LINKDING

<blockquote>Transcript of video interview of Dr. Jiang Yanli, textile historian at the California Institute for Magic and Cultivation.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“It’s a disaster,” said Ida Glickl, head in hands. “To leave St. Petersburg before we’ve even had a chance to recoup our costs --” “We’re leaving?” said Chava-Leah. “-- and Goldfaden will hear the news, of course, so he’ll turn back before he gets here, and no doubt will beat us back to Odessa with ‘Two Kuni-Lemls’ –” “But why are we leaving?” said Chava-Leah. “And when I think how we raced to get here before him, and how many shows we missed! We’ll make it all back in St. Petersburg, says Chaim! – oh, you haven’t heard?” Ida raised her head, shoving her luxurious hair back from her face. “The Tsar’s been killed. So the theaters have been closed, and they say there was a Jew involved, so of course the news for us will only get worse. You must start packing up the costumes, darling, as quick as you can – oh, and here I almost forgot what I came down here to tell you to begin with! There’s a new girl who’ll be coming with us when we leave St. Petersburg this evening, we’ll have her as Libenyu in Two Kuni-Lemls if we ever get a chance to perform it. I’ll send her down today so you can get her measurements before we go. We’ll need the costume altered for her, but of course that will be no trouble for you and your clever fingers. Bless you, Chava-libte, for being my rock!”</blockquote> ➤ such a good feeling of activity and forward momentum, and of the way a community supports people even if things are weird or complicated

<blockquote>Prince Nicolò is marrying Lady Nile for the good of the kingdom, and everybody has to make the best of it. Or: wlw/mlm solidarity is conspiring with your boyfriend’s wife’s girlfriend to help them produce a royal heir.</blockquote>

<blockquote>John Wood boarded the Gracie-Ella ahead of the crew. He carried his sea chest on his shoulder. In a satchel slung low on his hip were his tools and the three things most precious to him: a lock of his grandmother’s hair, a shaving from the first cabinet he had built as a boy, and his freedom papers. </blockquote>

<blockquote>There are a few things which Sara Crispino remembers about Orientation Week. The first is that, despite the best and most serious efforts of the nuns, quite a lot of off-site drinking, dancing and general disreputability is involved. Instead of individuals, she remembers crowds and atmospheres. ... The third thing Sara remembers from Orientation Week, although she doesn’t think about it much until later, is the red-headed Women’s girl.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A bend in the river, three thousand years ago.</blockquote> ➤ I'm not totally sure I'm following everything that's going on, but it's still really really good. Battle of Tollense River c. 1250 bce

<blockquote>Case A certain man, being under the influence de cerinthus fornicationus, came to have carnal knowledge of a woman; after this it is said that he is required to marry said women. The questions here are: First, what is the degree of the sin which they commit? Second, is it required that they then marry one another?</blockquote> ➤ author notes: <blockquote>I woke up this morning and read Papianista's highly entertaining summary of the legal consequences of sex pollen, under (I assume?) modern US law. I said unto the internet "this is beautiful but now I want to assess it from the point of view of 13th century canon law". And then there turned out to be so MANY considerations that I was writing a legit parody of Gratian's Decretum, and, well, it was amazing.</blockquote> ➤ what amazing nerdery I love it

<blockquote>Presenting a new original science fiction story, “A Clean Sweep With All the Trimmings,” by author James Alan Gardner, a Damon Runyon-esque tale of courteous guys, bulletproof dolls, and the fedora-clad spacemen that bring them together.</blockquote> ➤ This is a fun story but I feel rather bad for Kitty. I want to know more of her story. And I want her to have a future where she manages to live for herself. :(

<blockquote>History is a thing we make—in more senses than one. And from more directions.</blockquote> ➤ OH DUDE. This story starts off a bit slow but it is totally worth the read

<blockquote>Eponine is having a lousy night working the crowd at her usual speakeasy when in wanders a wide-eyed little rich girl, who promptly gets herself in a spot of trouble. Even the devil has to do a good deed sometimes. (1920s Chicago AU/slight crossover with Some Like It Hot, but you don’t need to know the fandom.)</blockquote>

<blockquote>(Who will not be slaves again!) In other words, the Amis as 1960s Freedom Riders, based on the Nashville college students who sang so many protest songs in jail that, apparently out of annoyance, the Birmingham police drove them back to Tennessee. For the Les Mis Across History ficathon.</blockquote> ➤ defs have "Calypso Freedom" as sung by Sweet Honey In The Rock stuck in my head now.

<blockquote>The Brick was popular with soldiers on both sides of the US Civil War - but the edition published in the Confederacy was slightly censored. In a moment of relative calm, a pair of fanboys from the opposing armies compare notes on what the work means to them.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"Mirage," thought Rainsford. But it was no mirage, he found, when he opened the tall spiked iron gate. The stone steps were real enough; the massive door with a leering gargoyle for a knocker was real enough; yet above it all hung an air of unreality.</blockquote> ➤ or: big-game hunting a more challenging prey: one that can reason.

<blockquote>Five Alternate Universe versions of Mulan: canon AU, historical AUs, modern AU, sci-fi AU, with each highlighting a different aspect of the Mulan story.</blockquote>

➤ short story set in the US in the world of the Small Change trilogy ➤ bleak vibes

<blockquote>I am American. We are all Americans. The year is 1942. A Japanese-American girl’s life is turned upside down by Executive Order 9066, and she must cope with a life confined to the barbed wire of an internment camp in the Arizona desert. There, she struggles to weigh her continued loyalty to her country (which has betrayed and ostracized everyone she loves) against a closely guarded family secret that could change the course of history.</blockquote>

<blockquote>In which Marcus is a historical novelist and almost all the characters are Roman-British historical reenactors; a romance in emails and bickering over historical details, with guest appearances by EVERYONE.</blockquote> ➤ modern au of the book The Eagle of the Ninth, where they're all in a historical reenactment group together ➤ it's a delightful fic, written by someone who Knows what historical reenactment groups are like. it's exquisitely well drawn and so funny ➤ written entirely in the format of emails on the group's listserv ➤ includes Marcus/Esca but is about the cast as a whole, really, and I love to see all the different characters making an appearance! ➤ 5k words in length

➤ In which Methos is (or pretends to be) Dionysos.

➤ delightful shousetsu bangbang regency romance.