Abby
@arobertswrites.com
SFF writer and essayist you’ve never heard of. SocDem/progressive. Tolkien nerd. Armchair medievalist. She/her. Header by beloved.moe.
Website: arobertswrites.com
Newsletter: buttondown.email/arobertswrites
Website: arobertswrites.com
Newsletter: buttondown.email/arobertswrites
Pinned
Abby
@arobertswrites.com
· Apr 21
What Lies and Threats — Speculative Insight
Abby Roberts examines the use of national myth-making in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
www.speculativeinsight.com
For $0.00 you can read what Bret Devereaux (of ACOUP fame) called an "absolute banger of a Tolkien essay" and what my mom (of giving birth to me fame) called "very timely and relevant": "What Lies and Threats: Nationalist Myth-Making in The Lord of the Rings" on @speculativeinsight.bsky.social!
Reposted by Abby
I'm sorry my love but I didn't get this card posted today so it wouldn't reach you before you go away so that's why I've just handed it to you. I do want you to know that I love you and am thinking of you.
January 11, 2026 at 12:31 PM
I'm sorry my love but I didn't get this card posted today so it wouldn't reach you before you go away so that's why I've just handed it to you. I do want you to know that I love you and am thinking of you.
Reposted by Abby
To learn more about Egyptian workers during the 19th and early 20th centuries, I’d truly recommend reading:
Hidden Hands Egyptian Workforces in Petrie Excavation Archives, 1880-1924:
www.bloomsbury.com/us/hidden-ha...
Hidden Hands Egyptian Workforces in Petrie Excavation Archives, 1880-1924:
www.bloomsbury.com/us/hidden-ha...
Hidden Hands
Despite major movements for change, in practice archaeologists still pursue the past to the exclusion of the present inhabitants of archaeological landscapes. A…
www.bloomsbury.com
January 11, 2026 at 12:34 PM
To learn more about Egyptian workers during the 19th and early 20th centuries, I’d truly recommend reading:
Hidden Hands Egyptian Workforces in Petrie Excavation Archives, 1880-1924:
www.bloomsbury.com/us/hidden-ha...
Hidden Hands Egyptian Workforces in Petrie Excavation Archives, 1880-1924:
www.bloomsbury.com/us/hidden-ha...
Reposted by Abby
January 11, 1897: After finding little, 70 Egyptian workers are sent by Grenfell & Hunt to excavate a trash heap near Oxyrhynchus. They immediately found a fragment of the Gospel of Thomas & 1000s more papyri, proving trash heaps are archaeological treasures. oxyrhynchus.web.ox.ac.uk/waste-paper-...
January 11, 2026 at 12:32 PM
January 11, 1897: After finding little, 70 Egyptian workers are sent by Grenfell & Hunt to excavate a trash heap near Oxyrhynchus. They immediately found a fragment of the Gospel of Thomas & 1000s more papyri, proving trash heaps are archaeological treasures. oxyrhynchus.web.ox.ac.uk/waste-paper-...
Reposted by Abby
Torah portion Va'era (וָאֵרָא) is marked in 'The Kennicott Bible' by this golden and blue design.
#ParashahPictures
Bodleian Library, MS Kennicott 1; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.38r @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
#ParashahPictures
Bodleian Library, MS Kennicott 1; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.38r @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
January 11, 2026 at 12:03 PM
Torah portion Va'era (וָאֵרָא) is marked in 'The Kennicott Bible' by this golden and blue design.
#ParashahPictures
Bodleian Library, MS Kennicott 1; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.38r @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
#ParashahPictures
Bodleian Library, MS Kennicott 1; 1476 CE; La Coruña, Spain; f.38r @bodleian.ox.ac.uk
I did it now I can sleep.
250 words let’s goooooo
January 11, 2026 at 2:56 AM
I did it now I can sleep.
I like that there are Guys on it.
Coptic spell to Acquire a Beautiful Voice, 6th–7th century CE, Egypt, ink on papyrus, 37.3 x 25.4 cm (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven)
archives.yale.edu/repositories...
archives.yale.edu/repositories...
January 11, 2026 at 2:29 AM
I like that there are Guys on it.
Reposted by Abby
Book Eowyn disobeys her king's command to go fight, is explicitly death seeking, kills the Witch King because she is immune to a fear of death (as it is her objective), contends with both obsessive glory seeking and suicidal ideation, overcomes it, and gets her reward of love and peace.
January 11, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Book Eowyn disobeys her king's command to go fight, is explicitly death seeking, kills the Witch King because she is immune to a fear of death (as it is her objective), contends with both obsessive glory seeking and suicidal ideation, overcomes it, and gets her reward of love and peace.
Reposted by Abby
Great post from @bretdevereaux.bsky.social
This talk was about Book Eowyn, and it's just struck me how flattened Eowyn's character was in the PJ movie adaptation. The incredibly complex and REALLY flawed book character got reduced to "love triangle/girlboss"
acoup.blog/2026/01/03/n...
This talk was about Book Eowyn, and it's just struck me how flattened Eowyn's character was in the PJ movie adaptation. The incredibly complex and REALLY flawed book character got reduced to "love triangle/girlboss"
acoup.blog/2026/01/03/n...
New Acquisitions: Tolkien and Éowyn Between Two Wars (PPP Moot Keynote)
Hey folks! I am working on finishing up some things this week, so I thought I would post the text of the keynote I gave at the Prancing Pony Podcast Moot earlier this December. I’ve made some…
acoup.blog
January 11, 2026 at 2:25 AM
Great post from @bretdevereaux.bsky.social
This talk was about Book Eowyn, and it's just struck me how flattened Eowyn's character was in the PJ movie adaptation. The incredibly complex and REALLY flawed book character got reduced to "love triangle/girlboss"
acoup.blog/2026/01/03/n...
This talk was about Book Eowyn, and it's just struck me how flattened Eowyn's character was in the PJ movie adaptation. The incredibly complex and REALLY flawed book character got reduced to "love triangle/girlboss"
acoup.blog/2026/01/03/n...
Reposted by Abby
I have often said this
January 11, 2026 at 2:19 AM
I have often said this
250 words let’s goooooo
January 11, 2026 at 2:08 AM
250 words let’s goooooo
Reposted by Abby
Reposted by Abby
Attention, nice sale going on at Steam, go get this superb game, and I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the historical advisors involved with it :)
My review:
fakehistoryhunter.net/2025/11/23/g...
or here:
fakehistoryhunter.substack.com/p/game-revie...
My review:
fakehistoryhunter.net/2025/11/23/g...
or here:
fakehistoryhunter.substack.com/p/game-revie...
January 11, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Attention, nice sale going on at Steam, go get this superb game, and I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the historical advisors involved with it :)
My review:
fakehistoryhunter.net/2025/11/23/g...
or here:
fakehistoryhunter.substack.com/p/game-revie...
My review:
fakehistoryhunter.net/2025/11/23/g...
or here:
fakehistoryhunter.substack.com/p/game-revie...
Medieval people, apropos of nothing: I have some free space on my precious parchment, I’m going to use my expensive pigments to draw a butt with a face on its crotch farting into a bagpipe.
Medieval onlyfans for people who can fart catchy tunes.
January 11, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Medieval people, apropos of nothing: I have some free space on my precious parchment, I’m going to use my expensive pigments to draw a butt with a face on its crotch farting into a bagpipe.
I do not have 10 posts in me today because I’m tired but this is Ciarán he’s a terrible medieval Irish monk, who for some reason I’ve drawn as an Onion headline.
January 11, 2026 at 12:29 AM
I do not have 10 posts in me today because I’m tired but this is Ciarán he’s a terrible medieval Irish monk, who for some reason I’ve drawn as an Onion headline.
It’s kind of a small island so the characters have to meet.
Although I guess most of the human characters never meet Furunculus face to face, since he’s a demon who can’t be seen by most people, although they experience the effects of his actions.
Although I guess most of the human characters never meet Furunculus face to face, since he’s a demon who can’t be seen by most people, although they experience the effects of his actions.
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters
Are there key characters in your story who never meet?
What would happen if they did? How might it occur?
If not, are there any meetings that were a long time coming?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Are there key characters in your story who never meet?
What would happen if they did? How might it occur?
If not, are there any meetings that were a long time coming?
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
January 11, 2026 at 12:24 AM
It’s kind of a small island so the characters have to meet.
Although I guess most of the human characters never meet Furunculus face to face, since he’s a demon who can’t be seen by most people, although they experience the effects of his actions.
Although I guess most of the human characters never meet Furunculus face to face, since he’s a demon who can’t be seen by most people, although they experience the effects of his actions.
Medieval onlyfans for people who can fart catchy tunes.
January 11, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Medieval onlyfans for people who can fart catchy tunes.
Reposted by Abby
Wow
“I have asked the clergy of the diocese to make sure their affairs are in order and they have written their wills.,not the time for statements. It is time to put our bodies between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable”. Rob Hirschfeld, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
January 11, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Wow
Reposted by Abby
One of the other strengths of The Dispossessed is freely admitting that the Anarresti enjoy a much lower standard of living on average than Urras, but they hold it’s worth it.
So many lesser imitators write uncomplicated Fully Automated Luxury Space Anarchism with no tradeoffs.
So many lesser imitators write uncomplicated Fully Automated Luxury Space Anarchism with no tradeoffs.
Not to hawk The Dispossessed again but this is the strength of The Dispossessed. Anarres only works because people are indoctrinated with the colony’s values from birth, and even then it nearly collapses during the famine.
January 10, 2026 at 2:46 PM
One of the other strengths of The Dispossessed is freely admitting that the Anarresti enjoy a much lower standard of living on average than Urras, but they hold it’s worth it.
So many lesser imitators write uncomplicated Fully Automated Luxury Space Anarchism with no tradeoffs.
So many lesser imitators write uncomplicated Fully Automated Luxury Space Anarchism with no tradeoffs.
Reposted by Abby
Pupdate
January 10, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Pupdate
Reposted by Abby
1. My big dog loves my small dog
2. But my small dog hates my big dog
3. BUT my small dog has just discovered that my big dog is ✨warm✨
2. But my small dog hates my big dog
3. BUT my small dog has just discovered that my big dog is ✨warm✨
January 3, 2026 at 9:59 PM
1. My big dog loves my small dog
2. But my small dog hates my big dog
3. BUT my small dog has just discovered that my big dog is ✨warm✨
2. But my small dog hates my big dog
3. BUT my small dog has just discovered that my big dog is ✨warm✨
Reposted by Abby
Happy #SelfPromoSaturday!
I'm a sci-fi/dystopia writer who writes sapphic and trans femme leads. I also make stickers and bookmarks. Please consider buying my stuff so I can send you neat things :D
ko-fi.com/anotherindie...
I'm a sci-fi/dystopia writer who writes sapphic and trans femme leads. I also make stickers and bookmarks. Please consider buying my stuff so I can send you neat things :D
ko-fi.com/anotherindie...
January 10, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Happy #SelfPromoSaturday!
I'm a sci-fi/dystopia writer who writes sapphic and trans femme leads. I also make stickers and bookmarks. Please consider buying my stuff so I can send you neat things :D
ko-fi.com/anotherindie...
I'm a sci-fi/dystopia writer who writes sapphic and trans femme leads. I also make stickers and bookmarks. Please consider buying my stuff so I can send you neat things :D
ko-fi.com/anotherindie...
Reposted by Abby
Le Guin makes the best possible argument for anarchism by simply acknowledging that it just might fail, that the folks might be annoying and kinda suck, and that it is fundamentally imperfect. It is an anarchism you can believe in and in doing so you see it's value.
Another strength of The Dispossessed is that Le Guin asks “what if the folks in the anarchist commune are sometimes annoying and kinda suck”
January 10, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Le Guin makes the best possible argument for anarchism by simply acknowledging that it just might fail, that the folks might be annoying and kinda suck, and that it is fundamentally imperfect. It is an anarchism you can believe in and in doing so you see it's value.
Reposted by Abby
The distinction between rule by law and rule by custom really struck me, too - Twitter of old really brought it to mind as a place where rule by custom bit back when rule by law didn't satisfy justice
January 10, 2026 at 2:21 PM
The distinction between rule by law and rule by custom really struck me, too - Twitter of old really brought it to mind as a place where rule by custom bit back when rule by law didn't satisfy justice
Another strength of The Dispossessed is that Le Guin asks “what if the folks in the anarchist commune are sometimes annoying and kinda suck”
January 10, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Another strength of The Dispossessed is that Le Guin asks “what if the folks in the anarchist commune are sometimes annoying and kinda suck”
Like, what if humans aren’t fixable. What if we’re stuck trying to build a better world with the messy, imperfect, bickering, fighting selves we got.
For real the type of guy who thinks that he has cracked the code to the world, and everything would be fixed if everyone would just adopt his ideas and do what he says, is a blight on the world.
January 10, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Like, what if humans aren’t fixable. What if we’re stuck trying to build a better world with the messy, imperfect, bickering, fighting selves we got.