The souls of men and women have chosen this season in history to speak in a unique and special way. The soul is writing its secrets on the live canvas of the skin with permanent ink... with tattoos. Many see a person covered in tattoos walk by and harbor a snarky and judgmental response, when in fact the tattoos just told a very personal story. The stories of pain, loss, hope, and other sentiments of great importance are revealed on the skin of the wearer. And those without tattoos may very well have missed a loud, yet intimately revealing, message. The first book, God and Tattoos: Why Are People Writing on Themselves? and this new edition, both take a look at the WHY. After 1000 tattoo interviews and several tattoo parlors and conventions across the nation, Dr. Allan Dayhoff shares his research, and his love for his many new tattooed friends.

Hearing firsthand accounts with people, I began to see a relationship between a kind of unexplained insight into the experiences of others and the previously hidden, unseen effects of my own life story. Like the early morning sunrise after agonizingly long, cold, and dark wintry days, I began to warm to the idea that the chaos and cruelty that scars our lives is not the beginning nor the end of the story for any of us. Listening to these wounded souls I was amazed to discover that I already knew what they would say. I began to realize that the wounds of my own life might have given birth to a Genius ability to connect with others who suffer like I have. Genius may be the other side of our wound!

Body art can tell personal stories. When linked to a difficult or traumatic life, it can even restore one’s sense of well-being. As director of a community health center for twenty-seven years and as a nurse practitioner for over forty years, Donna Torrisi became fascinated with the stories behind her patients’ tattoos. When she began to ask her female patients about their markings, themes of trauma, pain, and loss emerged, and it became clear that the art indelibly marked on their bodies had played a part in their healing and redemption. The women featured in Tattoo Monologues demonstrate vulnerability and courage as they share both their personal tattoo narratives and photos of the images on their bodies. These women represent diverse cultures, ethnicities, and professional contexts, but they are united by their use of tattoos as a tool for processing traumatic life experiences. The images, stories, emotions, and journeys in this book collectively tell a compelling story. A story of skin and ink. A story of trauma and adversity. A story of courage and resilience.

As properties of DC comics continue to sprout over the years, narratives that were once kept sacrosanct now spill over into one another, synergizing into one bona fide creative Universe. Intended for both professional pop culture researchers and general interest readers, this collection of essays covers DC Universe multimedia, including graphic novels, video games, movies and TV shows. Each essay is written by a recognized pop culture expert offering a distinct perspective on a wide variety of topics. Even though many of the entries address important social themes like gender and racism, the book is not limited to these topics. Also included are more lighthearted essays for full verisimilitude, including analyses of long forgotten or seemingly marginal aspects of the DC Extended Universe, as well as in-depth and original interpretations of the most beloved characters and their relationships to one another. Highly accessible and approachable, this work provides previously unavailable in-roads that create a richer comprehension of the ever-expanding DC Universe.

Over twenty years in the writing, the three books in The Legend of The Secret Saga series evolved to be an fascinating magical story unlike any other, as they poetically weave together a strange epic tale. THE AUTHOR, Estee Shoesmyth, is a tangible figment of her own unbridled paradoxical imagination and the fantasy fiction pseudonym of eclectic American artist, Suzanne T. Dietz. The Legend Of The Secret Saga is the complete epic trilogy in one colorful volume. There is no other story like it in The Real World! The fantastical epic tale opens in Book One, which is When Begin Began. Celestial Scribe, Angel Daria pens the following words: "To Whom It May Concern: When this immense historical accounting commenced, I surely did not anticipate that the nature of this story would ever veer off the straight and narrow path. Instead, it proceeded to travel along the strangest winding ways. And so, I followed it most dutifully — with my pen in hand. Once upon a time, an anonymous philosopher on The Ultimate Earth aptly intellectualized, 'There are always three sides to every story: your side, the other side, and the truth.' The story presented to you here may seem like nothing more than a collection of my own fantastical delusions. Surely, it could not be that which I, myself, have ever witnessed! In that case, it would certainly not make it to be truth. However, it is ... by my best accounting ... the strange but true enough telling of a deliberately long-lost story from somewhere far out on the other side of Who-Knows-Where." That's just the beginning! In Book Two, The Murky Middle, the story dims to very, very dark with the introduction of a terribly wicked magician's sorcery. Through magic, he enters into a spirit world and adamantly decided to stay there. From that secret domain he meets another and the two, in cahoots, do some deliberately evil damage that stretches out from that invisible place right into the unsuspecting folks who live day to day in The Real World. Those folks do not stand a chance to escape being affected by the magician's insidious determination to capture them all. Eventually, Adam and Eve are reincarnated into The Real World on a specific mission, years beyond the peak of that magician's vicious reign. By then, the worse had evidently devolved into the worst that ultimately leads through to Book Three, The End Of The End. This story is utterly fascinating. Its twisting and turning through that which may be somewhat recognizable is more tangled up into the fantastical that is addictive to read onward to find out what happens next. All throughout there is mystery, magic, love, hate, obsessiveness, rejection, maliciousness, brilliance, stupidity, sickness, healing, forgiveness, revenge, romance, weirdness, wonderment, heavy heartedness, humor, life, death, and reincarnation. All along, there is that concept of eternity being a time lasting for Forever. Which, according to all reports in The Real World, Forever is a long, long time. The Legend Of The Secret Saga is the complete epic trilogy in one colorful volume. There is no other story like it in The Real World. Not from When Begin Began, throughout The Murky Middle, and all the way to The End Of The End. It is a story that is a Fairytale and a Fantasy. Magical and Mythical. Poetic and Artistic. The Legend Of The Secret Saga is fantastical and not as expected it might be!

Breaking the tenets of Special Forces means one thing. Death. Thorrn has his life mapped out – be the best swordsman in the king’s army and become Captain one day. What doesn’t fit in with his plans is some short, unimpressive waif claiming to be his soul companion, the platonic other half of his spirit. But when the king demands that he hand Evyn over, Thorrn is confronted with a choice: protect Evyn and keep her secret from the magical community who would drain her for the power resonating inside her, or turn her over to save his career, family name, and reputation. When a powerful mage moves against the kingdom, Thorrn and Evyn will have to summon all their courage and find allies from unexpected corners – including different worlds and times. For alongside the realms of Oberrot and Earth are the multiverses, and one of them should surely be able to help… A swordsman, an apothecarist, a shy librarian (“I’m beginning to think being underestimated is kind of my superpower”), and a powerful mage. Only they can save the kingdom. A page-turning new adventure awaits, from a fresh voice in fantasy. Contains twinned souls with a twist, enemies to inseparable friends, coming of age, learning to accept yourself and others, some epic swordfights, and a smattering of romance. “The plot is gripping, but it's a solid combination between a solid plot and a downright fabulous character development, as well as an absolutely beautiful narrative, that turns this debut into an addictive, practically unputdownable read.” - The Magic Book Corner “An action-packed adventure...The storyline is ambitious in its scope and really is one for fans of fantasy and science fiction, with multiple tropes all utilised to great effect as Thorrn and Evyn’s path unfolds.” - LoveBooks.co.uk “I found myself laughing and, at times, having tears in my eyes.” - Reedsy Discovery Reviewer “James has created a unique, new twist on soulmates that was refreshing and genius! James’ world building is exceptional as it sucks you right in and is executed perfectly.” - J.A. Culican, USA Today Bestselling Author

Imagine if the secretive Nazi ambition to breed a super intelligent race in the 1930s had been realised... Huber's Tattoo reveals the complicity of the German medical and scientific establishments in the mechanics of engineering the Super Race.

Liu Qi's Ming Family was a technique passed down through his ancestors, and he, who had heard about it since he was young, possessed an excellent tattoo technique. He had crossed the universe into the thirtieth century and been captured by the Vinders on Bori and turned into a laborer. When Liu Qiming was cleaning up the rubbish in the factory, he accidentally discovered a secret chip. The dream opened a strange door for him. This chip was secretly made by the Bori clansmen. They suspected that Liu Qiming was hiding the chip and had begun monitoring and contacting him. When Liu Qiming returned the chip to the Borys, he fell in love with the princess at first sight. He discovered that the chip was imperfect and flawed. He had inadvertently improved the chip and won Trellier's favor.

In Deadly Virtue, Heather Martel argues that the French Protestant attempt to colonize Florida in the 1560s significantly shaped the developing concept of race in sixteenth-century America. Telling the story of the short-lived French settlement of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida, Martel reveals how race, gender, sexuality, and Christian morality intersected to form the foundations of modern understandings of whiteness. Equipped with Calvinist theology and humoral science, an ancient theory that the human body is subject to physical change based on one’s emotions and environment, French settlers believed their Christian love could transform the cultural, spiritual, and political allegiances of Indigenous people. But their conversion efforts failed when the colony was wiped out by the Spanish. Martel explains that the French took this misfortune as a sign of God’s displeasure with their collaborative ideals, and from this historical moment she traces the growth of separatist colonial strategies. Through the logic of Calvinist predestination, Martel argues, colonists came to believe that white, Christian bodies were beautiful, virtuous, entitled to wealth, and chosen by God. The history of Fort Caroline offers a key to understanding the resonances between religious morality and white supremacy in America today.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, "Mistborn: Secret History" is a companion story to the original Mistborn trilogy. Building upon the characterization, events, and worldbuilding of the original trilogy, this novella offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes at the fate of a certain reader-favorite character. Ten years in the making, "Mistborn: Secret History" might answer a few of your questions. The Cosmere The Mistborn series Mistborn: The Final Empire The Well of Ascension The Hero of Ages Alloy of Law Shadows of Self Bands of Mourning The Stormlight Archive The Way of Kings Words of Radiance Edgedancer (Novella) Oathbringer (forthcoming) Collection Arcanum Unbounded Other Cosmere Titles Elantris Warbreaker Rithmatist The Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians The Scrivener's Bones The Knights of Crystallia The Shattered Lens The Dark Talent The Reckoners Steelheart Firefight Calamity At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.