Podcasts about Abe

I teamed up with Carter Roy for a special guest collaboration on Murder: True Crime Stories and this one is something else. For the full episode, follow Murder: True Crime Stories on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1745145932In November 2006, Abraham Shakespeare won $30 million in the Florida Lottery. He couldn't read or write, and within two years he'd given most of it away to anyone who asked. Then Dee Dee Moore showed up promising to protect what was left — and within months, she had his house, his insurance, and his power of attorney. Not long after, Abe vanished. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Old sketch group pals Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney drop by to discuss their new film about two high college buds attempting to make it downstairs to grab their munchies. Available on Hulu: Pizza Movie. For the older sketch heads: they're the comedy duo BriTANick and they discuss with Abe and Michael the challenges of making an indie movie in 2026 and the surprising successes and failures of basically making it yourself. It's a very funny film, make sure to sit down and give it a watch. Features: Brian and Nick: https://www.patreon.com/c/BriTANicK/posts Michael Swaim: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelswaim.bsky.social Abe Epperson: https://bsky.app/profile/abeepp.bsky.social Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Check our store to buy Small Beans merch! https://www.teepublic.com/stores/the-small-beans-store

This week's Out Now with Aaron and Abe will absorb you into its liminal space. Movies Markus himself, Markus Rosbinson, joins Aaron and Abe for a discussion of the film Backrooms, the breakout summer hit from director Kane Parsons. Plus, there's plenty of time for other movie chatter, games, and listener comments. Tune in for Out Now Quickies™ (14:56), Trailer Talk for Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (39:34), the main review (44:35), Games (1:37:10), and Out Now Feedback (1:51:30). So now, if you've got an hour or so to kill…

A big part of the court are the actual court nobles, so this episode we are taking a look at some of the ones mentioned in the Chronicles for this reign. For more, check out https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-150 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 150: Nobles of Jitou Tennou's Court   Maro donned his light blue robes and made his way to the court.  As he arrived, the sun was just peaking over the horizon, and as it bathed the court in the golden morning light the dark shadows were dispelled, leaving in their wake a colorful scene, as various court officials headed this way and that, gathering in their offices to pick up on the work that they had left unfinished the day before. As an ohotoneri, Maro was often sent to and fro between the offices of the different departments. As such, he was able to see how they worked, and he wondered to himself which department would have the best opportunity for advancement.  His family had connections over at the Department of Prisons, and it was definitely a place he could make a name for himself, especially if he attached himself to one of the newly minted magistrates.  On the other hand, the Jingikan, the Ministry for Kami Matters, had some of the most important and sought after positions.  After all, no matter what the secular administration did, when there was no rain for the fields, it was the kami to whom the court turned.  And the members of the Jingikan who helped make those ceremonies happen were known to be well rewarded for their troubles. Perhaps he would be better off taking a more modest position, such as with the Jibu-sho, the Department of Civil Administration.  It was mostly focused on the maintenance and execution of the bureaucracy, and wasn't necessarily a place to seek the limelight, but perhaps that also offered some opportunity.  Do well in one position, and who knows what that could open up to you in the long run?  Maybe one day Maro could make it up to become a Nagon, a Counsellor, or even one of the Daijin, the great ministers at the very head of the council of state.Maro almost laughed at the thought, but he didn't put it aside entirely.  After all, as impossible as it might seem now, the world was still changing, and who knew what opportunities might be waiting just around the corner?   This episode continues our look at the reign of Uno no Sarara, aka Jitou Tennou.  I would note that we have now reached the last chapter of the Nihon Shoki, which ends with the end of Uno no Sarara's reign in 697.  In this chapter, we have not quite 11 years to cover, and we've already talked about the first three of those years, which featured succession issues and a long mourning time for Uno's husband Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou, culminating in the sudden death of her only son, the Crown Prince and heir apparent, Prince Kusakabe, in 689.  We also went over what was happening on the continent, with powerful women like Uno no Sarara either on or behind the throne in Silla and the Tang dynasty.  To quickly recap the succession issues: When Kusakabe died, tthat left the throne in a somewhat tenuous position.  There were two other male heirs that would seem to have a claim on the throne as well.  The first was Prince Takechi, who was technically Ohoama's eldest son, but the Chroniclers claim that his late mother was not sufficiently royal for him to have a serious claim.  Then there was Prince Karu, the only known son of the late Crown Prince Kusakabe, and had been born 6 years earlier, in 683, to the Crown Prince and his wife, Princess Abe.  Princess Abe was a daughter of Naka no Oe, and a half-sister to Uno no Sarara.  She was actually a year older than Kusakabe, and would continue to look after the young Prince Karu.  So, Prince Karu was only about 7 years old when his father passed away: much too young to be taking the throne, let alone a firm hand in the politics of the time.  And given the mortality statistics of the time, there is so much that could happen to him before he reached the age of majority.  And remember, there were already some questions about legitimacy, and we already discussed the fact that about 30 nobles had gathered in support of Prince Ohotsu right after Ohoama's death.  Uno no Sarara had that whole issue quashed and Prince Ohotsu had died, but it was nonetheless a stark reminder that things could change quickly. So at this point in Uno no Sarara's reign, there is a great deal of uncertainty afoot, and there are quite a few individuals named in the Chronicles who stand to benefit from sticking their fingers into politics in one way or another.  This episode, we're going to look at some of those individuals, their roles in the court, and the effect they had on Yamato.  Some of those people named are particularly interesting in that they were involved in the conspiracy with Prince Ohotsu, and would continue to be highly influential in the government.  For example, Iki no Hakatoko, Nakatomi no Omimaro, and Kose no Tayasu, and Yakuchi no Wotokashi are all name-dropped, which we'll get into more later.  It feels significant, however, that there were some 30 nobles all told, and beyond these four and the apparent ringleaders, we don't learn anyone else's names.   The importance of prominent individuals in the court has been a constant theme in the Chronicles and in this podcast, so getting to know the court is definitely important. Moreover, during this time period as we get more and more written sources from which to work from we will see more and more information on individuals.  Some of that will come from the Nihon Shoki and the records that come after—the Shoku Nihongi.  Others, however, are from sources like the Man'yoshu, where bits of biographical data are found about the authors that they mention.  There are also family diaries and later genealogies.  Some of these sources are a bit more trusted than others, especially when they were compiled centuries later and we don't exactly know what sources they, themselves, were working on.  Still, even if it isn't 100% accurate, it does give us a picture of what was going on beyond just the royal family. I think it is also helpful to understand some of the overall court dynamics.  If you are familiar with the Heian period, especially around the time of things like the Tale of Genji, you are probably well acquainted with the Fujiwara family—I'll probably need to do an entire episode just on them at some point.  Essentially, there would come a time where almost the entire court was made up either of royals or of members of the Fujiwara clan, or uji.  In fact, even that distinction wasn't really accurate as the Fujiwara family had so intermarried with the Royal family that every sovereign—every Tennou and even most of their consorts—were directly related to members of the Fujiwara.  Not only that, but members of the Fujiwara family held the position of regent—whether the sovereign was of age or not—and effectively ruled the country, with the Tennou being largely relegated to a mouthpiece with ceremonial duties.  It would get so bad that we would see the splitting of the Fujiwara uji into smaller households, and the political fights were often between members of the different households of the same family.  There is a reason that a good portion of the Heian period is sometimes called the Fujiwara period. However, now during the late Asuka period, we see something a little different.  The marriage politics of the Soga had been violently suppressed about a half century earlier, and a lot of different names flourished in the Yamato court, as youmay have noticed any time I've rattled off a bunch of names and your eyes started crossing because of it.  But that's the reality we see: there were a lot of different families, and individuals, all jockeying for influence.  And they were in a period of disruption, where lots of change was happening.  That change meant there was also a lot of potential. And I hope you don't mind if I take a quick time-out here, but so often we read history and we forget to learn lessons from it, and one overarching lesson is:  if you are a part of an organization—a company, a club, government, school, or anything like that—one thing you are going to have to deal with is change.  It comes in many forms and happens whether or not you personally agree with it. It can be destructive and it can be frightening, because we often don't know what is on the other side of it, but it also presents opportunities.  After all, if you don't know what comes next it probably means other people don't, either.  And if you can be the one to provide direction you can have a huge influence on what comes next.  And change has been a constant theme in this period of Yamato history, in so many ways.  Take the reorganization of the government as one example: they had introduced these 8 departments, which had names and were set up in various ways, but it wasn't like you had experienced people to run them as they had been on the continent.  So you had names and the forms of things, but there were a lot of people figuring out just how to actually put this new structure into practice, and leverage them to do what they were supposed to do.  In the process, there were a lot of opportunities to innovate and figure out how to do it within the cultural milieu of the archipelago.  So all of these individuals, from these various families, all had opportunities staring them in the face.  They just had to figure out how to make the best of it. Now, don't get me wrong:  Those with the money, the connections, and the influence still had a leg up, and this was still a hierarchical society, where your family dictated, to some extent, your position in society.  The introduction of individual court rank, as opposed to just the kabane that ranked uji, was pushing against that, and had already caused a reformation that flattened a lot of the previous kabane into just eight distinctions, but those distinctions still existed.  Even had they not, simple matters of inherited wealth and the value of goods produced in a family's home territory would still have provided tremendous advantages.  But there isn't an indication of the kind of large-scale consolidation of resources that we will see in later periods, such as the Fujiwara example that we were just discussing.  Oh, sure, we aren't going to see a farmer suddenly make it big at court in some kind of rags-to-riches story, but at the upper end of society we still have a lot of apparent diversity. And so, let's get to know some of these individuals that the Chronicles tell us about.  Before we do that, though, let's recap a little bit about how the court worked. Every member of the court was effectively employed by the State.  They had an official job with duties they were supposed to oversee.  In the case of lower level functionaries, they were likely expected to actually do most of the work, while at the top of the hierarchy you had nobles who were more likely decision-makers, who would approve or disapprove of the work and direct strategic resources. Those working in the court had official uniforms—the round-necked garments of the continent.  What would be called a "caftan" farther west.  These were based on the foreign garments popular in the Tang court and elsewhere. The color and pattern of official clothing appears to be something that goes back to early in this new continental style government, and we see suggestions of color schemes from a relatively early age.  However, in 690 we see the clearest such outline of just what everyone was wearing. As a reminder, the court rank system of the day was made up of a Princely and a Commoner system.  Princely ranks originally included two ranks of the Myo class, and four of the Jou class, each rank divided into either "Great" or "Broad", for twelve Princely ranks, though honestly we only ever really see the four Jou class of ranks in use. Below that were the ranks for the common nobles—those with family names who did not have any kind of royal claim.    For them there were six classes of rank—Shou, Jiki, Gon, Mu, Tsui, and Shin, in that order.  Each class was made up of four ranks, which were further divided into upper and broad categories, creating 48 total ranks. Your rank determined your precedence at court—where you were sat, what jobs you were allowed to take on and, most importantly, the amount of money that you could expect to receive as part of a stipend.  Naka no Oe had previously consolidated the land-holdings and asserted claim over all of it.  The taxes from the households on the land went to the government to pay the stipends of the nobles in the court, who were, ostensibly, employees of that same government.  Your rank determined what you were owed, though this could also be augmented by various edicts. So there you go: rank in the court was tied to many of the things that the elites wanted, from wealth to status and access to various opportunities. The color of official clothing followed the rank system.  So Princes of the first two ranks of the Jou class were given robes of dark purple, and the third and four ranks were given robes of bright purple, which they shared with highest class of rank of the common nobles, the Shou rank class. Below that, nobles of the Jiki class would wear robes of dark red, and those of Gon would wear dark green.  The Mu rank class, the next down, was Light Green, and then Tsui was Deep Blue and Shin was Light blue. So in order you would see robes of Dark Purple, Bright Purple, Dark Red, Dark Green, Light Green, Deep Blue, and Light Blue.  The color gave you a certain indication of where the person sat in the overall hierarchy of the court, and provided you clues as to how you should address them, who would give deference, etc.  In later centuries, we are even told that deference was given in meetings, which is to say that once a person of higher rank provided input on a topic, nobody of lower rank was able to contradict them for fear of the consequences.  So it also told you who got the last word. This then was the world that the nobles of the court inhabited.  As we've seen in previous episodes it wasn't just bureaucratic work, but also banquets, archery contests, and Buddhist congregations and sutra readings.  There were rituals, dances, and diplomatic embassies—not to mention all of the ceremonies around the death or ascension of the sovereign.  In this world, one's reputation was everything.  You wanted to be seen as good at your job, but also, just like today, people were more likely to promote and support those they knew, and so it helped to have friends.  However, there were also a limited number of top spots, and so every promotion would have likewise meant plenty of disappointed nobles who didn't get the job.  But that is enough background.  Let's take a look at some of the nobles themselves, starting with the four from the Prince Ohotsu conspiracy.   The first name in the list is perhaps the least interesting.  His name is Yakuchi no Wotokashi.  Although he was the highest ranking of the four, he is also the least mentioned in the Chronicles and elsewhere, and we know very little about him.  So we'll talk about him later on, for completeness, but for now it may be best to skip him until we have a better handle on others in the court. In contrast, we know a bit more about his co-conspirators.  In fact, we've already talked about one of them at length:  Iki no Hakatoko.  We first heard about Iki no Hakatoko when talking about the Tang dynasty, and discussed him at length in Episode 123.  He was one of the members of the embassy to the Tang dynasty back in the early 660s that got delayed on account of Tang Gaozong initiating the war against Yamato's ally Baekje.  The fact that the Nihon Shoki directly pulls from Hakatoko's work, known to us, today, as the Iki no Hakatoko Sho, makes it one of the few early named written works that we know about.  Unfortunately, it is no longer extant except for what is preserved in the Chronicles, but it is still incredible that we have essentially an eyewitness account of what happened.  He would later be one of the escort envoys for one of the Tang embassies during the reign of Naka no Oe.  That he was then embroiled in the conspiracy with Prince Ohotsu would seem to be at odds with his standing, and yet after his pardon he eventually got back into the court's good graces.  In 695, about 9 years after the incident, he was assigned as an assistant envoy to Silla.  By that point he was of Mudaini rank, which was only about 35th in the overall scheme of things.  Later on we know he would work on the famous Taiho code, which was published in 701, and enacted a couple of years later.  It was here that he worked with the famous Fujiwara no Fubito—about whom we will discuss more, later—and although he would pass away in 703, this may be how his own writings came to find their way into the Chronicles, since Fubito is said to have had a large influence on them—as he had on many of the court's projects. Overall, Iki no Hakatoko may not have been the one in charge, but we see in his life an incredible career, much of it spent on multiple voyages across the ocean, whether on an embassy or as an escort.  He likely was highly proficient in the language of the Tang court—what we typically refer to, broadly, as Middle Chinese.  He also had direct experience with the Tang court and system, and so it makes sense that he was one of those helping to build an administrative state based on that system. If we were to imagine Hakatoko in the court of the day, at least in 695, he would have likely had light green colored robes, indicating that he was of the "Mu" class of ranks.  He would have worn the black gauze cap of the court and worn white hakama, or trousers, underneath.  His long, continental style, round-necked robes—likely relatively slim, with overly long, but narrow, sleeves—would have been tied closed in the front with a braided silk cord.  He likely worn black leather boots, covered in a light lacquer to protect them from the elements, with cloth insoles and perhaps a hint of brocade along the top.  He likely kept with him a ruler, and perhaps a few slips of paper or even just wood on which to take occasional notes.  A mid-level functionary of the court. We can compare and contrast Hakatoko to two other co-conspirators:  Nakatomi no Omimaro and Kose no Tayasu. We are given neither Omimaro's rank nor Tayasu's at this time.  It is interesting that they listed after Hakatoko, who is actually listed as having "Lower Shousen" rank—an older rank that was no longer in use at this point in time.  Also, both Nakatomi and Kose were Ason level families while Iki no Hakatoko is listed as being merely "Muraji".  So it seems that the Chroniclers were probably pulling from what they could find elsewhere, although where they found that Wotokashi had Jikikwoshi rank I have no idea, as we don't have any other record for him.  And it is possible that deference to Wotokashi and Hakatoko are as much a nod to their age as anything else, though probably not by much. Of four co-conspirators mentioned here—and I'm leaving out the two who were exiled or banished, as they were clearly not hanging around the court later—Nakatomi no Omimaro and Kose no Tayasu were probably from the most established families.  Indeed, we see both of their names show up multiple times in the record, giving us a better idea of who they might have been. Of the two, the name Nakatomi probably is more likely to ring a bell, as that as the surname of the famous Nakatomi no Kamatari—as well as the later Nakatomi no Kane.   Nakatomi no Kamatari was the head of court ritual when he and Naka no Oe kicked things off with the Isshi Incident and the Taika reforms, at which point he became the "Inner Prime Minister", or Naidaijin. Much of what we know of Omimaro comes from outside of the Chronicles themselves.  For instance, we are told that he was the son of Nakatomi no Kunitari, a cousin to the famous Kamatari, at least according to the 10th century Engi Shiki.  However, we have no other records of Kunitari, and so there is more than a little doubt cast as to whether or not that was actually the case.  Similarly, we are told that Omimaro married one of Kamatari's daughters, and was eventually adopted by Kamatari. Once again, the evidence for this is pretty thin, and it is unclear to me just how adoption worked at this point.  Certainly in later periods, adoption was often a way to ensure that a family had a male heir to ensure the family's continuity, and marrying someone's daughter and being adopted into the family is an age old tradition in the archipelago and Japan more generally.  At the same time, give some thought to what we know about this period: male primogeniture was not exactly the norm, although Confucian values had definitely made inroads into court.   The family headship often went to the eldest—or most prominent—family member.  This wasn't necessarily a son and often was a brother, a nephew, or even a cousin.  We have a few famous Nakatomi at this point in time, and all I can say for certain is that they were part of the same family.  Later traditions would make things a bit more clear. Whatever his parentage, our first encounter with Omimaro appears to be in the Ohotsu conspiracy, when he was arrested and then pardoned.  He shows up again in the record just three years later, along with Kose no Tayasu, as both were made judges, along with Fujiwara no Fubito—Nakatomi no Kamatari's biological son and eventual heir. In fact, there were nine judges, or magistrates, made that year, and they are listed in rank order.  The first is Prince Takeda, said to be a great-grandson of Nunakura, aka Bidatsu Tennou.  He was Joukwoshi rank, meaning he wore bright purple court robes, sitting in the lower half of the princely ranks.  He had been quite prolific ever since 681, when he was one of the Princes called to help bring together the Chronicles.  After being made a judge, he would continue in that position, it seems, and by 708 he would become the head of the Ministry of Prisons. After him we have Haji no Nemaro, in the dark red robes of the Jiki rank class.  Though someone of rank, less is known about Nemaro.  His father is said to be Haji no Mi, who was part of the forces that set out to Yamada-dera to capture—and likely kill—Soga no Kurayamadera.  Haji no Nemaro's son is Haji no Oi, who was sent to the Tang court but returned in 684, along with several repatriated soldiers.  Oi would assist with the Taihou code, but little more is said about him or his father. Other judges were Ohoyake no Maro, Fujiwara no Fubito—also of the Jiki class rank. Maro would go on to take a job as a jusenshi, responsible for minting coins, and Fubito would go on to reach the highest levels of government. Then there was Tahema no Sakurawi, Hodzumi no Yamamori, Nakatomi no Omimaro, Kose no Tayasu, and Ohomiwa no Yasumaro.  They were all Mudaishi rank at this point, wearing dark green.  Sakurai would go on to become the governor of Ise in 705, and then the governor of Musashi in 708.  Hodzumi no Yamamori we don't have as much information on, other than that he kept climbing the ranks, by 704 he had made Junior 5th rank, lower grade in the system that replaced the cap-ranks, and by 712 he made it to the senior fifth rank, lower grade. Ohomiwa no Yasumaro, on the other hand, would make it to the Senior 5th rank, lower grade by 707, and the upper grade by 708, when he was made the Dayu—the high minister in charge—of Settsu.  He would eventually make it into the Junior Fourth rank, upper grade, as the Minister of the Military Department, or Hyobu-sho. So this gives you an idea of the people with whom Nakatomi no Omimaro and Kose no Tayasu were rubbing elbows.  That they were made judges, responsible for justice, seems to say something as that would seem to be a powerful position.  At the same time, they are both lower ranked than the much younger Fujiwara no Fubito—but once again, he was the direct son of Nakatomi no Kamatari.  He also seems to have avoided any unpleasantness from the Jinshin no Ran as he was only 14 at the time, and though it does seem that the Nakatomi were generally knocked down a peg or two in court—thanks in large part  to the fact that Nakatomi no Kane had been one of the leaders of the Afumi court.  That and the whole thing with Prince Ohotsu may be why Omimaro was not exactly in the top ranks, but his appointments weren't nothing, either.  By 693, Omimaro would be granted the rank of Jikikwoshi, the lower fourth rank of the Jiki class.  In that entry he is recorded as Fujiwara no Omimaro.  I believe we discussed this a few episodes back, but the Fujiwara name was still new.  It had been granted to Nakatomi no Kamatari on his deathbed—or possibly even posthumously—by Naka no Oe, and to his family.  So technically that would seem to extend to the entire Nakatomi family.  And with Nakatomi no Kane having been one of the main figures on the losing side of the Jinshin no Ran, it was no doubt a savvy political move for Nakatomi courtiers to lean into the Fujiwara name, and they seem to have done just that.  It wouldn't be until later, in the reign just following this, that a new decree would straighten everything out, such that only the actual descendants of Fujiwara no Kamatari, such as Fujiwara no Fubito, would be allowed to use the Fujiwara name. Throughout this, I have focused mostly on Omimaro, but Kose no Tayasu was in the mix as well.  He, too, was made a judge and in 693 he would also be awarded the same Jikikwoshi rank.  In addition, in 689, he was made a "commissioner of good words", along with the Royal Prince Shiki and others.  This seems to be a singular position, and Aston suggests that it was their job to figure out the kind of auspicious language that should be used in the court.  What kind of language should be used by the sovereign and the courtiers in drawing up official edicts.  I imagine that they were figuring out the form to give to formal court documents as well as the kinds of titles and honorifics to use for the sovereign and the state more generally.  Of course, that is just an assumption based on Aston's understanding of what is, ultimately, a single line.  Still, it is clear that Tayasu was helping to make things happen. Tayasu would eventually go on to become the Minister of the Department of Ceremonies, the Shikibu-sho, and would later serve as a secretary to the Viceroy in Tsukushi—the Dazai Daini.  He would pass away in 710, one year before Omimaro. Before leaving Tayasu behind completely, I would like to point out his family name:  Kose.  The Kose family were one of the families granted the kabane of Ason, or Asaomi.  They had previously been known as the Kose no Omi, and had a long history in the court, claiming descent from the famous Takeuchi no Sukune, legendarily known as the first Oho-omi of Yamato.  Kose no Tokuda had been a supporter of Soga no Iruka, but after the Isshi Incident he supported Naka no Oe and eventually replace Abe no Uchimaro as Sadaijin—Minister of the Left.  Another Kose, Kose no Hito, would also rise in the government, becoming one of two Goshi-daibu made when Prince Ohotomo was appointed Dajodaijin.  The other was Ki no Ushi.  They were both in attendance and counted among the six who swore to protect and support Ohotomo, along with Nakatomi no Kane and others.  So they, too, found themselves on the wrong side of the Jinshin no Ran. In this case, however, it is unclear how much Tayasu was impacted by that.  He may have been the son of Kose no Shitano, brother to Kose no Hito, but the Kose were prolific in the court, with many people of the name.  The family would continue going through the Heian period.  Their fortunes ebbed and flowed, as did so many families, but they would eventually find themselves as Hatamoto to the Tokugawa shogun, so they never actually disappeared. Finally, let's talk about Yakuchi no Wotokashi.  As I mentioned earlier, he is actually one of the first names mentioned in the list of co-conspirators with Prince Ohotsu, suggesting that he outranked others in the group.  Indeed, he is noted as being of Jikikwoshi rank—fourth lower Jiki rank.  The bottom of the Jiki class, but that was still the third class from the top.  However, despite this, very little is actually said about him.  In fact, this is the only instance I could find of the name Yakuchi in the Nihon Shoki, at least in that spelling—there is also a Yakuchi no Uneme, but it is spelled differently and is probably not related.  It is also the only evidence of the name Wotokashi.  That means we don't even see him in the list of names being granted Ason in the first place. It is quite possible that Yakuchi was a name he took later and that he was from another family.  Indeed, there are a couple of traditions around Wotokashi that suggest he was the founder of the Yakuchi family in Shinano.  Indeed, there is a Yakuchi family that comes out of Shinano, near Adzumino.  And Shinano was one of the places that Ohoama had sent people to examine as another site for an alternative capital, and Prince Mino and others had gone to check it out.  So maybe Wotokashi headed out there—or his descendants, anyway—and decided to try and make a go of it.  Proponents of this theory also connect Wotokashi to a line descended from the Soga family, which would certainly explain his prominence.  There are others, however, who claim that the Yakuchi family out of Shinano is actually descended from the Otomo, suggesting that the similarities in the name are just coincidental, which is also possible.  Ultimately, our sources fail us here, and so we just have speculation.  It is possible that even with the pardon, Wotokashi was just never able to regain the trust of the sovereign or his position in court, and so whether he took a hike for the hinterlands or just faded from the picture it is hard to say. With that, let's take a look at just two more courtiers, and what kinds of lives and careers they had at court, at least from what we can see.  These two we've also mentioned in passing:  Fuse no Miushi—whom Aston transliterates as Miaruji—and Ohotomo no Miyuki. Fuse no Miushi and Ohotomo no Miyuki were both mentioned as performing eulogies for Ohoama, though there is more to them than just that.  We'll start with Fuse no Miushi, who is said to have been the son of none other than the Taika era Sadaijin, or Minister of the Left, Abe no Uchimaro.  You may recall that Abe no Uchimaro was the Sadaijin under Karu no Ohokimi, aka Koutoku Tennou, along with the Udaijin, Soga no Kurayamadera.  They were both supporters of Naka no Oe, though much of the Chronicles focus appeared to be more on Kurayamadera than on Uchimaro. We don't know when Miushi was born, nor when he received the name "Fuse", the name by which he is known when we first meet him in the Chronicles.  That family name only shows up two other times in the Chronicles.  Based on other sources, it seems that the Abe family was divided at some point into the Fuse and the Hikida, likely because it became too large and they needed to distinguish the different parts of the family.  It is said that Fuse no Miushi served as a retainer to Ohoama during the Jinshin no Ran.  That, along with his family connections, helped secure him a good place in the government.  By 686, we see him pronouncing the eulogy for Ohoama's funeral on behalf of the Dajokan, the Counil of State.  He was already Jikidaishi, one rank above the standard Jikikwoshi, but still clothed in the same dark red robes.  In 687, he is again pronouncing the eulogy, but this time we are told that his a Nagon, or councilor, a rather prestigious posting that would later get broken up into three different levels:  Dainagon, Chunagon, and Shonagon.  For my Heian fans out there, that last is the same Shonagon as in the name of the famous poet, author, diary-keeper, and all around queen of snark, Sei Shonagon.  By 688, pronouncing the Eulogy seems to have become an annual event for Miushi, only this time he teamed up with Ohotomo no Miyuki.  The two of them seem to have had similar careers, and would, for a time, come up together through the ranks. Ohotomo no Miyuki is said to have been born in 646, though that isn't recorded in the Nihon Shoki and comes from other sources.  The Ohotomo family goes back quite a ways, and we are told that his father was Ohotomo no Nagatoko, who served as Minister of the Right under Naka no Oe.  However, in 672, the Ohotomo, including Miyuki, sided with Ohoama in the Jinshin no ran.  In 675 he was made Tayu while Prince Kurikuma was made Director of Military Affairs.  He then drops out of the narrative until 688, when he is pronouncing the eulogy with Fuse no Miushi. Miushi would go on, two years later, to present the formal congratulations from the court to the Queen upon her ascencion to the throne, and then the following year, 691, both Miushi and Miyuki were granted the rank of Jikidaiichi, the highest rank in the Jiki class, along with 80 households to support them and their families.  This brought both of their stipends up to roughly 300 households each.  Then, in 694, they were both raised in rank again, this time to Shoukwoushi.  Only one rank up, yet they went from the top of the Jiki class to the bottom of the Shou class.  They would have gotten new robes of Bright Purple to indicate their new status, and they each had their stipends increased by the taxes of 200 households each.  At the same time, they were also acknowledged as senior members of their houses.  That means that Miushi was considered the head of the Fuse branch of the Abe family and Miyuki was now acknowledged as the head of the entire Ohotomo family. Two years after that, in 696, they were each given 80 retainers to support them.  Fuse no Miushi is actually mentioned at that time as Abe no Miushi.  That same year, we again see Fujiwara no Fubito show up, but with only 50 retainers.  Fubito would eventually rise to the top of the court food chain, but at this point, it was still in the hands of courtiers like Fuse no Abe no Miushi and Ohotomo no Miyuki. Fuse no Miushi would go on to have an incredible career.  He would become Dainagon and eventually he would become the Udaijin, the Minister of the Right, one of the highest positions anyone could hope to achieve at court. Ohotomo no Miyuki would not make it quite so far.  Like Miushi, he made it to Dainagon, but he died in the first month of 701, just 55 years old.  He had made it to the third rank, and he was posthumously granted the title of Udaijin—the position was vacant at the time—and granted second rank.  His colleague, Abe no Miushi, would go on to take the position only four months later and serve for a couple of years before passing away himself. These two would have worked closely together throughout their careers, and the fact that they were raised in rank and position on similar timelines suggests to me that they ran together in very close circles.  They would have been working in similar positions, at the same levels of the government.  They would have been going to the same parties and partaking in the same banquets and entertainments.   They were no doubt rivals, in a sense, but also equals.  Both families would go on, even as the Fujiwara clan came to dominate the politics of the era, the Ohotomo and Abe would continue to hold power in the court during the Nara period, though eventually it would decline.  The Ohotomo would eventually become just the Tomo, to avoid conflicting with the name of a slater sovereign, and the main house would eventually decline, though branch families would continue to claim descent from the Ohotomo into to the Edo period. The Abe would continue, similarly pushing against the Fujiwara.  The most famous Abe was probably Abe no Seimei, who became known for his skills as an Onmyouji, or master of Yin-yang divination and magic.  The Tsuchimikado branch of the Abe family would continue that tradition, and it would come to largely define the main branch of the family. I hope that gives a bit of an idea of what was going on in the court and the kinds of careers that people were looking at and what was happening.  We cannot get into every single person, but I'm going to try and note some of the more prominent courtiers and what they were doing.  It isn't always clear from the Chronicles what was going on between the various houses, but one can largely assume that the court was highly political.  Different factions were vying for power and position.  Sitting atop all of it, Uno no Sarara would have to perform her own kind of balancing act, doling out rewards and punishments as necessary, and ensuring to place the right people in positions of power and authority.  On the one hand, that ambition was a motivating factor, keeping the people of the court focused on the tasks at hand and ensuring that the court was running smoothly.  On the other hand, too much power in the hands of any one individual could cause them to get ideas that they should have even more.  The main bulwark against this was everyone else in the system—the checks and balances were literally the other court nobles, who weren't going to just let someone  take power unless there was something in it for them as well.  More on that as we watch this reign unfold. But for now, thank you so much for listening and downloading the podcast.  If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

The Great Work by Sheldon Costa is a debut novel, and it was also Ian's pick for the month of May. The novel follows a man named Gentle Montgomery who is a self styled alchemist living in the American west just before Washington became a state. A salamander or dragon has been seen in the countryside and is driving animals to act strange, causing hallucinations, and water to go bad. Gentle also believes this salamander has killed his friend Liam, and so he sets off with Liam's body, his nephew, Kitt, and their donkey, Abe, in search of the salamander. Gentle believes this creature to be "prima material" which can be used to complete The Great Work and create the Philosophers Stone which can then resurrect Liam. Along the way the encounter a frontier warlord, a town of progressives called the Harmonites, and many other strange things. This novel has a very original plot and we enjoyed reading and discussing it!    Next month's pick is Ronnie's, and she choose: Icarus by K. Ancrum.

Andy and Abe dive into the debate over the second-best shooter in NBA history after Damian Lillard responded to critics on social media. They also discuss Kirby Smart's concerns regarding the expansion of the College Football Playoff and the financial motivations driving the sport's changes. 01:00 - NBA Shooting Debate 04:55 - Historical Shooting Legends 06:31 - SEC Spring Meetings 07:48 - Playoff Expansion Concerns 12:12 - Future Of Conferences

Andy and Abe recap the Braves' dominant series-clinching win over the Red Sox, highlighted by a much-needed Grand Slam from Ronald Acuña Jr. They also analyze the NBA Western Conference Finals and discuss Kirby Smart's perspective on expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams. 02:43 - Acuña's Grand Slam Breakout 11:18 - Visiting Fenway Park 18:10 - Braves Series Win Recap 21:17 - NBA Playoff Analysis 25:57 - NBA Anti-Tanking Rules 33:14 - NBA's Greatest Shooters Debate 37:48 - Kirby Smart On Playoffs 43:10 - College Football Future

Andy and Abe analyze the high-stakes Game 7 between Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander following a series of Western Conference Finals blowouts. They also discuss the bizarre story of how a missed Younghoe Koo field goal saved a fan's life and debate the merits of an 18-game NFL regular season. 02:46 - Georgia Tech Baseball 05:00 - NFL No Huddle 08:50 - NFL Season Expansion 12:25 - Athlete Mental Health 17:15 - USMNT Georgia Training 20:20 - NBA Game 7 Analysis 31:30 - Braves Series Preview 33:20 - Back Page with Bo 39:00 - Sports Jeopardy

Andy and Abe analyze the Atlanta Braves' series-clinching win against the Red Sox, highlighting Ronald Acuña Jr.'s drought-ending grand slam. They also discuss Chris Sale's emotional return to Fenway Park and a tense exchange with William Contreras during the rubber match. 01:00 - Friday At Twin Peaks 02:13 - Braves Rubber Match Victory 05:47 - Acu!a Jr. Grand Slam

Abe discusses the upcoming Falcons and Colts joint practices before diving into the Atlanta Hawks' promotion of Onsi Saleh to President of Basketball Operations. They evaluate the team's current young core and the long-term stability needed to transition from a playoff team to a championship contender. 01:00 - Falcons Joint Practices 02:46 - Onsi Sule Promoted 06:47 - Hawks Office Strategy 08:36 - Hawks Playoff Future

Andy and Abe examine the Hawks' decision to name Onsi Saleh President of Basketball Operations and how it clarifies the front office structure. They also dive into the shifting legal timeline for James Pierce Jr. and recap local highlights from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 01:00 - Twin Peaks Live Remote 03:08 - Sarv Dharane Spelling Bee 06:38 - James Pierce Jr. Legal 14:13 - Hawks Promote Onsi Saleh 20:57 - Saleh's Front Office Impact

Andy and Abe react to the promotion of Onsi Saleh to President of Basketball Operations for the Hawks and discuss the team's direction under Quin Snyder. They also analyze the Braves' defensive struggles and lineup concerns following a shutout loss to the Red Sox. Smokin' Joe Patrick joins to provide insights on the Falcons' quarterback competition and defensive leadership updates. 03:01 - Hawks Management Promotion 06:41 - Hawks Roster Continuity 10:42 - Hawks Offseason Plans 17:03 - Braves Defensive Lapses 23:08 - Quarterback Accuracy Debate 31:57 - Joe Patrick Interview 39:46 - Falcons Defensive Leadership

Joe Patrick joins Andy and Abe to discuss the quarterback dynamic between Tua and Michael Penix Jr. during Falcons offseason programs. They also analyze leadership shifts on defense and the ongoing injury mystery surrounding linebacker Troy Andersen. 02:02 - Joe Patrick Interview 02:40 - Falcons Quarterback Competition 08:10 - Training Camp Outlook 09:48 - Defensive Leadership Updates 11:27 - Troy Andersen Injury Update

This month's Out Now with Aaron and Abe is going to take you down a slippery slope. The Brandon Peters Show's Brandon Peters and Movies, Film & Flix's Mark Hofmeyer join Aaron and Abe to talk Dope, the highly energetic coming-of-age comedy-drama from director Rick Famuyiwa. This is the final entry in Out Now's “Teenage Wasteland” series of commentaries. Listen in as the group discusses what makes this film stand out among many 2010s teen comedies, how it differs from many films like it, and what separates it from the various urban dramas of its time as well. Plus, there are many stories about the featured future stars, the hosts' feelings about the movie, various tangents, and so much more. So now, if you've got an hour to kill… Follow all of us on Twitter/Bluesky: @Outnow_Podcast, @AaronsPS4, @WalrusMoose, @MHofmeyer, @Brandon4KUHD Check out all of our sites and blogs:  The Code Is Zeek, Why So Blu?, The Brandon Peters Show, Movies, Films & Flix, Deep Blue Sea the Pod Watch the trailer for Dope Next Month: Eraser (1996)

Abe McLaughlin, CS, from Boston, Massachusetts, USAHear more from Abe on this week's episode of Sentinel Watch.

Ask Me Anything and takeaways of the day featuring Andy, Randy, Beau, and Abe.

Ask Me Anything and takeaways of the day featuring Andy, Randy, Beau, and Abe.

This week's Out Now with Aaron and Abe will show you the way. It's the return of a Jedi, as Endor Express's David Yeh joins Aaron and Abe to discuss The Mandalorian and Grogu. Hear what the group has to say about this standalone cinematic entry of the Star Wars series. Plus, there's plenty of time for other movie chatter, games, and listener comments. Tune in for Out Now Quickies™ (8:52), Trailer Talk for Laika's Wildwood (26:13), the main review (32:40), Games (1:18:52), and Out Now Feedback (1:29:50). So now, if you've got an hour or so to kill… Get yourself a free audiobook and help out the show at AudibleTrial.com/OutNowPodcast! Follow all of us on Twitter/Bluesky/Letterboxd: @Outnow_Podcast, @AaronsPS4, @WalrusMoose, @Coheteboy Check out all of our sites, podcasts, and blogs:  TheCodeIsZeek.substack.com, Why So Blu?, We Live Entertainment, Endor Express Trailers: Wildwood Next Week: Backrooms

We talk about...0:00 Bicycle Cowboys - Bicycle laws in Japan have changed, and some people are confused. 9:02 Are the new bicycle laws fair / necessary? - What do you think? (comment on Spotify or SNS!)13:50 Japanese Expressions explained in English Part 2 Free Bird English: Teacher Talk (SNS)X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@FBEteachertalk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠55freebird.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Abe's Website: Lessons, Events, & Goods) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FBE Teacher Talk YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GoGoエイブ会話 Podcast (Apple)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GoGoエイブ会話 Podcast (Spotify)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GoGoプロジェクト⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#EnglishLearning #EnglishPodcast #LearnEnglish #ESL #EFL #EnglishListeningPractice #EnglishForBeginners #SlowEnglish #英語学習 #StudyEnglish #PodcastForESL

Abe Gordon and Madison Crews recap Atlanta United's final match before the World Cup break! Abe and Madison discuss the tale of two halves that saw United fall 2-0 in the first half but respond in the second despite being shutout.

Abe and Randy analyze Michael Harris II's power display against the Marlins and the potential impact of Ronald Acuña Jr.'s thumb injury. They also discuss the heavy news of Kyle Busch's passing and provide updates on the NBA and NHL playoffs. 01:00 - Michael Harris Homers Twice 04:14 - Atlanta United and Dream 04:57 - Mourning NASCAR's Kyle Busch 08:09 - Indy 500 and NHL 10:21 - Knicks Lead Cavs 2-0

Abe Gordon recounts a four-year-long ordeal with a bird that consistently swoops him and his dog, Chipper, during neighborhood walks. They also analyze the Atlanta Braves' recent series, providing an update on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s health and previewing the pitching matchups against the Washington Nationals. 01:18 - Abe's Persistent Bird Problem 03:33 - Randy's Advice for Abe 07:40 - Braves Performance Recap 09:46 - Ronald Acuña Jr. Injury Update 10:21 - Nationals Series Pitching Preview

Abe Gordon details a strange four-year saga involving an aggressive bird that targets him and his dog at a local park. They transition into a recap of the Atlanta Braves' recent series performance and Ronald Acuña Jr.'s injury status before debating the Falcons' quarterback situation. 01:16 - Abe's Persistent Bird Problem 07:44 - Braves and MLB Recap 13:51 - NBA Playoff Discussion 18:55 - Falcons Quarterback Competition

This week's Out Now with Aaron and Abe is an Abe solo show, BUT! he's not alone. Tune in this week as Abe talks his initial thoughts on Obsession (1:05), his essay-esque thoughts on Youtube in relation to Obsession (4:17), a brief review of The Sheep Detectives (10:25) and finally a chat with a very special once-in-a-lifetime guest who also helps Abe out with your feedback questions (12:14). Hit it!

Mike and Abe get into more Braves talk as they react to their win over the Marlins agreeing it was good for Matt Olson came up with a big hit at the right time and Walt Weiss is confident in allowing his pitchers to go long enough to try and go out in god fashion as he allowed Martin Perez to through five innings as he ended his outing with his first 10 strikeout outing.

Mike and Abe get into some more Falcons talk as they share thoughts on how the offense look now under Kevin Stefanski with Tommy Rees as the OC and react to comments by Bijan Robinson who addressed the early vibes during OTAs as the players get uised to the new system.

Mike and Abe examine Michael Penix Jr.'s progress during offseason workouts and the significance of his participation in team drills. They analyze Bijan Robinson's perspective on the new coaching staff's hands-on style compared to the previous regime's approach. The conversation also covers the Knicks' dramatic playoff comeback and Atlanta United's ongoing struggles. 01:50 - Atlanta Traffic And Construction 04:50 - MLB And Braves Highlights 08:00 - Michael Penix Jr Update 14:40 - Knicks Huge Playoff Comeback 29:45 - Steak Shapiro Food Anecdote 35:15 - Bijan Robinson On Coaches 40:40 - Atlanta United Soccer Report

Mike and Abe critique the Big Ten's reluctance to expand the College Football Playoff while discussing the conference's financial motives. They celebrate the Braves' resurgence following Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return and get a first-hand account of Steak Shapiro's questionable breakfast choice. Terry Francona shares a humorous yet serious warning about player safety in the infield. 01:50 - Pretentious Marathon Runner Debate 07:15 - Tony Petitti Resists CFP Expansion 17:10 - Ronald Acuña Jr. Rejuvenates Braves 23:45 - Knicks Historic Playoff Comeback 32:08 - Steak Shapiro's Car Chinese Food 39:42 - Terry Francona on Protective Cups 43:33 - NBA Realignment and Expansion

Mike and Abe welcome Joe Patrick to analyze the early impressions of Michael Penix Jr. at Falcons OTAs and how his arm talent compares to Tua Tagovailoa. Grant McAuley shares updates on Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return and the impact of Drake Baldwin's injury on the Braves. They also provide live coverage of flash flooding in Atlanta and discuss Aaron Rodgers' retirement comments. 02:11 - Joe Patrick on Falcons OTAs 06:51 - Penix and Tua Competition 11:15 - Jalen Walker Defensive Outlook 15:15 - Grant McAuley on the Braves 28:23 - Aaron Rodgers Retirement Talk 32:28 - Traffic Report 37:52 - NBA Playoff Analysis 42:00 - Atlanta United Cup Loss

Mike and Abe close out the show with Falcons talk as they share thoughts on Jalon Walker usage by the team seeing an uptick as they agree he is the one Falcons 2025 rookie that will take the biggest year-two leap.

Mike and Abe are joined by Grant McAuley as they discuss the latest on the Braves and the importance of the return of Ronald Acuna Jr. now that Drake Baldwin

Mike and Abe are joined by Joe Patrick as they discuss the latest on the Falcons as OTAs continue.

Mike and Abe get into some Braves talk as they agree yesterday's win was the "right response" after losing to the Marlins 12-0 on Monday, especially with Drake Baldwin placed on the 10-day IL and Ronald Acuna Jr. returning to the lineup after time out due to injury.

Mike and Abe get into some college football talk as they discuss the continued back and forth in regards to the CFP expansion and agree that settling on 16 teams may be the best way to go if there is going to be expansion or leave it at 12 teams.

Mike and Abe get back into Falcons talk as they share thoughts on how the defense may perform this season with some key personnel no longer with the team and the potential of James Pearce Jr. missing some time at the start of the season. As they discuss, they agree Jeff Ulbrich has done a great job with getting the best out of the players and believe the team does not need to change much, however needs to improve in stopping the run.

Mike and Abe open up the show with some Braves talk as they react to the team's win over the Marlins as Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to the lineup after being on the IL. They then get into Falcons talk as they share more thoughts on their takeaways from comments by Kevin Stefanski and Michael Penix Jr. following the second day of OTAs and agree it is good to see Michael Penix Jr. appears to be on schedule to be ready for training camp.

Mike and Abe get into some NFL talk as they react to reports of Aaron Rogers saying this will be his final season and wonder should Steelers be concerned that he already saying this will be it, as Abe questions whether the veteran quarterback has "both feet in" for the season.

Mike and Abe discuss the 2013 psychological thriller/mystery Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve. The film depicts the horrors of your child being kidnapped and how rage and fear can strip our humanity. Get ready for some movie “glazing,” as the kids call it. Features: Michael Swaim: https://bsky.app/profile/michaelswaim.bsky.social Abe Epperson: https://bsky.app/profile/abeepp.bsky.social Support Small Beans and access Additional Content: https://www.patreon.com/SmallBeans Check our store to buy Small Beans merch! https://www.teepublic.com/stores/the-small-beans-store

Please remember to rate and review our podcast!Check out your YouTube channel @comadresycomics  CHISME DE LA SEMANA: The Midnight Universe Plunges the Marvel Mythos Into DarknessFor over 80 years, Marvel heroes have inspired hope. This August, that hope dies in the shadows of the MIDNIGHT UNIVERSE, a new publishing line where top creators unleash haunting new visions of Marvel's greatest icons. The nightmare begins with three titles: MIDNIGHT X-MEN by Jonathan Hickman (Ultimate Spider-Man) and Matteo Della Fonte (Nova: Centurion); MIDNIGHT FANTASTIC FOUR by Benjamin Percy (Punisher) and Kev Walker (Infernal Hulk); and MIDNIGHT SPIDER-MAN by Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Infernal Hulk) and, in his exciting Marvel Comics debut, artist Scie Tronc.ON MY RADAR:  Clayface is an upcoming DC body horror film, featuring Tom Rhys Harries as a disfigured actor who becomes a shape-shifting monster, set to release on September 11, 2026.  IF DESTRUCTION BE OUR LOT #1 SERIES PREMIERE EXTRA-LENGTH DEBUT ISSUE! Humanity is extinct and all that remains are the robots who once helped us. The robots who once helped us are happier now, doing their work without human interference. But not Abe. BOOK REVIEW: Pancho Villa Monster Hunter #0 by Chispa Comics @chispacomics You can read it for free: Read Pancho Villa Monster Hunter Special 1 in English Online | GlobalComhttps://globalcomix.com/read/539aa88a-06a7-4773-ad6b-f54e9a3706b8/1ix EN LA LIBRERIA:  SONGS OF THE SAHARA-BOOK ONE | THE SERPENT IN THE SAND-For centuries, the story of Sundiata Keita, the legendary founder of the Mali Empire, has been carried through song and oral tradition.  Now, that epic legacy is being brought to life in a stunning hand-painted graphic novel series.  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/songsofthesahara/songs-of-the-sahara   JUNTOS Y FUERTES:  Girls Who Game-Girls Who Game is a space for women and girls 18+ to get together every other week, unwind, and have fun over games while building community  @girlswhogame.lb SALUDOS:  Happy Mother 's Day!  ¡Feliz Dia de las Madres!Follow us on socials @comadresycomics Visit our website comadresycomics.comProduced by Comadres y Comics Podcast

Mike and Abe get into some Falcons talk as they react to comments from Kevin Stefanski as he spoke with the media and addressed questions in regards to the status of Michael Penix Jr. and agree that it "feels like there is going to be a legit QB competition if Penix Jr. is ready for camp.

Mike and Abe analyze Rashee Rice's probation violation and its implications for the Kansas City Chiefs' upcoming season on Dukes & Bell. They discuss Michael Penix Jr.'s recovery milestones with the Atlanta Falcons and welcome Grant McCauley to break down the latest Braves roster moves. 01:49 - Rashee Rice Violation 06:17 - Michael Penix Jr. Progress 11:45 - Eli Manning Draft Story 16:41 - Braves Roster Breakdown 29:08 - Landry Fields Rumors 33:02 - Jaylen Brown Media Saga

Mike and Abe are joined by Connor Riley to discuss Georgia's recruiting strategy and the pressure on Kirby Smart to maintain his roster model. They also analyze the Falcons' offensive outlook following Tommy Rees' comments on Michael Penix Jr. and evaluate the NFL's expanding international schedule. 02:18 - Connor Riley Joins 05:33 - Smart's Roster Model 10:38 - SEC Schedule Analysis 17:40 - Falcons OTA Updates 21:46 - Evaluating Michael Penix 25:26 - Robinson On Quarterbacks 30:55 - Bell's Stolen Twitter 37:58 - NFL International Games 42:52 - Soccer Spying Scandal

Mike and Abe analyze Michael Penix Jr.'s comments regarding his recovery and his role in the Falcons' quarterback competition alongside Kirk Cousins. They explore the new offensive philosophy under the coaching staff and evaluate the team's potential in the NFC. Additionally, the segment covers recent injury news for the Braves and upcoming NBA playoff storylines involving the Spurs and Knicks. 01:50 - Falcons OTA Recap 06:41 - Offensive System & QB Relations 16:01 - Braves Injury Updates 19:04 - Stefanski On QB Timeline 22:52 - Tommy Rees Coaching Insights 38:38 - NBA Playoff Analysis

Mike and Abe close out the show with final thoughts on the reports of Rashee Rice violating his probation and having to don 30 days in jail and Michael Penix Jr. participating in OTAs, to which they agree the Falcons quarterback looked good, however believe he may not be ready for training camp once it rolls around.

Mike and Abe continue to react to sound from Bijan Robinson as he spoke with media following day two of OTAs as he shared the early vibe of having Kevin Stefanski in place as the new head coach.

Mike and Abe continue with thoughts on the loss of Drake Baldwin, who ws placed on the 10-day injured list, and Ronald Acuna Jr. returning to the lineup. As they discuss, they agree the Braves bats appear to be getting into somewhat of a slump  theb past couple of days, however do not believe it is too soon for any type of panic to settle in. They then get back to Falcons talk as they share more thoughts on hearing from Kevin Stefanski in regards to a timeline for Michael Penix Jr.'s return to full participation.

Mike and Abe get into more Falcons talk as they react to hearing from Michael Penix Jr. who addressed his eventual return and Tua Tagovailoa being in the building. As they discuss, the guys agree that the "friendliness" between the two QBs will eventually wear off once they get into a real competition for the starting job.

Mike and Abe are joined by Connor Riley as they discuss the latest on the Georgia Bulldogs including why Kirby Smart believes Isaiah Canion will be important for the Bulldogs this season.

Mike and Abe get back into NFL talk as they react to reports of Rashee Rice violating his probation by testing positive for marijuana and will reportedly have to serve 30 days in jail which means he will miss the Chiefs OTAs and Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert not going to be in attendance for their respective teams' OTAs. They then get back to Falcons talk as they react to comments by Kevin Stefanski as he addressed Michael Penix Jr.