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  Remember, kids: In proper scientific terms, an attempt to explain observable phenomena is called a "hypothesis". It is called a "theory" when it fits all the observable facts, and there is no observable evidence to the contrary. We don't call it a "truth" because there's always a chance that it might be overturned by later evidence - but as far as science is concerned, a "theory" is as hard as it gets. This is often confusing to people who dismi...

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  I want the #Fediverse to grow. But out of curiosity, how well would the Fediverse scale? What would happen if the current user base increased by a factor of 10, 100, or 1000? And if the answer is "bad things", what would need to be done to make the Fediverse cope with such an expanded user base? (For the purpose of this thought exercise, assume that each specific Fediverse software implementation would likewise multiply their user base by this factor, albeit spread out over more inst...

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  The Pschiponza appears during the noon hours at harvest time, and is a danger to laborers who work instead of resting. #WyrdWednesday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Pschiponza

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  RE: https://mementomori.social/@juergen_hubert/117319625781954546 Question: Is it possible to buy the #Earthsea books (or other books by Ursula #LeGuin) somewhere in a DRM-free ebook format? I want to buy them, but I also really hate #DRM .

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  I find it _interesting_ that most modern portrayals of fairy tales involve kings, knights, princesses and so forth - the privileged aristocratic classes on top of the social pyramid. Even if the protagonist of such a tale is poor, they are still secretly from privileged parents, and their story tends to be about reclaiming their "rightful" (i.e. privileged) place in society. Meanwhile, the _vast_ majority of German folk tales I have read feature peasant protagonists. Nobles _might_ ap...

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  There is often beautiful furniture at the places where witches gather. But things are rarely as they seem at such occasions... #MythologyMonday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Horse_Skeleton

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  Beware of free-roaming ovens! #MythologyMonday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Glowing_Oven_in_the_Forest

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  Vielleicht kennt sich jemand hier mit #Sprachkunde aus und kann mir weiterhelfen. In dieser Sage aus Bayern wird eine "Lesslnacht" erwähnt, und ich konnte bisher nicht herausfinden, was es damit auf sich hat. Kann mir jemand weiterhelfen?

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  Important information on the "Knight in Shining Armor Saves the Girl" trope: This is actually pretty rare in actual folk tales - usually it is later addition when those tales were turned into literature in order to make them a better fit for bourgeois narrative tastes and preferences of gender roles. In actual folk tales, whenever a girl marries a prince, she usually has to save _him_ first. Typically he has been cursed into an animal form, and she needs to throw him against the wall...

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  Well, let's see what has accumulated in my work emails during my vacation. Wish me luck!

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  I've shared all sorts of translations of German folk tales around here. But I am curious: What are your favorite aspects, themes, or stories from German folklore? And what topics interest you the most for future exploration? Please share for greater reach! #Germany #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Main_Page

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  Thought of the day: We need more product testing teams consisting entirely of elderly people.

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  There seems to be a subset of Americans who get actively offended if you admit that you actually prefer to get around in a local area in other ways than using a private car.

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  As far as the USA's former allies are concerned, #Trump and #MAGA is what the #USA stand for. Sure, the USA might put a non-MAGA president back in power, but for how long is that going to last? We thought that George W. Bush was an aberration, and thought we might repair this relationship once Obama was elected. We were wrong. As far as the political world stage is concerned, MAGA is what the _USA_ is, in all ways that matter on that level. And the Republicans are utterly committed to that...

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  #TTRPG #worldbuilding thought: How do religious institutions in your setting finance themselves? The most common answers seem to be "donations" and "tithes or taxes", because that's what most people today know. But looking at German history, quite a few monasteries actually specialized in some kind of trade. Brewing beer was popular, as was cultivating wine. And some even developed expertise in mining and construction, and hired themselves out as consultants! So, what e...

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  A useful primer on the #AI bubble by @pluralistic@mamot.fr . There might be some useful AI tools left over once this bubble bursts, but I will refrain from using them until it does. Right now, the money will only end up in the pockets of the worst of people. https://pluralistic.net/2025/12/05/pop-that-bubble/

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  I wonder if a "folk tale collection" for #dnd / #pathfinder would sell. I.e. a collection of "folk tales" set in a fantasy world which would revolve around assorted supernatural creatures or phenomena that appear in such a setting.

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  RE: https://mementomori.social/@juergen_hubert/117069979654280964 Als Ergänzung: Die #ERA5 -Daten sind über eine #API erreichbar, und in unserer lokalen AG Klimaschutz hat auch jemand Skripte zum Auslesen entwickelt. Theoretisch sollte es also für die #Grünen möglich sein, mit relativ überschaubaren Aufwand lokalisierte Klimadaten für #Kommunalwahlen im großen Stil zu erzeugen. Und für Umweltschutz-Verbände wie #BUND , #NABU etc. wäre das vielleicht auch interessant. #Klimawandel

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  RE: https://mastodon.social/@sixtus/117065047913611409 Aus reiner Neugier: Wie ist denn so das sozio-ökonomische Gefüge der betroffenen Wohngebiete in #Berlin ? Bei sowas muss ich immer daran denken, daß in den USA die Highways oft bewusst so gebaut wurden, daß sie erfolgreiche Stadtviertel Schwarzer Amerikaner zerstörten. #A100 #Autobahn https://www.npr.org/2021/04/07/984784455/a-brief-history-of-how-racism-shaped-interstate-highways

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  The ghosts of the old Noricans fled into the depths of the mountains when they longer wanted to witness the shame of their descendants losing to the forces of Napoleon. #Austria #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Ghosts_of_the_Old_Noricans

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  #WritersCoffeeClub – 9th Aug. What’s a subject you’d like to write about, but haven’t yet? ...let me check my list. I am fairly confident that I could find enough material for books(*) on the following topics, which I have barely started to cover in my translations: - City-themed folk tales - Divine Judgment in all its forms - Churches in folk tales - A separate book on monasteries - Castle-based folk tales - Evil nobles (with parallels to our modern, moneyed would-be aristocrats) - Omens an...

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  RE: https://wandering.shop/@mythologymonday/117065983234591258 If you haven't followed @mythologymonday@thefolklore.cafe yet, follow them for fascinating themes like this one. They are the only #folklore -themed "Hashtag Day" organizer who has fully committed to the #Fediverse !

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  Once, a boy from Sabert saw a terrifying parade of specters in the forest at night when he was separated from his father. #CzechRepublic #folktale #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Procession_of_the_Irrlichts

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  The Lost City of Vineta slumbers at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. But there is still strange life in the sunken city... #MythologyMonday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Vineta

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  You might be able to evade human witnesses, but night-time thefts come with their own hazards. #PhantomsFriday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Ghostly_Wagon_at_the_Three_Monks%27_Ponds

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  Is suddenly falling asleep a simple case of narcolepsy - or something more sinister? #Germany #folktale #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Unfortunate_Walrider

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  The "Wailing Woman" is a terrifying specter of doom that appears during stormy nights on the Lüneburg Heath. #WyrdWednesday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Wailing_Woman

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  Many ghosts are bound to treasures, and can only be freed once the entire treasure is lifted. However, this task usually comes with its own hazards. #Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststory https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Glowing_Man_at_the_Zehntscheune

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  Do not offend a witch, for their revenge can be terrible. #Poland #folktale #folklore #witch #witchcraft https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Implanted_Hare%27s_Heart

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  #ScribesAndMakers July 13: Has a #bear ever featured in your work? If so, what sort of bear? Indeed they have. So far, I have covered three varieties. The witch-finding bear: https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Bear_in_the_Cow_Stables_as_Witch_Tracker The fire-breathing bear: https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Bear-like_Forest_Creature The Devil-bear: https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/A_Black_Mage_is_Punished_with_Sores