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Are canines counting your cheese? The research is in. Get ready for an episode that will have you looking at your furry friends in a whole new light. In this episode of of our Odd News series we're diving into the curious world of canine intelligence. Get ready to find out that there's more to your pup than just fetching and belly rubs. Prepare for laughs and a few "aha!" moments! The Paws That Refreshes In this edition of Odd News, we uncover fascinating research into just how much our dogs understand. Forget tricks and obedience classes – we're talking about surprising mental abilities that might make you question who's really the genius in the house. You won't believe what science has to say about the inner workings of a dog's mind, all delivered with the comedy4cast twist you love. Dr. Edelstein's Triumphant Return And to celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast, we're bringing back a classic! Join us for the unforgettable return of Dr. Malcolm Edelstein, the eccentric inventor whose ideas are as wild as his fashion sense (or lack thereof). Prepare for his latest questionable innovations, from a truly permanent writing tool to a revolutionary (and slightly alarming) approach to hairstyling. It's a clip that proves some things never go out of style – like pure comedic chaos! Don't Miss "Barking Brainiacs"! Ready for an episode packed with laughs, surprising discoveries, and timeless comedy? Tune into "Barking Brainiacs" now to hear the full Odd News story and relive a classic comedy4cast moment. Have a listen now, and get ready to laugh! >> You can also support comedy4cast by becoming a patron on Patreon>> Or you can get Clinton a Dunkin' card or a cup of coffee via Ko-Fi>> Follow comedy4cast on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, MeWe, and Mastodon >> Give us a call via the Super Secret Phone Line (213) 290-4451>> Also check out Clinton's other podcast, The Topic is Trek>> Certain sounds effects heard on comedy4cast are courtesy of freeSFX and FreeSound.org Click here for a transcript of this episode.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 12 Heaven s clock is ticking In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             There is no firestorm without a spark, no ocean without a raindrop         I opened the door and there stood Christina, looking pretty depressed. "Do you want to come in?" I asked. "I know you have company," she replied. "Can we talk outside?" It wasn't too chilly but I wasn't wearing too much either. "Of course," I walked onto the porch, leaving the door mostly closed behind me. "What's wrong?" "I've worked things out with Faith and the other girls," Christina paced nervously. "We are all going to keep quiet about what you learned and see how we can turn this to our advantage." I didn't say anything because she hadn't come to tell me the news of what had been the obvious move on her part so I was left wondering what was going on, then I saw it. I opened my arms to the side, palms forward, and waited. She saw the move and looked me over with obvious reluctance for what would come next. Finally, she stepped up to me and rested her forehead on my shoulder and let me encase her in my arms. It sucks to be alone, but it truly sucks being alone and being the one in charge even more. "God, Zane, I fucked up. I could have ruined Heaven's life," she sighed. "The others trusted me and I let them down." "You are not doing Heaven any favors by being paralyzed with doubt," I told her. "You had no idea who you were up against and even if you had, you would still have weighed what was best for Heaven against the risks and pretty much acted in the same manner." "You don't understand Heaven," Christina said. "You don't understand her home life." "Her home life is not my concern, Christina," I pointed out. "The Heaven here and now is my concern, though, and it is the concern of several more friends she's made since coming to this school, friends she wouldn't have if she stayed in a hole." "What if I fuck up again?" she worried. "So many girls are depending on me to keep the Chancellor at bay." "I fuck up all the time and I'm still here," I countered. "I know what you mean, though. Sometimes when these girls look at me like they expect me to have all the answers and I've got nothing, I want to run and hide." "We don't have that luxury. We chose to stand up and now we must carry on in our struggle. I don't know about you, but I wasn't raised to quit," I related to her. "I made a mistake, Zane. I don't make mistakes," she declared. "I'm confused; have we lost?" I questioned her. "No," she grumbled, "and that is not what I meant. I brought Faith in, I misread her, and we all suffered because of it. I was deceived." "Well, someone should remind Christina Buchanan from time to time that she's human, and a pretty smart woman at that," I replied. "You don't have to win every battle, only the last one." "That is what my grandfather said," she mumbled into my shoulder. "He sounds like a clever guy," I said softly. "He should go far someday." Since he was one of the richest men in America, I was probably right. "You can be a real jerk at times," she muttered, but I noted she wasn't moving. "I have to agree with you," I said, as I got up on my tiptoes and kissed her on the top of the head. I leaned back and tilted her head to me with a finger under her chin. "Christina Buchanan, would you marry me?" No one said anything for a minute. "Can I think about it?" she finally whispered. "Of course," I assured her. "How could I be in love with you if I couldn't wait for you?" "How can you love me when you don't even know me?" she asked. "That's why it is love and not like," I answered. "There are times you really piss me off but there is never a moment I don't want to be with you." "You don't like me?" Christina studied me. "Right now I like you just fine, but you can be a real pain at times. See, I know what's right and you refuse to know your place," I responded. "And what place is that?" she smiled. "Above me, smiling down," I leaned in for a kiss. "No," she shook her head. "No?" I pleaded. "We have a long way to go before I let you treat me like another one of your girls," Christina informed me. "Okay," I agreed. "No hard sell in my emotionally vulnerable state?" she mused. "You are safe with me, Christina," I assured her. "That's good to know, Zane. Now go inside before Rio blows a gasket," she smiled, slipped out of my arms, and walked toward her car. I still soaked up the marvel of her receding silhouette. Rio was leaning against the wall just inside the hallway when I got back in. "I don't get the two of you," she grinned. "I love her," was my only response. "That's good, because she's fucking nuts about you," Rio laughed. I couldn't decide whether she was kidding or not. Later, we lay together in bed, Rio partially over me where she alternated between listening to my heartbeat and kissing my shoulder. She also had a hand between her legs and was doing some serious vaginal stimulation. "Zane." "Yes?" I replied. "I had an abortion," she confided in me. "Oh, okay," was all I could manage to come back with. "'Oh.' Is that it?" she sounded a bit hurt. "I figure there is more to the story than you had an abortion. So are you going to tell me what it is?" I inquired. She mulled that over for a few seconds. "I did some really stupid shit, like getting shit-faced drunk at some parties with people I barely knew, and pretty much got used like a whore. I didn't really care, and eventually I got knocked up," she told me. "My parents, the big Pro-Lifers that they were, smuggled me out of state to a private clinic and aborted the kid. They never asked my opinion on the matter but I imagine that having a pregnant daughter who couldn't even name the father wasn't on their agenda," she recited bitterly. I wrapped an arm around her, rolled over on her, and kissed her gently on the lips. "I don't know what to say," I began. "I can't imagine what it was like to go through that." "Huh," Rio snorted. "My parents slapped me with anti-depressants and an implant, my 'friends' told me it was for the best, not being teen Mom material and all, and I treated myself like a whore." "Hell, I sucked and fucked the entire lawn crew once; I fucked my little brother's friends; and I became known as the girl who would ride bareback at my school. It is a miracle I didn't contract herpes or AIDS," she recited sadly. "I think I hated just about everybody." "You know that none of that matters to me; right?" I asked. "You are still that woman I woke up next to on day one." "To the bitter end," she recited. "To the bitter end," I affirmed, my promise to stand by her no matter what. "Why couldn't you be in love with me?" she sighed. "You are asking an eighteen-year-old how this love thing works?" I teased her. "I've been lucky enough to meet five women in the past two weeks I'd like to spend forever with, and I love the one I'm least likely to end up with. I'm clueless." "Me, Iona, Barbie Lynn, Christina and Heaven?" Rio guessed. I nodded, which made her snicker. "You really want to spend forever with Heaven? You are a glutton for punishment." "Heaven can be really nice," I defended my girlfriend. "She's got a permanent case of PMS. Hell knows what would happen if she actually had PMS," Rio teased me back. "So you don't want to spend any more time with her?" I inquired. "Fuck that," Rio giggled, "I like them brave, bold, and saucy in the saddle. I'd love breaking her down, or having her break me trying." "Fine," I announced after a moment's contemplation. "Fine?" she asked. "I'm not going to break my word to Jill but I can't wait to fuck you until we get back to campus, so how would you like to screw on Pastor Bill's desk before Sunday school?" I suggested. "I'd love to leave a little something extra on that gold-plated conman's desk," Rio purred. "Now, Zane, do you think you could bend the rules ever so slightly and finger-fuck me? I'm ever so horny," Rio pleaded. I figured it couldn't hurt too much; right? I rubbed and rubbed one hand down to her crotch where Rio had already pulled her soaked panties down to mid-thigh. With my other hand, I pushed up her top, exposing her ripe nipples, chain and all. I plucked a nipple into my mouth, letting my tongue play along the stud before sucking in more of the breast, increasing the pressure on the nipple itself. Rio was well worked up already and now began to writhe beneath me. My free hand passed below her carefully groomed chevron-shaped pubic mound and along her clit. Her folds welcomed me like molten gold, so hot yet silky smooth to the touch. As she started to moan, Rio stuck the meat of her palm into her mouth and bit down in order to keep quiet. I spent a minute playing with her two studs in her labia before working two fingers deep inside her, twisting them, and seeking out her G-spot. "Gak!" Rio convulsed as I stroked it. Oh, yeah, I thought, as I began to seriously work it over. Rio's fluids were sloshing around my fingers, her other hand began pressing my whole mouth over her breast, and she kept bucking up against me. I now began to alternate between rhythmically tapping her special place and brutally finger fucking her, driving two fingers in and slapping her clit with my palm. "Uh, uh, uh, ugh, ugh, umm," Rio began panting, then her body arched and she screamed into her clenched fist. "Oh, fuck, that's good," she finally managed to get out. Before I could respond, she grabbed my head and drew me up for a fierce kiss. She tore at my lips and tried to steal my breath away. "Tell me you want me," she pleaded with a desperate hunger tinged with fear. "I want you, Rio, always," I responded with my own heat and need. Slowly the passion ebbed from Rio's eyes and a playful demeanor replaced it. "You are such a dumb blonde, Glenda," she sighed happily. Glenda had been the name that had allowed me admission to school in the first place, Glenn Zane Braxton, Glenda. I answered by pulling my fingers out of her cunt, taking a lick, then pushing them through her lips. Rio daintily sucked on them, pulling them in and cleaning them off before biting down like the little bitch she is and making tears come to my eyes. "What the fuck!" I hissed. "That's for not giving me your cock, Asshole," she snickered. When I looked ready to explode, she pouted her lips, rolled onto her stomach and stuck her bare ass up in the air for a spanking. I grunted and rolled over onto my side, away from her. "Good night, you witch," I sulked. There was some rustling behind me a minute later, then Rio snaked an arm around me and pressed her body to my back. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I act crazy at times." I rolled over to face her. "I know what I'm getting into, Rio," I comforted her. "That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt at times." I displayed my wounded fingers. She kissed my fingers, I kissed her lips, and we both finally went to sleep. Preacher William, Valerie, and the seeds of discord. Jill didn't know what to make of our prompt appearance Sunday morning for breakfast already dressed for church. I'd convinced Rio to not try a hard sell with my aunt, instead playing it calm, cool, and collected. The real reason we wanted to get to church early was because I'd come up with the idea of screwing Rio on Pastor Bill's massive mahogany desk before class and she'd become infatuated with the scheme. Gaining Definition We had to remember our Bibles before eagerly heading out the door. Mine went back to my missionary days while Rio's was brand new, a gift from Jill. She'd lost her old one on the trip from Arizona to Virginia, or so she'd told Jill. In reality, she had torn hers apart page by page and stuffed it down the airplane toilet during the flight, her way of spreading the gospel. Once at the church, we split up, Rio and I getting together a few minutes later. I was unsure about the security cameras in the hallway but Rio shrugged it off. She followed the wires to the closet the system was kept in, picked the lock, and deleted the last two hours of footage before deactivating the whole system. I was clever enough to wipe off all our fingerprints before we made for the pastor's office. This time, Rio's improvised, lock picks weren't necessary as the secretary kept the door unlocked. We slipped past her station to the larger office beyond and I chased Rio around to the 'big chair'. "So, Bad Boy, are you going to make me a Bad Girl?" Rio taunted me. I stepped up between her thighs and got ready to feast on her succulent cunt lips when she held me up. "I don't think we have time for that," Rio grinned. She slipped out of her panties, which I quickly pocketed (having learned from the first Barbie Lynn incident), and hopped up on the desk facing me. I unbuckled my belt, fixed the button, and unzipped my pants. My cock came smoothly out of my boxers and I lined up with Rio's slit. Her juices were already flowing by the time my cockhead graced her full lips. "Oh, that's what I've been looking for," Rio moaned, as I pushed forward inch after glorious inch inside her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and came close to doing the same with her legs around my waist by the time I was fully into her. I got a few half-thrusts into Rio, our faces only inches apart, when I began to push her back down on the desk. "No, I want to look into your eyes," she told me. I nodded and started driving my cock in a strong steady rhythm. "Rio," I said softly. "Yes," she breathed heavily. "I like saying your name," I explained. "I like the sound of it and the way it makes me feel." "I, I was sure she was fighting for a snarky reply but then she smiled and said, "Okay." "Oh. God, Oh, Fuck," Rio gasped, as we began, getting her close to climax. I stopped when I first heard the voices. "What?" Rio panted. I pulled her off the desk and looked for a place to hide. There were three other doors out of the room. I took the closest, yanked up my pants, and dragged Rio to it. It turned out to be a large closet with vestments, coats, and a few changes of clothing inside. Before I could finish shutting the door, Rio put her hand in the way. Before I could inquire why, the main office door opened and in came Pastor Bill and Lance Wellington. They were yammering on about something or other; I really wasn't paying attention. All that changed after Pastor Bill took his seat behind the desk and swiveled it to the side. Lance came around the desk and knelt before our spiritual leader. His body blocked my visual but I heard a zipper being undone and some clothes being pushed aside. What Lance proceeded to do was clear enough, though. Rio was between me and the door; she looked over her shoulder and grinned evilly. Before long, she had my cock in her hand and was maneuvering it back to her cunt from behind. I moved my hips down, she arched up, and I slipped back into the hole I'd been in not a minute before. I stayed still while Rio began to ride my cock up and down. There we were, two very different couples separated by less than a dozen feet, both fucking in different ways. Lance was giving Pastor Bill oral attention in a manner that dictated long familiarity to not only cock-sucking, but blowing Pastor Bill in particular. Rio had one hand placed against the door sill in order to stop us from spilling out of the closet while the other was tucked against her stomach. The four of us were pushing toward climax but Pastor Bill was the first one to the trigger. I was still feeling the oily smoothness of my cock inside Rio's cunt while rubbing both breasts through her shirt and bra when Lance began chocking and sputtering. The bastard hadn't even warned Lance that he was cumming. Good ole Pastor Bill reached across the desk to grab two Kleenex. As he did so, his other hand came down to rest on a slick spot Rio and I had left on his desk. He looked at his hand with disgust and wiped it off his hand before handing a tissue to Lance. "Get going to class," Pastor Bill told his cock-sucking companion. "Of course, Pastor William," Lance responded as he cleaned his face. As he headed to the door, he turned to the preacher. "Do I have to do another marriage counseling session with Felicity? She is so damn annoying," he whined. "Lance, you are going to have to keep up appearances and that means spending the occasional night with her," Pastor Bill lectured him. "As distasteful as she is, she is the socially acceptable choice for your spouse if you plan to have a political career." "I wish this whole marriage thing was over with already," Lance sighed. "Then I could stick her in the house and get her out of my life." "Remember, a woman is a duty, but you know how to get your pleasure. Take your pill when you have to lay with her, and if nothing else, use her back door," he chuckled. "I suppose so," Lance conceded, "but I'll have to shut her up. She blathers on and on incessantly and her voice is so grating." "Well," Pastor Bill laughed, "you can always use her mouth too." Lance snorted and left the room; Bill followed a minute later. For our part, the whole exchange between Pastor Bill and Lance got Rio hotter and hotter. She was rocketing back against me until I was afraid the slapping of our flesh would alert our host to our presence. Once he was gone, Rio went off. "Fuck me, damn it," Rio exulted. "I'm going to rape their asses." I wasn't sure how that would work. It wasn't like Rio's or my word would go all that far. I decided to spin her back around and kick her leg up over my arm so I could fuck her while gazing into her eyes. The first thing I noticed was the sheer joy etched all over her face. The second thing I noted was her phone in hand, set on record. There was going to be some severe damage over this and I had to do damage control, but first I had to screw Rio to orgasm. "Ah, ah, ah," Rio moaned. "You are churning me up inside, you fucking brute. This is so fucking good." "And the video?" I inquired. "Fucking brilliant," she panted, "My best idea yet." I drilled Rio several more strong strokes and she gripped me tightly and sexually exploded on me. She kept squeezing my cock with her vaginal muscles as I came in her as she was still cresting her wave. "Oh, Zane," she wept tears of joy on my shoulder, "You make all this other shit bearable." "No problem, bro," I sighed happily, "but we need to talk about the video." "Yeah," she snorted, "you have a plan. I'm going to bypass me having a temper-tantrum and get straight to you making me happy with how clever you are." "We find more ways to bring Felicity over to our side, then hit her with this when she's wavering," I detailed. "We still need credibility and that's going to take Barbie Lynn on our side. Once we get Felicity, we can get Mrs. Wellington too. That gives us access to everyone in the church." I set Rio onto her feet and handed her panties too her. Rio shimmied into them and grinned. "Now I'm all sloshy inside. Is that thing a damn fire hydrant?" "You weren't complaining a minute ago," I countered. "I'm not complaining, but all those bitches in class are going to know I've been fucked," she snickered. "Who are you going to blame?" I wondered. "Pastor William, our glorious shepherd; I can describe just what his cock looks like now," she grinned manically. "I think we are back to that whole 'credibility' issue," I reminded her. "You aren't going to let me have any fun," Rio pouted. "Well, work on this; I'm pretty sure Lance isn't the only guy here that the pastor is using. Lance was a tool, nothing more," I told her. "It could be fun to find out who his other toys are." "I hate you for having a better idea than me," Rio giggled, "but I love your deviant mind more." "I love you too, Baby," I said as I brushed her cheek. "Let's get to class before they get to ridicule us for arriving late." Rio grabbed my hand and sprinted with me out of the office. We were late to class but only just. This time I'd studied so Mr. Coleman wasn't able to humiliate me, though some wise-ass taunted me about being on a women's committee. "Yes, I do," I confirmed, "and what committee are you on?" "Athletics committee," he sneered. I gave him a shit-eating grin right back that gave him pause. "So I hang out with a bunch of MILF's, which is a pretty red-blooded American male thing to do, while you hang out with a bunch of guys, which is pretty homo-erotic," I chuckled. There was a deafening silence in the room. We had broken up for church service and a few guys were almost out the door. The target of my aggression was first stunned, then angry. "Mr. Braxton, that is quite enough out of you," Mr. Coleman snapped. "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Coleman. I thought he was ribbing me about my committee so I teased him back about his; I wasn't serious," I lied. Andy, the guy who'd given me a hard time, elected that moment to get in my face. "That wasn't funny, Braxton," he snapped. Mr. Coleman remained conspicuously silent. "Gosh, Andy," I quipped, "I don't know where to begin. How about, we are in a House of God and shouldn't be raising a fist against one another." "If that doesn't work, do understand that you get the first punch, then I break you like a twig," I continued with eagerness written all over my face. "You are an elementary school teacher and I have years of martial arts experience." Andy suddenly paled. "Mr. Braxton," Coleman growled again. "How dare you threaten somebody?" "Um, Mr. Coleman, Andy got in my face, so what exactly are you getting on my case about? Wouldn't the situation be better served if you stopped him in the first place?" I said. "Andy should be able to take a joke better," another guy in my class, Christopher Gilbert, joined in. "Besides, Zane's right; the wives on the committee are attractive and their husbands are lucky men." That seemed to end the matter because Chris Gilbert was the son of somebody and carried weight in this crowd. We continued to depart but I felt obliged to stop Chris. "Thanks, but I'm not sure why you just backed me up there," I questioned. "Maybe you're not such a bad guy," he grinned. I had to think that over. I barely knew Christopher Gilbert. He was 23, son of a big real estate guy, he was a property manager, whatever that was. "I have to appreciate the timing of your epiphany," I joked. "It came to me late Thursday night when I had a security issue at one of my properties," he grinned. Oh, crap. His daddy must own the mall where I had that little altercation. "Sorry if I cost you a good night's sleep," was all I could say. "Let me say that, 'damn, you're fast,' and it would have been mean of me to let Andy get his ass handed to him in front of all his friends," Chris related. "He's really not a bad guy either." "I'll keep that in mind," I nodded. We were making our way to the church hall when Rio, Iona, and Barbie Lynn intercepted us. "Hey, Ms. Masters," Chris said to Barbie Lynn. He looked at the other two girls. "Christopher Gilbert, this is Rio Talon and Iona Becket, two of my classmates and closest friends," I introduced my buddies. "So, Chris, how do you know Barbie-licious?" Rio smirked. "Huh?" Chris said. "Rio has an intense sense of humor, Chris," I intervened. "Pay her no mind." Before Rio cold make things worse, I placed an arm behind her and pinched her ass. "Behave," I warned her. "Okay, Zane," Chris chuckled. "Good luck with that one. To answer your question: I know Ms. Masters from a few years back at a youth retreat. We were both counselors. Take care now." He turned and walked off to his section of the tabernacle while the girls and I went off to ours. "So, Barbie, were you hot for Chris back at camp?" Rio persisted. "Chris? Nah, he had a girlfriend back then; they both went to the University of Virginia. I think they broke up right before they graduated but I'm not sure," Barbie Lynn informed us. "Besides, I had a fianc too." "Had? Have you tossed him over for Zane?" Rio teased. I sighed and Barbie Lynn blushed. "Nah, Shugah, I tossed him over for you," Barbie Lynn whispered into Rio's ear. "Just for that tantalizing tease, no Honey Glaze for those hot crossed buns of yours," Rio bantered right back. "Am I the only one who remembers we are in a church?" lectured Iona. "No, you are not," Christina surprised us. "Now stop trying to make a scene and sit down with the rest of us." We dutifully obeyed because three of us respected Christina and I had one of Rio's arms twisted behind her back. At the end of service there was no problem getting the gang to go down to the space between the pews and the podium where the important people gathered. I caught Pastor William shooting me a hooded look but I blew him off. I was here for someone else, as was Barbie Lynn and Rio. Iona was tagging along to make sure we kept out of too much trouble. "Hey, Sahara," I greeted the pastor's wife, who hovered near but wasn't part of the action. "Why, hello, Zane," she smiled. "Did you enjoy the service?" "I'm still a little fuzzy on the message of seeking wisdom in God's word instead of Man's technology," I grinned. "After all, I have an app that gives me helpful Bible verses on demand." "I think you missed the point, Zane," she shook her head with mirth. "We need to trust the Word of God over the simple technological solutions that fail to take in the moral implications of the results." "Wow, when you say it that way, it makes sense," I applauded. Sahara blushed and gave me another smile. Rio and Barbie Lynn had closed in on Felicity, allowing Iona and I to come up behind Mrs. Wellington. I put my hand on the small of her back and positioned myself at her side. "Hello, Mrs. Wellington," I greeted her. I knew her first look at me would define a lot about how she felt about last night. "Zane," she beamed at me. "How are you doing today?" "Better now," I grinned. "I just wanted to say that I'm downloading those files we discussed when I get to campus this afternoon." "Oh," Mrs. Bainbridge sneered, "is Mr. Braxton working on a special project already?" "Zane," Rochelle Wellington smiled to her rival sweetly, "send Kendra a copy of the notes you showed me. Kendra, Zane has a talent for 3-D imagery that the committee will find quite useful. I thought you might find it nice to have our newest member showing some interest." "Oh, it is his interest that I'm worried about," Kendra commented, with a pretty obvious look toward Sahara. Before I could respond to that jab, I felt a hand on my shoulder trying to pull me around. "Pastor William wants a word with you," Lance informed me. "Okay," I shrugged, then turned back to Kendra. "Mrs. Bainbridge, I admit that it is my fault that I find Mrs. Penny to be kinder, more compassionate, and more spiritually understanding than you. She is a gentle soul who better relates to what a young man needs." "Pastor William wants to see you now," Lance insisted. "That's nice, Lance. I'm talking to your mother," I said dismissively. "Rochelle, thank you for agreeing to mentor me; I appreciate you helping me understand this Church and this community by taking some of your valuable time to listen to my ideas." "Ladies, have a nice Sunday. Okay, Lance, let's go see what Pastor Bill wants now," I told him. "His name is Pastor William," Lance corrected me somewhat angrily. "No, his name is William Penny and he happens to be a pastor," I jibed. Lance's response was stymied by our arrival at Pastor Bill's circle of cronies. "Ah, Glenn," Bill greeted me. "I would like to invite you to dine with my wife and I tomorrow night." I was smart enough to know that wasn't really an invitation, but still, "I'd like to but this week is our first round of testing for the semester so I'm not sure I can break free," I answered. "You find time enough for other things, like jail," he lectured me in a personally degrading matter. "Pastor William, as you will learn about me, people who cross me or threaten the ones I hold dear, I beat bloody and leave broken on the ground," I smiled evilly right back. The confusion that threat caused was evident because I hadn't been quiet. "Jesus loves the Peacemaker," Pastor Bill bantered back. "Winners write the history books," I countered. "That is not very Christian of you," Mr. Wellington, the Mayor, pointed out. "Jesus Christ ended up nailed to a cross; Emperor Constantine, who converted the whole Roman Empire to Christ's worship, got to build his own city," I responded. "I won't be as famous but I'll do more and get to bury my enemies before I die," I added. "Are you sure you were a missionary in Thailand?" another church elder asked. "Oh, I was a missionary all right, but not a very good one. I left the hard work to my Uncle Tim and Aunt Jill," I informed them. "Did they convert many heathen souls to the World of our Lord?" a third man inquired. "It is not that simple. They taught people to read English and got them in the practice of reading the Bible," I explained. "They have over a thousand years of culture to work against and many of the tenents of Buddhism are close to our own Christian virtues so it is hard work." "So that would be a 'No'," Pastor Bill gloated. "Really?" I grinned. "When Uncle Tim went missing, 200 of his flock risked floodwaters in an eventually futile effort to save him. How many of us would risk drowning to save you, Pastor William? I would say that when lives were on the line, his flock did their Christian duty." I noticed Jill standing on the edge of the group listening, her eyes close to tears. Hey, I hated Tim, but I wasn't going to let these spineless bastards degrade the man in front of his widow, no matter how I felt. "I'm sure we would all rise to the challenge," Mr. Wellington pontificated. "Then you are as good a man as Uncle Tim," I trapped him with his own words. "Your Uncle Tim gave everything, including his life," Pastor Bill said with a smug, superior smile. "His willingness to give should be an example for all." "I'm already giving. The Festivities Committee's budget seems a bit anemic so I'm going to be funding some of their efforts," I enlightened him. "That is not how tithes are normally handled," Pastor Bill corrected me. "I'm not a normal guy," I grinned. "Pastor, I'll look over my schedule and call your house to let you know if I can swing dinner tomorrow. It has been a wonderful chat but I have to be going now." I turned and left them there, confident I hadn't made any friends among Bill's inner circle. The price of their friendship was way more than I was willing to pay and it wasn't just monetary. My girls swarmed around me, even Jill. "Thank you, Zane," Jill said softly. "Tim would have been proud." "Jill, I said that for you, not him. You stood by him and that shouldn't be trampled on by people who don't know any better," I comforted her. "I was getting ready to cry out 'Blood and Souls for my Lord Arioch," Rio grinned. "Why did you antagonize them?" Iona wondered. "They are used to bullying people and getting their way. I let them know I was more than willing to fight," I told Iona. "He also wanted the women to see what he was doing," Barbie Lynn said. "I saw a few females, Felicity included, who thought a great deal of how Zane handled the situation." "Girls love watching men fight over them," Rio laughed as we exited into the parking lot. "Is everyone coming to our place for lunch?" Jill asked. I took a quick look around the girls who nodded their approval. "Sure thing, Jill; we will be at home in an hour," I answered. Getting back to campus and into casual clothes wasn't a problem, nor was lunch with Jill. We sat around and shot the shit for an hour afterwards but school work demanded that we head back to school to do some actual classwork. I went by Raven's to pick her up because she'd left me a text (by way of Iona) that she'd made some progress over the weekend. "We really should study in the library," Raven told me as we headed to my room. "The last time I checked, the library didn't have a snack bar," I told her. Raven was less than convinced and a bit nervous until we opened the door to the bottom of the steps leading to the Solarium where I lived and the voices of multiple girls welcomed us. "You have company?" she questioned me. "All freshmen are welcome in my room, Raven. You'll see," I informed her. "Is there going to be anyplace for us to study, Raven began to confound me, then we came to the point where you could see past the side of the stairs into the Solarium. "Oh, God," she muttered at the scope of the room, "you, you have pool tables!" she ended up in a near squeal. "I love pool!" She took a few steps forward into the room before looking back at me. "What is all this? Where did this all come from?" "I was given the entire Solarium as my room, sort of, and I decided to convert most of it to a common area for the freshman class," I said. "How long has this been going on?" she wondered. "We did it yesterday," Iona said from the closest sofa. She put down her laptop and walked over to us. "Zane paid for the stuff and we students put it in. Let me show you around." "You do that, Iona," I told her, as I gave my diminutive friend a hug, "I'll be in my room." Iona led Raven deeper into the complex of entertainment while I headed to my room, which seemed to be the quietest place to study today. I passed around the Chinese silk screens that shielded my private area from the rest of the Solarium and saw my new monster-sized bed. I also saw the tall, honey-blonde Amazon reclining on it, looking my way. "Come here, my Love-Monkey," she said in a deep, husky voice. I'm sure my mouth gaped open. "Ah, I don't believe we've been introduced," I managed to finally say. She smiled and patted the bed beside her. "You are seriously hot and I'm positive I'd remember you if we'd met, but I don't and I do need to study so I'm going to ask you to please leave," I groaned. "Trust me, I really don't want to be asking you that either." I heard laughter from the far side of the bed and Rio slowly raised her body into sight. "Bro, the look on your face is priceless," she chuckled. "So this is really your room?" the other girl inquired. "I told you it was," Rio grinned. "Yes, it is," I responded as well. "In fact, this entire floor is mine, mainly because the Administration has nowhere else to stick me." "Rio, what's going on here?" I turned to my other friend. "Honest, Boss," she beamed, "I found her when I got home. She's my new dorm mate, your replacement." "You were her first roommate?" the newcomer asked. "For all of one night," I confessed. "Then everyone realized she had boobies, and I didn't, and I developed this current life of seclusion." "This is your version of seclusion?" she questioned. "What can I say?" I sighed. "I'm a man of creature comforts. That still doesn't explain you on my bed. Rio?" "She is Valerie Palmer, a new addition to the school," Rio started, "but that's not the cool part. She's a member of the Stormriders motorcycle gang." Seeing my lack of name recognition, Rio added, "They are a big deal in the West, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona, of course." "Nice to meet you, Valerie." I knelt on the bed and extended my hand. "I'm Glenn Zane Braxton, but everyone calls me Zane. Welcome to FFU, and what brought you to us?" "Dad is a born-again Christian and he wanted me to come here, so here I am," she shrugged. Now, to me that made no sense, as she should have been eighteen, thus her own person, but who was I to press into her personal matters. "Damn it, Zane, I keep forgetting you were living in a cave for the past two years," Rio shook her head. "Her grandfather is Daniel 'Damien' Palmer." Again, I didn't know who that person was. "My grandfather is doing three life sentences," Valerie said with a degree of weariness. "Fine. I should take it the Stormriders are not a motorcycle club, then," I grinned at her. Valerie's eyes and mine locked for several seconds. "Are you arrogant, stupid, or really unconcerned?" Valerie asked me. "A little of all three," Rio chimed in. "You should never ask a man if he's arrogant because if he is, he won't know it," I responded. "I'm smart enough to get into this university, but them I'm dumb enough to be the only guy at this university," I continued. "I can honestly tell you I really don't care who you were before you came here. It is none of my damn business. If you want to be friends, I'm game." Valerie nodded. "Oh, and Rio is a nutjob, but if you hurt her, I'll make you suffer, I swear it." "Is that supposed to scare me, rich boy?" Valerie said, becoming very serious and sitting up, "because I'm not impressed." "I didn't say it to impress you, Valerie," I met her gaze, "I believe in fair warning. I don't care if you are damaged goods or you are one stone-cold, bad-ass bitch; you mess with Rio and I'll take her pain out of your hide." "Rio, I thought you told me this guy was cool," Valerie said to Rio while still looking at me. "Best guy in the whole God-damn world," Rio beamed. "Zane, have you ever stabbed somebody?" Valerie quizzed me. "On purpose or by accident?" I asked. "How do you stab someone by accident?" Valerie wondered. "You toss their ass into a stand of bamboo so hard the stalks break and they get impaled," I answered. "I take it you've done it on purpose." She shrugged. "Do you fight much?" she changed tact. "More than I should," I replied, "but I ass in where I don't belong too much." "Me too," Valerie nodded, "on the 'I fight more than I should' thing." "Well, I would rather talk shit upfront than spill blood later," I pointed out. "Like warning me about Rio," she nodded. "Please believe me, she's a nut and will get on your nerves, so please don't toss her out a window or down the stairs because I'm actually attached to her," I grinned. Rio flopped on the bed. "I should be mouthing empty denials but Zane's pretty much right," Rio snickered, "and if he hadn't fucked me silly on the preacher's desk this morning, I'd be in his face about this bullshit." "You had sex on your preacher's desk?" Valerie smiled. "Zane, what are these girls, what the hell?" Raven went off. "What kind of bedroom is this?" "Raven, you know Rio and this is her new roommate Valerie. Valerie, this is Raven," I groaned. "Hey, Raven," Valerie greeted her. "So do you normally walk into Zane's bedroom too?" "No," Raven blushed. "He invited me over to do some work on our English project." Iona stepped in behind Raven and waved to Rio. "Iona, Valerie; Valerie, Iona," I sighed. "Wait!" Valerie raised her hand and looked back to me. "Are you gay? Because I see a lot of girls strolling into your room and none of them have been identified as your girlfriend yet." "Technically, that would be Heaven," Iona volunteered. "She's a senior." "Can we get back to everyone being in Zane's room?" Raven grumbled. "And what is he doing with a bed as big as my entire room back home?" Valerie appraised the room. "Got it," she laughed. "You are sleeping with her (Iona) and her (Rio), but not you (Raven)." "Of course I'm not sleeping with him," Raven shot back. "I took a Purity Pledge, as should all of you." "I'm not a virgin," Valerie responded. "Me, either," Rio waved. "I am," Iona raised her hand. "That's nice," I directed. "Rio, Valerie, and Iona, please leave. I've invited Raven to my room so we can do actual classwork because I occasionally like to pretend I'm in college for an education." "On it, Zane," Rio snickered. "Come on, Valerie, let's go check out the hot tub. I wanted to show you to Zane so he could put you on his 'To Do' list." Iona shook her head and left. "I've got a boyfriend," Valerie clarified. "Thank God," I muttered, which drew looks from all three women. After Rio and Val left, Raven kept staring at me. "I, does this happen to you often?" she finally asked. "Yes, but I've learned to adjust," I pointed out. We sat down on the bed, Raven pulled out four library books on the period we were looking into, and we began going through them and taking notes. "Is Heaven really your girlfriend?" Raven asked after a while. "Yes, but it is more complicated than that. I love another girl but I don't know if she loves me, and I spend time with a dozen other girls here, plus I have friends at a Sorority House off campus," I explained. "And you sleep with Rio, who isn't a virgin, and Iona, who is," she stated, and I confirmed with a nod. "I was wrong. If you can keep all that straight in your head, you have a good grasp of details. We are going to do fine on this term paper." "Thank you, Raven," I smiled at her, and for a change, she smiled back. Gust Front I would have liked to spend the night with Iona and Barbie Lynn but Iona informed me that Coach Dana Gorman had tested her security code earlier in the day and I figured something was up; nothing good for me and my friends. Sure enough, at 12:10 in the morning, my little buzzer by the bed that informed me that a key code was being entered woke me up. I silenced the alarm (no sense in letting them know that I had it) and waited in bed. Shortly thereafter, the Coach and two female security guards came strolling in. "Alone?" Dana quipped. "You asking me out?" I grinned. "Get up; we need to check the bed, if that is what you call this thing," she motioned to my sleeping platform. I dutifully got out of bed. "What are you doing?" she snapped when she realized I was naked. "Getting out of bed like you asked me to. I sleep in the nude, or didn't you already know that?" I yawned. "Put some clothes on," she ordered. I picked up my robe and put it on while they stripped back my sheets and looked for bodily fluids under the dark light. I had been at my Aunt's the past two nights, so yes, my bed was still fresh. Unsatisfied, Dana and her two buddies began roughly going over my place. When they finally discovered nothing (my hiding places were specifically designed), the two officers turned and left. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Zane. You can expect this to be a regular occurrence," she promised. I simply stared. We remained looking at one another for a minute because she knew I was up to something. "That's right, step out of line and make my job easier," she noted. Again I kept my silence. It would have been easy to take this personally but I'd told her this was War and I took that seriously. I doubted I was the sole beneficiary of their attention so I had to get ready to respond to their next move. "Nothing to say?" she asked. I kept staring. "Say something, damn it," she growled. "Good night, Coach," I obliged. She shook her head, turned, and walked away. When I saw the door close behind her I went back to my room and took out my phone. I made three calls to the concerned parties and a final call to Iona, to have her wipe my call log. I can't say I slept well that night. Showering in the morning was troublesome enough on normal days but this morning, Rio decided to invite Valerie to join us. I did my best to pretend to ignore her, which wasn't easy. Valerie was around six feet with milky skin where the sun didn't reach and tanned where it did. Her hair was golden-blonde and she was trimmed, not shaved. Her eyes were grey with a hint of blue around the edges; he breasts were a solid C without a hint of sag. There sure were a lot of blondes going to this school. I could see the mental calculations going through her head as she walked in and the other girls eyed her. In the hierarchy of this place, I didn't hold a place; proximity to me showed a girl's status among the crowd. Opal was top dog, but Rio and Iona were marked by their close relationship with me as well. Valerie clearly thought about walking away from it all to spare herself the drama and the grief. She countered that with the knowledge that she had to fit in somewhere in this school, and as non-traditional as she was, her best bet was with us. She answered that internal struggle by taking the shower one down from me, next to Opal. Opal expressed her dominance to Valerie by corralling me into a body massage and a show of mutual affection. I thought Valerie was unimpressed with those actions but as we got into it, I sensed she was intrigued by the notion of having sex without actually having sex, and the sexual arousal that came with it. As I settled in front of the sink to brush my hair, shave, and brush my teeth, Valerie took the sink beside me. "You don't seem to mind all these naked bodies around you," she noted. "Why should I? I enjoy them and they enjoy me. I like making them happy, and my presence certainly makes their lives more difficult so I'm glad to help," I explained. "So, do things ever go to the next level?" Valerie asked. "Not here, and not with most of these women; they are virgins and happy about that fact. They want to be virgins on their wedding nights and I respect that," I answered. "Rio makes you out to be some sort of sex-crazed stud monster," Val informed me. "Rio's not a virgin and her only plans for marriage involve her being a black widow to her old, rich husbands," I grinned. "Is she, bi-sexual?" Valerie whispered. "Yes, I can verify that she is," I replied quietly. "Has she hit on you yet? Wait, silly question, have you thrown her out of your bed yet?" "This morning I found her sucking on my nipple through my nightshirt," she smirked. "Rio needs constant reminding of where the boundaries are," I informed Val. "You two talking about me?" Rio came bouncing up. "Is there a three-way in our future? Who gets tied up?" Valerie groaned in response. "Rio, there is such a thing as personal space and acceptable roommate behavior," I told Rio. "Things like spontaneously feeling her up while she sleeps are Bad!" "God, damn it!" Rio squalled, "But did you see the size of those bad boys? They are huge and puffy and I swear, they were calling out to me across the room." "In my long and illustrious career with the female nipple, they have never talked to me. If you don't behave, I'm going to have to tie you up at the next orgy and make you watch," I warned. I couldn't threaten to take away something she had, like her piercings; that would make her dig in her heels. Instead, I went after the things she was looking forward to. "Don't forget to secure her hands over her head so she can't diddle herself," Valerie got into the sport of things. "Good point," I agreed. "Major buzz-kill, you two. Valerie, you are trying to make your first day here no fun at all," Rio teased. "Which reminds me; Valerie, has Rio warned you about Handmaiden's Duty?" I inquired. Rio looked offended that I would say such a thing while Val looked confused. "It is a tradition here that requires all freshmen to perform a task of a non-damaging nature for any and all upperclassmen. They cannot grab you in class or a dorm room, but anywhere else is fair game," I informed her. "My first task was to be a bench for someone to sit on," Rio grinned. "Mine was to kiss a girl," I nodded. "Kiss her? Cordelia damn near passed out, you kissed her so long and deep," Rio teased me. "The first one was very nice and chaste," Iona stepped up and added. "It was the second one that curled her toes and started the stampeded on Zane." "What do I do if a girl asks me to kiss her?" Valerie worried. "Tell her you are waiting for your herpes to clear up," Rio volunteered. "It isn't likely to happen," Iona came across with sounder advice. "Homosexuality is frowned on at this campus." "I'd tell you to kiss them and enjoy the moment, but I'm a guy," I shrugged. "I'm still not sure what is normal for this place," Valerie related. "Rio and Zane are aberrations," Iona offered. "Most of the girls here are fundamentalist Christian virgins who are looking to get married once they graduate this place." "What is your story?" Val asked Iona. "I was pretty much the girl I just described until I met these two," she smiled. "Now I feel that I have, options." "Options like prison time," Rio laughed, "or becoming a sex toy at an S&M club." "I was thinking more like taking a summer and roaming the country," Iona glared Rio. "Maybe I could teach you to ride a motorcycle and you can come with me," Valerie offered. "That would be wonderful!" Iona brightened up. "When could we start?" "This afternoon, if you like," Val responded. "My ride is in the parking lot." "You have a motorcycle, here?" Rio exclaimed. "Rio, it is hard to be in a motorcycle gang without a chopper," Valerie pointed out. "On that note, I have to go," I sighed. New girls were starting to migrate in, meaning I had to retreat to my room. "Take care, everyone." The crapstorm fell on us as we left the dorm. All kinds of upperclassmen snatched up freshmen as they appeared and shadowed Pro-Christina students they couldn't grab. Rio and I were able to shove off of Valerie before she was identified as being with one of us, so she made it to the Dining Hall unmolested. I didn't have to do anything too heinous, carry three backpacks while reciting the Gospel of Luke from memory (ugh). They made Rio sing 'Onward Christian Soldier' because it was the only religious song she'd admit to knowing. She did a horrific hack-job of it too. They had Iona going through the descendants of Noah; she knocked them back flawlessly, Brainiac. It got better at the Dining Hall door where Rhaine oversaw the removal of every electronic device from the incoming students, no phones, tablets or laptops, nothing capable of rapid communicat

Episode 789 The Legion of Super-Heroes The Life and Death of Ferro Lad Part 2 of 2: Sean and Jim are joined by longtime friend Ken Nabbe, as we discuss The Legion of Super-Heroes : The Life and Death of Ferro Lad. Our focus in this two part discussion will be on Adventure Comics 346, 347, 352-355, 357. These can be found in the DC Comics Classics Library Collection of The Life and Death of Ferro Lad, The Legion of Super-Heroes Silver Age Omnibus Vol 2 and many of the issues are on DC Universe Unlimited. Ken Nabbe http://www.wasabianime.com/ https://www.heroesandvillainscomics.net/ https://ditkoverse.com/ http://www.walthiredme.com/ Sean is a cohost on “Is it Jaws?” Check it out here : https://twotruefreaks.com/podcast/qt-series/is-it-jaws-movie-reviews/ Coming Up : Legion Part 2, DC KO, Flash Upcoming: Green Arrow, Green Lantern, The Flash, Longest Halloween, Wonder Woman, JSA, Justice League, DC/Marvel Crossover, DC KO and upcoming DC events, and much more. Show Topic Request Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5l4gZgdGrNpLXAN4NdcAI0WF7fM7yhjHJ3upZ3azEc31zuw/viewform?usp=sharing Contact Info (Social Media and Gaming) Updated 9/23: https://ragingbullets.com/about/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/401332833597062/ Show Notes: 0:00 Show opening, http://www.heroinitiative.org, http://cbldf.org/,http://www.DCBService.com, http://www.Instocktrades.com, show voicemail line 1-440-388-4434 or drnorge on Skype, and more.   2:35 Ferro Lad Part 2 1:55:50 Closing We'll be back in a week with more content.  Check our website, Twitter and our Facebook group for regular updates.

Introduction: Why Is Self-Promotion So Foolish (1 Corinthians 1:18–31) Because it misses the power of THE CROSS. (1 Cor 1:18–25) Because it misses the strength of a WEAK CHURCH. (1 Cor 1:26–28) Because it misses the glory of BOASTING IN CHRIST. (1 Cor 1:29–31) 1 Cor 4:7 - “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 1:18-31What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What is self-promotion? Where do you see self-promotion at play in this culture and in the church world?How do you struggle with exalting/promoting yourself?Why is being weak your greatest strength?What does it mean to “boast in the Lord?” List practical ways that you can boast in the Lord/promote Christ on a daily basis. BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Alright, 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 18 through 31.1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 18 through 31.As a teenager, I was the last of my friends to create a Facebook account.For years I held strong against the peer pressure,but do you want to know what finally led me to get a Facebook account?The desire to boast in myself and self-promote.See, back in the summer of 2009, my family and I went to Hilton Head, South Carolina for vacation.And on that vacation, we went shark fishing.And during that expedition, I caught a baby hammerhead shark.Pretty impressive, right?My one friend who was on the trip took a picture of me holding up that hammerhead shark,and I thought it looked so cool.And as soon as I got back to the condo, I fired up Facebook, I created an account,and I made that picture my profile picture.I'm not going to show that picture on the screens because I don't want to selflessly promote myself yet again,although I already see Jamie Kendrew looking up Facebook right now.And I'm sure that many of you will do the same after service,so happy hunting trying to find that picture.But I went back and looked at this cringy 16-year-old postto see how many likes and comments it received.How many likes do you think that picture got?A hundred?Wow, Jeff, you have a lot of confidence in me.Six.Talk about going viral.I think I might have missed my calling as a social media influencer.But as I was looking at this old post, I also saw the comment of my friend who took that picture.He wrote this on the post.I'm just going to point out that this picture is the only reason you even got a Facebook.You just wanted the world to know about the shark.My friend saw right through my motivations, and he knew why I created that account.Self-promotion.But I'm not the only one who has utilized social media for self-promotion, right?That's the main drive for most people who have an Instagram, a Facebook, or a TalkTix,as Pastor Jeff often calls it.On social media, you put your best foot forward.You curate an image of yourself that isn't exactly accurate or realistic,but you don't really care because that's how you want other people to view you.This past week, I did a deep dive into self-promotion,and I came across a lot of interesting content.I came across really buff dudes who lectured not so buff dudesabout the importance of being a perfect physical specimen,the art of destroying the competition and manifesting your dreams into reality.I also came across inspirational coaches who pamper with self-help talk,like, "Whenever you succeed, tell yourself, 'I'm so proud of myself.'I'm my own personal hero."I saw this one last week.I'm becoming a person that the younger version of me would have looked up to.Oh, gag. That was really hard to hear.Here's one quote that I haven't been able to stop thinking about as soon as I read it."If you don't promote yourself, nobody will."Do you want to know what I thought when I read that?That's exactly right.If you don't promote yourself, nobody will, because they are too busy promoting themselves.We live in such a me-centered society.Focus on me. Pay attention to me, because I'm so special and unique.Don't be unfair to me. Don't tell me what to do.Listen, self-promotion isn't just a problem out there.Self-promotion is a problem in here that we need to deal with.And don't think to yourself, "You know what, Pastor Taylor, you're right.There's a lot of prideful people in this room, and I'll do my part in calling them out. Don't worry."Hold on a minute. Self-promotion isn't just a problem out there.And in here, vaguely and generally, self-promotion is a problem within you that you need to deal with.Self-promotion is a problem within me that I need to deal with.This is the third week in a year-long study of 1 Corinthians, church unified and purified.Last week, Pastor Jeff challenged you to protect the unity of the church by nixing the clicksand refusing to divide over pointless preferences and particular personalities.This morning, you will be challenged to protect the unity of the churchby resisting the temptation to pridefully promote yourself and elevate your importance.Because obsessing over me hurts the we. It hurts everyone around you.And self-promotion isn't just a new problem that started with the Internet.It is an ancient problem that the Corinthians had to deal with as well.And this ancient problem can only be solved with the timeless truths of God's Word.And you cannot deal with the prideful promotion within your own heartuntil you realize how destructive and foolish it really is.So I want us to ask and answer one question this morning, just one.Why is self-promotion so foolish?Why is self-promotion so foolish?Before we seek to answer that question, let's go to the Lord and ask for His help.Please pray for me that I will faithfully proclaim God's Wordas I pray for you that you will faithfully receive it.Father, we come to you and we admit our temptation to self-glorify, to self-promote.Lord, I admit to you that I have been dealing with that this morning already.Father, I pray that we wouldn't push aside the conviction that your spirit brings,that we wouldn't think, "Oh, this sermon is for somebody else.Lord, help every single person in this room to think, 'No, this is for me.'"This is God's Word for me.And may we walk out of here different people with a different attitude and a different focus.We ask all this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.So why is self-promotion so foolish?Reason number one, because it misses the power of the cross.Because it misses the power of the cross.Last week's text ended with the cross, and this morning's passage begins with the cross.Let's read 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 18 together.The apostle Paul writes, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God."According to Paul, there are only two ways to view the cross.There are only two ways to view the news of Jesus Christ, God himself who came to suffer and die,to save anyone and everyone who believes in Him.There are only two ways to view the gospel.Foolish or powerful?Those are the only two options. There is no riding the fence.There is no middle ground.You either hear the gospel and think, "That is so dumb."Or you think, "That is so awesome."Which is your view of the cross?Foolish or powerful?Dumb or awesome?Your view of the cross isn't a minor footnote in the story of your life.Your view of the cross isn't a small aspect of your worldview.Note is the defining characteristic of who you are.Your view of the cross reveals where you stand right nowand where you will end up in eternity.If you reject the cross of Christ in this life,you will be rejected by Christ when you exit this life.But if you have embraced the cross of Christ, Paul says you are being saved.Does that sound kind of weird to you? Being saved?We usually just talk about salvation in the past tense, right?But Scripture talks about salvation in three tenses.The past, the present, and the future.If you have trusted in Christ, you have experienced salvation.You are experiencing salvation and you will experience salvation.You have been justified.You are being sanctified and you will be glorified.You were made right by the blood of Christ before the presence of God.You are being made more and more into the image of Christ.And one day you'll be fully perfect in the presence of Christ.The cross has the transformative power to change your past, your present, and your future.But you can only experience the power of the cross if you humble yourself before it.You will not experience the power of the cross if you live to promote yourself.You will not experience the power of the cross if you think you're wiser than God.You will not experience the power of the cross if you think you can save yourselfand figure out the meaning of life on your own.Paul talks about the foolishness of trusting in your own wisdom in verses 19 through 20."For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe?Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?So Paul quotes Isaiah 29 and 14 and then throws down the gauntlet to challenge all the great thinkers of his day.The philosophers, the teachers of the Old Testament law, and the polished public speakers.If Paul was speaking directly at 2025, he'd be talking about the most celebrated politicians.Enlightened spiritual gurus.And the most influential influencers on social media who get way more than six likes on their posts.Paul is saying, "You think you're so clever? Fine. Try to step up and impress God. Try to beat him in a debate."Let's see how that goes.Spoiler alert, he's going to wipe the floor with you. So who's up next to challenge him?As I read this verse this past week, I thought back to playing board games with my dad growing up.You know how some parents let you win or make a concession to, you know, go easy on you?That wasn't my dad's strategy right then.Every time you played a game, he would just demolish me in sorry, monopoly, clue.I have a different opinion, but for some reason, no loss hurt quite as bad as risk.When I was six, seven, some of you get that, some of you don't.When I was six, seven, I kept thinking that my day of victory had finally come.The day had finally arrived when I thought I was wiser than my dad. I was smarter than my dad.I would beat him at a game of risk. And time and time again, I would make a foolish move towards the end of the game.And my dad would ask the question that I could still hear in my mind right now."Son, you sure you want to do that?"And sure enough, I did. And then my dad would totally destroy my wisdom and thwart my discernment.Every single time we got out the risk board.And God does the same exact thing to everyone who opposes Him on the risk board of life.Every single time we put forth a new religion, a new philosophy, a new ideology,I just imagine God asking, "Are you sure you want to do that?"And sure enough, we do. And then sure enough, God totally destroys our wisdom and thwarts our discernment.And Paul goes into even greater detail about why and how God does this in verses 21 through 25."For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom,it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified,a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called,both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God,for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men."It gives God great joy, great pleasure to expose the so-called wisdom of the worldby saving sinners in a seemingly foolish way, the brutal death of His Son.We lose sight of how foolish the cross would have seemed to Jews and Gentiles alike2,000 years ago because we see crosses everywhere, don't we,T-shirts, bumper stickers on church steeples.Let me ask you, when was the last time you saw someone wearing a T-shirt with the graphic of a gas chamber on it?When was the last time you saw someone wearing a lethal injection or electric chair necklace?These are serious symbols of death and capital punishment.Wearing something like that in public would be so off-putting and reprehensible, right?Well, now you understand why so many Jews and Gentiles were totally put off by the cross 2,000 years ago.Back in Jesus' day, criminals weren't put to death by a firing squad, an electric chair, lethal injection.No, the Romans would nail them to a wooden cross and leave them to ex-fixiate to death.For the unbelieving Jews, the cross was a stumbling block because a crucified Messiah was an oxymoron.It was like saying that someone is a brilliant idiot, a murderous humanitarian, or a lying truth teller.Those words don't naturally belong together in describing the same person.Under the Old Testament law, being hung on a tree was a sign of divine curse.It was a sign that you were being punished by God Himself.So to the Jews, how could the Messiah that chosen one be punished and cursed by God?That seemed insane. It was beyond belief.For the Gentiles, the philosophical Greeks, the cross was folly, from which we get our word "moronic."To them, the cross was stupid.Why would the Creator of everything lower Himself enough to die a death that was reserved for the worst criminals?But for the believing Jew, for the believing Gentile, Christ crucified isn't a stumbling block or moronic.To those who accept the divine call Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God,for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.Your own way of thinking may seem wise to you, but I can assure you it is foolish.God's method of salvation may seem foolish, but it is infinitely wise than anything you could possibly brainstorm.Your "I got this on my own" attitude may seem strong to you, but it is nothing but worldly weakness.Christ dying on the cross may make Him seem weak, but that was the strongest act of love we could possibly imagine,totally stronger than anything you could ever hope to accomplish.The wisest one who created all things chose to hang on that cross all those years ago.The strongest one who will uphold this universe by the word of His power chose to take the full wrath of His Father.The source of life chose to lay down his own life so that you could live forever and ever.So if you have not yet trusted in Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, I want you to look at me and act like your life depends on what I'm about to say because it does.You do not have the power in and of yourself to please God. You don't.You do not have the power to rid yourself of the guilt and shame that you feel deep down.And you know exactly what I'm talking about, those feelings of regret and conviction that you feel.Those oppressive thoughts about your past mistakes that you can't seem to let go of.You do not have the power to erase the stain of sin off of your soul.You don't have the power to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and save yourself.You do not have any wisdom or power of your own.For the very first time, look to the only source of heavenly wisdom and power, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.If you submit to Him, He will save you. He will forgive you if you ask Him to. Christ will have you if you will have Him.Why is self-promotion so foolish?Because it misses the power of the cross.Second reason, because it misses the strength of a weak church.Because it misses the strength of a weak church.Does the wording of that point seem somewhat strange to you? Does that seem disrespectful?Taylor, do you really think the church is weak?Yeah, I do. And that's its greatest strength.If you don't believe me, believe Paul because he says the same exact thing in verses 26 to 28.For consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you are wise according to worldly standards.Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth.But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are.We just saw that God shows Himself wise to the foolishness of the cross.Now we see that God shows Himself strong through the weakness of His people.Travel back in time with me to recess whenever those teams were picked for dodgeball, kickball, basketball, pick your sport.Was that nerve-wracking for any of you?And some of you are like, "No, actually it was a lot of fun. It wasn't nerve-wracking at all."That's because you were the ringers who were chosen first. Must have been nice to be you.The rest of us were in the middle of the pack or chosen dead last.Why and how are kids chosen in a pickup game of recess?There are two qualifiers, skill and popularity.The best of the best and the coolest of the cool are snatched up first.Is that how it works in the family of God?Does God jump at recruiting the best of the best and the coolest of the cool?No, it's actually the exact opposite.Paul calls the Corinthians to consider who they were and where they came from.Not many of them were Brainiac philosophers, influential leaders and rich aristocrats.No, in the eyes of the world they were stupid, worthless, obscure and poor.But none of that matters.They have been chosen last in a game of kickball, but they were chosen by God himself.And if God chooses you, you are no longer defined by who rejects you.And the pages of the Old Testament and the New Testament are filled with examples of God choosing the weak and the most unexpected.God chose Abraham to father a son and jumpstart the people of Israel when he was as good as dead as the author of Hebrews lovingly describes him.God chose Jacob over Esau, even though Jacob was a slimy liar.God chose Moses to deliver the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt even though Moses was a stuttering murderer.God chose Gideon to defeat the invading Midianites even though Gideon was hiding from the Midianites when he was called by the angel.God chose 12 ordinary men to be the followers of Christ.These men had ordinary and even hateful jobs.The apostle Paul started as a religious Pharisees who held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen.Why does God do this? Why is this God's recruiting strategy?Well, Paul tells us why in verses 27 to 28. Let's read those verses again."But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are."That is so counterintuitive, isn't it? That's so different than what we would do if we were God."Worldly reasoning dictates that the church should recruit the most famous athletes, the most polished politicians."Have you ever heard someone say, "Man, that person would make a great Christian?"Wouldn't everybody make a great Christian? Or, "Man, so many people would get saved if that person got saved."That view promotes human wisdom, not God's wisdom. That view promotes human strength, not God's strength.That view acts like God's up in heaven looking over his draft picks like, "Man, I made a lot of mistakes in the first few rounds.""I need some more stars to round out my roster and boost my stats."Now, God is not like you and me. God does not think like you and me.If God needed the biggest "somebodies" of this world, then He would not be somebody worthy of your devotion and worship.God wants to use "nobodies" to show that He needs nobody.God wants to use the most unexpected to bring Himself the most glory.God wants to use the weak to expose those who think they are strong apart from Christ.And I personally believe that's why the Lord called me to be a preacher of His Word and to be a pastor, because I was the most unexpected choice.As a kid, I was terrified to talk in front of people. I had a stuttering problem which I still had to deal with at some level to this day.No one looked at the teenage tailor and thought, "Man, get that guy behind a pulpit ASAP. He is so charismatic. He is so magnetic. He is a shoe-in for ministry."God chose me to be a messenger of the Word to show that all the glory belongs to Him and not to me.If God can use me for His kingdom, then He can use anybody.If God can use someone like me, I guarantee He can use someone like you.Do you feel inadequate to follow Jesus?Do you feel insufficient for the task that He has given to you?Do you feel unqualified for ministry?If you feel that way, then you are the perfect man or woman for the job. Congratulations, you are hired.Thinking that you are unqualified for ministry makes you qualified for ministry.On the other hand, believing that you are qualified for ministry makes you unqualified for ministry.If you think you are strong, you are going to depend on no one else besides yourself.If you think you are strong, I have to warn you, you are not going to like the mission and priorities of this church.We are not interested in teaching self-help nonsense. We are not interested in puffing up your ego.We are not interested in making you a self-reliant person, but we are in the business of training you to be a weak servant of Christ who recognizes your weakness.Are you willing to get on board with that mission? Are you willing to have those priorities?Stop promoting your strength. Stop trying to impress people. Begin to find comfort in your weakness.Stop putting others down so you can feel better about yourself.Stop thinking, "Well, this church can never survive without me. This church can survive without any of us."Stop thinking, "I'm the MVP on God's team." Stop thinking that your opinions and preferences are the most important.Begin to focus on the "we" instead of "me."Why is self-promotion so foolish? Because it misses the power of the cross.Because it misses the strength of a weak church. And finally, because it misses the glory of boasting in Christ.Because it misses the glory of boasting in Christ.In verses 29 through 30, Paul continues to offer another explanation for why God fills his church with weak people.Paul writes that no human being might boast in the presence of God.And because of him, because of God, you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.Self-promotion doesn't just hurt other people. Most importantly, self-promotion offends God.When you boast before other people, you are actually boasting before God.It's a very bad plan to brag about yourself in the presence of the most important person in all of existence.You know, boasting in yourself is kind of lame, right?Do you know what makes boasting in yourself even lame-er?Boasting about something that you didn't even earn in the first place.Imagine with me that next week I drive up in a brand new Lamborghini.I don't really know what the cool cars are now, so I said Lamborghini, alright?So just fill in the blank, whatever car you want it to be, I guess.I park the car, the door slides open, and I step out with cool sunglasses, driving gloves, a cool leather jacket.And I'm like swinging my keys around, hoping that you'll say something about my car.And as soon as you say, "Pats are Taylor, that's a nice ride."I jump on the opportunity to bask in your glory.Yep, I've won a car like this for 35 years, and it's finally mine.I mean, sure, it costs a fortune, but why not treat yourself?Why not enjoy the fruits of your labor?And then I proudly saunter away, and you come across my dad in the lobby, and you say, "Man, Taylor has such a nice new car."He must have worked so hard to be able to afford that.And my dad looks at you with shock in his eyes, and he says, "What are you talking about?I bought him that car."Doesn't that piece of information kind of change what I presented to you?Doesn't it make my ridiculous outfit and my prideful speech seem even worse to you?But why? Because you can't really boast about something that you received free of charge.And that's what Paul is saying in these verses.If you were a born-again believer, you were in Christ because of the undeserved grace of God.Period, no other reason.You did nothing to earn it.You have received all that Christ has, and you have received all of who Christ is.You have been given everything.You have received so much from Him.Listen to what Paul has to say about this in a few chapters from now in chapter 4 verse 7.What do you have that you did not receive?If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?You have received grace. You have received salvation.Why would you boast like you didn't receive it and like you earned it?Look again at chapter 1 verse 30."And because of Him, because of God, you were in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."This first presents so many important truths that you cannot forget if you're a true Christian.You are not wise all by your lonesome.You were not born with a sense of righteousness.You cannot be sanctified, set apart, and made holy by your own efforts.You cannot redeem yourself.You could not purchase yourself from slavery to Satan, sin, and death.But according to Paul, someone came to this earth to be your source of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.Who is that one person?Jesus Christ.In Christ, your foolish thinking has been replaced with the very wisdom of God.In Christ, your gross unrighteousness has been exchanged for Christ's perfect righteousness.In Christ, your slavery to sin has been ended so that you can belong to the kindest master imaginable.In Christ, your godly immaturity has been put aside so that you can finally pursue after godly maturity.All of these things are a gift from God, so do not take an ounce of credit for a single gift that He has given to you.So what should you do instead of taking the credit and boasting in yourself?Well, Paul makes it very simple by referencing the prophet Jeremiah in verse 31.He says, "So that as it is written, let the one who boasts, boasts in the Lord."You are to replace self-promotion with Christ's promotion.What is Christ's promotion?Christ's promotion is being on the lookout for opportunities to point every single person in your life to the person and work of the Lord Jesus.Because everyone in your life needs what Jesus has to offer Christians and non-Christians alike.Even those people you don't like very much.Christ's promotion is redirecting all the praise that you receive to Him because He alone deserves it.Christ's promotion looks like being freed from the horrible hobby of trying to fish for other people's compliments.Your meaning no longer hinges on how your boss and your coworkers evaluate your performance.Your identity no longer hangs on what your neighbor thinks about your house, your car, or your lawn.Guys in the room, nobody really cares besides you.Moms, your meaning no longer depends on what other moms think about your kids.You no longer exist to impress people.Life is no longer about you and your boasting is no longer about you.Because here's the hidden secret according to Paul and Jeremiah.You're going to boast.It's going to happen.It's not a question of will you boast.It's a question of who will you boast in.I have a nine-year-old goal retriever named Murdoch and he's still a puppy at heart.One minute he'll be sleeping on the couch and then he'll be running zoomies around the house.Do you all know what zoomies are when you explain that?When dogs run like they're in Kentucky Derby, right? Running in circles around the house.In those moments, I don't try to make Murdoch stop running zoomies because he's going to give energy out in some way.Instead, I open the front door and say, "If you're going to run zoomies, at least run them outside."That's what Paul is saying in these verses.He's saying, "If you're going to boast, boast in the Lord."My dog's crazy playing belongs in the right setting outside.Your bragging, your boasting belongs in the right setting as well.The person and work of Jesus Christ.So what's the big takeaway from this passage?What's the big takeaway from this sermon?I want you to brag as much as you possibly can.I want you to boast until you're blue in the face.I want you to promote from sun up to sun down.You've probably never heard a pastor tell you that before.But never forget this really important detail.You cannot be the focus of your promotion.You cannot be the focus of your bragging and your boasting.If you're the focus of your promotion, you'll miss the power of the cross of Christ.You'll miss the strength of being weak in Christ.You'll miss the glory of boasting in Christ.If you promote Christ and not yourself, you'll find yourself becoming more like Him.If you promote Christ and not yourself, the church will be strengthened.If you promote Christ and not yourself, you'll begin to feel that burden of being the center of existenceand stop your shoulders because you were never meant to bear that.If you promote in Christ, you'll feel stupider,but you'll be wisest in the most important way.If you promote Christ, you'll feel weaker, but you'll actually be stronger.The worship team can make their way forward.You know, boasting in the Lord all by yourself is great.You can boast in the Lord during your personal quiet time,but you know what's even better?When others join in and boast in the Lord with you.Singing as a body of believers is a biblically commanded way to boast in the Lord.As we sing, our unity is on full display in a physical and tangible way.When we sing, our voices come together to form a corporate praise.Our voices come together to promote the one who has given us all that we have.When God's people lay aside all distractions and fear of embarrassment to sing,it's made clear that we boast in Christ and not ourselves.I know what some of you are thinking, "Pastor Taylor, I don't like to sing."Well, too bad because God wants you to sing.So we're going to do that.So let's stand and sing to the one who deserves our praises.Please stand and give all of your passion to promoting God's strength,His wisdom, and His power.

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

Tonight We're blowing the lid off the illusion that you're just one person drifting through life. Nah, baby — you're a resonant spark, encoded with purpose, planted in this timeline on mission. Every step you've taken — every heartbreak, every breakthrough, every "why me?" — it wasn't random. It was a breadcrumb trail from your higher self back to full remembrance. Some of us are anchors. Some are disruptors. Some are healers disguised as cashiers, prophets hidden as mechanics, grid-workers masked as misfits. But every role? Sacred. Necessary. Chosen. BRAINIAC's TOPICs After the first Hour. Drop the truth. And call out to the catalysts still sleeping in their skin.You were never meant to be background noise.You're a living scroll, a walking frequency, a node in the living code. Tune in. Wake up. Speak up.This is your role in the journey — and the script is being rewritten live. ACTIVATE. #MatrixMinds #WarDialWednesday #RememberWhoYouAre #GridWalkers #SacredRoles #WakeTheGrid #LivingScrolls #YouAreTheJourney #PurpleRabbit #VeilBreaker #CallOfTheCatalyst #SoulContractUnlocked #NoMoreNPCsLike our Music? It can be found on Reverbnation!https://www.reverbnation.com/matrixmusic7

Andy Muschietti Still Directing Batman? James Gunn Teases Brainiac AGAIN? Little bit of DCU News for today's show, but also a bit of, "ARE THINGS HAPPENING?" news.

Send us a textA horrible toxic accident transforms an alien Kryptonian into a downtrodden janitor. When this new toxic version of him is exposed to Earth's selfish, inconsiderate ways he turns into a new evolution of a hero: Incel Space Jesus! On Episode 688 of Trick or Treat Radio we are joined by the Vegan Prince of Wales, Linus for his Patreon Takeover! Linus has selected an unlikely duo of Superhero films, The Toxic Avenger (2025) and Superman (2025) for us to discuss! We also talk about; the Frankenstein sequel the world needs now, well known actors who started out in Troma films, and how bad marketing can impact a film's release! So grab your toxic mop, save all the dogs and squirrels you can, and strap on your Kryptonian Bum Bag for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Remembering 1990, MC Hammer, The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer Films, UK theatrical cuts, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Brexit, BST, Patreon Takeover, Linus, Atomsk, Wulf Gas, noise shows, basement shows, Xiphoid Dimentia, The Brute Man, The Abominable Snowman, Macabre, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Night of the Living Dead, Night of the Strangler, House on Skull Mountain, The Stranger Within, Mansion of the Doomed, Prey, Patrick, The Slayer, My Best Friend is a Vampire, Open House, Dark Carnival, Things, Night Terror, Jacquelin Hyde, Night of the Flesh Eaters, The Dead, 90210 Shark Attack, Cracoon, Insidious, Rupert Friend, Curse of Chucky, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Jeremy Holm, The Ranger, Brooklyn 45, Michelle Bauer, Demon Warp, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Granny, The Manitou, Peeping Tom, Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Toxic Avenger, Peter Dinklage, Macon Blair, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Sebastian Shaw, Billy Bob Thornton, Samuel L. Jackson, Oliver Stone, Kevin Costner, Vanna White, Graduation Day, Marisa Tomei, Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, David Boreanaz, Terror Firmer, Paul Sorvino, John G. Avildsen, Troma Films, Lloyd Kaufman, Father's Day, Cannibal: The Music, Roger Corman, Blue Ruin, The Shitheads, Buttcrack, Elijah Wood, Avator, The Crow without Eric Draven, Alan Scott and Hal Jordan, Brian Michael Bendis, Slimetime, The Toxic Crusaders, CHUDHaven, Swamp Thing, Evil Dead, Fede Alvarez, The Mighty Crabjoys, Savatage, Hall of the Mountain King, Night on Bald Mountain, Ernest Borgnine, Jesus Lizard, James Gunn, Superman, Krypto, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Alan Tudyk, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Guy Gardner, John Byrne, The New Gods, Mr. Terrific, Brainiac, Jimmy and Stiggs, Joe Begos, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, mate rate, RobertRodriguezMusic, RIP Renato Casaro, Space Jesus for Incels, Kryptonian Bum Bag, and The Four Swordsmen of the Girthening!Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebookSupport the show

In this episode the FilmBros discuss Peacemaker s2, Street Fighter live action first look, Avatar 3 Fire and Ash, James Gunn "teasing" Brainiac and more Leave a message on our socials! Twitter, TIktok, IG @FIlmBrosPodcastSupport the show

Superman, Sub-Zero, Captain America; just some of the amazing portrayals within cosplay from the super amazing...@Supermazing_23!Mark joins me this episode to discuss why he chose Calvin Ellis, but yet a Man of Steel suit for his portrayal of Superman, and keeping with theme of Kryptonians, we're also discussing James Gunn's Superman and it's sequel. Brainiac for the villain? Bringing in the phantom zone?Tune in for the above, as well as some talk of Mortal Kombat and why the decision to cosplay klassic ninjas, and of course, much more! Join us!▾ Cosplay Of The Week!: ▾ http://instagram.com/aegidiusdesignshttp://instagram.com/aegicostuming_____________►

Hoy es viernes de CORTADO, nuestro segmento mañanero donde discutimos todo tipo de cosas como:.0:00 Introducción3:45 El Regreso de Jimmy Kimmel14:25 El Funeral de Charlie Kirk20:23 La semana absurda de Trump30:49 El Concierto de Bad Bunny37:58 Noticias de video juegos41:03 El trailer de OD46:47 El trailer del juego de Wolverine50:34 Brainiac confirmado en Man of Tomorrow?51:48 Trailers de películas recientes (The Bride, Avatar 3)53:39 Noticias de la secuela de The Social Network?.Todo esto y MUCHO MUCHO más... .https://www.youtube.com/@FilmNotIncluded?sub_confirmation=1.Este podcast está disponible en Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music y donde sea que hayan podcasts..Si nos escuchan en Apple Podcast, o en Spotify, recuerden dejarnos una reseña de 5 estrellas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.Recuerden comentar, darnos "subscribe", dejarnos una reseña, decirnos qué quieren escuchar en futuros episodios, etc..Manténganse al tanto con nosotros ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AQUÍ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Pueden seguir nuestro podcast de Star Wars, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠El Podcast de Estar Güars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ y nuestro podcast de DOCTOR WHO, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bad Wolf Broadcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We're breaking down the first four episodes of Gen V Season 2, the bloody, outrageous spinoff of The Boys! In this spoiler-filled review, we cover everything from the best moments, shocking scenes, and standout performances to the frustrating weaknesses that are starting to drag down the live-action Boys universe. Before jumping into Gen V, we start with a cold open discussing James Gunn's DCU Gods & Monsters slate, including major changes to projects like The Authority and Swamp Thing, and the reveal that Brainiac will be the villain in Man of Tomorrow. We also react to the new casting of Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and cover the unfortunate on-set injuries involving Tom Holland and stunt workers. Then we dive deep into Gen V Season 2 Episodes 1-4. We talk about what works—Emma, Cipher, and Polarity's character arcs, the pacing, and the intriguing central mystery—and what doesn't, like lazy political satire, plot holes, and lack of meaningful development for some characters. We also reflect on the passing of Chance Perdomo and how it impacted the direction of the season. Overall, Gen V Season 2 has us cautiously optimistic, and we're hoping the back half sticks the landing.

On this week's episode of #TheCulturedNerdPodcast, Michael and Taylor sit down and talk about some new updates from #JamesGunn regarding #ManOfTomorrow (and some major #Brainiac hints), #Peacemaker, and most importantly... some #DCU #Batman updates regarding #TheBraveAndTheBold

This podcast episode delves into the significance of taking time for oneself amidst the myriad distractions of daily life, a sentiment poignantly underscored in the context of recent media revelations. We explore the latest developments from PlayStation's State of Play, including the highly anticipated Wolverine gameplay trailer, which has generated considerable excitement among gaming enthusiasts. Additionally, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of God of War with the release of a special PlayStation controller, a testament to the enduring legacy of this iconic franchise. The episode also features insights into the new trailer for "Welcome to Derry," as well as discussions regarding the trajectory of the beloved animated series "X-Men 97." Finally, we provide a thorough breakdown of the season finale of "Alien: Earth," examining its implications for the overarching narrative and character arcs. Join us as we navigate these intricate topics with the seriousness they merit, fostering a deeper understanding of the cultural phenomena that shape our experiences.Blerd's Eyeview is back and we're diving into a STACKED lineup!

This week our latest Men of Steel is a conversation with DJ Nik (Happiness in Darkness, Gold Standard, etc.) about the animated adaptation of Superman: Red Son. Find DJ Nik: https://www.whiskeyandcigarettesshow.com/happiness-in-darkness Support us on Patreon! patreon.com/CertainPOVMedia Men of Steel Full Episode Originally aired: September 26, 2025 Edited by Sophia Ricciardi Scored by Geoff Moonen Certain Point Of View is a podcast network brining you all sorts of nerdy goodness! From Star Wars role playing, to Disney day dreaming, to video game love, we've got the show for you! Learn more on our website: https://www.certainpov.com Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/wcHHer4 PODCAST SHOWS: ▶ Men Of Steel - https://www.certainpov.com/men-of-steel​ FOLLOW US: ▶ Twitter: @certainpovmedia @menofsteelpod ▶ Instagram: @certainpovmedia ▶ Website: https://www.certainpov.com Superman Red Sun Adaptation and Narrative Direction The animated adaptation of Superman Red Sun presents a distinct political and moral narrative where Superman raised in Russia embodies an idealistic yet highly manipulatable figure, reflecting a complex interplay of power and ideology (03:02). Key narrative decision to depict Superman as a good but misguided character shaped by Russian upbringing and Soviet-era values was emphasized by Case and J. Mike, highlighting his susceptibility to manipulation by figures like Stalin and Brainiac. The movie diverges from the comic by portraying Lex Luthor as a morally positive U.S. leader, married to Lois Lane, who is fully integrated into his political life. This creative choice aimed to balance the story by making Lex a relatable protagonist, reinforcing a pro-American slant, likely influenced by current political climates. The film's thematic focus on Superman's idealism clashing with harsh realities underlines his internal conflict and the consequences of unchecked power. Market-wise, this adaptation seeks to draw in audiences interested in alternate superhero narratives with geopolitical undertones, broadening Superman's appeal beyond typical fans. The three-act structure reflecting phases of Superman's evolution (young idealist, political figure, and authoritarian leader) was retained, but with streamlined storytelling to fit the film's 90-minute format (19:17). Original elements like the character Svetlana were introduced to establish Superman's early influences and set the tone for his eventual manipulation. The film's use of Soviet-era iconography and Gregorian chants enhances immersion and aids audience understanding of the setting. This structure supports clear character arcs and audience engagement despite the complex political backdrop. Character and Relationship Dynamics The film notably improves on character relationships, particularly between Lex Luthor and Lois Lane, making them a committed and supportive couple, which contrasts sharply with the comic's estranged dynamic (21:52). Lois Lane's evolution from independent journalist to First Lady strengthens the political narrative and adds emotional depth to the story. Her conflict with Lex over the “Superior Man” experiment adds dramatic tension while humanizing both characters. Lois serves as a moral anchor, showing resistance to some of Lex's harsher decisions, preserving her agency within the political framework. This dynamic was designed to maintain audience sympathy and avoid alienating fans of classic Lois Lane. The characterization of Wonder Woman diverges from the comic by presenting her as a lesbian ambassador skeptical of men, which adds a feminist layer but also generated mixed reactions due to its repetitive messaging (13:11). Her breaking of the lasso of truth and subsequent power drain symbolize disillusionment with Superman's regime. The film portrays Wonder Woman as more powerful than Superman and as a conflicted figure torn between loyalty and opposition. These changes serve to enhance the narrative's emotional stakes and highlight ideological divides within the Soviet leadership. Batman's grimmer portrayal with willingness to accept collateral damage introduces a morally ambiguous antagonist motivated by personal loss, deepening the plot complexity (45:06). His vendetta against Superman is grounded in the death of his parents in a gulag, providing emotional weight to their conflict. The film reduces the supporting cast compared to the comic, focusing more tightly on core characters to enhance storytelling clarity. Political and Ideological Themes The film embeds a strong political subtext, portraying Superman as a tool of the Soviet state, subject to manipulation by Stalin and later Brainiac, exploring themes of authoritarianism and propaganda (59:14). The depiction of Stalin's regime and the gulags is stark, providing a critical lens on Soviet atrocities, which Superman initially ignores due to naivety (28:34). Superman's assassination of Stalin is a pivotal moment symbolizing a break from oppressive rule but also the beginning of his own moral decline. The film's anti-Russian bias reflects American perspectives prevalent at the time of production. This political framing underscores the dangers of absolute power and state control over individuals. The presence of Brainiac as a manipulative force amplifies the narrative of Superman's loss of agency, positioning Brainiac as the true power behind the Soviet regime in the latter acts (01:00:33). Brainiac's control enables technological advances but also enforces oppressive mind control, with Superman complicit but unaware of the extent. This adds a sci-fi layer illustrating how technology can be weaponized politically. Brainiac's role serves as both a plot device and a commentary on surveillance and control. The contrasting portrayal of Lex Luthor as a morally upright U.S. leader reinforces the ideological divide, positioning America as a counterbalance to Soviet authoritarianism (01:18:40). Lex's presidency and relationship with Lois symbolize American values of freedom and partnership. This ideological framing is strategic to appeal to Western audiences and to provide a clear antagonist-protagonist dynamic. It reflects the broader geopolitical tensions influencing superhero storytelling in the 21st century. Action and Superpower Depictions The film adapts classic superhero action with a focus on power limitations and ideological symbolism, notably through the use of red sun lamps to neutralize Superman's powers and the introduction of Superior Man as a Soviet weapon (47:48). The immediate loss and regain of Superman's powers under red sun exposure was acknowledged as a narrative expediency, despite known inconsistencies with canonical depictions (48:58). This mechanism facilitates key confrontations and heightens tension without complex exposition. The decision balances pacing needs of a 90-minute runtime against the need for recognizable superhero logic. The Superior Man character acts as a tragic figure whose destruction deepens Lois's conflict with Lex and underscores the moral costs of weaponizing superpowers (37:22). His portrayal as a lab creation rather than a fully human clone adds ethical ambiguity. This subplot strengthens the film's theme of sacrifice and unintended consequences in superhuman conflicts. The Green Lantern Corps assault was streamlined, with the film emphasizing the fight's intensity and Wonder Woman's intervention, contrasting with the comic's more fragmented depiction (01:11:00). The film's choice to present Wonder Woman as stronger than Superman visually reinforces her narrative significance. The fight sequences support the escalating stakes and demonstrate the combined forces opposing Soviet Superman. Production and Storytelling Choices The filmmakers made strategic decisions to adapt the comic's complex narrative into a cohesive, accessible screenplay that emphasizes character and political drama over spectacle (09:41). The introduction of original scenes such as the gulag encounter and Superman killing Stalin serve to heighten emotional impact and clarify political stakes early in the film (28:34). These scenes compensate for the comic's denser exposition by providing visual and emotional anchor points. The film balances storytelling clarity with maintaining the comic's core themes. The choice to omit or tone down certain comic elements, such as excessive narrative exposition and supervillain cameos, streamlines the plot for new audiences (01:14:44). This focus on fewer characters helps maintain narrative coherence and emotional resonance. The film aims to appeal both to comic fans and general audiences unfamiliar with the source material. The adaptation was influenced by modern political sensibilities and audience expectations, reflected in the more explicit feminist themes and clearer moral distinctions (13:11). These choices aim to update the story's relevance and broaden its appeal. The film's tone contrasts with the comic's edgier, more ambiguous style, favoring clarity and accessibility. Audience Reception and Legacy The podcast hosts unanimously recommend Superman Red Sun as a compelling and unique take on the Superman mythos, suitable even for non-fans due to its strong narrative and thematic depth (01:33:00). Nick and J. Mike highlight the film's ability to retain Superman's core ethics despite the alternate political setting, praising its nuanced portrayal of flawed heroism. The story's exploration of power, ideology, and morality offers rich material for discussion and reexamination of classic characters. Its accessibility makes it a useful entry point for audiences new to superhero stories or interested in political narratives. The film's balanced treatment of Lex Luthor and Lois Lane adds emotional investment and challenges traditional villain-hero dichotomies. This complexity enhances the film's value as a character-driven drama. The positive portrayal of Lex as a “good guy” is noted as a refreshing and deliberate creative decision. The upcoming interview with J. M. DeMatteis, writer of the animated movie, and the launch of the Trade School podcast series on comic trades indicate ongoing community engagement and content expansion around this material (01:39:10). These initiatives suggest sustained interest and potential for deeper exploration of comic adaptations. They offer platforms for fans and newcomers to connect over shared appreciation of graphic storytelling.  

Welcome to the Infinite Taylorverse!  Here at the Infinite Taylorverse, we talk about all things nerdy and pop culture! Movies, TV, cartoons, comics, books, video games, tabletop games, and so much more! We talk about the latest pop culture news as well as rumors and fan theories.  Be advised that spoilers are eminent! In this, our 240th episode, we talk about new Venom and Wolverine video games coming from Marvel!  We talk about Warner Brothers and DC Studios potentially finding a new home!  We talk about a ton of new movie and TV show reboots, and so much more!  As always, thanks for strapping in for a ride through The Infinite Taylorverse!

Welcome to Multiverse News, Your source for Information about all your favorite fictional universesIt's been a busy week for the MCU starting with a potentially big leak where costumes from Avengers: Doomsday were revealed. With filming now wrapped, an image from the wrap party gifts showed those who want to look what our characters may look like in the upcoming blockbuster. In other “oops” news, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland suffered a mild concussion while filming a stunt for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, halting filming for several days. Here's hoping Spidey's bump on the noggin heals fast! Daredevil: Born Again has already been renewed for a third season. The return to Charlie Cox's outing as the Man Without Fear was well received this year on Disney+ and season two will premiere next May. Lastly, Marvin Jones, III will appear as Tombstone in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. On Monday, Lucasfilm dropped the long-awaited teaser trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu - Star Wars' newest feature film coming out in May 2026. As we've discussed before, this will be Lucasfilm's first feature film for the franchise since 2019's The Rise of Skywalker and it seems like a lot is riding on Grogu's tiny green shoulders.James Gunn didn't leave us hanging this week as the writer/director/co-chair of DC Studios shared an Instagram post of his second draft of the script for Man of Tomorrow. An image taking up most of the cover shows an anatomical cutout of a human head and brain leading to speculation that Brainiac will be the villain Superman and perhaps Lex Luthor have to team up against. Matt Reeves also chimed in on the same topic, though separately, and shared that the villain for The Batman: Part II will be a character that has “never really been done” in a film before. Reeves also confirmed his films are Elseworlds projects not part of the DCU.The first trailer has been released for Sony's comedic reimagining of the 1997 film Anaconda which stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd. The film will hit theaters on December 25.Director Shawn Levy posted a photo to Instagram last week of Ryan Gosling in costume on the set of Star Wars: Starfighter, offering the first look from the film's shoot. Gosling and co-star Flynn Gray are seen posing with the Mediterranean Sea behind them.Paul Walter Hauser is joining the cast of director Zach Cregger‘s new Resident Evil movie.DC announced last week that its Batman No. 1, a relaunch of the Caped Crusader by writer Matt Fraction and artist Jorge Jiménez, has sold over 500,000 copies, making it the top selling comic of the year by far.Stan Lee will posthumously return to L.A. Comic con, this time as a hologram that will use AI to have conversations with fans. Fans will be able to speak with the hologram at the Stan Lee Experience section of the con, a 1,500 ft. enclosed booth which costs between $15-$20 to enter, depending on whether you buy tickets ahead of time. And like meeting a celebrity or getting autographs, there will be paid opportunities to take photos with the hologram or have a three-minute, one-on-one conversation with it.Taylor Swift is returning to theaters from Oct. 3-Oct. 5 for her album release. Swift is partnering with AMC theaters for the event film which will feature behind the scenes making of her new album Life of a Showgirl, as well as a music video premiere. The Eras Tour film was a phenomenon two years ago, becoming the top grossing concert film of all time with $261.6 million globally.After rumors last week that Paramount was looking into making a bid for Warner Brothers, Puck News is now reporting that a well placed inside source has verified that Netflix is preparing to make a bid for the studio as well.

How do you tackle a challenge as vast as closing America's brain nutrition gap? Mark Brooks, CEO and co-founder of Brainiac Foods, is answering that question by creating everyday foods packed with the nutrients kids (and adults) need for brain health and development. In this interview, he shares the brand's science-first approach, its unique retail strategy, and the mission to make "brain food" accessible to every family

Marvel, Star Wars, & DC News!1:30 Mandalorian & Grogu Trailer10:00 The Batman 2 Villain has never been portrayed on the big screen14:40 Man of Tomorrow Gunn teases Brainiac as next Superman villain?21:15 Batman suit color in the DCU24:20 Daredevil Season 3 green lit! 27:45 Tom Holland injury on set of Spiderman 4Socials:  @whysosidiouspod   Twitter  -  Instagram  -  TikTok  -  YouTube  Subscribe, Like, or Comment to interact & request topics! This audio is not affiliated with or endorsed by Marvel, DC, or Disney/Lucasfilm. All characters and images are the property of Marvel, DC, or Disney/Lucasfilm and are used under fair use for commentary/review purposes.Send us your questions/comments!Support the show

Our top news stories: James Gunn has revealed the cover to his second draft script for "Man of Tomorrow", a brand new deleted scene featuring Mr. Terrific and Krypto was released online, and "Superman" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Superman news for the period September 17-23, 2025. Brought to you by SupermanHomepage.com. Hosted by Steve Younis. Visit our website: https://www.SupermanHomepage.com/ Visit our online store: https://www.SupermanHomepage.com/shop Featured Products and Links: "Superman" 2025 Movie Merchandise - https://amzn.to/3AdxENy Funko's Superman Through the Ages Pop! Vinyl Figures - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/superman-through-the-ages-funko-pop-vinyl-figures/ Watch "Superman" 2025 Movie at Home - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/superman-now-available-on-4k-uhd-blu-ray-and-dvd/ This week's Superman comic books - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/superman-comic-books-available-this-week-september-24-2025/ Latest Comic Book Reviews - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/2025-comic-reviews/c-review-2025.php

James Gunn teases progress on the Man of Tomorrow script, Spider-Man filming hits a delay, Jeremy Renner talks Hawkeye Season 2, and more! On today's episode of The Kristian Harloff Show, we dive into the latest in movies and TV: James Gunn shares an update on the highly anticipated Man of Tomorrow script. Spider-Man production faces a one-week delay due to an on-set injury. Jeremy Renner confirms he's in talks for Hawkeye Season 2 and promises, “I'll always dance with Marvel.” Reports claim The Witcher Season 4 could cost a jaw-dropping $27 million an episode. And director Zach Cregger confirms a Weapons “Gladys” prequel is on the way. From DCU teases to Marvel updates and huge streaming budgets, there's a ton to cover in today's show! SPONSORS: RUGIET: Ready to level up your confidence in the bedroom? Head to https://www.rugiet.com and use my promo code KRISTIAN for 15% off your first order. UPSIDE: Upside has given back $1 Billion dollars to its users. To find out how much you could earn, Download the FREE Upside App and use promo code KRISTIAN to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. PRIZEPICKS: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/KR... and use code KRISTIAN and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! STRAWBERRY: Head to https://www.Strawberry.me/KRISTIAN to claim a special offer and get started. Stop settling. Start building the career you actually want. BECOME A MEMBER & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Get exclusive perks by joining this channel:

On this episode of THE HOT MIC, Jeff Sneider and John Rocha discuss the BREAKING NEWS that Jimmy Kimmel is returning to ABC tomorrow night, James Gunn teasing Brainiac and his new quotes on Batman Brave and the Bold,  the Mando and Grogu teaser trailer, Leonardo DiCaprio's Top 10 Films, Tom Holland concussion on Spider-Man Brand New Day set, Marlon Wayans thinks his films are "classics" and more!#DC #jimmykimmel #batman #starwars #jamesgunn #disney #WB #Marvel #Spiderman #TheHotMic #JeffSneider #JohnRocha ____________________________________________________________________________________Chapters:0:00 Intro and Rundown1:45 James Gunn Teases Brainiac, Talks Batman Brave and the Bold10:52 The Mandalorian and Grogu Teaser Trailer Divides Star Wars Fans15:20 Tom Holland Injured on Set of Spider-Man Brand New Day17:54 Jimmy Kimmel Returns on Tuesday, ABC Backs Down39:14 Zach Cregger Says Aunt Gladys Prequel Film Is "Real"43:20 Streamlabs and Superchat QuestionsFollow John Rocha: @therochasays Follow Jeff Sneider: @TheInSneider Subscribe to Jeff's newsletter: www.theinsneider.com

Balchem's Bourbon & Brainiacs event took place at the Frazier History Museum during the 2025 ADSA annual meetings in Louisville, Kentucky. After introductions, Dr. Lucy shares about the ADSA monthly podcast, Dairy Digressions, which he hosts. He discusses listener demographics, the diverse paths to becoming a dairy scientist and inspiring young people to pursue a career in dairy science. The panel goes on to discuss the camaraderie and friendships developed and nurtured at ADSA meetings. (2:44)Dr. Kononoff asks the panel their thoughts on how to protect students, given the current and potential future funding concerns for science. Dr. Lucy notes he believes science will prevail. Dr. St-Pierre comments we have portrayed science as infallible, when it's really self-correcting, and the machine of a university is faculty and students. Dr. Kononoff, originally from Canada, discusses the uniqueness of the land-grant system in the US. (8:31)Dr. Lucy shares some of his favorite parts of being an ADSA member. (17:44)Dr. Williamson, a neuroscientist, suggests the dairy industry could learn from human behaviorists regarding marketing their products. Dr. Ordway agrees, as someone who did not grow up in the agriculture industry. (20:42)Dr. St-Pierre talks about presenting at his very first ADSA meeting when he was still learning to speak English. He goes on to discuss how meetings and students have evolved over the years. (23:03)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt. 

We're diving deep into The Long Walk—the chilling new Stephen King adaptation! In this episode, we deliver both a spoiler-free review and a spoiler-filled breakdown of the film. We discuss the movie's atmosphere, pacing, tone, and character-driven story, praising its gripping performances and haunting narrative. While The Long Walk succeeds in immersing us in a bleak and gruesome journey, the ending left us feeling unsatisfied. Before we get into the review, we open with a 20-minute cold discussion on the 2027 Superman movie Man of Tomorrow. We explore theories about Superman teaming up with Lex Luthor against a major threat—possibly Brainiac—and what this could mean for the future of the DCU. In the spoiler section, we break down The Long Walk scene by scene, covering the most intense moments, shocking deaths, and our favorite performances. We also compare the film's grim and ambiguous ending to other dark stories like No Country For Old Men, The Devil All The Time, and Joker (2019). If you're a Stephen King fan, a movie buff, or just love dark, thought-provoking storytelling, this is the review for you!

Lex Luthor takes center stage as the show's most interesting character as we speculate on all the services offered by his assistant Mercy Graves on the latest episode of Superman TAS! Join us as we discuss...Wondering how far James Gunn can take his brand of humor in the new DC Universe!Has Superman ever tried blowing out a missile with his super breath?Remembering STAR WARS (the Reagan kind) and contemplating if we thought AI deepfakes were possible as kids in the 90s!Noticing the oddity of Batman TAS being inspired by Max Fleischer's Superman and Superman TAS not being quite as inspired in general (but still very good!)The X-Men TAS Podcast just opened a SECRET reddit group, join by clicking here! We are also on Twitch sometimes… click here to go to our page and follow and subscribe so you can join in on all the mysterious fun to be had! Also, make sure to subscribe to our podcast via Buzzsprout or iTunes and tell all your friends about it! Follow Willie Simpson on Bluesky and please join our Facebook Group! Last but not least, if you want to support the show, you can Buy Us a Coffee as well!

Frank, Squeaks, and Thomas cover a packed week: dream casting for Netflix's BioShock movie, first takes on the Avengers Doomsday reveal out of Shanghai and what it signals for Doctor Doom in the MCU, Star Trek Day highlights and what the 60th anniversary year could look like, quick reactions to the 77th Emmys, why Warner Bros. Discovery is suing Midjourney, and fresh DCU talk after new Superman images and a 2027 date. We close with recommendations and a fast tour around the Geek Freaks Network. Timestamps and Topics 00:00 Welcome, mid-week vibes, and today's lineup 01:14 Question of the Week: BioShock movie casting picks for Andrew Ryan, Atlas, Jack, and Little Sisters 07:02 Con updates: CrackerCon appearances, SDC Town Hall, LA Comic Con plans 08:22 Avengers Doomsday first look: Doom's armor, magic tech blend, symbols, and power-level stakes 19:42 Star Trek Day roundup: Starfleet Academy, preschool series on YouTube, scripted Khan audio series, LEGO collab, 60th anniversary plans, Trek cruise, and the Skydance chatter 34:37 Emmys 77 reactions: Studio's comedy sweep, Hacks love, Severance kudos, Andor writing win, and Hannah Einbinder's speech 41:27 WB Discovery vs Midjourney: what the lawsuit argues, fair use vs training, and where fan art fits 51:42 Superman Saga update: 2027 date, new images, Lex team-ups, Brainiac theories, and what to avoid with multiverse fatigue 58:34 Quick hits to watch for next week: TikTok U.S. buyout deadline, Disney + Webtoon digital comics platform 58:59 Recommendations: Foundation, Borderlands 4, Dimension 20 and Critical Role hype 01:04:34 Around the Geek Freaks Network and sign-off Key Takeaways BioShock casting drew strong picks like Cillian Murphy for Andrew Ryan and Gerard Butler or James McAvoy for Atlas, with Ewan McGregor floated for an all-voice heavy Atlas. The Doomsday footage suggests a Doom who mixes sorcery and engineering. Runes, sigils, and visuals hint at a villain who can carry multiverse-level stakes. Star Trek is gearing up for a busy 60th year with new shows, a kids series on YouTube to hook the next generation, a scripted Khan audio drama, and a LEGO partnership. Emmys 77 landed well for comedy and recognized top craft like Andor's writing. Studio earned the “actual comedy” praise many fans were looking for. The Midjourney suit could set important lines around training on copyrighted works. The show breaks down the difference between commentary fair use and model training. DCU chatter points to Brainiac as the smart next-step foil that forces a Lex and Superman team-up, while keeping the multiverse in check. Community notes: Geek Freaks will be out at events, and the Network has new episodes across the slate. Quotes “It looks comic accurate. More than I thought it would be.” “They're really good at visual storytelling in the MCU. This is the next facet of that.” “Studio is what The Bear pretended to be for years.” “We're in the early stages of the law. You have to scrape the edges to shape something that makes sense.” “Can we just not do the multiverse? Let's stay in this universe.” Call to Action If you enjoyed this one, follow and subscribe, drop a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share the episode with a friend using #GeekFreaksPod. It helps more fans find the show. Links and Resources GeekFreaksPodcast.com — source of all news discussed on our podcast and home for episode notes and updates Follow Us Twitter: https://twitter.com/geekfreakspod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geekfreakspodcast/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@geekfreakspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegeekfreakspodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GeekFreakspodcast Listener Questions Send us your BioShock dream cast, your Doom theories, and your Star Trek 60th wishlist. Message us on Twitter or Instagram and we'll feature your takes in the next episode. Apple Podcast Tags Geek Freaks, Avengers Doomsday, Doctor Doom, MCU, BioShock movie, Star Trek Day, 77th Emmys, Midjourney lawsuit, DCU Superman 2027, Brainiac, TikTok buyout, Disney Webtoon, Dimension 20, Critical Role, Foundation, Borderlands 4

Guests: Dr. José Santos, University of Florida; Dr. Jeff Firkins, The Ohio State University; Dr. Bill Weiss, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University; Dr. Jimena Laporta, University of Wisconsin; Dr. Jim Aldrich, CSA Animal Nutrition; Dr. Tom Overton, Cornell University; Dr. Mark Hanigan, Virginia Tech University; Martin Bengtsson, Balchem; Dr. Barry Bradford, Michigan State University; Dr. Turner Swartz, South Dakota State University; Dr. Adam Lock, Michigan State University; Dr. Goeff Dahl, University of FloridaBalchem's Bourbon & Brainiacs event took place at the Frazier History Museum during the 2025 ADSA annual meetings in Louisville, Kentucky. This bonus episode features a rotating slate of guests throughout the entirety of the episode. The episode begins with guests talking about how many ADSA meetings they've attended and some of their favorite locations. Quebec City travel nightmares, side trips to the Grand Canyon, and university host sites with dorms featuring no air conditioning were highlighted. (0:08)The group talks about the impact scientific meetings have on graduate students and how important the social and networking aspects are in the development of students' careers. (9:44)Formative moments in your career can be forged at ADSA meetings. Learning to step back and talk about the big picture of your work can be pivotal. Other panelists share their experiences in making the final decision on where to attend graduate school based on their experiences at ADSA meetings. (19:48)Martin Bengtsson, Balchem's Executive Vice President,  CFO and Animal Nutrition and Health General Manager joins the panel. He talks about his background and Balchem's investment in animal nutrition research. He asks the panel what they'd like to see a company like Balchem do more of to have a bigger impact and be more helpful to the industry. (22:49)A new wave of guests arrive. Topics include coaching quiz bowl and dairy challenge teams, softball games, rooftop lawn bowling and how one can go from being an up-and-comer to being one of the big names at ADSA to being a retiree. (36:24)Panelists share some of the events at this year's ADSA meeting they're excited to attend, including a symposium about feed additives for methane inhibition in conjunction with the Journal of Dairy Science and an applied nutrition series geared toward field nutritionists. (42:06)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table.  If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.

DC Villains, James Gunn, and the New DCU: Dive into our latest Talk Talk Punch episode where Brody, Tudong Dylan, and Charlie Hickman discuss the top three DC villains they want to see in the new James Gunn DCU. From Deathstroke to Brainiac, explore the potential game-changers in the DC universe.

DC Villains, James Gunn, and the New DCU: Dive into our latest Talk Talk Punch episode where Brody, Tudong Dylan, and Charlie Hickman discuss the top three DC villains they want to see in the new James Gunn DCU. From Deathstroke to Brainiac, explore the potential game-changers in the DC universe.

On this episode of The Kara Goldin Show, we're joined by Mark Brooks, Co-Founder and CEO of Brainiac — the science-driven snack brand on a mission to close the brain nutrition gap and give families better options that fuel brilliance. With most Americans consuming less than 20% of the Omega-3s and choline needed for optimal brain health, Mark and his team are changing that with kid-favorite snacks powered by the BrainPack®, their proprietary blend designed to support memory, mood, focus, and adaptability.In our conversation, Mark shares the inspiration behind launching Brainiac, the personal journey he and his Co-Founder Jonathan Wolfson went through as dads that sparked the idea, and how they built the brand alongside pediatricians, neuroscientists, and nutritionists. We dive into the science of brain nutrition, the challenges of educating parents in a crowded food space, and what it takes to grow a mission-driven brand into national distribution at Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, and beyond. He also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the lessons learned from his time leading Truvia and Thrive, the decision to certify Brainiac as a B Corp, and the future of the brain food category.Whether you're a parent, a wellness-focused consumer, or a founder in the CPG space, this episode is filled with insights and inspiration you won't want to miss. Now on The Kara Goldin Show. Are you interested in sponsoring and advertising on The Kara Goldin Show, which is now in the Top 1% of Entrepreneur podcasts in the world? Let me know by contacting me at karagoldin@gmail.com. You can also find me @‌KaraGoldin on all networks. To learn more about Mark Brooks and Brainiac:https://www.instagram.com/brainiacfoods/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-brooks-083a6458/https://www.linkedin.com/company/brainiacfoods/https://www.brainiacfoods.com/ Sponsored By:Apple Card - Visit apple.co/cardcalculator today and discover just how much Daily Cash you can earn.Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at Shopify.com/karaSquare - Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/karagoldin Check out our website to view this episode's show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/739

James Gunn dropped fresh hints on Man of Tomorrow, describing it as a story where Lex Luthor and Superman work together against a bigger threat. We break down what that setup implies, why Brainiac makes the most sense as the antagonist, and how a Lex-Supes alliance could play on screen. We also touch on Gunn calling Milly Alcock “the best casting I've ever done” for Supergirl, and explain how Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow frames her introduction for audiences who only know the TV version. Quick hits include brief mentions of Lanterns and Clayface.00:00 DCU headline and setup00:08 Man of Tomorrow premise00:20 Why Lex and Superman would team up00:36 The Brainiac case00:50 Supergirl casting notes and tone01:02 Quick hits: Lanterns and Clayface01:07 Sign off and speculationMan of Tomorrow positions Lex and Superman on the same side against a larger enemy.Brainiac fits that “bigger threat” brief and naturally tests both Superman's power and Lex's intellect.Milly Alcock's Supergirl will likely reflect the grit of Woman of Tomorrow, which starts with a rougher, more human Kara before growth kicks in.Gunn's comments set expectations for a DCU that leans into character dynamics as much as spectacle.“It's a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.”“Might be the best bit of casting I have ever done in my life.” — on Milly Alcock as Supergirl“In my opinion, it's Brainiac.”“That's the kind of combo you would need to fight Brainiac.”If you enjoyed this breakdown, subscribe on your favorite app, leave a review, and share the episode with the hashtag #GeekFreaksPod. Our news hub is GeekFreaksPodcast.com.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegeekfreakspodcastThreads: https://www.threads.net/@geekfreakspodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/geekfreakspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/geekfreakspodcast/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GeekFreakspodcastGot a theory on the villain or Supergirl's arc in the DCUSend your thoughts to info@GFPods.com or DM us on Instagram, and we might feature you in the next Headlines.Apple Podcasts Tags: Geek Freaks Headlines, James Gunn, Man of Tomorrow, Superman, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Supergirl, Milly Alcock, Tom King, Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow, DCU, Lanterns, ClayfaceTimestamps and TopicsKey TakeawaysMemorable QuotesCall to ActionFollow UsListener Questions

SupermanSuperman's Box Office Triumph & DCU UpdatesThe DC Universe is taking shape, and it all starts with Superman. The film has officially crossed $614 million worldwide, with $353M domestic (57.5%) and $260M international (42.5%). James Gunn has called the movie's success the “biggest relief of his life” because if it hadn't worked, the future of the entire DCU slate—from Supergirl to Lanterns—would have been in jeopardy.Superman Box Office UpdateDomestic box office: $353,302,360International box office: $260,800,000Worldwide total: $614,102,360This breakdown shows how crucial U.S. audiences remain for superhero films, even as international numbers grow.Variety and Deadline Report on Superman Profit MarginSuperman has an 8-week profit margin of about $125 million.It is the seventh-highest grossing film of the year.By comparison Man of Steel's profit margin was $42.7 million.We explain why domestic is still more profitable to studios than international.Gunn Relieved by Superman SuccessJames Gunn admitted that Superman's success was critical for DC Studios:“If Superman didn't work, I'm the head of DC Studios! What am I gonna do now? We have Supergirl, Peacemaker Season 2, Lanterns, Clayface—they're all connected to this!”PeacemakerSuperman's Visit to the Peacemaker SetA behind-the-scenes photo dated July 23, 2024 sparked speculation. David Corenswet appeared on the Peacemaker set in full Superman costume while James Gunn was splitting directing duties between Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. Fans believe this signals a direct connection between the two projects, with Superman potentially playing a meaningful role in Peacemaker Season 2. We disagree somewhat.How Would Fleury See Hawkgirl?Fans asked James Gunn online what Fleury might think of Hawkgirl. His playful response:“I think he'd wonder what's wrong with her head and wouldn't really know.”Yes the Grammar Fuck Up Was IntentionalJames Gunn confirmed that the infamous “Your the best” typo was intentional, sparking fan discussion. He also joked about Harcourt's “Thirstcourt” side in her texts, keeping his trademark banter alive.ClayfaceClayface – Gotham City Map Easter EggsA leaked Gotham City Transit Authority map revealed nods to Batman lore: Arkham Asylum, Ace Chemical, the Iceberg Lounge, Blackgate Penitentiary, Gotham Knights sporting complex, Wayne-owned buildings, Kane Estate, and Kane Memorial Bridge. Fans debated similarities to real-world Manhattan maps (like Hell's Kitchen).Man of Tomorrow – Superman Sequel AnnouncedJames Gunn confirmed Man of Tomorrow hits theaters July 9, 2027, almost exactly two years after Superman. Gunn clarified:It's not titled Superman 2, just Man of Tomorrow.The film will explore Superman and Lex Luthor's relationship, with Nicholas Hoult's Luthor donning the green-and-purple Warsuit.Speculation: Possible villains may be Bizarro, Brainiac, or Zod.Gunn emphasized his collaborative writing process and ongoing rewrites.People Responding to James GunnThe Man of Tomorrow announcement drew reactions from DC stars and creators:Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl): “See You Soooon”Aaron Pierre (John Stewart): “Yes, Indeed!”

James Gunn's Superman: Man of Tomorrow is starting to take shape, and we're breaking down what we DO and DON'T know about the highly anticipated DCU film. From the confirmed script and locked 2027 release date to the official lineup of Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor, we cover all the facts straight from Gunn. We also explore the major rumors, including Superman teaming up with Lex to take on Brainiac, the possible connection to Peacemaker Season 2, and theories about what the title “Man of Tomorrow” really means — whether it points to Conner Kent, Lois's pregnancy, or something bigger.Will Gunn deliver Brainiac on the big screen? And just how important is Lois Lane to this new Superman saga? Stick around, share your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and check out That Comic Podcast for more deep dives into comics, movies, and pop culture.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/that-comic-podcast--5896499/support.

Llegamos al año 2000 y Superman se tiene que enfrentar a nuevos retos y amenazas: su peor enemigo, un criminal convicto calvo, es inexplicablemente electo presidente de los Estados Unidos, mientras que del futuro viene Brainiac 13 y varias versiones de Zod se cruzan en su camino y tiene que enfrentarse a las maquinaciones de […]

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Perry Constantine (Superhero Cinephiles) conclude their look back at writer Geoff Johns's tenure on ACTION COMICS during the Post-Infinite Crisis era! In Part 2 of a special 2-part event, Anthony and Perry cover the storylines "Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes" and "Brainiac" — along with the SECRET ORIGIN miniseries — all drawn by Gary Frank. They also examine ACTION #865 (with art by Jesus Merino), a Toyman spotlight that retconned one of the villain's most notorious stories.Anthony and Perry discussed SUPERMAN: UNBOUND, the animated adaptation of "Brainiac," on Perry's podcast here.Digging for Kryptonite previously covered SECRET ORIGIN in a dedicated episode here. For coverage of the entire New Krypton Saga — which followed the Geoff Johns era — check out Part 1 and Part 2.Support the show and receive exclusive podcast content at Patreon.com/AnthonyDesiato, including the spinoff podcasts BEYOND METROPOLIS and DIGGING FOR JUSTICE!Visit BCW Supplies and use promo code FSP to save 10% on your next order of comics supplies. Get your DFK merch at the podcast's TeePublic storefront!FACEBOOK GROUP: Digging for Kryptonite: A Superman Fan GroupFACEBOOK PAGE: @diggingforkryptonitepodINSTAGRAM: @diggingforkryptonitepodTWITTER: @diggingforkrpodBLUESKY: @diggingforkrpod.bsky.socialEMAIL: flatsquirrelproductions@gmail.comWEBSITE: FlatSquirrelProductions.com Digging for Kryptonite is a Flat Squirrel Production. Theme music by Dan Pritchard. Key art by Isaiah Simmons. Mentioned in this episode:Fat Moose ComicsAw Yeah ComicsSingle Bound PodcastThis Podcast Will Never DieHang On To Your Shorts Film...

AMES GUNN REVEALS THE NEXT CHAPTER IN THE SUPERMAN SAGA!! With Superman continuing to captivate the world, James Gunn has announced his secret Superman-oriented followup film as he readies a Lex Luthor / Superman Teamup in MAN OF TOMORROW!! WE also get some updates on Mike Flanagan's Clayface including hints about the DCU's Gotham city. In other news, Tom Holland has been scouring the internet to honor fan wishes for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and we've got a TON of new trailers out!!! #ManOfTomorrow #JamesGunn #Superman #DCU #DC #Spiderman #Marvel #TomHolland #GothamCity #MovieNews #Movies #News #CoyJandreau Follow Coy Jandreau:  Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coyjandreau?l... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coyjandreau/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CoyJandreau YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYH2szDTuU9ImFZ9gBRH8w Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The focal point of our discourse today is the examination of the most intellectually formidable characters within the DC Comics universe, as we endeavor to construct a tier list that categorizes these extraordinary minds. We will delve into the unparalleled intellect of figures such as Lex Luthor, Mr. Terrific, and Brainiac, who epitomize the zenith of genius-level characters. Moreover, we shall juxtapose these luminaries against the backdrop of the Marvel Zombies and engage in a critical analysis of the recent trailer released on Disney Plus. Throughout this episode, we will not only react to the aforementioned trailer but also explore the implications of genius-level characters in the context of their respective narratives. Join us as we navigate the intricate landscapes of comic lore and cinematic adaptations, culminating in a robust discussion that promises to enlighten and engage.Who's the smartest in comics?

James Gunn's Superman sequel is official. The team shared images that spotlight Lex Luthor in his classic power suit and confirmed the title Man of Tomorrow, targeting a July 9, 2027 theatrical release. We also touch on the wider DCU momentum, from a new Batman script in circulation to Clayface filming and Peacemaker delivering strong episodes. Plus a quick wishlist for cameos and a Brainiac tease for down the road. 00:00 Man of Tomorrow confirmed, title and date00:12 First look notes on Lex's power suit and the bolder comic-accurate vibe00:17 DCU heat check: Batman script, Clayface filming, Peacemaker's run00:36 What we want next: Brainiac tease and other potential appearances00:50 Wrap and listener promptMan of Tomorrow is the official title of the Superman sequel with a July 9, 2027 release target.Lex Luthor's suit is being framed as big, bright, and unapologetically comic accurate.Broader DCU projects are active, including a circulating Batman script, Clayface filming, and Peacemaker's current season.Brainiac is high on the wishlist for a future tease or storyline connection.Expect more details as production updates land on social soon.“Superman two was just announced.”“It looks like we're leaning in on Lex and his power suit.”“Make it overly large, bright green and purple. Give me that suit.”“Who else do you want popping up in the new Superman movie? I hope we get a little teaser for Brainiac.”If you enjoyed this breakdown, follow and subscribe to Geek Freaks Headlines, leave a quick review, and share the episode with a friend using #GeekFreaksPod. Your support helps more fans find the show.GeekFreaksPodcast.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/geekfreakspodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/geekfreakspodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegeekfreakspodcastThreads: https://www.threads.net/@geekfreakspodcastPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/GeekFreakspodcastWhat villain or ally do you want to see in Man of Tomorrow, and why? Send your thoughts and theories for a chance to be featured in a future episode.Geek Freaks Headlines, Superman, Man of Tomorrow, Lex Luthor, Power Suit, James Gunn, DCU, Batman, Clayface, Peacemaker, Brainiac, Geek News, Superhero Movies, PodcastTimestamps & TopicsKey TakeawaysMemorable QuotesCall To ActionOur News SourceFollow UsListener QuestionsApple Podcast Tags

Host Anthony Desiato and guest Perry Constantine (Superhero Cinephiles) dig into acclaimed writer Geoff Johns's tenure on ACTION COMICS during the Post-Infinite Crisis era!In Part 1 of a special 2-part event, Anthony and Perry cover the storylines "Up, Up and Away" (with co-writer Kurt Busiek & artist Pete Woods), "Last Son" (with co-writer Richard Donner & artist Adam Kubert), and "Escape from Bizarro World" (with Donner & artist Eric Powell). Don't miss Part 2 next week on Johns's stories with artist Gary Frank, including "Brainiac" and beyond!Support the show and receive exclusive podcast content at Patreon.com/AnthonyDesiato, including the spinoff podcasts BEYOND METROPOLIS and DIGGING FOR JUSTICE!Visit BCW Supplies and use promo code FSP to save 10% on your next order of comics supplies. Get your DFK merch at the podcast's TeePublic storefront!FACEBOOK GROUP: Digging for Kryptonite: A Superman Fan GroupFACEBOOK PAGE: @diggingforkryptonitepodINSTAGRAM: @diggingforkryptonitepodTWITTER: @diggingforkrpodBLUESKY: @diggingforkrpod.bsky.socialEMAIL: flatsquirrelproductions@gmail.comWEBSITE: FlatSquirrelProductions.com Digging for Kryptonite is a Flat Squirrel Production. Theme music by Dan Pritchard. Key art by Isaiah Simmons. Mentioned in this episode:This Podcast Will Never DieAlways Hold On To SmallvilleCaline: A Vlada Tale of the DamnedSingle Bound PodcastHang On To Your Shorts Film FestivalAw Yeah ComicsFat Moose Comics

NFL Week 1 is HERE and the Brainiacs are breaking it all down. From blockbuster trades to shocking roster moves, new uniforms, and game previews — this episode has it all.What we cover in this episode:Cowboys trade Micah Parsons to the Packers in a stunner

In this special crossover episode of Men of Steel, we kick off a two-part team-up with the Long Live the Legion podcast! We're diving into “Foundations,” the early 2000s arc from The Legion—with special guests Jim and Jay from LLtL and the artist of the arc himself, Chris Batista! Together, we explore Superman's legacy in the 31st century, the evolving identity of the Legion, and what it was like illustrating this future-forward storyline. Part 2 continues on Long Live the Legion—don't miss it! Overview Case Aiken introduces crossover episode, featuring Jmike Folson, Jim Fetters, Jay McKiernan, and Chris Batista discussing the Legion of Superheroes 'Foundations' arc, celebrating its 45th anniversary. The plot centers on Darkseid snatching people from time to harness dark matter, with the Legion uncovering Superboy during the investigation. DNA (Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning) established as the core writing team; their earlier success with Marvel's cosmic stories enhances credibility. Chris Batista expresses concern over technology portrayal, advocating for a more advanced depiction of the Legion compared to Justice League. The Legion World headquarters is praised for its futuristic elements like replicated home worlds and teleportation gates. Despite rising sales and positive fan response, the series faced cancellation, causing frustration as issue 25 became the second-best selling of the series with a 25% readership increase. Character designs for the Servants of Darkness were mostly created by Chris Batista, with a conscious effort to maintain Kirby's aesthetic. Superboy's dual role as both Legion member and connection to Titans was anticipated, reflecting long-time fan expectations for character involvement. Kid Quantum is recognized as the first female leader of color in the Legion, showcasing character dynamics and development alongside Cosmic Boy. The evolution of Superboy's design aimed to match Teen Titans appearances, highlighting editorial influence on character aesthetics.   Notes ️ Podcast Introduction and Setup (00:00 - 02:09) Case Aiken introduces the Men of Steel podcast crossover episode with Long Live the Legion podcast, featuring co-host Jmike Folson and guests Jim Fetters, Jay McKiernan, and artist Chris Batista. Discussion focuses on Legion of Superheroes 'Foundations' arc, specifically issue 25 which serves as both story continuation and 45th anniversary celebration. Chris Batista reveals behind-the-scenes details about working as lead artist on the arc, noting DC doesn't produce this Legion continuity anymore so he can speak freely. Story Overview and Context (02:09 - 09:54) Jmike Folson summarizes the Foundations plot: people being snatched from time by Darkseid to steal dark matter for restarting Apokolips, with Legion discovering Superboy during investigation of warp phantoms. DNA (Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning) established as the writing team, with connections drawn to their later successful Marvel cosmic work including Guardians of the Galaxy. Legion Lost miniseries and Legion Worlds established crucial backstory, with 25 issues of world-building leading to this commemorative arc. ️ Technology and World-Building Discussion (09:54 - 16:05) Chris Batista expresses frustration with Paul Levitz rejecting advanced technology concepts for Legion, arguing they should appear far more advanced than Justice League. Legion World headquarters praised as major advancement - a planet with replicated home worlds and teleportation gates, making Legion feel appropriately futuristic. Discussion of how DNA run embraced technological advancement while previous runs kept Legion at similar tech level to 20th century heroes. Character Design and Development (01:01:03 - 01:24:10) Chris reveals Servants of Darkness designs were largely his creation except for Orion, with specific mentions of including Firestorm, White Martian, Lobo, Green Lantern, and Big Barda. Orion design intentionally modeled after Destroyer from Thor, maintaining Kirby aesthetic while creating intimidating servant appearance. Invisible Kid and Brainiac 5 romantic moment revealed as editor Steve Wacker's spontaneous addition 'just to mess with fans' - became lasting fan discussion point. Publishing History and Cancellation (01:24:16 - 01:59:06) Series cancellation explained as sudden higher-up decision despite rising sales and positive fan response to Superboy addition. Issue 25 was second-best selling of entire series with 25% increase in readership, making cancellation timing particularly frustrating. Original plans included Superboy remaining in both Legion and Titans simultaneously, with extensive story arcs planned for Element Lad return and Lightning Lad separation. Artist Collaboration and Creative Process (20:40 - 01:19:06) Chris describes working relationship with DNA as collaborative, with writers trusting him to design new characters like Legion cadets and including Easter eggs like Kent Shakespeare and Polar Boy. Multiple pencillers used for issue 25 to handle commemorative scope, with each artist assigned specific character groups to avoid overlap. Coloring technology evolution discussed, with modern computer coloring providing more tools but potentially reducing creative necessity of older 64-color process limitations. ⏳ Superman Connection and Time Travel Elements (34:02 - 01:54:06) Clark Kent and 90s Superboy both featured as characters pulled from time, with Clark becoming servant of darkness while Superboy joins Legion. Superboy wears classic costume with Legion belt buckle addition, fulfilling long-time fan expectations while serving story purposes. Time dilation plot involves universe getting smaller and past being erased, though hosts acknowledge the temporal mechanics don't fully make sense. Character Relationships and Dynamics (46:03 - 01:30:24) Mech (Lightning Lord) rehabilitation storyline discussed as more complex than typical villain treatment, showing struggle between evil nature and love for siblings. Kid Quantum established as Legion's first female leader of color, with organic romantic relationship with Cosmic Boy developing throughout arc. Livewire/Element Lad fusion creates extremely powerful character combining lightning abilities with matter transmutation in crystalline body. Technical and Production Details (01:36:23 - 01:51:38) Secret Files issue placement in continuity questioned due to timeline inconsistencies with main story events. Chris notes Superboy's physical design evolution throughout arc as editorial mandated size increases to match Teen Titans appearance. Force field technology and advanced Legion equipment discussed as properly futuristic elements that should distinguish team from contemporary heroes.

In this week's episode of Going Back to Smallville, Clark wakes up in a world where he never became Superman — and everything is wrong. Chloe's engaged, Lex is President, and no one even remembers Lana Lang. As Clark searches for answers, he's pulled into a race against time, a nuclear war, and a familiar face with a dangerous agenda: Brainiac. From alternate timelines to the exploding skies of Krypton, this is one of Smallville's boldest episodes ever — and Clark's biggest challenge yet.GET YOUR 30 DAY FREE TRIAL OF AMAZON PRIME HERE

Send us a textWe (Trav, Steve, and Jake) celebrate 10 years of being a podcast. And they said it couldn't be done!PolykillersMYT and Brainiac!Games this episodeSword of the Sea (PlayStation 5, PC) – August 19Herdling (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PC) – August 21Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 28Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – August 29Gears of War: Reloaded (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC) – August 26Merge MaestroSplit FictionDragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed KingNBA 3 on 3 Featuring Kobe BryantCipher ZeroKirby: Planet RobobotAces of the Luftwaffe: SquadronsMetroid Prime 2Metal Slug TacticsClair Obscur: Expedition 33Find more shows at polymedianetwork.com, BlueSky: Trav, Steve, Polykill, Polymedia twitch.tv/blinkoom, Send us an email polykillpodcast@gmail.com, Check out our patreon at Patreon.com/polykill How to be a Polykiller: Beat a game, take a screenshot, post it on BlueSky or Polymedia Discord, use #justbeatit, write a review and be sure to include @Polykill. Beat the most, become Polykiller. Beat any, have your Skeet potentially read on the show! Check out the Bonus Beats episodes on Patreon for more beat-skeet coverage!

Mark Brooks stops by to talk about his fatherhood journey. He talks about about values he is looking to instill into his kids. After that Mark shares the life lessons he learned from his kids. Next we talk about the inspiration that he and his co-founder Jonathan Wolfson had to create Brainiac Foods. After that we talk about the benefits that people can gain from eating their products. In addition, Mark even shares some tips on creating a healthier lifestyle. Lastly, we finish the interview with the Fatherhood Quick Five.  About Brainiac Foods  Brainiac is the first and only line of snacks to contain the BrainPack, a blend of Omega-3s and choline. The company was started as part of their pursuit to provide the healthiest and smartest food for their our own kids. Brainiac Snacks offers foods kids love that parents can feel good about. They can be found at retailers like Walmart, Target and regional grocers nationwide. To learn more about their products and discover where you can purchase them, check out their website over at brainiacfoods.com.  About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast  The Art of Fatherhood Podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with fantastic dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. You get a unique perspective on fatherhood from guests like Bob Odenkirk, Hank Azaria, Joe Montana, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Jerry Rice, Jeff Foxworthy, Patrick Warburton, Jeff Kinney, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kyle Busch, Dennis Quaid, Dwight Freeney and many more.

Our top news stories: James Gunn has revealed that Superman and Lex Luthor will be forced to team up against a massive threat in the upcoming "Man of Tomorrow" movie, James Gunn's "Superman" will stream on HBO Max this week, and there's a new "Superman: Space Age" Fine Art Print now available for pre-order. Superman news for the period September 10-16, 2025. Brought to you by SupermanHomepage.com. Hosted by Steve Younis. Visit our website: https://www.SupermanHomepage.com/ Visit our online store: https://www.SupermanHomepage.com/shop Featured Products and Links: "Superman" 2025 Movie Merchandise - https://amzn.to/3AdxENy "Superman" Movie Home Video Release - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/watch-superman-at-home-this-friday-with-packed-special-features/ Superman: Space Age Fine Art Print by artist Dave Johnson - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/pre-order-your-superman-space-age-fine-art-print-by-artist-dave-johnson/ "Superman" 2025 Stickers and Decals - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/superman-2025-stickers-and-decals/ This week's Superman comic books - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/superman-comic-books-available-this-week-september-17-2025/ Latest Comic Book Reviews - https://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/2025-comic-reviews/c-review-2025.php

Andy and Jamie discuss some DC news like Superman's box office, The Batman: Part II rumors, and more. They then review two animated Superman/Batman crossovers from Superman: The Animated Series, "Knight Time" and "The Demon Reborn". Find more Holy BatCast on the internet: Web | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Patreon   Rate, review, & subscribe to Holy BatCast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn   Your feedback is appreciated. Send emails to holybatcast@rf4rm.com

Send us a textTrav finally knocks a big one off the backlog and Steve takes on the new Donkey Kong. Is it good? Top 5 games that start with the letter "M".Brainiac is sipping tea in the PK winners circle AGAIN!Games this episodeWheel World (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – July 23Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) – July 31Norn9: Var Commons2XtremeTony Hawk's Pro SkaterAsura's WrathCastlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate (3DS)The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (Switch)Wild Arms 3 (PS2)Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2)Mario Kart World (Switch 2)Dragon Quest VIII428: Shibuya ScrambleCursed Mountain (Wii)Find more shows at polymedianetwork.com, BlueSky: Trav, Steve, Polykill, Polymedia twitch.tv/blinkoom, Send us an email polykillpodcast@gmail.com, Check out our patreon at Patreon.com/polykill How to be a Polykiller: Beat a game, take a screenshot, post it on BlueSky or Polymedia Discord, use #justbeatit, write a review and be sure to include @Polykill. Beat the most, become Polykiller. Beat any, have your Skeet potentially read on the show! Check out the Bonus Beats episodes on Patreon for more beat-skeet coverage!

Today we hear about an incident Susie had at the gym with a man claiming a machine she was using, and she wonders if other women have experienced something similar. We find out why young people are increasingly believing in love at first sight. And Susie explains why therapy culture might be leading to childlessness. Tons of great mental health content in this episode!Jump straight to the action you're looking for:5:00 Susie's new worst enemy at the gym.11:00 Plane crash with only one survivor! How is this possible?!12:14 Sarah explains the plot of Final Destination.13:56 Survivor Guilt, Mental Health, Sarah's EMDR Passion.15:41 What allowed plan crash survivor to cheat death?16:51 Do You Believe In Love at First Sight?17:50 Sarah & Susie's love fest, touching, emotional cry fest.20:57 Study shows a surprisingly high increase in people's belief in love at first sight21:59 What could have caused a 30% increase in people's belief in love at first sight? What happened?24:57 British Lesbian dating reality show, "I Kissed A Girl"27:34 What to consider, what is love? and what is first sight?28:22 Mutual Positive Projection, Twin flames, and society's hope for love.34:36 Could it be that our shifting and often skewed societal expectation of love is what causes this statistical change?35:40 Improve your financial understanding, management and organization with Susie's favorite app. Rocket Money.39:37 The connection between childlessness and therapy culture. New York Times article discussion.43:47 Emotional regulation is what therapy tries to teach you. Looking at the lives of monks is a great example.46:18 Pain times resistance equals suffering.47:33 Going no contact with parents.54:29 Therapy content creators are influencing what society considers as being actual "trauma".55:56 How to live life through our deep down wise mind?Thank you Brainiacs!If you're looking for a good therapist and live in CA, you can reach out to Sarah here: https://www.solutionsoc.com/sarah-riceListen to more podcasts like this: https://wavepodcastnetwork.comConnect with us on social media:BCP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braincandypodcastSusie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemeisterSarah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imsarahriceBCP on X: https://www.x.com/braincandypodSponsors:Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go https://rocketmoney.com/braincandy today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah went to Vail Pride and is getting very emotional about her LGBTQ journey, the self-doubt she's grappled with, and her goal of self-acceptance. We explore why we're often hardest on ourselves and more accepting of others. Sarah talks about a study on rule followers, and we speculate about why people follow rules even when no one would know if they broke it. We discuss why procrastination can be about avoiding feelings that make us uncomfortable rather than the task itself. Sarah's plant stealing lifestyle continues, and she is having guilt about some *leaves* she picked up off the ground. We debate whether private companies should be allowed to "own" celestial bodies.Our Favorite Bits19:26 - Recent study finds that people might be more honest than we thought30:33 - "Someone's having a good time". Sarah's weird interaction at Pride.34:57 - Sarah's story update on the plants41:54 - The moon might be worth TRILLIONS!!!42:35 - EDITOR's PICK - Literally, a lightning clip.46:06 - Moon treasure continued48:16 - Funny discussion about men and the inventions that killed them52:29 - Back to the moon thing again. What the heck are we supposed to do?!01:01:29 - Researchers in China developed a retinal prosthesis to help restore visionThank you for being a Brainiac! Listen to more podcasts like this: https://wavepodcastnetwork.comConnect with us on social media:BCP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braincandypodcastSusie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susiemeisterSarah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imsarahriceBCP on X: https://www.x.com/braincandypodSponsors:Get $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to https://nutrafol.com and enter the promo code BRAINCANDYThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off their first month at https://betterhelp.com/braincandyFor an extra 25% off your order and a special gift, head to https://pacagen.com/braincandySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.