#freydis.5

[witchertorsten]

@freydis-freydat location: Off to the Races notes: he either looks pissed or crying - Progress Day!

A whirlwind of dust kicked up and washed across the lower benches as the mechanical horse-drawn chariot whipped around the corner. He'd been perched in the corner, his body recovered from Orryn's attack but his ego still bruised, when he caught sight of at least one familiar face. Scattered though the Iskarans all were, the witcher still had his oaths - and as a member of the Guild that took on another shape now. "I think I might put my name in." Torsten stated plainly as he saddled adjacent to her, gesturing toward the race track again. He'd been riding Harold for years, how different could a chariot be? This was mechanical, not magical, narrow as his thoughts could be he took no issue with progress in that sense. "Doesn't look difficult."

[chriscalledmesweetie]

Cabin Pressure Offerings - FTH 2025

The browsing period for @fandomtrumpshate is open now. Check out the seven offerings for the Cabin Pressure fandot:

california-112 @california-211 - <5k fic

ChrisCalledMeSweetie @chriscalledmesweetie - <5k fic

ChrisCalledMeSweetie - a month of daily limericks

ChrisCalledMeSweetie - rewritten lyrics to the song of your choice

freydis aka @thegreenhairedwerewolf - 1-5k podfic

Iwantthatcoat aka @iwantthatbelstaffanditsoccupant - 5-10k fic

The_Rogue_Bard - 5-10k fic

Bidding opens on February 25 at 8am and closes March 1 at 8pm.

[bilbotargaryen]

(Mostly) Vikings Grillparty + Movie Night Headcanons

In no particular order. Created by @juanasunfall-blog and me. That was SO much fun!

Björn: Has to bring his own liquorice because everyone else hates it.

Thorunn: Made really nice skewers, beloved by everyone, but talks herself down about them.

Lagertha: Is vegan, eats baby carrots as a snack.

Astrid: Same as Lagertha, but you can see with every bite that she hates them.

Rollo: The Grillmaster, refuses to grill Lagertha's vegan steaks, it happens every time.

Gisla: Insisted on the 500€ Caviar, but shortly before checkout Rollo exchanged it with the 5€ one. She never notices the difference.

Ragnar: Eats chips REALLY loudly throughout the whole thing.

Aegon: Inhales a whole package of Trolli Sour Glowworms. Brought his own wine, because no one here has taste.

Hvitserk: Is down to eat anything, but is also eating chips REALLY loudly because Margrethe and Freydis won't let him try their cookies.

Margrethe and Freydis: Have baked cookies and keep them all to themselves.

Sigurd: Enjoys some Peach rings.

Ivar: Thrives on 90% Bitter Chocolate.

Floki: Eats fish. Raw.

Helga: Made a fruit salad, but after she put tomatoes in last time no one wants to try it again.

Ubbe: Doesn't eat snacks. Brought the noodle salad.

Torvi: Made said noodle salad.

Aslaug: Eats a whole box of ice cream before the movie even starts.

Harald: Salt stick enthusiast. If he's done with them he switches to rusk.

Halfdan: Brought himself a ready-to-eat salad.

Athelstan: He's really gotten into Baking TikTok recently so he brings A LOT of bread. Floki is appalled, but Ecbert has already agreed to take what's leftover.

Ecbert: Brings the Strong Alcohol and sneaks it into the dessert.

Judith: Made the dessert and made sure to use more than the recommended alcohol amount.

Alfred: Throws up from the dessert.

Aethelwulf: Was not invited, shows up when the movie starts because he saw Lagertha's stories on Instagram and doesn't want to be left out again. He brought some peanut puffs.

Aethelred: Sits in the corner. He's only here to see the movie.

And what movie do they watch you ask?

There is always an argument surrounding that, which lead to them polling it out every time. It usually goes like this:

Ragnar wants to watch some kind of documentary.

Rollo wants to catch up on DC (he thinks Marvel sucks).

Hvitserk and Ivar want to watch some Gory Horror movie, but Aegon and Freydis convince them to vote for a crime show instead.

Thorunn, Björn and Ubbe want some kind of Action movie.

Lagertha, Torvi, Helga, Gisla, Margrethe and Halfdan have agreed among themselves that it should be something with Tom Hiddleston. Sigurd agrees too.

Athelstan wants something without Sex.

Ecbert wants something with Sex, Judith acts like she's appalled, but secretly she's all for it.

Aethelred wants to watch Jurassic Park, but gets ignored. Alfred votes for it too, only because he felt bad for him.

Floki has found some obscure religious indie movie that no one else wants to see.

Harald wants to watch the new episode of Love Island.

Astrid wants to binge the new Star Wars movies, she gets shut down quickly.

Aslaug eventually goes to bed early.

The movie they settled on this time? The Devil Wears Prada.

[lesbianwyllravengard]

5, 9, 20 for freydis and marian :)

thank you I love you

Ask game

5. Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Will they give one, and what about?

Freydis - she'd give one if people pressured her to but it will be really awkward and stilted and only moderately inspiring. Josie gives her a thumbs up regardless

Marian - no.

9. Do they empathize with non-sentient things (dolls, plants, books…)?

Freydis - absolutely. she had a doll as a kid that was her best friend, she loves talking to plants in the Skyhold garden. I wouldn't say books tho that's a little odd even for her

Marian - only for plantlife. and only because Merrill does

20. What do they like that nobody else does?

Freydis - Cullen

Marian - Varric's exaggerated stories and lies

[avalost]

4 +5 for year end ask!

Thank you for the ask 💜

4. Movie of the year?

Dune 2! Dune is my favorite book, and the movie does not ruin it, and I'm so thankful for that. I think it's a little hard to understand for people who haven't read the book (I had to explain most of it to my family) but overall I really liked it.

5. TV show of the year?

Vikings: Valhalla, definitely. Brilliant show. Brilliant characters. Freydis is phenomenal, I love watching her journey in her faith. Queen Emma is gorgeous and so meticulous and intelligent. Harald is fascinating, I love how his life and his mistakes shape him. Godwin is a terrible little schemer, I'm pretty sure he's a sociopath, and he's my absolute favorite. Magnus can eat shit (this is a compliment, I appreciate a good villain)

end of the year asks

[mediaevalmusereads]

Civilizations. By Laurent Binet (trans. Sam Taylor). Picador, 2019 (English trans. 2021).

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Genre: alternate history

Series: N/A

Summary: Freydis is a woman warrior and leader of a band of Viking explorers setting out to the south. They meet local tribes, exchange skills, are taken prisoner, and get as far as Panama. But nobody ultimately knows what became of them.

Fast forward five hundred years to 1492 and we're reading the journals of Christopher Columbus, mid-Atlantic on his own famous voyage of exploration to the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. But he and his men are taken captive by Incas. Even as their suffering increases, his faith in his superiority, and in his mission, is unshaken.

Thirty years later, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in Europe in the ships stolen from Columbus. He finds a continent divided by religious and dynastic quarrels, the Spanish Inquisition, Luther's Reformation, capitalism, the miracle of the printing press, endless warmongering between the ruling monarchies, and constant threat from the Turks. But most of all he finds downtrodden populations ready for revolution. Fortunately, he has a recent bestseller as a guidebook to acquiring power—Machiavelli's The Prince. The stage is set for a Europe ruled by Incas and Aztecs, and for a great war that will change history forever.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: violence, child death, animal death, incest

Overview: My book club picked this novel as our subject for November, so here I am, writing a review. I didn't know what to expect going in, but the premise intrigued me; after the first few pages, however, I was fully immersed and impressed by the author's understanding of history. While I wouldn't recommend this book if you're not a history lover, I would absolutely recommend it to those who are interested in historical thought experiments, such as what would have happened if the European colonization of the Americas was unsuccessful.

Writing: I'm reading the English translation of this novel, and since I don't have the original, I can't comment on whether or not Taylor renders Binet's prose faithfully. But I do think Taylor did a great job of making the text feel like the historical sources it was imitating. The novel is written in a somewhat plain, unadorned style that is common to things like sagas and chronicles, and though there were some modern expressions here and there, I think that on the whole, Taylor and Binet succeeded in infusing the prose with historical flavor.

I also liked the repeating imagery that held the disparate parts of the text together. For example, the color red shows up a lot, as does vultures, condors, and other birds that seem to signal auspicious moments. It made the book as a whole feel more literary, and it created through-lines that helped sell the idea that we were reading a continuous "history."

Lastly, I appreciated the ways in which this book defamiliarized things like religion by presenting Christianity from the Inca's point of view. There were a few moments when Binet would be describing something about religious custom and I wouldn't quite understand what was going on until the Inca overheard a key term (like "inquisitor"). The practice of considering what Christianity might look like to other people was a valuable thought exercise, and I think it did a good job of exposing some of the inherent cruelty of the 15th-16th century religious conflicts (and politics).

Plot: There isn't a plot to this book so much as there is a narration of an alternate history, but I'm also the kind of reader that finds history fascinating, so this narrative was highly entertaining for me. I really appreciated the level of historical knowledge required to write this book; one can see through all the details that Binet has a pretty extensive understanding of 15th-16th century Europe, and I loved seeing how the author imagined all these pieces working differently had colonization not happened.

I'm not sure, however, if the author had an equal understanding of the Indigenous peoples that are featured in this book. On the one hand, I can understand the purpose of wanting to imagine what a history of Europe might have looked like if the Inca had sailed to Spain and created a new empire there; on the other, it seems like the Indigenous peoples are a little less nuanced than their European counterparts. Maybe that's due to the fact that a lot of these peoples and cultures (along with their histories) were wiped out, so I don't know how much I can fault the author.

Characters: There are a lot of characters in this book, so I'm only going to focus on a couple of key players and broad themes.

Part 1 of this novel follows Freydis, daughter of Erik the Red, and imagines what would have happened if she and her followers had reached as far south as Panama. I really enjoyed how Freydis was fashioned to be the leader of the Viking band, rather than a mere instigator as in the sagas. I also liked that her story contained several nods to the literary conventions of Norse-Icelandic sagas, and it imagined interactions with Indigenous peoples that were more complex than just open hostility.

Part 2 follows Christopher Columbus and his failed expedition, imaging him as becoming a captive of the Tainos and living his life as something akin to a court jester. I appreciated the way Binet wrote Columbus as something of a religious fanatic who doesn't quite give up his faith, even when it's clear he lost. Binet also succeeds in presenting the Tainos not as cruel, but as rightfully defending themselves from a group of would-be colonizers who believe in their own superiority.

Part 3 follows Inca ruler Atahualpa as he sails to Spain and establishes a new empire in Europe. This is by far the longest section of the book, and I enjoyed the way Atahualpa was presented as both ambitious and generous. His advisers, too, were varied in their personalities which made them feel like real people (and not stock characters), and the relationship between Atahualpa and Princes Higuénamota was complex and fascinating, portraying a deep level of love and respect that felt different from a romantic or king-adviser relationship.

Part 4 follows Miguel de Cervantes as he navigates Europe after Atahualpa's death. I personally didn't get a much out of this part, and Miguel wasn't as interesting as his companions, but it was a nice snapshot of the empire, so I can't complain.

TL;DR: Civilizations is an impressive reimagining of history and constructs a complex view of what Europe might have looked like if the colonization of the Americas failed. The level of historical knowledge required to write this book is sure to satisfy history lovers, as well as the prose style, which imitates real-life historical texts.

[lorewarden]

Why I love Mariam (a drunken ramble)

Throughout Vikings Valhalla, we get 5 major female characters - Freydis and Jarl Haakon, the warriors, and Emma and Aelgifu, the politicians. While these 4 have their layers, are far from simplified archetypes (well, mostly), are deserving of and have probably gotten detailed essays dedicated to them, we're here to talk about the scholar - Mariam.

Her first scene takes place in Novgorod at Yaroslav's table, when Leif is being prodded by the monarch. We know nothing of her - our first impressions of her are the way she reacts to Leif's speech. How she emotes. And from the get-go, there is a warmth to her, a tenderness, a poetic, dreamer spirit (to match Leif's own), I would venture to say.

Then the window scene happens, to showcase just how educated and ahead of her time she is. When she explains the comet, we the modern viewer are inclined to say "wow, they understood these things as far back as the 11th century?" In this, she firmly establishes her role in the story moving forward - and stays true to it. But she also in no way belittles Leif's interpretation of the comet. Though she does offer a scientific point of view, her facial expressions and overall demeanor towards him in no way belittle anything he'd said.

And this is it. Curiosity and kindness. That is Mariam in a nutshell.

Throughout the season, she retains that spirit of fascination with all things in the world around her - and that warmth.

You see, while it was enjoyable to see her continue to tutor Leif and to just witness her brilliant mind at work, what truly moved me about her character - and continues to move me on my 6th rewatch - is her warmth.

It's in her eyes anytime she interacts with anyone in the crew. It's in the soft touches, the comfort and the moral support that she offers when most needed. It was never just Leif, she would unapologetically, shamelessly, offer a shoulder touch, a hug, a gentle stroke on the face to ANY ONE of the crew.

She is also allowed two things that we don't often see in modern storytelling in regards to female characters. Though she is disgusted by Gestr and his treatment of slaves, she never actually does anything about it. And when under attack from Varangians and Pechenegs, she clearly shows fear. Never once does she take up arms.

It might be easy to call her weak, passive, a hypocrite even - but let's not forget that, at the end of the day, physical strength is not the only way to be strong even if she is a woman in a man's world. Yes, she relies on the men around her to do the heavy lifting - so what? She is a scholar and an inherently gentle soul. It would be vastly out of character for her to act otherwise. And she is surrounded by people who possess that other sort of strength. She retains her empathy and curiosity in such a world, and that is the greatest strength of character we've seen on this show.

Don't even get me started on Hayat Kamille's acting. She conveys so much through subtle facial expressions, through the silence, as most British theatre-trained actresses do. Why isn't she a bigger name? Anyway, I digress. In a world which encourages violence and skepticism, let's all try to focus a bit more on empathy, open displays of kindness - however small, the joy of learning, the unironic passion... In a world full of Freydis' and Emmas, let's strive to be a Mariam.

[valkyries-things]

FREYDIS LEAF // PILOT

“She was a pioneering woman pilot and one of the first women to get RAF wings. She, her father and brother all learned to fly at the Marshall flying school in Cambridge. When the war began, Leaf volunteered as a nurse in the Red Cross in Colchester, Essex while trying to get into the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) for over a year. She went on to work with the Aeronautical Inspection Directorate. In 1943, she joined the ATA. As an ATA pilot, Leaf learned to fly a wide range of planes from the Vickers Wellington and the Lockheed Hudson to the De Havilland Mosquito and Spitfire. By the end of the war she had 607 hours and 25 minutes flying time accumulated. After the war, she worked as a freelance commercial pilot, gaining her commercial licence in November 1946. In 1949, she was commissioned into the Women's RAF Volunteer Reserve. During her 5-year commission, she also became one of the first women to qualify as an RAF pilot.”

[fragilelunar]

2023 Reading Wrap Up

General Stats:

Total Books Read: 105

Pages: 25, 224

Time: 194.17 Hours

Average Rating: 4.31 Stars

Library Books: 41

Books Owned: 14

5 Stars: 38

hello! for my first post on this new blog I figured I'd do a little wrap up of my reading from last year!! Tiny bit of back history to give y'all before I start doing monthly wrap ups and things. I always make my reading goal 50 books so that I can easily hit it and then just vibe the rest of the year btw!!

anyways!! here are all the books I read last year and my ratings of each:

Finale - Stephanie Garber ✭✭✭✭

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row - Lara Love Hardin, Anthony Ray Hinton ✭✭✭✭✭

The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barners ✭✭✭✭✭

Unmasked: My Life Solving America's Cold Cases - Paul Holes ✭✭✭✭✭

Aquicorn Cove - K. O'neill ✭✭✭✭✭

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute - Talia Hibbert ✭✭✭✭.5

Doughnuts and Doom - Balazs Lorinczi ✭✭✭✭

The Severed Thread - Leslia Vedder ✭✭✭✭

Anya's Ghost - Vera Brosgol ✭✭✭.5

The Hawthorne Legacy - Jennifer Lynn Barnes ✭✭✭✭

The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes ✭✭✭✭

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - Amanda Montell ✭✭✭✭

Babel - R.F. Kuang ✭✭✭✭✭

Save Yourself! - Bones Leopard ✭✭✭✭✭

Blink - Christopher Sebela ✭✭✭

The River Has Teeth - Erica Waters ✭✭✭✭.5

Hold Back the Tide - Melinda Salisbury ✭✭✭✭

Atari and Tika - Efa ✭✭✭✭

Goblin Slayer Vol 1 - Kumo Kagyu ✭✭✭.5

Goblin Slayer Vol 2 - Kumo Kagyu ✭✭✭✭

The Memory Eater - Rebecca Mahoney ✭✭✭✭✭

Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree ✭✭✭✭

Amari and the Great Game - B.B. Alston ✭✭✭✭.5

Thanks a Lot, Universe - Chad Lucas ✭✭✭✭.5

Coming Back - Jessi Zabarsky ✭✭✭.5

I Wish You All the Best - Mason Deaver ✭✭✭✭✭

Heartstopper Vol 1 - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Heartstopper Vol 2 - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Heartstopper Vol 3 - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Heartstopper Vol 4 - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Chaos & Flame - Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland ✭✭✭✭

Heart, Haunt, Havoc - Freydis Moon

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver ✭✭✭✭✭

Ana on the Edge - A.J. Sass ✭✭✭✭

Hell Followed With Us - Andrew Joseph White ✭✭✭✭✭

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins ✭✭.5

Solitaire - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Nick and Charlie - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Belle of the Ball - Mari Costa ✭✭✭✭✭

Devil on Her Shoulder - Cédric Mayen ✭✭✭✭

City of Vicious Night - Claire Winn ✭✭✭✭

SpyxFamily Vol 1 - Tatsuya Endo ✭✭✭✭✭

Joe Hill's Rain - David M. Booher, Joe Hill ✭✭✭✭

Small Nozomi and Big Yume - Sou Hamayumiba ✭✭✭

Girls Like Girls - Hayley Kiyoko ✭✭✭✭

Cursed - Marissa Meyer ✭✭✭✭

I Was Born for This - Alice Oseman ✭✭✭✭✭

Threads That Bind - Kika Hatzopoulou ✭✭✭✭✭

Mooncakes - Suzanne Walker ✭✭✭✭

Ellen Outside the Lines - A.J. Sass ✭✭✭✭✭

Always Human - Ari North ✭✭✭✭

Out of the Blue - Jason June ✭✭✭✭

The Backstagers Vol 1 - James Tynion IV ✭✭✭✭.5

The Backstagers Vol 2 - James Tynion IV ✭✭✭✭✭

Dear Mothman - Robin Gow ✭✭✭✭✭

The Alchemy of Moonlight - David Ferraro ✭✭✭✭

Fake Dates and Mooncakes - Sher Lee ✭✭✭✭✭

The Backstagers Vol 3 - James Tynion IV ✭✭✭✭

So This Is Ever After - F.T. Lukens ✭✭✭✭

Bruised - Tanya Boteju ✭✭✭✭✭

Spell Bound - F.T. Lukens ✭✭✭✭.5

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum - Schnumm, Bex Ollerton ✭✭✭✭✭

Gender Is Really Strange - Teddy G. Goetz ✭✭✭✭✭

If You'll Have Me - Eunnie ✭✭✭✭✭

Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros ✭✭.5

Ode to My First Car - Robin Gow ✭✭✭.5

Save Me! (From Myself): Crushes, Cats, and Existential Crises - So Lazo ✭✭✭✭✭

Soppy: A Love Story - Philippa Rice ✭✭✭✭

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight - Kalynn Bayron ✭✭✭

Rebent Sinner - Ivan Coyote ✭✭✭✭

The Bone Shard Daughter - Andrea Stewart ✭✭✭✭

Legendborn - Tracy Deonn ✭✭✭✭

The Bone Shard Emperor - Andrea Stewart ✭✭✭✭.5

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - Andrew Joseph White ✭✭✭✭✭

Open Throat - Henry Hoke ✭✭✭.5

Girl Juice - Benji Nate ✭✭✭✭

Flavor Girls - Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky, Eros De Santiago ✭✭✭✭

The Love Report - Béka ✭✭✭.5

Last Chance Books - Kelsey Rodkey ✭✭✭.5

Red Rising - Pierce Brown ✭✭✭✭

Where Darkness Blooms - Andrea Hannah ✭✭✭.5

Bittersweet in the Hollow - Kate Pearsall ✭✭✭✭.5

Dead Women Don't Tell Tales - Adrian J. Smith ✭✭✭.5

The Black Cat & the Vampire Vol 1 - Nikke Taino ✭✭✭✭

Mortal Follies - Alexis Hall ✭✭✭✭

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine - Rashid Khalidi ✭✭✭✭✭

The Black Cat & the Vampire Vol 2 - Nikke Taino ✭✭✭✭

These Violent Delights - Chloe Gong ✭✭✭✭✭

The Brothers Hawthorne - Jennifer Lynn Barnes ✭✭✭✭

Squire - Nadia Shammas ✭✭✭✭

The Companion - E.E. Ottoman ✭✭✭✭

Unfamiliar - Haley Newsome ✭✭✭✭

Something More - Jackie Khalilieh ✭✭✭.5

Turtle Bread - Kim-Joy ✭✭✭✭

Our Violent Ends - Chloe Gong ✭✭✭✭✭

Lore Olympus Vol 1 - Rachel Smythe ✭✭✭✭

Lore Olympus Vol 2 - Rachel Smythe ✭✭✭✭

Minor Detail - Adania Shibli ✭✭✭✭✭

Unfamiliar 2 - Haley Newsome ✭✭✭✭

Lore Olympus Vol 3 - Rachel Smythe ✭✭✭✭

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement - Angela Y. Davis ✭✭✭✭✭

Lore Olympus Vol 4 - Rachel Smythe ✭✭✭✭

Us - Sara Soler ✭✭✭✭.5

(titles in italics were ARCs!)

[alt-air]

April 2024 Reading Roundup

One of these days I'll post this on time but this month was not it. To be fair to myself though this last week has been filled with moving preparations (one more day!!). As someone who only ever rented a Uhaul for moving, dealing with a moving company and car shipment company for an apartment thats a flight away is so much work. I feel like my life lately has just been phone calls and emails. Nonetheless, March was an unmemorable month really for me. I have been counting down the days to move while wrapping things up at work and its been so slow. I did read a lot of great books this month though so happy for that. I also discovered the awful truth of freydis moon which I then immediately read yellowface. What a crazy time that was. I did not start a journal as promised but my therapist recommended it for me so this month I'm really gunna try to start. Also special shoutout to all my friends who came together for a final hangout so to speak anyone in their late twenties knows its next to impossible for hangouts to make it out the groupchat so I'm thankful for my friends who made it happen.

Favorite books: The Angel of Indian Lake, Hijab Butch Blues, and Hexarchate Stories (jedao, cheris, and jade daniels: ill never forget you)

Nonfiction

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H.: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Standalones

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Series

Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fence Vol. 6 Redemption by C.S. Pacat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Truth of the Aleke by Moses Ose Utomi: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anthologies

Mother Maiden Crone: Fantastical Trans Femmes edited by Gwen Benaway: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Manga

Dungeon Meshi Vol. 1-4 by Ryoko Kui: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (01/22/24)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce (8/10)

When I first read The Immortals Quartet back in middle school, I wasn't a huge fan of this book, and I also didn't remember much about it. Even now rereading it, it's probably my least favorite of the series, but I do have a new appreciation for it. I really like how Daine is meant to bring the animals, humans, and immortals together and the message of environmentalism. Also, I listened to this as an audiobook, which has a full cast and is amazingly executed. Daine doesn't exactly have a ton of character development, but she is forced to work past some prejudices, which is particularly interesting considering the reader has not been prompted to look deeper into this matter before.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Vol. 4 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (10/10)

This volume of MDZS was gut-wrenching in the best way. The emotion is palpable, and I found myself tearing up at multiple points. The culmination of Wei Wuxian's backstory is perfectly tragic, but there are some more lighthearted elements thrown in there. I think the character work is the strongest in this volume out of the five. Not only concerning Wei Wuxian, but Jiang Cheng as well, as the reader finally gets the answer to why he hates him so much. In the present (and in a moment or two in the past), the romance continues to develop very sweetly at a pace I greatly enjoy.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Vol. 5 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (9/10)

I really like the ending to MDZS; it pulls together all the plot strings very nicely but leaves some character ones dangling in a way that feels realistic but not unsatisfying. After the intensely traumatic events of the main plot, it makes sense that there would still be conflict and lasting effects from all the various deaths and betrayals and whatnot. Still, it is largely a happy ending, especially for the main character. I will say that except for the first few, the extras bored me a little. In my opinion, there's an undue amount of focus on characters that are really just boring or unlikable to me; I would have much rather preferred to see more about the main couple and major side characters, such as Jiang Cheng or the younger disciples.

Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydis Moon (6/10)

This one is a novella that is a blend between horror, urban fantasy, and paranormal romance, which sounds very interesting, but I ultimately found it lacking. In terms of what I liked, the romance is quite cute. Even for a novella it progresses way too quickly for my tastes, but they're sweet together. There's also some very interesting magic. Unfortunately, there's a lack of tension concerning the main plot; nothing is introduced to put the characters on a timeline. And then, despite the potential of the various kinds of magic, there is virtually no worldbuilding. It is not established whether magic, despite it being very common, is widely known or just easily identifiable to those in magical communities, and the rules of the three different kinds of magic introduced (ambitious for a novella) are hardly addressed. This was a mildly interesting, quick read, but I cannot think harder about it or I will get very frustrated.

Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce (10/10)

This was just a joy to reread, being my long-time favorite of the Immortals Quartet. This book marks a turning point as Daine becomes much more independent, exercising her powers for her own gain and ends, and the overarching plot of the series comes to a significant head. This is also the point at which the romance starts to be more heavily hinted at, and I don't care about the age gap, I think they're adorable and it's fiction. The worldbuilding is quite well done, introducing a whole new neighbor to Tortall. Carthak is very obviously based on Egypt, and I loved that Tamora Pierce made it very clear that although the current ruler is rather awful, Carthak is a hub of culture and learning, and even more advanced than Tortall in some ways, even if there are drawbacks to their society.

Year of Reaper by Makiia Lucier (CR, 10%)

I am only a little ways into this novel, but I am hesitant so far. I am personally not a huge fan of plague plotlines, and it seems that will be a major factor in this book; everything will lie on the execution. I don't often read male protagonists in YA novels, so I am interested to see what I think of Cas. (It's a little awkward that his name gives me flashbacks to my Supernatural days.)

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente (CR, 13%)

After my last novella was a bit of a disappointment, this one seems incredibly promising. The premise is unique and grabs my attention, the last of humanity on a small nation built on the Pacific Garbage Patch, especially considering the situation of the main character, Tetley. Tetley also has a great voice so far; I hope her extremely unreliable narration lasts throughout the story.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood (CR, 15%)

I am not particularly enjoying this book so far, but I hope that will change because it has nothing to do with the book itself and everything to do with the absolutely insufferable audiobook narration. I could hardly focus on the story with how exaggerated and childish the narrator sounded, so I will be switching to a typical book and will hopefully like it much more.

The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce (CR, 72%)

Finishing up my Immortals Quartet reread, this audiobook is the opposite and lovely to listen to. I think I underestimated how much of a grip Daine and Numair have on me because they truly have invaded my brain. Plotwise, Tamora Pierce does a great job with the rules concerning her gods and working them into the story in present but not overpowered ways. Even though I don't really have many chances to listen to an audiobook right now, I hope to finish this one within the next week.

[sacredheart-stigmata]

Help me! I have 7 books on my e-reader right now and I don't know which one to choose. Summaries below the cut!!!!

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - Kristin Kobes Du Mez:

Jesus and John Wayne is a sweeping, revisionist history of the last seventy-five years of white evangelicalism, revealing how evangelicals have worked to replace the Jesus of the Gospels with an idol of rugged masculinity and Christian nationalism―or in the words of one modern chaplain, with “a spiritual badass.”

As acclaimed scholar Kristin Du Mez explains, the key to understanding this transformation is to recognize the centrality of popular culture in contemporary American evangelicalism. Many of today’s evangelicals might not be theologically astute, but they know their VeggieTales, they’ve read John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart, and they learned about purity before they learned about sex and they have a silver ring to prove it. Evangelical books, films, music, clothing, and merchandise shape the beliefs of millions. And evangelical culture is teeming with muscular heroes, mythical warriors and rugged soldiers, men like Oliver North, Ronald Reagan, Mel Gibson, and the Duck Dynasty clan, who assert white masculine power in defense of “Christian America.” Chief among these evangelical legends is John Wayne, an icon of a lost time when men were uncowed by political correctness, unafraid to tell it like it was, and did what needed to be done.

Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “moral majority” backed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 for purely pragmatic reasons, Du Mez reveals that Trump in fact represented the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values: patriarchy, authoritarian rule, aggressive foreign policy, fear of Islam, ambivalence toward #MeToo, and opposition to Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ community. A much-needed reexamination of perhaps the most influential subculture in this country, Jesus and John Wayne shows that, far from adhering to biblical principles, modern white evangelicals have utterly remade their faith, with enduring consequences for all Americans.

2. The Man Jesus Loved - Theodore W. Jennings Jr:

Homosexuality has been at the forefront of debate in the church for the last quarter-century, with Biblical interpretation at the heart of this debate. Some biblical passages appear to condemn certain same-sex relationships or erotic practices, resulting in a challenge to clergy as well as laity regarding the preaching and understanding of these Biblical passages. In "The Man Jesus Loved," Jennings proposes a gay-affirmative reading of the Bible in the hope of respecting the integrity of these texts and making them more clear as well as persuasive. This reading suggests that the exclusion of persons on the basis of their sexual orientation or same-sex practices fundamentally distorts the Bible generally and the traditions concerning Jesus in particular.

3. Among the Eunuchs - Leyla Jagiella

From an early age, Leyla Jagiella knew that she would be defined by two things: being Muslim and being trans. Struggling to negotiate these identities in her conservative, small hometown, she travelled to India and Pakistan, where her life was changed by her time among third-gender communities. Known as hijras in India, khwajasaras in Pakistan, these marginal communities have traditionally been politically and culturally important, respected for their supernatural powers to bless or curse, and often serving as eunuchs in Mughal India's palaces. But under British colonialism, the hijras were criminalised and persecuted, entrenching taboos they still battle today. Among the Eunuchs reveals vastly varied interpretations of religion, gender and sexuality, illuminating how deeply culture informs our experiences. As identity becomes an ideological battlefield, Jagiella complicates binaries and dogma with her rich personal reflections. Her fascinating journey speaks to all who find themselves juggling different kinds of belonging.

4. The Angles and Their Mission - Jean Danielou

From St. Augustine to John Henry Newman, the greatest among the saints and men of God have lived on familiar terms with the angels; and the Church has always accorded them a very large place in her theology. Recent theologians have dwelt on dry questions about the nature of the angels, but the early Fathers of the Church, with the memory of Jesus fresh in their minds (and of the angels of whom He spoke often) were fascinated with the energetic action of the angels among men and the ways in which the angels have carried out that mission from the instant of Creation through the time of Jesus; and how they will continue their work even unto the end of time. From the works of these early Fathers of the Church, the late French Cardinal Jean Daniélou has drawn forth threads of knowledge and wisdom which he has here woven into a lucid and bright tapestry that shows us who the ministering angels really are, and how—in every instant and in every way—they are working for your salvation and mine. Here you’ll find no sentimental cherubs: the Fathers knew that majesty and power cloak actual angels, which is why God gave them the formidable tasks of shepherding not only souls, but entire nations, and the motions of the entire material universe itself. Open these pages to meet the glorious angels as they were known by the Church’s greatest saints and theologians: Origen and Eusebius, and Sts. Basil, Ambrose, Methodius, Gregory of Nyssa, Clement of Alexandria, and John Chrysostom (among others).

5. Most Ardently - Gabe Cole Novoa

London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world—and the vast majority of his family and friends—think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife. But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive. As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man could be possible. But suitors are growing bolder—and even threatening—and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.

6. Gwen And Art Are Not In Love - Lex Croucher

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair. Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

7. Exodus 20:3 - Freydis Moon

When Deigo López is guilted by his mother into taking a lowkey construction job in New Mexico, he doesn't expect to be the only helping hand at Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. But the church is abandoned, decrepit, and off the beaten path, and the only other person for miles is its handsome caretaker, Ariel Azevedo. Together, Diego and Ariel refurbish the old church, sharing stories of their heritage, experiences, and desires. But as the long days turn into longer nights, Diego begins to see past Ariel's human mirage and finds himself falling into lust—and maybe something else—with one of God's first creations.

I need new books to read :(

[lesbianwyllravengard]

2, 4, 6 and 8 for whoever you’re rotating the most/sparks the biggest answer!

Thank you!!! <3 here's the ask game

I'll put it under read more so I'm not annoying

2. What is one consistent fight they have with their partners? - Marian never fights with her three wives (Anders, Isabela, and Merrill) so I'll do Freydis and Josephine. They are both equally terrible at taking care of themselves so anytime one of them chastises the other about not taking care of themselves they get into an argument about hypocrisy, and ultimately miss the fact that they should both be in therapy. but their fights never last longer than like 5 minutes before they both give in and apologise and kiss and whatever

4. Have they ever been forced apart due to circumstance? How did they handle the distance? - When Marian went to Skyhold to help the Inquisition with Corypheus was the longest she and Anders had ever been apart. Isabela had taken Merrill to explore the seas so they were all used to be long distance, but Marian had been on the run with Anders for years so they literally haven't had a moment apart since the end of da2 and they're both doing terribly when she's at Skyhold. I've said this before but they have mad codependency. they probably kept in contact via letters but it wasn't enough for either of them. Marian's return home was a category 5 gay people moment (and Anders is FURIOUS when he finds out Marian even suggested leaving her behind in the fade to stop the fear demon. like he'd be so upset over that that's the only thing they'd ever fight about)

6. Have they ever ended their relationship and come back together after some time? - no lol if Josie had ever ended things with Freydis she'd kill herself /hj . no but uh, I could see Marian and Merrill separating briefly just because Merrill has some things to work out with her identity and the loss of her clan and feels like she can't spread herself out like that. Marian understands and when Merrill returns about a year later they are still in love <3

And I answered number 8 here for Marian and Freydis, so I'll answer that one for Inquisitor Chantry Bomber Anders even tho he's not my OC because it's funny. 8. What is one sweet gesture that they do for one another on a regular basis? - Anders brings Dorian every book he finds because he heard One Time that Dorian likes to read. He's also snuck a copy of his manifesto into Dorian's library but Dorian recognised it instantly but he still pretended he had no idea and complimented it thoroughly. and then I think Dorian would find ways to get new clothes for Anders or alter the ones he already has to look nicer bc Anders has been on the run and dresses like it. it's just that Dorian can't be seen with someone who dresses so poorly, that's all, not because he enjoys the idea of Anders wearing something he chose

[notdavidfincher]

Vikings: Valhalla season 1

[warrior-girl-s]

[honestsycrets]

↳ We should wait until the spring.    And after the birth of my divine child. (5.16)