#i discovered this game when only 3 or so books of the initial routes were out and then forgot about it for almost 5 years

[aiburr]

would you trust a gemini? what about TWO geminis??

[mrhaitch]

Looks like I've been tagged in. Speaking as a published author who is still not completely out of the grips of writer's block, here are some things that I've found helped:

1) Write anything: most of the time the block is connected to a particular thing. This could be an ongoing project that's run aground, a medium you're used to working in but isn't clicking anymore, or a genre, or whatever. Step away from what isn't working and do something different: journaling, free writing, word association games, a list of people you feel have personally wronged you, a list of people you would like to personally wrong you - doesn't matter, just write something.

2) Read: this may seem obvious but it's often a neglected step (speaking from experience). If your usual isn't doing it for you right now, read something different. Google authors you respect and admire and see what books and authors inspired them. That's how I discovered a love for Richard Mattheson. Try to switch it up - pick up books of poetry, philosophy, history, try to find some topic or curiosity that piques your interest. All you're doing is priming the pump, or adding to your creative compost. You need more words, more metaphors, so glut yourself silly.

3) Stop writing, stop reading: sometimes you can exhaust yourself, and there's no sense in spinning your wheels if all you're succeeding in doing is pissing yourself off. Get up and leave the house. Take an unfamiliar route to somewhere you know. Wander, roam, take that short trip you always wondered about but could never justify. Feed yourself with new experiences and fresh sensory data.

4) There's always a reason: one method that usually helps me when I'm stuck is backtracking to where I got stuck. For my third novel, I wrote three separate first drafts, with each new iteration branching off from a previous one at a crucial plot point. I kept finding that I'd be tearing ahead, everything flowing nicely, until I suddenly ran out of road. It was like the characters had just uttered their lines during a rehearsal (as that's what a draft is, let's face it) and hit upon a scene, development, or line of dialogue they hated, and we're refusing to move on. No matter what I did I could feel them standing around, silently staring at me. It was only when I went back, found what wasn't working and changed it that things resumed their usual, blistering pace.

Even if it's not a block within a story, but a more general one, it pays to figure out what happened before the block started. Picking through that liminal moment can often help you to understand the nature of your block.

I'll use myself as an example: for my PhD I wrote a massive epic fantasy novel, plus a creative commentary, clocking in at around a quarter of a million words. I did nothing but work on my thesis - I ate, slept, drank, and breathed that book for nearly four years until it was suddenly done. Then I was showing it to my viva panel, who were impressed and encouraging, and approved my doctorate. Around that time I formed a casual friendship with a literary agent whose something of a legend within UK fantasy (no I won't name names), who worked with a lot of household names. He liked my work, has been hugely encouraging and supportive, but not enough to represent me.

Which formed a pattern. I have spent the past year or so submitting and querying agents, sometimes exchanging personal correspondence, getting past the initial stages and nothing has come of it yet. I've got prior publications, a lot of experience, and some modicum of talent - but it's still not working. I bump into old colleagues who are shocked to hear no one is biting, that my thesis remains unpublished.

I've been here before (five times to be exact) over the past ten years, and normally dust myself off and move to the next project. Since I finished the last draft of my thesis, I have yet to successfully complete anything: every novel or short story or essay I start writing eventually comes apart in my hands. I start to see the cracks and the seams in what I'm doing, the flaws, the insufficiencies. I convince myself I'm wasting my own time until I slow to a crawl, then stop altogether.

I've revisited all of this several times, and I'm slowly but surely picking up speed again. My problem has been entirely psychological, and much of it stemmed from an unexpected body blow of disappointment. What I've had to remind myself of is this:

Writing is largely about failure and your ability to respond to and process failure. A lot of people give up after their first disappointment. Some at their second. The ones that go the distance try again and again, and keep going despite the slim chances and the cumulative frustration. It may not be seamless progress - there may be weeks and months and even years where you can't write a single word - but so long as you keep that fire burning then it's never a second wasted.

I hope this helps.

Sorry if you’ve been asked this loads of times, I just wanted to pick your brain about something. Do you have any tips for dealing with writers’ block?

Been wanting to write but it just… won’t, y’know?

I've been asked this before, but I really don't suffer from writers' block. At least, in the 13/14 months since I've started writing, I never have. Certainly not in the way that other people have.

I tend to find that I can write in the most obscure and distracted circumstances, or at peace. As previously mentioned, most of my writing is done whilst I'm doing something else, like cooking dinner, or bopping a baby on my hip, or bath/naptime.

While I have moments where I'm not sure how to continue with a story, it's more of a matter of giving it time for the plotbunnies to work themselves out, over being unable to write as a craft (which feels like how 'writers block' is described).

So...I feel like I cannot truthfully answer this for you.

As such, I'm going to ask for a @mrhaitch reblog and input. I'm not saying I'm special or above it all or anything, but I won't lie to you and lay claim to a conundrum that I haven't suffered so far.

I tend to find that if I want to write, and feel too tired to, I savagely bully myself and then it flows right out 💀💀🫠

Love, and I'm sorry for my uselessness,

-- Haitch xxx

[netheritenugget]

Alright, I'll bite. What sort of King is Eret here? And what manner of monster?

Sorry this took so long!  I had too much fun writing this post and it’s super long now.  Oops.

(I made a couple of posts about a Dream SMP Undertale AU)

If you’re good at reading between the lines this post contains major spoilers for Undertale. I know the game has been out for ages, but if you care, block the tag "Dream SMP Undetale AU"

IRL Eret is very fond of ferrets and flamingos, and they're very cool animals, but they aren’t that intimidating for a monster design.  But Eret also likes bears (their stuffed bear Ted is their unofficial channel mascot) and that's definitely boss-monster material.  So I think Eret would be a bear monster of some kind, just for the sheer intimidation factor.

I think Eret would be a good king, policy-wise.  They'd do their best to bring hope to the Underground, and they wouldn't be the one collecting human souls in this AU, that's someone else who is well-known for killing people (:  As for how people perceive them, and how they got there...  Welllll...

Eret wasn't the first King, that title goes to Wilbur, who was the King when the War of Humans And Monsters happened.  Eret was loyal back then, but that loyalty wavered when the monsters lost the war, and it fell apart when the realities of living underground made the other monsters restless and bitter.  Many people blamed Wilbur for losing.  Eret did too, and became very outspoken against him.

Dream took advantage of Eret's anger, poisoning his mind and feeding his resentment, and encouraged them to challenge Wilbur to a duel for the crown, telling them they'd be a much better king than he is. (:  Eret challenged Wilbur, but the duel was not to the death, it was points based, though of course with all duels the chance of death is there.  Eret won without killing him, though, and Wilbur gave them the crown.  He was naturally extremely upset about being dethroned, but otherwise everything was fine.

Until Wilbur ended up murdered the next day.  The first suspect was Eret but there was no actual evidence who the culprit was, since monsters turn to dust after death and there weren't any witnesses.  Eret's reputation is damaged, faith in their leadership shaken.

The Player arrives in Cogchamp (the Ruins) after their initial meeting with Dream is interrupted by Fundy before Dream can kill them.  Fundy tries to talk to him, but he just runs away, claiming that the situation is "too awkward."  The player learns that Fundy is living there to escape the emotional turmoil of losing his father and his doubts that Eret isn't as innocent as he claims.  Fundy misses Eret very much, wondering if they were alright after he left, and saying that he wants to go fishing with them when he goes back, like he and Wilbur used to.

Fundy gives us some lore about Dream.  Fundy stopped being friends with him after Dream got very suddenly "too Weirdchamp" about everything. Fundy says he's seen Dream with a human who fell down before, but he never saw the human again, even though he looked all over. Dream denied it when he asked.

Fundy also fills the role of acquainting the Player with game mechanics, though he's much more chaotic and prankish, and the Player becomes his friend.  He tries to prevent the Player from leaving Cogchamp because he's lonely, but ultimately relents because he knows he can’t bring himself to hurt someone who was nice to him.  Unless it's a Genocide Route, in which Fundy doesn't try to fight the Player, and instead flees to the rest of the Underground, to warn Eret and the other monsters. </3

But this post is about Eret, I'm getting sidetracked here.

Everyone else's reactions to current events is mixed.  Some monsters like Hbomb and Puffy stubbornly believe that Eret didn’t kill Wilbur, others like Purpled are just upset that they felt the need to overthrow him in the first place.  The Sleepy Bois want them dead for killing their family, and are planning to assassinate them.

Niki is the closest to Eret, and talks about them the most.  She talks about how they were her emotional rock during the War, and that though they're still good friends, she's seen less and less of them lately, and they don't smile as much anymore.

Despite how things turned out, Eret still tries their best to be a good King, and bring people hope.  Whenever the Player goes to a new area and finds a new box for items, they always find a piece of "you matter <3 - Eret" item inside that grants temporary defense.  Eret also built a lot of important public facilities in the Underground outside of Cogchamp, like a museum in which the Player learns of Wilbur’s heroism in the War of Humans And Monsters.  They also built several bridges and an aquarium for monsters in Waterfall (because of the water level problems Waterfall is having).

Much like Asgore, the Player's opinion of Eret is based entirely on what others have to say about them. The Player might feel strongly that they're too nice to have done something like this, and something else is going on, or that Eret definitely could have killed Wilbur and the Sleepy Bois are right to seek justice for a wrong that has been committed.

Boss Battles:

For Eret's boss fight in the Genocide Route...  Oh boy.

Eret’s fight isn't as difficult as Technoblade’s would be, but it’s difficult because you can't damage Eret in the beginning.  In spite of Eret's protests, Niki comes to try to protect them, shielding Eret from all damage until you kill her.  Then Eret goes into a sorrow-fueled rage and enters into "No-one Knows" mode, removing their sunglasses.  They use their last words to beg the Player to find enough mercy in their heart to Spare Fundy.

The last person the Player kills in the Genocide run is indeed Fundy, who Eret was hiding in the Castle.  It's not a fight, it's just murder.  It's very sad.

Before the boss fight in the Neutral Route, we're privy to a conversation between Eret and Ghostbur, in which Ghostbur comes to visit the castle. Eret tells Ghostbur they're sorry for everything they've done, and that taking his place was the biggest mistake of their life.  Ghostbur claims other people say they killed him, and asks if Eret did.  Eret avoids the question, stating that they've already told Wilbur the truth about what happened many times, there's no point if he can’t remember.  Ghostbur presses the question, stating that even if he'll forget later, he'd like to know, because he does remember being Eret's friend, and he's worried about them.  The Player is noticed before Eret can answer him.

Eret fights the Player alone.  Eret admits to the Player that they should probably be a good sport and just die, they don’t want to hurt a child, but they know the Player needs their soul to leave, and they're too afraid of death not to try and fight.

When they lose, they lament that things turned out this way because they thought they could do a better job than Wilbur, and that they can't seem to do anything right as a King or a mentor to Fundy.  They try to give up their soul to the Player, who spares them.

Only for Dream to kill them, steal the soul, and destroy it.  Because he's Dream.  Dream also reveals to the Player that he was the one who killed Wilbur, because the underground is boring and he needs entertainment. He's been collecting human souls, not to destroy the barrier with, but to become God.  Dream goes Photoshop Flowey Mode and fights the Player.

Pacifist Route:

After completing the Neutral route and starting the Pacifist Route, the Player is pointed in toward Eret's castle basement by Dream.  The Player discovers a Necromancy Lair (a creepy equivalent to the True Lab in Dr. Alphy's house) with the Wilbur resurrection shrine in it.  Once the Player finds the scattered pages torn out of Eret’s diary, it's revealed that Eret suspects Dream killed Wilbur, but they have no proof.  The diary talks about how Ghostbur was the result of a secret project by Eret, their failure to revive Wilbur.  Their diary also informs us that Dream often comes to torment them about this, taunting them about they'd just made things worse.  Eret questions whether or not to step down as King, but wonders who would be able to take responsibility, since Prince Fundy is missing.

The Player also finds a book by someone named "Callahan" about dreamon summoning that Eret was researching (and deemed too dangerous to use, due to the warnings within).

In the final fight against Dream, the Player can Save Eret by giving them pink wool, and reminding them that they matter to Fundy, Niki and the Player.

At the end of the Pacifist run, Eret and Fundy reconcile.  Eret crowns Fundy King, and declares that this is how it should have been from the beginning.  IDK if Wilbur is revived or not, depends on how bittersweet of an ending I want, maybe Ghostbur just has their memories restored without bringing them back to life?  But during the end credits, the three of them can be seen fishing together.

[mittensmorgul]

(1 of 3) Mittens, I know you're more of a 'what is on the show' than the 'what is around the show' but I was wondering if you had some more resources or information regarding something; i keep seeing here and there people talking about the show that Cas took on Anna's role (that Anna was supposed to become more important/the angelic guide/the love interest but because of the better chemistry the writers switched the roles around and "gave" cas what was to be Anna's role)

(2 of 3) That seems to be a common statement coming from a lot of fans/meta writers. I know I have parroted that as fact in my early days in the fandom as well. But when I actually went looking for actual sources for that theory, I came up empty. I find lots of people talking about it as given fact/gospel truth, but nothing for direct sources. It’s not in the Nicholas Knight season books, I haven’t seen any interviews or magazines that have TPTB talking about that.

(3 of 3) Admittedly I only got into the fandom in the s12/s13 time period, so missed so much of the early meta and interviews and things and it’s possible my Google-Fu has failed in finding where there is clearly sources for this. So, do you know if there is any veracity of this refrain that “Cas took the role they had originally planned for Anna’ theory? Thank you!

First off, HI! :D

Second, you’re correct. I think at this point it’s some awful game of telephone, that somewhere down the line there was a post detailing how the narrative actually handled it with a sort of tl;dr-- Anna was originally created to be a sort of “information key” for the Winchesters, a guide to open up their understanding of Angels via one that had also experienced humanity first hand, you know? But instead of giving her that role, THEY ALREADY HAD MULTIPLE EPISODES WITH CASTIEL and by the time Anna appeared, FANS HAD ALREADY BONDED TO CAS, and rather than expanding Anna’s role and killing off Castiel (whose only purpose at first was to rescue Dean from Hell and ensure the Winchesters participated in what Heaven needed them to do...), they chose instead to expand Cas’s role as an already established character via Anna’s introduction.

Anna WAS ALREADY ENTRENCHED IN HUMANITY HERSELF. But Cas? They could send Cas on a similar journey of discovery, and demonstrate that process of an angel truly falling in love with humanity, showing us how he came to the realization that heaven was corrupt, his mission had been corrupt.

Anna... could never have been THAT.

The show would’ve been fundamentally different if they’d actually killed Cas off and installed Anna as their guide to Heaven Stuff. It would’ve been a lot more “telling them how bad Heaven was” or “how controlling it was” or whatever, and way less struggle to understand and overcome. Even if she remained human, she would’ve been an information dispensing machine in ways that Cas could NOT be without having endured a similar journey for himself. And that.. would’ve been boring and preachy and weird.

And they decided VERY EARLY in the writing of s4 that Misha as an actor and Cas as a character, and his exploration and education about humanity and heaven was the story they wanted to tell. So if anything, Anna was merely one of the keys that unlocked that potential for Cas. I don’t even know if Anna wasn’t created SPECIFICALLY TO SERVE THIS FUNCTION FOR CAS. But that seems most likely to me.

Like... they decided that they would expand the character of Castiel to allow us to learn about angels, about Heaven, and the profound lack of understanding the angels harbored about Free Will and Love and Humanity. But they needed him to begin questioning his orders, to start opening some of those “doorways to doubt” that would allow him to feel emotions. And angels, as they were created, weren’t supposed to be able to do that. So THEN they created Anna to demonstrate that, while excruciatingly painful, and one of the “worst things” an angel could do according to Heaven, an angel COULD become human, could experience these human things, and actually CHANGE. That was her function. I don’t feel that she ever had any other intended role in the story than to show Cas that there might be another way, a bigger truth, that he had to discover for himself.

If Anna had remained and Cas had died, *we the audience* would never have seen this process for ourselves. There wouldn’t have been any struggle over it. It would’ve been an entirely different story. Unless Cas had instantly and unproblematically chosen to become human, or to throw in his lot with Dean after 4.10, there was no way for him to take over Anna’s story. Though there had been potential for Anna to have taken a bigger role in the narrative if they’d decided to go that route after Cas’s initial run on the show as “Heavenly Advisor on Angel Stuff to the Winchesters.” But by the time Anna ever even showed up, the writers had already decided they were Team Cas, and I don’t think there was ever really a serious consideration to replace him with her.

And like... that’s not how stories work, either. They’d already established Cas as a character in 4.01. Anna’s introduction was in 4.09. If anything, they may have briefly considered giving a bigger role to Anna, but it would’ve defeated the point of a lot of storytelling they’d already done building up Cas to the point they’d already chosen to take him, even by 4.09. Cas was already being Demoted By Heaven in favor of Uriel, who was much more willing to press Heaven’s agenda than Cas was. Or at the very least, as of 4.07-- an episode where Uriel was only there supposedly as a “specialist” to handle the specific task (or threat of the task) of smiting the whole town-- Uriel was installed to keep an eye on Cas and Cas was no longer ordered to interact with the Winchesters without “supervision.” And supervision that came with the “specialist in smiting” level of threat attached to it.

Cas was already beginning to doubt, to waver on the plans, and Anna just helped push him over the edge by 14.16 (and unmasked Uriel’s duplicity and Heaven’s unreliability). So. Once those earlier episodes had already been written and in process of being filmed, there was no erasing that story they’d already started telling.

tl;dr: they didn’t “give anna’s role to cas,” they created anna to show him the potential of humanity, and unlock the possibility for him to go on this journey we’ve been watching for the last 12 years. I have no idea (despite having been around a bit longer than you, but still only lurking in fandom meta spaces since s7) how that has morphed in fan dialogue into something that makes so little sense as to break reality... >.>

[komatsunana]

My Reincarnation Isekai Villainess Rec List

So.  I’ve gone and found myself in Isekai/Reincarnation/Villainess hell.  For those who don’t know Isekai is a genre in which character(s) are transported to a different world.  Initially you might be thinking “oh, she’s gonna share a both a series like Sword Art Online.”  Oh no.  You have underestimated the amount of taste I have.  By which I mean I have none but that SOA is a taste I’m not here for.

Now a very specific sub-genre of that is the reincarnation one, particularly in which a character is reborn as a character from one of their favorite books or games from their previous, modern life.  An even more specific sub-genre of that one is in which the MC is reborn as a villainess from that book or game, thus creating a bit of a challenge as villainesses usually are destined to die in the source material. 

So! Here are my favorites, many of which are all 3 but some combine one or two of the above tropes.  It’s my list so I do what I want.  And most of my faves have a shojo genre tag, or at least a romance tag, because that’s where all the good stuff is: 

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Survive as the Hero’s Wife by Nokki

Canaria is reincarnated as the villainess of a popular cliche novel. Based on the novel, she is destined to be executed but can she prevent this from happening before it’s too late? 

Why *I* like it:  So this one was the one that really got me into the villainess reincarnation isekai genre!  And it remains the top of my list. The huge draw for me in this one is that I actually really like the main couple!  Like not even just lukewarm, I really like it!  I’d read fic for it, if that existed.  A lot of the villainess genre tend to portray the original heroine as vapid, unworthy of their status of heroine, or the actual villainess but in this case Gracie just turns out to be just an amazing strong woman who doesn’t actually need a man.  (In fact I ship the three together full stop tbh lol).  In fact, it’s a subplot that Gracie realizes (because of MC’s words) that if she wants to inherit her father’s title even though the law says a woman cannot... That she just should strive to change the law rather than be a tool with no use outside of marriage.   And not to spoil anything, but she will definitely do just that.

And since I’m mainly finishing the rough draft of this list out of absolute RAGE at being made fun of for being into this genre.... A compilation of the main love interest, Cesar, because he’s absolutely beautiful.  Look at those eyes!  He’s such a great example of the sullen, dark love interest because he’s not those things when he’s with his wife, the MC!!!  He’s so soft for her.  And the whole point is that the love interest shows a different side to their lover right??

And like the great thing is Canaria, the MC, totally doesn’t notice for the longest time.  She read the novel in her previous life so she’s *convinced* that one day Cesar will fall for the novel’s original leading woman, and she makes plans accordingly throughout their early days of their marriage.  She completely hadn’t thought about the fact that since she’s not being a villainess this time around and not abusing him and everyone around her, and makes friends with Cesar... Like of course the course of events change.  It utterly baffles Cesar when his wife keeps bringing up divorce because he’s so completely in love with her and you just gotta eat that shit up with a spoon because it’s so good and perfect drama but also funny.

There’s even a Halloween chapter where everyone wears costumes and basically I believe I was pandered to specifically.

Tbh, the arc going atm is sorta losing my interest but that’s because there’s political intrigue and I’m like just here for the romance lmao.  So someone looking for substance and not just fluff might be more pleased than I. But it’s still on-going so.  It’s just all in all a fun and great introduction to the genre imo.

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I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags by Hidaka Nami (Art) and Yamaguchi Satoru (Story)

Eight-year-old Katarina Claes is the only daughter of a duke, living her life peacefully and without incident until she hits her head on a rock... and then remembers that she is not actually the duke's daughter. She used to be an otaku who died on her way to school after spending the entire previous night playing Fortune Lover, her favorite otome game. After noticing that her current surroundings seem oddly familiar, she is shocked to discover that she has been reincarnated into the world of Fortune Lover as the villainess.

The villainess in the game usually winds up dead or exiled, so Katarina decides to use her knowledge of the game and its routes to avoid any bad situations. But is it even possible for the villainess to reach a good ending?

Why *I* like it:  Ok ok ok, lol. So this one is probably one of the most well-known of the villainess reincarnation isekai genre atm!  Particularly because of the anime currently running.  And for good reason... the MC is so brilliantly stupid in the best of ways.  While she plots on how to escape her fate of being killed or exiled by learning to sword fight and how to garden, she’s more or less seduced every capture target in this dating game... AND all the female rivals to boot AND heroine.  The thing is that she is completely unaware and continues training for the day she is inevitably killed or exiled, as per the game’s original ending.

It’s just a silly, fun series and all the women’s feelings for her are taken about as seriously as all the guys’... Which isn’t much because absolutely no one really has a chance of getting this woman to understand they are all madly in love with her.  Not a series to take seriously which is part of it’s charm, but it retains a lot of heart especially when it comes to the MC Katarina (affectionally called Bakarina by fandom) remembering her friend and family from her past life.  

This series also has a manga spin-off about what if she’d been reincarnated while already in high school and bullying the heroine instead of a child... So basically she’s in hard mode, and yet she still succeeds in getting even more people into her little harem she has for herself.  

Whether you chose to watch the anime or the manga (or the LN, which I haven’t got to) you can’t go wrong.

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It Seems Like I Got Reincarnated Into The World of a Yandere Otome Game by  Hanaki, Momiji (Story) and Setsuri (Art)

As a precocious child, Lycoris suffers from a strange sense of deja vu. On the day her father told her about her fiancé, she realizes that her fiancé was a character from an otome game she once played in a previous life.

“I am the heroine’s rival from the game?

And in the bad ending, I get stabbed to death?

What a joke.”

A story in which the protagonist is determined to avoid a yandere situation.

Why *I* like it: Hear me out! I know what you’re thinking... Yanderes??? But here’s the thing...  Just by the MC being kind and getting 2 of the “yandere” characters out of abusive environments, they no longer end up as yanderes as they grow up.   They aren’t those tropes any more!  While the characters remain protective, they aren’t possessive and are happy to see MC branch out, if a little lonely.  And the yandere that remain aren’t treated as hot, but annoying.   So like sorry to disappoint if you think yanderes are hot but this isn’t the series for you.

Additionally, unlike other series of this trope, the MC is pretty quick to realize she just needs to trust her lover, that he will not turn on her and kill her as he did in the game nor will he fall for the heroine instead of her.  It’s somewhat refreshing, as a huge part of the trope is the MC typically doesn’t realize until it’s spelled out that by not acting as a villain.... the rest of the characters don’t want to harm them... And might even have fallen in love with them.

Another fun aspect is how MC doesn’t remember things immediately, but only remembers things from her past life (and of how the game went) until it comes up.  Additionally, she wonders some interesting things that aren’t even mentioned in other series like... What if she’s destined to be exactly like the game character? Will she be forced to be exactly like her? It’s a fun exploration of some common reincarnation isekai villainess tropes if you have experience with the genre!

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Ascendance of a Bookworm by Shiina You (Art) and Kazuki Miya (Story)

A book-loving student and soon to be librarian ends up crushed to death by the pile of books during an earthquakes and wakes up as a five year old girl named Main in another world where books are scarce only available to the elite.  Main, retaining her memories of her past life, decides to create and print her own books so she can read again.

Why *I* like it:  So here is we depart from solely the villainess sub-genre (but only briefly!)  Because there is another sub-genre of reincarnation isekai and that’s in which the MC uses the things they learned on our planet earth to re-invent things like shampoo and the printing press.  And no other isekai does it better than Ascendance of a Bookworm imo. Main’s love for books leads her to recreating things she took for granted on Earth and starts selling them from a young age... Which might just end up saving her life as she ends up having a terminal disease that ordinarily she’d only be able to survive by being a slave to a noble... But by selling her products she has a chance to save herself!!!  And the products she creates are available to commoners, not just the nobles who of course make it impossible for the poor to have nice things.

Additionally, a majority of this trope centers around nobles and royalty (and all the best ones are historical settings)... The fun thing about this one is that it actually centers around a povert stricken family.  It’s a good break from the noble hierarchy within most isekai.

Finally, this series is the one that hits most closely to my feelings if I were to be reincarnated in another world... Which is to cry at the realization that I will never finish any of the on-going books and manga I had going on.  That’s absolute hell, I don’t know how any of these MCs deal!! ;_;

btw there is an anime and manga both. Also LN but tbh almost all of these have LN.

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Isekai Omotenashi Gohan by  Shinobumaru (Story) and Medamayaki (Art) 

Akane, an ordinary office lady, gets summoned to a different world along with her younger sister and pet dog. There, she ends up treating rare guests one after another with hospitality through meals!! Can she satisfy the citizens of a different world with home cooking...?! 

Why *I* like it:   Continuing our brief deviation from the villainess trope, Isekai Omotenashi Gohan is my favorite example of another subgenre of isekai - one without reincarnation - but one in which a “hero” is transmigrated to another world to save it... The problem? Oppsie, 2 people were taken.  Sometimes in this sub-genre there is a question who the true savior is but in Isekai Omotenashi Gohan’s case they figure that out pretty quickly.  They quickly figure out the MC’s younger sister is the savior.  At first the older sister (Akane) is set aside as unimportant... But her sister only wants to eat the food her sister makes and it quickly becomes obvious that Akane’s role is important.

Akane makes lots of allies and friends by sharing the food from Japan and of course has a very subtle romance going on with her guard.  But honestly I just enjoy this series as a person that likes food manga, like that’s it lmao, so much so that don’t be surprised when I make a best food manga list and yeah sorry Food Wars won’t be on it.

But fr, even if you don’t love the food manga genre try it!! It’s a sweet series and mixes domestic with fantasy in a great way.  Plus only a few series are complete, with the rest being on-going, so if you want a complete and finished series try this one!

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The Duke's Fiancee, Why She Had to Go to the Duke by Milcha (Story) and Golae (Art)

When Park Eunha dies in modern-day Korea, she awakens in the body of Raeliana McMillan, the eldest daughter of a nouveaux riche baron. However, this is no ordinary world; it's the exact same one as a novel she once read. Beloved by her family, it would seem as though she is in a fairy tale. But Raeliana is far from the main character—she is a mere plot device, whose murder at the hands of her fiancé instigates the entire story.

Raeliana has no intention to accept her fate quietly. She sets her eyes on someone in a position of great power—the vieux riche male protagonist Duke Noah Volstaire Wynknight—aiming to completely change the original story. Using her knowledge of future events, Raeliana offers information to Noah on the condition that he acts as her fake fiancé, but the Duke's two-faced nature throws a wrench in her plans! 

Why *I* like it:  This one is a fun one!! It really plays with different concepts that don’t often get explored in reincarnation isekai like where did the original consciousness of the character the MC became go??? Because MC only remembers her life on earth and is otherwise treated as though she has amnesia.... But is it amnesia?  Is she another person entirely?

Also the humor is... great.  Listen I refuse to give the best joke in the series just to make you read it but... the series is worth it just for this running joke.

Of course the romance is good too. The dude is kinda an asshole but she gives as good as he dishes out and it quickly becomes flirting anyway.  I don’t want to say too much and give any thing away... but s’good!

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Who Made Me a Princess? by Plutus (Story) and Spoon (Art)

The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with Plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!

Why *I* like it:  Ok, big sigh.  How do I explain the pull ‘Who Made Me A Princess?’ has on me?  Now a lot of the pull for many people is how cute the budding father daughter relationship the MC (Athy) has with her dad.  But like, her dad is the worst and I want to fight him.  On the other hand, most of the fandom hates Jeanette, the MC’s sister who has done literally nothing wrong except make everyone around her miserable but it’s not her fault ok, and I’ll fight the entire fandom in her honor.  So it pains me to rec this series knowing that more than likely anyone who picks up this series because of me might have Wrong Opinions and I invite you to tell me just so I can shake my head about another wrong person existing in this world.

Never the less, this series is very cute!  All the other series I have recced had the MC remember their past life at early childhood at the earliest, if not as a teenager.  Athy? She has the misfortune to remember as a *baby* and it’s exactly as hellish as it sounds for an adult to be stuck growing up as a baby and suffer through the absolute embarrassment of having people feed and wipe her ass. 

The MC was an orphan in her previous life and the book that she wakes up in is a shitty book even by her standards but then she really only skimmed it it sounds like that’s what interests me.  As Athy makes changes to the original events of the novel and depth is added to the world, I start to wonder if the added depth was in the original novel or if the world had to add its own depth to stand as an actual lived in world?

Additionally, since I made the cover image Athy and her dad you might as well see her with her 2 love interests (and Jeanette!).  People need to know who to ship, I get it.

Also I need a moment to appreciate, up close, the beauty of Athy’s eyes. So gorgeous. 

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Living as the Tyrant’s Older Sister by Aperta (Story) and Chyobab (Art)

When I opened my eyes, I was inside a fantasy novel world! The beauty I see in front of the mirror is the future tyrant’s older sister, Alicia! She’s not even a protagonist or an antagonist, but a character that doesn’t appear much and gets beheaded by the (upcoming) tyrant little brother. My life is all about escaping that fate from the novel. In the end, I seduced the male lead’s merchant friend who also doesn’t appear much and was about to leave the country with him. How-e-ver. The face of the man who spent the night with me was extraordinary, and was the male lead himself!

Why *I* like it:   ……………...keke. Ok so this one is one I like just for the laughs.  The love interest is an arrogant asshole, but see… The important detail the summary leaves out is that the MC’s… cousin (?) wrote the book that she woke up in!  Moreover she’s the one that told her cousin to change the MC of her novel and make him good at everything and also make him a freak in the sack.  Like who is really at fault here??? Lmao.  Especially when she goes out intending to seduce a character she remembers being rich from the novel and accidentally bags the MC from the novel, aka the dude who kills her and her brother in the original novel.

In seriousness though, it really is funny.  The facial expressions of the MC is just… chefs kiss.  She’s got a pretty face but then she makes all these goof ass faces and I love it.  If you need any more reason to at least give it a go, just know that at one point the male lead comes to check on her, expecting to find her crying and instead…. Walks in just as she screams FUCK at the top of her lungs and then begins a tirade of very creative curses including "Bitch oompa loompa ass bitch" which how can you not love her?  Anyway the face the male lead makes after that has me maintaining that’s the moment he fell in love with her lmao.. but this is not Confirmed so it’s not a spoiler!!

EDIT: as of August 2020, I’ve since dropped this series. It remains on the list since I’d still rec it to people looking for a laugh.

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Seduce the Villain’s Father by bia and dalseul

Upon opening my eyes after a bus accident, I found myself in the fantasy world of a webnovel I enjoyed reading... the only catch is, I reincarnated 20 years before the novel begins! Reborn as Princess Yerenica of the small Lebovny kingdom, I'm determined to change the future in order to prevent the series of unfortunate events that will soon occur!

Why *I* like it:   How many times have you yourself had a suuuuuper side character be your favorite in a series and be depressed to see them done dirty?  Well MC has a chance to fix that, to save a character that basically one appeared in prologue and basically prevent the birth of the villain character that later kills his own father… by seducing his dad, before he can marry the villainess!!

Yerenica is just adorable in her attempts to thwart the original novel.  And like, I have to give her lots of respect for seeing the villainess character and having herself a good moment where she had to consider seducing her instead lmao.  She knows when to let well enough alone though so she immediately boards back on the dad train, much to his chagrin because she keeps calling him father……………….. Even though he’s like…. Not a dad yet.

The characters are still relatively early on in their romance, but I have high hopes for it yet!

Edit: As of August 2020, I’ve dropped this series.  It remains on this list because I think it’s a cute series and I think anyone who feels really strongly about the main couple will enjoy it.

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Death Is the Only Ending For The Villainess by Gwon Gyeoeul and SUOL

Penelope Eckart reincarnated as the adopted daughter of Duke Eckart and the villainess of a reverse harem dating sim. The problem is, she entered the game at its hardest difficulty, and no matter what she does, death awaits her at every ending! Before the "real daughter" of Duke Eckart appears, she must choose one of the male leads and reach a happy ending in order to survive. But the two brothers always pick a fight with her over every little thing, as well as a crazy crown prince, whose routes all lead to death. There's even a magician who's enamoured with the female lead, and a loyal slave knight! But somehow, the favourability meters of the male leads increase the more she crosses the line with them!

Why *I* like it:   So this one is another relatively new one added to my list, but it’s shot high up rather quickly!!  The other otome game isekai’s that I have on my list are just like the real world, but the interesting thing about this one, is that it also retains otome game mechanics such as she can see the love interests love meter and also she can chose to use the video game script choices to reply to the characters, in the hopes of raising their love meter.  This adds challenge, since she knows that if she gets any of the dudes to -10 she’ll be killed even as she sort of wonders if she truly would die or wake back up in reality.

What’s interesting also is that while she is the villainess character in the game… It ends up that the character was actually abused for years and that her title as a villain is unfair and that the game can be played as the villainess as even a player as a ‘hard’ mode compared to the heroine character.  It’s up to her to turn things around and it’s actually a fun take on the villainess genre.  I’m really looking forward to how things proceed even as my fears about which dude she’ll end up with continue to increase.

Finally, another layer I enjoy is that the MC lead a similar life in her previous life.  She’d only just escape her own abusive family before she’d ended up here and MC just desperately wants to escape once again… using any means necessary.

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The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass by SanSobe (story) and Ant Studio (art)

With the marriage of her prostitute mother to the Count, Aria’s status in society skyrocketed immediately. After leading a life of luxury, Aria unfairly meets death because of her sister Mielle’s schemes. And right before she dies, she sees an hourglass fall as if it were a fantasy. And just like that, she was miraculously brought back to the past.

“I want to become a very elegant person, just like my sister, Mielle.”

In order to face the villainess, she must become an even more wicked villainess. This was the new path Aria chose to take revenge on Mielle who murdered both her and her mother.

Why *I* like it:   If you thought that this list might be in descending order, guess again!  This one is one of my favorites.  Now this one lacks isekai, but is a reincarnation of a villainess!! Rather the MC was an absolute horrible person in her past life, but finds out at the last minute that her ~pure~ sister had been leading her by nose into acting like a brat just seconds before she is executed.  Now that she has a second chance, she’ll be a proper villainess and turn the tables on her sister.

In her last life, Aria never bothered educating herself so now that she’s a teenager again she actually has to learn things again (it’s not just like she gets to act like she’s a genius and good at everything) but she works hard at maintaining a sweet image and making everyone love her, even as she snickers behind their backs, all the while subtly setting her sister up for failure.

This is a proper revenge story, I’m promised by those who read the LN!! Revenge stories about women are rare to come back, especially one that doesn’t make revenge look like a total evil thing lol.  What can I say, I have my interests.  Anyway, it’s super cathartic to watch Aria slowly unfold her masterplan to foil her sister’s plans and take everything that her sister had cherished in her previous life. And all that not to mention the certain powers that Aria later discovers she has at her disposal... :3c

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Beware of the Villainess by Bbongdda Mask (story) and Pureunkanna (art)

I became the villainess of a novel! Do I hate it? No! I find it rather nice. A duke’s daughter equals a jobless rich person. How can I miss out on a chance like this?! This is the best chance to just enjoy life. I should throw out the main plot and just live life how I want to! Not long after waking up as the villainess, I witnessed my fiancé, the crown prince and the novel’s male lead, cheating. I saw him embrace a lady other than I and he was smiling so bright. I was brought to tears… Just kidding, I didn’t cry! My tears are worth too much to be wasted on that garbage. Instead of tears, I yelled out, “Your highness, are you trash?”

Why *I* like it:   Listen there are 2 ways to react to waking up as a villain of a series you once read… Either you turn the tables and become a good guy OR you can embrace it!  The world the novel is based on has the basic premise of the pure and good heroine winning the affection of 4 bratty, horrible men.  MC is the fiance of one of them and says fuck that.  She also has some thoughts that none of these dudes deserve the heroine of the novel but this one is still pretty early on so the jury still out on if she’s going to save this poor girl from her fate of ending up with any of these absolute assholes.

This one is along the veins of the previously mentioned Living As the Tyrant’s Older Sister, in that the pull for this series is even less of the romance and more about the comedy aspect… Also MC’s facial expressions are…. Choice.  Just so good. Enough with pretty girls making pretty faces!!  We need more girls being ugly.  It’s what we deserve.  Yell at cheaters!!!!!! Tell them to fuck off!! Yes please.

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Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter by Reia (Story), Umemiya Suki (Art)

Although she had reincarnated as the daughter of a Duke's house, by the time she regained her memories, the Ending was already here.

"After he cancels my engagement, the story would have me confined to a church. Where can I find my happy ending?"

Why *I* like it:  I never read or watched Wolf and Spice but I imagine this is isekai Wolf and Spice… Well it’s got a lot about the economy at least lmao.   That’s literally the only thing I know about Wolf and Spice.  Anyway!!  The twist in this one is that the MC remembers her past life just as she’s about to be exiled, the end of the original game.  What the series focuses on is her life afterwards, as she scrambles to grab at any semblance of a good life… And she does so pretty quickly!

Her past life comes in handy as she sets to work managing a dukedom and fixes the economy!!  Moreover, even though it pains my heart whenever two women are pitted against each other… It does a great job of putting into question the original heroine’s pure shtick as she spends extravagantly on dresses and would rather just donate to the poor one day, instead of Iris the MC who sets to work on fixing the economy and creating jobs for the poor and putting money into bettering their lives in the long run, rather than throwing money at them and running.  Also, she’s grabbed the attraction of a mysterious man who takes a job helping her even though he is a prince aka the brother of her ex-fiance who he is fighting for the crown for.

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And that’s it!! My list for now!! Tbh by next month there’ll likely be even more faves as I continue to add more and more series to my read list lol.  Because this isn’t even a fraction of all the reincarnation isekai series I’m into, just the best for certain reasons.

BTW, if you’re like... wow this list sure is straight then true unfortunately. I’m waiting for the day “I Favor The Villainess” gets adapted somehow.  Also there are several isekai in which a straight girl reincarnates into a yaoi novel but I haven’t found a true gem among them yet.

[rainbowkittyblossomwings]

So I don’t want to get into a huge retrospective of how 2020 was for me, because it’s personal and I think we can all agree things have been bad. So instead I’d like to talk about great video games I got into in 2020!!! These games didn’t necessarily come out in 2020 just things I discovered and I’d like to talk about my top 10 faves

1.       The first best video game I discovered in 2020 is the entire Trails Series (I played all of them in 2020, cold steel, ao, zero, and Sky). Initially I played Cold Steel 1 because my friend told me it was like “Playing Code Geass the anime”. The story was pretty easy to get into of a guy going to military school and you’re placed in the special class for commoners and nobles when there’s a huge class divide in your country. From there it had some basic anime tropes like a dating simulator like thing and various cliched characters, like the tsundere, the guy who’s trying to get everybody to work, the music kid, and the noble, you know?

But Cold Steel wasn’t cliché in the least bit. I played it after surgery recovery so I was in a lot of pain and out of my mind, but each character had depth, the entire world was fleshed out and after each game more of the story and the villains were revealed, secret robot technologies were given to the main characters and they slowly became more and more powerful after that.

I wanted to know more and more about the world so I played the first series trails in the sky and the Japanese only series, Zero and Ao, and they were even better. Not only that but in this JRPG there were canon gay characters that had traits to their character besides “I’m gay.” There were a lot of lesbians for me to pick and choose between as faves.

Not only that but I find none dating sim video games difficult cuz I get easily frustrated and rage quit. Cold Steel was turn based combat and never made me feel like rage quitting because they had a function called “Retry but easier” where if you died you could start the same battle but make it easier. That made it so I only had to die five or so times on things I was really stuck on and then I could move on with the story. And the game never felt like a grind fest and I could make the game faster in combat.

This series I may have discovered in 2020 but it’s become just as beloved to me as any other series. It’s one of my faves.

2.       My second favorite game in 2020 was 13 sentinels : Aegis Rim. I love time travel so much and everytime a new time travel anime or game comes out I get super excited. Aegis Rim was a game that had all sorts of cool tropes, like time travel, memory loss, androids, different realities, and psychic dreams and it just sounded cool. Not only that but there were 13 different protagonists to play and I had seen it reviewed in LGBT+ articles, saying it had a canon gay character and a canon nonbinary character! It was a very fun game and part of the story followed a point and click formula and the other half followed a kinda strategy blowing up giant robot monsters formula, and I enjoyed it. Also the music and the art was amazing.

3.       The House in Fata Morgana was my third favorite game I discovered in 2020!!! It was a visual novel I had gotten in 2019 but never started because “They didn’t have anime eyes so IDK if it’ll be interesting.” I had seen a lot of horror visual novel people review it though with stellar reviews. I ended up playing it when I was sick and man was it an amazing story. It gave me a lot of respect for people who write short stories that wrap up nicely, and a lot  of the characters were flawed but I really enjoyed reading their stories.  The story was pretty basic in the beginning of a maid telling you several different stories of the previous owners of the mansion she worked in, and the tragedies that befell them throughout her time there, and I really liked the sort of tragedy feel. One of the stories reminded me of Greek tragedies like Oedipus, and as the story got deeper and deeper and connected plot threads of the previous owners it became very cool. Also the game was very LGBT+ friendly with trans and bi characters and possibly an aro character too???

4.       Hades was my fourth favorite game in 2020!!! A lot of people have already talked about Hades before and what it’s about but I’d like to talk about why I liked it. As mentioned before I have a problem with video games that rely on skill. I get so frustrated that I either start yelling or crying because I don’t believe that the muscle memory will ever get into me or that I’ll ever be good enough to get past the hard part. It’s incredibly distressing and it makes me feel bad because I’m like “why can’t I do a simple thing other people can easily do?” Hades is one of the few games that taught me that eventually I will succeed, and the muscle memory will come to me. As you probably know Hades has god mode which increases your damage resistance every time you loose. I got to the max god mode very quickly of 80% and for about 10 runs even that wasn’t enough to beat the first boss and I was incredibly frustrated. I was like “they should have raised it to 90% cuz if even their worst players couldn’t beat the boss on easy mode then they’re missing out.” But as people have probably told you, Hades rewards failure. Each run you learn a bit more and get better skills and friendships with people due to grinding. And eventually I stuck to it and beat the first boss, and then all the other bosses. The muscle memory finally hit and I beat Hades and got the true ending and I’m really glad the developers made it accessible enough that even the worst players could beat it and I’m glad they rewarded failure.

5.       My next favorite is Chaos;Child, which wasn’t made in 2020, but I did discover it in 2020. It’s another horror visual novel but by the people who did Steins;Gate. I absolutely adore Steins;Gate because of the time travel so I was curious about the other games in the series. Everyone said Chaos;Child was the murder mystery of what Steins;Gate did to time travel and they were right. It was a psychic murder mystery story and although it was very gorey it was very fun and I really liked the characters

6.       Sixth favorite was Café Enchante a new otome dating sim released in 2020! You run a coffeshop for monsters basically and I adored it!!! I was a little worried before I got it that it would be boring because what kind of plot can you make in a coffeeshop? But it was very cute and I loved the monsters and the lore. Despite my misunderstanding the entire game did not take place in the coffeeshop and instead went into various monster worlds and expanded on the lore of each world in each route. The art was wonderful and I just love fake monster lore about Fae and beasts and angels and stuff and it was just a wonderful game and is one of my new fave otome titles.

7.       I played Ai: the somnium files in 2020! I knew it would be a favorite of the year because it was made by the same people who did the zero escape series. It had a very different tone of the zero escape series of course, instead of being about psychics it’s about the inner workings of the mind. You play a detective going into people’s psyche’s to try to catch a murderer basically. It reminded me a lot of ID;invaded an anime that I think came out this year? Anyway it was a cool story and I liked the graphics but I did not like the timed missions. Without a guide I would have died.

8.       The dark horse of 2020 was Untitled Goose Game. I did not expect to get it but my friend gifted to me and I hadn’t played it yet. And as everyone can tell you it’s just a fun time harassing people as a goose. It has 2 player mode so my sister and I played it together and it was great. I liked feeling like grand theft robbers and saying “BOOK IT” as we stole people’s stuff.

9.       My ninth favorite game I played in 2020 was Little Busters! It’s by the same people who did Clannad so I knew I would be crying by the end. Clannad’s team is known for their great story telling and heart wrenching characters. It’s about a team of friends who start a baseball team and then it gets sad and time loop-y from there. I played Clannad too in 2020 but it was a little too homophobic for me to let it make it to this list and I don’t remember any homophobia in little busters, so little busters gets its spot.

10.   Finally we get to Persona 5 Royal. I didn’t play much of the original persona 5 besides at my friends apartment so I was able to finally have a copy of this game on my own!!! I loved the idea of going into mean people’s minds and changing their hearts so they could understand the wrong that they did, it was just a good concept. I also loved that Persona 5 royal added a safety mode so you can loose and yet not die. It was a great game of 2020 and it only makes it so low because I spent way too many hours on it (135) and it was a great amazing game that I loved and enjoy talking about but would not replay because it’s just so long and I’m not quite sure what would be different on  replay. Also I’m sad that you can’t date the boys because I love them. They are good beans. Either way though I’d recommend it if you haven’t played before and it was very fun, and still one of the best games of 2020.

If you want me to talk about any of these games in more depth instead of just a short review tell me!!!

[ayakashiramblings]

ABC NSFW Headcanons: Aoi

In celebration of Aoi being released, here we are, coming for him! … Wait… no…   Also, I am going to age him up to 18 years old because again, that’s the legal age in Japan. Finally, ignore the ‘Location’ part. 

A - ‘Aftercare’ (What they’re like after sex)

Boys, meet your king and take some notes from the student, y’all. 

Wipes you down and helps you shower, keeps you hydrated and even wraps you up in a burrito of blankets. 

He does ask ‘How was it?’ because I have a feeling you are his first so he isn’t experienced but would let you set the pace.

B - ‘Body’ (Body Part of Yours he Loves)

Aoi is the kind to worship you.

But let’s be honest. You’re his first woman. 

He will HAVE to go for the boobs. 

It doesn’t help they are the only things stopping him from being completely consumed in your heart.

Tease him with them and he will lose it.

C - ‘Cum’ (How does his cum taste like/look like)

He is not even 20 yet but the poor boy is overworked. 

So when he gets a release, it will be in HUGE amounts, albeit not in a complete one-shot and in gradual intervals. 

The good news is that he probably cooks for himself so knows to eat his veggies. 

Moreover, he doesn’t consume alcohol which would have affected the taste/amount of the semen. 

He did indicate a slight interest in Ramune bottles though so I don’t think it’s going to be THE perfect taste. 

Definitely in the top 2 though; slightly sweet with a tangy after-taste.

D - ‘Dirty Secret’ (DUH)

Has always wanted to paint… on your body.

It could be of anything, some sensuous flower, fierce animal or your favourite quote from a good book, he just wants to mark you in every way possible.

So why not his own art?

E - ‘Experience’ (Does he know what he is doing?)

One word. 

Student. 

He’s probably blushing like mad even after trying to discreetly read the books he loaned from Ginnojo… 

Which lead to an awkward study-buddy kind of thing as they debated between themselves on how certain positions were even possible.

Both failed the theoretical but at least Aoi will get practical points later...

F - ‘Favorite Position’ (Again, duh)

He wouldn’t know much in the beginning but after a bit of experimentation, he settles for...

Coital Alignment Technique. 

That technically was only defined in 1988 BUT that is not the point.

The giver lies above the receiver, moving up until his erection is pointing “down,” the dorsal side of the penis pressing against the clitoris as he penetrates.

Essentially, it’s like the Missionary but adjusted so not only can he bring you closer to a good orgasm, he gets to see each and every one of your expressions and be exposed to the pulse near your collar bones.

G - ‘Goofy’ (Serious or humorous?)

I know some might think he is all for serious lovemaking due to his stringent nature but I disagree. 

He and MC seem more in-tune with each other than the rest of the team, and he is more empathetic and considers her needs and likes, without basing it on societal values or whatever norms.

If there is a funny moment or this is part of cheering MC up, he is more than willing to pull out a joke. 

Sure, he might be dying from sheer mortification if you laugh too hard but your smile is enough for him to forget about it and laugh along and learn from it.

H- ‘Hair under THERE’ (Pubic Hair Treatment, does the carpet match the shades?)

He’s a clean-freak, he’s good with his hands, what do you mean he doesn’t manscape??? 

Pry this thought out of my cold, roaming hands. 

And yes, it’s the same shade, if not slightly lighter.

I- ‘Intimacy’ (How they are doing the moment, romantic aspects)

This one depends on several factors honestly. 

If he actually overcomes his fear of peering into people’s emotions, he might want to feel the warm embrace of your heart (with your consent, of course). 

He does get embarrassed and may cover up any cute gestures with abrasive words but nothing will stop him from letting you know how much he appreciates you... even if you may or may not need a Tsundere-translator in the midst of it all.

At least he nails the whole atmosphere, making it nice and soft just to be in each other’s embrace.

J- ‘Jack Off’ (Masturbation)

Before MC? Hell no. 

Dude only works himself up to a frenzy over dirty dishes and broken paintbrushes. 

Meeting MC? Starts aggressively chopping anything in sight and taking out his frustrations in the cooking.

He then realizes the ingredients are getting more pounding moments than he has and starts to relieve himself when he is absolutely sure no one is around to stumble into his room.

Poor boy doesn’t know where to start though and it is only when he imagines his hands being yours does he get anywhere.

K- ‘Kink’ (One or two of his kinks)

I think I have said this before but unwrapping you like a present is a gift in itself.

Ribbons, ribbons, oh so pretty...

Look me in the eye and tell me that tugging on his long, luscious locks doesn’t get him off.

Consent. No, but seriously, him being constantly reassured that you want this as much as he does just encourages him to explore more.

L- ‘Location’ (Favourite places to do the do)

On Oji’s bed so that the old man can’t sleep anymore on that mattress.

Ok, but really, he would love it in either of your bedrooms so that HE can take care of cleaning up the mess and no one else. 

Anywhere is fine, the wall, the bed, the floor. Just let him have access to some cleaning supplies.

M- Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Anything about you being happy. 

Heck, you could be smiling over some random 2D dude getting his route released in a few hours in some manga and he would be hiding a raging boner.

Did I mention ribbons? If not, then ribbons.

N- ‘No.’ (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Whatever it is, no foodplay. How dare you waste food made from ingredients Oji-san FINALLY remembered?!

No threesomes either because he is always worried you might get Kuya involved...

O- ‘Oral’ (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

He is a GREAT giver. 

Not only that, HE ACTUALLY KNOWS NOT TO JUST FLICK IT.

Ginnojo, does your bookshop have some hidden Sex Bible or something?

Firm, repetitive rolls before sucking on the engorged clit, all the while letting his one free hand grab onto some other erogenous zone of yours.

Initially, super reluctant to receive because “MC! It-it-it down there?!”

A bit self-conscious about the taste and if you can actually breathe. 

Until you start to let your tongue wander over the whole of his length.

Now, he likes to give and receive.

P- ‘Pace’ (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual?)

He’s going for a marathon session whenever possible. 

He loves lengthy lovemaking where all his senses are aroused. 

That means sexy music and lots of foreplay to get a stimulating hour (or two).

Q- ‘Quickie’ (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

He would LOVE it ONLY if you made a feisty quickie at work. 

Rip off his clothes, and go at it as soon as he walks through the door. 

That I-need-you-now approach boosts his confidence and his lust.

R- ‘Risk’ (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Honestly, only if you suggest it. 

And he has ensured that it will not jeopardize your safety. 

And that it is technically physically possible, he has all the equipment...

Essentially, as long as both of you are prepared, he is more than willing to.

S - ‘Stamina’ (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

The first few times is a soft ‘2’ because he doesn’t know his own reactions (yet). 

However, he quickly learns how to control yours and his release.

Suddenly, he wants to go at it like rabbits over long durations.

Seriously contemplates making a schedule.

T - ‘Toy’ (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

If you wanted to try one, he will... struggle to buy them. 

So he isn’t so keen on them.

Also because he prefers learning your body’s natural responses to his touches and not through some plastic equipment that is...

Wait, why is it rotating?

Is it another wand?

U - ‘Unfair’ (how much they like to tease)

In the initial stages? You are the Queen of teasing this poor fool.

But remember, he can get his revenge as a Seer. 

Basically, you are going to regret it MUCH, MUCH later.

... Provided he gets either drunk enough to say it or you two are like maybe, 1 month into the relationship.

V - ‘Volume’ (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

He is more into heavy panting, and airy, hot breaths.

Because he wants to focus on your moans and is a bit self-conscious. 

But occasionally, rough grunts overlap with your sounds, especially the closer the two of you become.

W - ‘Wildcard’ (Random Headcanon)

You and his first time will make him extremely worried about hurting you, even if you aren’t a virgin.

Because one good/bad thing about his appearance is that sometimes girls randomly chat to ‘her’ about their lives… including very, very, very bad sex. 

Until you make him discover the joys of voyeur vision. 

Slowly undressing for him, and then starting to pleasure yourself. 

The sight had made him weak in the knees, and he had quickly joined in to learn the ropes.

Oh boy, he is a great student. :D

X - ‘X-ray’ (How is the package?)

Hidden in loose boxers (to hide any reaction to certain actions of yours)

I’m going to be honest, he is probably just average in terms of length. 

BUT GREAT GIRTH.

Even better that his glans is nearly the same size as his width. 

A bit curved towards the stomach, with some prominent veins.

Y - ‘Yearning’ (How high is his sex drive?’)

High. Super high.

This is going to be first and hopefully the only partner. 

He wants to ravish you at least 3 times a week.

A bit interesting it falls on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Z - ‘Zzzz…’ (How fast do they fall asleep?)

Initially, it takes him a good half-an-hour because he is so busy tending to you until you get him to relax with pillow talks.

Soon though, he likes to cuddle with you before hitting the hay.

[mediaeval-muse]

Book Review

The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz. MIRA Books. 2016.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance? historical fiction? who’s to say

Part of a Series? No.

Summary: When Cooper McQueen wakes up from a night with a beautiful stranger, it's to discover he's been robbed. The only item stolen—a million-dollar bottle of bourbon. The thief, a mysterious woman named Paris, claims the bottle is rightfully hers. After all, the label itself says it's property of the Maddox family who owned and operated Red Thread Bourbon distillery since the last days of the Civil War until the company went out of business for reasons no one knows… No one except Paris. In the small hours of a Louisville morning, Paris unspools the lurid tale of Tamara Maddox, heiress to the distillery that became an empire. But the family tree is rooted in tainted soil and has borne rotten fruit. Theirs is a legacy of wealth and power, but also of lies, secrets and sins of omission. The Maddoxes have bourbon in their blood—and blood in their bourbon. Why Paris wants the bottle of Red Thread remains a secret until the truth of her identity is at last revealed, and the century-old vengeance Tamara vowed against her family can finally be completed.

***Full review under the cut.***

Trigger Warnings: sexual content, rape (including statutory rape), incest, suicide of a gay character, racism

Overview: This book will definitely not be for everyone. It’s a huge pile of problematic for those looking for an escape-read, but there’s also something compelling about it for those who are game for a modern-day Greek tragedy. While this book is frequently classified as dark historical romance, I think it would have done much better as literary fiction if it had leaned into the elements that reminded me of a Greek revenge plot. As it stands, it only gets 3 stars from me - I think there was much more that could have been developed had the author focused less on the relationship between the two main characters and more on the history that drove the whole narrative.

Writing: Reisz’s writing isn’t very complex. There’s a nice image here and there, sometimes a lovely metaphor, but overall, it’s pretty straight-forward and skimable. Much of the book is dialogue; there are very long stretches of conversation between the two main characters, which was great for getting a sense of their personalities, but not very good for creating mood or atmosphere. When the dialogue did break up, I had a lovely reading experience - I liked the way Reisz communicated Tamara’s mental state by having her seemingly jump backwards in time, for example, and some of the descriptions of the distillery at the end of the book were quite evocative. I also think Reisz had a good sense for pace. While there were some moments that felt somewhat rushed, overall, I was satisfied with the speed at which the narrative unfolded.

I do wish, however, that Reisz had toned down how horny this book is. Characters think about sex a lot, and have sex a lot, and while that’s fine if that’s what you’re going for (in a romance novel, for example), it did annoy me because there was so much else that was included and could have been more fully explored. I’ll detail more about what I wanted to see expanded below, but for this portion of the review, it’s enough to say that the constant horniness frequently reminded me of male literary fiction.

Plot: To me, this book felt as if it were trying to be two stories at once - on the one hand, there was a vengeance plot. Reading the book as participating in the same tradition as, say, Oedipus or Tis Pity She’s a Whore actually made it more enjoyable for me, since there was a whole lot of problematic sexual content involving incest and rape. Had more work been done to make it mimic the arc that Greek tragedies or revenge narratives have, it would have been a fine work of literary fiction, especially since the book is about a bourbon empire (something about the setting/premise really lends itself to the idea of a Greek tragedy for me, perhaps because it would allow the author to take advantage of a story about power and pair it with the horrifying history of white people's role in building that power via slavery). On the other hand, the book also seemed like it was trying to be a work about black vengeance. There was a lot of talk about race and what role it played in the mystery, since the whole foundation of the distillery is rooted in the exploitation of black slaves. However, race didn’t get enough attention to make it a fulfilling story about black vengeance - Tamara’s desire for vengeance was centered, but black characters mainly existed on the fringes of the narrative as supporting characters (with the exception of Levi, Tamara’s love interest, who is half-black and passes as white). With Levi, this book tried to bring up a lot of issues about race, but as if the author wanted to show she was aware of these issues without writing a full story about them. As a result, some of this book read to me like a story about white guilt or black curses without much focus on black experience. If the author truly didn’t want to write about race, I think she could have more fully embraced the Greek tragedy route, but given Paris’ ending, a black vengeance tale could have been benefited from centering more black characters. I’m not sure if I’m right about this, however, so I’ll defer to black and mixed-race readers and their thoughts.

Technically, however, this book is classified as a historical romance, which makes me uncomfortable since the main couple is a 16-17 year old girl and a man who is about 30. Regardless of the laws of the region or the time period (which isn’t that long ago - 1980), the relationship didn’t sit right with me as a modern reader. I couldn’t root for the protagonists to succeed as a couple, which is why I found it more satisfying to read it not as a romance.

Characters: The story is told using a frame narrative, with Paris relating the mystery of a 1980s bourbon distillery fire to Cooper McQueen in the modern day. I liked Paris’ cunning and general unimpressed air around Cooper, who was generally uninteresting as a rich white dude who like bourbon and sex. Seeing her confidently undercut him was a real joy to read, especially since Paris is a rich black woman in her mid-thirties.

Tamara was an interesting character in that she grew from a spoiled rich white girl to a kind of avenging female fury. While I didn’t like her constant horniness, I did like that she was assertive and somewhat fanciful. I wish the author was more consistent in how she wrote Tamara’s spirituality, however - at one point in the book, Tamara has turned to God to help her cope with her trauma, but that seems to be forgotten once she starts putting her plans into motion.

Levi, Tamara’s love interest, was hard to like. While I initially had some sympathy for him as a white-passing black man, and I did like his sharp tongue, he would constantly flip back and forth between seeing Tamara as a child and wanting to take her to pound town. The constant reminders that Tamara was underage and Levi’s fleeting moments of morality (that he shouldn’t be sleeping with her) made me hate him rather than see him as an interesting love interest.

Supporting characters were generally fine. They all seemed to be entirely likeable or incredibly evil, and mainly appeared to help move along the plot. I can’t say they were entirely useless, since they were involved enough to keep things moving in a meaningful way.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in historical fiction, southern fiction, Greek tragedy, revenge plots, dark or problematic romance, and questions of inheritance.

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Why “Just Sit Down and Write” Doesn’t Always Work

Originally posted on www.rosecorcoranwrites.com

If you’ve done any prowling around internet circles, you’ve likely heard the bit of writing advice which boils down to (however it is actually phrased) “Just sit down and write”, as if, through sheer willpower, any and all obstacles keeping one’s WIP from being completed can be surmounted by placing fingers to keys and writing. To this advice, I reply in the words of Truman Capote: “That’s not writing, it’s typing”. To be fair, he said this to mock writers like Jack Kerouac and others who, for whatever reason, were not up to his snuff, but I think if we ignore this intention (death of the author, and all that), it’s actually pretty accurate.

Writing is not typing, or at least, it’s not only typing. I’ve probably mused on this before, but the writing process is more like what your middle school language arts teacher taught you than what popular writer zeitgeist would have you believe. Writing involves 3 to 5 processes, depending on where you make the divisions. Let’s split the difference and go with four. These are prewriting, which includes brainstorming and outlining; “writing”, i.e. typing content; editing, which involves rewriting, rearranging, continuity checking, and copy-editing; and publishing, which involves either querying an agent or formatting the whole book yourself. From my experience, most of these processes bleed into each other, meaning that one will do a lot of brainstorming while typing, and might outline while rearranging things during edits, and will certainly type while rewriting, and so forth.

What does all this have to do with Capote? Mostly it has to do with the fact that while you can force yourself to type, you cannot necessarily force yourself through every stage of the writing process. People talk about how to get over “writer’s block” by simply forcing yourself to “write”, which seems sound enough until you realize that not all obstacles to writing, or maybe I should say to finishing a work, are the same thing as writer’s block. I’ve had writer’s block— that horrible ennui where you just don’t want to sit down and put words on paper/word-processor—and, yeah, you kind of just have to power through it. There’s a lot more to it than that, of course, and someday I will write about why I think there are legitimate reasons not to force yourself to type, but that is a post for another day. Writer’s block is one problem, but others are less surmountable.

I personally don’t have problems with prewriting, because I tend to wing it or just let whatever ideas pop into my had and find a place for them. Other people, though, often complain about having characters but no plot, a setting but not characters, etc. I’m not really sure how these people get over this hurdle, so I can’t really speak on it. Then there are issues with the publishing process: if one self-publishes, one simply has to grapple with the peculiarities of whatever program one is using to format, but if one is going the traditional route, then there is literally no way to power through this stage of the process; it doesn’t matter how many queries you send, because you are still beholden to the whims of whatever agents read your query, who have workloads and time frames that you can do nothing about. It’s literally a waiting game. The writing zeitgeist can say “just sit down and write” all it wants, but that won’t get one traditionally published any faster.  

But, being prone to daydreaming, and thus brainstorming, and being self-published, as I am, these aren’t that big of an issue for me. No, my insurmountable hurdle usually comes during editing (I can hear you say, “You tricked us, Rose! All this philosophizing about writing was just one long excuse about why your book isn’t out on time!”. Haha, that it is). True, I’ve experienced legitimate writer’s block while doing rewrites, and that can be dealt with the same as when it happens during the initial writing phase: Just sit down, as they say, and write. But what no one will tell you, so I’m saying it now, is there is no way on earth to power through, skip over, or just-sit-down-and-write away a continuity error or a plot hole or scene that is just awful but that you don’t know how to fix. Don’t get me wrong, you can try to type these away; I’ve tried. I’ve tried starting new scenes to patch over a plot hole, only to scrap them because they add more problems, or rewritten a scene that I hatedover and over and over, ten times, only to still hate it. And I can’t move on from these problems, because I refuse to publish a book with gaping plot holes and, worse, scenes which I absolutely hate.

I have, in my infinite wisdom (acquired from having rewritten my third book four and a half times), discovered two solutions to this problem, neither of which involves typing. The first is to talk to someone else about it. I’ll bounce ideas off my mother, father, or sister, and one of two things will happen. Either, they come up with a solution I couldn’t see, or through verbalizing the problem, I come up with a solution myself. The other way to solve this problem is by writing out notes on paper. I don’t consider this “just writing” because I don’t mean write the scene out on paper (though that can be part of it). I mean scribble out what needs to happen in the scene, or what needs to be addressed by the end of a patch of dialogue, or where the continuity error lies. Then go nuts. Write out any and every possible solution, every way the scene might go, no matter how weird. Is the error one of timing? Write out timelines for each character to try to sync them all up. Is there a plot hole? Write out ways to fix it, or maybe write out any repercussions should that plot line simply be removed. Scratch, scribble, and scrawl until you’ve come up with something, because it will all be scrapped anyway. You aren’t wasting time typing and trying to make anything that will be seen by human eyes; you’re writing out arcane symbols that only you can decipher, and that, once used to type out the actual scene, will literally be thrown away.

I think the issue with “just write” is that typing is still a very insular aspect of the writing process. The words are only those words the author finds acceptable, and has chosen precisely, and thought about. It’s still very much in the writer’s own head, despite appearing on a screen. Talking or note-writing, however, force a writer to get out of their own head—and get their ideas out too—because either another person is listening or the words are just thrown out onto paper and left to sit, rather than being prettied up with the option of spell check and a “delete” button. And it still might take a long time to find a solution to an error or to make a scene that you love. There isn’t really any magic be-all and end-all solution for writing problems, but I think I’ve found something that works for me, where my problems lie, because writing involves a lot of thinking, talking, and tinkering in order to get it just right.

[freechaosgames]

Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn Review

Birds fly, fish swim, and the Swedish make video games. Don’t ask me why, it’s in their blood or something, but they’re great at it. Minecraft, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Crusader Kings, and Goat Simulator were all developed by studios in Sweden. Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is an open-world, first-person, survival horror game heavily inspired by Swedish folklore. The story, enemies, and environments all reflect this and, let me tell you, Swedish fairy tales are a lot darker than I imagined. The gripping narrative, unique enemy design, and well-crafted locations will keep you invested for the 3-4 hour playtime, even if the gameplay can become dull and predictable at times.

Sound and Visuals 

Swedish developer Angry Demon Studios, a team of only five, released Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn in November of 2017 and I recently purchased it on sale for $2.99 down from its usual $14.99. The game follows Linn as she is separated from her brother and finds herself alone in the Swedish wilderness at night. Right off the bat, the world of Unforgiving seems, well, unforgiving. The darkness is nearly total and fog obscures anything further than a few yards ahead of you. As such, sound is just as important in Unforgiving as light and the game is at its absolute scariest when you are only catching glimpses of your enemies. Through the rustling of the trees, the loud gusts of wind, and your own, echoing footsteps you will listen desperately for the chattering of enemies nearby, making sure to give them a wide berth. The enemy design is similarly terrifying with each monster being based on real Swedish folktales which are, again, and I can't stress this enough, definitely not appropriate for children. Unforgiving creates a terrifying world through the use of its sound and visuals, even though the graphics are nothing too impressive. 

Story

The story and world of Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is where the game really grabbed and kept my interest. Also inspired by Swedish folklore and Norse mythology, the protagonist’s struggle is mirrored by the struggles of those who came before them, as evidenced by the large amount of expositional material scattered about the world. Nearly the entire story is told through in-game books, letters, and drawings and much of it is completely optional, requiring the player to explore the levels completely in order to put the entire plot together. I thought this was an interesting design choice as I personally tend to haul ass to the end of a level in most horror games, but the story was so interesting that I found myself exploring every nook and cranny of the various open-world environments. The plot will easily keep you hooked till the end even when the gameplay starts to grate on you.

Gameplay

The gameplay is where Unforgiving falls flat. Reminiscent of most survival horror games, Unforgiving primarily has the player searching for some keys or items to get them to the next area while avoiding a wandering, unkillable enemy. At one point, you acquire a magic harp who’s note’s can be played similar to in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Windwaker. I was so excited, thinking I was going to discover various magic spells to help me on my journey, but you only learn two songs and they’re both used for unlocking doors. I mean, seriously? Huge missed opportunity in my opinion. The first hour or so is initially scary as you are constantly looking behind you or jumping at the slightest noise, but quickly loses its effect as it becomes very easy to tell when you’re actually in danger or not. The game’s Steam page says the Unforgiving has an “Intelligent AI choosing its own paths instead of patrolling on the same routes over and over” but I found it very easy to avoid or manipulate the enemies anyway. 

Where Unforgiving succeeds in this respect is when the lore syncs up with the gameplay. There are books and notes scattered all over the world describing the lore of various enemies as well as their gameplay mechanics. One example is an excerpt from a book describing an enemy that was cursed to live underground. As such, they eventually lost their sight, but developed acute hearing indicating to the player that they must be quiet. I love when games make simply learning about the world a mechanic in itself. The gameplay is kept somewhat fresh with a variety of different enemies that require the player to adapt and overcome. You will need different strategies to avoid the giant, lumbering man as opposed to the numerous, chittering blind imps. 

Final Thoughts

Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn is a compelling and unique narrative that will have you interested from beginning to end. While the gameplay can be boring, predictable, and at times just downright annoying, Unforgiving’s detailed and inspired world is captivating enough that you won’t mind powering through the slow parts. While mechanically similar to most games of the genre, Unforgiving cements itself as a notable entry for its intricate lore based on real Swedish and Norse mythology as well as its distinctive and unique enemy design.

Purchase Unforgiving - A Northern Hymn from Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/747340/Unforgiving__A_Northern_Hymn/

[emilyzh2019-blog]

The Best Mayan Sites in Mexico!

Mexico Culture

One of my favorite parts about traveling in Mexico are all the interesting ancient Mayan ruins to explore. Here are the best Mayan archeological sites that you don’t want to miss!

Maya is a lifestyle; a community of settled people who have inhabited areas of Mexico and Central America since around 1800 BC.

Many people assume the Maya were wiped out — which is not the case.

The Maya community today totals around 7 million people who live by the traditions and are still native speakers of the Mayan language – rather than Spanish which now dominates the countries in which they reside.

However Mexico is littered with crumbling Mayan cities built by their late ancestors, pyramids of stone abandoned for various reasons and left to be overtaken by the jungle.

Many Mayan ruins have been excavated and opened to the public — but some, in particular, stand out.

After living in traveling through Mexico for the past 2 years, I wanted to share some of my favorite Mayan ruins & archeological sites in Mexico.

Learn a little bit about the history of these incredible ancient pyramids and historic sites before you explore them on your next trip to Mexico!

Mayan Ruins Mexico Map

How To Use This Map

Above you’ll find a map of the best Mayan Ruins in Mexico. Click on the top left of the map to find separate layers marking the route and points of interest. You can hide and show different layers, or click icons on the map to see the names of places I mention in this travel guide. “Star” the map to save it to your own Google Maps, or open the map in a new window for a larger version. Enjoy!

A Short History Of The Maya

Agricultural people by nature, the Mayan civilization harvested crops such as maize and beans, clearing jungles for farming as they developed more sophisticated techniques to expand their production.

Spiritually, the Maya worship more than 150 Gods who they believe their Kings are related to; with one God ruling over every subject associated with their lives, for example, the God of Rain, the God of Agriculture, and the God of Death.

Though it may seem complicated to us, this extensive list of deities actually resulted in huge advances in math and astronomy plus the development of the famous Mayan Calendar.

Although the original Maya Empire was destroyed many centuries ago, the Maya people still exist today.

The modern-day Maya hide in plain sight, so to speak, living in Mexico while keeping much of their own traditions and culture from the past.

Best Mayan Archeological Sites In Mexico

History lesson over, it’s time to dive into the multitude of ancient Mayan ruins – and there are quite a few, with around 200 different sites in Mexico alone! Over 4000 spread around Central America.

Work is still ongoing to uncover some of these, as archaeologists are actively engaged in extracting and understanding the secrets of ancient Maya, buried beneath a combination of thick jungle and time.

I’m going to help cut down this number for you, and share what I think are the 15 best Mayan archeological sites in Mexico. Let’s go!

1. Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins

The Famous Ruins of Chichen Itza

One of the greatest Maya cities in Mexico was Chichen Itza – a sacred city which covers around six square miles and was once home to hundreds of buildings which were built in both the classic Maya period and the later Maya-Toltec period.

Chichen Itza is probably the most visited Mayan ruins in Mexico, since being named one of the New Wonders of the World. The highlight is Kukulkan Pyramid which stands at 75 feet tall and built for astronomical/sacrificial purposes.

Perhaps one of its biggest draws for tourists is the twice-annual equinox when the setting sun creates shadows on the pyramid steps that resemble the body of a serpent.

Chichen Itza can get crowded with tour buses, but if you pick up a sunrise skip-the-line ticket, you can basically have it to yourself for a while. ➜ BOOK IT HERE

Read My Free Guide To Chichen Itza

2. Coastal Ruins Of Tulum

El Castillo Pyramid in Tulum

Just a few hours away from Chichen Itza is the iconic walled city of Tulum perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. Tulum’s ruins feature a beautiful Caribbean beach (that you can swim at!), with incredible views all around.

Tulum was a major trading and religious center for the Maya between the 11th and 16th centuries. They traded turquoise, jade, cotton, food, copper bells, axes, and chocolate.

Because of Tulum’s prime location along the touristic Riviera Maya coast, it gets a lot of visitors. The site isn’t that big either, so it can get super crowded mid-day.

My favorite part of the Tulum ruins is the Temple of the Frescoes, where you can still see painted murals inside!

Read My Free Guide To Tulum’s Ruins

3. Maya Ruins Of Coba

Climbing the Pyramid at Coba

Just 40km west of Tulum you’ll reach Coba — one of my favorite Maya ruins in Mexico. Covering 80 square miles and featuring 5 large lakes, Coba is a less popular destination with a real air of mystery about it.

Though archaeologists believe it may one day be one of the largest Mayan excavations, right now it remains mostly untouched so visitors can engage their imagination to dream up the story behind the many mounds and pyramids.

To really appreciate the natural spectacle that is Coba, visitors can still climb 120 steep stone steps to the top of Nohoch Mul – the tallest pyramid in the peninsula – and gaze out over the jungle-covered ruins.

Read My Free Guide To Visiting Coba

4. Palenque

Majestic Palenque Ruins

The Mayan ruins of Palenque are steeped in historical significance, and today stand as part of a UNESCO Heritage site surrounded by great trees and wildlife.

One of its highlights is the Temple of Inscriptions, which was built by King Pakal’s first son and provides records of over 180 years of the city’s history.

As well as its historical information, the temple is also home to King Pakal’s tomb, with humidity in the burial chamber so intense that the walls drip with water and individuals can only enter with special authorization.

5. Calakmul Mayan Ruins

Calakmul Ruins in Campeche

The Mayan ruins of Calakmul house two very large pyramids and an extensive system of reservoirs that once provided water to 50,000 Mayans.

Located far away from most tourist attractions in the heart of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a massive protected jungle near the border of Guatemala with wildlife like howler monkeys and jaguars.

Visitors can still climb to the top of these structures and take in the surrounding tropical forests, the expanse of the central plaza and the multiple palaces that lie around it.

Of all the Mayan sites in Mexico, this one is my personal favorite. You can get lost for a full day exploring the site, and due to its remote location, there aren’t many visitors.

Read My Tips For Visiting Calakmul

6. Monte Alban

Massive Site of Monte Alban

Monte Alban was one of Mexico’s first pre-Colombian cities, after being founded around 500 BC and supported primarily by agriculture through centuries of development and changing populations.

The city is located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, spanning a great many cultures as it remained inhabited for 13 centuries. It’s also a UNESCO world heritage site due to its historical influence.

Monte Alban is a popular destination for tourists as much of the city is still intact; including temples, tombs, palaces, an astronomical observatory, and even a historical ball court which would have hosted games of Ollama (similar to football).

7. Teotihuacan

Beautiful Ruins of Teotihuacan

The impressive ruins of Teotihuacan outside Mexico City is another mix of culture, with the initial founders still unknown despite features from a variety of cultures apparent in its design.

Items and artifacts found within the city ruins suggest that it was once home to some of the more elite individuals of Maya and other cultures, making for an interesting historical analysis into the city.

Teotihuacan’s main attraction is the Pyramid of the Moon, which hides a plethora of secrets that are slowly being revealed as archaeological digs continue – years ago researchers discovered the bodies of animals and humans that had been treated to awful brutality in what is assumed to be a ritualistic sacrifice to the Gods.

Visiting the city today, you can explore the Citadel (large open plaza surrounded by temples), the Avenue of the Dead (the main road across the city that aligns with the setting sun once a year) and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon – some of Mexico’s largest structures.

8. Ek Balam

Ek Balam Archeological Site

Another favorite set of ruins in the Yucatan, near Valladolid, is Ek Balam, meaning Black Jaguar in the Maya language.

You can spend the day exploring and climbing around the site before enjoying a dip in the beautiful X’Canche – a cenote sinkhole full of fresh crystal-blue water.

Ek Balam is also the location of King Ukit Kan Lek Tok’s tomb, which lies within the largest pyramid – standing alongside 45 other ancient structures.

Some of the main highlights are the walls surrounding the site, the views from atop of the highest pyramids and buildings, and the incredible works of art and calligraphy plastered on the walls of some of the remaining buildings.

Read My Tips For Visiting Ek Balam

9. Uxmal Ruins

The Mayan Site of Uxmal

Uxmal is a set of Mayan ruins located near the Mexican city of Merida, on the West side of the Yucatan Peninsula.

In ancient times, Mayan high priests would perform ceremonies (including sacrifices) atop the religious structures in Uxmal – many hundreds of steps above the ground.

According to Mayan legend, Uxmal’s rounded Pyramid Of the Magician was magically built overnight during a series of challenges issued to a dwarf by the king of Uxmal.

Maya priests doubled as astrologers, and Uxmal was built and designed using astronomy to track the cycles of the moon and the stars. It was also used as a sign of power, as they used their superior knowledge to coincide religious ceremonies with natural phenomena such as the eclipse.

Gazing out over the ruins today, you really do get a sense of the detailed design and work that went into creating this great religious city.

Read My Tips For Visiting Uxmal

10. Edzna

Edzna translates in Mayan to “House of the Itzas”, which has led many to believe that this particular city was the initial home of the Itza family – before they moved on to found the iconic Chichen Izta.

Edzna is somewhat of a mystery in many ways, and this contributes to why it is such a great stop on any road trip through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Though Edzna was a major city at one point in Mayan history (around 200A), in 1450 it was fully abandoned – with no obvious reason why. Edzna was then “rediscovered” in 1907, and today plays host to a daily Evening Light Show which lights up the city ruins.

When visiting Edzna, make sure to visit the Gran Acropolis, the Temple of the Masks – which showcases two masks, one honoring the Sunrise God and one the Sunset God – and the imposing Palace that faces the Gran Acropolis and is a residential building that runs from the North to the South.

11. El Rey

One of the smaller communities frequented by the Mayans is El Rey – which is actually located in the heart of Cancun. Visiting these ruins can take less than an hour if you’re short on time.

El Rey is considered a temple complex and, when compared to some of the other city ruins, is fairly unspectacular. There are none of the tall pyramids we come to expect with Maya communities, and the architecture is simple and low key.

However, what El Rey does provide is a sense of real history, as you walk amongst the structures and learn how it connected to come of the other Mayan cities nearby – both for trade and for worship pilgrimage.

El Rey is a nice one to visit if you are after some undisturbed exploring, and the nearby Museo Maya will fill the gaps for you in terms of the history and culture of the Mayan communities.

12. Chacchoben

Next up are the ruins of Chacchoben near Mahahual – one of the most popular sites of the Mayan era. Unlike many of its smaller counterparts, Chacchoben has only a portion of the site open to the public.

Many of the original temples are still standing in their ancient condition, awaiting restoration. The city was home to the largest community in its region by 360 AD, and was considered by the Mayans as the center of their ceremonious activity.

The Gran Basamento was the Maya’s most important ritual plaza. Surrounding the ruins is a deep jungle which is now home to a huge variety of plants and creatures, including jaguar, puma and tapir – if you’re lucky – making for an exciting day out!

Another thing to look out for is the traces of red around the base of the temples and structures – proof that these buildings were once coated completely in red paint – though the unrelenting sun is gradually causing further degradation to this as time goes on.

13. Templo Mayor

Continuing our exploration into the major cities of the Mayan era, we now reach the Templo Mayor – Spanish for “The Greater Temple” which was once considered the center of the Maya universe.

Templo Mayor is located in present-day Mexico City, considered part of Tenochtitlan and historically dedicated to both the God of War and the God of Rain and Agriculture.

The ruins stand next to an expansive cathedral, and it is said that stones from the temple were used in the construction of the cathedral; linking Mexico City’s levels of history.

Templo Mayor itself was once the scene of both coronations and human sacrifices – with the blood of the sacrifices supposedly feeding the two Gods to whom the temple was dedicated.

14. Izamal

The Pyramid at Izamal

Izamal was an important Mayan pilgrimage site containing one of the heaviest pyramid structures in all of Mesoamerica. It had its own glory days early on, before Chichen Itza took over around 900 AD.

Eventually invaded by the Spanish, Izamal remained a place of importance to the Mayans and the Spanish built a large religious complex which is still a pilgrimage site even today for Mexican Catholics.

In 1993 the site was even visited by Pope John Paul II! There are some interesting annual festivals here which fall in April, May, August and December.

If you pay Izamal a visit, make sure you keep your ears open, as the Maya language is still very much the chosen mother tongue in and around the “yellow town”.

15. El Meco

Cool Ruins Outside Cancun

El Meco is a set of smaller ancient Maya ruins that aren’t well known located just North of Downtown Cancun. There’s even a 41-foot high pyramid!

These ruins were probably related to Isla Mujeres and an important port for the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula.

To find them, head up Avenida Lopez Portillo (aka the Cancun-Puerto Juarez road) in a rental car, taxi, or collectivo bus. The site is located at KM 27. The ruins are just off the road on the left.

Other Important Mayan Sites

While much of the historic Maya empire was based in present-day Mexico, you can still find many ancient Mayan cities in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize too.

If you plan to continue your travels to these parts of Central America, I also recommend you stop by sites like:

Tikal – Guatemala

Tikal is one of the largest Mayan settlements in the Americas, located in Guatemala’s Peten basin and Tikal National Park. It was probably called Yax Mutal when it was a thriving city.

The Great Plaza is particularly impressive, flanked on the east and west sides by two great temple-pyramids.

Caracol – Belize

The Mayan site of Caracol in Belize was built around 330 AD, becoming one of the most important political centers of the Maya lowlands through 600-800 AD.

Copan – Honduras

The Copan Ruins feature large open plazas, as well as many altars and monoliths. It is also home to the world’s biggest archeological cut, revealing many layers of the floor beneath the Great Plaza.

It’s also home to the Hieroglyphic Stairway Plaza, with the longest known Mayan inscription (made up from over 1800 glyphs).

Mysteries Of The Maya

So there you have it – a snapshot of Mayan history, told through fifteen different ancient archeological sites.

In spite of the attempted modernization of the world around them, Maya communities have largely succeeded in preserving their identity and traditions; making them somewhat of an attraction for the many tourists who flock to their neighborhoods – both past and present.

Visiting Mexico without seeing at least a few of these historic archeological sites would be a shame, so make sure to pick a few and experience some history and culture on your next trip to Mexico!

Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travel accessories.

Book Your Flight

Book cheap flights on Skyscanner, my favorite airline search engine to find deals. Also read my tips for how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Car Hire is a great site for comparing car prices to find the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent local apartments on Airbnb ($35 discount!). Read my post for tips on booking cheap hotels.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.

Recommended Guidebook: Lonely Planet Yucatan Suggested Reading: The Maya: Ancient Peoples & Places

Enjoy This Post? Pin It!

READ MORE MEXICO TRAVEL TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best Mayan ruins in Mexico! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:

Ready to party in Mexico? Here are my top things to do Cancun.

Road tripping the Riviera Maya? Read my favorite things to do in the Yucatan.

Save money on your vacation with my ultimate guide to budget travel in Mexico.

Stay safe out there with these great travel safety tips everyone should know.

Take better travel photos with my useful guide to the best travel cameras for any budget.

Have any questions about visiting Mayan Ruins in Mexico? Are you planning a trip? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

[marymperezga]

Top 15 Mayan Ruins & Archeological Sites You Should Visit In Mexico

The Best Mayan Sites in Mexico!

Mexico Culture

One of my favorite parts about traveling in Mexico are all the interesting ancient Mayan ruins to explore. Here are the best Mayan archeological sites that you don’t want to miss!

Maya is a lifestyle; a community of settled people who have inhabited areas of Mexico and Central America since around 1800 BC.

Many people assume the Maya were wiped out — which is not the case.

The Maya community today totals around 7 million people who live by the traditions and are still native speakers of the Mayan language – rather than Spanish which now dominates the countries in which they reside.

However Mexico is littered with crumbling Mayan cities built by their late ancestors, pyramids of stone abandoned for various reasons and left to be overtaken by the jungle.

Many Mayan ruins have been excavated and opened to the public — but some, in particular, stand out.

After living in traveling through Mexico for the past 2 years, I wanted to share some of my favorite Mayan ruins & archeological sites in Mexico.

Learn a little bit about the history of these incredible ancient pyramids and historic sites before you explore them on your next trip to Mexico!

Mayan Ruins Mexico Map

How To Use This Map

Above you’ll find a map of the best Mayan Ruins in Mexico. Click on the top left of the map to find separate layers marking the route and points of interest. You can hide and show different layers, or click icons on the map to see the names of places I mention in this travel guide. “Star” the map to save it to your own Google Maps, or open the map in a new window for a larger version. Enjoy!

A Short History Of The Maya

Agricultural people by nature, the Mayan civilization harvested crops such as maize and beans, clearing jungles for farming as they developed more sophisticated techniques to expand their production.

Spiritually, the Maya worship more than 150 Gods who they believe their Kings are related to; with one God ruling over every subject associated with their lives, for example, the God of Rain, the God of Agriculture, and the God of Death.

Though it may seem complicated to us, this extensive list of deities actually resulted in huge advances in math and astronomy plus the development of the famous Mayan Calendar.

Although the original Maya Empire was destroyed many centuries ago, the Maya people still exist today.

The modern-day Maya hide in plain sight, so to speak, living in Mexico while keeping much of their own traditions and culture from the past.

Best Mayan Archeological Sites In Mexico

History lesson over, it’s time to dive into the multitude of ancient Mayan ruins – and there are quite a few, with around 200 different sites in Mexico alone! Over 4000 spread around Central America.

Work is still ongoing to uncover some of these, as archaeologists are actively engaged in extracting and understanding the secrets of ancient Maya, buried beneath a combination of thick jungle and time.

I’m going to help cut down this number for you, and share what I think are the 15 best Mayan archeological sites in Mexico. Let’s go!

1. Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins

The Famous Ruins of Chichen Itza

One of the greatest Maya cities in Mexico was Chichen Itza – a sacred city which covers around six square miles and was once home to hundreds of buildings which were built in both the classic Maya period and the later Maya-Toltec period.

Chichen Itza is probably the most visited Mayan ruins in Mexico, since being named one of the New Wonders of the World. The highlight is Kukulkan Pyramid which stands at 75 feet tall and built for astronomical/sacrificial purposes.

Perhaps one of its biggest draws for tourists is the twice-annual equinox when the setting sun creates shadows on the pyramid steps that resemble the body of a serpent.

Chichen Itza can get crowded with tour buses, but if you pick up a sunrise skip-the-line ticket, you can basically have it to yourself for a while. ➜ BOOK IT HERE

➜ Read My Free Guide To Chichen Itza

2. Coastal Ruins Of Tulum

El Castillo Pyramid in Tulum

Just a few hours away from Chichen Itza is the iconic walled city of Tulum perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. Tulum’s ruins feature a beautiful Caribbean beach (that you can swim at!), with incredible views all around.

Tulum was a major trading and religious center for the Maya between the 11th and 16th centuries. They traded turquoise, jade, cotton, food, copper bells, axes, and chocolate.

Because of Tulum’s prime location along the touristic Riviera Maya coast, it gets a lot of visitors. The site isn’t that big either, so it can get super crowded mid-day.

My favorite part of the Tulum ruins is the Temple of the Frescoes, where you can still see painted murals inside!

➜ Read My Free Guide To Tulum’s Ruins

3. Maya Ruins Of Coba

Climbing the Pyramid at Coba

Just 40km west of Tulum you’ll reach Coba — one of my favorite Maya ruins in Mexico. Covering 80 square miles and featuring 5 large lakes, Coba is a less popular destination with a real air of mystery about it.

Though archaeologists believe it may one day be one of the largest Mayan excavations, right now it remains mostly untouched so visitors can engage their imagination to dream up the story behind the many mounds and pyramids.

To really appreciate the natural spectacle that is Coba, visitors can still climb 120 steep stone steps to the top of Nohoch Mul – the tallest pyramid in the peninsula – and gaze out over the jungle-covered ruins.

➜ Read My Free Guide To Visiting Coba

4. Palenque

Majestic Palenque Ruins

The Mayan ruins of Palenque are steeped in historical significance, and today stand as part of a UNESCO Heritage site surrounded by great trees and wildlife.

One of its highlights is the Temple of Inscriptions, which was built by King Pakal’s first son and provides records of over 180 years of the city’s history.

As well as its historical information, the temple is also home to King Pakal’s tomb, with humidity in the burial chamber so intense that the walls drip with water and individuals can only enter with special authorization.

5. Calakmul Mayan Ruins

Calakmul Ruins in Campeche

The Mayan ruins of Calakmul house two very large pyramids and an extensive system of reservoirs that once provided water to 50,000 Mayans.

Located far away from most tourist attractions in the heart of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a massive protected jungle near the border of Guatemala with wildlife like howler monkeys and jaguars.

Visitors can still climb to the top of these structures and take in the surrounding tropical forests, the expanse of the central plaza and the multiple palaces that lie around it.

Of all the Mayan sites in Mexico, this one is my personal favorite. You can get lost for a full day exploring the site, and due to its remote location, there aren’t many visitors.

➜ Read My Tips For Visiting Calakmul

6. Monte Alban

Massive Site of Monte Alban

Monte Alban was one of Mexico’s first pre-Colombian cities, after being founded around 500 BC and supported primarily by agriculture through centuries of development and changing populations.

The city is located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, spanning a great many cultures as it remained inhabited for 13 centuries. It’s also a UNESCO world heritage site due to its historical influence.

Monte Alban is a popular destination for tourists as much of the city is still intact; including temples, tombs, palaces, an astronomical observatory, and even a historical ball court which would have hosted games of Ollama (similar to football).

7. Teotihuacan

Beautiful Ruins of Teotihuacan

The impressive ruins of Teotihuacan outside Mexico City is another mix of culture, with the initial founders still unknown despite features from a variety of cultures apparent in its design.

Items and artifacts found within the city ruins suggest that it was once home to some of the more elite individuals of Maya and other cultures, making for an interesting historical analysis into the city.

Teotihuacan’s main attraction is the Pyramid of the Moon, which hides a plethora of secrets that are slowly being revealed as archaeological digs continue – years ago researchers discovered the bodies of animals and humans that had been treated to awful brutality in what is assumed to be a ritualistic sacrifice to the Gods.

Visiting the city today, you can explore the Citadel (large open plaza surrounded by temples), the Avenue of the Dead (the main road across the city that aligns with the setting sun once a year) and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon – some of Mexico’s largest structures.

8. Ek Balam

Ek Balam Archeological Site

Another favorite set of ruins in the Yucatan, near Valladolid, is Ek Balam, meaning Black Jaguar in the Maya language.

You can spend the day exploring and climbing around the site before enjoying a dip in the beautiful X’Canche – a cenote sinkhole full of fresh crystal-blue water.

Ek Balam is also the location of King Ukit Kan Lek Tok’s tomb, which lies within the largest pyramid – standing alongside 45 other ancient structures.

Some of the main highlights are the walls surrounding the site, the views from atop of the highest pyramids and buildings, and the incredible works of art and calligraphy plastered on the walls of some of the remaining buildings.

➜ Read My Tips For Visiting Ek Balam

9. Uxmal Ruins

The Mayan Site of Uxmal

Uxmal is a set of Mayan ruins located near the Mexican city of Merida, on the West side of the Yucatan Peninsula.

In ancient times, Mayan high priests would perform ceremonies (including sacrifices) atop the religious structures in Uxmal – many hundreds of steps above the ground.

According to Mayan legend, Uxmal’s rounded Pyramid Of the Magician was magically built overnight during a series of challenges issued to a dwarf by the king of Uxmal.

Maya priests doubled as astrologers, and Uxmal was built and designed using astronomy to track the cycles of the moon and the stars. It was also used as a sign of power, as they used their superior knowledge to coincide religious ceremonies with natural phenomena such as the eclipse.

Gazing out over the ruins today, you really do get a sense of the detailed design and work that went into creating this great religious city.

➜ Read My Tips For Visiting Uxmal

10. Edzna

Edzna translates in Mayan to “House of the Itzas”, which has led many to believe that this particular city was the initial home of the Itza family – before they moved on to found the iconic Chichen Izta.

Edzna is somewhat of a mystery in many ways, and this contributes to why it is such a great stop on any road trip through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Though Edzna was a major city at one point in Mayan history (around 200A), in 1450 it was fully abandoned – with no obvious reason why. Edzna was then “rediscovered” in 1907, and today plays host to a daily Evening Light Show which lights up the city ruins.

When visiting Edzna, make sure to visit the Gran Acropolis, the Temple of the Masks – which showcases two masks, one honoring the Sunrise God and one the Sunset God – and the imposing Palace that faces the Gran Acropolis and is a residential building that runs from the North to the South.

11. El Rey

One of the smaller communities frequented by the Mayans is El Rey – which is actually located in the heart of Cancun. Visiting these ruins can take less than an hour if you’re short on time.

El Rey is considered a temple complex and, when compared to some of the other city ruins, is fairly unspectacular. There are none of the tall pyramids we come to expect with Maya communities, and the architecture is simple and low key.

However, what El Rey does provide is a sense of real history, as you walk amongst the structures and learn how it connected to come of the other Mayan cities nearby – both for trade and for worship pilgrimage.

El Rey is a nice one to visit if you are after some undisturbed exploring, and the nearby Museo Maya will fill the gaps for you in terms of the history and culture of the Mayan communities.

12. Chacchoben

Next up are the ruins of Chacchoben near Mahahual – one of the most popular sites of the Mayan era. Unlike many of its smaller counterparts, Chacchoben has only a portion of the site open to the public.

Many of the original temples are still standing in their ancient condition, awaiting restoration. The city was home to the largest community in its region by 360 AD, and was considered by the Mayans as the center of their ceremonious activity.

The Gran Basamento was the Maya’s most important ritual plaza. Surrounding the ruins is a deep jungle which is now home to a huge variety of plants and creatures, including jaguar, puma and tapir – if you’re lucky – making for an exciting day out!

Another thing to look out for is the traces of red around the base of the temples and structures – proof that these buildings were once coated completely in red paint – though the unrelenting sun is gradually causing further degradation to this as time goes on.

13. Templo Mayor

Continuing our exploration into the major cities of the Mayan era, we now reach the Templo Mayor – Spanish for “The Greater Temple” which was once considered the center of the Maya universe.

Templo Mayor is located in present-day Mexico City, considered part of Tenochtitlan and historically dedicated to both the God of War and the God of Rain and Agriculture.

The ruins stand next to an expansive cathedral, and it is said that stones from the temple were used in the construction of the cathedral; linking Mexico City’s levels of history.

Templo Mayor itself was once the scene of both coronations and human sacrifices – with the blood of the sacrifices supposedly feeding the two Gods to whom the temple was dedicated.

14. Izamal

The Pyramid at Izamal

Izamal was an important Mayan pilgrimage site containing one of the heaviest pyramid structures in all of Mesoamerica. It had its own glory days early on, before Chichen Itza took over around 900 AD.

Eventually invaded by the Spanish, Izamal remained a place of importance to the Mayans and the Spanish built a large religious complex which is still a pilgrimage site even today for Mexican Catholics.

In 1993 the site was even visited by Pope John Paul II! There are some interesting annual festivals here which fall in April, May, August and December.

If you pay Izamal a visit, make sure you keep your ears open, as the Maya language is still very much the chosen mother tongue in and around the “yellow town”.

15. El Meco

Cool Ruins Outside Cancun

El Meco is a set of smaller ancient Maya ruins that aren’t well known located just North of Downtown Cancun. There’s even a 41-foot high pyramid!

These ruins were probably related to Isla Mujeres and an important port for the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula.

To find them, head up Avenida Lopez Portillo (aka the Cancun-Puerto Juarez road) in a rental car, taxi, or collectivo bus. The site is located at KM 27. The ruins are just off the road on the left.

Other Important Mayan Sites

While much of the historic Maya empire was based in present-day Mexico, you can still find many ancient Mayan cities in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize too.

If you plan to continue your travels to these parts of Central America, I also recommend you stop by sites like:

Tikal – Guatemala

Tikal is one of the largest Mayan settlements in the Americas, located in Guatemala’s Peten basin and Tikal National Park. It was probably called Yax Mutal when it was a thriving city.

The Great Plaza is particularly impressive, flanked on the east and west sides by two great temple-pyramids.

Caracol – Belize

The Mayan site of Caracol in Belize was built around 330 AD, becoming one of the most important political centers of the Maya lowlands through 600-800 AD.

Copan – Honduras

The Copan Ruins feature large open plazas, as well as many altars and monoliths. It is also home to the world’s biggest archeological cut, revealing many layers of the floor beneath the Great Plaza.

It’s also home to the Hieroglyphic Stairway Plaza, with the longest known Mayan inscription (made up from over 1800 glyphs).

Mysteries Of The Maya

So there you have it – a snapshot of Mayan history, told through fifteen different ancient archeological sites.

In spite of the attempted modernization of the world around them, Maya communities have largely succeeded in preserving their identity and traditions; making them somewhat of an attraction for the many tourists who flock to their neighborhoods – both past and present.

Visiting Mexico without seeing at least a few of these historic archeological sites would be a shame, so make sure to pick a few and experience some history and culture on your next trip to Mexico!

Travel Planning Resources For Ek Balam

Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travel accessories.

Book Your Flight

Book cheap flights on Skyscanner, my favorite airline search engine to find deals. Also read my tips for how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Car Hire is a great site for comparing car prices to find the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent local apartments on Airbnb ($35 discount!). Read my post for tips on booking cheap hotels.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.

Recommended Guidebook: Lonely Planet Yucatan Suggested Reading: The Maya: Ancient Peoples & Places

Enjoy This Post? Pin It!

READ MORE MEXICO TRAVEL TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best Mayan ruins in Mexico! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:

Ready to party in Mexico? Here are my top things to do Cancun.

Road tripping the Riviera Maya? Read my favorite things to do in the Yucatan.

Save money on your vacation with my ultimate guide to budget travel in Mexico.

Stay safe out there with these great travel safety tips everyone should know.

Take better travel photos with my useful guide to the best travel cameras for any budget.

Have any questions about visiting Mayan Ruins in Mexico? Are you planning a trip? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://expertvagabond.com/mayan-ruins-mexico/

[holmesoverture]

The Telegraph Boy, Chapter 4

*Warning for this chapter: discussion of underage prostitution, though according to the laws of the time the people in question were not considered underage.  Also, Watson may come off as a bit judgey about the whole thing, depending on how you interpret his reaction.

Chapter 1 Be Here Chapter 3 Be Here

We took our leave of Shrewsbury House and the furiously mumbling inspector, I suspect, not an instant too soon.  Had we dared remain, eventually we should have run short of people for Holmes to offend. He hailed a cab at the corner and instructed the driver to take us to Baker Street by way of Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia.

“That’s hardly the most direct route.  Why is it important we go by Cleveland Street?” I asked once we had started moving.

“I thought it might interest you to see the scene of the crime.”

“Have we not already done that?”

“We have seen a crime scene, yes, but this case involves two of them.  You have seen if not thoroughly understood the second, now you will see the first.”

He did so enjoy his little games and secrets, and as I was by his own admission the only person he is close to, I more often than not found myself indulging them rather than insisting he get on with it. I’m sure I don’t know why.  It is not as though he is a desperately lonely soul in need of a sympathetic ear.  On the contrary, he has always been more than satisfied to keep to himself and let the rest of humanity alone when he is not working either for or against them. Yet still I refused to verbalise any sentiment that could be construed by him as the least bit discouraging, so we sat in warm silence until Holmes grabbed my wrist and pointed through the window of the cab.

“You see that building there?” he asked.

“Yes.”  It was a perfectly average-looking four-storey brown brick townhouse.

“It is maintained by one Charles Hammond. You don’t recognise the name?  I didn’t think you would.  Mr Hammond runs a brothel from that very building.  Every one of the boys employed here was recruited from the General Post Office on St Martin’s-Le-Grand, including our friend Farrier.  This is the true source of the payment he offered us this morning.”

The moment the word brothel crossed his lips, my stomach gave a sick sort of lurch, and by the time he’d finished his declaration, it was all I could do to keep my mouth from falling open.  The only clear thought in my head was that of Alfred Farrier and his handful of shillings, an image which made far more sense now that I’d been made aware of that horrible place.

“When did you learn of this?” I said finally, and for the first time not looking forward to his elucidation in the slightest.

“I first suspected its existence several months ago.  Everything I have witnessed since then has only served to confirm my suspicions.”

“You have known of this atrocity for months and done nothing?”

“What would you have had me do?”

“Contact the authorities and shutter that abominable place, of course!”

“To what end?  To deprive the boys’ families of the income generated by their activities? To condemn these most innocent of criminals to hard labour in the short term and to disgrace in the long term? Your capacity for cruelty staggers me, Watson, truly.”

He spoke in his usual careless tone, but I should not have been more astonished had he taken his stick and beaten me about the head and shoulders.

“You mean to say you approve of such establishments?” I said, weakly.

“I neither approve nor disapprove.  You know quite well that my interests extend only as far as they must to clear dangerous criminals from the streets and no further, and it seems to me that London as a whole would greatly benefit if Scotland Yard were to follow my example rather than chase after those trying to earn a meagre living.”

This was a half-truth at best.  He knew it, and he knew also that I knew it, but the both of us retreated to our own thoughts as we rattled away from that house of ill-fame.  More than once in my published accounts of our adventures, I have described Holmes as an automaton, as inhuman, as a machine.  This is as much due to my companion’s intervention as to my editor’s. It is a canted reflection of the true Holmes, one he has always fervently worked to change his own nature to match. He imagines his life and his work would be interminably simpler if he really were that unfeeling uncaring being of pure logic.  Knowing Holmes, he is most likely correct.

But alas, for all his powers of observation and self-control, he is human yet and possesses many, though not all, of the same compulsions and temptations as other members of the species.  Perhaps, in some future work, I shall be able to slip in some reference to Holmes’ acute case of humanity, but at that time, my mind was occupied by the fact that he had somehow cast me as the primary villain in this affair.  I refused to abide such a position and prepared an argument with which to defend myself, but by then we had arrived safely at Baker Street and the opportunity to converse had slipped my grasp.

“Here we are,” said Holmes.  “I wish you a peaceful rest, and when I return I will provide you with every point and detail so you will not suffer your notes to remain incomplete.”

“You are not coming in with me?”

“No, I have very important business to tend to elsewhere.”

“Then if it will not impede your work, I am coming with you,” said I, regaining my seat in the cab.

“But you are tired.”    

“That is so, but the train comes nowhere near my list of the least comfortable places in which I have slept.”

“Then I should be very glad to have you along. We must stop briefly at the telegraph office and then we are off to Gravesend.”

After working so closely with Sherlock Holmes for so many years, I have become acclimated to the sensation of having no earthly idea of what is going on.  This enabled me to very patiently wait until we had boarded the train before inquiring as to why we were there.

“You mean why are we going to Gravesend?  It’s quite simple.  We go to Gravesend because that is where we shall find Lord Walmsley.”

“Should we not be going after Sally Farrier instead?”

“Not unless and until we have proof that a crime has actually been perpetrated.  Lady Walmsley made it clear that the strong-box belongs to her husband and no one else, so we must hear from him that something has been taken and, if so, if he desires to pursue the matter.”

“I suppose it would be foolish of me to ask how you know Lord Walmsley is in Gravesend.”

Holmes fixed me with a look I can only describe as indulgent.  “It could not have been more apparent had Lord Walmsley written Gravesend upon the carpet and all four walls of his study. Still, I will confine myself to the more obvious clues.  A bundle of this stationery was kept in the upper right-hand corner of the desk drawer. As most men are right-handed, they tend to store more frequently used items to their right side where they are more easily retrieved, so I knew the stationery was of some importance.”

He handed me a piece of blank paper.  It felt thick and heavy and therefore costly. Holmes indicated the insignia at the top, which depicted a right-facing profile of a bearded man superimposed over three diagonal lightning bolts.

“That is the emblem of the Jupiter Club, a gentlemen’s club in Gravesend devoted to the study and appreciation of classical Greek and Roman literature,” he said.  “There were fragments of this same stationery in the study fireplace.  They were in poor condition, but enough of the handwriting remained intact to tell me that it did not match the abundant examples of Lord Walmsley’s handwriting available in the papers upon his desk, so it must therefore belong to another who had access to identical stationery—in other words, to another member of the Jupiter Club.  The proliferation of this stationery in Lord Walmsley’s office, as well as the fact that he saw fit to burn all correspondence written upon it, indicates a strong and at least partially illicit connection to Gravesend, and most particularly to that club.”

“Is that where Lord Walmsley has gone?  The Jupiter Club?”

“If he has, his faith in his fellow bibliophiles far outweighs his common sense.  No matter how active a gentleman is within his club, it is highly doubtful he would be sufficiently well-acquainted with all of its members that he would feel secure in entrusting them with the sort of secrets Lord Walmsley has been keeping.  No, rather than at the Jupiter Club, we shall find him at the Kendall Estate, home of Lord Reuben Kendall, preeminent citizen of Gravesend and renowned collector of Greco-Roman literature.  You may have seen an item or two about him in the paper.  He recently inherited from his late father the largest cement factory in Kent.”

“Would Lord Kendall be the author of those letter fragments in the fireplace?”

“He would.  The initials RK were inscribed in at least two of the books on Lord Walmsley’s shelves, the result either of gifts or of loans.  One particularly indiscreet tome was inscribed with the words ‘To S with all my love, R.’”

“The S referring to Septimus Walmsley and the R referring to Reuben Kendall.”

“And that, you see, is why we are here.”

The majority of this explanation could not penetrate the hazy walls erected by my weariness, and I only recall it now because Holmes repeated it to me once he closed the case.  At the time, however, he simply reached over to cover the top half of my face with his long thin hand, forcing my eyes to close.

“You may rest now, my Boswell.  Nothing of consequence will occur until we reach Gravesend.”

“Nothing of consequence?” I repeated, eyes still closed.

“Well there is a Scottish greengrocer behind us who is about to discover he is no longer in possession of his watch, which will cause the thief, the sea captain’s daughter seated across from him, to lose her nerve and slip it into the pocket of the dentist to her left just as he reaches into that selfsame pocket for his handkerchief in an effort to alleviate the malingering symptoms of his cold.  Their hands will meet, the ensuing commotion will attract the porter, and he will return the watch to its owner while she is escorted off the train in tears.  As I said, nothing of consequence.”

*

Chapter 5 Be Here

*

Notes of Interest

The only person he is close to – This is in reference to a line from Arthur Conan Doyle’s story The Five Orange Pips, wherein Watson asks if one of Holmes’ friends might be dropping by for a visit and Holmes responds, “Except yourself I have none.”

[allyinthekeyofx]

Genesis - Chapters 17 & 18

I am so sorry for the delay between chapters. Work has been crazy and coupled with season 11 news my brain farted and I forgot all about this.  If it weren’t for @scully-loves-ruthie giving me a nudge today I probably would have kept forgetting lol

Previous Chapters

1 & 2  //  3 & 4  //  5 & 6 //  7 & 8  //  9 & 10  //  11 & 12  //  13 & 14  //  15 & 16  //

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

San Diego, CA. 3:05 p.m.

Mulder had no clear idea as to what he was going to do from here. He had slipped out of the hospital unnoticed after discovering an escape route in the form of the wrought iron fire ladder attached to his bathroom window. He had removed his clothes in a crumpled tangle from the locker beside his bed. They smelled pretty bad but, Mulder reasoned, it was preferable to making the climb down the fire escape in a hospital gown with his bare ass hanging out for the world to see.

He had expected the descent to be pretty easy and so he was shocked to find it a rather unpleasant experience. Hindered as he was by his still weakened state, he had almost fallen several times. He felt light headed and disorientated, nausea and vertigo competing each other as the ground seemed to undulate beneath him in sickening waves. He was aware that what he was doing was bordering on insanity. He could see Scully with that expression she tended to get when she caught him doing something crazy. It was an expression she wore a lot – a kind of half frown. One perfect eyebrow arched, questioning, despairing of him and his latest crazy escapade. He could almost hear her voice inside his head.

You’re going to kill yourself one of these days Mulder.

And the echo of her concern spurred him on.

Besides, Mulder considered ruefully, if he didn’t kill himself there was a good chance Skinner might when he eventually caught up with him. Skinner had no time for renegades. Especially renegades who put their lives at risk. And deep down he knew that his superior had been right. He was in no shape to be doing this.

The ladder ended around 10 feet from the ground and Mulder had no other option but to suspend himself from the bottom rung, trying to elongate his body to lessen the impact when he let go and fell to the ground.

But he had lost his hold prematurely and didn’t have chance to prepare himself for the fall. A few feet that normally wouldn’t have fazed him, now seemed to take forever until suddenly the ground rushed up to meet him. Despite trying to stay on his feet, he felt his knees give way as he pitched forwards on to the asphalt below.

He remained where he was for a couple of minutes, desperately trying to regain his equilibrium as his vision suddenly blurred sickeningly. He knew that if he got up too quickly he would no doubt black out. But if he stayed too long, there was a good chance that a concerned passerby would see him and raise the alarm.

Slowly, shakily Mulder got to his feet, swallowing heavily to prevent himself throwing up. He took a couple of steps forward, relieved to find his legs seemed to be cooperating at least for the moment. His gait was unsteady though and he was all too aware that he must look every bit as dishevelled as he felt.

Gotta stop with the daytime drinking G-Man

The corners of his mouth twitched in a rueful smirk and he realised with gratitude that at least his sense of humour remained intact. Scully would probably disagree.

Scully.

Mulder began to walk. He didn’t take much notice of the direction. He just needed to put space between himself and the hospital. He’d figure the rest out later.

XXXX

Mulder squinted against the bright sunshine that reflected back at him from the pavement and he wished fervently he had a pair of sunglasses with him. His head was splitting again. Each step he took sending bolts of pure agony through his battered body. He found he was dripping with sweat, his breathing laboured. His suit jacket seemed to suddenly feel like it weighed a hundred pounds, adding to his exhaustion but he didn’t dare take it off even for a few minutes.

He had been more than a little surprised earlier to discover that his gun was still in its leather holster, tangled up with his clothes in the hospital locker.

He could only wonder at how such an immense breach in hospital policy had occurred because under normal circumstances, any weapon would be immediately tagged, logged and safely removed to be stored in a secure area until such time as it could be returned to its rightful owner. He had never known this procedure to not be followed. Hospitals tended to take a dim view of their patients running around the corridors waving guns about and so they ensured that, regardless of rank or file, any such weapon was swiftly removed from harms way.

But right now, he wasn’t much bothered about the how and why. Someone, it didn’t matter who, had made a monumental cock-up, but cock-up or not, Mulder would willingly take it because the presence of the weapon afforded him at least one advantage in an otherwise impossible situation and he felt somewhat reassured by its presence, however incongruous it might be.

The fact that the clip was less than half full was less reassuring and the spare clips he had brought to San Diego with him were still safely ensconced within the walls of the E-Z 8 motel where he had left them before making the trip to Wickham's apartment.

He had considered going back there to retrieve them, but had shelved the notion almost immediately as he realised that, if what Skinner said was true, then a full blown murder inquiry would be in place there and he couldn't risk the possibility of being seen by the hoards of cops who would no doubt be trawling through the grounds in their pursuit of evidence.

To be seen there would be calamitous, and he had enough sense to realise that until he figured this thing out his best course of action was to remain invisible; to disappear in to the woodwork so to speak.

His memories of events preceding his collapse at Wickham’s apartment were sketchy at best, the details hazy and incomplete. But his instincts screamed to him that his recent illness and Scullys disappearance were connected somehow. He just had to figure out what that connection might be, knowing that once the connection was made, everything else would fall in to place.

He walked aimlessly, not having any clear idea as to where he was heading, turning what scant recollections he did have over and over in his mind, trying to find some kind of correlation between them.

But there was nothing.

He came up with nothing that would shed any light on why Scully had been taken.

Or by whom.

What had happened at the motel that night to make her leave the room, unprotected and vulnerable in her position?

Scully wasn’t stupid. She was one of the most capable, by-the-book Agents he had ever worked with. Unlike him, Scully always considered unnecessary risk taking to be, well, unnecessary. And if there was one thing Mulder was certain of, it was that she must have, initially at least, gone willingly. But after that?

Mulder shook his head.

Where are you Scully? Speak to me.

He rounded a corner and found himself standing across from a small patch of park land, a welcome oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle. The wooden benches that surrounded it suddenly looked more than a little inviting to him.

He needed to sit for a while, if only to appraise in more detail his current situation and his aching body silently thanked him as he lowered himself on to one of the seats.

Five minutes later he began to wish that he hadn't bothered, because in doing so he just confirmed to himself what he already knew. Rummaging through his pockets he had realised how high the odds against him were stacked, because aside from his weapon, his FBI credentials and his cell phone he was pretty much running on empty. His wallet contained a couple of crumpled fives. Change from the twenty he had used to buy breakfast for him and Scully just the morning before.

Jesus, has it really been only a day?

He had his Bureau issue credit card but using that would be like holding up a large sign with the words 'Here I am' painted on it in red block lettering. The rest of the cards in his wallet were maxed out and he’d left his ATM card in the back pocket of his jeans.

He had no transport, no protection, no support and no where to begin. Add to that the B ball game being played out inside his skull, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done the right thing. Dropping his aching head in his hands, Mulder suddenly wished, more than anything else in the world, that Scully was with him.

But then again, if she were here, he wouldn’t be.

He would be warmly tucked up in a comfortable bed having his every medical whim tended to by professionals. And more than that, his partner would be with him. Keeping a cool eye on him and those caring for him. She would be horrified if she could see him now.

I need help . I can’t do this alone.

He shook his head and mentally considered who he could call upon. The two most obvious choices on his ‘go-to’ list were no longer an option.

I’m sorry, the allies you are trying to reach are unavailable right now....

Wickham? Maybe.....

No

Mulder discounted him immediately. He couldn’t really say why. Just a vague feeling of unease that prickled down his spine every time he thought about his old Academy buddy.

And that, pretty much exhausted his list.

Unless.......

Mulder blinked. He was so stupid.

Mulder you dumb fuck.

He slowly withdrew his cel from his inside pocket, frowning when he saw the single illuminated bar on the tiny battery symbol. Great. Even his phone was giving up on him. He tapped his finger against the side of the phone absent-mindedly, weighing up the pros and cons of involving them in a situation that he suspected might very quickly start to spiral out of control.

He knew that they would drop everything to help him. They had done it plenty of times before. But just because he could, didn’t mean he should.

Scully. I have to do it for Scully.

Mulder hit the speed dial.

XXXX

11:01 p.m.

"What took you so long?"

Mulder was quite unable to prevent the snippy tone in his voice. He had been waiting in the lobby of the Airport for hours. He was exhausted, he felt like shit and even worse, was painfully, conscious of the hours ticking by whilst all the time he did nothing to try to find his missing partner.

He also knew he was directing his frustration at the wrong person. He shrugged in apology.

“Sorry Fro. I’m not feeling my best right now.”

Frohike though waved the apology away, shocked by just how bad Mulder looked.

Put aside the obvious fever he was running, the sweat beading his pallid skin and collecting at the collar of the crumpled shirt – although that was bad enough. But what really struck Frohike was the look in Mulder’s eyes. They looked dead. Devoid of emotion. And he realised that his old friend was just about hanging on by a fingertip.

He also realised that the best thing he could do for Mulder right now, was to get things moving again. He held up a small leather sports bag.

"One change of clothes, wash bag, phone charger, keys to a Ford Taurus rental parked outside and . . ."

He reached inside his jacket, withdrawing a manila envelope.

"Five hundred in cash."

Mulder took the envelope from him gratefully and stuffed it in to his own jacket.

"Thanks, Frohike. I owe you."

Frohike coughed uncomfortably.

"Um, actually you don't. I took a little side trip to your ATM back in D.C. and withdrew the money from your account. Langly hacked in to your bank's mainframe and made some adjustments."

Mulder frowned

"What kind of adjustments?"

Frohike held up a library membership card and handed it to Mulder who turned it over in his hand.

"What's this?"

"Um, it's your new ATM card. Keep it somewhere safe."

Despite himself, Mulder couldn't help but grin. It felt good.

Frohike shrugged apologetically.

"Desperate measures and cash flow problems, y'know?"

Mulder slotted the card in to his wallet and glanced around the lobby. Frohike answered the question before he had a chance to ask it.

"Byers had to make a stop. He'll meet us at the motel."

Mulder nodded.

"And Langly?"

"Still safely located back at home base in case we need to call on his talents."

He looked past Mulder, eyes narrowing as they locked on to a group of men dressed in near identical attire.

Mulder tagged them immediately as middle income business men, probably on their way to some kind of convention. But it was clear from the way Frohike suddenly brought his hand up to shield his face that he didn’t share Mulders view.

To Frohike, a suit meant only one thing - Government - and Mulder smiled slightly as he recalled Scully's accurate conjecture that Frohike and Co. were the most paranoid men she had ever met, even more so than Mulder, which was certainly going some.

He cuffed the smaller man lightly on the arm.

"C'mon Frohike. We've got work to do. Save the paranoia for later. Believe me you're going to need it."

XXXXXXX

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

At around the time that Mulder was smiling at Frohike’s evident paranoia, someone much closer to him was battling some serious emotional misgivings of her own.

Ensconced safety within the boundaries of her hospital room, Dana Scully lay staring up at the ceiling above her, battling to hold on to some semblance of sanity as she replayed the events of the last few hours over and over in her mind.

Since awakening, it had seemed as though a constant stream of doctors and FBI agents had surrounded her, asking her questions she didn't know how to answer. She had not seen Wickham all afternoon, despite her frequent requests, and it seemed that no one had any wish to tell her any of the details she desperately needed to hear without him being present.

She had spent the afternoon battling to remember in more detail just how she had got here and the events leading up to it, and although the memories were there, the structure of them just didn't track somehow. She could remember clearly confronting Mulder as she held the child in her arms and his face as he insisted she hand her over to him. It had also become clear to her that the child had not in fact been Emily, but the terrified form of Charlotte Stevens who they had tracked down to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of San Diego. She could remember clearly her conversation with Mulder as they drove to the location. In fact she could remember every word of it, as though it were a stage play she had seen as an observer rather than a performer.

She could remember feeling mild pangs of unease at Mulder's insistence that they did not need to enlist the support of other agents before entering the building. But she could not remember actually entering or how exactly they had known that this was the place or that the child would be there.

She recalled talking to Christine Stevens at the motel and of removing her from the care of the sanatorium, of her partner's mild illness, and of his conversation with Wickham regarding those same actions.

What she couldn't reconcile in her mind were the gaps in those memories when some segments were so clear to her. For example, she had no recollection of the interval between Mulder's conversation back at the motel and of getting in to the car to go find the warehouse. It was all a complete blank, and the more she tried to remember, the more she ended up at a brick wall, frustrated to the point of tears.

She had not wanted to believe that it was Mulder who had put her here, but Wickham's words, her injury, the notes on her chart that she had requested to view and not least her own memories had made the fact just about irrefutable. The real question, she admitted, was not that he had done this to her, but why?

It was something she suspected only Wickham could answer, but his long absence was not helping the situation. Nor was the fact that no one seemed to be able to give her any kind of assurance as to his return, only that he had intended coming back to see her later.

Scully sighed and shifted her head slightly on the pillow, attempting to get comfortable and to ease the pain in her neck that her doctor's training told her was a direct result of laying in the same position for so long. She wished she could turn over, but the nature of her injury dictated that to do so would be both foolhardy and dangerous. The powerful pain relief that was being fed in to her via a canular in her arm had dulled the pain somewhat and Scully had no wish to allow it to flare up again.

The substance was probably a morphine based drug, and although she had attempted to read the typed wording that adorned the clear bag above her, she had been unable to, arriving at her conclusion based mostly on how drowsy she felt. She had drifted off for periods of sleep throughout the day, welcoming the oblivion, however brief, from her current situation, only to awaken with ever sharper memories of what Mulder had done to her, becoming wide awake once more as the sense of betrayal sharpened.

Why?

Such a tiny word. How could such a tiny word cause so much pain?

Scully sighed heavily as her eyes began to close against the tears that threatened to return.

Why did you do this to me Mulder?

And despite herself, she slept.

X

If Scully had been aware of the presence of the two men viewing her on the TV monitors from a room just a few feet away, sleep might not have arrived quite so easily.

They had remained in their positions throughout the day, although Wickham had left for brief periods of time to check in with the office so as not to give rise to any suspicions regarding his absence.

He had also been mildly alarmed to hear from Skinner that Mulder was missing from the hospital; although he had been slightly mollified to be told by his companion that Mulder's leaving the hospital was not only expected, but integral to the continued success of their scheme

He turned to face the Smoking Man who was regarding the sleeping form of Dana Scully closely.

"So what now?"

The Smoking man merely smiled softly.

"We wait Agent Wickham."

"Wait? For what exactly?"

Wickham was aware that his voice was shaking slightly, but all this waiting around was playing on his already shattered nerves, and he had no wish to draw out the process for longer than was absolutely necessary.

For a few seconds though, his question remained unanswered and the silence stretched uncomfortably between them. Finally though, The Smoking Man inclined his head toward the screen.

"Agent Scully has spent the afternoon playing events over in her mind. Events that have been suggested to her without her knowledge and which she now believes to be absolutely accurate. But the process cannot be rushed. Information must be suggested to her over time, information which she will come to regard as her own memories of what happened to her and why she was betrayed so utterly by the one man in this life she truly believes in........perhaps even loves. To expedite the process would be disastrous for all concerned, inasmuch as Agent Scully must believe without question. Too much information would effectively induce her to not be able to differentiate between the truth and the lies. She would begin to question her own memory and with it her recollections of true events,"

He smirked,

"and we wouldn't want that to happen would we, Agent Wickham?"

The unspoken threat was unmistakable and Wickham felt himself pale slightly, as the implications of the words became clear.

The Smoking Man, however, didn't seem to notice.

"So," he continued, "I believe we should let Agent Scully enjoy the quietude she so desperately needs to help her recover from her recent ordeal. And then, when she awakens once more, you will be there to answer some of her questions. You will be her friend. Her only friend, now that Mulder is gone."

CONTINUED CHAPTER NINETEEN

[swelldomains]

Moore`s Law, Golf, and Your Business Tools

In the past 50 years, golf devices has actually enhanced tremendously. Yet in spite of clubs that struck the sphere farther and straighter, despite the surge of swing instructors, videos, as well as much better training methods, the ordinary rating for a round of golf remains at around 100, where it has actually rested for decades.

Credit: Jeff the Trojan

The average gamer's driver is qualified of hitting the ball 60-70 yards farther today. Irons are much more forgiving, regardless of where effect is made on the clubface. Golf rounds go further without any loss of feeling or spin.

My preferred breakthrough is GPS. From this, you get the precise distance to the opening, and also to the threats. How has it allowed us? Well, it helps some gamers keep in mind which hole they're playing after the draft beer cart has made one a lot of visits.

Some pros do effectively by pressing the equipment guidelines to their restrictions. Unidentified Matt Every started this year with a putter that looked like a black metal train line connection. Transforms out the 'Black Swan' putter has some rather innovative engineering integrated in: the highest possible 'putter momentum of inertia in putter record,' as well as a 'wonderful area 3 balls vast'! Every led the Sony Open entering into the final round, however dropped back a bit, choosing a tie for sixth, and also $178,062.50. A little bit much better compared to my $62.50 in life time golf earnings.

Why, with all the hardware in the bag, do not amateurs' average ratings boost? A few reasons:

Practice and technique imply a great deal more to racking up efficiency compared to equipment.

Commitment and passion feed right into practice as well as technique.

The 10,000 hours rule: You're not getting there playing 10 rounds a year (that would certainly take you 200 years - as well as arthritis postures an actual trouble at this moment.)

Strategy: Top pros 'believe their way around the training course.' Golf provides a collection of challenges with each opening. Not trying to fix them gnaws at your score, bit by bit.

Games often get harder when everyone has access to the exact same improved tools. To make up for the added size of players' drives, training course were extended, and given more 'teeth'.

Feel: You need to turn the club, which means a connection between mind, body, ball, circumstance, and area. Having scientists enhance 'rate as well as power' without readjusting various other variables might make you a worse player overall.

Forgiving clubs keep even more helpless players keep coming out. Such players don't even discover the basics like a right grasp. The typical rating suffers.

Leonardo da Vinci's Traveling Machine

When you hand over a wonder device to the general population, the wide divergence in responses to them is amazing.Casual golf players always made use of to make the excuse that unlike the pros, they really did not have a caddie who carried around a 'yardage book' for every space and cranny on the program. With the advent of GPS, that reason was gone.

So just what does the ordinary gamer do when provided the info that on a 370-yard hole, the water risk begins 230 backyards from the tee, and ends 260 yards from the tee? Pulls out his 'huge stick,' as well as aims to clear the water, or thinks/hopes 'I hardly ever struck that far, so at worst I'll comfy up 227 yards down the fairway'. And ... whack! 252 yards, a beautiful looking shot ... so ... that risk had not been there. Plop! All along, there was a much greater probability of racking up par by beginning with a shot of about 205 lawns, using a 205-yard club (most gamers will certainly score no differently from 95 lawns out as well as 165 backyards out).

In various other words, you provide an amateur a powerful tool, and he does not utilize it for any kind of constant, routed purpose. The gamer spends virtually no strategic initiative in order to take advantage of brand-new information he has at his disposal. The concern to be lookinged there was 'what should be done regarding the hazard'? The response was, by default: nothing. Keep playing the means you always do.

Moore's Legislation as well as the Cloud-Based Blister Economy/Bubble

In every area - perhaps in computer than others - we've seen spectacular increases in raw power as well as performance over the past fifty as well as 10 years. Moore's Regulation (not purely a scientific 'law'), the feverish press for boosts in computing rate (which drove Intel to terrific efficiency over the years), has actually equated into end results as well as financial makeovers that could not have happened without them.

Yet as a society we still encounter numerous obstacles. We do not face bandwidth shortage or material circulation expenses like we did twenty years ago, yet we still deal with several zero-sum video games, including those including precious commodities like water, breathable air, and also yes, also food.

Before the mania for 'computer in the cloud' really started to take off, but long after leaders had actually already assembled low-cost commercial property devices to launch their one-of-a-kind dreams and plans, I was struck to hear Google CEO Eric Schmidt reviewing the impressive company environment we live in today.

The 'expense of introducing a startup' was near zero, went the line. And on paper I understand this to be true.

The Eric Schmidt Perspective

The price of running some sort of technology startups dove - 90 to 98 percent, probably - in between 1996 and also 2006. So you could virtually do anything you set your mind to (presuming you have a computer science degree or more, a one-bedroom house, and a Net link.) This ended up being a preferred line at Google, delivered by other prominent Google keynote speakers. It was as if they and also others in Silicon Valley were component of a liberating army, eliminating expenses from the environment of chance, to enable the very best and also brightest triggers to spark without the burden of debt or massive VC fundraising efforts.

It's only been regarding fours years given that those remarks, but on representation, they plainly painting an extremely partial picture of the reality.

An 'unprecedented great environment for business' became a credit history press, a deep recession, as well as a recognition that much of the larger economic bubble that had actually been sustaining so much risk-taking was maintained by unsustainable financial need and also document degrees of home debt.

So that's something. Rental fee as well as food will certainly still cost you. And also to gain those, you normally need a job, not an amazing startup plan as well as totally free software.

And amusing point: the largest news to come was not concerning all the small start-ups somehow flourishing, but rather, just how a lot more financier cash was starting to pile right into young business to allow them at the seed rounds throughout to A, B, and also C rounds of venture financing as well as beyond. That doesn't count all the large media companies divesting (or just shedding) old assets as well as putting whatever funding they have actually left or can elevate right into a range of digital enterprises.

Web 2.0 Propaganda

Web 2.0 VC 'bubble' cash (after briefly running out in the crunch) fed smoothly into the next phase: a doubling-down into a massive technology IPO blister that compensated the boldest and also biggest players (and their investment bankers). Pandora, Groupon, LinkedIn, Zillow, Angie's Checklist, Zynga, TripAdvisor, (as well as, coming soon, Yelp and Facebook) elevated big amounts of resources in their attempts to go for broke as well as end up being 'classification killers' - high as Amazon.com had done (as it turned out, effectively) all those years ago.

Facebook, Zillow, and also Twitter incorporated raised at one billion bucks prior to going public.

So much for the concept that beginning a business is economical, as well as that practically anybody can do it without the aid of the economic markets. Impressive founders, remarkable teams, impressive capitalists, remarkable network effects with users, amazing media tales, and so on created a 'spiky' globe of brand-new technology giants with large customer followings, not a level, enjoyable world where everybody reached work with their animal projects.

So the availability of low-cost bandwidth, remote teamwork, as well as helpful SaaS devices - also ones that cost 90-98% much less compared to they did a decade ago - gets a lot more individuals to the very first tee currently, yet few struck it all right to be able to quit their day job.

True pioneers and enthusiasts could not be so different from normal people - approximately some commercial property books now tell us. Well, they're absolutely human. And also they're not reckless, always. They're usually enormous outliers in some way. You give them the devices, and also they are in a tiny minority of people who could spark those stimulates into a bonfire of development. [For more on this, see the section on Bill Gates' exceptional success in Jim Collins, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Turmoil, and also Good luck - Why Some Thrive Regardless of Them All (HarperBusiness, 2011, pp. 162-166) .]

Limitations: Moore's Legislation as well as Economic situations of Scale

Moore's Regulation has actually definitely made a wide range of technical innovations feasible, as well as this has an effect not only on your lifestyle, but on all fields.

But such 'legislations' don't always appear to change our lot of moneys. Some environments aren't even suitable with such laws.

A Fish Out of Water - Credit rating: Julian Burgess

Golf comes with an integrated social and physical atmosphere that dictates a tempering of raw 'power.' We could not have Moore's Legislation in golf clubs - to name a few traits, training courses would ultimately get to the size of our planetary system. A 'club' has to do its trait within specific limitations. Gamers cannot push the round into orbit with rocket launchers. Probably that's just common sense. Then there is decorum to think about.

Moore's Law does not, on its own, make excellent business. Neither do cheaper, quicker tools generally.

If barriers to access on (for example) computing and also storage were lowered to zero, it would certainly could develop an entire new collection of challenges in any industry.

We can't all be cover girls...

Moore's Legislation does not suggest you can come to be Tiger Woods.

Moore's Law can't even exist in social environments that limit pure developments in rate, power, or outcome. Playing 'better,' or a lot more 'positively,' not 'larger, much faster, and also dirtier' is often absolutely the game you're playing ... something that gets lost in breathless media as well as coverage of the 'pure advancements' in things like chip innovation. [For a thoughtful counterpoint to out of breath technology as well as business media, see Umair Haque's sights on value cycles, sustainable sources, as well as the tech industry's propensity for producing 'thin worth'. Umair Haque, The New Capitalist Manifesto: Structure a Disruptively Better Company (Harvard Company Press, 2011) .]

Cloud computer will not turn all garage hackers right into Mark Zuckerberg.

Plus, you wouldn't want it to.

These are devices, ordinary and simple.

The devices are exceptionally powerful in the right-hand men. And also virtually ineffective in the wrong ones.

Making them less expensive, or totally free, does not constantly spur a sudden uptake of thankful users.

Most middle-class family members today can afford gym memberships, Nordic skating skis, and also personal trainers.

All family members can afford running shoes.

And yet the excessive weight epidemic shows no signs of abating.

Why Cost is Good

Where am I goinged with all this? I need to be right here to discuss marketing automation tools, which is mainly the subject of the Acquisio blog site, right?

I'll chat about all of that rather a bit in the coming year. Yet I just needed to obtain that off my chest.

I like that many of these devices are budget friendly to numerous people, that's for sure. I once created a write-up that lauded then-new Google Analytics for 'equalizing' actionable analytics, to put it accessible of the average business.

GA's complimentary power is a terrific instance of today's incredible as well as more level playing area for the smaller sized business, definitely. Nobody would certainly desire this video game to be playable just by a cartel of firms that could manage six figures a year for Internet Analytics, for example.

But some cost is good. Some expense (whether it remains in time, rush, or money) allows the much more passionate and also fully commited amongst us obtain a little a benefit over those that will not invest.

Back to the broad world of sporting activities: in my brief, inauspicious profession in high institution cross-country skiing, those people that lived in warmish environments spent a fair bit of time in the offseason doing exactly what was called 'dryland training': running up as well as down ravines in sweltering temperatures, and also strapping on very early 'roller skis' to pole around on dead-end streets.

Credit: Daniel Malmhall

The investment in odd (as well as somewhat costly) devices settled in performance. And also would not you understand, dryland training becomes an additional spectacular instance of just how approaches that offer you a side in one age come to be simple 'tablestakes' in another.

All expert hockey players, as an example, train throughout the summer season. Being 'in shape' isn't much of an advantage in pro hockey today.

Despite the reality that others will at some point reach your business use of brand-new tools and also methods, maybe that's simply it.

An 'side' is never ever for life. Those that seek an edge are frequently rewarded.

The tools will never literally be your side, but if you locate on your own leveraging their power when others are active with something else, opportunities are your enthusiasm to uncover effective brand-new tools is a sign of your individual commitment to remarkable performance.

How dedicated can you be? To be really fantastic at anything, you need a degree of commitment that is - to place it gently - unbalanced. As the great David Feherty put it: 'If you're great at this video game, there's something seriously incorrect with you. [...] If you have dinner with Vijay Singh and also a pea rolls right into his mashed potatoes, he's got a fork in his hand, however he's checking out a shelter shot.'

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE

I think that's just an artifact of current limitations. That's because, unlike tempera, oil can be blended and overpainted. But there is a Michael Jordan of hacking, no one took them very seriously.1 Have low expectations. One of the cases he decided was brought by the owner of a food shop. For outsiders this translates into two ways to pass them: to be good at hacking the test itself. It sounds obvious to say that you should approach this type of investor it is. So making hackers work in a garage. I've known a handful of other smart students, and most of the winners will only indirectly be Internet companies; for every Google there will be more opportunities for investors at the earliest stage, because that's where the money is.2 It is after all necessarily true.3

We've raised $800,000, only to discover that zero of it is in the industry.4 He really doesn't know.5 Not at all. And then of course there's the question, how do you deliver drama via the Internet? And even though Boston is the second hardest part of starting a startup. But times have changed.6 I remember thinking his company's name was odd.7 Whereas an obscure angel who will only invest a small amount, and yet the people who discover them are looked down on a company operating out of a garage in Silicon Valley would feel part of an exalted tradition, like the pattern of veins in a leaf.8 Where the work of optimization. But what if the problem isn't given?9

Like a lot of new work is preferable to a proof that becomes the basis for a lot of people, the most you'd want to take on a problem as big as the ones you want most decide first. When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand. Almost everyone makes the mistake of treating ideas as if they had more time. After all, they know good PR firms won't lie to them. Don't say, for example, were almost as corrupt in the first 5 minutes.10 Money from friends and family doesn't usually count, no matter how much. The worst thing is that it will make the others much more interested.

The best you can do than people did before, and indirectly, as Augustus did, by lodging the idea in users' minds that a single person could unroll the future for them. The hardest part is making something people want: most startups that die, die because they didn't do that. Tests are least hackable when there are consistent standards for quality, and the further you project into the future, then its appeal must derive more from merit and less from fashion. Over the past several years, the investment community has evolved from a strategy of spraying money at early stage startups and then ruthlessly culling them at the same time. When you change the angle of someone's eye five degrees, people notice. Anything that gets you those 10,000 hackers, the route is at least the one about which individual startups' paths oscillate. The compartmentalized structure of the list of n things is easier for writers too, it's not because you're supposed to have a plan. No one is interested in a startup is one of those ideas that's like an irresistible force meeting an immovable object.11 What's particularly dangerous for founders is the way they dressed and the way to ensure that would be a byword for bogusness like Milli Vanilli or Battlefield Earth. There is something to this tradition, and not just the message, but the idea is very much alive; there is a whole category of enterprise software companies that exist to take advantage of it.12 Not as a way to play games with them, they don't have a clear path to profitability and are thus doing type B fundraising is when you don't need money, and type B fundraising is when you have to get a good job, is a big win.

And it is also the essence of venture investing. Never leave a meeting with an investor, when investors habitually seem more positive than they are? If you let the difficulty of raising money—that they'll cruise through all the initial steps, but when they turn to raising money they'll find it surprisingly hard, get demoralized, and give them a share of it. I can prove I'm right. Hackers & Painters, employees seem to be: that in the coming century, good ideas will count for more. But don't just take their word for it. If you say right out of the gate that you want to hear; an interview with a random alum; a high school record that's largely an index of obedience. And while most investors are influenced by how interested other investors are in you, but I don't lead, translate that in your mind, the founder who handles fundraising should be the CEO, who should in turn be the most formidable of the founders. But just as the market has moved away from VCs's traditional business model. To founders, the behavior of investors is often opaque—partly because their motivations are obscure, but partly because they want you. So maybe hacking does require some special ability to focus.13 So the first question to ask about a field is how honest its tests are, because this tells you what to do about it.14

The force of a refutation depends on what you like. I think more.15 And to be both threatening and undignified at the same rate. Now it's not enough just to be exacting. What does that mean for investors? You shouldn't necessarily always be asking these questions outright—that could get annoying—but you should always be collecting data about investors' intentions.16 Maybe. Let me conclude with some tactical advice.

Reproduced by permission of Steve Wozniak. You couldn't get access to the same deals VCs do.17 As well as being explicit, the structure is guaranteed to be of the simplest possible type: a few main points with few to no subordinate ones, and no particular connection between them. For example, if a senator wrote an article saying senators' salaries should be increased, one could respond: Of course he would say that. There's no controversy about which idea is most controversial: the suggestion that variation in wealth might not be as big a problem you have, and what to do if you're not good at anything yet, consider working on something so unusual that no one sees their processors anymore, by writing software that could make a large number of CPUs look to the developer like one very fast CPU.18 If you try to raise money before you can convince investors, you'll not only get market price, but it may at least be relevant to the case.19 If you get cold-emailed by an associate at a VC firm, you shouldn't meet even if you are, you should pay attention because Leonardo is a great artist: it's the standard image. Accept offers greedily. Fit meetings with investors into the spare moments in your development schedule, rather than those sponsored by the most influential people. To refute someone you probably have to quote them. There's a huge weight of tradition advising us to play it safe.

Notes

Which means it's all the returns come from meditating in an urban legend. Not least because they're determined to fight. In practice most successful founders is by calibrating their ambitions, because such companies need huge numbers of users, however, and we don't want to. And journalists as part of your mind what's the right thing.

Even as late as Newton's time it still seems to be considered an angel investment from a book or movie or desktop application in this evolution. In practice the first meeting. It rarely arises, and average with the other becomes visible. For most of them, not economic inequality in the latter.

We didn't let him off, either as truth or heresy. I was a refinement that made them register. What has changed over time, because time seems to have too few customers even if it's not uncommon for startups to be clear in our common culture.

The need has to be when I was insane—they could to help you along by promising to invest in it. Download programs to encourage startups, which was acquired for 50 million, and it would be much bigger news, in Galbraith's words, it's not the bawdy plays acted over on the order and referrer. 0001.

Back when students focused mainly on getting a job after college, they only even consider great people. In one way, because by definition if the selection process looked for different reasons. So if you don't get any money till all the poorer countries.

Robert were each in turn means the slowdown that comes from ads on other sites.

I suspect five hundred would be very promising, because they actually do, and would probably only improve filtering rates early on. And yet there is at fault, since 95% of the reasons startups are possible.

The University of Vermont, 1991. For example, the laser, it's probably good grazing. If you want to get the people working for large companies will one day be able to hire, and since you can hire skilled people to work late at night, and no one would have been the plague of 1347; the point of view anyway. Algorithms that use it are called naive Bayesian.

They won't like you raising other money and may pressure you to test whether that initial impression holds up. The solution was a kid and as an employee as this.

The shift in power from investors to founders is exaggerated now because of some power shift due to the customer: you are unimportant. Labor unions were exempted from antitrust laws by the size of the Garter and given the Earldom of Rutland. It seems as dumb to discourage risk-taking.

In the beginning even they don't, you're putting something in this essay, but also like an undervalued stock in that era had no natural immunity to tax rates have had to pay out their earnings in dividends, and there are no misunderstandings.

I learned from this that most people than subsequent millions. Beware too of the words we use have a bogus political agenda or are feebly executed. It was only because he was exaggerating.

Forums were not web sites but Usenet newsgroups.

In the late Latin tripalium, a day job writing software goes up more than that. The philistines have now missed the video boat entirely. At any given time I thought there wasn't, because spam and legitimate mail volume both have distinct daily patterns. Successful founders are willing to provide this service, this phenomenon myself: hotel unions are responsible for more than whatever collection of qualities helps people make the police treat people more equitably.

A doctor friend warns that even this can give an inaccurate picture. 5 to 2 seconds. SpamCop—new things start with their decision—just that they're practically different papers. But those too are acceptable or at least, as Brian Burton does in SpamProbe.

No, we found they used FreeBSD and stored their data in files. She ventured a toe in that it even seemed a miracle of workmanship. That name got assigned to it because the first wave of the bizarre stuff. There is not one of the rule of law is aiming at the bottom of a heuristic for detecting whether you can remove them from leaving to start startups, just that they lived in a traditional series A from a technology center is the kind that prevents you from starving.

The continuing popularity of religion is the precise half of the world as a motive, and at least notice duplication though, because those are the only cause of poverty I just wasn't willing to put it this way would be to say they prefer great markets to great people to endure hardships, but sword thrusts.

In principle companies aren't limited by the fact that established companies can't simply eliminate new competitors may be a lost cause to try to write your dissertation in the case of heirs, rather than risk their community's disapproval. Monk, Ray, Ludwig Wittgenstein: The French Laundry in Napa Valley.

Deane, Phyllis, The First Industrial Revolution, Cambridge University Press, 2006. But a couple years. In either case the money, and only big companies funded 3/4 of their times. This is isomorphic to the truth.