Podcasts about Bilbo

Much requested, Michael from Tension joined us this week. I sort of hoped this episode would devolve into a mudslinging match as we fought to shift the tiller of board climbing towards our respective visions of board utopia. As it turned out, we actually agreed on most things when it comes to board climbing, but we enjoyed chatting about them anyway. It's a nerdy chat about boards, obviously, but it's also so much more than ..... actually that is basically it, but as two board nerds we enjoyed it anyway. Michael has contributed a huge amount to the scene, not least with his invention of the Board Lords series on YouTube, which is where you can watch a bunch of handsome folk flexing into the camera in a way we all enjoy. If you're the sort of person who finds board climbing culture a bit nauseating, might I recommend listening to Testpiece this week? Or maybe try the rest is history, they did a cracking series on Horatio Nelson which is worth a listen... Anyone still here? No? If you're enjoying the podcast and would like it to continue for a while longer: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=70353823Support the show

Why did Frodo need Gollum?Coming to you from Hobbiton, New Zealand, John Ortberg explores one of the deepest themes running through J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings:Mercy.Bilbo could have killed Gollum. Frodo could have killed him. Sam could have killed him.But pity stayed their hands.And when Frodo finally reaches Mount Doom, something surprising happens: he fails. His own willpower isn't enough to destroy the ring.Yet the mercy extended to Gollum earlier in the story follows Frodo all the way to the end.“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”Maybe we need mercy because none of us can save ourselves.And maybe there's a Gollum somewhere in your day who needs mercy too.#LordOfTheRings #Tolkien #JohnOrtberg #Hobbiton #Psalm23 #Mercy #Gollum

It's Poetry Time! Let's look at the first few stanzas of Legolas's (Bilbo's?) Nimrodel poem.

Welcome back to the Manor and welcome to our "anniversary" episode, which is the Friday prior nearest or on Hobbit Day, September 22nd, the day that celebrates dear Frodo and Bilbo's shared birthday!  The pod turns 8! This year, we're talking about parodies of LotR, with musicals and books and memes!   But wait!  There's more!  We actually recorded two this year, so there will be another one coming out in two weeks! You'll see why it's in October when we get there.  Mwahahahaha!!! So light your pipe and pour your pint and enjoy Hobbit Day with us! Next week's episode is a short history of Channel C3 - QUBE - Nickelodeon (you'll see!). Get in touch with us at Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4pksr-a17e1a Or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinterrorsmacabremanormeadmetalmayhe/ Or on twitter: @Terrors_Manor On Instagram: @macabremanormeadmetalmayhem You can also find our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and I Heart Radio; pretty much wherever fine (and our) podcasts are aired.

If you attain something without integrity, the thing you attain will always have power over you.In The Hobbit, Gollum's relationship with the Ring begins with murder. Bilbo's begins with pity and mercy. Both possess the same corrupting object, but it does not shape them in the same way.In this episode, I use Bilbo and the Ring to explore the Stoic concept of preferred indifferents: money, power, status, health, and possessions. These things may be worth pursuing, but they cannot make us good—and how we acquire them matters far more than whether we acquire them at all.Every compromise leaves something behind. Eventually, we may discover that we no longer possess the things we wanted. They possess us.

If you attain something without integrity, the thing you attain will always have power over you.In The Hobbit, Gollum's relationship with the Ring begins with murder. Bilbo's begins with pity and mercy. Both possess the same corrupting object, but it does not shape them in the same way.In this episode, I use Bilbo and the Ring to explore the Stoic concept of preferred indifferents: money, power, status, health, and possessions. These things may be worth pursuing, but they cannot make us good—and how we acquire them matters far more than whether we acquire them at all.Every compromise leaves something behind. Eventually, we may discover that we no longer possess the things we wanted. They possess us.

Chapter 87 - Leave No Stone UnturnedThe Runaways and friend reconviene at Kiyomi's apartment in the Outer Ring before settling their affairs and leaving the city. Minh goes full Bilbo, Kiyomi cases the joint, Banji meets another White Lotus member and Nuro pays their debts.Georgie Hazel as "The Icon" NURO Ted Darling as "The Idealist" BANJI Tilia Quinn as "The Adamant"/"The Successor" KIYOMI/KAITOJesse Thomas as "The Bold" MINH FANG Ash Cooper as the GRAND MASTER OF THE WHITE LOTUS You can find Tilia on twitch at - https://www.twitch.tv/tiliaquinnn  Theme song and outro "The Book of War Remains" as well as the "Dai Li Theme" are by Matt Harrison. Additional music and Sound effects from Soundstripe.com Website // Facebook // Instagram // Twitter // Tik Tok//Patreon   Use our affiliate code 'thebookofwar' at Arkenforge to receive $5 off! The Book of War - An Avatar Legends Real Play   The Story of four runaways seeking the Book of War in a world without the Avatar

Unexpected events happen to us all.This is why it is never completely within our power to determine the acceleration and elevation of our lives. We can, however, influence our futures to a meaningful degree through the intensity of our energies and the direction of our activities.Your energy and your activities, your decisions and their consequences are the gas pedal, the gearbox, the steering wheel and the roulette wheel of your life.Energy is the fuel that determines how fast your motor is spinning.How much energy are you expending each day?Activities determine your acceleration.What are you doing each day with your time?The amount of time you spend doing a thing – let's call it “practicing” – determines whether you are in first, second, third, fourth, or fifth gear.Decisions spin the roulette wheel of Probability.Consequences follow decisions.Some of these consequences will be the ones that you were hoping for when you made your decision. Others will not.Unintended consequences happen to us all.Serendipity is an unintended consequence that works in your favor. Catastrophe is an unintended consequence that works against you.Never assume that the roulette wheel of Probability will always land on a winning number. Even when you have a 90 percent probability of winning, one out of every ten spins of the roulette wheel will punish you for no reason.It isn't fair.It isn't right.You didn't plan for this.You didn't choose it.But it happened.Get over it. Get past it.Deal with it. Move on.Do not allow your ears to hear your mouth tell the story of your bad luck. Do not let your eyes read the words of it; for every time you revisit your dark story, you empower that one, bad spin of the roulette wheel to determine the acceleration and elevation of your life.Quit whining and start winning.What will you do with your energy and activities, your decisions and their consequences?Will you choose a journey that is structured and predictable, or will you choose an exciting adventure?Predictable, structured journeys are often tedious and soul-sucking.Adventures are exciting because they bubble with trouble and danger. If there lurks no Wicked Witch, no dragon, no lions or tigers or bears, you are not having an adventure.Paul Tournier wrote a marvelous book called “The Adventure of Living”.Here are a few bits of its wisdom:“The excitement of adventure rescues us from the Sea of Introspection that drowns many of those who hesitate.”“The adventurous life is not one exempt from fear, but on the contrary, one that is lived in full knowledge of fears of all kinds, one in which we go forward in spite of our fears.”“The law of adventure is that it dies as it achieves its object.”Dorothy, go, adventure beyond the Wicked Witch, the flying monkeys and the sleep of the poppies, all the way to Oz.Bilbo, go, adventure beyond William the troll and the spiders of Mirkwood into the lair of the dragon. Ride through the skies on the backs of giant eagles and return home as an altogether different Hobbit.Frodo, go, adventure to Mordor with elves, dwarves, and men, destroy the ring, save Middle earth, then sail away on the White Ship to the Undying Lands.Go, reader, find your adventure and feel alive again.Roy H. WilliamsThe Wall Street Journal published a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper on September 12, 2001, the day after 9/11. Their offices had been destroyed. The boss could not be reached. The Journal was published, nonetheless.Listen as deputy rover Maxwell Rotbart interviews roving reporter Dean Rotbart, his father and co-host. They are talking about Dean's newly expanded September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story. What we can learn from the Journal's extraordinary response to a crisis that no contingency plan would ever have anticipated?You are unreachable and your offices have been destroyed. Do your people know what matters? Do they feel empowered to act?Can you believe that 9/11 happened 25 years ago? You will find it all at MondayMorningRadio.comNOTE: First published in 2021, September Twelfth received a Gold Medal from the Nonfiction Authors Association.

Has Legacy finally become fair again?After months of Fantasticar combos, bans, explosive strategies and constant metagame upheaval, the Legacy format suddenly feels very different.In Episode 118 of In Response – A Legacy Podcast, Philipp, Daniel and Peter discuss why Legacy seems to have finally put on the brakes — and whether the format is beginning to feel like Legacy again.“Fair” obviously means something very different in Legacy than it does in Standard or Modern. Legacy is still an incredibly powerful format. But right now, creature combat, interaction, card advantage and games played over multiple turns are becoming increasingly important again.And more importantly: players appear to have meaningful choices.We discuss:Why Legacy currently feels slowerThe impact of the Fantasticar banThe rise of fair blue strategiesBlue-Black's position in the metagameBilbo as an important new fair threat/value engineFlow State and modern card advantageWhether Tamiyo is still an automatic inclusionDifferent ways to build Blue-Black Tempo and midrangeThe relationship between tempo, card advantage and pressureBilbo compared to old Legacy threats like Dreadhorde ArcanistWhy fair cards can still be incredibly powerful in LegacyThe return of control and larger fair strategiesWhether combo can exploit the current metagameNew experimentation in Storm and other combo decksWhy having several viable strategic directions mattersWhether Legacy is actually healthier — or simply feels more like Legacy againOne of the most interesting developments is that there no longer appears to be one obvious way to build every blue deck.Do you want maximum pressure?Do you want Flow State and card advantage?Do you want a larger control strategy?Do you want to attack those fair decks with combo?Those decisions — and the metagame cycles they create — are a big part of what has historically made Legacy interesting.So our real question isn't simply:“Is Legacy fair?”It's:“Does Legacy finally feel like Legacy again?”And right now, our answer might actually be yes.

We love it when the alphabet itineraries intersect with actual trip planning! Shelby and Andrew continue planning out their trip to Italy by talking about Venice and all of the amazing places they want to go in the city. They also talk about a book, movies, and have a special Muppets Recast in honor of Tim Curry.

Jack Bilbo hielten die einen für Al Capones Bodyguard, andere dachten, er sei ein legendärer Kapitän oder sogar der Schriftsteller B. Traven aus Mexiko. Doch diese Legenden und Mythen hatte Jack Bilbo selbst geschaffen, mit Büchern, in denen er sich als den größten Abenteurer des 20. Jahrhunderts erfand. Dabei wäre sein wirkliches Leben schon abenteuerlich genug gewesen.Jack Bilbo, der in Wirklichkeit Hugo Cyrill Kulp Baruch hieß, stammte aus einer reichen jüdischen Berliner Theaterfamilie. Als Siebenjähriger musste er, der eine englische Mutter hatte, nach Holland emigrieren, mit sechzehn schob ihn sein Vater nach Amerika ab und mit vierundzwanzig feierte er als Schriftsteller seinen ersten Erfolg. Bilbo kämpfte gegen die Nazis in Deutschland und gegen die Faschisten im spanischen Bürgerkrieg. Auf der Isle of Man, wo man ihn während des II. Weltkriegs als Deutschen internierte, gründete er die Volksuniversität und in London die "Modern Art Gallery", die bedeutendste Galerie dieser Zeit. Gegen Lebensende besaß er eine Bar in Berlin: "Käpt'n Bilbos Hafenspelunke". Dort hatte ihn kurz vor seinem Tod 1967 Ludwig Lugmeier besucht. Für den Gangster und Abenteurer, der später selbst Schriftsteller wurde, war Jack Bilbo ein Vorbild gewesen. Vierzig Jahre danach zeichnet er ein Portrait des Mannes, einer Gestalt zwischen Realität und Fiktion.Feature von Ludwig LugmeierMit: Udo Wachtveitl, Hans Teuscher, Katja NottkeProduktion: MDR 2006Verfügbar bis 30. September 2026

Are you prepared to die on Turn Two?With Eternal Weekend approaching, Zac and Phil take a look at the Legacy metagame and ask a very important question: what decks are actually going to define the tournament?While everyone is talking about Bilbo, Karn, and the other obvious threats, Phil thinks there's a deck that isn't getting nearly enough attention:Surveillance Cam Combo.The deck combines Goblin Welder + Surveillance Cam with a huge number of compact artifact interactions to create potentially infinite loops—and it can kill incredibly quickly while still having access to powerful cards like Urza's Saga, Emery, Loki, Force of Will, and Agatha's Soul Cauldron. We also discuss:The upcoming B&R window before Eternal WeekendWhether anything is likely to get bannedWhy Breakfast may be seriously underplayedThe latest Breakfast lists and innovationsWhy Urza's Saga is so important to BreakfastThe Surveillance Cam + Goblin Welder comboInfinite mana and damage loopsHawkeye's BowPainter's Servant / Grindstone variantsWhy the deck has so few "bad" cardsWhy Surveillance Cam may be one of Legacy's best-kept secretsWhat you need to be prepared to beat at Eternal WeekendAnd the big takeaway:If Legacy is becoming a Turn-Two format, your deck needs to be able to interact on Turn Two.Start getting your reps in now. 00:00 — What Will Legacy Look Like at Eternal Weekend?01:55 — Could the B&R Window Actually Change Anything?06:42 — Breakfast Is WAY Too Underplayed08:02 — The Two Best Decks for Eternal Weekend12:37 — The Latest Breakfast List19:01 — Is Surveillance Cam the Best Deck Nobody Talks About?21:27 — How Surveillance Cam Combo Actually Works24:18 — Why This Deck Has Almost No Bad Cards27:23 — The Turn-Two Legacy Problem28:21 — Start Your 100 Games NOWTimestamps

Are you prepared to die on Turn Two?With Eternal Weekend approaching, Zac and Phil take a look at the Legacy metagame and ask a very important question: what decks are actually going to define the tournament?While everyone is talking about Bilbo, Karn, and the other obvious threats, Phil thinks there's a deck that isn't getting nearly enough attention:Surveillance Cam Combo.The deck combines Goblin Welder + Surveillance Cam with a huge number of compact artifact interactions to create potentially infinite loops—and it can kill incredibly quickly while still having access to powerful cards like Urza's Saga, Emery, Loki, Force of Will, and Agatha's Soul Cauldron. We also discuss:The upcoming B&R window before Eternal WeekendWhether anything is likely to get bannedWhy Breakfast may be seriously underplayedThe latest Breakfast lists and innovationsWhy Urza's Saga is so important to BreakfastThe Surveillance Cam + Goblin Welder comboInfinite mana and damage loopsHawkeye's BowPainter's Servant / Grindstone variantsWhy the deck has so few "bad" cardsWhy Surveillance Cam may be one of Legacy's best-kept secretsWhat you need to be prepared to beat at Eternal WeekendAnd the big takeaway:If Legacy is becoming a Turn-Two format, your deck needs to be able to interact on Turn Two.Start getting your reps in now. 00:00 — What Will Legacy Look Like at Eternal Weekend?01:55 — Could the B&R Window Actually Change Anything?06:42 — Breakfast Is WAY Too Underplayed08:02 — The Two Best Decks for Eternal Weekend12:37 — The Latest Breakfast List19:01 — Is Surveillance Cam the Best Deck Nobody Talks About?21:27 — How Surveillance Cam Combo Actually Works24:18 — Why This Deck Has Almost No Bad Cards27:23 — The Turn-Two Legacy Problem28:21 — Start Your 100 Games NOWTimestamps

It's been a long, long time since we've gone on the adventure that is a CCO set review. Today, we do exactly that. We look at all of our favorite cards from MTG's latest trip to Middle-earth, the new abilities and how to collect everything. Join us on Commander Cookout Episode 553.Huge thank you to our sponsors, Fusion Gaming Online. They're your source for all of your gaming needs. You can find them here: www.FusionGamingOnline.com. You want a 5% discount off all of your MTG order? Head over to Fusion Gaming Online and use exclusive promo code: CCONATION at checkout.Want your deck or topic featured on Commander Cookout Podcast? Check out the reward tiers at Patreon.com/CCOPodcast. There are a lot of fun and unique benefits to pledging. Like the CCO Discord or getting your deck featured on the show.Ryan's solo podcast, Commander ad Populum:https://www.spreaker.com/show/commander-ad-populumYou can listen to CCO Podcast anywhere better podcasts are found as well as on CommanderCookout.com.Now, Hit our Theme Song!Social media:https://www.CommanderCookout.comhttps://www.Instagram.com/CommanderCookouthttps://www.Facebook.com/CCOPodcast@CCOPodcast and @CCOBrando on Twitterhttps://www.Patreon.com/CCOPodcast

Bilbo has been showing up everywhere—but I think we may have found one of the most interesting homes for him yet.Zac and Phil take a first look at Eight Emery, a new take on the classic Artifacts Blue / Affinity Stompy shell that uses Bilbo, Emery, and Loki, God of Mischief as a redundant set of powerful artifact engines. The idea is simple: instead of relying on Thoughtcast and Thought Monitor to generate card advantage, the deck uses Bilbo and Loki alongside Emery to repeatedly recur artifacts, generate value, and grind through removal.We break down:Why Affinity has fallen off the Legacy radarThe evolution from Thoughtcast/Thought Monitor to Bilbo + LokiPinnacle Emissary and the current artifact shellUrza's Saga and Kappa CannoneerHow Loki actually worksWhy Bilbo needs help getting into combatAether Spellbomb loopsPithing Needle's role in the deckBrazen Borrower + BilboSink into Stupor as a landOdawara and legendary permanentsHow the deck handles Null RodWhether Eight Emery could be an Eternal Weekend contenderAnd most importantly:Is Eight Emery actually better than traditional Eight-Cast?

Bilbo has been showing up everywhere—but I think we may have found one of the most interesting homes for him yet.Zac and Phil take a first look at Eight Emery, a new take on the classic Artifacts Blue / Affinity Stompy shell that uses Bilbo, Emery, and Loki, God of Mischief as a redundant set of powerful artifact engines. The idea is simple: instead of relying on Thoughtcast and Thought Monitor to generate card advantage, the deck uses Bilbo and Loki alongside Emery to repeatedly recur artifacts, generate value, and grind through removal.We break down:Why Affinity has fallen off the Legacy radarThe evolution from Thoughtcast/Thought Monitor to Bilbo + LokiPinnacle Emissary and the current artifact shellUrza's Saga and Kappa CannoneerHow Loki actually worksWhy Bilbo needs help getting into combatAether Spellbomb loopsPithing Needle's role in the deckBrazen Borrower + BilboSink into Stupor as a landOdawara and legendary permanentsHow the deck handles Null RodWhether Eight Emery could be an Eternal Weekend contenderAnd most importantly:Is Eight Emery actually better than traditional Eight-Cast?

J. R. R. Tolkiens Werke sind nicht nur Literatur, sondern kulturelle Meilensteine. Doch wie gelang die Übertragung dieser komplexen, mythischen Welten auf die Leinwand? In dieser Folge diskutieren Gordian und Jan die Faszination und die Herausforderungen der Adaptionen durch Peter Jackson. Tolkien: Der Meister der Mythen Tolkien schuf mit Der Herr der Ringe, Der Hobbit und weiteren Werken nicht nur Geschichten, sondern ganze Universen. Seine Sprache, die detaillierte Weltbau-Elemente und die unterschiedlichen Kulturen machen seine Werke zu einem Meisterwerk der Fantasy. Besonders spannend: die Übersetzungen und wie sie die Stimmungen der Charaktere einfangen – oder verfehlen. Die Diskussion wirft Fragen auf: Sollte Bilbo „Chef“ zu Frodo sagen? Oder ist „Meister Frodo“ die bessere Wahl? Und wie spricht man eigentlich Minas Tirith aus? Peter Jackson: Visionär oder Verräter? Peter Jacksons Herr der Ringe-Trilogie gilt als Meisterwerk des Kinos – doch spätestens seine Hobbit-Verfilmung polarisiert. Während die visuellen Effekte und die düstere Ästhetik von Mittelerde begeistern, wirft die Folge kritische Blicke auf dramaturgische Entscheidungen. Kino vs. Buch: Wer gewinnt? Die Folge stellt die zentrale Frage: Kann ein Film ein Buch jemals vollständig einfangen? Die Antwort: Nein – aber er kann es ergänzen. Während die Bücher Tiefe und Mythos bieten, schafft das Kino emotionale Intensität und visuelle Pracht. Doch wo Jackson Technik und Spektakel in den Vordergrund stellt, fehlt manchmal der Zauber der Vorlage. Ein besonderer Fokus liegt auf der Beziehung zwischen Bilbo und Thorin: Im Buch entwickelt sie sich langsam und subtil, im Film wird sie dramatischer inszeniert. Ist das notwendig für die Handlung – oder eine unötige Überhöhung? Kino als Erlebnis: Warum der große Bildschirm zählt Abschließend wird die Bedeutung des Kinos selbst diskutiert: Kino ist kein Streaming. Es zwingt den Zuschauer, sich hinzugeben – ohne Ablenkung, ohne Vor- und Zurückspulen. Gerade bei Fantasy-Filmen wie Der Herr der Ringe oder Der Hobbit entfaltet sich die Magie des Kinosaals erst richtig: Sounddesign, vertikale Kamerafahrten und die Unmittelbarkeit machen den Unterschied. Peter Jackson versteht es, den Zuschauer mitzureißen – selbst wenn nicht jede Szene perfekt gelingt. In dieser Episode erfährst du: - Wie Tolkien Mittelerde erschaffen hat – und warum seine Sprachvielfalt so entscheidend ist. - Warum Peter Jacksons Filme polarisieren: Zwischen technischer Meisterleistung und dramaturgischen Schwächen. - Die Rolle von Andy Serkis‘ Gollum: Ein Meisterwerk der Schauspielkunst – oder eine übertriebene Darstellung? - Buch vs. Film: Wo die Adaptionen gelingen – und wo sie scheitern. - Kino als Medium: Warum der große Bildschirm für Fantasy-Filme unersetzlich ist. Abonnier unseren Podcast hier oder auch auf Spotify, Apple oder YouTube, teile diese Folge mit Freund:innen und erzähle uns in den Kommentaren auf YouTube oder auf Bluesky von dir wichtigen Momenten in Tolkiens Werken und auch in Jacksons Verfilmungen. Denn gute Geschichten beginnen beim Zuhören.

The Hobbits are coming to Magic, but how much are they actually going to change Legacy?Zac and Phil go through the new Hobbits from Vetter Breath cards and find something surprisingly refreshing: there aren't that many cards worth talking about for Legacy.We break down the eight cards that caught our attention, including Bilbo, Thief in the Night, The Great Goblin, Giant's Boulder, Thirandil, the Elven King, Inside Information, Bilbo's Gambit, Plunder the Trollshaws, and Riddles in the Dark.Bilbo is the clear standout, looking like a powered-up version of a card that's already on Legacy's banned list. But does that actually make him a problem?We also discuss:Why Universes Beyond sets keep feeling like Commander productsThe new Storied mechanicBilbo vs. Dreadhorde ArcanistWhether The Great Goblin can enable a comboWhy Giant's Boulder isn't the next AstrolabeCan Thirandil actually save Elves from Orcish Bowmasters?Why Inside Information probably isn't a Storm payoffBilbo's Gambit and the Legacy "Silence" problemWhy Riddles in the Dark isn't Fact or FictionAnd why we're actually happy that the set has a lower Legacy power levelIf we missed a card, let us know in the comments.And if you're done with Universes Beyond and want to play Classic, Peak, Pre-War, or Premodern, check out Returnal Durdles. 00:00 — The Hobbit Set Isn't Breaking Legacy00:57 — Flavor vs. Power Level02:37 — The Storied Mechanic Is Metalcraft+04:40 — Urza's Saga Is Already Storied?!05:56 — Why We're Building Locked Formats Instead06:48 — Peak Legacy Event Announcement07:17 — Bilbo, Thief in the Night10:02 — The Great Goblin12:55 — Giant's Boulder vs. Astrolabe16:27 — Does Giant's Boulder Work With Scry Payoffs?17:40 — Thirandil, the Elven King19:40 — Inside Information21:36 — Bilbo's Gambit24:30 — Bilbo Is an EDH All-Star26:29 — Plunder the Trollshaws27:39 — Riddles in the Dark28:48 — Riddles vs. Fact or Fiction30:14 — Just Play Three Wishes31:27 — The Eight Cards That Matter32:00 — Why We're Happy the Power Level Is Lower32:40 — Returnal Durdles & Locked Formats33:00 — Submit Your Own Legacy TakesTimestamps

The Hobbits are coming to Magic, but how much are they actually going to change Legacy?Zac and Phil go through the new Hobbits from Vetter Breath cards and find something surprisingly refreshing: there aren't that many cards worth talking about for Legacy.We break down the eight cards that caught our attention, including Bilbo, Thief in the Night, The Great Goblin, Giant's Boulder, Thirandil, the Elven King, Inside Information, Bilbo's Gambit, Plunder the Trollshaws, and Riddles in the Dark.Bilbo is the clear standout, looking like a powered-up version of a card that's already on Legacy's banned list. But does that actually make him a problem?We also discuss:Why Universes Beyond sets keep feeling like Commander productsThe new Storied mechanicBilbo vs. Dreadhorde ArcanistWhether The Great Goblin can enable a comboWhy Giant's Boulder isn't the next AstrolabeCan Thirandil actually save Elves from Orcish Bowmasters?Why Inside Information probably isn't a Storm payoffBilbo's Gambit and the Legacy "Silence" problemWhy Riddles in the Dark isn't Fact or FictionAnd why we're actually happy that the set has a lower Legacy power levelIf we missed a card, let us know in the comments.And if you're done with Universes Beyond and want to play Classic, Peak, Pre-War, or Premodern, check out Returnal Durdles. 00:00 — The Hobbit Set Isn't Breaking Legacy00:57 — Flavor vs. Power Level02:37 — The Storied Mechanic Is Metalcraft+04:40 — Urza's Saga Is Already Storied?!05:56 — Why We're Building Locked Formats Instead06:48 — Peak Legacy Event Announcement07:17 — Bilbo, Thief in the Night10:02 — The Great Goblin12:55 — Giant's Boulder vs. Astrolabe16:27 — Does Giant's Boulder Work With Scry Payoffs?17:40 — Thirandil, the Elven King19:40 — Inside Information21:36 — Bilbo's Gambit24:30 — Bilbo Is an EDH All-Star26:29 — Plunder the Trollshaws27:39 — Riddles in the Dark28:48 — Riddles vs. Fact or Fiction30:14 — Just Play Three Wishes31:27 — The Eight Cards That Matter32:00 — Why We're Happy the Power Level Is Lower32:40 — Returnal Durdles & Locked Formats33:00 — Submit Your Own Legacy TakesTimestamps

We all know the story of Frodo and the Ring, and the tale of Bilbo and the Dragon. But what if I told you that those were just verses of a much, much larger song? The harmonies of which created reality itself?Today, we begin to explore the depths of JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion.Warning: This episode contains spoilers for the Silmarillion. Enjoy!Welcome to Living by the Lore, where we discuss fictional worlds and how wondrous and ridiculous they are. Guy, Matt, and Jude are 3 Aussie blokes here to laugh and share fiction. Whether it's butchering your favourite world or introducing you to a whole new one, become a Lore Keeper today and live by the lore!Support us and become a Lore Keeper today - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/livingbythelore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find us everywhere:YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgbJhDOA1uqesKG4bNZg1g⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@livingbythelore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/livingbythelore/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/livingbythelore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/A8kAdBG5eQ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitch - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/livingbythelorepod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify (archived episodes) - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4DUWavLZ5MwQzf723a3BwE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-by-the-lore/id1508853028⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you enjoyed the episode, leave us a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts - it genuinely helps.#LOTR #LordOfTheRings #Silmarillion #Elves #Fantasy #Tolkien #Podcast #Australia #Comedy #Satire #Lore #Nerd

Im Gegensatz zum Herr-der-Ringe-Set, das mit vier Precons ausgestattet war, bekommen wir oder besser gesagt viele Neulinge diesmal gar kein vorkonstruiertes Deck zum Hauptset dazu. Woran könnte das liegen? Und brauchen wir überhaupt so viele Precons im Jahr? Oder am Ende gar sogar noch mehr?!Alles von Blacky findet ihr hier: https://mtgblackset.de/-Discord: https://discord.gg/Mu2EBCUwjKSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3rVEuy5Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3bX7fVPTwitter: https://twitter.com/edh_kompassDeezer: https://deezer.page.link/wduneK1DsrUKKVvF9-Editor: https://twitter.com/merlotter & https://archidekt.com/u/Flumpor

Is Fantasticar Already Too Good for Legacy? | Episode 116Legacy has a brand-new engine card—and it's showing up everywhere.In Episode 116 of In Response – A Legacy Podcast, we take a deep dive into Fantasticar, the newest card that's rapidly reshaping the Legacy metagame.Unlike previous format-defining threats, Fantasticar isn't locked into a single archetype. Instead, it's powering multiple combo and tempo strategies, forcing players to rethink both deckbuilding and sideboarding.So the big question is:Is Fantasticar simply powerful... or already too powerful?In this episode we discuss:What Fantasticar actually doesWhy it has become one of the most played cards in LegacyWhich archetypes use it bestDoomsday and FantasticarBlue-Black Fantasticar shellsTES and other Storm strategiesWhich decks are the biggest losersHow to beat FantasticarStifle, Sphere of Resistance and other answersIs Legacy becoming too fast again?Should Wizards consider action?Early Hobbit spoilers, including Bilbo and other cards that could impact LegacyOne of the biggest discussions in Legacy today isn't about a single deck.It's about a single card that suddenly appears across the entire format.Is this healthy diversity—or the beginning of another format-defining engine?Let us know what you think in the comments.

Adeptes de Commander ? Alors ce produit du set The Hobbit est très... précieuuuux...

The Lord of the Rings didn't just launch a genre — it set the standard every fantasy writer since has been measured against. This month, Fr. Wesley Walker and Dr. Junius Johnson begin their journey through J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece with The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the trilogy that turned Middle-earth into the mythology of the modern imagination.In this episode, Wesley and Junius explore what actually sets Tolkien apart from the fantasy writers who came before, and the flood of imitators who came after. They dig into Tolkien's remarkable balancing act: a world built with more depth and history than perhaps any fictional world ever created, yet worn so lightly that you never have to read a page of the appendices to feel its weight. They trace the providence that runs quietly beneath the entire tale — the “hand that is not Gandalf's” guiding events from the moment Bilbo is chosen for the quest in The Hobbit — and ask what it means that Middle-earth's races are written almost as facets of human nature itself, essential yet never simple.The conversation also turns to Frodo: is he really the hero of the story, or is that title quietly earned by someone else? Wesley and Junius make the case that Frodo's heroism isn't the sword-and-glory kind; it's the daily, unglamorous courage of simply doing the next right thing, again and again, all the way to Mount Doom.Along the way: the structure of the six “books” hidden inside the trilogy, the guerrilla-war tension of hobbits slipping across a Shire already crawling with Nazgûl, and why the Council of Elrond marks the one time the Fellowship, as a whole, actually exists.Endnotes* Junius: The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien* Wesley's endnote: The Fellowship of the Ring trick-taking card game Next month: The journey continues with The Two Towers! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theclassicalmind.com/subscribe

We love to think we can be “set for life.” But the thing is, life isn’t set. It’s not solid—it’s fluid. From my fast-growing chickens to my aging dog Bilbo, I’m constantly reminded that everything changes. In this Gathering Room episode, I share why gripping onto control is actually a form of suffering. Join me as we explore how to stop resisting and instead “trustfall” into the present moment. Once we let go of trying to set our lives in stone, we can finally experience the joyful state of flow. CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Gathering Room Show Notes Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The adventure continues as the crew dives deeper into the chaotic world of "Corrupted Fantasy." Christian Ashley, our fearless DM, leads John Erdely and Nick Polk as they grapple with the complexities of their eclectic party, which features the likes of Spyro the Dragon, Kumar, Freakazoid, Samwise Gamgee, and Guan Yin. Picking up where they left off, the group faces the eerie remnants of a devastated Rivendell, where they must confront a corrupted Bilbo Baggins, who's all too eager to reclaim his precious. The stakes escalate when the characters navigate through the Mines of Moria, encountering unexpected twists that you won't wanna miss. As hilarity ensues and decisions take a sharp turn, they must work together to overcome the forces of corruption and forge their path to victory, all while throwing in a few clever quips along the way. Buckle up for a wild ride filled with pop culture references and light-hearted banter in this gripping continuation of their fantasy saga! The saga of 'Corrupted Fantasy' continues to weave a tapestry of chaotic humor and unexpected twists, as Christian Ashley, the DM, leads John Erdely and Nick Polk through the wilds of Middle-earth with a crew that's anything but ordinary. In this session, the players, embodying iconic characters like Spyro the Dragon, Kumar from 'Harold & Kumar', the quirky Freakazoid, the ever-loyal Samwise Gamgee, and the serene Guan Yin, navigate the aftermath of a corrupted Rivendell. The narrative kicks off with a recap of their previous misadventures, where the gang found themselves embroiled in a darker version of the Lord of the Rings universe, facing a half-powered Sauron and a mysteriously altered Bilbo Baggins, who is now a shadow of his former self, thanks to the corrupting influence of a ring that is only half as powerful as the original. As they delve into the Mines of Moria, the tension rises with the haunting echoes of Gollum's voice, and the players must confront their own inner conflicts as they grapple with the seductive whispers of power and corruption. The episode takes a turn for the absurd when the players attempt to heal Spyro after a botched attack, only to be interrupted by a bizarre encounter with Bilbo, who has become a grotesque figure consumed by desire for the ring. The banter flows freely as the characters interact, with Freakazoid's comic relief contrasting sharply with Sam's emotional turmoil over his beloved mentor's transformation. The players navigate this emotional landscape with a mix of wit and humor, creating a delightful blend of drama and levity that keeps the listeners engaged. The stakes are raised as the party must decide how to handle Bilbo's corrupted state, leading to unexpected plot developments that showcase the players' creativity and strategic thinking in dealing with the challenges thrown their way. As the episode unfolds, the group's dynamics come to the forefront. Each character's unique attributes and backgrounds offer rich opportunities for humor and conflict, particularly as they deal with the looming threat of Saruman and the ever-present danger of the ring's corruption. The episode culminates in a dramatic showdown where the characters must face their fears and make choices that will impact not just their fates, but the very fabric of the world they inhabit. The combination of clever storytelling and the players' improvisational skills results in a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving the audience eager for the next installment of this geeky escapade. Overall, 'Corrupted Fantasy' Part 2 delivers a captivating mix of nostalgia, humor, and the timeless battle between good and evil, all wrapped up in the charming chaos that defines Geeks on a Roll.Takeaways:In this episode, the crew dives deeper into their corrupted fantasy, continuing the wild adventure through a twisted version of Middle Earth where characters like Spyro and Kumar engage in some hilarious antics.Kumar's knowledge of movie lore proves invaluable as he guides the party, while Freakazoid's quirky behavior adds a comedic twist, making for a perfect blend of humor and strategy.The emotional turmoil faced by Samwise when meeting a corrupted Bilbo showcases the darker themes of the campaign, highlighting the impact of corruption on cherished characters.Spyro's attempt to take on the Balrog leads to a hilarious misfire, revealing how even the mightiest heroes can have their off days in a chaotic game of D&D.The players grapple with the weight of their choices, as each character faces their own temptation with the Ring of Half Power, leading to dramatic moments and tough decisions.With the unexpected death of Freakazoid, the game takes a darker turn, prompting the characters to confront the serious stakes of their fantasy adventure..Be sure to check out our merch, find extra content, and become an official member of Systematic Geekology on our website:https://systematic-geekology-shop.fourthwall.com/.Check out all of our Geeks on a Roll series:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/ce33764f-91e5-4e06-9b52-15f678b02006.Listen to more of our episodes on LOTR and Middle Earth:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/7bdc3a47-0c58-40f1-88da-9f14079772f7.Don't miss any of our gaming episodes:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/409f2d81-9857-4426-b1f0-d8a02e58b150.Check out all of our anime episodes:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/ff4343b3-82e0-4173-a884-1608a49eec5b.Check out other episodes with Christian:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/ebf4b064-0672-47dd-b5a3-0fff5f11b54c.Check out other episodes with John:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/0501276f-17e9-48cf-81a7-140cc6dbad53.Listen to other episodes with great guests like Nick:https://player.captivate.fm/collection/0d46051e-3772-49ec-9e2c-8739c9b74cdeMentioned in this episode:Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky to keep up to date!Follow our show on our socials to keep up to date and get some exclusive content and fun memes!Get Your SG Merch now!Check out the link to see all of our different t-shirts, backpacks, drinking glasses, pajamas, and more! SG on FourthwallDonate to our Show / Check Out Free ExtrasCheck out our show on Fourthwall to donate to the podcast or get free extra content!SG on FourthwallThe Anazao Podcast NetworkBe sure to check out the network website to see other podcasts trying to engage honestly with Scripture, Theology, Pop Culture, Martial Arts, Science, and more!Anazao Podcast NetworkSystematic GeekologyOur show focuses around our favorite fandoms that we discuss from a Christian perspective. We do not try to put Jesus into all our favorite stories, but rather we try to ask the questions the IPs are asking, then addressing those questions from our perspective. We are not all ordained, but we are the Priests to the Geeks, in the sense that we try to serve as mediators between the cultures around our favorite fandoms and our faith communities.

Chris talks with Jonathan Geltner about the best (but still flawed) adaptation of The Hobbit. Get ready for...your greatest adventure! Among other things, we discuss: 1:32 — The 1977 NBC broadcast 2:31 — Childhood memories of the cartoon 5:48 — Rankin/Bass as directors 5:58 — Rankin's "no additions" philosophy 6:15 — Top Craft & the Studio Ghibli connection 7:39 — Music & the folk singer-songwriter style 8:11 — Critical reception & Hugo nomination 8:36 — What the adaptation kept vs. omitted 9:00 — Songs as background vs. foreground 12:10 — "Greatest Adventure" as anti-escapist message 20:01 — Fantasy's cultural status in the 1970s 21:59 — The Hobbit's cohesion vs. "episodic" label 25:57 — Bilbo's shifting narrative voice in Mirkwood 27:57 — Mirkwood: the weakest section 32:01 — Omitting Beorn & the Arkenstone's consequences 41:07 — Character designs: what works, what doesn't 46:54 — The Wood Elves' unusual look 51:59 — Star Wars, fantasy, and mainstream credibility 55:29 — Tolkien's "long ago in the quiet of the world" 1:00:53 — Oral storytelling tradition vs. film immersion 1:01:44 — One swap: what would you put back? 1:06:30 — Mental visualization & imaginative experience   To read Jonathan's Substack, click here: https://jonathangeltner.substack.com/ To read my (far less illustrious) Substack, click here: https://pipkinsmiscellany.substack.com/ To buy Jonathan's first book, click here: https://slantbooks.org/books/absolute-music/ To email me, click inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com  

Getting a little more serious on the topic of vocation, we try to actually answer the listener-submitted question: where did Bilbo (and his family) get their money from? What did he do for work (if anything)? This leads us into broader questions about the nature of the whole Shire economy and what sorts of jobs other Hobbits might be found doing.

As we go to examine Frodo's wound, Bilbo's secret is discovered! Join us on the Signum University Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/szXMFAv Mythmoot XIII: June 25-28, 2026 https://signumuniversity.org/event/mythmoot-xiii-june-25-28-2026/

The DepartureIt took us way longer than expected, but eventually Larry and I left Colorado to return home.Or at least, that was the plan.The land ownership was finally settled, all the documents were registered, officiated, finalized and everything was now in our names. Other people no longer had a footing or claim to the land or anything they had abandoned there.We had three major structures (including a vehicle) removed from the land, cutting off the negative energy cords they had anchored there.I woke up one day to find that Larry was removing water tanks, packing generators, tools and plants.Okidoki, I thought. This is it. We are leaving.A few hours later, we started the GPS and it said, 19 hours to Port Angeles. We discussed where we might stop, how many hours we would drive that day and we left. We came to a grinding stop a few yards outside of the property… OMG, we had left Chinook tied up in the shade in the sand castle! Our giant, white, hard-to-miss Maremmano-Abruzzese dog. We re-checked everything again, loaded our love bug onto the truck and set off yet again.We wanted to get north of Salt Lake City on the first day, which we did. We actually stayed at a Cabelas' carpark, and there was a bit of grass next to us. The dogs sniffed it, laid down on it and went to sleep. They had missed the grass.Everything was good, we had driven the rest of the day and had found a great place to park.The next day, we found a restaurant that opened for breakfast at 7:30am. We walked over and found it to be both beautiful and high-frequency. The food was also amazing. After breakfast, our plan was to drive all day and get to Eastern Washington.But when we got back in the car and started the map, it showed us we still had 17 hours left. How could this be? It was so confusing, we had driven a long way the previous day.We sighed and started the drive again. It is not like this is the first time we had missing time in our travels.In fact, as the journey unfolded, Larry and I started comparing notes with earlier trips and noticing some very strange patterns. We will explore those more deeply in the podcast.Again, we drove all day. We veered north. The time on the GPS looked very similar to the Oregon route. We found an amazing National Forest camping ground and after some chopping of wood, walking the dogs and dinner, we went to sleep.The next day the story repeated. Instead of the 8 hours left that the GPS had told us the previous night, we had 14!OK, this was odd, weird and strange. Larry decided to find a physical map to check our journey on. There was a large map outside an information stop in Lolo, Montana. Yup, you guessed it. We still had 14 hours left to get home. At that point we stopped trying to make sense of it and simply kept driving.We can discard it all with bad planning or failing GPS directions. But this became even stranger.When we left Lolo, the GPS said to go north to Moscow and Coeur d'Alene. I was a bit confused by this, but we followed the instructions. As I was looking at the gps trying to figure out how far we were so we could stop for food there, I looked up and saw a notice saying “Welcome to Washington”. And, as I pointed it out to Larry asking him when we had stopped going north (he said we had not), I looked down to the map and saw our dot move from the road north, to one going west. Not only that, but it was well within Washington.Hmm, OK, we thought. And looked around us. Endless green fields stretched to the horizon. Strong grasses rolled in the wind like waves on an ocean. Here and there sat seriously beautiful farmhouse compounds surrounded by trees, barns and silence. It felt less like driving through a place and more like moving through a painting.Again, we drove all day. Nothing changed. The fields seemed to go forever. It does not take all day to drive across Washington State. Yet, at the end of the day, just as the green fields turned to desert, we found a campground in Wanapum Recreation Area. Yes, Still eastern washington.The next day we did manage to get close to home! You got it. We drove all day and managed to get past Port Angeles, where we camped for the evening in our shared land, Fossil Beach, where our friends were waiting.When we finally did get home, the next day, we felt very different from when we had left, different from who we had been in Colorado, and different again from who we had been on the road home. The locations themselves no longer seemed important. It was like we had never left home at all. Or more like all of it was home.Which makes me wonder. Bilbo eventually returned to the Shire. So did we. But whether either of us ever truly left home, the road, or the destination is another question entirely.And no, we didn't bring home a ring to rule them all, but we did bring a truck full of quartz crystals.On this week's Wisdom Keepers Hour, we will share photographs, videos, and reflections from the journey home. Our panelists will also compare their own return journeys and help us explore a question we still cannot fully answer:How do you drive for days and somehow remain inside the same stretch of road?The discussion doesn't stop here - listen to the full podcast episode for unfiltered insights from Inelia and our panelists. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dttr.substack.com/subscribe

I'm making my annual trek through Middle-earth right now. Deep longing for Middle-earth hits me in the spring of the year when I am spending a lot of time in my yard and garden. As the quest begins, Frodo and the fellowship find themselves in the mines of Moria. There, Frodo gets squired by a spear thrown by a giant Orc. Everyone assumes he is dead as they watched the force of the spear hurl him back into the wall of the cave. As the company beats a retreat, he is carried out. When they are at a safe distance, they pause to catch their breath and notice Frodo stir. They are all stunned. No one could have withstood that spear thrust. Later, as they take off his cloak to tend the wound, they discover the secret of the mystery Frodo has on a coat of mithril mail, a gift to him from Bilbo. Mithril is the most prized and precious metal in Middle-earth, it could be beaten and worked like copper and polished like glass. It was lightweight and harder than still, and unlike silver, it never tarnished. When Gandalf sees it, he exclaims that the value of that coat was worth more than the whole Shire where Frodo lives.  We are going to look at a similar happening in our I AM text this Sunday when Jesus says, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” Martha, being a devout Jewish believer, believes that at the end of time her brother will be raised from the dead. But then he says something mind-boggling. The power of the resurrection is not something we only experience when we die, but is actually in us right now!It is a staggering truth to think about, one that, like Frodo, we possess but rarely think about or lay hold of in the messiness and brokenness of life. We will talk about it on Sunday. Also, we have a couple of baptisms—one infant and one a believer. Promise and fulfillment are playing out in the water before our eyes. I can't wait!

This week, we check in with Hobbits, riddles, band names, family films, and parents personal lives.Listen to the Jortscenter Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ioAsKKw7AhdJ0cCrasqfH?si=6c2cef121c3a4a9aJoin our Peloton!   https://www.patreon.com/JortsCenterFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342135897580300Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/jortscenterFollow us on Twitter:@JortsCenterPod Will is @wapplehouse Josh is @otherjrobbins Ryan is @ryhanbeard Vic is @DokktorvikktorZack is @ZackVanNus

One rest later, and our heroes are ready to embark into the trickery of the First World. Buster reveals everybody's names. Ignis plucks the threads of fate. Chozo pretends to be Bilbo in Mirkwood. Max spots somebody in the crowd. • • • Patreon: patreon.com/ICastFireball20 Twitter / Instagram: @ICastFireball20 Facebook: @ICastFireball2020 Email: ICastFireball2020@gmail.com Donations: ko-fi.com/icastfireball20 • • • AUDIO CREDITS Mynoise.net Ambience made on the incredible Mynoise.net. If you're looking for customizable background sound while you're creating, or studying, or playing your own dnd campaign check out this site and consider donating because it's a great site. Many sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com and https://pixabay.com/ Public domain sound effects used throughout “The Feywild Forest” by Michael Ghelfi Studios on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-IIriS2398 GO CHECK THEM OUT!! Incredible TTRPG Ambiences and music! Their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MichaelGhelfi Conditions of use:https://michaelghelfi.com/conditions-of-use/ Michaelghelfistudios.com dscryb.com/MichaelGhelfi @MichaelGhelfiStudios “Feywild Forest” By Dungeon Crawler Audio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1H5fHGzZ6M “Olympus” By Ross Bugden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnmglWHoVrk Please consider subscribing And as always a HUGE thank you to Hayden Allred for our amazing theme music!

What does it mean to be inconvenienced? Chesterton has a paradoxical answer. Joe Grabowski and Grettelyn Darkey unpack one of Chesterton's most beloved aphorisms — "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered; an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered" — tracing it from its original context in a real 1906 London flood, through the essay "On Running After One's Hat," and all the way to Boethius, St. Lawrence, and the Christian vocation to embrace the cross. In This Episode: The original context of the quote in Chesterton's essay "On Running After One's Hat" from All Things Considered, prompted by the great London flood of June 1906 What running after a windblown hat has to do with Innocent Smith in Manalive—and why the sport of hat-hunting haunted Chesterton's imagination for years The difference between a sunny attitude and a genuinely Chestertonian embrace of inconvenience, and why it matters on a spiritual level Boethius, St. Lawrence, and St. Peter hanging upside down—what the saints reveal about the adventure of embracing the cross The thread running through all of Chesterton: how a single paradox in a flood-inspired newspaper column illuminates his entire worldview Chapters: 00:00: Introduction 01:52: Parsing the Quote 04:50: Bilbo Baggins and Engaging with Life 07:49: The 1906 London Flood 20:23: Running After One's Hat 23:05: Innocent Smith in Manalive 28:41: The Thread of Chesterton's Philosophy 35:00: Daily Inconveniences 37:06: The Spiritual Dimension Resources Mentioned: All Things Considered by G.K. Chesterton (includes "On Running After One's Hat") Manalive by G.K. Chesterton The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius FOLLOW US Instagram Facebook X SUPPORT Consider making a donation Visit our Shop Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios

Ok, first things first. Let's get it out of the way. Yes, the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent — spend a great deal of this week's podcast answering a listener question about great movie quartets. They also spend a great deal of time, in the Movie News section, talking about The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum. And yes, despite all that, they spectacularly fail to mention Bilbo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin in the former category. So, just letting you know that now lest you wish to shout at your podcast device of choice. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. Or maybe fourwarned is more apt in this case. Anyway, it's a fun episode in which our own quartet also talk Taskmaster series 21, discuss other nuggets of movie news, and review James McAvoy's directorial debut, California Schemin', Francois Ozon's The Stranger, rom-com You, Me & Tuscany, and podcasting horror, Undertone. And Chris has a lovely chat with James McAvoy, who pops into the podbooth to talk about directing for the first time. [41:45 - 1:00:32 approx] Oh, and the group make tentative and fun plans with this week's work experience person. Enjoy.

Un anneau d'or. Un vol. Une malédiction gravée dans le plomb. Et au bout du fil, un certain J.R.R. Tolkien. L'histoire de l'Anneau de Silvianus est l'une des plus fascinantes que l'archéologie nous ait jamais livrée — parce qu'elle se situe exactement à la frontière entre la réalité romaine et la fantasy du XXe siècle.Le vol et la malédictionAu IVe siècle après Jésus-Christ, un Romain du nom de Silvianus visite le temple celtique dédié au dieu guérisseur Nodens, sur les rives de la Severn dans le Gloucestershire, en Angleterre. Pendant sa visite — vraisemblablement pendant qu'il se baignait dans les thermes du temple — son anneau d'or lui est dérobé.Silvianus ne reste pas sans réagir. Il se rend au temple et grave sur une plaque de plomb — ce que les Romains appellent une defixio, une tablette de malédiction — une inscription en latin : "Au dieu Nodens. Silvianus a perdu son anneau et en a donné la moitié à Nodens. Parmi ceux qui se nomment Senicianus, ne permets aucune bonne santé jusqu'à ce qu'il soit rendu au temple de Nodens." Un homme qui vole un anneau, et une malédiction divine lancée sur le coupable. Le scénario vous rappelle quelque chose ?L'anneau retrouvéL'anneau lui-même est découvert en 1785 dans un champ près de Silchester, en Angleterre. Il est grand — 25 mm de diamètre, 12 grammes — peut-être conçu pour être porté sur un gant ou au pouce. Il porte dix facettes et un chaton carré gravé à l'effigie de la déesse Vénus, avec l'inscription : "Senicianus, vis en Dieu." La tablette de malédiction et l'anneau ne seront reliés l'un à l'autre qu'en 1929, par l'archéologue Sir Mortimer Wheeler.Tolkien entre en scèneC'est là que tout bascule. Wheeler contacte son ami et collègue J.R.R. Tolkien, alors professeur de vieil anglais à Oxford, pour l'aider à identifier le nom du dieu Nodens mentionné sur la tablette. À plusieurs reprises, Tolkien se rend en personne au temple de Nodens pour enquêter sur le mystère. À cette époque, il commence à écrire Le Hobbit, publié en 1937.Inspiration réelle ou mythe tenace ?Les similitudes sont troublantes. Les deux anneaux sont en or et disparaissent mystérieusement. Silvianus sait qui lui a volé son bien et le maudit nommément — tout comme Gollum hurle "Voleur ! Voleur !" après Bilbo. Pourtant, le National Trust, gardien de l'anneau, précise que le lien avec Tolkien a souvent été présenté à tort comme une inspiration certaine — et qu'aucune preuve directe n'existe.La vérité est peut-être dans cet entre-deux : un anneau maudit, un professeur curieux, une imagination débordante. Parfois, l'Histoire n'a pas besoin de preuves pour faire naître des légendes. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.

We're starting a new season and a new series, looking at all things "handed down." How do heirlooms, heritage, inheritance (and the like) play into Tolkien's world (and specifically into his stories)? We start out this week looking at the Hobbits and all of the things Bilbo hands down to Frodo (his home, his ring, his adventuring gear, and also his 'Tookish' adventuring spirit).

John 16:16-24,“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and, ‘because I am going to the Father'?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.Our passage begins with something like a riddle. Jesus says,“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” We're reading The Hobbit at home, and so I couldn't help but think of Bilbo Baggins and Gollum in the cave trading riddles while Bilbo hides the ring. What has roots as nobody sees / Is taller than trees / Up, up it goes / And yet never grows? . . . (A Mountain). Voiceless it cries / Wingless flutters / Toothless bites / Mouthless mutters. . . (Wind). Jesus had a little Bilbo in him here. He says, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” You can picture poor Andrew sitting there and thinking it over. . . . Mmm mountain! No, wind! The disciples are all turned around here.Some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and, ‘because I am going to the Father'?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about.”I don't think these guys would have made it out of the cave with Gollum's ring. “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So what did he mean? He's talking about what's about to happen in the next few days. He's talking about the cross, the tomb, and the victory. In a matter of hours, you will not see me because I'm going to be killed. The good shepherd is about to lay down his life for the sheep. . . . And then, in a couple days, you're going to see me again. Oh you're going to see me.You Won't See MeFirst, he's preparing them for his death. “A little while, and you will not see me. . . .” Friends, I'm going to die. . . . You're going to have to watch me be betrayed, and slandered, and mocked, and then nailed to a tree and left to hang there until I can't breathe anymore. You're going to watch me bleed to death. And you're going to be sad. And it's right to be sad. It's going to be terrible, the worst nightmare any of you have ever seen. The crucifying of the Son of God is the greatest evil and heartache in history — and our history is filled, from Adam to Iran, with lots of evil and heartache. Whatever sorrow you're bringing in here — and there are serious sorrows in this room — whatever sorrow you're bringing in here, this is greater. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) — and they murdered him. They met all of that grace and mercy face to face, and they spat on him. They drove nails through his glorious hands, his sinless feet. He came to die for their sins, and they saw him, and they went and sinned even harder against him. They tortured him, and they savored his pain and shame. Verse 20, Jesus says to his disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice.” I'm really going to die, and you're really going to weep. At the darkest hour, you're going to wish you couldn't see me anymore. That's how bad it'll be. And the world is going to watch you cry and they're going to cheer. In just a little while, it's going to be awful.You Will See meThat's not the whole riddle, though.“A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.”I'm going to die — but hear me, I ain't going to be dead long.“And again a little while, and you will see me.”I'm really going to die — my heart will stop, my eyes will empty, my lungs will collapse, my flesh will go cold — and then I'm really going to rise.“You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”I'm not going to be dead long, and so you won't have to be sad for long. I love the comma at the heart of that key sentence: “A little while, and you will not see me [comma, not a period] and again a little while, and you will see me.” The three days aren't even long enough for a period. Almost as quickly as he left and died, he's going to rise and return to them. He's going to walk with them, talk with them, even eat with them.He gives them a picture for what's about to happen in verse 21. “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come. . . .”Can he get an amen, Cities Church? I mean Jesus is speaking our language here. We love babies in this church. We max out nurseries in this church. Some of us buy passenger vans. This is a familiar picture for us. And pregnancy is hard. God says to the woman, Genesis 3:16: “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.” These nine months are nine months of multiplying pain. You have back pain from carrying that little bowling ball everywhere you go. Your blood pressure might spike, threatening you or the baby. Your hormones surge, making you more anxious and irritable and sometimes sad. You're tired because your body's constantly in overdrive — your heart, lungs, kidneys all straining to support another human being. You're tired, but you don't sleep well at all, which makes everything (even the smallest tasks) ten times harder. You have to go to the bathroom every 12 minutes. You feel sick and you probably throw up. Some women throw up a lot — for months. And then, at the end of all of that, you might be in the agony of labor for hours (or even longer).Listen to what Jesus says: “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come [comma] but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.” She doesn't remember?!If he wasn't Jesus, we could say he's just another naïve guy who doesn't get it. But he gets it. “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him,” — the baby, the womb, the placenta, the epidural — “and without him was not anything made that was made.” He gets it. And you get it, if you've ever seen a mother after she's had her baby. She's not holding her baby and grumbling about how much her back hurt for the last nine months. She's not complaining about all the times she had to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. She's not hung up on all the extra doctor visits and the poking and prodding and anxiety. No, if you watch her, it really seems like she just forgot all of that. She forgot months of pain and exhaustion and vomitting in minutes — in seconds even. In just 6 pounds and 8 ounces, all of that is behind her. Why? She has her baby!“When she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish,” Jesus says. Then verse 22: “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”You're going to have sorrow when I die, but you're going to see me again soon, and when you do, you're going to be absolutely overcome with joy. You'll be so overcome with joy that you just might forget the pain. The joy will be so full and so intense that you won't think about how sad you were. And he wasn't lying. In just a little while in the Gospel of John, we're going to see this happen. Here's John 20, after his death on the cross:On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.Their sorrow turned to joy, and no one and nothing took that joy from them. Remember, most (if not all) of these men will be killed for following Jesus, and none of that could touch their joy. Preparing You for Your SorrowsNo sorrow could touch their joy in him, and no sorrow in your life can touch the joy you have in the risen Jesus. In these verses, Jesus is clearly preparing his friends for his suffering on the cross, but he's also clearly preparing them for their own suffering to come. And we see this all over this final meal together. He told them, again and again, that they were going to suffer when he was gone.“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:19)“The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. . . . I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” (John 16:1)“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)If you follow me, you're going to have tribulation. You're going to have tribulation. You're going to have tribulation. This is going to be hard. Do you know that, Cities Church? Do you remember that when tribulation comes to your door? . . . So many Christians in the world have been led to believe that life with Jesus should be only joy and never sorrow. And so they're devastated when sorrow comes, and sorrow comes to us all. Jesus told us that, he warned us — but they're not listening to Jesus.Jesus said, I'm going to rise from the dead and so you're going to have untouchable, unshakeable hope and joy, but you're going to suffer. You're going to have sorrows of various kinds — prayers that go unanswered year after year. And I want you to be ready. And so he prepares his disciples for those sorrows in at least three ways here in these verses.1. You can have joy, even in sorrow.First, when sorrow comes, Christian — and sorrows will come — know that you have a reason to rejoice, even now. Verse 20: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. . . . 23 You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”This was true when Jesus died, and it's still true right now. He's still risen and living and reigning! He's as real and alive in heaven as you are in this room. Because he rose, we have joy, even now, even in the sorrows that come. We are sorrowful, yes, but always rejoicing (2 Corinthians 6:10), because Christ has conquered death, he's overcome the world, and he's preparing a place for us in glory where we will live with him forever. Our sorrows are real and heavy and painful, but they cannot touch that joy.He gives us another reason to think that we can have joy now, though, even in sorrow. Look down at verses 23–24:In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.While they live and wait and hurt in a world without Jesus — with sorrows everywhere they turn — he wants them to pray. Ask me anything, he says. And he's specifically encouraging them to pray (notice) that their joy may be full. Pray in my name, ask me anything, that your joy might be full. And not full one day in heaven, but full right now in sorrow.He's not talking about joy when he comes again and takes them home. That will be a joyful day — the fullest joy and pleasures forevermore. No, he's saying pray here and now so that your joy might be full here and now. That's how powerful my resurrection is. You have a reason to rejoice and a power to rejoice no matter what your circumstances are. So many Christians in the world have been led to believe that life with Jesus should be only joy and never sorrow (and so they're undone when sorrow comes). Other Christians (maybe this is you) have suffered so much that you've started to think that life with Jesus, at least in this life, is only sorrow and never joy. And so you've stopped expecting to experience any joy here on earth. If Jesus has risen, and I can assure you he is not dead anymore, you can have joy, even now — if you ask.2. Joy comes to those who ask.So, when sorrow comes, first, know that you can have joy, even now. You still have big, strong reasons to rejoice. Second lesson here: joy comes to those who ask. It comes to those who pray. And that's where Jesus goes in verse 22:I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.Whatever you ask. . . What does the whatever really mean here? Clearly, it doesn't mean that God will automatically give us whatever we ask. We know that from experience, if we've ever prayed for anything for long. No, God doesn't immediately give us whatever we ask for. That wouldn't be loving. Parents understand this. Our kids ask for all kinds of things all the time, and we want to give them all the best things — but often that means not giving them what they want in the moment. No, he says, “whatever you ask of the Father in my name” — whatever you ask in reliance on me and for my glory. He said that earlier in the night, John 14:13–14: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” There you have it again, whatever you ask. No, he doesn't immediately give us whatever we ask (because he loves us). No, the whatever here means we can ask him anything in this name. There's no ask too small or big. We're invited to ask like children. Children don't worry about asks being too small or too big. They just ask. That's how your Father wants you to ask, so that your joy might be full. Joy comes to those who ask.And our sorrows keep us asking, don't they? They keep us praying. In fact, this is one great reason for sorrow in Christian life. What do you pray for most often and most passionately? You probably pray for the things in your life that hurt — the loved one who isn't saved, the relief or healing that won't come, the bill that won't go away, the temptation that won't relent, the person who won't talk to you. You pray for those things because you have to. Sorrows keep us asking, and that means they keep us closer to Jesus. And in his presence, close to him, is fullness of joy — “that your joy may be full.” This is why the saints in your life who have suffered most are often strangely the happiest in him.3. Your sorrows will have a baby.Lastly, your sorrows will have a baby. What do I mean by that? I mean your sorrows, all your sorrows, have a purpose. They're going somewhere. Your pain, in the hands of God, it's producing something. Soon and very soon, your sorrows are going to give birth to a new life, a new world with only joy and never sorrow. God wants you to know that, in a little while, the baby's coming.In these verses, the sorrow of losing Jesus gives birth to the eternal joy of his rising from the dead. His suffering, every inch and millisecond, was filled with divine and perfect purpose. And your suffering, all of your suffering, has that kind of purpose. It's part of your path to glory, and this pattern is all over the New Testament.2 Corinthians 4:15-17,[When sorrows come] “We do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”Or Romans 8:16–18,“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him” — we're going to suffer, we're all going to have sorrows — “in order that we may also be glorified with him. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”John 16:21,“When she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”Your sorrows are going to give birth to a joy so great that it'll make you forget the sorrows you're carrying right now. When Jesus returns, you won't have to carry them anymore. Your joy in Jesus is going to outlast your sorrow. No one can take away your joy, but someone can take away your sorrow. If you entrust your sorrows to Jesus, he's going to take them away.You Will Ask Me NothingI skipped over a line in verse 23, and I want to end there:“In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”What did Jesus mean when he said, “In that day you will ask nothing of me”? It might mean, “You'll stop asking me for things, and you'll start asking the Father in my name.” It might mean that, but I don't think that's what's going on here, and that's because the words for ask here are two different words in the Greek: “you will ask nothing of me” and “whatever you ask of the Father in my name.” The second one (“whatever you ask of the Father in my name”) is typically used for supplication: asking someone for something or to do something. The first Greek word (“you will ask nothing of me”) is most often used when someone's asking for information — when they need someone to explain something. And Jesus says to his confused disciples, who have all kinds of questions: “In a little while, you're not going to ask those questions anymore.” Think about all of their questions just in the last couple chapters:“Lord, where are you going?” “Lord, why can I not follow you now?” “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”“What does he mean by ‘a little while'?”They actually say in our passage, verse 18: “We do not know what he is talking about.”And Jesus is saying to them: You're going to know really soon, and then you will ask me nothing. You won't ask me where I'm going, and when, and how you're going to find me. In that day, you will ask me nothing, because I will have already died and rose. You're going to know what you need to know. And that's what we remember right here at this Table. Each Sunday, we come with all kinds of questions, all kinds of sorrows we desperately want him to heal and take away. But we're not asking how Jesus is going to save the world anymore. We know. With all our hearts, we know.This Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried — “a little while, and you will see me no longer.” He descended into hades. “And again a little while, and you will see me.” The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. And when he does, he will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore — only joy and never sorrow.

In this episode, we dig into two crucial scenes: the iconic formation of the Fellowship and the bridge-side tryst between Aragorn and Arwen. Drawing from both book and film, we examine what's gained (and lost) when Tolkien's deep lore is streamlined for cinema. We also look at: Who actually attended the Council of Elrond Boromir's famous “Gondor has no king” line—book vs. film debate Why Gimli's axe-to-the-ring moment feels out of place How Arwen and Aragorn's romance changes when moved from appendix to film The effects of missing characters like Bilbo and Glorfindel Become a member at https://theonering.com/members or https://theonering.com/patreon to hear our thoughts on: Listener questions: Is Lurtz a good addition—or does he rob Aragorn of a key moment? The origins of the Uruk-hai – sci-fi or fantasy? How “meat's back on the menu” could've been more lore friendly The looming Hunt for Gollum trilogy—how much story is really there? How an Aragorn biopic could finally do the ranger justice BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and live chats. You can also join for $5 a month on Patreon

Starting a new series, we cover the first half of Tolkien's The Hobbit novel with an emphasis on symbolism, theology, history and the esoteric. This will be a deepdive on the series like none other! Access part 2 by subscribing below to JaysAnalysis website members or YT members. Send Superchats at any time here: https://streamlabs.com/jaydyer/tip Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnt7Iy8GlmdPwy_Tzyx93bA/join Order New Book Available here: https://jaysanalysis.com/product/esoteric-hollywood-3-sex-cults-apocalypse-in-films/ Get started with Bitcoin here: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/jaydyer/ The New Philosophy Course is here: https://marketplace.autonomyagora.com/philosophy101 Set up recurring Choq subscription with the discount code JAY60LIFE for 60% off now https://choq.com Subscribe to my site here: https://jaysanalysis.com/membership-account/membership-levels/ Follow me on R0kfin here: https://rokfin.com/jaydyer Music by Dr Evo the Producer, Jay Dyer and Amid the Ruins 1453 https://www.youtube.com/@amidtheruinsOVERHAUL Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnt7Iy8GlmdPwy_Tzyx93bA/joinBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jay-sanalysis--1423846/support.

Drift into the lush, peaceful world of the Shire in this cinematic sleep hypnosis journey inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Perfect for anyone who struggles to quiet a busy mind at night, this experience gently guides you through rolling green hills, cozy hobbit homes, and the comforting magic of Bilbo's homeland.As your body softens and your thoughts fade, you'll feel deeply safe, grounded, and serene. Tension melts away, replaced with warmth and calm. By morning, you'll awaken refreshed, clear-headed, and restored—like you've returned from a peaceful adventure.

In this episode, which coincides with Bilbo's age at his farewell birthday party, Jay and Grant discuss one of Tolkien's greatest and most legendary characters: Glorfindel.The Hunt for Gollum looks like a step too far for the endless Lord of the Rings franchiseCheck us out on Goodreads:Grant: www.goodreads.com/user/show/175355524-grant-mulderJay: www.goodreads.com/user/show/61189862-jay-benedictContact us at exploringmiddleearthpod@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram! @exploringmiddle_earthFollow us on X! @ExpMiddleEarth https://twitter.com/ExpMiddleEarthConnect with us on myspace: https://myspace.com/exploringmiddle-earthMusic: Adventure (remaster) by Alexander Nakarada (https://www.creatorchords.com)Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 Licensehttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Britt and Chris dive into everything they love about Frodo Baggins, including his immediate and sustained sacrificial responses to the threat of the One Ring. They also explore one of Frodo's powerful Return of the King quotes, his queerness, his book age of 50, a post-apocalyptic or university AU, and of course his relationships with Sam, Gollum, and Bilbo. Please tell a geeky friend about us and leave a review on your podcast app! If you really enjoy our content, become one of our amazing patrons to get more of it for just $1 per month here: https://www.patreon.com/geekbetweenthelines Every dollar helps keep the podcast going! You can also buy us a ko-fi for one-time support here: https://ko-fi.com/geekbetweenthelines Please follow us on social media, too: Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/geekbetweenthelines Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/geekbetweenthelines Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/geekbetweenthelines Twitter : https://twitter.com/geekbetween Website: https://geekbetweenthelines.wixsite.com/podcast Logo artist: https://www.lacelit.com

I met Peter in 2013 playing poker at a mutual friends house in sobriety. It's funny when you meet people at one point in their life and then watch as everything unfold for the better.What started out as a craigslist opportunity in the boating world sparked a greater dream of working and building "quite literally" a massive marine and seaside construction business. Peter, got sober and moved down to south florida to start over. His first job was a bike ride away from his sober living and he began working at a boat yard and observed detailing companies coming in and out making everything look nice. While he was very appreciative of the work opportunity he had always been entrepreneurial and thought, Hey, I can do that and do it better. He began biking up and down the coast passing out fliers and notes for opportunities for several months with only a couple of clients. One afternoon he told his boss that he was going to pursue it full time and had to give it all of his attention if was going to work and took one of the biggest risks. What happened then was nothing short of miraculous and you'll have to tune in to hear how everything played out. The company is called Seaside Marine Construction; At their core, they value God, Family, and Friends, and we bring that commitment to every marine construction project. They work hard to create exceptional waterfront experiences, specializing in seawalls, docks, and boat lifts, with safety, quality, and longevity at heart. If you are in need of their services please reach out through the website https://seasidemarineconstruction.com/Peters life is one that could be a movie. He got sober, found his passion that fuels his dream to build and help others, married an amazing woman, had two beautiful twin baby girls and employs people that are looking for their second chance. I was blessed with the opportunity to sit down and record this story as it's one of my favorites. If you are looking for work, some inspiration or just a nice guy to help maybe point you in the right direction then look no further and we hope you enjoy the show!

Can spectacle replace substance? Jeff Haecker, Patrick Mason, and Rob Leonardi weigh Thorin's fall and redemption, Bilbo's brave choice with the Arkenstone, and a battle bursting with CGI. Does The Battle of the Five Armies honor Tolkien—or bury his themes beneath excess? The post The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Hello to you listening in South Bend, Indiana!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk With 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday and your host, Diane Wyzga.  The line on the birthday card from my sister goes like this: “The sun is up and you are alive to see it. Start there.” [Lin-Manuel Miranda] It's just what I need to light my way in the early morning dark to the coffee pot in the kitchen.  Following are 5 inspirations chosen for you. Dance with the one that calls today:  “Well, I've often felt that dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask.” [David Duchovny playing the character Fox Mulder The X-Files 1995)]“Roll out, snakes! It's daylight in the swamp!” [The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich]“Always remember Bilbo, when your heart wants lifting, think of pleasant things...  Eggs and bacon. A good, full pipe. My garden at twilight.” [Gandalf & Bilbo Baggins]"When nothing's working, it might be a cosmic conspiracy to get you to experiment." [Caroline Casey]“What's really important is not the big things others have created but the continuous, each-by-each little things you are bringing into being. Never underestimate your singular power as a creator.” [Diane Wyzga]And thank you for listening.You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Communication Services, email me to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack.Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.  If you found this podcast episode helpful, please consider sharing and attributing it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

The panel discusses the closing chapters—the battles against Smaug and between the five armies, and the journey home—with special attention to the influence of great wealth, the difference between leaders amongst the Lake-men, and Bilbo's significance.Continue reading

Martin Freeman is one of the most sought-after actors of his generation. Whether it's Tim in The Office, John - the mild-mannered porn actor in Love Actually, Watson in Sherlock, Bilbo in The Hobbit, the stressed parent in Breeders, the Liverpudlian cop with personal problems in The Responder and Everett K. Ross in Marvel Cinematic Universe smash hits Captain America and Black Panther - Freeman is a star, and to date has won two Emmys and a BAFTA. In this episode, Martin reflects on his childhood as the youngest of five (comparatively modest when you consider his mother was one of fourteen!) as well as the lasting impact of losing his father at ten years old. We talk about parenting, the people who've inspired him (hello, Michael Caine), the future of AI from a technophobe's perspective, his unease with fame and the quieter failures that sit behind public success. Plus: strap yourself in for much hilarity. I don't think I can remember a guest who made me laugh QUITE this much. Martin can next be seen as the determined Superintendent Battle in Netflix's new Agatha Christie adaptation, Seven Dials. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Introduction 02:22 Dealing with Fame and Anxiety 05:12 The Everyman Label 07:35 Exploring Anger and Authenticity 16:28 Academic Struggles and Early Acting 20:33 Personal Reflections and Family 28:08 Comparing to Heroes 32:15 The Office and Sherlock 40:29 Technology Struggles 44:20 AI Concerns 47:47 Meeting Michael Caine

Welcome back to Snafu with Robin P. Zander. In this episode, I'm doing something a little different: I step into the guest seat for a conversation with one of my good friends, Andrew Bartlow, recorded for the People Leader Accelerator podcast alongside Jessica Yuen. We dive into storytelling, identity, and leadership — exploring how personal experiences shape professional influence. The conversation begins with a reflection on family and culture, from the Moroccan textiles behind me, made by my mother, to the influence of my father's environmental consulting work. These threads of personal history frame my lifelong fascination with storytelling, persuasion, and coalition-building. Andrew and Jessica guide the discussion through how storytelling intersects with professional growth. We cover how early experiences — like watching Lawrence of Arabia at a birthday sleepover — sparked curiosity about adventure, influence, and human connection, and how these interests evolved into a career focused on organizational storytelling and leadership. We explore practical frameworks, including my four-part story model (Setup → Change → Turning → Resolution) and the power of "twists" to create momentum and memorability. The episode also touches on authentic messaging, the role of vulnerability in leadership, and why practicing storytelling in everyday life—outside high-stakes moments—builds confidence and executive presence over time. Listeners will hear lessons from a lifetime of diverse experiences: running a café in the Mission District, collaborating with BJ Fogg on behavioral change, building Zander Media, and applying storytelling to align teams and organizations. We also discuss how authenticity and personal perspective remain a competitive advantage in an age of AI-generated content. If you're curious about how storytelling, practice, and presence intersect with leadership, persuasion, and influence, this episode is for you. And for more insights on human connection, organizational alignment, and the future of work, check out Snafu, my weekly newsletter on sales, persuasion, and storytelling here, and Responsive Conference, where we explore leadership, work, and organizational design here. Start (0:00) Storytelling & Identity Robin introduces Moroccan textiles behind him Made by his mother, longtime practicing artist Connects to Moroccan fiancée → double meaning of personal and cultural Reflection on family influence Father: environmental consulting firm Mother: artist Robin sees himself between their careers Early Fascination with Storytelling Childhood obsession with Morocco and Lawrence of Arabia Watched 4-hour movie at age 6–7 Fascinated by adventure, camels, storytelling, persuasion Early exposure shaped appreciation for coalition-building and influence Identity & Names Jess shares preference for "Jess" → casual familiarity Robin shares professional identity as "Xander" Highlights fluidity between personal and professional selves Childhood Experiences & Social Context Watching Lawrence of Arabia at birthday sleepover Friends uninterested → early social friction Andrew parallels with daughters and screen preferences Childhood experiences influence perception and engagement Professional Background & Storytelling Application Robin's long involvement with PeopleTech and People Leader Accelerator Created PLA website, branding, documented events Mixed pursuits: dance, media, café entrepreneurship Demonstrates applying skills across domains Collaboration with BJ Fogg → behavioral change expertise Storytelling as Connection and Alignment Robin: Storytelling pulls from personal domains and makes it relevant to others Purpose: foster connection → move together in same direction Executive relevance: coalition building, generating momentum, making the case for alignment Andrew: HR focus on connection, relationships, alignment, clarity Helps organizations move faster, "grease the wheels" for collaboration Robin's Credibility and Experience in Storytelling Key principle: practice storytelling more than listening Full-time entrepreneur for 15 years First business at age 5: selling pumpkins Organized neighborhood kids in scarecrow costumes to help sell Earned $500 → early lessons in coalition building and persuasion Gymnastics and acrobatics: love of movement → performance, discipline Café entrepreneurship: Robin's Cafe in Mission District, SF Started with 3 weeks' notice to feed conference attendees Housed within a dance studio → intersection of dance and behavioral change First experience managing full-time employees Learned the importance of storytelling for community building and growth Realized post-sale missed opportunity: storytelling could have amplified success Transition to Professional Storytelling (Zander Media) Lessons from cafe → focus on storytelling, messaging, content creation Founded Zander Media (2018) Distributed small team, specializes in narrative strategy and video production Works with venture-backed companies and HR teams to tell stories internally and externally Provides reps and depth in organizational storytelling Why Storytelling Matters for Organizations Connects people, fosters alignment Enables faster movement toward shared goals Storytelling as a "powerful form of connection" What Makes a Good Story Robin: frameworks exist, but ultimately humans want: Education, entertainment, attention Sustained attention (avoid drift to TikTok, distractions) Framework examples: Hero's Journey (Joseph Campbell) → 17 steps Dan Harmon's 8-part structure → simplified version of Hero's Journey Robin's preferred model: 4-part story structure (details/examples forthcoming) The Power of the Twist, and Organizational Storytelling Robin's Four-Part Story Model Core idea: stories work best when they follow a simple arc Setup → Change → Turning (twist/reveal) → Resolution Goal: not rigid frameworks, but momentum, surprise, payoff The "Turning" (Twist) as the Sticky Moment Pixar example via Steve Jobs and the iPod Nano Setup: Apple's dominance, market context, long build-up Choice point: Option A: just reveal the product Option B (chosen): pause + curiosity Turning: the "tiny jeans pocket" question Reveal: iPod Nano pulled from the pocket Effect: entertainment, disruption, memorability Key insight: The twist creates pause, delight, and attention This moment often determines whether a story is remembered Why Flat Stories Fail Example (uninspiring): "I ran a cafe → wanted more marketing → now I run Xander Media" Improved arc with turning: Ran a cafe → wanted to do more marketing → sold it on Craigslist → built Xander Media Lesson: A reveal or risk creates narrative energy The Four Parts in Practice Setup The world as it is (Bilbo in the Shire) Change Something disrupts the norm (Gandalf arrives) Turning Twist, reveal, or surprise (the One Ring) Resolution Payoff and return (Bilbo back to the Shire) How to Use This as a Leader Don't force stories into frameworks Look at stories you already tell Identify where a disruption, surprise, or reveal could live Coalition-building lens Stories should move people into shared momentum Excitement → flow → aligned action Storytelling Mediums for HR & Organizations Employer brand ≠ separate from company brand Should be co-owned by HR and marketing Brand clarity attracts the right people, repels the wrong ones Strong brands are defined by: Who they are Who they are not Who they're for and not for HR vs Marketing: The Nuance Collaboration works only if: HR leads on audience and truth Marketing supports execution, not control Risk: Marketing optimizes for customers, not employees HR understands attraction, retention, culture fit Storytelling at the Individual Level No one is "naturally" good or bad at storytelling It's reps, not talent Practical advice: Know your ~15 core stories (career, company, turning points) Practice pauses like a comedian Notice when people lean in Opinionated Messaging = Effective Messaging Internal storytelling should: Be clear and opinionated Repel as much as it attracts Avoid: Corporate vanilla Saying a lot without saying anything Truth + Aspirational Truth Marketing and storytelling are a mix of: What is actually true What the organization is becoming Being "30% more honest" builds trust Including flaws and tradeoffs Example: budget brands, Southwest, Apple's office-first culture Why This Works Opinions create personality Personality creates stickiness Stickiness creates memory, alignment, and momentum Authenticity as the last real advantage We're flooded with AI-generated content (video, writing, everything) Humans are extremely good at sensing what feels fake Inauthenticity is easier to spot than ever One of the few remaining advantages: Be true to the real story of the person or organization Not polished truth — actual truth What makes content feel "AI-ish" AI can generate volume fast Books, posts, stories in minutes What it can't replicate: Personal specificity Why a story matters to you What an experience felt like from the inside Lived moments Running a café Growing into leadership What lasts: Personal story lesson learned relevance to this reader relevance to this relationship What content will win long-term Vulnerability Not oversharing, but real experience Personal perspective Why this matters to me Relevance Why it should matter to you Outcome Entertainment Insight Shared direction The risk of vulnerability (it can backfire) Being personal doesn't guarantee buy-in Example: inspirational talk → employee openly disagrees Emotional deflation Self-doubt Early leadership lesson: You can do your best People will still push back Leadership at higher levels gets harder, not easier Bigger teams → higher stakes Better pay Benefits Real expectations First "real" leadership pain points: Bad hires Mismatched expectations Disgruntled exits Realization: Conflict isn't failure It's a sign you've leveled up "Mountains beyond mountains" Every new level comes with new challenges Entrepreneurship Executive leadership Organizational scale Reframe setbacks: Not proof you're failing Proof you're progressing Authenticity at the executive table Especially hard for HR leaders Often younger Often earlier in career Often underrepresented Anxiety is normal The table doesn't feel welcoming Strategy: Name it "This is new for me" "I'm still finding my voice" Own it Ask for feedback Speak anyway Authenticity ≠ no consequences Being honest can carry risk Not every organization wants change Hard truth: You can't change people who don't want to change Sometimes the right move is leaving Guiding advice: Find people who already want what you offer Help them move faster Vulnerability as a competitive advantage Almost any perceived weakness can be reframed New Nervous Different When named clearly: It builds trust It creates permission It signals confidence Getting better at storytelling (practical) It's not talent — it's reps Shyness → confidence through practice Start small Don't test stories when stakes are highest Practice specifics Your core stories Your pitch Energy matters Enthusiasm is underrated Tempo matters Pauses Slowing down Letting moments land Executive presence is built Incrementally Intentionally Practice, Progress, and Learning That Actually Sticks Measure growth against yourself, not "the best" The real comparison isn't to others It's who you were yesterday MrBeast idea: If you're not a little uncomfortable looking at your past work You're probably not improving fast enough Important distinction: Discomfort ≠ shame Shame isn't a useful motivator Progress shows up in hindsight Looking back at past work "I'd write that differently now" Not embarrassment — evidence of growth Example: Weekly newsletter Over time, clearer thinking Better writing Stronger perspective Executive presence is a practice, not a trait Storytelling Selling Persuasion Presence Core question: Are you deliberately practicing? Or just repeating the same behaviors? Practice doesn't have to happen at work Low-stakes environments count Family Friends Everyday conversations Example: Practicing a new language with a dog Safe Repetitive No pressure Life skills = leadership skills One of the hardest lessons: Stop trying to get people to do what they don't want to do Daily practice ground: Family dynamics Respecting boundaries Accepting reality These skills transfer directly to work Influence Communication Leadership Why practice outside of high-stakes moments When pressure is high You default to habits Practicing in everyday life: Builds muscle memory Makes high-stakes moments feel familiar How to learn (without overengineering it) Follow curiosity Pick a thread A name A book An idea Pull on it See where it leads Let it branch Learning isn't linear It's exploratory Learning through unexpected sources Example: Reading a biography Leads to understanding an era Context creates insight The subject matters less than: Genuine interest Sustained attention Career acceleration (simple, not flashy) Always keep learning Find what pulls you in Go deeper Press the gas Where to find Robin Ongoing work lives in: Snafu (weekly newsletter on sales, persuasion, and storytelling) https://joinsnafu.com  Responsive Conference (future of work, leadership, and org design) https://responsiveconference.com