:00 am

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 20, 2026 is:

indoctrinate • \in-DAHK-truh-nayt\  • verb

To indoctrinate someone is to teach them to fully accept the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group while categorically rejecting other ideas, opinions, and beliefs.

// The video series attempts to indoctrinate younger audiences with ahistorical and unscientific ideas.

See the entry >

Examples:

"They worry about being 'cut off' from poetry, particularly by the jobs that they need to sustain their daily lives and that they fear may quietly indoctrinate them into a contrary value system." — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2026

Did you know?

Indoctrinate means "brainwash" in most contexts today, but its meaning wasn't always so negative. When the verb first appeared in English in the 17th century, it simply meant "to teach"—a meaning linked closely to its source, the Latin verb docēre, which also means "to teach." (Other offspring of docēre include docile, doctor, document, and, of course, doctrine). By the 19th century, indoctrinate was being used in the sense of teaching someone to fully accept only the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group.



Sunday, April 19th, 2026 11:07 pm
Thick, Sticky, Morass
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 5 of 5, complete
Word count (story only): 1452
[Morning of Thursday, 9 November of 2017]


:: The first update on Jasper’s condition puts Jules in the middle of an ethical conundrum, even though he has no influence on the situation. That’s another layer of complication. Part of the “Lodestar” arc, set in the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::


Back to part 4
:: Thanks for reading! ::




As Jules turned toward the security station, intending to leave the embassy for an early dinner, someone tapped him on the shoulder. A woman with wheat-blonde hair in a pixie cut beamed sunnily at him. “Hey, the Ambassador needs you to come join a pasture chat. She said it’s important.”

Jules nodded. “Lead on.”
Read more... )
Sunday, April 19th, 2026 09:57 pm
Spring is a perfect time to start a nature journal. I've been talking about it with some friends so I wanted to share some resources here. It doesn't have to be fancy. It can have text, art, photos, pressed leaves, whatever you want to include. There are different approaches; all of them are good. Grab a blank book with plain or lined pages as you prefer, something to write or draw with, and head out to your yard, garden, or a nearby park.

Read more... )
Sunday, April 19th, 2026 08:21 pm
Spring is a perfect time to start a nature journal. I've been talking about it with some friends so I wanted to share some resources here. It doesn't have to be fancy. It can have text, art, photos, pressed leaves, whatever you want to include. There are different approaches; all of them are good. Grab a blank book with plain or lined pages as you prefer, something to write or draw with, and head out to your yard, garden, or a nearby park.

Read more... )
Sunday, April 19th, 2026 09:39 pm
...when did I last post that I had to keep standing up to keep my muscles from stiffening so much I couldn't move, because that's how I feel right now. I fell asleep on the couch and couldn't remember what day it was, but did eventually remember that I'd meant to get some food and that would help, so I fed me and the dog and sat back down. With Daphne curled up in my lap or next to it, I usually wait for her to move first, and she just did, so I got up, and immediately I remembered whenever that was because wow, today was such a day.

Apparently it was last weekend? When I cut back the spirea and potted the cannas: that was only last weekend??

This is honestly one of the biggest reasons I'm posting more, because it's so great to have a journal of stuff I did and learned. It's here and gone so fast, and most of it is delightful (admittedly sometimes more so in the remembering, but that's a feature not a bug). It's so nice to be able to look back and go, oh yeah! I'd forgotten that and it was great, or, I remember that and it was worth it, or, I remember that and I just learned it again for the fifth time, ha ha.

(The other reason is that I did almost all of my posting in Chinese last year, and dreamwidth can't be searched in Chinese, which is not ideal. Tags work in Chinese, but they're not alphabetized (or stroke orderized, or organized by any logical system whatsoever as far as I can tell), so not only do I have to correctly guess what tag I might have used I also have to read my entire tag list to find it. This makes it very hard to find my garden notes on a particular plant or garden. I've been able to find basic stuff like what came up first and when, but what I started and how I cared for it, not so much. So this year I have two journals again. And it's great, because my English journal is much more readable. Half the time I have no idea what I was talking about in Chinese.)

Anyway, my point is twofold: one, I transplanted some blueberry bushes today, and also put some threadleaf coreopsis in with them (probably, idk, it's not really growing yet so I think it was coreopsis?) and now I'm very tired. Shoveling! So hard. And I've forgotten the second point, so.

Oh, it snowed while I was digging, so that was funny. (These are semi-established, dormant blueberry plants, not the sprigs I was potting last night, and the coreopsis overwintered in pots outside, so they should all be fine in the snow and the frost.) I guess I should go bring in the houseplants.

Genuinely do not remember what else I was going to say, but that's typical.

eta houseplant updates and the thing I forgot, which was a mug shaped like an orange )