"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."

― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Qin Shi Huang and his love for Mercury

Qin Shi Huang was the guy who basically invented the concept of “Emperor” in China, around 250 b.C., and I’m sure you’re familiar with his grand Terracotta Army. A thing you might be less familiar with? His love for mercury.

In order to boost some of his shapeshifting abilities and when the shit hits the fan, my main character sometimes drinks a mixture he calls amalgama, which is basically any mineral alloy with mercury in it, and it’s basically the only practical way to have liquid metal at hand without going full-on Smaug. While he does that, he warns the readers that the stuff will get them killed and briefly mentions Qin Shi Huang, but why?

We take a look at that today on my Patreon.
Summertime

The Road is Made by Walking

Antonio Machado was a major Spanish poet and playwright, associated with the Generation of ’98, a group of writers who reflected on Spain’s identity and crisis at the turn of the 20th century. He was born in Seville in 1875 and died in 1939 in

Read More »
August 11, 2026 6:00 am

Kathleen Jamie on Attention and Corridors

Kathleen Jamie is a Scottish poet and essayist, born in 1962, known for her prose and poetry about landscape, place, and everyday life. Findings is her essay collection of personal reflections, first published in 2005, and it moves through nature and cities, archaeology, hospitals, family

Read More »
August 10, 2026 6:00 am
comics and illustration

Leo Ortolani, Tapum

A un certo punto ci sarà una battuta, in questo fumetto, e riderete. Sappiate che è l’unica. Com’è giusto che sia. Se devo paragonare quest’opera a qualcosa, il confronto più azzeccato è probabilmente lo spettacolo che Marco Paolini trasse dal Sergente nella neve di Rigoni

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August 9, 2026 9:00 am
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The Road is Made by Walking

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Antonio Machado was a major Spanish poet and playwright, associated with the Generation of ’98, a group of writers who reflected on Spain’s identity and crisis at the turn of the 20th century. He was born in Seville in 1875 and died in 1939 in

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Kathleen Jamie is a Scottish poet and essayist, born in 1962, known for her prose and poetry about landscape, place, and everyday life. Findings is her essay collection of personal reflections, first published in 2005, and it moves through nature and cities, archaeology, hospitals, family

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A un certo punto ci sarà una battuta, in questo fumetto, e riderete. Sappiate che è l’unica. Com’è giusto che sia. Se devo paragonare quest’opera a qualcosa, il confronto più azzeccato è probabilmente lo spettacolo che Marco Paolini trasse dal Sergente nella neve di Rigoni

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