I heard an unusual quote a few days ago: « Man is like a dog and woman, a cat ». I don't know where these words come from, just that they remind me of something my wife used to say: « Boys take pride in their usefulness. If you stop to value it, they fall apart! A girl only follows her own opinion and does what suits her preferences ». I admit that this rings true with my everyday life, lately. Uruk being the political center of our realm, armed conflicts are scarce. As a result, my daily routine is filled with matrimonial duties.

Now, I live at the rhythm of complaints such as: « This bitch has slept with my husband! She should be hanged! » or « My fiancé had sex with all the whores of the temple! Prostitution should be outlawed! » All of this suddenly gives me a sudden nostalgia for Leilin's misogyny. Day after day, I encourage my priests to resolve such childishness: « No, we're not going to convict a chick because a married man got very friendly with her! » I start with a sigh. « And if her fiancé had drowned in an irrigation canal, would she be asking for a ban on urban planning? » I then add, sarcastically.

Every morning, I thank the World Bird in my prayers for Enki's wisdom, who prevented us from teaching these backward morons the expression « personal responsibility ». Due to our insightful visionary, human society is evolving as badly as it possibly can. We are moving out from millennia of absolute matriarchal domination. Today, civilization is sinking into the opposite direction to become patriarchal. When you think about it, I'm the one speeding up this process. Warfare is a male business and my conditioning leads me to choose monarchs solely on their martial prowess. That being said, this so-called development would have occurred without any intervention.

You're probably wondering why it happened, aren't you? I am willing to present my opinion as a reinir, but I will avoid going into specifics: I hate anthropology. Leilin kept repeating, as a self-evident fact, that a lady's mind is rigid and prefers immediate efficiency. Women formalize, shape, organize, perpetuate and stabilize. Every girl seeks at a very young age to rule a 'territory', some space she allocates to herself to guarantee her well-being or the one of her offspring. Men? Protect and serve, that's masculinity at its finest! What is being manly, after all, if not knowing how to build and defend?

A « real man » subordinates himself to the needs of his kin. How can we recognize a « great king »? He keeps his community safe and increases its wealth. The unfortunate guy fails? He'll end up discarded. Males are born with this essential truth, which they learn to admit at an early age: all are expendable. The most 'successful' will be able to start a household. So, why is the world moving towards patriarchy today, then? A stupid reason, really: a lady's mind is rigid and prefers immediate efficiency. « Openness » and « innovation » rarely find a place in the list of female virtues.

Guys, on the other hand, sometimes have whims which seem useless or even stupid to gals. Fancies such as artisanship and agriculture. Since a clan mother spends her time repeating that one should do everything as it has always been done, new practices hardly progress and will often be outright rejected. Why bother changing something that already works? So, boys develop these techniques in private, discreetly. Sometimes a girl will love her partner enough to tolerate his practices... and what was just a silly fantasy turns out to be efficient! Suddenly, tables are turned. Those leisure activities that women thought were superfluous become the group's greatest asset. A male-dominated domain.

Customs undergo a sudden transformation. Political influence ceases to depend on hunting or gathering lands, in order to rely on fields and workshops efficiency. The best producer being no longer a hunter but a farmer, he reclaims all authority for himself alone. Because women refused to accept this shift, they soon found themselves trapped in the very role that had previously been their glory. Boys are freed from the need to obey their mother, while military power focuses on farms and cities. A morning, men hold the entire social life in their hands.

This « patriarchal phase » could last ten millennia, if my memory from school is correct. It will end when the overall population will have admitted the concepts of foresight, responsibility and duty, from then on any segregation between genders will be perceived as degenerate. This is what Enki wants to achieve, that natural path. He believes the journey and its difficulties will leave a lasting mark on mankind, far more than a « mere lesson ».

Anyway, on a subject totally unrelated, our humble society will soon receive guests! Freyja and Xihe have indeed found nothing better than to announce their arrival simultaneously. They will come next week, fortunately in small committees. Enlil is in charge of planning festivities. Our first party in a thousand years! Honestly, I don't know what bothers me more: being in the same room as Xihe, or Ereshkigal? I admit that if the latter annoys me, the former terrifies me. You must know, concerning her, that she is a rival of my wife.

I'm not talking about a friendly conflict here, no. We are entering into a much more brutal terrain. For example, Leilin has long been considered for a position as Admiral of the Fleet. Ashimora asked her three times! Three rejections. Eventually, our queen will choose Xihe, out of disappointment. The highest insult. Despite that title's glamour, our colleague hated the job because it constantly reminded her that she was a « second choice ». Their relationship is always like that. Xihe slaughters 1500 lichs by herself? Leilin wounds Seh'El'Ennis! Xihe defends a major trade route? Leilin defeats the Aprium emperor in a duel!

Their mutual hostility grew to the point that Xihe ended up promising my wife, in a fit of anger, that she would rape me to « mark her dominance »! I know she was obviously not serious, however... Heck, she offered me to be her full-time doll several times! This charming lady is a solar goddess, who belongs in the very select circle of Elohim whose job is to make sure no one mess with the sun using their powers. Her strength exceeds mine, by a substantial margin. The only thing that protects my ass is that Freyja and Xihe are in love. You know, of the irritating kind where when a side get close, the other one backs off and vice versa...

Everyone knows they're not coming to talk politics, it's an excuse to be together without acknowledging it. Civilizations have gone from prehistory to space colonization since the beginning of this indecisive relationship. Luckily, I like Freyja, a lot. The feeling is reciprocated. But, I suspect her majesty is quite capable of taking me to her room in order to « give » me to Xihe. I'm just a custom-made toy, after all... and people wonder why I add Leilin's misogynistic streak into my personality! Whatever, it's better not to think about that too much.