Podcasts about Aragorn

¡Bienvenidos de nuevo a nuestro Club de Lectura de El Señor de los Anillos en FASE24! Llegamos a un capítulo monumental, un verdadero pilar en la obra de Tolkien: El Concilio de Elrond. Este es el momento en que todas las sendas de nuestra historia convergen en Rivendel, y el destino de la Tierra Media pende de un hilo. El capítulo es tan denso y está tan cargado de historia, revelaciones y decisiones cruciales, que nos será imposible abordarlo en un solo episodio. Por eso, os presentamos la primera parte de nuestro análisis. En esta entrega, nos sentamos a la mesa con Elrond y sus invitados para desentrañar los primeros grandes secretos. Analizamos las preocupantes noticias que llegan desde la Montaña Solitaria, viajamos miles de años al pasado con el relato de Elrond sobre la forja de los Anillos y la Última Alianza, y somos testigos del momento en que la profecía y el destino se encuentran con la llegada de Boromir de Gondor y la revelación de la verdadera identidad de Aragorn. Acompáñanos en este debate sobre los cimientos de la historia, la flaqueza de los grandes y el peso de las decisiones del pasado. ¿Qué momento de esta primera mitad del concilio os impactó más? ¡Déjanos tu opinión en los comentarios! Equipo Pablo ‘Nenva' Javier ‘Grór' Faly ‘Maeron' Carlos ‘Tar-Minyatur' Daniel ‘Ancalagon' Música Audios habituales: Jesús Moñino Música de cierre: Suno AI AVISO IMPORTANTE El Club de Lectura se emite en directo en YouTube. Este audio es el extracto de ese audio por lo que puede haber referencias a cosas que suceden en el directo, a imágenes que se muestran o a comentarios que llegan en ese momento. Si quieres seguir los directos o ver los vídeos de FASE24 puedes hacerlo en nuestro canal de YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Fase24Podcast Música Audios habituales: Jesús Moñino ¿Quieres anunciarte en nuestro podcast? https://advoices.com/fase24 fase24podcast@gmail.com Si quieres formar parte de nuestra comunidad, entra en nuestro grupo de Telegram: https://t.me/fase24 La Playlist de FASE24 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OCRVNr7xZFOuI4oHfyO11?si=e32bcf4cad964085 Nuestro canal de YouTube para directos y eventos especiales: https://www.youtube.com/@Fase24Podcast Tenemos canal en Discord https://discord.gg/wyS3cY6f Si te gusta Fase 24 Podcast y quieres apoyarnos y ayudarnos a mejorar, invítanos a un café: https://ko-fi.com/fase24 También puedes apoyarnos pasando a iVoox Plus a través de alguno de estos enlaces: Plan Anual https://www.ivoox.com/premium?affiliate-code=8c09fb5a8058f3eeda41ddf70593ddf3 Plan Mensual https://www.ivoox.com/premium?affiliate-code=28e5c797498187a91eebddc0977d2b49 iVoox Plus https://www.ivoox.com/plus?affiliate-code=c16f1b36738d87bd53d152b8aca2344c Podcast patrocinado por: Kinton Brands https://www.kintonbrands.com/

¡Bienvenidos de nuevo a nuestro Club de Lectura de El Señor de los Anillos en FASE24! Llegamos a un capítulo monumental, un verdadero pilar en la obra de Tolkien: El Concilio de Elrond. Este es el momento en que todas las sendas de nuestra historia convergen en Rivendel, y el destino de la Tierra Media pende de un hilo. El capítulo es tan denso y está tan cargado de historia, revelaciones y decisiones cruciales, que nos será imposible abordarlo en un solo episodio. Por eso, os presentamos la primera parte de nuestro análisis. En esta entrega, nos sentamos a la mesa con Elrond y sus invitados para desentrañar los primeros grandes secretos. Analizamos las preocupantes noticias que llegan desde la Montaña Solitaria, viajamos miles de años al pasado con el relato de Elrond sobre la forja de los Anillos y la Última Alianza, y somos testigos del momento en que la profecía y el destino se encuentran con la llegada de Boromir de Gondor y la revelación de la verdadera identidad de Aragorn. Acompáñanos en este debate sobre los cimientos de la historia, la flaqueza de los grandes y el peso de las decisiones del pasado. ¿Qué momento de esta primera mitad del concilio os impactó más? ¡Déjanos tu opinión en los comentarios! Equipo Pablo ‘Nenva' Javier ‘Grór' Faly ‘Maeron' Carlos ‘Tar-Minyatur' Daniel ‘Ancalagon' Música Audios habituales: Jesús Moñino Música de cierre: Suno AI AVISO IMPORTANTE El Club de Lectura se emite en directo en YouTube. Este audio es el extracto de ese audio por lo que puede haber referencias a cosas que suceden en el directo, a imágenes que se muestran o a comentarios que llegan en ese momento. Si quieres seguir los directos o ver los vídeos de FASE24 puedes hacerlo en nuestro canal de YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Fase24Podcast Música Audios habituales: Jesús Moñino ¿Quieres anunciarte en nuestro podcast? https://advoices.com/fase24 fase24podcast@gmail.com Si quieres formar parte de nuestra comunidad, entra en nuestro grupo de Telegram: https://t.me/fase24 La Playlist de FASE24 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OCRVNr7xZFOuI4oHfyO11?si=e32bcf4cad964085 Nuestro canal de YouTube para directos y eventos especiales: https://www.youtube.com/@Fase24Podcast Tenemos canal en Discord https://discord.gg/wyS3cY6f Si te gusta Fase 24 Podcast y quieres apoyarnos y ayudarnos a mejorar, invítanos a un café: https://ko-fi.com/fase24 También puedes apoyarnos pasando a iVoox Plus a través de alguno de estos enlaces: Plan Anual https://www.ivoox.com/premium?affiliate-code=8c09fb5a8058f3eeda41ddf70593ddf3 Plan Mensual https://www.ivoox.com/premium?affiliate-code=28e5c797498187a91eebddc0977d2b49 iVoox Plus https://www.ivoox.com/plus?affiliate-code=c16f1b36738d87bd53d152b8aca2344c Podcast patrocinado por: Kinton Brands https://www.kintonbrands.com/

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what's making headlines in the world of employment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 9 The Sinister Science Club In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Anyone can be who they want to be; the challenge is being who you need to be Raven Thorpe was awarded the 'honor' of working with me, a designation she groaned over, and other girls glared at her with jealousy. After class she attempted to shoulder past me but I tapped her arm. "Can we talk for a second?" I inquired. "Don't you have to scurry off and take care of your schedule?" she replied blandly. "Can you stop being a bitch for fifteen seconds so we can figure out which author we can work on?" I snapped angrily. She pulled up short as if she expects to be pimp-slapped next. "Okay, who do you have in mind?" she requested. "And if you say William Shakespeare, I am going to smack you with my book bag." "I was thinking the political works of Edmund Burke," I suggested. Raven blinked. "Seriously, I didn't think you even knew who Edmund Burke was, much less that he was the father of modern conservatism," Raven congratulated me. It was almost like she wanted to pat me on the head and give me a doggy bone. "I was thinking of concentrating more on his works during the American Revolution, but if that's what you are more comfortable with, we could cover his later period works instead," I offered. "Good point, Zane. Let's talk it over during lunch," Raven suggested. "Zane," summoned a female voice from outside the classroom. "Go on," Raven smirked, "enjoy your disproportionate level of abuse." "You act like I have any choice in the matter," I shrugged. It was of little consolation that Raven made it ten more feet from the door when she got snatched up too. This time out, my mistress got to point to a feature on her body and I had to give it a flattering description, I know, my life is utter hell. I had no idea where the Science Club met; I even began to get the sinking feeling they carefully controlled any information about themselves, sort of like a secret society, or the CIA. "Hello, I'm Paige," spoke this girl, who apparently materialized out of the ether. I'm not paranoid; I've spent the past two years in a region where you have to be alert because Tigers are common and I say this girl freaking ghosted me, Man. "I'm with the Science Club. You will come with me right now," she smiled like said predator cat trying to disguise herself as a white rabbit. "You are albino," I noted. She had long white hair, alabaster skin, and a red shadow to her eyes. She was also the only girl to date I'd seen with the dark blue jacket that was part of our winter uniform. She also had a jaunty blue hat and white stockings instead of socks. "You have eyes," she rolled hers, "now come along." I started to follow her. "So what is this meeting about?" I asked. "It isn't a meeting; we require you for something," she replied. "What is it?" I became more cautious. "It is a surprise," she mocked me. "Stop wasting my time and come along." "Cool, I'm out of here." I grinned, turned, and left. Paige staggered and seemed unable to grasp my departure. "Where are you going?" she snapped tartly. "To Archery Club," I replied, while still walking away. "But, but you said you would come," she stuttered. "Am I a person? Are you?" "Yes and yes," she replied with irritation. "Are you an idiot or a child? Because those are the only reasons to forgive your spoiled behavior," I turned and said. Paige glared. "So you assume you are smarter than me and can be rude to someone who is doing you a favor." "We are the ones doing you a favor," Paige snapped back. "Now we want you to repay us." "Did you discuss payment when you did me the favor of rewiring my room? No? Good, because if you had, I would clearly be suffering a form of amnesia," I gave back. "If you want something, you can ask as a friend or you can offer me something that makes it worth my while. Now go back to Cordelia and tell her you have returned alone because you were so much smarter than me. If you could only 'speak friend', I continued walking away. "Wait," Paige called out nervously. "I, I, and I could almost hear the wheels turning. "Speak friend and enter." I stopped in midstride. "So you read through my school records and know my top ten influences," I turned and responded. We stared at each other for almost a minute until she finally gave up and put on her sunglasses. I retraced my steps back to her. "Favorite member of the Fellowship?" I tested her. "Legolas," she responded. I scoffed and she had the human decency to look embarrassed. "Ha," I scoffed again. "Horny girls go for the elf; the marrying kind goes for Aragorn." "Who is yours, then, wise guy?" she volleyed. "Boromir," I declared my allegiance. "Ah, of course; the veteran warrior in a doomed struggle; he forsakes his honor only to redeem it in a hopeless fight, perishing in the arms of his brothers," Paige retorted. "I thought you would have gone for Aragorn, the Uncrowned King." "Hmm," I winced, "my second choice was actually Frodo but that would have sounded gay." "You can't be gay; you are not clever enough to conceal that," she stated. "See, now you are sounding like Saruman the White," I teased. "Let me guess: because I'm an albino," she grumbled. "You are an albino? I was talking about your facial hair and that arrogant, know-it-all vibe you've got going on," I joked. Paige stared at me, suddenly speechless, finally taping her chin. "At least you didn't call me Gollum," she admitted. "Nah; too much hair and not enough skin slime," I explained as I ran the back of one finger over her cheek. She flinched slightly. "Are you going to, please, come with me now?" she asked much more politely. "Are you going to have sex with me?" I grinned. "What?" she squawked. "Just joshing you," I smiled. "You are far too pretty to be interested in me. Let's go." I'd clearly unsettled her because she didn't say another word to me until we were going downstairs in the Clegger Science Building. "Do you really think I'm pretty?" she asked as we finished the last set of stairs. "I must confess I find most women attractive, but you are far prettier than most," I replied. "Do you still want to have sex with me?" she said in a casual voice. I took her hand and placed it on my heart. "Hah," she snorted, "I get it; your heart is beating so yes, you want to have sex with me." "I was going to say that a steady heartbeat indicated I was telling the truth, but someone keeps insisting they are smarter than me," I teased her. Am I really asking for another sex partner? What's wrong with me? Her reaction wasn't what I expected it to be and then I realized that she still had something over on me, the reason for me being here. Bitch. She opened a door into a dark room and ushered me in. There appeared to be about ten ladies in the room, playing with a variety of electronics. "Delivered as promised," Paige called out. "What did he hit you with?" a short caramel-skinned girl inquired. "Fellowship of the Ring," Paige grinned. Mother-fuckers! "Did he offer to have sex with you?" Cordelia asked playfully. "Yes. And not only gave me a 'pretty' but also a 'far prettier'." Paige gave me a smug look. "Ha, ha, ha," I muttered. Idiot me forgot that psychology is also a science, and the reason we don't have a chess club at FFU was also evident; the Science Club devoured them. "Come on, Zane," Cordelia batted her full lashes at me. "We need a little favor and it won't take fifteen minutes." "Couldn't you simply coerce me into doing this?" I stated. "I'm sure this whole rigmarole of making me think I'm doing you a favor has to be making things more difficult." "We are all friends here," Cordelia smiled. "No, if we were all friends here, Iona would be at my side," I scolded her. "I admit you did a great scam getting me in this room, but you aren't nearly as good at lying to my face as you think you are." "Iona, Paige started to say. "Don't!" Cordelia snapped, then took a deep breath. "If you threaten Iona he will hit you, no," she corrected, "He'll hit me," Cordelia reasoned out. "There are eleven of us," another girl, Pandora Jaspers, stated, somewhat angry and confident. "I've seen him fight, Pandora. I saw him drop Mercy Chaplain. I've seen him fight Cappadocia Davis and Coach Gorman too," Cordelia said coolly as we stared at one another. "Unless we curl up in a ball on the ground, he'll beat us down. We'll hurt him, but Zane can take more pain than we can because he cares about her." "On that note, I'm gone again. Good going Paige; I'm sure you can think of something to make your sisters understand," I shrugged and moved for the door. "Zane, I need you to strip down and let us attach a series of video and biometric sensors so we can create a 'Virtual Zane' for a little project we are working on," Cordelia blurted out. I had to think hard about this; not because I didn't want to do it but because I had to figure if this was an honest play or another convoluted turn of the screws. I turned and looked at Cordelia. "There was no way in hell you ever thought I was a professor and you miraculously materialized outside my first class with the knowledge I was actually a freshman, damn, Cordelia, can't you just ask for stuff?" I berated her. "If you ask, you depend on another to get what you want; if you deceive, you win or lose on your own abilities," she shrugged. "Besides, I did ask you to kiss me; remember?" "Good enough; where do you want me to stand?" I responded. "Wait," Paige gawked. "Now he is doing it." "Alright ladies," one girl grinned. "Everyone pay up. I told you we should simply ask him." With that, I stepped over to a table and began stripping. Slowly the girls around me stopped what they were doing and openly ogled me. I guess the real me was better than the video. "Aren't you curious about what we are going to do?" Pandora inquired. "You are probably going to tell me that I'm posing naked because it is easier to dress an 'uncluttered' form, or something to that effect, but really, I like Cordelia and Iona is one of my two best friends," I mulled it over. "Besides, in case you missed it, I've seen all your faces." Once they took that bit of news in, things went along smoothly, though they had some debate amongst themselves on whether my cock needed its own 'reference point', a sensor attached. The amusing thing was, when the girl running the computer imaging asked me to keep my cock still, I had to reply that certain reactions weren't under my control, which caused a rather awkward moment. When I was finally finished there was another quiet interlude as I got dressed. "So," Cordelia wondered, rocking back and forth on her feet, "if we need more, data, could we get you to come back?" "Sure," I smiled back, "you know where I live, and you certainly know what my digits are. Cordelia, I want you to consider that if something happens in my room that ends up on the web that betrays the trust people have put in me, I'm not going to come after all of you looking for excuses. Are we clear?" "Is that a threat, Zane?" Cordelia beamed playfully. "Cordelia, I'm always one step away from being tossed out of here on my ass, so those who chose to trust me and take up my cause are doing it because they are decent folk. I'm not like most people; I can't afford to toss friends away like most of the rest of the people in this room seem to be comfortable with." "Or what," Paige smirked, "you'll beat us up?" "No, Paige. I value trust, so if you take that away from me, I'll find out what you value and take that away from you," I stared at her intently. "I know what you are going to say, Paige," Cordelia jumped in, "and Zane being expelled will only mean that he has no other distractions from dealing with us and he'll still have people inside the school all too willing to help him." "Zane, how about if something is done, we give you an off switch for various sections?" Cordelia offered. "Sounds great; let me know how the project works out, but now I have to go to Archery," I replied, before slipping out the door. "How did he know we were going to wire his room?" I overheard Paige whisper to Cordelia. "You don't seriously think he came here solely because we tricked him, do you?" Cordelia answered. "He knew we would try something and he wanted us to know that he knew." Yes, I had bumbled into the message I'd wanted to get across despite myself. Does Anyone Want Me Here? I had escaped school with a double date for Thursday Night (Chastity and Hope), then stopped by the house to plead with Aunt Jill to let Rio stay for the weekend. I gave a rational case, a compassionate reason, and then fell down on my knees and told her I really, really, really wanted her to stay. Something in that last argument made Jill relent and I phoned the good news to Rio. All that groveling resulted in me making the Festivities Committee Meeting by only two minutes. I swept into the room abruptly and as the story of my life goes, everyone stopped talking and looked at me. A quick scan of the room told me that two of the eight women knew to expect me, or at least some guy, while the others clearly assumed I'd lost my way. "Can we help you, young man?" an older woman with hair mostly turned to gray. "Welcome, Glenn," Mrs. Wellington said. "Ladies, Pastor William has asked us to introduce Mr. Braxton to the good works of our Church." There was a pause. "Thank you, Mrs. Wellington, but no one alive calls me Glenn anymore, and I'm not old or accomplished enough to be Mr. Braxton, like my Father or Uncle Tim. My teachers call me Zane." "Oh, you are at the University?" a third woman asked politely. She was asking if I went to the University of Virginia. "No, I don't go to UV; I go to FFU, it is a long story," I replied with trepidation. "I have a daughter at Freedom Fellowship," one of the women responded with concern. "What is her name?" I tried to be polite, what were the odds? "Pandora Jaspers," Mrs. Jaspers answered. "Seriously? I've done Handmaiden duty for her, and today I saw her at the Science Club," I sighed with relief. "What did she have you do?" yet another woman inquired intently. "I helped her create an umbrella walkway when it was raining so that all the students could get to class without getting soaked," I informed them. "Have you been to 'camp'?" a sixth woman hinted at something. "Camp, no, I can't say I've ever been to a camp," I evaded, because I had no idea what they meant. "That's enough, ladies," Mrs. Wellington said. "We have business to take care of. We can worry about Mr. Braxton's confusion at a later time." Oh, they think I'm gay. Camp = Gay camp where fundamentalists are sure I could be cured of being homosexual. I try not to laugh. "Mr. Braxton, I want you to sit at the chair there," Mrs. Wellington pointed to a chair away from the table, against the wall. "I want you to take personal notes for the members, things that don't go into the official record. Doreen Saxon," she indicated the gray haired woman "is our secretary. She takes the official notes of the meeting, so pay attention." The Meeting for the first of September was called to order, the record of attendance including the difficulty of my name, they kept trying to call me Glenn Braxton while I politely asked for Zane. They went with Glenn. The rest of the group worked out like this: Rochelle Wellington was Chairwoman, Kendra Bainbridge was our Treasurer, and Doreen Saxon was the grey-haired Secretary. The rest of the group consisted of Claire Baker, Theresa Geiger, Columbia Jaspers, Heidi Moulin, and Sahara Penny, the Pastor's wife. As the meeting progressed there was little I could do but watch the group dynamics at work. For starters, Bainbridge was at Wellington's throat; they clearly didn't like one another. The other was an oddity; no one interacted with Sahara Penny. I wasn't sure if it was her non-white heritage (Middle Eastern of some sort), her meek nature, or some past sin, but I decided to take advantage of it. I got up quietly and began walking around the table. "Glenn," Mrs. Saxon asked, but I ignored her because, damn it, how many times do I have to tell them my name is Zane? I walked over and knelt by Sahara. "Zane," Mrs. Wellington addressed me, "are you looking for the bathroom?" Bingo! "No, Mrs. Wellington. I was hoping to get some background information on the current discussions as well as contact information for the group. Since the rest of you are treating Mrs. Penny like she has the plague, I figured she would be the perfect candidate to tell me what is really going on here," I grinned at her. "It is always the quiet ones who know the most." And everyone stopped talking. Sahara not only looked shocked and frightened to see me, she looked like she wanted to sink under the table when I told the rest of them my reason for being here. "I assure you, Mr. Braxton, we are fully including Sahara in the process," Mrs. Bainbridge snorted indignantly. "I will gladly accept your reprimand if you can please tell me the last five words you said to her since I arrived," I requested, with as much innocence as I could beg, borrow, or steal. "I asked her about the children's clothing for the Nativity this year," Kendra said after a long pause. "That was Claire, not Sahara," I corrected her. "It is in my notes, but I'm sure Doreen can corroborate my recall of events." "Well," she said testily, "I'm sure I said something to her." Silence. "I apologize for disrupting the meeting. I'll crouch here quietly and conference with Sahara while the rest of you complete the business of the day," I told them, then turned back to Sahara. "Now, what the heck is up with the live turkey at the Thanksgiving celebration?" In the end, I gathered my information, the meeting concluded its business, and the room emptied until it was me, Sahara, Kendra, and Rochelle. "A Christian gentleman would apologize," Kendra informed me. "Well, I guess that makes us both poor Christians, because a good Christian woman wouldn't have lied to me," I calmly replied. Kendra gaped like a fish out of water. "Rochelle!" Kendra snapped to the Committee head. "Zane, you apologize to Kendra right now," she commanded me, without much passion. "Kendra Bainbridge, I apologize for my rude and uncalled for behavior," I said with a bow. Neither woman had expected me to fold up like that, so all Kendra could do was huff and storm out of the room. "Thank you," Sahara whispered, as she touched my hand. "I don't always know the right side to fight on but it is usually by the side of the person being bullied," I grinned. "It is the Christian thing to do," I added with a wink. That left me with Rochelle Wellington: MILF, Lance the asshole's Mom, and wife of the Mayor. She looked like she wanted to stand up but couldn't. Me, I had a Sorority meeting to get to, I missed dinner so I had to grab something first, and why in the hell was I even thinking what I was thinking? I sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" I began. She looked at me, tired and somehow forlorn. "You wouldn't understand, Mr. Braxton, Zane," she sighed. "Try me; the worst that could happen is, I give the expression that every teenager gives an adult when something important is being said but we are too caught up in our own lives to understand." "Oh, good point, young man," she sighed, "but I'm afraid I don't have anything even remotely interesting to talk about." I waited patiently. "I'm feeling sorry for myself. My baby is leaving the nest and it has been so long since I've been alone in the house, I don't know what to do with myself." "Lance is an only child?" I wondered. "Oh, no, he is the youngest of five," she responded with sadness. My jaw dropped and she stared at me. "What, did you start having kids when you were ten?" I gawked. "What?" she sounded confused. "I have a hard time believing you are forty, much less the mother of five grown children," I stammered. At first Rochelle was embarrassed and a bit uncomfortable, but slowly the compliment seeped its way into her psyche. "I, I have a home gym," she suggested as an answer. "Well, whatever you've been doing has worked. Your husband is one lucky guy, and I hope he appreciates you and all you do to look, act, and feel so young," I wowed her. "I'm not feeling all that young right now," she slipped back into her depression. "Where does it hurt?" I changed my focus. "I don't know what you mean?" she asked. "People keep their stress in different places; the back of the neck, the mid-back, shoulders, or temples," I informed her. "I'm not comfortable talking with you about that," Mrs. Wellington replied warily. "Sure," I said popping out of my seat. "I apologize if I crossed any lines," and I made for the door. "Wait, Zane, I apologize. I'm tired and a bit cranky. I know you didn't mean anything and besides, I'm sure you already have a girlfriend," Rochelle admitted. "Please don't spread this around, but I have several girlfriends at the moment. They know about each other, I'm not going to lie about my sex life, but they are usually interested in different things," I told her. "You have, multiple girlfriends, different things? Like what kind of different things?" Rochelle spilled out her confused thoughts. "Some women like sexual contact," I related, "while others like romantic time together, and still others want companionship." There was another long pause. "But you are at Freedom Fellowship University, she trembled. "I've never taken a student's virginity, if that's what you are asking," I answered. "Oh, I understand. I've taught all my children that they should be virgins on their wedding day," Rochelle said with some pride. "I have to disagree with that," I shocked her, "but that is one of the reasons that women are better than girls." "And how would you know this?" She now turned in her chair to face me, trying to sound affronted but coming across as deeply curious. "Umm, I've had sex with girls in their teens and women in their forties, and women know more, pace themselves better, and generally have better bodies," I explained. "Teen girls need a few more years to fill out." Rochelle was utterly speechless, and part of that had to do with the fact that I was being frank and honest, yet not openly coming on to her. "You must not think much of me, then," she mused, "teaching my children my views on virginity." "Where did you get that from? If anything, you are proving yourself to be an intelligent, warm, caring, and compassionate woman and mother, who happens to look like she's less than forty years old," I added. "You did what you thought was right. I can't argue with that." "Well, good," she replied. "Now for my part, I was taught that a real man gives his lover multiple orgasms and he should never reach fulfillment before his partner does. Any man who does so is being selfish," I stated. "How did you come by this, thinking?" she inquired with a small voice. "Umm, I've had sex around five hundred times with thirty different partners," I told her, "so I've not only learned from very good teachers, I've field tested their ideas." "How can you possibly consider yourself a good Christian, Zane?" she accused me. "Compassion, respect for all living things, and forgiveness, that's what I believe in and what Christianity stands for in my eyes," I explained. "The Bible is clear on sex and the sanctity of the marriage bed," Rochelle insisted. "Mrs. Wellington, everything after the death of Jesus is conjecture. We both accept that Jesus was the Son of God, but after he dies, who is to say who was being touched by the Divine, who was building on JC's teachings, and who was simply making stuff up," I held up my hand to stop Rochelle's protest. "The Catholics have a thousand Saints, most of whom we don't hold to be divinely inspired. You chose to believe that virginity is a girl's sacred duty, but I don't recall Christ saying anything on the subject. You can certainly quote later Gospels or the Old Testament, but that makes it your choice, not the Word of God," I finished up. Another long pause followed. "I keep my stress in the top of my shoulders," she suddenly said. I stood up and moved behind her, deciding to not question her changing opinion of me. "It helps if you take off your jacket," I suggested, then helped her shimmy out of it. She tensed up as my hands weighed down lightly on her shoulders so I kept my touch gentle. Two minutes into the massage, I began squeezing harder and harder, moving my palms back and forth over her bra straps from upper arm to neck. "Rochelle," I whispered into her ear, "I am going to rotate your shoulders." I rolled over each shoulder one at a time but when I finished, I pushed her slowly forward until she was resting her elbows on the table and held her head on her upturned hands. When I went back to the massage, I worked her over harder and extended my reach from her mid-back to neck. This was clearly a case of begging forgiveness instead of asking permission. I took my time, relaxing her to a completely detached state. When I brought her back to reality, I was kneeling beside her and tapping her on the arm. "Rochelle? Are you okay," I asked in a gentle, caring voice. Dreamily, she turned her head from its resting place on her arms to look at my eyes straight-on and mere inches away. "What, huh?" she muttered. "How do the shoulders feel? Has your stress gone away?" I inquired. "Yes, yes," she popped up, alert once more. "It feels really good, in fact. I haven't felt this way in years," she added with a smile. "I think it is time for us to go," I suggested. "Can I help you with your jacket?" "Of course," she nodded. "Thank you for helping an old lady out." I held it while she put in one arm after the other but when I settled it on her shoulders, I stepped in and held her there for a moment while I pressed myself against her so she could feel how I felt about 'old ladies'. Rochelle froze when she felt my cock, rigid in my slacks, pressed against her ass. I was unsure if I'd gone too far when she pushed ever so slightly against me. "I've got to be going. I will see you on Sunday but I'm home all weekend with one of my girlfriends in case you need me," I informed her. I slipped out before she could respond because not only did I have a Sorority function to attend, I also needed to figure out where I could score some Viagra because I clearly had no common sense where sex was concerned. Besides, Sahara was obviously in need of attention because Pastor Bill wasn't giving it to her, and Bainbridge was lashing out due to years of sexual frustration, I repeat: I have no common sense. Every One Like a Fingerprint to Me When I was racing to get to the Kappa Sigma House, I hardly expected to be met by one of their pledges and absolutely no one else. After I sat down in the den and the pledge, Tina, got me a soda from the kitchen, we found ourselves staring at one another. "So, I'm here on the correct night; right?" I asked. "Yes, you are, Zane," she bubbled with anticipation. "Where is everybody?" I prodded her. "They are taking care of Sorority business but they will come get us when they are ready," she grinned. I knew I was missing something but I didn't know what it was. "Is it hot in here?" I wondered. "Yes," Tina said after a bit of concentration. "Tina, can I have some Advil? I'm getting a headache," I yawned. "Okay," Tina responded, still happy, and still sitting down. "Ah, fuck, you drugged me, didn't you?" I groaned. I doubted I could still stand and then proved my doubts as I slid off the chair. "Damn," I slurred. Tina walked over to me, took my drink away, and gently maneuvered my body to the floor. "If it is any consolation, I was selected as the pledge most likely to seduce you," she stated with real sympathy. I might have smiled at her, I wasn't sure, but I definitely passed out. Cough! Someone plunged cleaning detergent underneath my nose and fired me back to consciousness. Holy Mother of God, I'm cold, my wrists and ankles hurt, I'm outdoors in the woods illuminated by torches and surrounded in a semi-circle of bare-footed figures in ankle long brown robes and black hoods. I was cold because I was naked and my limbs hurt because I was suspended on a cross, not a 'T' cross but an 'X' cross. I certainly know some kinky, fucked-up people. "Zane," a modulated voice addressed me, "you are on trial before Kappa Sigma for your treatment of one of our sisters. You have abused the trust of one sister by seeking romantic relations with another. What do you have to say for yourself?" "If the question is that I had relations with Leigh, then had a similar encounter with Paris, then I confess. In my defense, I never sought to deceive either one and will make amends if permitted," I promised. "Sisters, we have heard his defense. Will any of you vote in his behalf?" she intoned. No one stepped forward. "Zane, we will give you one chance to save yourself. If you fail, you will be shaved bald and painted in a permanent purple dye." I assume that means seven days on human skin. "If you can pick out the woman you have wronged, beg her forgiveness, and are forgiven, you will go free." I was getting pretty nervous since they were all totally covered except for their toes when the 'leader' nodded and the girls all opened their robes to reveal string bikinis in a variety of colors. Their faces were still covered, though that wasn't really a problem for me anymore. "Choose Leigh and Paris, beg their forgiveness, and you may be pardoned," the 'leader' commanded. "That's not fair," I answered right back, "because they are not before me now." "Think carefully," the girl with the modulated voice cautioned me. "No, seriously; I'm looking at Josephine, Maria, Cynthia, Sarah, Ferrara, Petra, Yvette, Tawny, Jersey, and Monique," I named them left to right. "What?" Sarah gasped to her assembled sisters. "Do we have name tags on?" Behind me, I heard snickers turn into giggles, Leigh and Paris. Tawny stepped forward. "How did you know?" she inquired, clearly not the girl with the modulated voice. "Ah, Josephine has a birthmark on her ankle, Maria has the darkest skin tone, and Cynthia's breasts don't angle down the middle or to the side but somewhere in the middle." "Sarah has slender thighs and her calves curve just so below the knee; Ferrara always paints her nails in these crazy patterns; Petra scrapped her knee backpacking two weekends ago; Yvette, has that tattoo over her right nipple; Tawny, you have a slender neck, a, 38C chest, and a strong swell from your waist to your hips; Jersey is the tallest and has that scar she got in a boating accident in high school; and finally, Monique has the perkiest nipples and the most slender calves," I recited. Man, even the crickets went quiet after that. "Zane, did anyone help you with this test?" Tawny finally asked. "Nope." "How could they?" Leigh came to my defense. "You didn't make the line-up until thirty minutes ago." "Jersey, go check his phone log," Tawny directed her sister. "I'm getting really cold," I whispered to Leigh. She looked from my eyes to my waist with sympathy. Jersey walked out of the light but quickly returned with my phone. "His last call was at 2:10 p.m. but he did have a data download at 6:45, it seems to be a bunch of women's names and phone numbers," Jersey relayed the information to them. "It is my church group, I swear. Honestly, they are all married women in the Festivities Committee that bastard of a pastor assigned me to," I pleaded. "No phone calls?" Tawny persisted. "No phone calls," Jersey confirmed. "Okay, Zane, how did you know who we were with our faces concealed?" Tawny wondered. "Is that a serious question?" The deafening pause was its own answer. "You are women; I pay attention to women and to me, each female form is as exacting as a fingerprint. Until now I thought all of this was a joke," I related. "I mean, if you wanted to scare me, you would have given me something difficult to figure out." "And you picked all this up at one party?" Tawny sounded bewildered. "Have I mentioned how much I like women?" I reminded her. "But you brought twenty women with you; you always had a woman by your side. How?" Tawny still struggled to understand. "I repeat: have I mentioned how much I like women? I see nothing wrong with being with one woman and looking at others, but I believe it is wrong to be with one woman and thinking about someone else," I explained. "You should always appreciate the one you are with." "Umm, does any sister believe Zane has earned a reprieve?" For two seconds no one reacted, then Jersey stepped forward. "He knew about my scar," was her excuse. Five more stepped forward right after that and all had done so by the tenth second. "Very well Zane, you are forgiven," Tawny announced. Yay, me! "But I have one other issue to address. Zane, I can't have you cutting a swath through my girls so I'm going to demand that you stick to one and only one Kappa Sigma per semester." I stared at her until she finally had to question me. "What?" "I wish you would stop treating me like a child," I chuckled. "What makes you think I'm not being serious?" Tawny growled. "We've kissed. You can tell a lot about a person in the way they kiss, and you are very caring and thoughtful," I told her. "Why would I be out here in the woods naked if I didn't trust you?" "You kissed him!" yelped Leigh. Tawny smirked as she looked at her. "You left me alone with a naked Zane in your room; he looked cold and lonely," she told Leigh. I was cold and lonely because Tawny tossed Leigh out of her own room and then wouldn't let me get dressed, but only Tawny, Christina, and I knew that. "Besides, Zane, you are naked in these woods because we tricked you into our house and spiked your drink," Tawny pointed out. "Ah, but would I have been dumb enough to take that drink if I hadn't first trusted you enough to show up, wait, that didn't come out right," I mumbled. "Are you agreeing to my terms?" Tawny teased. "Nope. I prefer to hold to the illusion I'm living in the Free World," I declared. "You can certainly tell your sisters what to do because they volunteered for this but I only hang out here because all of you have been so nice to me. If I've been a poor guest, I'll just leave, because I'm not going to pretend I like one sister less than another." "Zane, you are deep in the woods, tied to a cross, and the only people who know you are here are all bound by Sacred Oaths of Sisterhood, Blood, and Secrecy," Tawny stated sweetly, as she came up and stroked my cheek. "You aren't in the best place to be dumping us." "Good point," I agreed defiantly. "Maybe I should wait to get on my high horse when I can actually get on a high horse, but I'm still not going to take it back." "We could always keep him in our secret basement," Monique suggested. When everyone looked at her she added, "Hey, he liked my nipples. Finding a guy who is good with nipples isn't as easy as you would think." Huh, what? I had a definite feeling I was losing control of events. "You have a secret basement?" I gulped. "I didn't know you had a secret basement." "Well, duh," Paris snickered. "It wouldn't be much of a secret if you knew about it." "We are not keeping Zane chained up for our amusement," Tawny warned the girls. "We specifically changed the Charter back in '02 so that we can no longer keep men on the premises for more than forty-eight hours." Yay? "We also can't leave him here," Tawny continued. "I'm sure Christina will have search parties out looking for you before sunrise." "I'll stay out here and stand guard over him," Leigh volunteered. "No," Tawny scolded Leigh. "We can't let him get fucked to death either." Leigh looked truly heartbroken. "I think we have to let Zane get off this time," Tawny sighed. "I was trying to get him off," Leigh grumbled. "Give it a rest, Leigh," Tawny demanded. "Paris, give our guest something to drink so we can wrap this up." Paris disappeared behind me, then reappeared with a glass of water. "Drink up," she smiled beatifically. "Just promise me I'm not going to wake up in some landfill or tied to a lamppost somewhere public," I groaned. "Drink it down right now and you might wake up next to me," Tawny challenged. Needless to say, I drank and quickly, because I'm an idiot who keeps too much blood in the wrong head. When I woke up, I was back in the Sorority house with a different sweet pledge smiling at me and that smell of ammonia in my nostrils. She handed me a folded piece of paper. I said 'you MIGHT wake up next to me' the paper read. 'P.S. See you and the Ladies at our Halloween Bash.' "What's your name?" I asked the pledge. This time the home was filled with the noises of occupancy. "Larissa," she giggled. "So, are you Leigh's boyfriend?" "Ah, no; I'm community property; the other sisters hand me around like a box of chocolates," I joked. "Really! That is so great," she bubbled with excitement. "I can't wait until I get initiated. I want you to make me scream the way you had Leigh singing." Does no one get my jokes? "Larissa, I am sure you will pass your initiation, no sweat," I told her as I stood up, feeling a bit drunk. Larissa walked with me to the door and gave me a quick peck on the cheek as I turned to head for my car. I made it to campus with seconds to spare. The crawl up to the Solarium was done in relative quiet, though Barbie Lynn decided to sample my tonsils before letting me up. Not two steps inside the door my phone rang. "Hello, is this Zane Braxton?" this familiar voice greeted me. "That would be me. What can I do for you this night?" I responded. "This is Felicity Tolliver. I wanted you to know that I had dinner with Rochelle Wellington tonight and I think having you on her committee has really improved her mood," she informed me. I reached the top of the landing and nearly dropped the phone. Iona sat nervously on my bed, which she had made up because I never do it that well. She was wearing lingerie that definitely made her whole form much more feminine. "Felicity, Rochelle and I talked mostly, plus I showed her some techniques to help alleviate stress," I related, "but you can tell her it was a pleasure to work with such a vibrant and beautiful woman. You two are a lot alike." There was a pause, then, "I'll tell her that," Felicity said. "I will be at my home in case she needs something this weekend. I would like to see both of you, as would my Aunt," I offered. "That would be nice," she sounded upbeat. "We could also discuss getting some FFU girls coming over to your place and the workshops you could teach on campus in October and November," I suggested. "That sounds great too," Felicity agreed. "I would like to spend some time at FFU and having some girls know where Lance's house is would be nice. When do you want to meet?" "How about after dinner, say 8:00 o'clock?" I suggested. "You can bring Lance." "After dinner is fine but Lance has a church workshop on Saturday nights," Felicity sighed. Oh hell, does this woman even get taken to first base? "He's always so busy with his fraternity at school, the Young Christian Men's Republican caucus, and the Christian Men's League at church." Does this guy spend any time with women at all? "Consider it a date," I replied. "Now I have a very good reason to go to bed, so good night." "Good night," she parted in a friendly manner, which allowed me to hang up and start undressing as I approached the bed. I looked down at my bed buddy once I'd stripped down to nothing. "You look lovely, Iona," I greeted her. "What do you want to do?" "I'll do whatever you want," Iona said with a tremor in her voice, looking down at her lap. She looked stunning in her burgundy bra and panties, which were far more lace than substance. I felt the hand of, Christina (?) in all this. "Thank you, Iona. What I really want is to lie down, you beside me so that I can look into your eyes and gently trace lines along your body, and then I want to go to sleep with you in my arms. That's what I really want." "Really?" she perked up in surprise and relief. I crawled under the covers, holding them open so she could join me. "I like this a lot," she murmured, as she settled in at my side, snug in the covers. I shifted to my side and cupped her chin before exchanging several soft kisses with her. Afterwards, I did as I told her I would; my hand caressed her body, avoiding nipples and cunt but doing my best to get everywhere else. I elicited sensual moans and ticklish giggles. When I had forced her to push me off so she could catch her breath, I felt I had given Iona what she wanted, and more importantly, what she could live with. I sat back and stared at the Moon through my glass roof. Iona's smiling face slowly invaded my view. "I give up, Iona," I pleaded. "Right now I want some sleep." "That's okay. I will sit here and watch over you," she sighed. "That's, that's a little creepy, actually," I confessed. "I've watched all of the Twilight movies so I know what secretive romances are all about," Iona explained. Unfortunately, I knew little of the Twilight series of movies. I knew it involved vampires and werewolves and some chick named Bella but I'd never actually seen any of that. Had I known it involved a 100-year-old vampire breaking into some teenager's room and staring down at her while she slept, I would have been much more concerned, but for now I went to sleep. A lesson in why I shouldn t get out of bed in the morning. I woke up to every heterosexual teenage boy's second favorite dream (the first being a morning blowjob) of a perfume-scented head resting on each shoulder as you wake. There were the tiny complications of only having gone to bed with one woman and that, by their breathing, I could tell they were both awake. "Good morning," I said cautiously; technically morning since it was 5:00 a.m. "Good morning, Zane," Iona and Barbie Lynn greeted me. They both ran hands over my chest, though they gave a sudden jolt when their hands touched. I had one arm around Iona and I used that to give her a hug. My other arm was pinned by my side by Barbie Lynn's body. I gave Barbie's thigh a squeeze and she wiggled in response. "Okay, Barbie Lynn, this is Iona's night, so what are you doing here?" I scolded my blonde nymph. "I'm sorry," Barbie demurred then looked to Iona and repeated the "I'm sorry." "I understand," Iona replied, hesitating before saying after further introspection as she snuggled in, "I want to wake up this way every morning too. I like the way he smells and the way he makes me feel all warm inside, and now you owe me a night, to be shared," she stated hopefully. "One of these days I'm going to get a say in how I spend my free time," I griped. Iona looked hurt but Barbie Lynn merely sneered. "Don't you worry none, Iona. Zane, if you could wake up next to myself and Iona tomorrow morning, would you?" she drawled like sweet molasses. "Yes," I grumbled petulantly, "but I'd still like to talk about it." "Trust us, Suga, we know what's best for you and what you want. Just let us girls take care of you and you take care of all the Man Stuff." "We'll take good care of you," Iona dog-piled on, but in a nice way. "If it makes you feel better, you can punish us," Barbie Lynn offered. "We've been bad." "Huh?" Iona and I questioned. Barbie flipped over and wiggled her ass against me. "Good point. You two get to the foot of the bed, facing away from me, now!" I demanded. "Why me?" Iona honestly worried. "What did I do wrong?" "Do it, Iona. This is virtually a rite of passage," Barbie Lynn lied to her. "No, it is not, and if you don't want to do it, you don't have to," I told her. She didn't know what I was going to do and she clearly was scared, but when Barbie Lynn crawled out from under the covers and moved to the foot of the bed, resting on all fours, ass toward me, she followed suit. "If Barbie Lynn is going to do this," she muttered, "then so am I." I followed them, positioning myself between their calves and massaging their ass cheeks lightly. Barbie shifted back and forth in anticipation; Iona couldn't de-tense. Smack! "Oh, Yes!" Barbie Lynn yelped, then playfully wiggled her other, unmarked cheek within reach. "I've been really bad!" she chirped cheerfully. "No! Bad Girl," I shook my finger at her. "I'm starting to believe you aren't learning your lesson." We both knew that spanking Barbie was like throwing gasoline on a fire. Unfortunately, my purpose right now was to get them both back to their rooms, not work off my morning arousal. I moved behind Iona and forced her legs apart. She was clearly uncomfortable when I put a hand on each hip and slowly rocked her back and forth. Barbie Lynn sat back and watched with an enchanting glow highlighting her features; clever, intuitive, and lovely all at once. I settled my body onto Iona's back, my hard-on pressing into her ass cleft and one hand rubbing her stomach. "Zane?" Iona whispered in a scared little girl voice. "Yes," I answered, while kissing her along her shoulder ridge. "You, you didn't do this to Barbie Lynn," she choked out. "Do you want me to treat you as if you were another woman?" I continued, brushing her hair to one side so I could tease her neck with my lips. That got her to finally relax. "No," she gasped. "Iona, you explaining sex to Zane is like a bobcat telling a wolf how to hunt deer," Barbie Lynn teased Iona. "He gets to know you, what you like, and what you want, even if you don't know what that is." I spent another two minutes giving Iona a sensual massage, rubbing her upper arms, down along her sides, then tracing the lines of her panties before finishing with her inner thighs. Smack! "Oh," Iona gasped from the light impact. "Why didn't you spank me as hard as you spanked Barbie Lynn?" she wondered. "Did you want me to leave a handprint on your ass?" I asked. "No, I guess not," Iona admitted. "Can you answer me something?" "I'll try," I replied. "Why do you have those marks on your wrists and ankles?" She inquired. The room was dark so Barbie Lynn hadn't seen my little gift from the Kappa Sig's until Iona showed her what to look for. "Zane?" Barbie Lynn demanded to know, her persona going from sensual lover to protective Dorm Mother. "Let's not get into this right now," I sighed. They looked past me to one another but thankfully respected the peace I had requested. Had they not left together, huddled in quiet conversation, I would have been happier, but I had to be satisfied with fifteen more minutes of sleep instead. By the time I made it to the shower, everyone already knew not to ask, they were already seeking answers on their own. Getting to breakfast involved a play-debate where I had to be the 'Bad Guy,' aka the Liberal, Baby-killing, Godless Democrat, while my mistress of the moment was the heroic Republican. I graciously allowed her to trounce me, to the cheers of my fellow classmates, when I declared that all churches should be converted to homes for unwed mothers and that church-endorsed marriage should be banned for not accepting homosexuality. Did I know my audience or what? Never a Simple Morning I love women, even though they will surely be the death of me. Case in point: breakfast. I'm about to sit down with my normal companions (Rio and Iona) when a blur shoves Rio aside and takes a seat next to me. "Zane, I've been going over the books in the school library and some, Raven began. "Bitch, you did not just bump me and steal my seat," Rio seethed. Raven looked over her shoulder at Rio. "We are not in kindergarten anymore. Grown-ups chose their own seat," Raven lectured. "Wait!" I cried out to forestall Rio's pelting Raven with the contents of her food tray. Rio gave me barely enough time to twist my tray sideways, half-stand, and pull the Hellion onto my lap. I wouldn't displace Iona and that was the only place in this section of the table for her to sit. "Nice hood ornament," Raven smirked. "You and me are far from done," Rio snarled. "What, you don't know what 'ornament' means so you opt for something out of 'Goodfellas'?" Raven taunted. "Stop!" I barked. "Rio, Raven, Raven, Rio; Rio is my twin-soul and Raven is going to help me get through English this semester so for my sake, would you both please play nice?" Neither girl would budge so I took the initiative. "Raven, I think we can get access to the libraries at UV and George Mason; I'm sure they have tons more material for us to use," I offered. "How are you going to manage that?" Raven was skeptical. "Yeah, Brainiac," Rio parroted. "How are you going to do that?" "I'll have one of the Sorority sisters help me with UV and we'll have Iona hack Lance Wellington's password from his phone," I explained. "That will get us into Mason." "Only an idiot would store their password on a portable storage device," Raven stated with confidence. "Someone smart enough to get into George Mason wouldn't do that." "Ha, ha, ha," Rio laughed. "Raven, there are smarts, then there are real smarts. Any knucklehead can crack some books and get into a law school but it takes an adult to know when the rules do and don't apply." "That makes no sense," Raven stated with authority. "Raven, would you even consider trying to access UV or George Mason?" I asked. "No," she admitted, "because we don't go there." "Men build fortresses to be impregnable; God inspires men to storm them anyway," I replied. "Which translates as, 'if Zane says he's going to get something for you, he'll do it," Rio said. "Okay," Raven mulled it over, then, "So, Zane, how did you get those rope burns on your wrists?" "Yeah, Zane, how did you get those marks on your wrists and ankles?" Rio inquired devilishly. I stole an accusatory look at Iona for ratting me out about my ankles. "I went over to the Kappa Sigma

We continue our Aragorn series this week. We cover his early life and meeting Arwen. Some deep details on who 'the wise' are, some of the areas in Gondor are fleshed out, and a good sprinkling of philology as always.

This week we discussed gaming news, upcoming updates, and our week in gaming. Game News Scenario takes a Casual Stroll through Adagim The buried treasure event is here through October 5 Made of Lions discusses Aragorn's sword Notes for next week: A Bullroarer build is expected next week. There will likely be some raid/PvP testing […]

In this week's episode, we take a look at creating good backstories for characters and how that can advance the plot. We also discuss two articles about the problems of generative AI. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebook versions of books in the Sevenfold Sword series at my Payhip store: SEVENBOOKS The coupon code is valid through October 13, 2025. So if you need a new ebook this fall, we've got you covered! Here are links to the articles mentioned in the episode. Writer Beware: https://writerbeware.blog/2025/08/01/return-of-the-nigerian-prince-a-new-twist-on-book-marketing-scams/ Ed Zitron: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-gui/ TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 271 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is October 3, 2025, and today we are looking at how to create character backstories. We'll also look at some good articles about the problems created by generative AI technology. If you hear occasional drumming noise in the background, it seems like the elementary school a few blocks from here is practicing their marching band. Hopefully it won't be too disruptive. First off, let's start with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebook versions of books in the Sevenfold Sword Series in my Payhip store, and that coupon code is SEVENBOOKS. And as always, the coupon code and the link to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes. This coupon code will be valid through October the 13th, 2025. If you need a new ebook for this fall, we have got you covered. Now let's have a progress update on my current writing projects. As of this recording, I am 83,000 words into Cloak of Worlds, which will be the 13th book in the Cloak Mage series. I'm thinking the book will end up about 110,000 words, so hopefully I will finish up the rough draft next week. We'll see how things go. I'm also 8,000 words into Blade of Shadows, which will be the sequel to Blade of Flames from last month, and that will be my main project once Cloak of Worlds is published (hopefully by the end of October, if all goes well). In audiobook news, I'm very pleased to report that recording and all the work is done on Ghost in the Siege (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) and we will actually close out this episode with a preview from that audiobook. It's currently up on my Payhip store and probably Google Play as of this recording, but it should be showing up on all the other stores before too much longer. 00:01:52 Generative AI Now onto our next topic, which is two very good articles about the problems of generative AI I read recently. The first (and I'll have the links to both articles in the show notes) is from Writer Beware, which talks about how generative AI is causing a new round of super targeted scammers. These scammers feed your book into the chatbot, which then generates a highly personalized email praising the book and offering marketing services. I got a ton of these scam emails after Stealth and Spells Online, Ghost in the Siege, and Blade of Flames came out in the past couple months and a bunch more after Malison: The Complete Series did well on BookBub at the end of August. So if you are a writer and you publish a book and a few days later or perhaps even the very same day, you get a very detailed email praising the book with very specific plot points and offering marketing services, beware, it's probably a scam that will give you no value whatsoever for your money. Journalist Edward Zitron wrote a great article explaining in extensive detail why generative AI is a bad idea that's probably going to cause a serious market crash in the next few years. I admit I started out with a mildly negative opinion of LLM based generative AI tools in 2022 and 2023, but I wanted my opinion to be an informed one. I've experimented with them on and off and read a good bit about them and as I've experimented with them, my opinion has moved from mildly negative to highly negative and finally arriving at completely anti-AI this year. I never used AI for any of my books, short stories, or cover images. I experimented a bit with using AI images for Facebook ads, but people generally hated them, so I stopped entirely with that. In fact, Facebook ads have become far less effective this year because of all the AI stuff Meta has crammed into them, but more on that later. So why did I arrive at a highly negative opinion of AI? It's because these tools do not actually do what their advocates promise, they're hideously expensive to run, and the enormous costs and downsides significantly outweigh any benefits. In addition to the problems mentioned in the Zitron article like cost, false promises, economic bubbles, and the companies blatantly lying about their capabilities, I think the fundamental difficulty with generative AI is that it's essentially a cognitive mirror for its users, like a Narcissus Machine like I've called it before. What do I mean by this? In Greek myth Narcissus was enraptured by the beauty of his own reflection. LLM based AI is essentially very fancy autocomplete, which means it guesses the most likely response to your prompt based on a statistical likelihood. In other words, it ends up mirroring your own thoughts back at you. So I think LLMs are highly prone to inducing an unconscious confirmation bias in the user. Confirmation bias is a logical fallacy where one interprets new information as confirming one's preexisting beliefs. It's healthier to reevaluate one's beliefs based on new information that comes in, but with confirmation bias, you warp any incoming information to fit a preexisting belief. For example, let's say you have the preexisting belief that you're immortal and nothing can kill you, and then you accidentally shoot yourself in the arm with a nail gun and you bleed. The correct interpretation of this is no, you are not in fact immortal and you can in fact die. Someone suffering under confirmation bias would say the fact that they accidentally shot themselves in the nail gun in the arm with a nail gun and didn't die is proof that they're immortal. That's obviously a logical fallacy, but you see why it's called a confirmation bias. I think even highly intelligent people using LLMS are prone to this kind of confirmation bias because the AI model settles on what is the most statistically likely response to the prompt, which means that consciously or not, you are guiding the LLM to give you the responses that please you. This is why you see on the tragically hilarious side, people who are convinced they've invented a new level of physics with the LLM or taught it to become self-aware or think that the LLM has fallen in love with them. And on the outright tragic side, people who have serious mental breakdowns or blow up their lives in destructive ways because of their interaction with the LLM. Grimly enough, I suppose the problem is going to sort itself out when the AI bubble crashes, whether in a few months or a few years. As one of the linked articles mentioned, AI companies have no clear path to profitability, save for chaining together infinite NVIDIA graphics cards and hoping they magically stumble into an artificial general intelligence or a super intelligence. They're not going to and it's all going to fall apart. The downside is that this is going to cause a lot of economic disruption when it crashes. I know I'm very negative about AI, but in the end I see hardly any good results or actual benefits from the technology. Lots of technology products are becoming worse from having AI stuffed into them (like Windows 11 and Microsoft Office) and what a few good results have come about will not last because the data centers are burning cash like there's no tomorrow. So again, you can see the links to these articles in the show notes and those are my thoughts on generative AI at the moment. 00:07:04 Writing Backstory for Characters [Note: Contains some mild spoilers for early books in the Frostborn, Half-Elven Thief, The Ghosts, and Cloak Games series] Now let's move on to a happier and frankly more interesting topic and that is writing backstory for characters. I will define it, talk about why backstory is important, give three tips about writing effective backstories, and share examples of good backstories from my own work and other media. First of all, what is a backstory? It's what happens to a character before the story begins or details of situation that happens before the story begins. Very often you'll have characters who have preexisting pasts before the story begins. It's very rare the story will begin when the main character is born and go from there. Even if that is the case, then some of the supporting characters obviously will have backstories. One example of a backstory could be a detective who had a twin sister who is kidnapped, which explains why he gets overly invested when a similar case happens. An example of a location's backstory would be knowing that a particular country was once part of another one and split off after revolution or war. That detail influences how people in that country currently treat people in the other nation. And you can see that a backstory is also an important component of world building as well, especially for fantasy and science fiction novels, though even novels set in in the contemporary world like mysteries and contemporary romance will often have backstories as well that require world building, because the location is very often fictional or will have fictional elements to it. Now, why is backstory important? For one thing, it makes a story feel more realistic and “lived in”, for lack of a better word. It's not realistic that absolutely nothing of interest happened to the protagonist before the story begins, or that nothing from their past would influence their current beliefs, behavior, and decisions. Backstory also gives characters clearer reasons for doing things. Returning to the earlier example of detective who had a younger sister who was kidnapped. What if the detective was a very procedural and by the book until a sudden similar case happened? Backstory can explain his unorthodox methods and willingness to solve the case at any cost. Backstory can also drive the plot in many ways. Continuing with the detective example, the detective's knowledge of his little sister's case leads him to find similar patterns in the new case and sends him on a search to prove that the cases are connected. As we can see from that, backstory is also a good way to set up plot hooks for later characters, such as we could have our detective here with his twin sister who disappeared in circumstances similar to his current case. It could be a fantasy hero who had previous battles with orcs and explains why he doesn't like seeing orcs. It could be a contemporary romance heroine who is reencountering her old flame, in which case the backstory would be central towards the plot, essentially. And now for three tips for writing backstory. First, it's important to not stop the plot to reveal backstory. Infodumping is generally something to be avoided when you are writing a novel. A little bit of it is unavoidable, but you want to avoid infodumping as much as possible and to reveal only as much information as necessary, partly because that creates a less cumbersome read for the reader and partly because that can also inspire a sense of mystery that sort of helps hook the reader and propels them forward into the story. It's also good to only reveal backstory that serves the plot or provides key information. For example, you could have in your detective's backstory that he went to high school and he was only a mediocre student and graduated with a GPA of 2.9 while doing well in athletics. Unless that's actually relevant to the story or has some significance to the plot, it's probably best to not include that. You can always tell when a writer has done a lot of research on a particular topic like firearms or travel or the history of a particular country because they are going to put that information in the book whether you want it or not. And if you're inventing an elaborate backstory for your character, it's best to avoid that impulse and only bring in details from the backstory as necessary. It's also important not to have the characters tell each other backstory that they would already know. For example, if you have two characters who've been married for 20 years, it would not be good to have them appear in dialogue as, “As you know, beloved wife, we have been married for 20 years this Tuesday.” It would be better if it's important to the plot to reveal that information like they're going out to a 20th anniversary party or their friends are throwing them a 20th anniversary party, that kind of thing, rather than having it come out in sort of a cumbersome conversation like that. Additionally, it's also important to only do as much backstory as necessary. For your main character, you may need a good deal of backstory or for the antagonist, but for supporting characters, it's less important to have a fully realized background. You need just enough so that they feel realistic and can contribute to the plot without overburdening the plot with too many details. Now, a few examples from my own books, mild spoilers here, nothing major but mild spoilers. I have written characters who have one key backstory element that influenced the plot. Ridmark Arban from Frostborn would be one and his major backstory point is that he was unable to save his wife Aelia from being killed five years before the story starts. Later on, there would be additional backstory that comes out for him in relation to his father and his brothers, but that is the main backstory point that defines his character for easily the first half of the series. Another example would be Morigna, whose parents were killed by the dvargir and then she was raised by a mysterious sorcerer who called himself the old man. And that is a major defining part of her character, that backstory that happened before we meet her in the narrative. I've also written characters with a lot of backstory, and the chief example of that would be Calliande from Frostborn as well, where she wakes up in the first book with no memory of her past and discovering what her backstory actually is a major driving force in the first eight books of the series. So that is a good example. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but that is a good example of using backstory as a mysterious narrative hook to pull the characters forward. Rivah from Half-Elven Thief is another character of mine who has a lot of backstory. In the backstory, she was raised in a noble household, her mother died, her father was about to sell her into slavery, so she fled into the streets and then she met Tobell and became part of his thieving crew. Tobell suffered a serious injury, and the thieving crew broke up and Rivah had to sort of strike out on her own while coming under debt to the procurator Marandis. So there is a lot of backstory there and all of it is important to Rivah's character and I think I've done my best to sort of feed that into the story as necessary to drive the plot rather than hopefully unloading it all in a massive infodump. And I have written characters with very little backstory, and the prime example of those would be Caina and Nadia. In Caina's series, the series starts when she's 11 years old and living with her parents and we develop Caina as she goes along and follow her she grows to adulthood and then increasing prominence in her world. With Nadia, the very first scene in the book is her first day of kindergarten pledging allegiance to the flag, the United States, and the High Queen of the Elves, which is the first indicator that Nadia's world, while very similar as to ours, is nonetheless very different. Like Caina, the book's narrative starts when Nadia is very young and then we see her develop along the course of the books. In a good example of backstory used well from another book would be Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, where Aragorn's backstory is extremely important because when the hobbits first meet him at The Prancing Pony in Bree, he's just this mysterious wanderer known as Strider. But later on, we learn that he's actually the last heir of Gondor and Arnor and the rightful king of Gondor. His desire to reclaim his heritage and fulfill the role destiny has prepared for him is a major part of his character and that actually grows organically out of his backstory. I'm not usually fond of prequels, but a good example of a prequel using backstory effectively would be the combination of the Andor TV show and the Rogue One movie, where they create this excellent backstory for the Star Wars movie [Episode IV]. They do it through good characterization so you can see all the motivations of the characters as they go about their various missions and errands. So hopefully that gives you a good look into the process of creating backstory and how best to use it for writing your own stories. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found this show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes of the show at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week. And now let's close out with a preview of the audiobook of Ghosts in the Siege, as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy [audiobook excerpt follows].    

Buy Chris' book here (available in paperback, Audible or ebook): https://shorturl.at/N6AbXThis week we continue to look at Aragorn. Let's take a look at his family and ancestors and their story. It's erm... Interesting.

What happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? And then both of those things meet Gimli? It's a question that the philosophers have debated for ages, and it was a question that was settled by JRR Tolkien in the chapter The Riders of Rohan, when Eomer meets Aragorn, and then Gimli steps in after something ticks him off.

It's time. I feel like it's that moment in Lion King when Simba ascends Pride Rock…I am FINALLY going to talk about how in one simple chapter…one of the shortest in the whole series so far…Aragorn became one of my favorite characters.

Herzlichst willkommen hier in der neuen Folge! Sauron ist komplett besiegt, aber was geht eigentlich im schönen Minas T? Das lernen wir, denn Eowyn und Faramir unterhalten sich viel und eventewell läuft da ja was! Irgendwann kommt Aragorn, Elessar, Telekom, Sohn von Arathorn, Waldläufer, neuer König, etc auch vorbei und die Party kann beginnen (und vielleicht auch noch ne Hochzeit?). Manu und Michel besprechen wie dies alles abläuft, freuen sich über die Königs-Zeremonie und machen Quatsch-Sachen. Ein paar Abschweifer kommen natürlich auch vor.Viel Spaß!

Join The Man of the West for an in-depth look at the original Elessar, and the two backstories of the one given to Aragorn.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alright. So this is the weirdest, but the absolute funniest moment in the entirety of the Fellowship of the Ring. And what might sound like the start to a really immature essay on the Aragorn son of Arathorn, the well endowed, is actually going to really be about the mastery of Tolkien's language…but give me a little bit of time to get there.

This week on Hope for the Caregiver, I opened the program by discussing my new Blaze Media article, Reckless Hate Cannot Win: Christ Has Already Broken It. The piece grew out of the grief and reflection surrounding Charlie Kirk's sudden death. Dana Perino's emotional appeal on Fox for a “circuit breaker” to the fury in our culture resonated deeply with me—but I reminded listeners that no human breaker exists. History shows reform, politics, and revolutions can only reset the current for a time. The real interruption came at the cross, where Christ absorbed the full voltage of human hatred and divine justice. I drew on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, where Aragorn responds to Theoden's dread of “reckless hate” with the charge, “Ride out and meet them.” Charlie Kirk did that in his generation, but even more so, Christ rode out from heaven to confront and conquer hate forever. Luther echoed this courage with “Here I stand, I can do no other.” The hymn he gave the church, A Mighty Fortress, still proclaims: “The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still.” That's where I called caregivers—and myself—to stand, not with bravado but with scars, anchored in Christ who rewires the entire system. Hate cannot win. From there, I introduced my audience to Carolyn Wheeler O'Byrne and her remarkable journey with her daughter, Daisy. Her story of motherly intuition, pushing past dismissive doctors, surviving terrifying nights in hospitals, and even sleeping in a van outside Vanderbilt, is a vivid picture of caregiver authority and sacrifice. Carolyn's testimony reminded us of the courage every caregiver must summon, often in the most isolating and exhausting circumstances. We closed with this week's hymn in our series, Hymns Every Caregiver Ought to Know: “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.” Written by John Fawcett in the 1700s after he chose to stay with a small country parish rather than leave for a prestigious London pulpit, the hymn captures the communion of saints—the bond of love that unites us in Christ. As caregivers, we are not laboring unseen or alone. We are part of that great invisible church, surrounded by a cloud of witnesses who cheer us on like fans welcoming home a walk-off home run. That tie binds us, sustains us, and reminds us: healthy caregivers make better caregivers.   Click Here to Get the new book - Today

Las Dos Torres, segundo volumen de El Señor de los Anillos de J.R.R. Tolkien, narra la disolución de la Comunidad y las múltiples sendas que siguen sus miembros. Aragorn, Legolas y Gimli persiguen a los orcos que capturaron a Merry y Pippin, quienes escapan y encuentran refugio en el bosque de Fangorn, bajo la protección de Bárbol y los ents. Frodo y Sam continúan hacia Mordor guiados por Gollum, en un camino lleno de sospechas y trampas. Paralelamente, Rohan resiste el asedio de Saruman en el Abismo de Helm. La novela entrelaza destinos, mostrando alianzas y traiciones decisivas para la guerra. ⚠️ Si este programa te ha gustado: comenta, dale a me gusta, compártelo. Ayúdanos a llegar a más gente 🙂 Estas son nuestras redes y puntos de apoyo: ☄ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vuelodelcometa ☄ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/vuelodelcometa ☄ Telegram: https://t.me/vuelodelcometacomunidad ☄ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vuelodelcometa ☄ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vuelodelcometa ☄ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vuelodelcometa ☄ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@vuelodelcometa ☄ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vuelodelcometa.bsky.social ☄ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vuelodelcometa ☄ Web: alvaroaparicio.net Si quieres apoyar este y otros proyectos relacionados, puedes acudir a https://www.patreon.com/vuelodelcometa o a través del sistema de mecenazgo en iVoox. Y si quieres contactar con nosotros para una promoción, no dudes en ponerte en contacto a través de: vuelodelcometapodcast@gmail.com Arte de John Howe.

In this mini episode Rich goes through some feedback we had on the episode Rich vs Aragorn - can the debate finally be settled?

Las Dos Torres, segundo volumen de El Señor de los Anillos de J.R.R. Tolkien, narra la disolución de la Comunidad y las múltiples sendas que siguen sus miembros. Aragorn, Legolas y Gimli persiguen a los orcos que capturaron a Merry y Pippin, quienes escapan y encuentran refugio en el bosque de Fangorn, bajo la protección de Bárbol y los ents. Frodo y Sam continúan hacia Mordor guiados por Gollum, en un camino lleno de sospechas y trampas. Paralelamente, Rohan resiste el asedio de Saruman en el Abismo de Helm. La novela entrelaza destinos, mostrando alianzas y traiciones decisivas para la guerra. ⚠️ Si este programa te ha gustado: comenta, dale a me gusta, compártelo. Ayúdanos a llegar a más gente 🙂 Estas son nuestras redes y puntos de apoyo: ☄ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vuelodelcometa ☄ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/vuelodelcometa ☄ Telegram: https://t.me/vuelodelcometacomunidad ☄ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vuelodelcometa ☄ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vuelodelcometa ☄ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Vuelodelcometa ☄ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@vuelodelcometa ☄ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vuelodelcometa.bsky.social ☄ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vuelodelcometa ☄ Web: alvaroaparicio.net Si quieres apoyar este y otros proyectos relacionados, puedes acudir a https://www.patreon.com/vuelodelcometa o a través del sistema de mecenazgo en iVoox. Y si quieres contactar con nosotros para una promoción, no dudes en ponerte en contacto a través de: vuelodelcometapodcast@gmail.com Arte de John Howe. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

ACOFAE Podcast Presents: Lord of the Rings: A broad discussion with friend of show Gene! ACOFAE welcomes friend of show Gene for a broad discussion about the world of The Lord of the Rings, specifically the animated Hobbit film and Peter Jackson's first movie; Fellowship of the Ring. A wide-ranging discussion that starts with the lack of women in the series and ends with a pitch for Jessica Marie to sit down and watch Two Towers for reasons, ACOFAE and Gene delight in the details. Though he insists that he is not an expert, friend of show Gene is ACOFAE's expert and he shows it with deep lore drops about music,Tolkien's life, and a love of a specific character that did NOT make it into any of the adaptations that ACOFAE are familiar with! Join Laura Marie, Jessica Marie, and Gene as they broadly discuss Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, and the journey they take with the One Ring, and how that little piece of jewelry is big enough to shape the world. "Let's not bring up the Eagles" Spoilers: The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings Mentions: Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Craft, Avengers, Kingdom of Ash, Lord of the Rings: The Twin Towers TW / CW: none to our awareness For additional TW/CW information for your future reads, head to this site for more: https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ *Thank you for listening to us! Please subscribe and leave a 5 star review and follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/acofaepodcast/) at @ACOFAEpodcast and on our TikToks! TikTok: ACOFAELaura : Laura Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura?) ( https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaelaura) ACOFAEJessica : Jessica Marie (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica?) (https://www.tiktok.com/@acofaejessica)

Sinfonautas 94 Mr. Fastfinger (Mikka Tyskka), Aragorn, Quintorigo, John De Leo & Jazzabilly Lovers, Vylet Pony, Messa Capítulo que se publica el 10 de septiembre de 2025 solo para mecenas que apoyan el proyecto. Será liberado el día 15. ¡Gracias a todos por vuestro apoyo! https://go.ivoox.com/sq/1317188 Sinopsis: Los tripulantes de la Sinfoprise German, Ángel, Alex, Aitor, Pedro y como extra en este programa Patricia nos hablan de interesantes trabajos en este nuevo programa de Los Sinfonautas. También se emprende la búsqueda con preocupación del desaparecido Almirante Mora. Contamos como siempre con la fantástica producción de Germán Fafián y los procesos informáticos de la IA Pichu. Busca tu programa y/o reproductor preferido en https://linktr.ee/sinfonautas Podéis mandar un mensaje de voz al WhatsApp : (+34) 611605973. Tu mensaje se reproducirá en un programa posterior. Etiquetas: #Sinfonautas94 # MrFastfinger #MikkaTyskka #Aragorn #Quintorigo #JohnDeLeo #JazzabillyLovers #VyletPony #Messa #Axiom9 #thecircleproject #Sinfonautas #Sinfonautaspodcasteclectico #Sinfonautaspodcast #progcirclefacebook

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is filled with grand figures: mighty wizards like Gandalf whose wisdom and knowledge of Middle Earth is utterly priceless and vital for the fellowship, noble kings like Aragorn, who in the movies is more reluctant to take that role, but in the books, is ready to become king, and ancient evils like the evil of Saruman, where he makes a Ring himself and seems to lose all sanity for his actual purpose.

We're excited to be in Serbia

Aragorn has strong words for Háma, as The Man of the West continues his look at Third Age artifacts with a study of Andúril, née Narsil, and the Ring of Barahir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buy Chris' book here (available in paperback, Audible or ebook): https://shorturl.at/N6AbXThis week we kick off our new big series. It's the man, the myth, the legend, Aragorn II.An incredible deep dive into the names and titles of this man, including Chris and Becca upset at losing 35 minutes of audio that was some of the best that's never been recorded.

To traverse the landscape, learn to read the signs and signals. The landscape, in this case, is the city, and the signs and signals are the various things you hear and smell in the city. Especially the things you smell. And basically all of them are bad.

Hobbits are curious creatures. Simple taste, a love of “good tilled earth” and yet surprisingly courageous. And according to Dr. Christopher Snyder, they might hold the key to living the good life.This week, I had a delightful conversation with Dr. Snyder, medieval historian, Tolkien scholar, and author of Hobbit Virtues: Rediscovering Virtue Ethics Through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.Chris's work as an academic intersects history, philosophy, and storytelling and even has taken him to the hallowed halls of Oxford University - Tolkien's alma mater.A few highlights from our conversation:Why Hobbit Virtues?Chris began writing this book in the aftermath of the 2016 election, during a time of cultural division. His thesis: virtue ethics can cut through polarization.By focusing on virtues like courage, humility, sacrifice, and friendship, we can find common ground. Chris argues Tolkien's writings are full of timeless virtues embodied in hobbits, elves, and men.Fellowship as a VirtueFriendship is something of a hot topic right now at Geeky Stoics. Chris didn't shy away from the controversy, arguing:* Tolkien modeled his Fellowship of the Ring partly on the Arthurian Round Table and partly on his own experiences at Oxford, where “fellowship” literally meant scholars eating, drinking, and learning together.* Unlike utilitarian philosophy (the greatest good for the greatest number), Tolkien's heroes make personal, sometimes costly, choices rooted in courage. Aragorn choosing to save Merry and Pippin instead of chasing Frodo isn't “efficient,” but it's the right thing to do.* Chris ties this back to our modern loneliness crisis. Where Aristotle emphasized the polis (the city), Tolkien and Lewis remind us that the quality of our friendships and fellowships challenge us to be our best selves.Heroism: The Anglo-Pagan and Christian EthicAnother fascinating insight: Tolkien blended ancient pagan heroic traditions with Christian ethics.* The “barbarian ethos” of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons valued courage even when hope was lost.* Christianity introduced something radical: hope not reserved for emperors or warriors, but for the meek, the humble, and the forgotten.* Tolkien fused these in his hobbits: ordinary folk who, precisely because of their humility, are capable of great virtue.As Chris put it, when Aragorn bows before the hobbits at his coronation, that's Peter Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien's ideal of kingship - ensuring Frodo and company “bow to no one.”So What?At Geeky Stoics, we've often said that pop culture stories are modern myths, our entry point for Western philosophy. Chris reminds us that this wasn't accidental. Tolkien (like Lewis, like Lucas) used storytelling as a vessel for telling a greater truth.We remember Qui-Gon's line, “Your focus determines your reality” more than reading a philosophy textbook; we remember Sam carrying Frodo, or Obi-Wan telling Anakin, “You were my brother.”Stories shape our moral imagination.I'll end this where Chris began our conversation:“The elucidation of truth, and the encouragement of good morals in this real world, by the ancient device of exemplifying them in unfamiliar embodiments, that may tend to ‘bring them home.”-J.R.R. TolkienMTFBWY, -Riley This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.geekystoics.com/subscribe

I explore the character of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings as a model of virtuous masculinity. I break down how he embodies the protector, the healer, and the humble king, and what that means for us as men today. Aragorn shows us how strength and gentleness, ambition and humility, can coexist—and why the world needs more of that balance right now.SHOW HIGHLIGHTS00:00 – Introduction00:27 – The hands of the king03:13 – The protector king06:22 – The humility of power08:24 – Strength with purpose11:11 – Brotherhood and bonds13:39 – Magnanimity and greatness16:55 – Humility at the Black Gate18:26 – Strong and gentle19:23 – Redefining greatness22:04 – Closing thoughts***Tired of feeling like you're never enough? Build your self-worth with help from this free guide: https://training.mantalks.com/self-worthPick up my book, Men's Work: A Practical Guide To Face Your Darkness, End Self-Sabotage, And Find Freedom: https://mantalks.com/mens-work-book/Heard about attachment but don't know where to start? Try the FREE Ultimate Guide To AttachmentCheck out some other free resources: How To Quit Porn | Anger Meditation | How To Lead In Your RelationshipBuild brotherhood with a powerful group of like-minded men from around the world. Check out The Alliance. Enjoy the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Podchaser. It helps us get into the ears of new listeners, expand the ManTalks Community, and help others find the tools and training they're looking for. And don't forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyFor more, visit us at ManTalks.com | Facebook | Instagram

Hola Gerardo aquí en otro episodio de Simplemente Yo; La selección de esta semana es The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, es una película épica de aventuras y fantasía de 2003 dirigida por Peter Jackson a partir de un guion que escribió junto a Fran Walsh y Philippa Boyens. Está basada en El Retorno del Rey (1955), el tercer volumen de la novela El Señor de los Anillos de J. R. R. Tolkien. En este episodio de Filmic Notion, el host profundiza en la creación de The Return of the King. Exploramos cómo Peter Jackson capturó el épico final de la trilogía de Tolkien, centrándose en los intrincados diseños, los efectos especiales innovadores y la carga emocional que transmite la película. Los oyentes aprenden sobre los desafíos y los triunfos de filmar en Nueva Zelanda y la dedicación que implicó dar vida a personajes como Frodo, Sam y Gollum. Los presentadores también hablan sobre el rotundo éxito de la película en los Óscar, consolidando su legado en la historia del cine.   Plot: Gandalf y Aragorn lideran el Mundo de los Hombres contra el ejército de Sauron para desviar su mirada de Frodo y Sam mientras se acercan al Monte del Destino con el Anillo Único.   Espero que lo disfruten ;) Información adicional del podcast: Enlace del website official de Filmic Notion Podcast: https://filmicnotionpod.com/ Enlace a nuestra página de Letterboxd: https://boxd.it/446nl  

In The Lord of the Rings film adaptation, the fellowship is very unbalanced. It's essentially Aragorn doing all the work, and Sam is the real hero, but I have to say, as I am reading through Lord of the Rings for the first time, I am astounded at the beauty of the fellowship and how they rely on each other. It is VASTLY different from the book compared to the movie, and I want to talk about two examples where that is the case.

Gandalf ist wieder da! Und im Gegensatz zu Jens lobt er Aragorn für seine tollen Entscheidungen. Jens fragt ihr? Ja Jens. Vom roten Buch. Hört da unbedingt mal rein. Aber erst nachdem ihr unserer Besprechung des Kapitels gelauscht habt. Viel Spaß!Falls ihr mitlesen wollt, kriegt ihr das Buch HIER über unsere Affiliate LinkWir sind jetzt bei CampfireFM https://www.joincampfire.fm/api/download-appKomm in die Gruppe! Hier gehts zu unserem WhatsappKanalhttps://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VabF6h3H5JM0EN0DwU0XTolkühnes Merch!https://shop.spreadshirt.at/tollkuehn-podcast/Instagram @tollkuehn_podcastSchaut auf unserem Discord Server vorbei:https://discord.gg/hobbithoehleFalls du uns über Steady unterstützen willst:https://steadyhq.com/de/tollkuehn-podcasthttps://ko-fi.com/tollkuehn Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many deck ideas have you drafted, but never got around to putting into sleeves? Kyle and Andy take a dive into a few brews from times of yore that they tinkered with but never got around to collecting the cards, sleeving up, and bringing to a table. We explore whether we thought ideas would work, or if we were capable, or if we thought the group would respond well to the deck. And we disabuse each other of some perhaps unfounded reasons for not building these brews. (00:00:00) - Introduction (00:03:15) - Why Might One Leave It as an Idea? (00:17:40) - Andy's Extus, Oriq Overlord//Awaken the Blood Avatar (00:29:00) - Kyle's Jadzi, Oracle of Arcavios//Journey to the Oracle (00:38:50) - Andy's Octavia, Living Thesis (00:50:10) - Kyle's Livaan, Cultist of Tiamat + Cultist of the Absolute (01:01:50) - Attempts at Thematic Decks (01:13:45) - Andy's Saruman, the White Hand (01:19:10) - Somebody Shit On Brad's Bed (01:30:50) - Kyle's Aragorn, the Uniter (01:41:18) - Andy's Red Death, Shipwrecker (01:53:45) - Kyle's Jaheira, Friend of the Forest + Street Urchin (02:00:05) - What Did We Learn? Look for links to deck lists on our lists-from-the-pod channel on Discord. ------------------- ------------------- Music this episode comes courtesy of Makeup and Vanity Set –  

Do you remember Aragorn's famous quote in The Lord Of The Rings? "There is always hope!" Then there's another quote by the great soccer player, Pele. "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." Hope and hard work are guideposts that keep you on a good path. The first quote provides a picture of avoiding despair - when there is still hope. The second is a realistic picture of what hard work looks like. Now - let's tear into hope and hard work. Read More ... For more resources and tools that inspire and equip you to live well using God's Word in practical ways each day, visit the Alive and Active Life website.

A king and a ranger. A fighter and a poet. Aragorn is a perfect example of how being a dichotomy of stereotypes can make you one of the most valuable people to ever live.You don't have to accept that to be one thing means you can't be another. You can fight trolls and write songs.You can lift heavy weights and be a chefYou can have a kind soul and be a fierce fighter.Let's learn how we can shed cultural expectations to become the most well-rounded versions of ourselves by taking cues from Aragorn, the Elfstone, King Elessar, Chieftan of the Dunedain.BECOMING GANDALF available now on BTMC Protagonist Edition.Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to take you even deeper into the story with more scenes, more lessons, and more of everything that makes the show what it is, as well as access to all of the Character Analysis episodes. Sign up link below: Get BTMC: PROTAGONIST EDITION: ⁠⁠⁠https://becomingmain.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠--GET THE FREE NEWSLETTER: "THE SCHOOL OF PROTAGONISM"Substack: https://substack.com/@schoolofprotagonismFOLLOW BTMC FOR MORE GREAT CONTENT:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/becomingmain⁠⁠⁠

Captain America assembles the Avengers. Iron Man battles Thanos. Luke Skywalker duels Darth Vader. Aragorn charges Mordor. Batman confronts the Joker. Superman destroys Doomsday. Wonder Woman defeats Ares. We are captivated. Why? We are entranced by stories that take us to a world where heroes fight evil and sacrifice themselves for the greater good because we long for our world to be free from pain, suffering, and struggle. Dr Frank Turek will walk us through this Marvel - less conversation!Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join The Man of the West for a whirlwind walk through nine names of the chief protagonist (I can't say ‘hero') of the tragic story of Túrin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Captain America assembles the Avengers. Iron Man battles Thanos. Luke Skywalker duels Darth Vader. Aragorn charges Mordor. Batman confronts the Joker. Superman destroys Doomsday. Wonder Woman defeats Ares. We are captivated. Why? We are entranced by stories that take us to a world where heroes fight evil and sacrifice themselves for the greater good because we long for our world to be free from pain, suffering, and struggle. Dr Frank Turek will walk us through this Marvel - less conversation!Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I am reading Lord of the Rings for the first time and I am on the Fellowship of the Ring where we FIRST get introduced to Strider. And as soon as I finished that chapter I was a bit shocked and actually had to reread it. Because the whole chapter was confusing to me with how Aragorn was acting.

In the Lord of the Rings community, there has always been this funny rumor that Nicholas Cage was offered the role of Aragorn, and had to refuse. And luckily we got Viggo Mortensen and the rest is History.

Reposted from Still Slaying: A Buffy-verse podcast which you can find at https://podcastica.com/podcast/still-slaying-a-buffy-verse-podcast“Over bickering and confusion, I'll take pie.” The Slay Squad returns from hiatus with a double episode - Sam, Kara and Penny dig into this pair of episodes that each address the cultural clashes in very different contexts.  The trio digress for some tangents as usual, like parental advice not to take drugs from a stranger, boring dates, general appreciation for the men of Angel, Rachel Dolezal, vampire eyesight, Aragorn, symbolic cannibalism, patriarchy (as always), Dickensian orphanhood, vampire senses, the criminal justice system, voir dire, The Village People, and JRR Tolkien. Next time, we'll be covering Angel, Season 1, Episode 8, “I Will Remember You.”Keep Slaying!News Links/Referenced LinksOriginal Trailers/WB Promos: “The Bachelor Party” and “Pangs”Female Body | farideh | stream wherever you like to listen to music #womenshealth #comedy - YouTubeMissing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) - Native HopeNational Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women May 5th Actions Calling for Justice! | NIWRC5 Films and TV Series Associated with MMIWG2S+Wind River (film) - Wikipedia—----------------------------------------Viewing OrderBuffy 4x01 - The Freshman Angel 1x01 - City of...Buffy 4x02 - Living ConditionsAngel 1x02 - Lonely HeartsBuffy 4x03 - The Harsh Light Of DayAngel 1x03 - In the DarkAngel 1x04 - I Fall to PiecesBuffy 4x04 - Fear ItselfBuffy 4x05 - Beer BadAngel 1x05 - Rm w/a VuAngel 1x06 - Sense and SensitivityBuffy 4x06 - Wild at HeartBuffy 4x07 - The InitiativeAngel 1x07 - The Bachelor PartyBuffy 4x08 - PangsAngel 1x08 - I Will Remember YouAngel 1x09 - HeroAngel 1x10 - Parting GiftsBuffy 4x09 - Something BlueBuffy 4x10 - HushBuffy 4x11 - DoomedAngel 1x11 - SomnambulistAngel 1x12 - ExpectingAngel 1x13 - SheBuffy 4x12 - A New ManBuffy 4x13 - The I In TeamBuffy 4x14 - Goodbye IowaAngel 1x14 - I've Got You Under My SkinAngel 1x15 - The ProdigalBuffy 4x15 - This Year's Girl (1/2)Buffy 4x16 - Who Are You? (2/2)Buffy 4x17 - SuperstarAngel 1x16 - The RingAngel 1x17 - EternityBuffy 4x18 - Where the Wild Things AreBuffy 4x19 - New Moon RisingAngel 1x18 - Five by Five (1/2)Angel 1x19 - Sanctuary (2/2)Buffy 4x20 - The Yoko Factor (1/2)Buffy 4x21 - Primeval (2/2)Buffy 4x22 - RestlessAngel 1x20 - War ZoneAngel 1x21 - Blind DateAngel 1x22 - To Shanshu in LAJoin the conversation! You can email or send a voice message to stillslayingfeedback@gmail.com, or join us at facebook.com/groups/podcastica and Still Slaying A Buffy-verse Podcast where we put up comment posts for each episode we cover. Follow us on Instagram Still Slaying: a Buffyverse Podcast from Podcastica Network (@stillslayingcast) • Instagram photos and videosJoin the Zedhead community - https://www.patreon.com/jasoncabassiTheme Music:℗ CC-BY 2020 Quesbe | Lucie G. MorillonGoopsy | Drum and Bass | Free CC-BY Music By Quesbe is licensed under a Creative Commons License.Tags#buffythevampireslayer #btvs #buffy #buffyverse #buffyfans #vampires #tv #nostalgia #the90s #nerds #nerdy #spuffy #thebronze #stillslaying #stillslayingpodcast #stillslayingcast #podcast #podcastica #angel #angelus #recap #newepisode #favorite #slayer #vampireslayer #buffyseason4 #sunnydale #hellmouth #TheWB  #tvpromo #smashthepatriarchy #femisim #patriarchy #sarahmichellegellar #anthonystewarthead   #alysonhannigan #nicolasbrendanAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What is fortitude—and why does it matter in literature and life? In this episode, the we explore the virtue of fortitude through the lens of beloved characters like Jane Eyre, Bilbo Baggins, Aragorn, and Hester Prynne. From the quiet strength of the hobbits to the moral resolve of Jane Eyre, we unpack how true fortitude blends courage, patience, endurance, and moral integrity. If you've ever wondered what makes a character truly heroic, or how virtue is taught through great books, this episode is for you.   Want to read the books we discussed?   Explore moral courage with the Jane Eyre Set (9th Grade): https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/literature-and-poetry/ninth/jane-eyre-set/?utm_source=PodBean&utm_medium=CETC&utm_campaign=172   Discover quiet strength in the The Hobbit Set (6th Grade): https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/literature-and-poetry/sixth/the-hobbit-set/?utm_source=PodBean&utm_medium=CETC&utm_campaign=172   Witness unwavering strength in the face of shame and suffering in the The Scarlet Letter Set (9th Grade): https://www.memoriapress.com/curriculum/literature-and-poetry/ninth/scarlet-letter-set/?utm_source=PodBean&utm_medium=CETC&utm_campaign=172

Chapter 7 - Helm's DeepQ1 - Who is your favorite character so far in the whole story?Q2 - Can you guys help me walk through this whole chapter?They turned and ran. At that moment some dozen Orcs that had lain motionless among the slain leaped to their feet, and came silently and swiftly behind. Two flung themselves to the ground at Eomer's ´ heels, tripped him, and in a moment they were on top of him. But a small dark figure that none had observed sprang out of the shadows and gave a hoarse shout: Baruk Khazaˆd! Khazaˆd ai-meˆnu! An axe swung and swept back. Two Orcs fell headless. The rest fled. Eomer ´ struggled to his feet, even as Aragorn ran back to his aid.Q3 - What do you think of the whole battle?Q4 - What do you think about Aragorn poking his head out and treating with the Orcs?There suddenly upon a ridge appeared a rider, clad in white, shining in the rising sun. Over the low hills the horns were sounding. Behind him, hastening down the long slopes, were a thousand men on foot; their swords were in their hands. Amid them strode a man tall and strong. His shield was red. As he came to the valley's brink, he set to his lips a great black horn and blew a ringing blast.Q4 - Thoughts on ErkenbrandQ5 - Thoughts on the changes of this chapter from book to movie?Chapter 8 -The Road to IsenguardQ1 - What do you think of the hillmen and men of Dunland?In the midst of the field before the Hornburg two mounds were raised, and beneath them were laid all the Riders of the Mark who fell in the defence, those of the East Dales upon one side, and those of Westfold upon the other. But the men of Dunland were set apart in a mound below the Dike. In a grave alone under the shadow of the Hornburg lay Ha´ma, captain of the King's guard. He fell before the Gate.Q2 - What do you think of Hama dying?Q3 - Has the forest moved? A mist gathered about them. Above them a few stars still glimmered faintly; but on either side there arose walls of impenetrable gloom; they were in a narrow lane between moving towers of shadow. Voices they heard, whisperings and groanings and an endless rustling sigh; the earth shook under them. Long it seemed to them that they sat and were afraid; but at last the darkness and the rumour passed, and vanished between the mountain's arms.Q4 - Are these Ents?Q5 - What do you think or Orthanc?

Episode 94: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Our long journey through Middle-earth reaches its end as the gang takes on the towering finale of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Return of the King. Craig lights the beacons with Producer's Notes (8:03), rallying the realm for the final leg of our quest. Alain draws his sword for the Beauclair Synopsis (20:22), charting the last stand against darkness with Aragorn's path to the throne and Frodo's climb toward Mount Doom. Chris raises the light of Eärendil in Philosopher's Corner (47:28), exploring the steadfast, selfless resolve of Aragorn, whose enduring hope inspires unity and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. The Black Gate then opens for a hearty discussion at The Round Table (1:00:16), before Reviews (1:54:04) and Mailbag (2:05:41) make the final climb in this epic and enduring saga. As always, we reflect on the philosophical and non-philosophical burdens carried along the film's long road—because even at the end of all things, there's still light to be found.

Det Peter Viggo'ske dødkys til verdenskrigene, et forretningsmøde med de spidseste designere i Japan, skik følge eller land fly på tynde, kolde fadøl, og fadøls-Pete er tilbage, I Japan Går Det Godt venter forude, ‘Kaptajnen anbefaler en half'n-half på vinen – for det ligner rosé, but tastes better', Aragorn kommer med toget og taler spansk, Lars mødes og løser konflikten om Grønland, PET skal be' om mere masseovervågning, ‘mere overvågning giver mere frihed', der er længere til Luke Skywalker end til Vatikanet, #ugensfilm er tilbage, ‘Wry Donald-San'? Den tyske indenrigsefterretningstjeneste på Hezbollah-listen, dansk rullegræs i Forbundsdagen, jammerlige puff bars over det hele, Jeff Bezos-pizzaen i det dyreste område, sort bælte i Tokyo, og stryg ind og kør noget merch og Munden på kattecafe. Få 30 dages gratis prøveperiode (kan kun benyttes af nye Podimo-abonnenter)- http://podimo.dk/hgdg (99 kroner herefter)Værter: Esben Bjerre & Peter Falktoft Redigering: PodAmokKlip: PodAmokMusik: Her Går Det GodtInstagram: @hergaardetgodt @Peterfalktoft @Esbenbjerre

On monarchy, through the lens of Aragorn as king.

We're setting out from the Shire, but this train won't stop until Mordor!Join me as we dive into all the moments of Frodo being brave in the face of his fears, Sam being loyal to a fault, and Aragorn, well...being Aragorn!This episode marks the one-year mark of BTMC and I'm celebrating by dropping the longest and most epic episode I've ever made so far.

Chapter 1 - The Departure of BoromirHe turned from the North back again to North, and saw nothing save the distant hills, unless it were that far away he could see again a great bird like an eagle high in the air, descending slowly in wide circles down towards the earth.Q1 - What, if any, symbolism is there with the Eagles?Q2 - Why does Aragorn always shout Elendil?‘Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed.' ‘No!' said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. ‘You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!' Boromir smiled. ‘Which way did they go? Was Frodo there?' said Aragorn. But Boromir did not speak again.Q3 - What do you think about Boromir's passing?Q4 - Is Aragorn making the right decision?Chapter 2 - The Riders of Rohan‘I think that the enemy brought his own enemy with him,' answered Aragorn. ‘These are Northern Orcs from far away. Among the slain are none of the great Orcs with the strange badges. There was a quarrel, I guess: it is no uncommon thing with these foul folk. Maybe there was some dispute about the road.'Q1 - What do you think their quarrel was about?Q2 - These chapters keep mentioning this West Wind for Gondor…what is that about?Q3 - How tense was this chapter with the chase…Q4 - What is the deal with Saruman poisoning the land or their journey?Gimli rose and planted his feet firmly apart: his hand gripped the handle of his axe, and his dark eyes flashed. ‘Give me your name, horse-master, and I will give you mine, and more besides,' he said. ‘As for that,' said the Rider, staring down at the Dwarf, ‘the stranger should declare himself first. Yet I am named E´omer son of E´omund, and am called the Third Marshal of Riddermark.' ‘Then E´omer son of E´omund, Third Marshal of Riddermark, let Gimli the Dwarf Glo´in's son warn you against foolish words. You speak evil of that which is fair beyond the reach of your thought, and only little wit can excuse you.' E´omer's eyes blazed, and the Men of Rohan murmured angrily, and closed in, advancing their spears. ‘I would cut off your head, beard and all, Master Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground,' said E´omer. ‘He stands not alone,' said Legolas, bending his bow and fitting an arrow with hands that moved quicker than sight. ‘You would die before your stroke fell.'Q5 - Don't insult Galadriel around Gimli.‘Halflings!' laughed the Rider that stood beside E´omer. ‘Halflings! But they are only a little people in old songs and children's tales out of the North. Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?'Q6 - What do you think of Eomer and his disbelief that Hobbits are real? Some years ago the Lord of the Black Land wished to purchase horses of us at great price, but we refused him, for he puts beasts to evil use. Then he sent plundering Orcs, and they carry off what they can, choosing always the black horses: few of these are now left. For that reason our feud with the Orcs is bitter.Q7 - So the men of Rohan, have NOT been selling horses to Sauron?Chapter 3 - The Uruk-HaiHe cut the thongs round Pippin's legs and ankles, picked him up by his hair and stood him on his feet. Pippin fell down, and Uglu´k dragged him up by his hair again. Several Orcs laughed. Uglu´k thrust a flask between his teeth and poured some burning liquid down his throat: he felt a hot fierce glow flow through him. The pain in his legs and ankles vanished. He could stand.Q1 - What is this stuff?When he had forced a drink from his flask down the hobbit's throat, cut his leg-bonds, and dragged him to his feet, Merry stood up, looking pale but grim and defiant, and very much alive. The gash in his forehead gave him no more trouble, but he bore a brown scar to the end of his days. ‘Hullo, Pippin!' he said. ‘So you've come on this little expedition, too? Where do we get bed and breakfast?'Q2 - Is Merry going crazy or is he just making Pippen laugh?Q3 - There's an arrow that hits Grishnuk that is guided by fate, the book suggests…what role does fate play in the story so far?

After a long reign as King, Aragorn finally takes his rest, and a great beauty was revealed in him; after a season of the PPP, Alan takes a week off, and… well, the comparison ends there. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan for an unexpected episode as we conclude the now three-part discussion of The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen from Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings. Arwen tries to convince Aragorn to wait (if you leave me now, you'll take away the very heart of me); Aragorn speaks no comfort to her, but offers hope; and Arwen's death is even more tragic than at first glance. Alan and Sara ask why Elrond didn't stick around a bit longer, think through what “the Elder Days” means now, and accuse Ar-Pharazôn of dining and dashing. Also, Alan asks Sara about The War of the Rohirrim. This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PONY and get on your way to being your best self! Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code PONY at ShopMando.com! #mandopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years away doing errantry, Aragorn returns to Rivendell, looking like an Elf-lord. After a week away doing a few errands, Alan returns to the Common Room, looking much the same. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan for the second of three episodes on The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen from Appendix A of The Lord Of the Rings. Aragorn just couldn't stand to be kept away, Arwen renounces the Twilight, and Elrond sets the highest of bars. Alan and Sara discuss the importance of choice, renounce Twilight too, and advise you to get betrothed for the job you want, not the job you have. Also, Alan feels a pressing need to change his nickname. This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PONY and get on your way to being your best self! Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code PONY at ShopMando.com! #mandopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join The Man of the West for an attempt at Old English as he looks at Aragorn's Lament for the Rohirrim, the classic ubi sunt, and reads Tolkien's own words about ‘the ineluctable ending' of all good things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gilraen's mom and dad have differing opinions on whether she should marry Arathorn; Alan and Sara just have differing opinions. Join The Man of the West and The Shieldmaiden of Rohan as we begin a two-part series — which rapidly becomes three parts — on The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen as the PPP returns to Appendix A in The Lord Of the Rings. Aragorn strays into a dream and discovers she's the meaning in his life, she's the inspiration; Elrond seems to learn a lesson from Thingol's error; and Aragorn has some errantry to run. Alan and Sara wonder what song Aragorn was singing, speculate about Aragorn's teenage angst, and decide that Aragorn's journeys must have taken him at least 500 miles from Arwen's door. Also, Sara's retirement dreams: bon-bons in the Hall of Fire. This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PONY and get on your way to being your best self! Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that's over 40% off) with promo code PONY at ShopMando.com! #mandopod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Needs to Act Like Lincoln and Defy Judicial Authority. John Zmirak and Eric Metaxas. The Eric Metaxas Show John Zmirak  Feb 12 2025   Other Episodes Trump needs to Act Like Lincoln and Defy Judicial Authority When Necessary. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  John Zmirak makes his weekly appearance and covers current events and shares recent articles available at-   https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/ Watch Eric Metaxas on Rumble-  https://rumble.com/c/TheEricMetaxasRadioShow  The Eric Metaxas Show- https://metaxastalk.com/podcasts/ Eric Metaxas Show on Apple Podcasts-    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-eric-metaxas-show/id991156680 Check out- Socrates in the City   Find All of John Zmirak Articles at- https://stream.org/author/johnzmirak/ John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or co-author of ten books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. He is co-author with Jason Jones of “God, Guns, & the Government.”   John Zmirak's new book: No Second Amendment, No First  by John Zmirak  Available March 19, 2024 Today's Left endlessly preaches the evils of “gun violence." It is a message increasingly echoed from the nation's pulpits, presented as common-sense decency and virtue. Calls for “radical non-violence” are routinely endowed with the imprimatur of religious doctrine.   But what if such teachings were misguided, even damaging? What if the potential of a citizenry to exercise force against violent criminals and tyrannical governments is not just compatible with church teaching, but flows from the very heart of Biblical faith and reason? What if the freedoms we treasure are intimately tied to the power to resist violent coercion?  This is the long-overdue case John Zmirak makes with stunning clarity and conviction in No Second Amendment, No First. A Yale-educated journalist and former college professor, Zmirak shows how the right of self-defense against authoritarian government was affirmed in both the Old and New Testaments, is implied in Natural Law, and has been part of Church tradition over the centuries.   Zmirak further shows how today's mounting threats to the gun rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment are inexorably linked to the   Article from John Zmirak.  Elon and His Team Inside the Deep State Are Frodo and Sam in Mordor By John Zmirak Published on February 12, 2025 John Zmirak The more we see our country's ruling elites in action, using unelected judges to twist the Constitution and deprive our elected president of his legitimate authority, the more crucial it is for us to embrace a paradigm shift. We must change how we see our government and the system we now live under — radically. Perhaps because for the past three Mondays I've been viewing the extended, almost four-hour versions of Peter Jackson's masterful The Lord of Rings trilogy, I can't help viewing the paradigm shift we need in Tolkien's mythic terms. Put bluntly, we don't live in Gondor under the flawed steward Denethor anymore, as we did in past decades. Or even in Rohan, with King Theoden bewitched by his evil advisor Wormtongue (and behind him the wizard Saruman). We live in Mordor. Yes, it's a place where elves and the Men of the West have just scored a rare, if incomplete victory. But the war is far from over. The rulers of Mordor weaponized the COVID panic to impose a public health dictatorship, lock us in our homes, close our churches, censor our media, force untested vaccines into our arms, kill our seniors by dumping virus patients in nursing homes, then incincerating them as medical waste, graft the cells of newly aborted babies onto the scalps of mice (using taxpayer funds, approved by Regime evangelical Francis Collins, never criticized by globalist Pope Francis), steal the 2020 election, and imprison peaceful protestors. The people who did all that weren't misguided, overzealous, or grossly misinformed. They were orcs, and their leaders were Nazgul. They were hungry for absolute power — and for a while they seemed to have it. At least they acted that way — as if the whip would always be in their hands no matter what we did. That's why such people felt entitled to gloat when patriotic black entrepreneur Hermann Cain died of COVID after attending a Donald Trump rally, even as they unleashed mobs of looters and rioters on our cities in honor of career criminal George Floyd. And now those same elites are using their top-notch legal teams and biased judges to cling to every scrap of money and power they took from us during the years of that dictatorship the same way that Communist judges in Poland clung to their privileges after Solidarity got elected and loyal Nazis tried to keep their privileges after 1945. How else to explain a federal judge telling the appointed, duly confirmed Secretary of the Treasury that he can't view his own department's computer files? Or demanding that race-based discrimination be reimposed — against the president's policies? As I watched The Return of the King, with Frodo and Sam cautiously working their way into the heart of Sauron's kingdom, aiming to hurl the corrupting Ring of Power into the fires where it was forged, I couldn't help thinking of the hobbits attempting to do the same for us right now: Elon Musk and his plucky team of brilliant young hackers and analysts. They're the ones exposing the “humanitarian” programs of USAID that tried to convince young African boys that they might be trans, to intimidate Latin American governments into legalizing abortion, and to censor the global media in support of the COVID lockdowns and the useless Ukraine war. Just yesterday, the news broke that in only three weeks, they've saved American taxpayers a BILLION dollars — the vast majority of it coming from cutting DEI efforts within government programs. And now Musk's team members are being hunted, getting doxed and demonized in our media, with corrupt prosecutors and judges seeking ways to cripple their efforts and maybe even arrest them (as they arrested and imprisoned Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro). What can we do on these heroes' behalf? First of all we can pray, and it's our duty to get busy doing that. Secondly we can emulate what Aragorn, Gandalf, and the other heroes did after defending Minas Tirith: They marched to Sauron's gate, braved the full force of his armies, and took his attention away from the genuine threat he faced. We must do a similar service for Trump and his team. We must loudly support whatever peaceful measures, whatever innovative deployment of presidential power he attempts, to defy these biased judges and impose the will of the people — as expressed in the 2024 election, which the orcs weren't able to steal. Pope Francis Goes Full Alexander VI, Appointing Leftist Bishops Who Wield Excommunication Threats A pope more interested in leftist politics than in maintaining his church's historic teachings or protecting children from harm has started meddling directly in the enforcement of our country's just, democratically enacted laws: The Vatican has appointed Edward Weisenburger to be Archbishop of Detroit. As Lifesitenews reports: In 2018, at the USCCB's Spring Assembly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the prelate suggested that Catholics who “are involved” in the detention of immigrants and separation of families at the U.S. border might receive “canonical penalties” usually used in “life issues” cases, which could include excommunication. “For the salvation of these people's souls, maybe it's time for us to look at canonical penalties,” Weisenburger claimed at the time. In other words, if you're a Catholic who advocates for a secure U.S. border and only legal immigration going forward, this guy wants to see you excommunicated. Make no mistake, Weisenburger spent the COVID panic serving the Nazgul and the orcs: The 64-year-old Weisenburger, a canon lawyer, was among the most stringent in America in applying restrictions on the faithful during the COVID crisis, closing churches and implementing mask mandates in the spring of 2020 while encouraging Catholics to take the abortion-tainted COVID-19 jabs. Weisenburger released a statement in September 2021 instructing all priests within his Arizona diocese “not to cooperate with any individuals seeking our endorsement of an exemption from vaccine or facemask mandates based specifically upon our Catholic faith.” He added that “[a]ll current anti-COVID-19 vaccines may be received by the faithful without moral compromise.” Upon reopening churches to public Masses in October 2020, the bishop stressed that the dispensation from attendance “remains in place and I have consistently encouraged those identified by the Centers for Disease Control as ‘at-risk' to not attend Mass in person, but rather to view a televised or internet Mass from home.” He also issued a directive to priests not to distribute Holy Communion in the mouth and to only hear the Sacrament of Confession outdoors. Later, in 2021, Weisenburger signed a letter alongside eight other U.S. prelates aligning themselves with the LGBT activist group Tyler Clementi Foundation, which seeks to “reduce the shame and stigma” of homosexual lifestyles. In line with Pope Francis, the archbishop-elect has also made “climate change” a central issue, calling it a matter of “life and death” and thanking the Pope for focusing on the topic in his encyclical Laudato Si' and subsequent apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum. The Pope Rebukes J.D. Vance for Repeating Real Catholic Doctrine Pope Francis has gone further, issuing a document implicitly rebuking Vice President J.D. Vance (a Catholic convert) for reiterating traditional Catholic (and perennial Christian teaching) that we owe special duties to our families, neighbors, and fellow citizens that we don't owe to foreign invaders or fake asylum seekers. In his statement, Francis condemns “any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.” Never mind that the Catholic Catechism teaches that to earn the right to welcome, immigrants must obey their new countries' laws. According to Francis, doing illegal things isn't “criminal,” and if you can't wrap your mind around that logic, you might find yourself outside the church. Will patriotic Catholics cave at the threat of unjust (and therefore in God's eyes, null and void) excommunications? Not if they're like Trump's border czar Tom Homan: Don't miss Jules Gomes's coverage later this morning of the corrupt, scandal-plagued Vatican aid agency CARITAS, which soaks up U.S. taxpayer money and whose leader is joining Francis's chorus of sycophants denouncing American law and demanding that Catholics flout it. Along The Stream… Up later this morning, be sure to watch the great Naomi Wolf expose the extent to which forced vaccination laws backed by Big Pharma still impinge on parents' rights to watch over their children's health. Also later today, Pastor Shane Idleman offers a powerful video message on biblical self-discipline, self-control, and the corporal means we can use to achieve those, including fasting.   John Zmirak is a senior editor at The Stream and author or coauthor of 14 books, including The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism. His newest book is No Second Amendment, No First.