#attilas natural stone

[attilas-natural-stone]

We can offer our competitive prices because we import directly from quarries in Europe. This eliminates the middle man and we only choose the best. We know you want quality, so if we wouldn't have it in our own home, we won't put it in yours. Importing bulk stock also means we'll always have stock on hand when you need it. Come visit us at one of our showrooms and see for yourself the best natural stone collection.

[6ad6ro]

Top 50 Mix 2023 a compilation of my favorite songs that i've been enjoying in 2023. attempted to place in a listenable order, vaguely sorted by genre. theme is anger fading into hopelessness. enjoy. MP3. mostly 320kbps. Pass: badbro -Track listing-(Industrial, Electropunk) 01 Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole 02 Skinny Puppy - Assimilate 03 Yellow Magic Orchestra - Key 04 Crystal Castles - Celestica 05 Machine Girl - Scroll of Sorrow 06 The Prodigy - Omen 07 The Prodigy - Breathe 08 Fatboy Slim - Ya Mama 09 The Prodigy - Firestarter (Metal) 10 Rammstein - Deutschland 11 Filter - Columind 12 Metallica - Ride The Lightning 13 Boris - Laser Beam 14 Ария (Aria) - Аттила (Attila) (Trip Hop, Hip Hop) 15 Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid 16 Air - Surfing On A Rocket 17 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Bibo No Aozora 18 Cibo Matto - Sugar Water 19 Beastie Boys - Root Down [Free Zone Mix] 20 A Tribe Called Quest - Rhythm (Devoted To The Art Of Moving Butts) 21 Naughty By Nature - Pin The Tail On The Donkey 22 Rage Against the Machine - Wake Up (Punk) 23 Fugazi - Waiting Room 24 Millencolin - No Cigar 25 Bad Religion - You 26 The Offspring - Gotta Get Away (Grunge, Alternative) 27 Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit 28 Pearl Jam - Even Flow 29 Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun 30 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication 31 Audioslave - Like A Stone 32 Deerhoof - Wrong Time Capsule (Shoegaze) 33 Superdrag - Slot Machine 34 Superdrag - Phaser 35 Red Vox - Eminence 36 My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow 37 Slowdive - Alison 38 Clammbon - トレモロ (Tremolo) 39 Angelo Badalamenti - Twin Peaks Theme 40 The Smashing Pumpkins - In My Body (Goth, Sad) 41 The Cure - A Forest 42 Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter 43 Yellow Magic Orchestra - 1000 Knives 44 Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence 45 Vangelis - Tears In Rain (Time to Die edit) 46 Boards of Canada - Music Is Math 47 The Beatles - Blue Jay Way 48 The Smashing Pumpkins - Daydream 49 Crystal Castles - Tell Me What To Swallow 50 Boards of Canada - Audiotrack 06 (5D)

[infernal-general]

Little filler information/trivia post which didn't make it into the verse post because it was already long.

🇭🇺 Rozália is half Italian in this verse (instead of quarter like in the main one)

🩸 She is fluent in Italian, Turkish, Arabic (can read & write as well) and can understand, read in Latin. She secretly enjoys reading Arabic poetry.

🇭🇺 She is not religious and doesn't see this war, occupation as Christianity against Islam. Both her mother and father were Christians, look where their belief had gotten them. God won't do shit, she's wielding the blade, she's studying warfare to save people. She won't interfere with anyone's faith, not say anything unprompted, but if asked she will tell her opinion.

🩸 After acquiring language skills along with physical ones, she only saw Attila as hindrance. His decisions were either rash or too drawn out, he kept paying the lazy, unfaithful mercenaries, sat so high on his horse with nothing to show for such arrogance.

🇭🇺 Her father would've survived the infection as his fever was receding. Rozália was by his side, duty of the daughter masking her hope of finally being free from him. A small, quiet argument broke out after the mention of Lorella, how Attila should've died instead of her. He replied if God didn't want her to live, it wasn't his place to overrule. Rozália argued it would've been his duty to protect his wife and mother of his child. Attila said maybe she would be still alive if she had a son instead. Rozália snapped and choked her father to death in a silent, bottled up, bestial rage. No one questioned how the Count died, everyone assumed the infection had taken him. She never corrected them.

🩸 With her father out of the way, she easily could push through her reforms, her daring but well supported and rewarding tactics; earning both the soldiers' and the people's respect. After Főnixvár had been built, stronger than ever, she was presented with a pendant of iron: a sharp gothic cross with a dragon wrapped around it. Within the jewelry sat the last four rubies she paid lower ranked nobility for workers. Deeply touched by the gesture and the symbolism, it is a permanent addition of her everyday wardrobe.

🇭🇺 The Tisza river acts like a natural border, making the southern walls impossible to attack with artillery. The current is strong, prone to floods due to the curve, making across it even on foot is dangerous. It also means a permanent clean water supply, poison would be carried away by the current. The usually flooded areas create natural swampy ground, larger troop movements, machines are slow in the sticky mud and usually get stuck. Because of the closeness of the river, digging trenches under the reinforced stone base is fruitless, only getting a splash of muddy groundwater.

🩸 During the rebuilding stage was when Rozália found Vihar and bonded with the horse. The two are inseparable and she cannot imagine riding an another horse. She is a skilled esquetarian, able to ride without saddle, has a frighteningly accurate aim with a bow from horseback.

🇭🇺 Her and Selim Pasha sometimes run into each other during their own border patrol. The encounters are strangely civil, a brief stop in time itself. They had come to terms one of them won't make it alive and it was the Pasha who made it clear first, if she falls, she will be buried with utmost respect. Rozália swore the same to him. Their small talk sometimes in Turkish, sometimes in Hungarian, are about trivial, everyday things with an occasional compliment of the other's skill.

🩸 When she was a child, rebellious and a little hotheaded she sometimes snuck away into the forest. She often met a Turkish boy, Demir a few years older and she came home bloodied from the fights. None of them truly comprehended the reality of the situation. Despite now commander of a janissary unit, the tables have turned: the wild Hungarian child from the forest became a warlord.

🇭🇺 This woman has never worn skirts in her life. Sometimes her cape is draped around her shoulders, the outside bright crimson, but inside are the colors of the Hungarian flag itself. Rozália knows she will perish and makes most of her talents to become a legend, a hero to the point where her torture and execution wouldn't break the fighting spirit but strengthen it. She doesn't marry, she doesn't have time for that, all good men are either dead or already taken. She has no interest in a mewling coward of a noble. She is riddled with scars from victorious fights, always in the frontline of defense and offense.

🩸 Approximately there are 2500-3000 professional soldiers protecting the fortress and the area with an additional 4000 army of civilians. Many of them had gotten training, some even directly from her. Most women can swordfight better than cook. Despite being both Countess and Fort Captain, she spends lots of quality time with simple peasants others wouldn't bat an eye at. She accepts refugees, protecting, shielding everyone she's capable of.

🇭🇺 She's this 🤏 close to being charged with treason after a sending a...quite scandalous letter to King John Sigismund Zápolya who refused to send ammunition and resources to the forts as he gained the throne with Ottoman help. The lightest part of the letter is telling him how much shame he'd brought to the nation.

[sundove88]

Night at The Museum (Sundove88’s Version) Casting

This is a Birthday present for @thehyperrequiem! Happy B Day!

Dreamer Joe Puddy thinks he's destined for something big but his imaginative ideas never pay off and in desperate need of a job, he accepts to be a security guard at the Natural History Museum. During his watch, Joe makes a startling discovery. Thanks to the unleashing of an Egyptian curse, the museum's characters spring to life after the building closes. Joe must find a way to save the chaotic situation.

Once the night guard at the Museum of Natural History, Joe Puddy is now a successful purveyor of infomercial products. Soon after learning that his museum friends have been shipped to the Smithsonian Institution, Joe receives a distress call from Arthur Morgan, who warns him that four of history's greatest villains have come to life and are planning to take over the Smithsonian first, then the world. Joe joins forces with friends old and new to stop the quartet's nefarious plans.

When the exhibits at New York's Natural History Museum start behaving strangely, Joe Puddy -- now the director of nighttime operations -- must find out the cause. He learns that the Tablet, which magically brings Speedwagon, Arthur Morgan, and the other exhibits to life at night, has started to decay. Joe, along with his son and museum friends, must travel to London's British Museum to learn how to prevent the Tablet's magic from disappearing.

Joe Puddy as Larry Daley (Poptropica)

Robert E. O. Speedwagon as Teddy Roosevelt (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Elaine Puddy as Rebecca Hutman (Poptropica)

Edgar as Nicky Daley (Poptropica)

Eclair Cookie as Dr. McPhee (Cookie Run)

Ganondorf as Cecil Fredricks (The Legend of Zelda)

Licorice Cookie as Reginald (Cookie Run)

Poison Mushroom Cookie as Gus (Cookie Run)

Arthur Morgan as Jedediah (Red Dead Redemption)

Mixmaster and Scrapper as Themselves/Larry’s Friends (Transformers Animated)

Gohdan as The Moa Head (The Legend of Zelda)

Cal Suresh as Octavius (Balan Wonderworld)

Sana Hudson as Sacajawea (Balan Wonderworld)

King Dedede as Attila The Hun (Kirby)

Yoshi as Rexy (Mario)

Pikachu as Dexter (Pokemon)

Yugi Moto as Ahkmenrah (Yugioh)

Fiibo Fiddlepie as Christopher Columbus (Bugsnax)

Tart as Joan of Arc (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Medli as Amelia Earhart (The Legend of Zelda)

Marik Ishtar as Kahmunrah (Yugioh)

The Major as Ivan the Terrible (Hellsing)

Affogato Cookie as Napoleon (Cookie Run)

Muzan Kibutsuji as Al Capone (Demon Slayer)

Escargoon as Brundon (Kirby)

Daroach as General George A. Custer (Kirby)

Alolan Raichu as Able The Space Monkey (Pokemon)

Leon as Abraham Lincoln (Pokemon)

Boom Boom as Oscar The Grouch (Mario)

Colress as Darth Vader (Pokemon)

Ug as Laaa (Luigi’s Mansion 3)

Tea Knight Cookie as Sir Lancelot (Cookie Run)

Tatiana as Tilly (No Straight Roads)

Bowser as Merenkahre (Mario)

Golden Cheese Cookie as Shepseheret (Cookie Run)

Birdo as Trixie (Mario)

Cygnus Hyoga as Garuda (Saint Seiya)

Rayquaza as The Xiangliu (Pokemon)

Zhongli as Hugh Jackman (Genshin Impact)

Qiqi as Alice Eve (Genshin Impact)

Stone Kirby as The Pompeii Bust (Kirby)

Whew, that was a big one! Happy B-Day, @thehyperrequiem! Anyways; here’s your hint for the next casting:

🐼☯️🥋

[junow-honours]

9 Circles of Hell (Dante’s Inferno)

Inferno, the first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy, written in the 14th century, describes the poet’s vision of Hell. Inferno is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. This features Dante’s journey through the Nine Circles of Hell, guided by the poet Virgil. At the beginning of the story, a woman named Beatrices, calls for an angel to bring Virgil to guide Dante in his journey so no harm will befall him.

‘Contrapasso’ (!): meaning “suffer the opposite”, is the punishment of souls “by a process either resembling or contrasting with the sin itself.”

‘Purgatory’ (in Catholic doctrine): meaning a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven. A cleansing.

1 Limbo:

The unbaptised and virtuous pagans, those who never knew Christ existed. Dante encounters Ovid, Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, and more here.

2 Lust:

Souls are punished by being blown about in violent winds, preventing them from finding any rest or peace. Dante encounters Achilles, Paris, Tristan, Cleopatra, and Dido, among others here.

3 Gluttony:

Overlooked by a worm-monster Cerberus, sinners in this circle of Hell are punished by being forced to lie in never-ending icy rain and slush. The slush symbolises the personal degradation of one who overindulges in food, drink, and otherworldly pleasures, as well as the inability to see others through the rain (representing selfishness and coldness). Dante encounters ordinary people here, not characters from epic poems or gods from mythology.

4 Greed:

Punishment is divided into two groups of sinners- those who hoarded possessions, and those who lavishly spent it. The two groups are forced into a joust, using great weights as weapons which they have to push against each other using their chests (symbolising selfish drive for fortune). The groups are guided by a character called Pluto (likely representing the mythological Greek rule of the Underworld). A lot of clergymen, cardinals, and popes are present here as well as more ordinary people. This is the first time they pass through a circle without speaking to anyone, a commentary on Dante’s opinion of greed as a higher sin.

5 Wrath and Sullen:

The wrathful are forced to fight one another on the surface of the river Styx, while the sullen lay gurgling beneath the surface of the water. Dante and Virgil are threatened by the Furies when they try to enter through the gates of Dis. This is a further progression into Dante’s evaluation of the nature of sin, he begins to question himself and his own life, realising his actions and nature could lead him to this permanent torture.

6 Heresy:

Rejection of religious and/ or political norms. Heretics are trapped in flaming tombs for eternity.

7 Violence:

This Circle is segmented into a further three rings. The Outer Ring houses murderers and others who were violent to other people and property, here Dante sees Alexander the Great, the Centaurus (sank into a river of boiling blood and fire), and Attila the Hun. Centaurs guard this Outer Ring and shoot its inhabitants with arrows.

The Middle Ring comprises of those who are suicidal, they are turned into trees and bushes which are fed upon by harpies.

The Inner Ring contains the blasphemers, sodomites, usurers, those who are violent against God or nature. They reside in a desert of burning sand and burning rain falling from the sky. One of the sinners is Brunetto Latini, a sodomite, who was Dante’s own mentor, Dante speaks kindly to him.

8 Fraud:

Dante and Virgil reach the Eighth Circle on the back of Geryon, a flying monster with different natures, just like the fraudulent. Within this Circle is the ‘Malebolge’ (meaning ‘Evil Pockets’), which is divided into 10 Blogias (meaning stony ditches) with bridges between them. Each Bolgia is guarded by different demons, and the inhabitants suffer different punishments, such as the simoniacs, who stand head first in stone bowls and endure flames upon their feet.

Bolgia 1: Panderers and seducers.

Bolgia 2: Flatterers.

Bolgia 3: Simoniacs (those who sell ecclesiastical preferment).

Bolgia 4: Sorcerers, astrologers, and false prophets.

Bolgia 5: Corrupt politicians (Barrators).

Bolgia 6: Hypocrites.

Bolgia 7: Thieves.

Bolgia 8: Evil and false counselors and advisers.

Bolgia 9: Divisive individuals, Schismatics (those who seperate religions to form new ones).

Bolgia 10: Various falsifiers such as alchemists, perjurers, counterfeiters, impersonators etc.

9 Treachery:

The final Ninth Circle of Hell is divided into 4 rounds, according to the seriousness of the sin. Satan resides here. All residents are frozen in an icy lake, the depth of one’s immersion within the ice depends on the severity of their sin. Each of the 4 rounds are named after an individual who personifies the sin, and each subdivision have their own unique demons and punishments.

Round 1, Caina: Named after the biblical figure Cain, who murdered his brother Abel. This round is for traitors to family.

Round 2, Antenora: Named after Anthenor of Troy, Priam’s counselor during the Trojan War, whom betrayed the Greeks. This round is reserved for political/ national traitors.

Round 3, Ptolomaea: Named after Ptolemy, son of Abubus, who is known for inviting Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to dinner and then murdering them. This round is for hosts who betray their guests, they are punished more harshly because of the belief that having guests means entering into a voluntary relationship, and betrayed a relationship willingly entered into is more despicable than betraying a relationship born into.

Round 4, Judecca: Named after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Christ. This round is reserved for traitors to their lords/ benefactors/ masters.

[art-damaged]

Various artworks / oily projection

In October 2020, a series of artworks were damaged while on view at various locations in Berlin’s Museum Island complex. Unidentified parties squirted at least 63 artworks and objects with “an oily liquid,” striking at the Pergamon Museum, the Alte Nationalgalerie, the Neues Museum, and the Pergamonmuseum Panorama exhibition site during museum hours. 

The damaged works included Egyptian sarcophagi, paintings, and a series of stone and wood sculptures. In many cases, the damage could be readily reversed, although the sculptures required additional restoration efforts.

Police were unable to form any leads, determine the exact nature of the substance used, or even pinpoint when exactly the works were damaged. It’s believed that the damage was carried out sometime on Oct. 3, a national holiday when Germans mark the reunification of the former East and West Germany. 

Some reports connected the acts to Attila Hildmann, a vegan chef and cookbook author who has supported the theories of QAnon, and who had circulated a message to his followers on the messenger service Telegram calling for the destruction of the museum, which he called “the source of all evil” and believed to contain the throne of Satan as described in the Book of Revelations. Hildmann has not been charged in connection with this case.

[poptod]

hello! can i request something romantic with either ahk or snafu or really any rami character where y/n has round dark brown doe eyes? like so dark brown they look black if you’re not looking at them in sunlight? and he’s just flirting with them and he says something nice about their eyes? i have round dark brown eyes and i’m kinda insecure about them cuz they’re so common, and it’s been one shit-show if a week for me and i really just need to feel good about myself

notes: damn, i can totally do that for you. hope your weekend is much better than your week :) thank u for requesting and i hope you enjoy it !

WC: 2k

+

Life never worked naturally to your advantage. You were born average looking – nothing special on either side of the spectrum, with average hands and common dark brown eyes. You grew up poor and worked your ass off to get into a good college on a scholarship, eventually getting kicked out for something you didn't even do. You auditioned to be part of an orchestra, but there were too many violinists already, and you just 'didn't fit the profile'. You tried to be an artist, but no one liked your creations. You tried to pick up another instrument, but you couldn't afford a good one, and the last time you tried to buy a cheap guitar, the neck broke on the third use.

Because of these many happenstances (and the many more, less mentionable ones), you considered yourself unlucky. It was a fact of life for you as much as the sun's existence in other peoples lives, or that the superbowl was too long. Or guacamole wasn't good. Fortunately, the years of nothing ever coming naturally had made you into a fantastic worker, and by some rare stroke of luck, you found you were rather good at physical labor jobs. You weren't strong by any standards – in fact rather weak – but your attention to detail made you the janitor of a prestigious museum you visited twice as a child.

It wasn't a fantastic job, and the poor pay led to having five roommates, but you enjoyed yourself. You tried to do that in every aspect of life; finding the joy in menial tasks, or solace in duty. After all, you got to see wonderful recreations of history in the still wax figures, and learn heaps of knowledge from the many information panels you came across when making your way through the museum. The only truly unfortunate part of your job was the time – right after closing, but you had to finish quickly, as you weren't allowed inside at night. A stupid rule, but the night guard and Dr. McPhee were insistent on it.

They thought you didn't know about the exhibits.

They were, obviously, wrong. You knew, and you adored the magic behind it all. While you hadn't actually ever seen any of the exhibits come to life, you watched the news on an evening where the exhibits broke out, and with your knowledge of the Tablet curse, you pieced the mystery together.

You hadn't meant to take this long. McPhee was already pissed at you for 'accidentally' skipping over the men's restroom yesterday, and taking too long at your job would land you on thin ice, something you couldn't afford. With a hurried pace you finished sweeping the floors in the last room, storing the broom away and moving on to mopping. Checking your watch once more, you noted the time, mentally checking if you would be able to finish before closing hours.

Mopping the Egyptian room usually takes five to ten minutes, and closing is in two, you thought, despair settling in your stomach. What would you do if you 'found out' about the tablet? What would McPhee do if he found out you knew? He wouldn't fire you, would he?

You truly didn't know. He was a bit of a loose cannon when it came to those things.

As fast as you tried to move, the hours of night came faster than you could mop, and the tablet began to glow behind you. Bewildered you turned, watching with your mouth slightly parted as the glow grew to the radiance of the sun. You knew the tablet brought the magic, but you didn't know about the glow – now that you were witnessing it yourself, the only thing you could feel in your pounding heart was fear. A fear that only grew worse when the Pharaoh's sarcophagus began to rattle.

You'd thought about the wax figures coming to life. You thought about the dinosaur. You, however, did not think about the 4,000 year old mummy.

Needless to say, you bolted. Leaving behind your supplies, you ran as fast as you could, wind pounding past your ears as the sound of a lion's roar came from the neighboring hall. You grit your teeth and made for the main entrance, but by the time you got there many of the exhibits had adjoined in the main room. Pressing yourself against the locked door, you watched with wide eyes as the Teddy Roosevelt statue began to talk to Attila, and in that moment you realized that perhaps magic was not always good. Not when you were spiralling into a panic at least.

It took a couple hours of you staring into space before anyone actually noticed you. To your surprise, it wasn't the night guard, or even McPhee – it was a Pharaoh, skin and everything intact. His crown remained polished upon his head, a stark difference from the crowns on exhibit, whose colors and carvings had faded long ago.

"Hello," he said with a pleasant, polite smile as he knelt, matching the height of your seated position on the floor. "Are you a new exhibit?"

You looked down at your clothes. Janitor clothes.

"No," you said, and instantly his demeanor changed.

"Oh dear," he said, and though you agreed with that statement, you certainly did not agree with him grabbing your wrist and dragging you into the crowd.

"I don't really want to be doing this," you said in a shaky voice, but he did not answer.

As he dragged you through the crowd you kept your eyes closed, wary of overstimulation of both ears and eyes. He eventually stopped at the top of the stairs, where you opened your eyes to find the night guard, Larry.

"What are you still doing here?" Larry asked almost frantically, looking between the dancers below and you.

"In my defense I didn't want to be here, I knew about the magic and I don't – I didn't ever want to actually see it," you half-lied.

"How the hell did you know?!"

"You don't do a very good job of covering it up, Larry," you said flatly, your voice still cracking from nerves.

You didn't have very many friends. Your roommates didn't talk to you much, and the life you had outside of work consisted mostly of quiet, indoor hobbies you could do just about anywhere. So, once the whole of the situation was sorted out (with input from McPhee), you took your drawing pads and notebooks to the museum with you, working for the first few hours and drawing into the hours of night while watching history come to life.

Despite your original discomfort of being in the presence of a 100% authentic, come-to-life mummy, you became rather good friends with him. Not fantastic, and he didn't know very much about you, but he was kind and handsome. You hated to admit it, but he held your avid interest. Another one of those unlucky things in your life – of course you had to fall in love with an immortal, reanimated mummy who only came to life at night.

"Why don't you ever come dance with us?" Ahkmenrah (his name, apparently) said as he sat down beside you on the loft, the only barrier between you and a fifteen-foot fall being a stone rail.

"I'm afraid I'm not all that good of a dancer," you said, not bothering to look up from your sketchbook. You couldn't ever bear to look at him that long anyway.

"Neither am I," he laughed. "That's the point."

Instinctively you looked up at him, holding eye contact with his grey eyes for only a second before you looked away, a blush already making its way to your cheeks. He had the opposite of your life – lucky beyond belief. The favorite of his parents, completely immortal, completely beautiful, almost too wealthy, and many, many friends, including yourself.

What got you the most however was his eyes. Cold eyes were already praised in modern society – people loved grey, they loved blue and green. But in Ahkmenrah's society, the one that existed thousands of years ago, blue eyes hardly existed. The mutation for the new color was one in a billion back then, making him one of the (probably) three people on the planet with blue eyes. And now that lucky mutation stood before you in its purest, oldest form, and you couldn't bear to look at them for any longer than a solitary moment.

For some reason, it hurt you. Maybe because you were boring. Dull. Brown in a brown society. Sure, they looked beautiful in sunlight – you knew that. They turned into swirling gold and the taste of chocolate, but Ahk couldn't see them in the sunlight. That made you dull.

Now, Ahkmenrah was not a man to point things out about people. If they were being a dickhead, yes, but most of the time he noted things and dismissed them. But you'd been doing this for so long that he grew weary of the dance.

"Why don't you ever look at me?" He asked, a question that had your eyes widening and your back straightening, alarm bells ringing all over your brain.

"I look at you plenty," you said while avoiding his gaze like a 15th century doctor avoids respecting women.

"No, you don't," he said softly. "Not even now. I wish you would – you've got such beautiful eyes."

Your sketching stopped at his words. At your silence he placed his hand on your jaw, tilting so you looked at him. Instead of meeting his gaze you looked to the floor.

"They're very common," you got out weakly, still unable to make eye contact, but he kept you where you were, in the easy sight of him. "They only look good in the sun."

He shifted closer, keeping his hand on your jaw in hopes of you changing your mind and meeting his eye.

"Even in darkness they're beautiful, voids as empty and long as night," he hummed, drawing closer yet till you could feel the heat off his body on your still fingers. "I've noted them quite a lot. Eyes are a beautiful thing, aren't they?"

"Yours are," you mumbled, barely catching the meaning and insinuation of your words before they came out.

"As are yours. Remember when we snuck into McPhee's office? The lamplight bounced off of them and they practically glittered like the embers and smoke of a fire," he said with a small smile. "And the bright lights in the hallways –"

Florescent, you thought.

"– and the candle lights that Nick brought, those flicker with that same spark within you. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

You couldn't move, stuck in place and stuck in your own head.

"The golden fireplace, Christmas lights – and the light of the moon, a dim, faraway light that can only be admired from a distance... like you," he murmured.

Sometimes you forgot his people were poets and admirers of nature.

"You have blue eyes," you whispered through the knot in your throat. He listened carefully. "And... I can see reflections in them. They're soft, like velvet. Despite everything, they.. you seem... happy. You always seem happy, and your eyes give it away."

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" He asked quietly, and in that moment you realized his nose was almost touching yours.

"No," you answered honestly. Another unlucky aspect of you.

"Neither have I," he said before he leaned in, pressing his lips against yours in a tender embrace you weren't at all expecting.

From both the view of the first kiss and of a Pharaoh's kiss, you weren't prepared, but the plush of his pink lips against yours sent sparks of delight into your heart. He moved slow, taking his time to map out your aspects just as you began to trail your hands over his open palm, memorizing the creases. You were reluctant to part, but he ran his hand through your hair and your brain short-circuited into placitude.

"You have the softest lips," he murmured, hand coming to cup your cheek once more.

You never applied aquaphor or did anything to make your lips soft.

Maybe it was luck.

Didn't really matter to you, because he kissed you again, and your eyes fluttered shut as everything in the world but him faded away.

[greenglasslov3]

Auld Fashioned - Chapter 1: Ain’t No Mountain

Author’s Notes:

This fic was inspired by a prompt from @theministerskat​ for a prompt exchanged hosted by @thelallybrochlibrary​: Imagine modern life on Fraser’s Ridge.  Well... over six months later, this fic has grown into a modern re-imagining of Roger & Bree’s engagement, wedding planning process, and eventual marriage.

The soundtrack for this chapter is (of course) Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

This is un-beta-ed word vomit - so please be gentle.

Chapter 1: Ain’t No Mountain

Stumbling over the jagged rocks in the path, Roger crested yet another incline.  Sweat covered his brow and trickled down his cheek, stinging uncomfortably as it occasionally dripped into his eyes.  As they climbed impossibly higher, his lungs burned from the added exertion of trying to breathe in the ever thinning atmosphere.  His muscles slowly fatiguing, his legs felt heavy as if his shoes were filled with lead.  He couldn’t fathom how he could take another step, and yet he did.  Step after step, mile after endless mile, Roger kept climbing, his goal clear in his mind’s eye pushing him to reach the top of this mountain.  He could do it - would do it.  He had to reach the top… for Bree… for their family...

If he didn’t die first…

It was all Faith’s idea.  She had accompanied Roger on his final trip to the jewelers to inspect the ring he’d soon give Brianna.  She’d babbled over the bauble for a good twenty minutes, examining the cut and the quality of the stone, testing the fit by trying it on her own ring finger.  Roger endured twenty minutes of endless chatter from the dear girl who would someday be his sister-in-law before she grew suddenly quiet.  Faith paused as she returned the ring to it’s velvet box.

“So,” she began, rocking to and fro on her heels, “how do ye plan to ask Da?”

Roger nearly fainted in the middle of the shop.  He’d been so focused on picking a ring and planning the proposal he hardly had time to think of anything else.  Certainly, Dr. Fraser was a modern woman.  If he’d formally asked her permission for her daughter’s hand, she’d waive him off, ever the cool and collected Brit.  

“Roger, darling,” he imagined her explaining to him in her office on a sunny afternoon over a proper cuppa.  “Brianna is a grown woman - and a mother no less! She is clearly old enough to make her own decisions without her dear, old mum throwing in her two cents. Ask her yourself!”

Dr. Claire Fraser was not his concern.  Brianna’s father, however, was a different matter entirely.  Roger simply could not propose without his permission, and yet the thought of asking Mr. Fraser for his blessing made his stomach uncomfortably roll as if he’d just ridden the dizzying teacups at Disney World.

James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser was possibly the most intimidating man to walk the earth.  One harrowing look with his piercing blue eyes could send Attila the Hun crying for his mother.  Fraser stood well over six feet tall, solidly built with large hands that could probably challenge a bear if he wished it.  The son of Scottish Catholic immigrants, Fraser was an outdoors-men at heart, preferring the sound of rushing rivers over blaring rush hour traffic, but he loved his wife Claire even more than the rugged wilderness of the Smoky Mountains.  Since her life’s work as a surgeon required her to live in some sort of metropolitan area - like Charlotte where they settled - he adapted and compromised.  He combined his love of nature and his head for numbers to establish the most lucrative specialty outdoor retail franchise in the Southeastern United States.  

Physically imposing, fiercely traditional, incredibly sharp, and insanely successful - yes, Roger found James Fraser to be particularly intimidating, especially when it came to his daughters. He desperately wanted - no needed - Mr. Fraser’s permission… which is how he found himself scaling a bloody mountain with the Scottish Grizzly Adams on this particularly warm spring afternoon.

“Do something with him!” Faith had suggested urgently.  

They reviewed all of the options.  At first, Faith had suggested either shooting or fishing - at both of which Roger was entirely inept.  He held a strong objection to guns, and Mr. Fraser swore the deep, melodic timber of his voice lulled every fish in the Atlantic to sleep.  It was then Roger suggested a whisky tasting at the distillery their cousins - the Murrays - had just opened.  Before he could finish his thought, Faith had her arms across her chest and was shaking her head as she bit back giggles of the memories of Roger and her father last New Year’s Eve entirely pissed and loudly singing the auld songs entirely off key in the middle of The Green.  

No, simply none of these activities would do… but hiking might.

Two men at one with the wilderness, scaling a mountain side by side, celebrating with a wee dram as they reached the top - his plans played out in his mind’s eye, ruggedly romantic and ideal like one of those Barbour advertisements he’d seen when watching that far-fetched Scottish time-traveling show Brianna loved so much.  As silly and idyllic as the commercials appeared, Roger could not argue with the sentiment.  They offered the perfect plan on how to win over his (hopefully) soon to be father-in-law - enjoying the outdoors in not matching but coordinating plaid, hiking up a mountain, toasting their victory once they’d reached the top with a wee dram… and Jamie Fraser’s blessing on Roger and Brianna’s impending engagement.

This plan had to work… or so he thought about a mile back before his left calf muscle cramped for the millionth time.  This proposal was long overdue - longer if you asked the gossiping old ladies at church, but if you asked Roger himself, he’d wanted to propose marriage to Brianna the first moment he ever saw her.  After almost two years of irregularities, stress, and unnecessary judgement, they - Brianna, wee Jem, and himself - needed some normalcy in their lives.  This was what people did after all - fall in love, get married, start a family… Although their plans had gone a bit out of order, Roger was eager to check that last box on their to-do list.

Fueled by determination and grit, he dug deep as he crested that final hill to reach the top of the mountain.  The thick, dense forest gave way to a clearing that overlooked the valley below.  The sky above them was fairytale perfect blue - bright, clear, and not a cloud in site.  A gentle wind filtered through the trees.  Roger shed his jacket and allowed the breeze to cool his heated skin.  He staggered towards a fallen tree to sit upon and rest his weary legs when he spotted his future father-in-law proudly staring off into the vast horizon, flask in hand and cheeks barely flushed as if he’d just taken a brisk walk around the park.

Was he part Scot and part bloody mountain goat?!

Reaching into the pocket of his cargo shorts, Roger retrieved his own flask before stumbling over to join Jamie.  He never imagined that he’d ask for Mr. Fraser’s permission for his daughter’s hand in marriage at the edge of a cliff, and as he peered over the edge, he quickly understood why.  Though he knew that posing this very question to one Jamie Fraser he would be taking his life in his own hands, he hadn’t realized the threat to his own person would be quite so literal.

The clinking sound of metal tapping metal broke Roger from his thoughts as Jamie offered a salute to their successful climb.  Together, they murmured the traditional Scottish toast before tipping back their flasks to enjoy more than a drop or two of whisky.  Silence fell between the pair as they quietly enjoyed nature’s splendor in each other’s company.

“So…” Jamie started after quite some time as he rocked forward on his toes, “What did ye need to discuss wi’ me, then?”

Roger’s eyes grew wide as his heart began to hammer behind his ribs.  This was not how he had planned to begin the conversation, and he never once expected that Mr. Fraser would be akin to his plan.

“Nothing!” he managed to squeak out around his constricting throat.

“Come on, Mac, it’s written plain on your face that ye have something on yer mind...” The older Scot nudged him with his elbow before taking another generous sip of whisky.

Shaking his head, Roger swore. “‘Tis nothing, Mr. Fraser...”

Jamie snorted and rolled his eyes, “If I told ye once, I’ve told ye a thousand times - ye can call me Jamie, lad.”

With just one long stride, Fraser closed the gap between the pair.  Roger always thought of himself as a tall bloke of decent size, but next to Brianna’s father, he felt like he was no bigger than the wee lads he led in the choir at church.

“So what is it?” Jamie asked again, looming over him and prying a little more, the timber of his voice deepening as his questions grew more serious.  “Ye did no’ get my daughter pregnant again, did ye now?”

“God, no!” Roger exclaimed, jumping backwards about ten feet to escape the grasp of his rather intimidating, hopefully soon-to-be father-in-law, who in turn gave him a suspicious look.

“No?” Jamie questioned with a raised eyebrow.  “Ye dinna wish to grow yer family with my daughter? Was wee Jem a mistake then?”

Roger felt the color rising in his cheeks as he began to panic.  His heart hammered wildly against his rips as his breath came quick and shallow.  Things had taken a horrible turn, and he had no clue how to redirect the course of the conversation.

“Yes!” he shouted, blurting out the first answer that came to mind.  “Wait - no!”

Fraser’s expression changed instantly.  His eyes narrowed to thin slits as he sized Roger up as if he were a 12-point buck he intended to snag.  Brianna’s father took another step towards him, and Roger backed away quickly, stumbling over rocks, twigs, and even his own feet until he felt his heels leave the edge of the cliff.  He felt his balance shift backwards and fear settle into the pit of his stomach.

Suddenly, Roger felt himself jerking forward as Mr. Fraser grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him away from the cliff.  They stumbled forward further into the belly of the clearing.  Both men rested, hunching over with their hands on their knees and panting with the exertion of their efforts.

“For Christ’s sake, will ye tell me why ye brought me up here before you throw yerself off the top of this God forsaken mountain?” The older Scot demanded, his deep voice booming throughout the clearing.

It was now or never.

Roger took several deep breaths before he stood up straight and shouted his truth for all of creation to hear:

“IWishToAskForBrianna’sHandInMarriage!”

Roger’s words echoed over the cliff and throughout the valley below, his love for this girl - this perfect woman - ringing out above the treetops. Brianna’s father straightened to his full height and folded his arms across his chest.  His long fingers drummed against his forearm as the words sank in.  A moment passed, and then another - which felt like an eternity for Roger before Jamie crossed the clearly to him and firmly shook his hand.

“Of course ye can, lad,” Mr. Fraser said with a smirk as he clasped his left hand on poor Roger Mac’s shoulder.  “An’ for the last time - it’s Jamie.”

To be continued...

[attilas-natural-stone]

Are your client's wanting something bold for their bathroom renovation? Our New York Marble sure makes a statement and immediately draws your eye. We buy in bulk, so you can be sure we'll have stock available for your project.

Website - https://attilasnaturalstone.com.au/

[comicteaparty]

June 24th-June 30th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 24th, 2019 to June 30th, 2019.  The chat focused on Drugs & Wires by Mary Safro & Io Black.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Drugs & Wires by Mary Safro & Io Black~! (https://www.drugsandwires.fail/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until June 30th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. Who do you think made the Worm and for what reason? Why does it seem to mostly be affecting Stradania and not other places? Do you think Dan’s implant can ultimately be fixed, or is he stuck forever away from VR?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. What aspect of the world’s cyberpunk setting interests you the most and why? Alternatively, what aspect are you hoping to see explored a bit more in regards to how it affects the characters?

RebelVampire

1) Gonna be a bit depressing when I say the bridge scene where Dan almost threw himself off it. Which I'm gonna spoiler tag the rest of this just as a suicide trigger warning precaution. I was 100% right there in the moment with him during that scene. Like I understood why he'd arrived at that conclusion, and it didn't come off as patronizing as I feel a lot of similar suicide scenes often do in comics. This is a man who even I felt really had nothing to live for, as sad as that is to say. Not that I wanted Dan to die, of course, but I get absolutely why he would. And then when he's saved, I liked that he is angry about it. Cause that is a dark reality I feel too many comics shy away from. And just all that gritty realism really hit me in the heart. 2) I don't know who made the worm and I don't think it matters all that much. Rather, I think the reason is more important, and the reason I think is to either kill VR or draw attention to Dan's shitty country. Which I kind of want to believe the latter, that this is somehow politically motivated. Or even if its the former, the idea is to get ppl more politically involved. That being said, I do think it's someone in Stradania who made it. As for Dan's implant being fixed, I don't think so. I don't think he'll be let off the hook that easy, and that he will continue to have to face his awful world for what it is, garbage and all.

3) Dan because he is the delicious epitome of a flawed protagonist. He's not mean, but between his drug problems, his crappy attitude towards most people, and so forth, he's got some real issues to work through. But that's great, cause at least that makes the few steps forward he's taken more satisfying. Since he's not getting those steps easy. He has to basically crawl through metaphorical lava to gain even 2 cm. 4) I really like the world's integration of VR and cybernetics. Like it's not on the level it's just there, but there's businesses around it, slang around it, and so forth. It's presented as this super ingrained culture thing, and that is super hard to play off. And it's just really well-done to see all the ways that those aspects bleed into their lives, whether the invention was intended to do so in that way or not.

Historical Jesus

I'm about to catch up. gimmy some time

RebelVampire

itll be going for the rest of the week, so theres no rush.

snuffysam

1) My favorite scene is the basement wake. It's a cool way to introduce those side characters (especially Vlad), and we were shown how our protagonist is seen through other people's eyes.

Like, we as the readers get to see Dan's struggles first-hand, but seeing the way Dan's "friends" think of him as a mindless junkie is really eye-opening

Re-reading the wake chapter made me think of something regarding question (2). Rebel, you suggested that the worm may have been made to kill VR. Could the reverse be true instead? Vlad has this speech about how the victims of the worm are martyrs, and the rest of the cast groans... but maybe he's not so far off.(edited)

My favorite character is Lin. On the surface, she's a terrible, shady person, but she's got heart where it counts! (in a trunk with a bunch of other organs)

Though I also really like Dan, for the same reasons as Rebel. He starts off in such a terrible place, and watching him take baby steps towards improvement is... honestly, uplifting, even if he does sometimes take some big steps backward.(edited)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. Do you think Dan will manage to find Eve again? If so, how might that affect him? Further, what do you think Dan’s past history is in general with his family and others that might play a role in the story?

Historical Jesus

Is the person writing this comic Russian

RebelVampire

cant speak for Io, but while not from Russia, Mary does speak Russian

Historical Jesus

SHe might have had family immigrate from Russia. This story just feels very Russian in the sense that everyone is down on their luck

But yeah. This story is freaking great!

Cryo

Hey, Mary here! I'm a Russian from Latvia, Io's German but I usually consult him on any Russian bits we have in the comic : D thanks so much for reading, loved seeing all the replies so far!

Historical Jesus

It's you

@Cryo Do you have experience with information security or bug hunting?(edited)

I mean, you sound like you REALLY understand hacker culture(edited)

Historical Jesus

ok I finished

1: Favorite scene? Hard to tell honestly. I like them all for different reasons. It's the continuum of the story I appreciate. The fact I'm always wanting to see what happens next? 2: Who made the worm. I've noticed that people who were infected had illegal copies of software. From a cybersecurity perspective, worms only work when either (A) someone finds a vulnurability that has never before been seem or (B) people don't update their shit for whatever reason. Hence why most software schedules mandatory updates. This could just be the inevitable conclusion to using pirated or older software. 3: Favorite character: Dan. I can relate to him the most. I don't do party drugs, just psycodelics.

4: Favorite aspect of cyberpunk. Historical relevance. In our past, rulers were privileged to rule because humans believed they were "ordained by God" to rule. European philosophers then said that the right to rule belongs to those who become the height of natural selection/ The premise being that there is no god and that we are "free agents" with "free will." No one is entitled to anything unless they produce something of value. This made perfect sense when manual labor was relevant and everything had to be done by hand. This includes pen and paper math. Hence why pay is exclusively based on labor value. Enter the age of technology fucked this up. Capitalism today is STUPIDLY efficient. We WHOOPED natural selections ass. We also learned that humans can't simply "change their outlook at will." Humans are mortal and are not much different than machines. The have needs and all that pesky human stuff. Some people could argue that healthier people have more free will than others, but poverty is the inevitable conclusion to this "free will" "labor value" mindset. But people think principles are sacred and set in stone. So what we are seeing is devalued labor and everyone becoming more poor and the formation of corporate oligarchies and dependences. Cyberpunk was WAY ahead of it's time in seeing this. We need to revisit this genre because I sure as shit don't want to live under a global illuminati with hard line cultural segregation.(edited)

Cryo

No, no real hacking experience here, I'm a 3d modeller by trade. We do our research when we can but our readers are a lot more technically minded than we are :p

Historical Jesus

I love 3D modeling

Attila Polyák

I'll be totally honest your work didn't really catch me at first, but I kept reading. Aaaaand dang that was a good decision. This is genuinely well made. I'm only at the end of chapter 4 but that bridge scene was great. I'm pretty sure it'll be my favourite scene but I need to read the rest first.

Historical Jesus

I have one of two options in life. Make high detailed models to sell on Gumroad or make comics. Gumroad will require constant adaptation to new software, but I already have my comic story structure fgiured out

Cryo

@Attila Polyák thanks for giving us a chance! Hope you enjoy the rest ( though chapter 5 is a lot less dramatic in comparison!)

Historical Jesus

Do you have a resolution in mind or are you just making it as you go?

Cryo

Yeah, we know where we're taking the story, but how it gets there can vary. Lots of the scenes we wrote years ago have to be tweaked or redone entirely to work

Historical Jesus

If the "free will" capitalist have their way, then we can expect the future to look very similar. Lots of poor people using lots of old tech. All software and hardware is closed sourced and locked down.The division between rich and poor will be larger than ever. Many of the zero days will be state sponsored much like they are now and they can use this to legally infect people and categorize them and use their own information against them if they ever become a threat to the state or the rich tech oligarchy

When I read this I got sense of creepy forcasting

More kids are playing with the Linux Kernal than smoking cigarettes so we might be ok

Historical Jesus

5: Favorite illustration? Anything that involved gif animations. That's not to say it should be overused but it was used at the right time

6a: Will Dan find Eve again? Probably. Since Cryo has a conceptual end in mind, I imagine she serves a key purpose in the plot. If they don't then it's likely that their actions will effect each other in some way.(edited)

6b: What is Dan's history with his parents? Let's look at who Dan is now. He's a poor drug addict who has had a dead end job. Yet he is not an overly angry person. Just depressed. He hangs around computer poetry people and other drug people. As a person who has experience with drugs, I noticed three types of people who do the dangerous drugs. At least in the US. They are... -People who have had repressive or needlessly strict parents. Thus overdoing drugs becomes associated with freedom and eventually a point of rebellion. But you can do too many of them. -People who are poor and need to sell them because they are poor. Naturally many of them do the drugs themselves so they naturally become addicted. -People who's parents are drug users themselves. The people who teach are schools will tell you it's that "people are trying to be cool" and it has nothing to do with that. Truth be told, they are hiding something. There is also a lot of dark racial history behind enhancing substances and the law and that can influence people's decision to take them, but I don't want to get into that because I don't want to get booted from this server.(edited)

Historical Jesus

Actually, @Cryo, would you be willing to give us a brief personal biography? Also, if you are, then can you tell us about your parents, what they did for a living, and the income situation you had growing up.(edited)

Why am I asking this? I think we can come up with more interesting answers about the comic if we know YOU as a person and how that influences your writing. I was able to infer that this story sounded Russian as fuck. Since the setting was Russian, I figured you were either from there or had family there

We can give more interesting answers that can help you come up with more interesting writing

RebelVampire

@Historical Jesus Your questions are getting a little personal, and while I understand the logic behind them, keep in mind we're here to discuss the comic and not the creators' personal lives.

keii4ii

Yeah... I feel even if the creators are okay with discussing it, this stuff is best left to DM

Historical Jesus

I understand. I would like to give her the choice. If she chooses not to then I understand. Biologically speaking, I think art is meant to be personal.

keii4ii

(and of course, if they don't want to discuss it, no one should pressure them about it )

RebelVampire

yeah if @Cryo wants to answer that's fine. Just for the future please keep those sorts of questions to a minimum and watch the wording on them. Cause that statement did sound overly pressure filled.

Historical Jesus

of course

keii4ii

I don't think we should be getting further into this territory?

RebelVampire

Agreed. This isn't a really appropriate topic for #week_long_bookclub, @Historical Jesus and has little to do with the comic.

Historical Jesus

I understand. I'm trying to demonstrate the the relevance and the benefits of understanding the author as a person. And again, it's her choice to choose what she discloses.

RebelVampire

And again, I get the logic. But just not appropriate for this discussion.

Historical Jesus

fair enough. I just want it to be known

I rephrased the question so it's less assertive. I apologies, I suck with social skills. Hopefully by the time she reads it, then it will be more inviting for her.

RebelVampire

thats better wording for sure, thank you.

Historical Jesus

no problem

art was definitely designed to be personal. The reason why a lot of big budget art feels bland is because it's meant for everyone and they have to not get too deep into offending people. Because it has to make money. That requires the work of a true genius. D&W is specialized and it will attract a certain group of people. Mostly people who value anonymous culture like myself. Or so I imagine.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. Will Lin actually go through with her plan to get into politics? If so, do you believe she can actually make a difference? What obstacles do you think she might run into, and do you think Dan will be of any help to her?

Cryo

(i would appreciate not having to talk about my life and anyones political beliefs neither here nor in DMs, thanks for understanding)(edited)

Historical Jesus

Understood

Historical Jesus

7: Dan, primarily because he is relatable. He would interact the way I would. Not having money sucks.

Historical Jesus

8: Will in go into politics? Probably not. She strikes me as a neroatypycal character. I could be wrong though.

RebelVampire

@snuffysam If the worm was designed to improve VR, I really want to meet the person who decided that making ppl martyrs was the way to go. Cause that's some backwards thinking, imo at least XD

5) There's a lot of really great ones, but I'm kind of fond of the illustration of Dan puking up rainbows. It's this cool mix of gross, psychedelic, and not what I expected. It expressed a lot of mood somehow for something that's less grand than I usually pick. 6) I think Dan will find Eve again, if only cause from a technical perspective she was introduced super early on to not be important. However, I think meeting her again is just gonna make him feel bad about himself as he realizes how little his baby steps of improvement are. In regards to his family, just gonna be bold and say my theory: his dad is part of that political group that took control and really hates cyborgs and technology and all that. Thus they were probably not the most open-minded and rejected Dan in multiple ways both through emotional abuse and neglect.

7) I like seeing Dan and Troy right now. Everyone else in the comic is kind of...shitty towards Dan. Like i know Dan isn't the greatest person, but I would hate to be in the situation where I'm constantly being told I'm a junkie who won't amount to anything. Which I mean don't get me wrong, those are interesting interactions. But Troy? Troy is this new person whose only experience with Dan is kind of a nice if not high tension one. Troy comes with a fresh, no prior knowledge of Dan perspective, and I think that's really interesting and gonna be a good way to shed new light on Dan's more positive traits. 8) I think Lin will try to go through with it, but I think Lin is fighting a losing game. Short of stuffing the ballot, I don't think those she's trying to help will vote for her. Instead they'll just bitch and be complacent to the world around them. But on that same vain, Lin probably could just stuff the ballots to win. I umm...honeslty don't think Dan can help her in anyway. Dan is really busy helping himself to suck less at the moment. XD

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. What do you think Sandman and Fixer will find in regards to the Worm as the story continues, and what does the VR cafe Sandman has been hacking have to do with anything? How will Nate tie into this given he’s looking for Fixer?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Overall, what role do you think Troy will have within the story? Additionally, how will she get out of her situation with having no ID, money, or much in the way of people she knows?

Historical Jesus

9: The art against the web design literally looks like something we would see at Def Con

10: I image he has a lead. After all his motivation is revenge

11: it’s strength is that it's good at making people empathize with characters even if you can't relate to them

12: I don't think Troy will get out of her situation. If she comes back to the states empty handed she will be fired. It might be in her best interest to get wrapped up in finding the worm programmer

Typically speaking large scale worms are state sponsored but it's not clear how far this thing actually spreads.

RebelVampire

9) My favorite details so far have been the small things in the background. Like the random graffiti on the walls, the cracks and dilapidation of the buildings, all the small do-dads in Lin's place. Like none of that needs to be there to create a complete background, but it adds so much character to the setting and each character. So I really appreciate the extra mile taken for that. 10) I think Sandman and Fixer are gonna find that some corporation or someone high up on some food chain made it on purpose. As for the VR cafe? Honestly, I think it's a red herring and Sandman is making an excuse to target them just cause he hates them. As for Nate, I think Nate is gonna join the investigation team but also kind of serve as a negotiator between Fixer and Dan. Cause I don't think those two will get along without help.

11) I think this comic's strengths are a) the setting both visually and story wise, as it's a really strong and vivid setting. then b) Dan. It is very, very hard to write a character like Dan. There are so many things he does that could immediately make him unlikeable, what between the drugs, self destruction, and general assholeness to some of the ppl around him. but yet he is likeable. you do want to see him succeed and not suffer. yet you also still can acknowledge hes unreliable. its a great dynamic that lesser writing could not pull off. 12) I think Troy is gonna be their viewport into the corporate world. Which I think will play a role since there is a themeing here about evil corporations. Plus, she at least knows some stuff better than they do, as she already showed off at the VR cafe. But getting out of it? Nope. Shes stuck and probably gonna make another panicked call to Dan at some point. And Dan will be an angel and help again.

snuffysam

I'm going to go out on a limb here. Not only will Lin go through with running for office, she'll win. And she won't even have to stuff the ballot that much. But... I'm not sure her fight will be over there. After all, there's more than just one corrupt person in the country. I agree with you on the investigation into the Worm, @RebelVampire . I think someone up the corporate ladder is responsible. With that said, I don't think Sandman is targeting the VR cafe for nothing. I think he's trying to draw more attention to their security flaws for... some reason. I guess to get more people involved in investigating? I doubt he foresaw Troy showing up and offering to upgrade the cafe's machines though, so I that probably isn't part of his plan. I think a major part of Dan's character arc going forward will be accepting that he doesn't need Eve. Like, accepting that he doesn't need her help to get better, and that he's the only one he needs to prove his progress to.

Dan's character writing is absolutely my favorite part of this comic. In a weaker comic, I would absolutely hate how a self-destructive character like Dan is portrayed. Like, often characters with addiction/other mental health problems in fiction come off as unlikeable, or too cartoonish, or too depressingly stagnant (at least, from what I've seen in other works of fiction). But Drugs & Wires strikes a great balance where character progression isn't always linear, and isn't always positive, but it's there, and that fluidity makes you want to root for him more each chapter.

Attila Polyák

Now that I finally read all of it... 1, The bridge scene at the end of chapter 4, that was really done. 2, Dan's implant... I'm pretty sure it can be fixed, but I have doubts if Dan will ever have the resources to have it fixed. As a matter of fact I feel like he'll never have the money or influence to have it fixed and the way it is he can't really replace it either, so... He's probably stuck without VR. 3, Lin! She's awesome! 4, Probably the grey market implant dealers, even though that's kinda bog standard cyberpunk stuff. :) 6, Yes, they will probably meet again. And yes, I do feel like we'll need to see more of Dan't past history especially about how he got involved in... well in everything that's his current life. 7, Nagy, as surreally odd, is a great addition to Dan. Like at times I thought his absurdity would actually help Dan. 8, Ofc she will, you don't forge that much "voter trust" for nothing. And Dan, tho probably seemingly unwillingly, will likely help her one way or another.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Do you think Dan will ever be able to kick his drug habit, or will he continue to fall back into it forever? How will this affect his relationships? Further, how will his habits shape his future role in the story?

RebelVampire

13) I'm looking forward to getting more info about the worm. Cause right now I dont feel any more knowledgeable than I did at the start, and I'm itching to see Sandman, Fixer, or Dan to somehow get a bigger clue to what's going on. 14) I think both will apply. In that Dan will kick the habit eventually but will always be at risk because addiction is not really something you just completely cure. It's a battle he'll have for his entire life, even if he learns to manage it. As for for his relationships, I don't think it'll have much affect, tbh. Maybe things with Lin will improve, maybe Eve. But everyone else is kind of a jerk who already writes him off. Dan is in need of a fresh start somewhere far away.

Historical Jesus

13: Same here. I would like to know more about the worm. I hope that Cyro puts a cool technical characteristic into the worms behavior so that creates interesting and unique challenges for the characters 14: Statistically speaking most people do not kick their drug habit's. Especially not in the position he is in. Based on the story's cultural nature, I doubt the ending will be happy. But I am sure it will be interesting

Cryo

Thanks so much for picking and reading our comic this week! I've had a great time reading all the replies, especially since we don't hear from new readers often, and it's gonna come in handy when we get back into writing more stuff for the comic.

snuffysam

I had a great time reading it, Cryo!

Io.Black

Just wanted to add my own thanks to everybody who took the time to read and comment this past week. As a writer, it’s always incredibly valuable to get a sense of what people are taking away from your work, as well as where they think it’s headed.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Drugs & Wires this week! Please also give a special thank you to Mary Safro & Io Black for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Drugs & Wires, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://www.drugsandwires.fail/

Drugs & Wires’ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drugsandwires

Drugs & Wires’ Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/Cryodraws

Drugs & Wires’ Merch: https://www.hellovoid.online/

Safro’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/marysafroart

Io Black’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_iologic

[randyastle]

Historical reading list

Hello, world. A while ago I made a list of history books to read that would take me chronologically from the Big Bang up to the present. I did it on a Word document and haven’t had time to compile the list on Goodreads, but I wanted to post it here as a stopgap for anyone interested. There’s a penchant towards my own heritage, which comes through the United States and Mormonism, with, for instance, at least one biography on every American President (through Obama). But I tried to be broad because as I read these I want to gain a broad understanding not just of history but of different global cultures today; hence so many titles dealing with religion or mythology in general. There’s a smattering of fiction thrown in there where it fits historically, like The Iliad, Divine Comedy, or Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and I have other reading lists dealing with topics like art, music, religion (outside of history, like books about Buddhism or Joseph Campbell essays), and contemporary work in natural sciences/conservation/mass extinction, so by and large books relating to those things don’t appear here, but I still hope it’s useful. 1.     A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking 

2.     The First Three Minutes, Steven Weinberg

3.     Lives of the Planets: A Natural History of the Solar System, Richard Corfield

4.     From Dust to Life: The Origin and Evolution of Our Solar System, John Chambers & Jacqueline Mitton 

5.     Plate Tectonics, Stephen M. Tomecek

6.     On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin (1859)

7.     The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins

8.     Prehistoric Life: The Definitive Visual History of Life on Earth, Dorling-Kindersley

9.     Prehistoric Life: Evolution and the Fossil Record, Lieberman and Kaesler

10.  Life: An Unauthorized Biography (newest edition), Richard Fortey

11.  The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions, Peter Brannen

12.  When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time, Michael Benton

13.  Trilobite!, Richard Fortey

14.  Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods, Danna Staaf

15.  Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy, Mark Witton

16.  Dinosaurs: A Concise Natural History, David E. Fastovsky & David B. Weishampel

17.  The Complete Dinosaur (second edition), M.K. Brett-Surman

18.  Tyrannosaurus Rex: The Tyrant King, ed. Peter Larson and Kenneth Carpenter 

19.  Oceans of Kansas: A Natural History of the Western Interior Sea, Michael J. Everhart

20.  The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, Steve Brusatte

21.  All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals, John Conway 

22.  Flying Dinosaurs: How Fearsome Reptiles Became Birds, John Pickrell 

23.  Feathered Dinosaurs: The Origin of Birds, John Long and Peter Schouten

24.  The Origin and Evolution of Mammals, T.S. Kemp

25.  Beasts of Eden: Walking Whales, Dawn Horses, and Other Enigmas of Mammal Evolution, David Rains Wallace 

26.  After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals, Donald R. Prothero

27.  Walking with Beasts: A Prehistoric Safari, Tim Haines 

28.  Cenozoic Mammals of Africa, Lars Werdelin and William Joseph Sanders 

29.  The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction, Jamie Woodward

30.  Prehistoric America: A Journey through the Ice Age and Beyond, Miles Barton

31.  Twilight of the Mammoths: Ice Age Extinctions and the Rewilding of America, Paul S. Martin and Harry W. Greene 

32.  The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin (1871)

33.  Masters of the Planet: The Search for Our Human Origins, Ian Tattersall 

34.  Lone Survivors: How We Came to Be the Only Humans on Earth, Chris Stringer

35.  How to Think Like a Neanderthal, Thomas Wynn & Frederick Coolidge 

36.  The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of Language and the Brain, Terrence W. Deacon

37.  The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age, Richard Rudgley

38.  Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari

39.  The Dancing Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang, Marcelo Gleiser

40.  Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World, Barbara Sproul

41.  A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis, Marcel Mazoyer

42.  Across Atlantic Ice: The Origin of America’s Clovis Culture, Dennis Stanford & Bruce Bradley

43.  Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction, Amanda H. Podany

44.  The Epic of Gilgamesh (2100 BC)

45.  Abraham: The First Historical Biography, David Rosenberg

46.  A History of Ancient Egypt, Marc Van De Mieroop

47.  Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: The One and the Many, Erik Hornung

48.  The Search for God in Ancient Egypt, Jan Assmann

49.  The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day, tr. Raymond Faulkner

50.  The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs, Jan Assmann

51.  The Family Haggadah 

52.  The Iliad, Homer (ca. 1180 BC)

53.  The Odyssey, Homer (Fagle translation)

54.  1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, Eric Cline

55.  Transformations of Myth through Time, Joseph Campbell

56.  The Spirit of Zoroastrianism, Prods Oktor Skjaervo

57.  In Search of Zarathustra: Across Iran and Central Asia to Find the World’s First Prophet, Paul Kriwaczek

58.  Isaiah: Prophet, Seer, and Poet, Victor Ludlow (700 BC) 

59.  Rereading Job, Michael Austin (600 BC)

60.  How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now, James L. Kugel

61.  The Cambridge Companion to the Bible

62.  Illuminating Humor of the Bible, Steve Walker

63.  The Mother of the Lord, vol. 1: The Lady in the Temple, Margaret Barker

64.  The Holy Bible, New International Version

65.  The Art of War, Sun Tzu (500 BC)

66.  The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome, Susan Wise Bauer

67.  The Maya, Michael Coe & Stephen Houston (newest edition)

68.  Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain, Ronald Hutton

69.  Celtic Myths and Legends, Peter Berresford Ellis

70.  Celtic Gods and Heroes, Marie-Louise Sjoestedt

71.  Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel, William Dever 

72.  The Oxford History of Greece and the Hellenistic World, John Boardman

73.  D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths

74.  Mythology, Edith Hamilton 

75.  Bulfinch’s Mythology 

76.  The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, Roberto Calasso

77.  Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions, H.R. Ellis Davidson

78.  Early Irish Myths and Sagas, Jeffrey Gantz

79.  From Sphinx to Christ: An Occult History, Edouard Schure

80.  Buddha (Penguin Lives Biographies), Karen Armstrong

81.  Buddhacarita, Asvaghosa (ca. 500 BC)

82.  Buddhist Scriptures (ca. 500 BC) 

83.  Ramayana (ca. 500 BC) 

84.  Mahabharata (ca 400 BC)

85.  Ka: Stories of the Mind and Gods of India, Roberto Calasso

86.  Tao Te Ching (ca 400 BC) 

87.  The Zhuangzi (446-221 BC)

88.  Old Myths and New Approaches: Interpreting Ancient Religious Sites in Southeast Asia, Alexandra Haendel

89.  The Rise of Athens: The Story of the World’s Greatest Civilization, Anthony Everitt

90.  Democracy: A Life, Paul Cartledge (ca. 450 BC)

91.  Histories, Herodotus (440 BC)

92.  History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides (410 BC)

93.  Meno, Plato (380 BC)94.  The Republic, Plato (380 BC)

95.  The Symposium, Plato (370 BC)

96.  The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (350 BC)

97.  On the Soul (De Anima), Aristotle (350 BC)

98.  Poetics, Aristotle (335 BC)

99.  Alexander the Great, Philip Freeman (ca 330 BC)

100. Letters (to Herodotus, Pythocles, & Menoeceus), Epicurus (ca. 200 BC)

101. Analects of Confucius (ca 200 BC) 

102. Dhammapada (a Buddhist text) (200 BC)

103. The Lotus Sutra (ca 100 BC) 

104. Why Buddhism is True, Robert Wright

105. Cicero: Selected Works (Penguin Classics), Marcus Tullius Cicero (ca 63 BC)

106. Caesar: Life of a Colossus, Adrian Goldsworthy

107. The Conquest of Gaul, Julius Caesar (ca 50 BC)

108. The Aeneid, Virgil (19 BC)

109. Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels, Julie M. Smith

110. Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Reza Aslan

111. How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman

112. A History of the Devil, Gerald Messadie

113. Metamorphoses, Ovid (8 AD)

114. The New Complete Works of Josephus, Josephus 

115. A New History of Early Christianity, Charles Freeman

116. The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels

117. The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts Complete in One Volume, ed. Marvin Meyer

118. A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Karen Armstrong 

119. Money Changes Everything: How Finance Made Civilization Possible, William Goetzmann

120. The Twelve Caesars, Suetonius (Penguin Classics tr. James Rives) (ca 140 AD)

121. Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (180 AD)

122. The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians, Peter Heather

123. Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, Peter Brown

124. The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, Bart Ehrman 

125. The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World, Catherine Nixey 

126. A History of Christianity, Diarmaid MacCulloch

127. Everyman’s Talmud (ca. 200) 

128. Confessions, St. Augustine (397)

129. The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints

130. The Silk Road in World History, Xinru Liu

131. Attila: The Barbarian King Who Challenged Rome, John Man (400s)

132. The Consolation of Philosophy, Ancius Boethius (524)

133. One Thousand and One Nights (ca 600)

134. The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded Edition of Medieval History, Norman F. Cantor

135. Romance of the Grail: The Magic and Mystery of Arthurian Myth, Joseph Campbell ed. Evans Lansing Smith

136. Le Morte d’Arthur, Thomas Malory (1485)

137. The Making of the Middle Ages, R.W. Southern

138. Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages, Jack Hartnell

139. The Age of the Vikings, Anders Winroth

140. The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings, Lars Brownworth

141. The Viking Spirit: An Introduction to Norse Mythology and Religion, Daniel McCoy

142. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, H.R. Elllis Davidson

143. Norwegian Folklore, Zinken Hopp 

144. Holy Misogyny: Why Sex and Gender Conflicts in the Early Church Still Matter, April DeConick

145. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes, Tamim Ansary (610…)

146. Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong

147. The Holy Qur’an

148. Mohammed and Charlemagne, Henri Pirenne (700s)

149. Beowulf (Heaney translation) (by 900s)

150. A History of the English Speaking Peoples, vol. 1: The Birth of Britain, Winston Churchill

151. The Tale of Genji, Lady Murasaki Shikibu (1000s) 

152. The Sagas of Icelanders (1000) 

153. Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England, Alison Weir (1100s)

154. Robin Hood and Other Outlaw Tales, ed. Stephen Knight & Thomas Ohlgren

155. Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography, Stephen Thomas Knight

156. Book of Divine Works, Hildegard von Bingen (1163) 

157. The Allegory of Love: A Study in Medieval Tradition, C.S. Lewis

158. Money: The Unauthorized Biography: From Coinage to Cryptocurrencies, Felix Martin

159.Genghis Khan: Life, Death, and Resurrection, John Man (ca. 1200)

160. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, Jack Weatherford

161. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, Jack Weatherford

162. Kublai Khan: The Mongol King Who Remade China, John Man

163. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis of Assisi, ed. G.K. Chesterton (1200s)

164. St. Francis of Assisi, Omer Englebert 

165. The Poetic Edda (1200s) 

166. The Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson (1200s) 

167. The Saga of the Volsungs, Jesse L. Byock (late 1200s) 

168. The Travels of Marco Polo, Marco Polo (1200s)

169. Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich (1300s) 

170. Outlaws of the Marsh, Shi Nai’an (1300s) 

171. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong (1300s) 

172. Robert the Bruce: King of Scots, Ronald McNair Scott (early 1300s)

173. The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri (1320) 

174. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, Barbara Tuchman   

175. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Jared M. Diamond

176. Marriage: A History, Stephanie Coontz

177.  The Future of Marriage, David Blankenhorn

178. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer (1400) 

179. The Civilizing Process, Norbert Elias  

180. The Samurai: A Military History, Stephen Turnbull 

181. 1421: The Year China Discovered America, Gavin Menzies

182. The Hundred Years War: The English in France 1337-1453, Desmond Seward 

183. Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words (early 1400s)

184. History of Creativity in the Arts, Science, and Technology: Pre-1500, Brent Strong

185. The Illustrated History of the Sikhs, Khushwant Singh (late 1400s)

186. The Aztec, Man and Tribe (1400s-1521) 

187. The Aztecs, Michael E. Smith

188. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles Mann

189. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, Charles Mann 

190. Conquistador Voices, Volume 1, Kevin H. Siepel

191. Conquistador Voices, Volume 2, Kevin H. Siepel

192.  In the Hands of the Great Spirit, John Page

193. Worldly Goods: A New History of the Renaissance, Lisa Jardine

194. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, Jacob Burckhardt

195. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall, Christopher Hibbert 

196. The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli (1513)

197.  Leonardo da Vinci, Walter Isaacson

198. Utopia, Thomas More (1516)

199. She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth, Helen Castor

200. The Reformation: A History, Diarmaid MacCulloch

201. Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World, Eric Metaxas

202. The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself, Daniel J. Boorstin

203. Michel de Montaigne: The Complete Essays (Penguin Classics), ed. M.A. Screech

204. Spice: The History of a Temptation, Jack Turner 

205. The Age of Exploration: From Christopher Columbus to Ferdinand Magellan, Kenneth Pletcher

206. Journey to the West, Wu Cheng’en (1500s) 

207. How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City, Joan DeJean

208. A History of the English Speaking Peoples, vol. 2: The New World, Winston Churchill

209. The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1440-1870, Hugh Thomas

210. The Life of Elizabeth I, Alison Weir

211. The Faerie Queen, Edmund Spenser (1590)

212. The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street, Charles Nicholl

213. A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599, James Shapiro 

214. London: The Biography, Peter Ackroyd 

215. Galileo: Watcher of the Skies, David Wootton

216. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War, Nathaniel Philbrick (1620)

217. Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America, David Hackett Fischer 

218. Art and Commerce in the Dutch Golden Age, Michael North  

219. Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, Edwin G. Burrows & Mike Wallace

220. The Thirty Years War: Europe’s Tragedy, Peter H. Wilson 

221. Coming of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris

222. The Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes (1651)

223. Ethics, Benedict de Spinoza (1665)

224. The Scourge of Demons: Possession, Lust, and Witchcraft in a 17th-century Italian Convent, Jeffrey Watt 

225. The Great Fire of London, Neil Hanson (1666)

226. Paradise Lost (1667) 

227. The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) 

228. The Diary of Samuel Pepys (Modern Library Classics), Samuel Pepys ed. Richard Le Gallienne (late 1600s)

229. The Scientific Revolution, Stephen Shapin

230. The Invention of Science: A New History of the Scientific Revolution, David Wootton 

231. Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton, Richard Westfall (1642-1726)

232. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson

233. Ways of Knowing: A New History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, John Pickstone

234. Two Treatises on Government, John Locke (1689)   

235. The Penguin Book of Witches (1692)

236. In the Devil’s Snare, Mary Beth Norton (1692)

237. Memoirs of Duc de Saint-Simon, 1691-1709: Presented to the King, Duc de Saint-Simon 

238. Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift (1726) (and A Modest Proposal)

239. The Major Works (Oxford World’s Classics), Alexander Pope (early 1700s)

240. China: A History, John Keay

241. The Dream of the Red Chamber, Cao Xueqin (1700s) 

242. Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio vol. 1 (1740) 

243. Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio vol. 2

244. Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio vol. 3 

245. The Story of Music: From Babylon to the Beatles, Howard Goodall

246. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, Christoph Wolff (early 1700s)

247. A History of the English Speaking Peoples, vol. 3: The Age of Revolution, Winston Churchill 

248. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, Lawrence James 

249. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith (1759)

250. Candide, Voltaire (1759) 

251. Treasury of North American Folk Tales, Catherine Peck

252. Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, Fred Anderson

253. Benjamin Franklin, Edmund S. Morgan

254. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

255. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, Robert Massie

256. A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn

257. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith (1776)

258. Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius, Sylvia Nasar

259. Common Sense, Thomas Paine (1776)

260. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Bernard Bailyn 

261. The Radicalism of the American Revolution, Gordon S. Wood

262. 1776, David McCullough

263. The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson

264. History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution, Mercy Otis Warren

265. Washington’s Crossing, David Hackett Fischer

266. George Washington, A Life, Willard Sterne Randall

267. The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, Gordon S. Wood

268. Washington: A Life, Ron Chernow

269. The Grand Idea: George Washington’s Potomac and the Race to the West, Joel Achenbach

270. His Excellency: George Washington, Joseph J. Ellis

271. James Wilson: Founding Father, 1742-1798, Charles Page Smith

272. The Constitution and Bill of Rights, James Madison

273. The Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1788)

274. The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government, Fergus Bordewich

275. Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution, Jack Rakove

276. Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies, Erwin Chemerinsky

277. That’s Not What They Meant, Michael Austin

278. The Second Amendment: A Biography, Michael Waldman

279. That’s Not What They Meant About Guns, Michael Austin

280. Taming the Electoral College, Robert Bennett

281. Why the Electoral College is Bad for America, George C. Edwards 

282. Faust, Goethe (1790)

283. The Ancien Regime and the Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville

284. Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution, Simon Schama

285. The Rights of Man, Thomas Paine (1791)

286. A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft (1792)

287. A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

288. A History of Japan: Revised Edition, R.H.P. Mason

289. John Adams, David McCullough

290.  Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams, Joseph J. Ellis

291. The Scramble for Africa, Thomas Pakenham

292. Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow 

293. Alexander Hamilton: The Formative Years, Michael Newton

294. Alexander Hamilton: Writings (plus Farmer Refuted, Washington’s farewell address, & the Reynolds Pamphlet)

295. The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine (1804) 

296. Jefferson and His Time, Dumas Malone

297. Thomas Jefferson, Willard Sterne Randall

298. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Jon Meacham

299. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, Joseph J. Ellis

300. Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination, Annette Gordon-Reed and Peter Onuf

301. Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson, Paul Finkelman

302. The Founding Foodies: How Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin Revolutionized American Cuisine, Dave DeWitt

303. The Journals of Lewis and Clark, Lewis and Clark (1806)

304. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World, Andrea Wulf 

305. A History of the English Speaking Peoples, vol. 4: The Great Democracies, Winston Churchill 

306. The Cambridge Illustrated History of France, Colin Jones

307. France, a History: From Gaul to De Gaulle, John Julius Norwich

308. Napoleon: A Life, Andrew Roberts

309. The Brothers Grimm (1812) 

310. James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic, Jack Rakove

311. James Madison: A Biography, Ralph Ketchem

312. The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies, Alan Taylor

313. The Naval War of 1812, Theodore Roosevelt

314. Bolivar: American Liberator, Marie Arana (ca. 1810s)

315. The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness, Harlow Giles Unger

316. The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in Nineteenth-Century America, Jay Sexton

317. The English and their History, Robert Tombs

318. An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Grant Palmer 

319. Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, D. Michael Quinn

320. Standing Apart: Mormon Historical Consciousness and the Concept of Apostasy, Miranda Wilcox & John Young

321. Nation Builder: John Quincy Adams and the Grand Strategy of the Republic, Charles Edel

322. John Quincy Adams: American Visionary, Fred Kaplan

323. John Quincy Adams, Robert V. Remini

324. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Richard Bushman 

325. Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery

326. By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion, Terryl Givens 

327. Understanding the Book of Mormon, Grant Hardy

328. The Book of Mormon: Revised Authorized Version 

329. The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, D. Michael Quinn

330. Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo, Michael G. Reed

331. This Is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology, Charles Harrell

332. The Refiner’s Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, John L. Brooke

333. A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 1, B.H. Roberts

334. Garibaldi: Invention of a Hero, Lucy Riall (1834 revolt)

335. Road to the Sea, Florence Dorsey 

336. Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times, H.W. Brands

337. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, Jon Meacham

338. Jacksonland, Steve Inskeep

339. Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville (1835)

340. Martin Van Buren: The Romantic Age of American Politics, John Niven

341. The Voyage of the Beagle, Charles Darwin (1839)

342. Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives, Sunil Khilnani

343. Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Times, Freeman Cleaves

344. John Tyler: Champion of the Old South, Oliver P. Chitwood

345. Self-Reliance and Other Essays, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841)

346. Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard (1843) 

347. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845)

348. Woman in the Nineteenth Century, Margaret Fuller (1845)

349. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848, Daniel Walker Howe

350. Nightfall at Nauvoo, Samuel W. Taylor 

351. A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 2, B.H. Roberts

352. Journey to Zion: Voices from the Mormon Trail, Carol Cornwall Madsen

353. 111 Days to Zion, Hal Knight 

354. The Gathering of Zion, Wallace Stegner 

355. A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 3, B.H. Roberts

356. The Plains Across: The Overland Emigrants on the Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60, John D. Unruh

357. So Far from God: The U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848, John S. D. Eisenhower

358. The Oregon Trail, Francis Parkman (1849)

359. The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream, H.W. Brands 

360. Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau (1849)

361. The American Transcendentalists 

362. The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America (James Polk), Walter Borneman

363. Fire and Blood: A History of Mexico, T.R. Fehrenbach

364. Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest, K. Jack Bauer

365. The War Before the War: Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America’s Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War, Andrew Delbanco

366. Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President, Robert J. Rayback 

367. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852) 

368. Walden, Henry David Thoreau (1854) 

369. Franklin Pierce, Michael Holt

370. President James Buchanan: A Biography, Philip S. Klein

371. Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism, Terryl Givens 

372. A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 4, B.H. Roberts

373. American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857, Sally Denton

374. America in 1857: A Nation on the Brink, Kenneth Stampp

375. The West Indies and the Spanish Main, Anthony Trollope (1860)  

376. Charles Darwin: The Power of Place, Janet Browne

377. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, James McPherson

378. Centennial History of the Civil War, vol. 1: The Coming Fury, Bruce Catton

379. Centennial History of the Civil War, vol. 2: Terrible Swift Sword, Bruce Catton

380. Centennial History of the Civil War, vol. 3: Never Call Retreat, Bruce Catton

381. Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer, Fred Kaplan

382. The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln through his Words, Ronald White

383. The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln

384. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin

385. Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South, Stephanie McCurry 

386. The South vs. the South: How Anti-Confederate Southerners Shaped the Course of the Civil War, William Freehling

387. Andersen’s Fairy Tales, Hans Christian Andersen 

388. Matthew Brady’s Illustrated History of the Civil War

389. With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Oates

390. A Short History of Canada (6th ed), Desmond Morton 

391. Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years, Carl Sandburg

392. This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust

393. Abraham Lincoln, Lord Charnwood  

394. Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China, Jung Chang

395. Andrew Johnson, Annette Gordon-Reed

396. Biographical Supplement and Index, Harriet Sigerman 

397. Mormon Sisters: Women in Early Utah, Claudia Bushman

398. Development of LDS Temple Worship, Devery Anderson

399. The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz 

400. Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, John C. Turner

401. Great Basin Kingdom: An Economic History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900, Leonard Arrington 

402. A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 5, B.H. Roberts

403. Grant, Ron Chernow

404. Grant: A Biography, William S. McFeeley

405. American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant, Ronald C. White

406. Complete Personal Memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant 

407. Capital (Das Kapital), Karl Marx (first edition 1867, third 1894)

408. The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America, Louis Menand

409. Black Reconstruction, W.E.B. Du Bois

410. Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, updated edition, Eric Foner

411. A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration, Steven Hahn

412. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Dee Brown

413. Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America, T.J. Stiles

414. Rutherford B. Hayes, Hans Trefousse

415. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche

416. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future, Friedrich Nietzsche

417. Assassination Vacation (James Garfield), Sarah Vowell

418. Destiny of the Republic (James Garfield), Candice Millard 

419. Gentleman Boss: The Life of Chester Alan Arthur, Thomas C. Reeves

420. King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, Adam Hochschild 

421. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney  

422. More Wives Than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840-1910, Kathryn M. Daynes 

423. The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy, Carol Lynn Pearson

424. Selected Writings, José Martí (Penguin Classics)

425. Dawn of the Belle Epoque, Mary McAuliffe

426. Grover Cleveland: A Study in Character, Henry F. Graff

427. Manning Clark’s History of Australia: Abridged from the Six-Volume Classic, Manning Clark

428. The Making of Modern Ireland, 1603-1923, J.C. Beckett 

429. Benjamin Harrison, Charles W. Calhoun

430. How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York, Jacob Riis (1890)

431. Greater Gotham: A History of New York City from 1898 to 1919, Mike Wallace 

432. The History of Spain, Peter Pierson

433. Presidency of William McKinley, Lewis L. Gould

434. The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois

435. Theodore Rex, Edmund Morris

436. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Edmund Morris

437. Mornings on Horseback (Theodore Roosevelt), David McCullough

438. Marie Curie: A Life, Susan Quinn

439. The Shame of the Cities, Lincoln Steffens (1904)

440. Albert Einstein: A Biography, Albrecht Folsing 

441. Relativity: The Special and General Theory, Albert Einstein (1905)

442. The Jungle, Upton Sinclair (1906)

443. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, Doris Kearns Goodwin 

444. The Life & Times of William Howard Taft, Harry F. Pringle

445. The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve, Peter Conti-Brown 

446. Americana: A 400-Year History of American Capitalism, Bhu Srinivasan

447. The War that Ended Peace: The Road to 1914, Margaret MacMillan

448. July 1914: Countdown to War, Sean McMeekin 

449. The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman  

450. A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918, G.J. Meyer 

451. Pandemic 1918: Eyewitness Accounts from the Greatest Medical Holocaust in Modern History, Catharine Arnold

452. Woodrow Wilson: A Biography, John Milton Cooper

453. Women and the Vote: A World History, Jad Adams

454. Rise Up Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes, Diane Atkinson

455. The Shadow of Blooming Grove: Warren G. Harding in His Times, Francis Russell

456. A History of Russia (new edition w Mark Steinberg), Nicholas V. Riasanovsky

457. The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga, John Curtis Perry and Constantine V. Pleshakov

458. Ten Days that Shook the World, John Reed

459.  Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” Zora Neale Hurston

460. Coolidge: An American Enigma, Robert Sobel

461. Anything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties, Lucy Moore 

462. Herbert Hoover, William Leuchtenburg

463. A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vol. 6, B.H. Roberts

464. Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, Liaquat Ahamed

465. Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, David Kennedy

466. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Walker Evans and James Agee

467. Black Elk Speaks, Black Elk

468. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom, Conrad Black

469. FDR, Jean Edward Smith

470. The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins, Kirstin Downey

471. Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope, Jonathan Alte

472.  Eleanor Roosevelt: Vol. 1, The Early Years, 1884-1933, Blanche Wiesen Cook

473. Eleanor Roosevelt: Vol. 2, The Defining Years, 1933-1938, Blanche Wiesen Cook

474. Eleanor Roosevelt: Vol. 3, The War Years and After, 1939-1962, Blanche Wiesen Cook

475. No Ordinary Time (FDR), Doris Kearns Goodwin

476. Alan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges

477. The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, Andrew Roberts

478. Bloodlands, Timothy Snyder 

479. Leningrad, Anna Reid

480. A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary

481. Churchill: Walking with Destiny, Andrew Roberts 

482. Memoirs of the Second World War, Winston Churchill 

483. The Destruction of the European Jews, Raul Hilberg

484. The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank

485. Night, Elie Wiesel

486. Hiroshima, John Hersey

487. Nuremberg Trials: The Nazis and Their Crimes Against Humanity, Paul Roland 

488. Truman, David McCullough

489. Gandhi: An Autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi

490. The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, Louis Fischer 

491. The Arabs: A History, Eugene Rogan 

492. Mao: The Unknown Story, Jung Chang and Jon Halliday

493. Inside Red China, Helen Foster Snow

494. Red Star Over China, Edgar Snow

495. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, David Halberstam

496. An American Childhood, Annie Dillard 

497. Eisenhower in War and Peace, Jean Edward Smith

498. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA, James D. Watson (1953)

499. Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA, Brenda Maddox 

500. Mississippi Trial, 1955, Chris Crowe 

501. Sake & Satori: Asian Journals, Joseph Campbell

502. A Concise History of Germany, Mary Fulbrook

503. The Mormon Hierarchy: Wealth and Corporate Power, D. Michael Quinn

504. Lost Legacy: The Mormon Office of Presiding Patriarch, Irene Bates

505. The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan (1963)

506. A Thousand Days (JFK), Arthur M. Schlesinger

507. An Unfinished Life (JFK), Robert Dallek

508. A History of Modern Africa: 1800 to the Present, 2nd ed., Richard J. Reid

509. The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 1: The Path to Power, Robert Caro

510. The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 2: Means of Ascent, Robert Caro

511. The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 3: Master of the Senate, Robert Caro

512. The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 4: The Passage of Power, Robert Caro

513. The Years of Lyndon Johnson, vol. 5: untitled/unreleased, Robert Caro

514. Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63, Taylor Branch

515. Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65, Taylor Branch

516. At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68, Taylor Branch

517. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X & Alex Haley 

518. The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin

519. Lakota Woman, Mary Crow Dog

520. The Bomb: A New History, Stephen Younger  

521. This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age, William Burrows 

522. A History of the Modern Middle East, 5th ed., William Cleveland

523. Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi, Katherine Frank 

524. Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam, Fredrik Logevall 

525. The Best and the Brightest, David Halberstam

526. Lessons in Disaster: McGeorge Bundy and the Path to War in Vietnam, Gordon Goldstein

527. To Destroy You Is No Loss: The Odyssey of a Cambodian Family, JoAn D. Criddle

528. All the President’s Men, Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward

529. Nixonland, Richard Perlstein 

530. The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics, Bruce Schulman

531. Gerald R. Ford, Douglas Brinkley

532. Pedestals and Podiums: Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights, Martha Bradley 

533. Petals of Blood, Nugi wa Thiong’o (1977 Kenyan novel)

534. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

535. Spear of the Nation: South Africa’s Liberation Army, Janet Cherry

536. Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa, Antjie Krog

537. Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter, Randall Balmer

538. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, Robert A. Caro 

539. President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, Lou Cannon

540. 1983: The World at the Brink, Taylor Downing

541. A History of the Soviet Union from the Beginning to the End, Peter Kenez

542. Lost Lives (the Troubles), David McKittrick, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeley, and Chris Thornton 

543. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America, Juan Gonzalez 

544. As Texas Goes: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda, Gail Collins

545. Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush, Jon Meacham

546. First in His Class (Bill Clinton), David Maraniss

547. Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, Gore Vidal (2002) 

548. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 11, 2001, Steve Coll

549. Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Peter Baker 

550. Monument Wars: Washington, D.C., the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape, Kirk Savage

551. The Formations of Modernity, Stuart Hall & Bram Gieben

552. Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress – and a Plan to Stop It, Lawrence Lessig (he wrote a sequel, same title with “2.0” in 2015) 

553. All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis, Bethany McLean

554. Back to Work, Bill Clinton

555. Beyond Outrage: What Has Gone Wrong with our Economy and our Democracy and How to Fix It, Robert Reich 

556. A Governor’s Story, Jennifer Granholm

557.  Life, Inc.: How Corporatism Conquered the World and How We Can Take It Back, Douglas Rushkoff

558. Dreams from my Father, Barack Obama

559. Barack Obama: The Story, David Maraniss

560. The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama, David Remnick

561. Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President (Obama), Ron Suskind

562. Obama’s Wars, Bob Woodward

563. Hard Choices: A Memoir, Hillary Clinton

564. The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama

565. The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, Chris Whipple

566. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 

567. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present, David Treuer

568. DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution, James D. Watson 

569. Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, Evan Osnos

570. Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age, Larry Bartels

571. The Post-American World: Release 2.0, Fareed Zakaria

572. What Happened, Hillary Clinton 

573. THE NOT YET WRITTEN DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S SCANDALS

574. How Democracies Die, Steve Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt

575. The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels, Jon Meacham

576. America: The Farewell Tour, Chris Hedges

577. A Call to Action, Jimmy Carter

578. I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai

579. A Path Appears, Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn

580. The History of Creativity in the Arts, Science, and Technology: 1500-Present, Brent Strong 

581. Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Stephen Hawking  

[paintingwithanastasiya]

Murano, Burano and Torcello

If you have more days visit the 3 natural islands Murano, Burano and Torcello. To redescover the ancient territorial dimension of Venice.

Murano

Although glass-making has taken place in Murano for centuries, it is still to this day the island’s principal industry. For this reason, tourists will normally be asked and led to visit one of the numerous glass factories in the small town. In Murano, may century-old techniques are still used, so watching the artisans work is a pretty unique experience. This said, after discovering how the glass is made, you will be guided into the factory’s shop in case you want to purchase any of the items.

Burano is an island in the Lagoon of Venice. It is located to the north of Venice, very near Torcello, and is famous for its lacemaking.

Tiny Torcello island has few residents but it's often busy with sightseers in summer. They come to visit the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, with its Venetian-Byzantine mosaics and views of nearby Burano from the bell tower, or to check out the Ponte del Diavolo, a bridge with no parapets, and the stone seat known as Trono di Attila. A handful of eateries along the main canal serve lunch.

[yourtour]

Officers and attendants

His countenance and his manner exhibited more awe than I had ever seen depicted in the human countenance. He seemed to hold his breath; and his step was so soft and stealthy, that once or twice I stopped, under the impression that I had left him behind, but found him ever beside me. There were three of us in close proximity, and the stairway was lined with officers and attendants ; but such was the death-like stillness, that I could distinctly hear my own footfall. If it had been a wild beast slumbering in his lair, that we were about to visit, there could not have been a silence more deeply hushed”.

light and apparently feeble, . . the expression of his features at the moment of passing was that of profound melancholy”. It is to be recollected, however, that the Turks are a grave-looking people.

I quote the following passages, as bearing in one way or another on the subject of the foregoing Lectures.

He saw the old Tartar throne, which puts one in mind of Attila’s queen, Zingis’s lieutenant, and Timour. “ The old divan, upon which the Sultans formerly reclined when they gave audience, looks like an overgrown four-poster, covered with carbuncles of precious stones, turquoise, amethysts, topaz, emeralds, ruby, and diamond: the couch was covered with Damascus silk and Cashmere shawls”.

“ Anchored in the Bay of Scio. In the afternoon, the weather partially moderating, visited the shore. From the ship, we had enjoyed a view of rich orchards and green fields; but on landing we found ourselves amid a scene of desolation. . . We rode into the country. . . . What a contrast between the luxuriant vegetation, the bounty of nature, and the devastation of man ! Nearly every house was unroofed and in ruins, not one in ten inhabited, although surrounded with thick groves of orange trees loaded with the weight of their golden fruit”.

[mihovatravels]

Officers and attendants

His countenance and his manner exhibited more awe than I had ever seen depicted in the human countenance. He seemed to hold his breath; and his step was so soft and stealthy, that once or twice I stopped, under the impression that I had left him behind, but found him ever beside me. There were three of us in close proximity, and the stairway was lined with officers and attendants ; but such was the death-like stillness, that I could distinctly hear my own footfall. If it had been a wild beast slumbering in his lair, that we were about to visit, there could not have been a silence more deeply hushed”.

light and apparently feeble, . . the expression of his features at the moment of passing was that of profound melancholy”. It is to be recollected, however, that the Turks are a grave-looking people.

I quote the following passages, as bearing in one way or another on the subject of the foregoing Lectures.

He saw the old Tartar throne, which puts one in mind of Attila’s queen, Zingis’s lieutenant, and Timour. “ The old divan, upon which the Sultans formerly reclined when they gave audience, looks like an overgrown four-poster, covered with carbuncles of precious stones, turquoise, amethysts, topaz, emeralds, ruby, and diamond: the couch was covered with Damascus silk and Cashmere shawls”.

“ Anchored in the Bay of Scio. In the afternoon, the weather partially moderating, visited the shore. From the ship, we had enjoyed a view of rich orchards and green fields; but on landing we found ourselves amid a scene of desolation. . . We rode into the country. . . . What a contrast between the luxuriant vegetation, the bounty of nature, and the devastation of man ! Nearly every house was unroofed and in ruins, not one in ten inhabited, although surrounded with thick groves of orange trees loaded with the weight of their golden fruit”.

[tasteoftravel]

Officers and attendants

His countenance and his manner exhibited more awe than I had ever seen depicted in the human countenance. He seemed to hold his breath; and his step was so soft and stealthy, that once or twice I stopped, under the impression that I had left him behind, but found him ever beside me. There were three of us in close proximity, and the stairway was lined with officers and attendants ; but such was the death-like stillness, that I could distinctly hear my own footfall. If it had been a wild beast slumbering in his lair, that we were about to visit, there could not have been a silence more deeply hushed”.

light and apparently feeble, . . the expression of his features at the moment of passing was that of profound melancholy”. It is to be recollected, however, that the Turks are a grave-looking people.

I quote the following passages, as bearing in one way or another on the subject of the foregoing Lectures.

He saw the old Tartar throne, which puts one in mind of Attila’s queen, Zingis’s lieutenant, and Timour. “ The old divan, upon which the Sultans formerly reclined when they gave audience, looks like an overgrown four-poster, covered with carbuncles of precious stones, turquoise, amethysts, topaz, emeralds, ruby, and diamond: the couch was covered with Damascus silk and Cashmere shawls”.

“ Anchored in the Bay of Scio. In the afternoon, the weather partially moderating, visited the shore. From the ship, we had enjoyed a view of rich orchards and green fields; but on landing we found ourselves amid a scene of desolation. . . We rode into the country. . . . What a contrast between the luxuriant vegetation, the bounty of nature, and the devastation of man ! Nearly every house was unroofed and in ruins, not one in ten inhabited, although surrounded with thick groves of orange trees loaded with the weight of their golden fruit”.

[asktravels]

Officers and attendants

His countenance and his manner exhibited more awe than I had ever seen depicted in the human countenance. He seemed to hold his breath; and his step was so soft and stealthy, that once or twice I stopped, under the impression that I had left him behind, but found him ever beside me. There were three of us in close proximity, and the stairway was lined with officers and attendants ; but such was the death-like stillness, that I could distinctly hear my own footfall. If it had been a wild beast slumbering in his lair, that we were about to visit, there could not have been a silence more deeply hushed”.

light and apparently feeble, . . the expression of his features at the moment of passing was that of profound melancholy”. It is to be recollected, however, that the Turks are a grave-looking people.

I quote the following passages, as bearing in one way or another on the subject of the foregoing Lectures.

He saw the old Tartar throne, which puts one in mind of Attila’s queen, Zingis’s lieutenant, and Timour. “ The old divan, upon which the Sultans formerly reclined when they gave audience, looks like an overgrown four-poster, covered with carbuncles of precious stones, turquoise, amethysts, topaz, emeralds, ruby, and diamond: the couch was covered with Damascus silk and Cashmere shawls”.

“ Anchored in the Bay of Scio. In the afternoon, the weather partially moderating, visited the shore. From the ship, we had enjoyed a view of rich orchards and green fields; but on landing we found ourselves amid a scene of desolation. . . We rode into the country. . . . What a contrast between the luxuriant vegetation, the bounty of nature, and the devastation of man ! Nearly every house was unroofed and in ruins, not one in ten inhabited, although surrounded with thick groves of orange trees loaded with the weight of their golden fruit”.