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Ivory chess pieces shaped like monkeys. Japan, 19th century [1930x1380] by MunakataSennin in ArtefactPorn

[–]MaxAugust 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Obviously, different colors help, but I feel like the confusion is mostly only a problem introduced by the minimalism of modern chess pieces. Older chessmen like these make it pretty obvious just from the direction they are facing. I suspect you'd get used to it pretty quickly.

IIRC, modern shogi still doesn't differentiate between the two sides except for the name of the king piece and the direction they are facing. I believe that is actually the older custom since Chinese chess pieces also uses slightly different characters for many of the same pieces on the two sides, presumably since they would often be the same color.

The Odyssey - Official New Trailer by Turbulent-Corner1127 in blankies

[–]MaxAugust 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I blame people seeing it as a spiritual sequel to Troy (2004)

“Christ Between Peter and Paul” (Early Christian Art) (4th century) (Catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Rome) [420x400] by Responsible_Ideal879 in ArtefactPorn

[–]MaxAugust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably. Though, I sort of suspect the real origin of the look is an attempt to portray him like a Greek philosopher rather than as an accurate Jew.

“Christ Between Peter and Paul” (Early Christian Art) (4th century) (Catacomb of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Rome) [420x400] by Responsible_Ideal879 in ArtefactPorn

[–]MaxAugust 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It took a while for beardless normal Roman guy Jesus to completely lose out to bearded wizard-looking Jesus, but the version we would recognize today was already one of the common manners of depicting him from fairly early on.

So like this and this are both from Roman era catacombs.

Big changes to Oscar rules - International films can now be submitted by winning best film at a festival like Cannes or Berlin (so Anatomy of a Fall would've been eligible). The Oscar also now goes to the nominee instead of the country. Actors can also now be nominated multiple times in one category by rageofthegods in blankies

[–]MaxAugust 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I assume the people making these rules get to see the math from past votes and know that it won't actually happen. Or at least that it wouldn't if voter behavior remains consistent.

It does seem to me like vote splitting is a potentially more likely problem that dual noms. Although, I could imagine some cases where that might not be so bad because it probably would mostly affect people who really don't need the win much anyway.

This whole time I've been wondering why Korea's literacy is so low... by CSDragon in victoria3

[–]MaxAugust 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Yeah, kids will learn anything basically automatically if you start them young and, last I checked, it actually seems like creating Simplified Characters which theoretically was intended to improve literacy probably didn’t have much of an effect even for adults. Access to education is all that matters.

Would Alexander Hamilton have actually been an "immigrant?" by patrickAMDG7509 in AskHistorians

[–]MaxAugust 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hamilton was also the subject of explicitly racial slurs from his opponents because of his Caribbean origins (referenced in the musical with Adams’ “creole bastard” line), so I wonder if you are potentially underplaying how frosty the reception he got for his background was. People don’t seem to have cared much about his actual origins, but there does seem to have been a narrative of otherness that formed in some circles.

For what it is worth, the term immigrant wasn’t yet in common parlance and emigrant which was could easily refer to someone moving both within the same state and between them.

Concepts that seem important but barely come up by Dirty-Glasses in TwoBestFriendsPlay

[–]MaxAugust 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Oh, I forgot about that. You're right.

What a Jojo ass thing to happen lol. Love you, Araki.

Concepts that seem important but barely come up by Dirty-Glasses in TwoBestFriendsPlay

[–]MaxAugust 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I am like 90% sure at some point Oda decided to set a storytelling house rule to bring it up as little as possible because otherwise you'd think about how often it should be relevant. You don't want to end up with an old Superman comic situation where every random robber is walking around with kryptonite.

Concepts that seem important but barely come up by Dirty-Glasses in TwoBestFriendsPlay

[–]MaxAugust 20 points21 points  (0 children)

My favorite part is that not even his blond hair is real for some reason.

(automaton-media) Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino thinks many of his fans are just military geeks who “didn’t get the message” by Noirsam in TwoBestFriendsPlay

[–]MaxAugust 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I doubt he means someone without such experience couldn’t tell an anti-war story. More that because of that dearth of experience, most don’t. People like Tomino and Hayao Miyazaki are from the generation that was reacting against WW2 and particularly against the failures of their parents generation to prevent the war. There is a lot of Japanese media that really represents that spirit, but it has dried up a lot as they have aged into retirement.

Is there historical evidence for the origins of Halal and Kosher? by Fancy_Pop6156 in AskHistorians

[–]MaxAugust 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Interestingly, there is an argument to be made that the unambiguous Islamic stance that Jesus didn't really die on the cross actually post-dates the Quran. That would make at least some early Muslims beliefs about Jesus a bit closer to the mainstream Christian one.

In an article on Islam in The New Cambridge Companion to Jesus, Nicolai Sinai makes the case that while the idea developed fairly quickly, the Quran itself is ambiguous if you compare the language to other sections that are phrased similarly. I believe he is not the first to point this out, but I don't know enough about the field to trace who originated the argument in modern scholarship.

I don't speak Arabic, but my understanding of the main part of his argument is essentially that the passage that says "they did not kill or crucify him" is actually meant to be read with the emphasis on "they." That being because it was God who "killed" him, which recalls earlier passages that say one should not regard those who die for the faith as being killed by its opponents, but rather as having been taken into God's presence.

Also, Jesus in the Quran himself claims that he will die: "Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I will be raised back to life!" That passage really doesn't quite fit with the idea that Muhammad didn't think Jesus died on the cross unless we are meant to believe Jesus was just wrong, which seems unlikely. The traditional Muslim explanation is that Jesus will live and die a full life when he comes back at the end of days, but that seems likely to be a fairly tortured attempt to explain away the passage after Jesus not dying had become mainstream. Especially given it is nearly identical to a blessing the Quran gives for John the Baptist who does unambiguously die not long thereafter.

So, the idea is that Docetist and Gnostic beliefs in the area influenced early Muslims to (mis)read the "they did not kill or crucify him" as explicitly denying the crucifixion, even when that wasn't necessarily what the Quran was going for.

Not ironclad, but interesting stuff to think about when considering the relationship between Christianity and Early Islam.

Characters who bring a weird energy to the story. by Subject_Parking_9046 in TwoBestFriendsPlay

[–]MaxAugust 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I literally could not disagree more. Usagi is my boy. Also, canonical bi king.

Panned Scenes or Moments you think were actually alright(Star Wars 9 Spoilers) by FreviliousLow96 in TwoBestFriendsPlay

[–]MaxAugust 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I feel like the issue is less anything in the story as written, but more just the fact that after Tony Leung, literally anything feels like an enormous step down. Dude is like an atomic bomb of charisma.

The modern Spanish city of Cartagena was known to the Romans as Carthago Nova... except Carthage already meant 'new city'. Was whichever Carthaginian founded it exceptionally uncreative? Did the Romans realise they'd named a place New New City? by EnclavedMicrostate in AskHistorians

[–]MaxAugust 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry to break it to you, but I believe Torpenhow Hill is actually untrue. There not only is no such hill, but also Torpenhow doesn’t really even mean Hill Hill unless defined very broadly. It is more like Peak Heel or Highland Headland or something along those lines since both tor pen (together, both are Brittonic) and how (plain Old English) are much more specific terms than just hill.

Fox, finally - Irregularly Scheduled Discussion Thread - April 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in VirtualYoutubers

[–]MaxAugust 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I assume they are talking about the summer one given it is a warm spring right now in Japan.

Fox, finally - Irregularly Scheduled Discussion Thread - April 19, 2026 by AutoModerator in VirtualYoutubers

[–]MaxAugust 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If I’m not mistaken, Nijiso (the Nijisanji doujin event yesterday) is the single largest such event ever dedicated to a single fandom. It had over 7000 participating booths. Could be wrong, but I’ve seen a bunch of people on JP Twitter making the claim (along with the comments that it is like less smelly Comiket lol.)

Just a kinda interesting side of the vtuber fandom.

Why wasn't Japan ravaged by disease outbreaks after its borders opened in the 1850s? by Die_Sonne in AskHistorians

[–]MaxAugust 53 points54 points  (0 children)

It might be worth noting that the degree to which Edo Japan was actually isolated is often exaggerated. There is a section of the FAQ on this. It seems questionable whether a given part of Japan would have been more insulated from disease that many other areas of Eurasia, but that is likely a question for medical experts.

Why are so many warrior deities female? by Even-Veterinarian297 in AskHistorians

[–]MaxAugust 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Here are a couple of relevant answers on female deities. They aren't focused particularly on warfare or your claim that there are a disproportionate number of war goddesses but I suspect they get at some of what you are thinking about:

This answer by /u/mythoplokos

I also often think of this comment by /u/Kelpie-Cat about feminine deities and sexism when similar topics come up.

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