More Of That Punk Russian Twerp.

Close ups of the arrows. I painted dial rods and tore apart feathers them glued them on to make these. They're too short to actually shoot but they work for what I need, decoration.

Posting this without context.

((More England, except now it's pirate.))

How to spot untrustworthy resources on the Maya - Maya Archaeologist

Here are 10 tell-tale signs that expose unknowledgeable KS2 History resources about the Maya

I thought this was really good, so I wanted to share. Some of the images were missing, so I did my best to substitute based on the description.

Since the ancient Maya have been added to the Key Stage 2 national curriculum for History (non-European Study), there’s been a ‘mushrooming’ of online resources covering the topic. Most of which are downright awful!

After the recent flawed news story about a teenager finding a Maya site, I thought it an apt moment to let both teachers who are teaching the Maya as well as the general public know what they need to be looking out for to confirm a resource’s unreliability

Beware!

Here are 10 tell-tale signs that expose unknowledgeable sources

1. The term ‘Mayan’ is used instead of ‘Maya’

The term ‘Mayan’ is ubiquitously used by ill-informed sources: ‘Mayan people’, ‘Mayan pyramids’, ‘Mayan civilisation’…

All Maya specialists -and, for that matter, all non-specialists who’ve read a book or two on the ancient Maya- know that the right word is Maya.

Their calendar is called the ‘Maya calendar’, their civilisation is called the ‘Maya civilisation’, their art is called ‘Maya art’…

The only time you should use the adjective ‘Mayan’ is when you are talking about their languages, the ‘Mayan languages’.

So, if you see ‘Mayan people’, ‘Mayan pyramids, ‘Mayan art’, ‘Mayan civilisation’, etc, on a publication (website or magazine), you can be sure the person who wrote the article doesn’t know a thing about the ancient Maya.

2. The image of the Aztec calendar stone is presented as the Maya calendar

Unscrupulous sources will use the ‘Sun Stone’ to illustrate texts about the Maya calendar.

Unfortunately, the famous sculpture is Aztec. Not Maya.

Using the ‘Sun Stone’ to talk about Maya calendar system is like using photos of theElizabeth Tower at Westminster (AKA ‘Big Ben’), which was completed in 1859, to illustrate time keeping in ancient Rome!

And yes I have even seen this image adorning the front cover of books on the Maya! Beware! Which leads nicely onto point 3-

3. The Maya are identified as the Aztecs

This confusion is very common but the truth is the Aztecs were very different to the Maya. They spoke a different language and had a different writing system.

Also the Maya civilisation began at least 1500 before the Aztecs.

The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan is as far away from the great Maya site of Tikal as London is from Milan, Italy!

Stating the Maya were the same as the Aztecs, is basically saying that all Europeans are the same, having the same language, culture and beliefs…

Would you like to see an image of Stonehenge on the front cover of a book on the French? I think not!

Then we get the Egyptians….

4. Maya pyramids are said to be similar to Egyptian pyramids

I am afraid not!

Firstly, the ancient Maya and ancient Egyptians lived during different time periods. The time of pyramid building in Egypt was around 2000 years earlier than the earliest Maya pyramid.

Secondly, Egyptian pyramids have a different shape and use to those of the Maya.

Maya pyramids are not actually pyramidal! They have a polygonal base, but their four faces do not meet at a common point like Egyptian pyramids. Maya pyramids were flat and often had a small room built on top.

Pyramids in Egypt were used as tombs for the dead rulers, for the Maya, though the pyramids were mainly used for ceremonies carried out on top and watched from below.

Lastly, they were built differently. Maya pyramids were built in layers; each generation would build a bigger structure over the previous one. Egyptian pyramids, on the other hand, were designed and built as a single edifice.

5. It is claimed that the Maya mysteriously disappeared in the 10th century AD

Uninformed sources talk about the ‘mysterious’ disappearance of the ancient Maya around the 10th century AD., which mislead people to think that the Maya disappeared forever….

Firstly, the Maya did not disappear. Around 8 million Maya are still living today in various countries of Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras); in fact half of the population of Guatemala is Maya.

Although they do not build pyramids like the ancient Maya did, modern Maya still wear similar dress, follow similar rituals and some use the ancient Maya calendar. I am sure they would all like to assure you that they have definitely not disappeared!

We know now that what is called ‘Classic Maya Collapse’  was actually a slow breakdown, followed by a reconstruction, of a number of political, economical and cultural structures in the Maya society.

Archaeologists see cities being abandoned over the course of the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, and people travelling north into the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) building new great cities such as Mayapan, which was occupied up until the 15th century.

Secondly, there was nothing mysterious about it! A number of associated factors were at play.

There was a severe drought in the rainforest area that lasted decades, so people moved north where water sources were more easily available. The competition between waring factions and cities for natural resources led to increased warfare. Which, in turn, led to the breakdown of trade networks.

All this was likely exacerbated by political and economical changes in Central Mexico.

So, very much like the French did not disappear after the French Revolution -although they stopped building castles and some big political, economical and cultural changes occurred in the French society- the Maya did not mysteriously disappear around the 10th century.

6. The Maya are portrayed as blood-thirsty sacrifice-loving psychos

The Maya are often portrayed in the media and popular culture as blood-thirsty (see for example Mel Gibson’s 2006 Apocalypto), so the commonly accepted -and oft-repeated- idea is that the Maya carried out lots of sacrifices.

Actually, there is barely any trace of sacrifice in the archaeological record of the Maya area. The rare evidence comes from pictorial representations on ceramics and sculpture.

Warfare amongst the Maya was actually much less bloody than ours and no, they did not use a real skull as a ball in their ballgame! And no the loser was not put to death!

In warfare, they did capture and kill opponents, but it was on a small-scale. Rulers boasted of being “He of five captives” or “He of the three captives”.

The heart sacrifices that were recorded by the Spanish chroniclers were those of the Aztecs.

It is also important to keep in mind that the Spanish Conquistadors had lots of incentives to describe the indigenous people of the Americas as blood-thirsty savages.

It made conquest and enslavement easier to justify (see the Valladolid Debate) so lots of stories were exaggerated.

And who are we to judge when we used to have public spectacles of people being hanged or having their heads chopped off and placed on spikes on London Bridge!

7. The ancient Maya predicted that the world would end on 21 December 2012

The 2012 phenomenon was a range of beliefs that cataclysmic events would trigger then end of our world on December 21st.

This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Maya Long Count calendar and it was said that the ancient Maya had prophesied the event.

This is not true and all Maya people today and Maya specialists know this!

Very much like a century and a millennium ended in the Christian calendar on December 31st 1999, a great cycle of the Maya Long Count -the 13th b’ak’tun– was to end on 21 December 2012.

In Maya time-keeping, a b’ak’tun is a period of roughly 5,125 years.

Only two Maya monuments –Tortuguero Monument 6 and La Corona Hieroglyphic Stairway 12– mention the end of the 13th b’ak’tun. None of them contains any speculation or prophecy as to what would happen at that time.

While the end of the 13th b’ak’tun would perhaps be a cause for celebration, the next day the Maya believed that a new cycle -the 14th b’ak’tun- would begin; much like our New Year’s Eve.

In fact, in the temple of Inscriptions at Palenque, where we find the tomb of King Pakal, it was written that in AD 4772 the people would be celebrating the anniversary of the coronation of their new King Pakal!

8. The Maya are described as primitive people

The Maya created an incredible civilization in the rainforest where it is extremely humid, with lots of bugs and dangerous animals and little water.

There they built spectacular temples, pyramids and palaces without the use of metal tools, the wheel, or any pack animals, such as the donkey, ox or elephant.

The Maya were the only civilization in the whole of the Americas to develop a complete writing system like ours.

They were only one of two cultures in the world to develop the zero in their number system and so were able to make advanced calculations and became great astronomers.

The Maya were extremely advanced in painting and making sculptures, they played the earliest team sport in the world and most importantly, for me anyway, is that we have the ancient Maya to thank for chocolate!

So no, they were definitely not primitive!

The problem with this view of the ancient Maya is that their achievements are then explained by the help of Extra-terrestrial beings or other civilisations.

9. The great achievements of the Maya are in thanks to the Olmecs

The Olmec civilisation is an earlier culture located along the Gulf coast of Mexico.

This myth of the Olmecs being a ‘mother culture’ to the Maya and other cultures in Mesoamerica had been questioned over 20 years ago and has been long put to rest.

Excavations have shown that they were many other cultures, other than the Olmec living in Mesoamerica before the Maya and that rather than a ‘mother culture’ we should be looking at ‘sister cultures’ all influencing each other.

Furthermore, Maya achievements in hieroglyphic writing and calendrics which no other culture in Mesoamerica had seen or used, indicate that they were much more innovators than adopters.

So, if the resource mentions the above, then it is obvious that they are not specialists and are using redundant information written over 20 years ago.

10. Chichen Itza is used as the quintessential Maya site

Chichen Itza was inhabited quite late during the Maya time period, about 1400 years after the first Maya city and is not purely Maya.

The city was quite cosmopolitan and was greatly influenced by Central Mexico, particularly the Toltecs, who may have lived there.

Therefore, its architecture and art -such as the ‘chacmools‘ or the ‘tzompantli‘ (AKA ‘skull-racks’) actually are Central Mexican, and not Maya, features.

A much better example of a typical Maya city would be Tikal, which was occupied for more than 1500 years.

So, if all you see on a website is about Chichen Itza, chances are this is not a reliable source of information about the ancient Maya and your ‘charlatan alarm-bells’ should go off!

((Sharing here so people actually see.))

A Little Story That Popped Into My Brain While Playing Fruit Ninja

Trigger Warning: Stab. Wound. Fighting.

Haruka- A young apprentice who just started learning how to fight. She’s strong willed and won’t back down until she succeeds with her task.

Isamu- A former apprentice of sensei who fell into the dark path. For one reason or another, she can’t say no, especially when it comes to fighting. She is the most skilled because of this.

Kanta- A fire blooded apprentice who has been following the light path for years. He was sensei’s only other apprentice when Isamu was around, and he feels deeply about her descent.

Ami- A bright and friendly apprentice who joined soon after Isamu’s descent. She and Kanta are very close because of this. She adopted Haruka right away, treating her like a little sister.

———-

“Again!” Haruka shouted, not taking her eyes off her opponent.

“You’re so weak! You’re going to die, Haruka. You don’t have a chance!” Isamu laughed.

Haruka wouldn’t back down despite that truth. She had only recently started her training. They had watched her slowly grow in her skills. Haruka was relentless, she refused to stop until she won, no matter how many duels she lost to get there. That wasn’t a problem when it was Kanta, Ami, or their sensei, but Isamu? Isamu wouldn’t give her a break. Isamu was going to allow Haruka to continue challenging her until she got bored and ended it, permanently. Everyone knew how this would end.

Isamu grinned, lashing out expertly with her katana. Haruka blocked frantically, automatically on the defence. The fight was over before it began, Isamu disarming her easily.

“Again!” Haruka cried, scrambling for her weapon. She, for the briefest moment, looked up at her fellow students and friends. The two pupils stared helplessly from the balcony looking over the fight. There was nothing they could do now. Haruka had challenged Isamu for them, sacrificed herself for them, and they could do nothing to stop the duel, not from up there.

Quickly, Haruka was disarmed, this time cut badly on the arm. She frantically reached for her weapon, holding it up in defense.

“Again!” she shouted, trying to be more aggressive. Her attempt only landed her empty handed and a cut on her other arm.

Kanta and Ami clutched the railing, shouting support and suggestions to their young friend. The duo had been training for years. They were highly experienced, talented fighters, but they didn’t stand a chance against Isamu. She had been badly beating them before Haruka, who they had told to stay back, put a stop to it by calling for a one on one duel.

“AGAIN!” Haruka cried, refusing to relent.

It was clear in Isamu’s expression that she’d had enough. She abruptly disarmed Haruka and stabbed her in the chest.

Haruka gasped, still for a moment in shock and looked up at her screaming friends in the balcony as she fell to the ground. The tournament hall dispersed, allowing Kanta and Ami to race to their friend. Isamu cleaned off her blade and began walking off.

“Shhhhh, shhhhh, Haruka, it’s okay, shhshsh it’s okay,” Ami soothed, trying to comfort Haruka. The young girl gasped for breath, deeply pained by the wound.

“ISAMU!” Kanta shouted, holding up his katana.

She turned around lazily. “She didn’t give me a choice. She wouldn’t stop. You know I couldn’t say no.” And with that she left, Haruka gasping for life as she walked away.

LES MIS CROSSOVER STORY IDEA

It's basically Les Mis set in His Dark Materials, but the only major thing is the daemons. It's a story shipping Enjolras and Grantaire also. Basically it's "What if they escaped the barricade and also had daemons". If you don't know His Dark Materials, it's okay, because the concept of daemons isn't hard to explain so I can help you out! I need help with les amis and picking daemons for everyone. Please message me if you want to hear about the story/ if you want to help!

That moment when you realise you're dressed like Veronica Sawyer and you're just like, wow, guess I'm cosplaying tonight.

Happy Hanukkah!

And happy birthday Ozzy!