Books Five Books About 5 SFF Books Featuring Teenaged Reincarnated Deities Here are five young adult novels featuring teenagers who are reincarnated gods.  By Adrienne Tooley | Published on July 2, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share By virtue of their age and station, teenagers are relatively powerless. Parents and authority figures dismiss them as trivial, silly, or frivolous. Politicians and leaders use them as pawns to wage proxy wars with no thought of the consequences.  As a writer of fantasy books for teenagers, I must confess that I am guilty of veering to the opposite extreme—putting my characters in circumstances and positions of power vastly outside their realms of competency. I give my seventeen-year-olds swords and send them to the frontlines of the battlefield, put crowns upon their heads, and even place the success of entire religions on their shoulders (it’s about the stakes). Youth does not diminish a teenager’s ability to speak, to assemble, to plan, and to dream, after all. But in the Betrayal Prophecies duology, I wade even further into the chasm between expectations and abilities by offering a teenaged character impossible power as they discover they are actually a reincarnated deity.  This adds another layer to the standard coming-of-age narrative. In this context, an ageless god, accustomed to unlimited power is now restricted by the societal expectations placed on a teenager. What happens when a child, only just learning who they are, must also grapple with the legacy of who they were before? Who emerges triumphant when less-than-nobly minded adults seek to control that god for their own gain? When an all-powerful deity is asked to submit to the existing structures around them due to the body they inhabit, the confines of society become another layer of antagonism. The Betrayal Prophecies duology is not the only series to have teenagers navigate this fine line of past and present. Here are five other young adult novels featuring teenagers who are reincarnated gods.  The Ravensong duology by Cayla Fay In this sapphic duology, our reincarnated deity teen, Neve, is stuck in high school. One of the Morrigan—a triad of Irish war gods—she is used to defending the mortal world against the legions of hell with her two sisters. But until she turns eighteen, Neve can’t access her power. This puts her in a pretty vulnerable position (especially when she meets Alexandria, and her heart is suddenly involved). But when something in Hell wants Alexandria, Neve and her sisters must save her before it’s too late. As Neve works to save the world and the girl she loves, she must also grapple with her past lives—what she has done and perhaps more importantly, what she can no longer remember. Torn between the past and present, Neve struggles to align who she was with who she is, even while the world hangs in the balance.  As a kid, I was obsessed with folklore, and Fay’s Irish-mythology-inspired duology filled me again with that childlike sense of wonder. Her take on the Morrigan was freshly modern while still offering a strong nod to the source material (and giving me plenty of things to Google once I finished reading). Neve’s relationship with her sisters was my favorite dynamic in the books (apart from the grumpy/sunshine sapphic romance, of course). Sibling lore is rich enough when you’ve only lived one life, but due to their shared history, the sisters’ bonds were so strong it’s no wonder they were able to make it through Hell and back again.  The Ouroboros duology by H.E. Edgmon In this duology, our reincarnated deity is Gem Echols, a nonbinary Seminole teen living in the tiny town of Gracie, Georgia. Haunted by dreams and visions of magic and violence that have always felt too real, Gem starts to question everything when a new girl seems to know a little too much about them. After saving Gem’s life, she reveals they are reincarnated gods who’ve known and loved each other across lifetimes. But Gem – or at least who Gem used to be—hasn’t always been the most benevolent deity. They’ve made a lot of enemies in the pantheon. Enemies who keep coming. As Gem encounter past gods, their world is thrown into chaos—and so is the pantheon. Gem’s past is catching up to them, and they’ll have to examine who they were and the choices they made in order to survive. Rage is not an emotion often explored in young adult novels, but Edgemon deftly navigates Gem’s visceral, raw anger. Gem has undergone so much suffering, both as a god, and as a queer teenager that it’s no wonder they have their sights set on revenge when the past catches up with them. These books are a reckoning—brutal, chaotic, and filled with queer characters who love something fierce. That’s pretty much all of my favorite things.  Forgotten Gods duology by Marie Rutkoski  Set in the same world as The Winner’s Curse series, this sapphic duology is a caste-based world where pleasures are reserved for the High Kith, and the Half Kith are kept behind a wall in the Ward. But Nirrim, a girl of low status, has memories she can’t seem to place. She sees glimpses of the past. She dreams of what the world once was. As Nirrim escapes the confines of the Ward, meets a girl from faraway named Sid, and experiences the world of the High Kith firsthand, she begins to witness magic. And then, when faced with the forgotten gods, Nirrim makes a sacrifice in order to allow people to remember. But with those memories come power, recklessly wielded and not fully known. And when the Gods wage war, Nirrim will face much more than she bargained for.  The Midnight Lie is one of my favorite young adult fantasy novels. I adore Rutkoski’s lush prose, her precise worldbuilding and the way this world touts magic as a privilege rather than a power, but most of all, I love Nirrim and Sid. Sid upends Nirrim’s life in the most extraordinary way, and as their relationship grows, so does Nirrim’s view of the world, other people, and herself. Sid changes the way Nirrim understands love, and with that understanding comes the courage she needs to break free of the confines of her life and remember.  A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow While A Song of Salvation can be read as a standalone, this space opera exists in the same universe as Dow’s first two YA novels The Sound of Stars and The Kindred. Zaira Citlali is Indigo reborn, the god whose song created the universe and unified people across galaxies to banish the god of destruction. Unfortunately, she cannot currently access any of his powers, which is especially concerning because the Emperor wants to sacrifice Zaira in Indigo’s honor. This is not what Zaira wants, and when she manages to escape and crosses paths with a grumpy pilot named Wesley, they’ll have to work together to make it to earth (alongside a beloved space DJ) and unlock Zaira’s powers, all while an intergalactic war wages on around them.  I am such a fan of the Alechia Dow sci-fi universe. Her worldbuilding is meticulous and vast, the intergalactic politics and critique of colonialism thoughtfully handled, and her characters well-rounded. I especially love a found family trope, and Zaria, Wesley, and Rubin fit the bill here—stronger together and because of each other.  The Divine Traitors duology by Kamilah Cole While Faron Vincent isn’t technically a reincarnated deity, she can harness the power of the gods. A former “chosen one,” Faron helped liberate her country at thirteen, and now, five years later, she has power, but no war to fight. Then, her sister Elara bonds with the enemy empire’s dragon and the gods tell Faron the only way to break the bond is to kill her sister. Faron grapples with the choices that she made as a child—and now as a teenager—with boundless power. When she was helming a war, it was one thing. But now, Faron will be forced to choose between saving her sister or protecting her homeland. So Let Them Burn explores the aftermath of victory, contending with the responsibility and impossible pressure of power. This is book about bonds: between warrior and country, rider and dragon, chosen one and the gods, and, perhaps most importantly, the complicated yet impenetrable bond between sisters. Cole’s debut offers a skillful commentary on colonialism, characters that grip you by the throat, and an immersive world filled with dragons, danger, and deception. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, due out in 2025. [end-mark] The post 5 SFF Books Featuring Teenaged Reincarnated Deities appeared first on Reactor.

News The Sandman Indya Moore and Ann Skelly Are Among Eight New Cast Members for The Sandman’s Second Season Gods and faeries and talking dogs, here we come. By Molly Templeton | Published on July 2, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share It feels like it has been approximately forever since the first season of The Sandman, so every bit of casting news is extremely welcome. In May, Netflix announced the actors playing the members of the Endless—the siblings of Morpheus (Tom Sturridge)—that we didn’t see in season one. And now they’ve announced eight more actors, who are joining the show in a wide array of very, very interesting roles. As showrunner Allan Heinberg told Tudum, “In the next chapter of The Sandman, the King of Dreams will come face-to-face—and go toe-to-toe—with the formidable rulers of Hell, Asgard, Faerie, and the realms beyond.” These characters are described as being from the Sandman collections Season of Mists and Brief Lives, but sharp-eyed Sandman readers will note that at least one of these folks is actually from A Game of You. Here are the new arrivals in the Sandman universe: Ruairi O’Connor (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) will play Orpheus, the son of Dream and Calliope (who appeared in that very upsetting coda episode last season). Orpheus is, as Netflix puts it, “an idealistic, romantic, young man—and very much his father’s son—until tragedy strikes and reveals to him the true nature of love.” Freddie Fox (The Great) plays Loki, who needs very little introduction these days. This version of the Norse god is described thusly: “The smartest and most dangerous person in any room, Loki is utterly irresistible and never to be trusted.” Clive Russell (Game of Thrones) plays Odin, who you also know all about. Here, he is very busy trying to avert Ragnarök. (Side note: This is not Russell’s first Gaiman adaptation; he was Mr. Vandemar in the BBC’s Neverwhere.) Laurence O’Fuarain (The Witcher: Blood Origin) is Thor, described as “brusque, rude, and driven entirely by his appetites for food and drink, battle, and sex.” Ann Skelly (The Nevers) and Douglas Booth (Jupiter Ascending) play Nuala and Cluracan, siblings who come from the court of Faerie and who “are opposites in every way. Nuala is responsible, empathetic, and principled. Cluracan is an impulsive rogue who lives for pleasure. They disagree about everything, except their devotion to each other.” Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones) plays Puck, “a malevolent hobgoblin” who “is fascinated by mortals and enjoys nothing more than making sport of them for his own amusement.” Steve Coogan (24 Hour Party People) voices Barnabas the dog, the companion of the Prodigal. “Barnabas is loyal and loving, but an outspoken cynic. Meaning, he’s both man’s best friend and man’s sharpest critic,” says Tudum. And last but absolutely not least, Indya Moore (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) plays Wanda, “a professional driver and security agent for an exclusive travel firm. Wanda proves herself to be an indispensable guide on an Endless road trip to the waking world.” It’s Wanda who appears in A Game of You, which makes her appearance on this list quite intriguing. There still no word on when, exactly, The Sandman’s second season will arrive on Netflix, but it’s in production now.[end-mark] The post Indya Moore and Ann Skelly Are Among Eight New Cast Members for <i>The Sandman</i>’s Second Season appeared first on Reactor.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., says she intends to file articles of impeachment against Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court ruled Monday in Trump v. United States that presidents have immunity from prosecution pertaining to “official acts” taken in office. Afterward, Ocasio-Cortez said in a post on X that she intends to file articles of impeachment against the justices and that the high court has been ”consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control.” “Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy,” the New York Democrat wrote. “It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture.” The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control.Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture.I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2024 Trump was indicted August 2023 on four felony counts related to an alleged effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court decided in the 6-3 ruling issued Monday that Trump is entitled to “at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts” and maintained that “there is no immunity for unofficial acts.” The majority opinion was written by Chief Justice John Roberts, who was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh. Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined in part. The dissenting opinion was written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post AOC Pledges to File Articles of Impeachment Against Supreme Court Justices appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Carville: "Vox Populi!"

The US Supreme Court has killed a crucial 40-year-old legal precedent that empowered federal agencies to interpret laws and to decide on the best ways to implement them. Now, if there is a dispute over ambiguous language in laws that could be addressed by deferring to agency expertise, federal judges can simply decide what it means by themselves.In short, judges can now expand their role into policymaking and will have profound impacts on a range of areas, from environmental protection to food regulation and workplace safety.  What is the Chevron deference?The so-called Chevron deference was established in 1984 by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council. It was essentially a dispute over how the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) interpreted provisions of the 1977 Clean Air Act that regulated power plants.At the time, the EPA under President Ronald Reagan’s administration was more interested in deregulation that favored industry, rather than decreasing pollution, so it proffered interpretations of the Clean Air Act that were to the liking of facility owners. This interpretation was challenged by environmental groups, but the court ultimately ruled in favour of the EPA. In doing so, they established a two-step process for deciding how federal courts should address disputes.In essence, if Congress has been clear on what it intends with a law, then courts have no place to intervene. However, if there is ambiguity in the language or gaps, then courts should defer to agency expertise and interpretations, but only if they are reasonable and evidentially grounded.Ever since then, the deference has been applied in thousands of cases where government regulations affect anything from health and safety or climate change to business operations, schooling, the environment, and so on. However, the new ruling brings this to an end. A definitive nail in the coffin.What happened? The Chevron deference was killed by a dispute between a New England fishing company and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The case, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, challenged part of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which sets limits to prevent overfishing and also requires fishing companies to pay for inspectors to be on board to monitor their compliance.In this case, Loper Bright argued that the NMFS had no right to force this cost. At first, a district court ruled that the NMFS did have the right, stating that Congress had empowered it to do so – the Chevron deference. However, the plaintiff appealed to the Supreme Court in 2023, and we now know what they ruled.The 6-3 ruling allows judges to make their own decisions without the need to defer to the scientific expertise of relevant agencies.“Agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities. Courts do,” Chief Justice John Roberts said.The decision is a considerable success for Conservatives who have been trying to overturn the precedent for decades. They had objected to its existence on the basis that, by giving executive agencies the freedom to implement laws, federal bureaucracies had too much power.In a dissent from the ruling, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that: “In one fell swoop, the majority today gives itself exclusive power over every open issue – no matter how expertise-driven or policy-laden – involving the meaning of regulatory law.”“As if it did not have enough on its plate, the majority turns itself into the country’s administrative czar.”One of the concerns for those who urged the high court to keep the Chevron doctrine is that the ruling will usher in a new era of administrative chaos. Courts are not likely equipped to address this form of decision-making, lacking the necessary scientific or technical knowledge experts in agencies had. It ultimately changes the foundations upon which scientific information is used in federal policymaking.Kagan offered examples of the types of technical questions judges will now need to decide on themselves. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration must decide what qualifies as a protein in relation to regulating biological products. Or, in regard to the Endangered Species Act, experts within the Fish and Wildlife Service need to determine what a “distinct population segment” is when considering plants and animals that are at risk.Looking forward, it is likely we will now see more judges from across the country weighing in on what the federal government does. It will also likely mean that Congress will have to write more explicit instructions in their laws that clearly define what agencies need to do to implement them. This in itself will probably result in further confusion as larger agencies try to carry out different programs.

Wherever American energy production and innovation are on the rise, legacy media stands in opposition yelling “stop.” In a July 1 segment of CBS Mornings, Environmental correspondent Ben Tracy aired out the frustrations of climate activists upset over the rapid expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production in the United States. During the segment, Tracy nearly entirely ignored the enormous benefits of cheap and abundant energy. This massive expansion comes despite the Biden Administration’s restrictive pause on new liquified oil and gas projects. Tracy reported this tremendous news for the American people as a negative, due to alleged ‘climate change.’  Tracy explained that the number of U.S. LNG export terminals is dramatically increasing. “This is one of eight operating LNG terminals in the U.S. Seven more are under construction. U.S. Capacity has more than tripled since 2018 and is expected to double again by 2030,” Tracy said. He specifically noted this increase is all much to the dismay of the climate cult. “This unprecedented boom worries climate activists who call the new LNG plants carbon bombs,” Tracy lashed out. “Natural gas, while considered cleaner than coal, produces both carbon dioxide and methane emissions that are rapidly warming the planet.” Tracy framed a new LNG plant as a “goliath” during an interview with a local landowner opposing its construction.  The closest CBS Mornings came to acknowledging that our society desperately needs cheap and abundant energy sources like natural gas was when Tracy read one solitary comment by Venture Global LNG. “[T]he world needs more energy, specifically natural gas,” the company reportedly told CBS. CBS also featured a brief clip from an interview with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm who defended Biden’s LNG pause. This is far from the only action Biden has taken to harm American energy. Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency recently passed a rule that CNN Climate Correspondent Bill Wehr said is designed to not only shutter existing coal plants, but also to place new burdens on new natural gas plants. The Biden Administration has also restricted drilling in Alaska, and reversed several of former President Donald Trump’s pro-energy executive orders. Despite the success of LNG in the present, American Petroleum Institute CEO Mike Sommers has warned that there will be severe future ramifications to Biden’s decision to discourage investment in oil and gas production.  Conservatives are under attack! Contact CBS News at 212-975-3247 and demand they hold Biden and his cronies accountable for attempting to restrict fossil fuel production and Americans’ choices.

Pretty much any part of history can provide us with lessons for survival. After all, the history of mankind is a history of survival. The post Survival Lessons from Roman Legionnaires appeared first on Survivopedia.

Tennessee has joined Florida in enabling trial judges and juries to put child rapists six feet under. State House Majority Leader William Lamberth introduced House Bill 1663 in January. Republicans managed to pass the legislation in both chambers despite Democratic opposition. State Rep. Aftyn Behn (Nashville), one of the bill's Democratic critics, insisted that the "death penalty is incompatible with the right to life." Behn, a pro-abortion advocate, suggested further that "it violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment and guarantees of due process of law and equal protection under the law." Behn also suggested that that victims might be less likely to report crimes if they knew their abusers would be sentenced to death. Lamberth responded to Behn, saying, "Directly from a survivor: 'My sister and I were abused by my father from a very young age. I just want you to know that I appreciate you pushing for the death penalty. I don't think it will stop people from telling about their abuse.' ... She's lived it. I trust her." Florida Republicans faced similar opposition from leftists over their child-rapist death penalty law. The leftist blog TruthOut denounced the legislation, suggesting the law was the result of an "anti-LGBTQ" legislative campaign and claiming further that the death penalty is "one of the most explicitly lethal manifestations of institutional racism and oppression." TheBody, an HIV resource blog, also suggested the legislation could be dangerous for LGBT people. Seattle Gay News expressed concern that the legislation could set the stage for the execution of persons who subject children to "gender-affirming" genital mutilations as well as those deemed to be "child groomers." After Tennessee Republicans overcame the opposition of Behn and other Democrats, Gov. Bill Lee (R) ratified the legislation on May 9. 'If someone rapes one of our children, they forfeit their own life.' Previously, an adult pedophile convicted of rape of a child aged 8-13 in the state would be looking at serving between 15-60 years in prison for a Class A felony. An adult pedophile convicted of aggravated rape of a child 8 or younger would necessarily receive life imprisonment without parole. Now, in the first case of child rape, the sentence must necessarily be death, imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole, or life imprisonment. In the second case of aggravated child rape, the sentence must be death or imprisonment for life without parole. If a jury cannot agree on a punishment, then the trial judge is to default to a sentence of life without parole for a child rapist. The law also states that defendants with intellectual disabilities cannot be sentenced to death. Ahead of his bill's passage, Lamberth noted, "We're going to protect our children in the state of Tennessee. If someone rapes one of our children, they forfeit their own life," reported the Tennessean. "Life in prison for these evil people is simply too good," added Lamberth. While the law went into effect Monday, it remains in a kind of limbo on account of Gov. Lee's moratorium on executions. In May 2022, Lee learned the state had not properly checked lethal drugs for bacterial contamination and called for an independent review. That said, Lee indicated the penalty remains on the table on a case-to-case basis. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Kennedy v. Louisiana that the Eighth Amendment prohibits states from executing child rapists in cases where the crime did not result and was not intended to result in the death of the child. Justices Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and the late Antonin Scalia dissented. Justice Alito, who wrote the dissenting opinion, noted, "The Court today holds that the Eighth Amendment categorically prohibits the imposition of the death penalty for the crime of raping a child. This is so, according to the Court, no matter how young the child, no matter how many times the child is raped, no matter how many children the perpetrator rapes, no matter how sadistic the crime, no matter how much physical or psychological trauma is inflicted, and no matter how heinous the perpetrator’s prior criminal record may be." Justice Alito stressed that the two reasons offered by the liberal majority on the court for this conclusion — that that there was a "national consensus" that the death penalty is not an acceptable punishment for child rape and that such a penalty is inconsistent with the "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society" — were "unsound." After poking holes in the majority's opinion, Alito underscored that the Eighth Amendment is not a "one-way ratchet that prohibits legislatures from adopting new capital punishment statutes to meet new problems" and that "child rapists exhibit the epitome of moral depravity," inflicting "grievous injury on victims and on society in general." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who ratified House Bill 1297 last year imposing the death penalty for pedophiles who commit sexual battery against children under 12, made expressly clear that he is prepared to take the law "all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule judicial precedents which have unjustly shielded child rapists from the death penalty and denied victims and their loved ones the opportunity to pursue ultimate justice against these most heinous criminals." Tennessee state Sen. Jack Johnson (R) also expressed confidence in April that the high court would rule in favor of the child-rapist execution bill he supported. "Given the makeup of the current court, there is a strong possibility that Kennedy v. Louisiana could be overturned," wrote Johnson. "I feel very certain that the Supreme Court believes there is a strong, compelling state interest to protect children, and we believe this Court will support Tennessee's efforts." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Someone's NERVOUS --> Liz Cheney SNAPS at Trump for Posting Meme That Hits TOO CLOSE to Home for Her

'Tone-Deaf Political DISASTER'! CNN Sr. Political Commentator Savagely TEARS Into Biden and Dems (Watch)