Hi. I Like Your Blog Title! And I Have A Question: What Was Isis Like In Actual Egyptian Mythology? What

for no particular reason and certainly not because of a certain shitbag author publishing yet another shitty book, here’s a list of science fiction/fantasy books by marginalized authors.

with special focus on trans, indigenous, jewish, asian and/or disabled authors because these are groups she-who-must-not-be-named has been particularly shitty about!

note: i got the idea to do this from @queerpontmercy​​​ - hope you don’t mind! i’ve read most of these, and i’ve tried to organize them by subgenre. now go read!

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. Young adult SFF written by a black nonbinary author, with a black trans girl main character.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger. Young adult speculative fiction written by a Lipan Apache author. Main character is an asexual Lipan Apache teenager.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. First book in a YA fantasy series in an Asian-inspired setting by a mixed-race author of Malaysian descent, featuring a F/F romance.

Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore. A young adult fantasy about two sisters in a cursed family, written by a Mexican-American nonbinary author.

Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones. A contemporary, coming-of-age fantasy about a boy and his werewolf family, written by a Blackfeet Native American author.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo. First in a high fantasy novella series by an Asian-American author, featuring a queer cast including a nonbinary main character.

The Black Tides of Heaven (Tensorite Series) by JY (Neon) Yang. A fantasy novella series with nonbinary and lgbtq+ main characters, written by a nonbinary Singaporean author.

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. Pulp Western science/ dystopian fiction novella with an all-queer cast, written by a nonbinary author.

The Golem & the Jinni by Helene Wecker. Historical fantasy combining elements of Jewish and Arab folk mythology by a Jewish author.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. Fantasy by a Jewish author with Jewish main characters.

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. Fantasy about witches and scientists trying to save the world by a trans author.

Jade City by Fonda Lee. First in a fantasy series in an Asia-inspired setting written by an Asian-Canadian author.

Bone Universe trilogy by Fran Wilde. Fantasy trilogy featuring cast of disabled characters written by a disabled author.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed series) by Octavia Butler. Science fiction / dystopian series written by a black disabled author.

Iron Man 3 - Heyo Lee | Tony Stark | James Rhodes

How many human sacrifices did the Aztec make, really?

The most recent archaeological evidence suggests a consistent pattern of finding between 90-150 individual remains at each of the the major archaeological sites in Mexico City. Based on the age of the city, and the Aztec religious calendar, the math suggests the Aztecs sacrificed 18 to 25 individuals every year. This might go up during times of stress. We have at least one recorded drought when they increased the number of human sacrifices in response.

But in general, this is a much lower number than the popular imagination would have you believe. Another win for archaeology!

Family Outing - 7/14/20

Review of ‘The Good Soldier’ by Ford Madox Ford ---- 5/5 STARS

Three months ago, when I stumbled upon a beautiful collection of Alma Classics at a book sale, I hardly imagined that one of the volumes I selected would turn out to be one of those rare literary unicorns that ticked all my boxes. It seems unlikely, but The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford fascinated me from practically the first sentence. “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.”

The first thing you should know about The Good Soldier is probably that it’s being told from the viewpoint of an unreliable narrator and has no strict chronology. It reads like a confession and the sequence of events is jumbled according to the mood and flow of conscience of the main character, John Dowell (whose name you will likely have forgotten by the end). The story is written in such a way that you don’t untangle most of its lies and mysteries until the very last page, which gives the book the impression of being a puzzle you must put together. The suspense definitely had me race through the later chapters. 

On the surface, Ford sketches how, at the beginning of the 20th century, the lives of two couples -- one American, one British -- intertwine themselves over the years, giving way to a secret romance and betrayal. On a deeper level, Ford examines the mental processes these people underwent to get where they are now in their lives. It spares us no dirty details. Even our dear unreliable narrator finds plenty of faults within himself and ends most parts of the book on a self-critical note. The Good Soldier is brutally honest in spite of describing an intricate web of lies and the feelings of one man who was the sorry victim of it. 

Despite being first published in 1915, so many elements discussed in this book are incredibly relevant and it’s obvious why that is: The Good Soldier is a portrait of humans, and humanity has not really changed in the past century at a base level. We are still driven by love, pride, jealousy and all that other good stuff. This has led many reviewers to call the characters ‘despicable’ or ‘the worst of humanity’, but I think that’s too quick of a judgement. It was refreshing to see the dark corners of the human psyche portrayed with such stark honesty. The characters felt like people I could possibly encounter in the street; some reminded me of people I knew. Best of all, I could understand all of their motivations at any one point.

Honestly, this book handles so many subjects that we are still struggling with today. Here’s a selection: sexism, male entitlement, the objectification of women, abusive relationships, religious tension between branches of the Christian faith, the downsides of cultural conservatism, and many others. But it also brought some brighter topics to the fore, namely asexuality, polyamory and serial monogamy, male-female friendship, and the importance of responsibility and trust in any relationship. If that doesn’t sound modern then I don’t know what does anymore.

And the ending, damn, it was all I could have wanted. It was realistic and so quietly tragic that I could not help but feel sympathy for all those involved in the tale. It’s true you won’t get happy vibes from The Good Soldier, but you get tonnes of satisfaction from it instead. It’s got my full recommendation.

Eivor was Born A Woman

Theory on Eivor Wolfsmal and their complex identity and relationship with Gender

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is looking to be far more deep in story than we’ve ever previously imagined, especially with its main protagonist, Eivor. From the beginning, and now more than ever with recent information and hints slowly dripping from various sources it looks that Eivor may be the most complex character the series has had in years, with their gender and how they identify with it being a potential key story element - an Assassin’s Creed first. As a member of the LGBT community this is very exciting to witness.

From the initial reveal it was confirmed that both Male and Female Eivor were canon (however it took literal months before Female Eivor was even revealed, and even longer for her Cinematic Trailer to be released). Darby McDevitt, Narrative Director of Valhalla emphasized many times that both versions are one and the same, and that one cannot exist outside the other. Along with an Animus explanation, Darby also said that there is an In-World story explanation for why both are canon (which also ties in with why we can switch between genders at any point in gameplay) however it is considered a major spoiler, and he cannot say any more.

HOWEVER, a prequel graphic novel, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory has confirmed Female Eivor as the protagonist for their 3-arc story. When asked about why this is on Twitter, Darby said that “It’s more complicated than that” and that “It’s all part of the long-term plan…”. So how can Eivor both be ONLY female in the comics, yet more than one gender in the game?

Eivor was canonically born a woman

In Song of Glory it is very blatant that Eivor is a woman, through and through. We learn a lot more about her and her family, with the description reading…

“Eivor, a Viking warrior, observes a village raided by a neighboring kingdom. Bloodshed and mayhem erupt as she seizes the attack in her own favor - but will her victory be a blessing to her clan or a terrible curse?”

In new info released earlier today, we also learned that…

Eivor is the daughter of King Styrbjorn, a wise ruler - making her a princess!

She has a brother named Sigurd (older or younger we do not know) who went East

She has been disgraced by her father, and must regain her honor by going on a quest that will eventually lead her to a “forgotten temple of a poweful God”

She also seizes another woman named Gull, who claims to have supernatural powers, and has a direct effect on Eivor herself

Her brother Sigurd is East in search of riches and treasures, and discovers something that changes everything

So why is all of this new information so important? And how does all of this tie into the canon of the game?

Eivor is Female at birth but by some sort of Isu artifact she comes across she is granted similar powers of Loki (who would of been Isu) therefore allowing her to become Gender-fluid if she so pleased.

This. This right here would explain everything perfectly, while keeping with everything Darby, the comics and Ubisoft themselves have all said.

So Eivor, having now being forced to go and restore her honor after some horrific events following this raid, will probably engage with Gull and ask for her help, who will then tell Eivor where she must go and what to do to correct her mistakes. After a series of events, Eivor eventually ends up at this “forgotten” temple, where she comes into possession of a powerful Isu artifact. I don’t know yet what it would be - a piece on her armor, a weapon, something we have yet to see on her? This artifact, now bonded with Eivor, allows her to fully come to terms with her complex understanding of her own gender. As any member in the LGBT community can tell you, gender is a very unique and complicated experience, as it is a spectrum.

Now with the powers of Loki within her, she is finally able to come to an understanding of her true relation to her gender identity, and in doing so is given the power to “switch” between male and female, making Eivor Gender-Fluid from here on out.

So Eivor, now finally being able to accept and live their truth, returns home and restores their honor, etc. And as I do believe that Eivor more closely identifies as female, yet also goes by They/Them when they call for it. So for now, I will still refer to Eivor as Her and They.

But what of her brother Sigurd? How does he tie in with Eivor and the Isu?

I do not think he will be in the game for very long, if at all. Sigurd, while Eivor was having their own personal journey, was East - most likely near the Mediterranean and Middle-East. It’s most likely he discovered The Hidden Ones, as by then their reach would of easily been all along that whole region. It is a fact that the Vikings had established strong trade partnerships with the Middle-East, and we also know that Middle-Eastern visitors (definitely Hidden Ones) come to Norway at the beginning of the game.

We also know that Eivor receives the Hidden Blade very early in the campaign, before she even leaves Norway, and that it is given to her by the Hidden Ones.

So Eivor comes home after her journey, and becomes Leader of her clan. Sigurd shortly after comes home as well, where he brings the Hidden Ones for whatever reason. Something happens to Sigurd either before the game or extremely early in the game, and perhaps when the Hidden Ones meet Eivor, because of who they are, immediately see her connection with the Isu, and therefore decide to pass on the Hidden Blade to her, as her brother is no longer an option, and she is more worthy of such responsibilities.

And so the Main Story of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla begins, with Eivor as a Gender-Fluid, Isu-powered Viking Leader ready to set out in search for better lands for their people, and to fulfill their destiny as a Hidden One.

Of course this is all theoretical, but it absolutely makes the most sense with all the rumors, allegations, hints and confirmations about their gender. With Eivor being canonically born as a woman, and for them to be given the allowance to live as they truly are (GF) validates not just the Main Campaign, but also the Prequel. And how Eivor grapples with their gender, and how they and/or others perceive themselves will be a story arc that will be revealed throught the campaign, as Darby has said several times that their gender is an arc that will be revealed in the long haul of the story.

Gender is an extremely complex topic, and to me this is the only logical explanation on how both Male and Female Eivor could ever be canon simultaneously. It’s an interesting concept, and it’s very exciting to think we may actually see a main story encompass these underlying queer themes.

With that said, Female Eivor seems to be the intended gender by birth, and therefore she deserves to shine in her own right

Play as Lady Eivor

Discovering that you’re 10 days behind the Discovery of Witches RTR.

Me: I can fix this.

Aerith & the Turks

Just your regular local florist, going about her day.

I wanted to practice backgrounds some more so this is a fanart of both Sector 5 slums as it is of Aerith and her secret bodyguards.

DC/Marvel crossovers by Vasco Georgiev 

Do you want to hear my story?