Podcasts about Cupid

Introduction: Introduction: Three Advantages of Being Single: (1 Corinthians 7:25-40) You're Saved from CERTAIN TROUBLES. (1 Cor 7:26-28) You're Saved from DISTRACTION. (1 Cor 7:29-38) Matthew 22:30 – For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Colossians 3:2 – Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. You're Saved from OBLIGATION. (1 Cor 7:39-40) Matthew 19:10 – The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! AUDIO TRANSCRIPT 00:37-00:41Open up those Bibles to 1 Corinthians and chapter 7.00:44-00:49And while we do, I'm just going to ask that you would just pause with me here.00:49-00:58You pray for me, that I will communicate God's word as I should, clearly and accurately and straightforwardly.00:58-01:03I will pray for you, that your heart would be open to receive what God wants to teach us today.01:03-01:06All right, so let's just take a moment and pray.01:10-01:19Father, be glorified through the proclamation of Your Word, through receiving Your Word and being doers of Your Word.01:20-01:23Be glorified in all things, we pray in Jesus' name.01:24-01:41And all of God's people said, "Amen." Several years ago, a friend of mine told me about this single friend that he has who was sitting home one day and got a phone call.01:42-02:10The phone rang, he picked it up, and he's like, "Hello?" And the voice on the other end said, "Hi, would you be interested in meeting a lot of exciting available singles in your area?" And the man said, "I got enough problems." It's funny, but that's really the heart of this passage that we're looking at today.02:14-02:23See, in 1 Corinthians 7, we've seen that marriage is a gift, and God has given married people a wedding present that they are to use appropriately.02:25-02:29And we've seen that for some people, being single is a gift.02:32-02:37But each one brings their own set of issues.02:38-02:47And the Corinthians were writing to Paul, asking for counsel, and Paul was writing this letter back to them, giving them counsel.02:48-02:50Look at verse 25.02:52-03:15Paul says, "Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy." You see, he says, "Now concerning." We saw that again back in chapter 7 verse 1.03:15-03:20It seems that Paul was going through a list of things that they brought up.03:20-03:21He goes, "Okay, let me tell you about this.03:22-03:32Okay, now let me tell you about this issue you brought up." It's kind of a Q&A format, and he says the next subject here is the betrothed.03:32-03:35Some translations say virgins.03:35-03:38He's talking to the singles.03:41-03:42All the single ladies.03:44-04:08that song? Get your hand up. I studied that dance this week and I was going to do it for you, but I looked at myself in the mirror and I do not dance like Beyonce. So maybe Maybe some other time.04:12-04:17But last week we saw Pastor Taylor talked about commitment.04:17-04:19That was in the previous passage, commitment.04:20-04:22Trust God where He has you, right?04:22-04:24Bloom where you are planted.04:27-04:30And I was thinking about that through the context of the whole passage.04:31-05:08Paul's talking about marriage and sexuality and singles issues, and then he talks about contentment, and then in this passage he's addressing the singles. Like why that flow? Why did he insert contentment right in the middle of that? And I think it's because there are certain aspects of being single that make it hard to be content. And here's what I mean by that. I think especially in the church there difficulties in being single.05:09-05:13Because I mean, think about it, in church, marriage is exalted.05:15-05:19In church, you see many godly marriages.05:20-05:28You sit and you watch infant dedications, and I think for singles there's a real sense of FOMO, right?05:30-05:35So this passage we're looking at today, mostly, is for the single people.05:37-05:53And if you're tempted to be like, "Oh, this ain't for me, I'm tuning out." I would say, "You are forbidden to tune out of this message." We expect our single people to sit through series on marriage, series on parenting.05:54-06:00We're like, "You need to listen to this, you need to listen to this, you know married people, so you should listen to this." You know single people, all right?06:01-06:05And maybe the Lord will open a door for you to be able to encourage them with some things in here.06:05-06:06All right?06:07-06:09So if I see you tuning out, I'm gonna throw a Bible at you.06:12-06:12All right?06:12-06:18So Paul says here, don't worry, it'll be a soft cover, not like a MacArthur study Bible or anything.06:19-06:28But Paul says here, I have no command for the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.06:28-06:29We talked about this before.06:30-06:38All Paul is saying here is the Lord, Jesus Christ, did not specifically address these singles issues during His earthly ministry.06:38-06:41It wasn't...being single is not a moral issue.06:42-06:45Jesus didn't really go into depth in addressing this.06:46-06:46Right?06:48-07:03He says, "I don't have a quote for you from Jesus." When it comes to divorce, Paul said, "I got quotes for you from Jesus about divorce." Jesus was crystal on that, but I don't have a quote from Jesus really about these aspects of being single.07:03-07:08But Paul's like, "Hey, you can trust me." Right?07:09-07:24And he goes on in this passage to say, "It's good to be single." Actually, he says it's in many ways better to be single.07:24-07:27It's wiser to be single.07:29-07:37Right now the singles among us might have heard that last statement and thought, "What's so great about being single?07:39-07:40What's so great about it?07:42-07:44What is it, the loneliness?07:46-07:47Is that what's so great about it?07:49-07:54Is it the stigma that people put on you, like, "Oh, you're single.07:54-07:58What's wrong with you?" Is that the great part of being single, Pastor Jeff?08:00-08:05Is it going to the soda shop, Pastor Jeff, and eating the wet walnut sundae by yourself?08:12-08:14Is it all the people that try to play Cupid?08:15-08:16Is that the great part?08:17-08:21You know, I got this co-worker, it'd be great for you.08:22-08:24Both of his teeth are really clean," and whatever.08:28-08:30I can't wait to meet him.08:32-08:33Is that the great part, Pastor Jeff?08:34-08:35Is it the FOMO, Pastor Jeff?08:36-08:36Is it?08:36-08:38What's the great part, Pastor Jeff?08:39-08:40What's the great part?08:41-08:46Well, this is what the Lord said, okay?08:46-08:49This isn't Jeff's opinion, this is God's opinion.08:49-08:52So on your outline, I want you to jot some things down.08:53-08:55Here's three advantages of being single.08:55-08:57All right, three advantages of being single.09:01-09:03Oh, right, sorry.09:10-09:11I beg your pardon.09:12-09:13I have a disclaimer.09:17-09:20I have been happily married since 2002.09:27-09:32Despite what Paul says about singleness, I am very thankful for my beautiful, talented, and intelligent wife.09:33-09:35I acknowledge that I married up.09:36-09:40Her presence daily enhances my life in every way.09:41-09:46And then it says at the bottom, you better read this and sound convincing, love Aaron.09:47-09:48(congregation laughing)09:57-09:58I am thankful to be married.10:01-10:05That was what God had for me, but God might not have that for you.10:06-10:07All right, he gives different gifts to different people.10:08-10:11So if you're single, here's three advantages of being single.10:11-10:15Number one, write this down, you're saved from certain troubles.10:16-10:19You're saved from certain troubles.10:22-10:25And here's the point, I'm gonna give you the heads up and we're gonna see it in the text.10:25-10:34What Paul's saying here is there are troubles married people have that single people do not have, okay?10:34-10:36That's why the word certain is in there.10:37-10:40Not, save from all troubles, everybody's got troubles, okay?10:40-10:41Everybody's got troubles.10:41-10:47But there are certain troubles that married people have that single people have the luxury of not having, all right?10:48-10:53And he gives them in two categories, and the first one is present distress.10:53-10:57You can write that down on your outline underneath number one, distress.10:57-10:58Look at verse 26.11:00-11:13Paul says, "I think that in view of the present distress, It is good for a person to remain as he is, obviously, or as she is.11:14-11:15Okay, what's the distress?11:15-11:16What's the distress?11:16-11:21Well, some translations translate that violence.11:22-11:23Violence.11:24-11:28It's just simply hardships of living in a violent world.11:29-11:37And Paul's like, "Hey, hey, the world's a violent place, so it's probably better, single that you're not married for that reason.11:38-11:49See for the Corinthians, about 15 years after they would have received this letter, they endured horrible persecution that lasted for 200 years.11:51-11:52And I think Paul knew that.11:53-11:55Like, the world's a violent place.11:58-12:00But see, this principle isn't just for them.12:01-12:05I mean, isn't the world a violent and evil place today?12:06-12:08I mean, do I really have to sell you on that?12:09-12:14I mean, look at all the school shootings and sex trafficking, all the wars.12:15-12:20I wrote this before the events of yesterday, the events of yesterday happened.12:21-12:21The wars.12:23-12:33The war for your kids, all the gay and transgender stuff pushed in schools, the persecution for simply believing the Bible, Charlie Kirk, remember him?12:36-12:44So I would ask you, church, when Paul talks about violence to the Corinthians in our day, are we getting better or are we getting worse?12:45-12:46Which is it?12:48-12:54Can you really turn on the news and be like, oh yeah, there was violence back in that day, but I think things are pretty safe now, right?12:54-12:55Could you say that?12:56-12:57Of course not.12:59-13:01And I was thinking about this a lot this past week.13:02-13:05What era of human history was perfectly safe?13:06-13:07To have a wife and kids.13:08-13:09Is there any?13:09-13:27Can you point to an era and be like, "Yeah, this was the sweet spot right here in human history that it was…everything was safe." You see, such violence has extra implications if you have a spouse.13:28-13:32If you have a spouse, many times you also eventually have children.13:35-13:38Such violence has implications for spouse and kids, right?13:39-13:43What I mean is, look, I'm not afraid of being attacked personally.13:43-13:43I'm not.13:44-13:44Like, whatever.13:46-13:52I mean, somebody doesn't like the sermon and they slip past security and come up and shoot me or whatever.13:52-13:53Okay, whatever.13:53-13:54See you in heaven.13:56-14:03But I've got a wife and kids, and the thought of them being in danger is terrifying to me.14:04-14:08To think that they're in danger and I can't protect them and I can't be there.14:11-14:12That's what Paul's talking about here.14:13-14:20You see, if I suffer, whatever, but if they suffer, that is way more painful than any suffering that I can endure.14:22-14:30That's why Paul says there in verse 26, he says, "Remain as he is." That's better.14:30-14:32"Remain as he is." He clarifies that though.14:32-14:33Look, he clarifies.14:33-14:34Look at verse 27.14:36-14:39He says, "Are you bound to a wife?14:40-14:41Do not seek to be free.14:41-14:42Are you free from a wife?14:44-14:50Do not seek a wife." He says, "Married, stay married.14:50-14:51Single stay single.14:52-14:53Did you get a divorce?14:53-14:55Stay as you are.14:58-15:06He's saying singles might be wise to pump the brakes on getting married in view of just how violent the world is.15:08-15:08You see that?15:09-15:11There's a second category of trouble.15:11-15:12We saw the presence of stress.15:13-15:14The next one is that worldly troubles.15:15-15:16Look at verse 28.15:16-15:17This is a little different though.15:18-15:26Verse 28, he says, "But if you do marry, you have not sinned.15:27-15:31And if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned.15:32-15:39Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that." Stop there.15:40-15:41There's worldly troubles.15:42-15:53I mean, he says, "A marriage isn't sin, obviously." He goes, "But it brings trouble." There's conflict within marriage, right?15:54-16:00He already addressed there's conflict that comes from outside, but there's also conflict that comes from the inside.16:01-16:07What I mean is, you know, I have to deal with my own sin issues.16:08-16:09I am incredibly selfish.16:15-16:21I can be incredibly prideful, and I can be horribly irritable.16:25-16:27I got those issues going on.16:28-16:36Now, I get married and I got to deal with my wife's sin issues.16:36-16:38I mean, not my wife.16:38-16:43I mean, but you see the point.16:45-16:47You got your sin issues, whoever you marry is going to have sin issues.16:48-16:52The potential for misery in marriage is worse than for singles.16:53-16:58Like yeah, singles are going to deal with their own sin, married people, the amount of sin just doubled in the home.17:03-17:07people get married thinking it's going to fix everything, right?17:08-17:22People get married thinking, you know, "I have these physical urges, and if I just get married, all those urges are going to be fixed." It's not always true, right?17:23-17:25Or people are like, "I'm incredibly lonely.17:26-17:32I'm just so lonely, and if I get married, I won't be lonely." That's not always true either.17:37-17:40Sometimes these things just get worse, right?17:41-17:48Desire for intimacy gets worse when you have a spouse you want to be with but is unresponsive.17:50-17:53Loneliness gets worse when you live with someone who resents you.17:57-18:02So if you're single and you're on the fence, "Should I get married?18:03-18:05Maybe I'll wait till the end of the sermon to decide.18:05-18:11What should I do?" If you're single, "Oh, I wish I had a string.18:11-18:43My previous church, I had a string of marriage counseling sessions I was going through, and I so wish, single people, that I could take you into these marriage counseling sessions and have you sit in the corner and just watch." That would make up your mind for you because you would walk out of there going, "I am so thankful that I don't got to deal with that." Potential for misery in marriage is worse than the potential for misery in singles.18:43-18:44That's what Paul's saying.18:46-18:53I mean even if conflict isn't the big issue, I mean there's plenty of other worldly troubles, right?18:56-18:58like sickness, for example.19:00-19:04I mean, I remember back when I was single, and that was a difficult season in my life.19:06-19:08But do you know what's harder than being single?19:10-19:12You know what's harder is watching a sick wife suffer.19:13-19:13That's harder.19:14-19:20You know what's harder than being single is watching a sick child that you've prayed for for decades not get better.19:21-19:22That's harder than being single.19:24-19:26Now this is Paul's whole point here.19:26-19:27Look, life is hard.19:27-19:28Life is hard for everyone.19:29-19:31I mean, the Bible is crystal on that.19:31-19:38Life is hard for everyone, but getting married invites other elements of trouble.19:40-19:42The world is violent, my wife is violent.19:42-19:45Single people are saved from that.19:47-19:49I guess that's number one.19:49-19:53Number two, three advantages of being single, you're safe from certain troubles.19:53-19:55Number two, you're safe from distraction.19:57-19:58You're safe from distraction.20:01-20:07Marriage brings distraction, and he gives two ways that it does.20:07-20:15First of all, you lose your perspective on priorities, and second of all, you get distracted by the duty of taking care of a family, right?20:15-20:16So let's talk about these.20:17-20:17Let's break them down.20:19-20:21One distraction, losing perspective on priorities.20:21-20:25Look at verse 29, he says, "This is what I mean, brothers.20:27-20:29The appointed time has grown very short.20:30-20:41From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none." You've got to read it in its context.20:42-20:47If you pull that verse out of its context, you're thinking it says something way different than it does, okay?20:48-20:50So you've got to listen to the rest of us.20:50-21:00He is not saying…He is not saying…everybody say, "Not saying." He is not saying, "Detach from your wife." He's not saying that at all.21:00-21:02The context makes it clear what He is saying.21:02-21:20Look, verse 30, He goes, "And those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it.21:21-21:28For the present form of this world is passing away." See, what's he saying?21:28-21:29Look at the context.21:30-21:37Mourning, rejoicing, stuff, doing business, that's all earth stuff.21:39-21:39Right?21:39-21:43That is all stuff for here and now.21:45-21:57Paul's saying, "Don't live as if this is all there is." You realize so many people live as if they are going to be here forever, and you're not.21:58-21:59None of us are.22:03-22:05That's what Paul's talking about here.22:05-22:09You're mourning, you're going through a hard time, it's temporary.22:10-22:12You're not going to be mourning in heaven over that.22:12-22:14Oh, and you're rejoicing, you had the greatest day of your life?22:14-22:17Okay, that's not going to mean anything in heaven.22:18-22:18Right?22:19-22:20Oh, you're worried about your stuff?22:20-22:21He ain't taking it with you.22:22-22:24Earthly dealings, you're not going to be doing that in heaven.22:26-22:27It's all earth stuff.22:30-22:43And then he says, "Life as we know it on earth, it's all passing away, including marriage." I mean, all of these things in his list, he's saying these things all look different in light of eternity.22:44-22:48And don't let these things distract you from the big picture.22:49-22:50Do you know what the big picture is?22:52-22:59The big picture is you were created by God to spend a certain amount of time on this earth.23:04-23:09But you were born with a sinful nature we inherited from the first man.23:12-23:15You were born with a nature to rebel against your Creator.23:17-23:20Not to do what He wants you to do, but to do whatever you want to do.23:20-23:23You're selfish too, just like me.23:25-23:28And someday you're going to stand before that God who created you.23:29-23:32That God that you've rebelled against, someday you're going to stand before Him.23:33-23:37He just sang about what kind of God He is.23:37-23:38Holy forever.23:39-23:46You rebellious sinner are going to stand before the holy God that you rebelled against.23:49-23:58You deserve the worst that He could give you, which is hell, eternal separation from Him.23:59-24:07But because He loves you so much, He sent His Son to die on the cross on your behalf, to take your sin penalty on Himself.24:08-24:16When Jesus was on the cross, God was pouring out His wrath on Jesus, the wrath that I deserve and the wrath that you deserve.24:17-24:21Then Jesus rose from the dead so that we too can have the promise of eternal life.24:22-24:23That is the big picture.24:25-24:28So whether you buy or sell, you had a great day, a horrible day.24:28-24:34you get married or not, you're going to stand before a God who is going to judge you.24:35-24:38But if you are in Christ, there is no condemnation.24:39-24:40You are not guilty.24:40-24:41You are forgiven.24:43-24:44No sin will ever be held against you.24:44-24:45That is the big picture.24:45-24:55And Paul is saying, "Do not let the stuff of the earth, including marriage, distract you from that." He's just simply putting things into perspective.24:58-24:58Right?24:59-25:02Even marriage is not eternal.25:02-25:05Jesus said this in Matthew 22.25:06-25:18He says, "For in the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." Marriage is a "for now on earth" thing.25:20-25:20Right?25:20-25:21not for heaven.25:23-25:24We have it for now on earth.25:25-25:25Why?25:25-25:27For partnership, right?25:28-25:31For pleasure, for procreation.25:34-25:39All the purposes that marriage fulfill, those purposes aren't going to exist in heaven.25:40-25:44We're not going to need them fulfilled the way that they're fulfilled on earth.25:46-25:52I was thinking about this this week and I thought back to my days in elementary school.25:55-26:05I remember there were kids that would go skiing over the weekend and then they'd come to school on Monday.26:06-26:07Some of you remember this?26:07-26:09They'd come to school on Monday with their winter jacket on.26:09-26:11Remember what they still had hanging on their winter jacket?26:13-26:15Your lift pass, remember that?26:15-26:16They'd walk in.26:21-26:22(groans)26:27-26:29What'd you do over the weekend, Joey?26:33-26:35It was such a badge of honor.26:37-26:38You're like, why are you making fun of him?26:38-26:39Because I was so jealous.26:40-26:41That's why.26:43-26:46It was such a badge of honor, wasn't it, to walk into school.26:48-26:50You're not laughing because you were those kids, weren't you?26:52-26:54You were those ski lift tag kids.26:59-27:01I kind of laugh because you know what?27:02-27:05That lift tag was very useful for a time, wasn't it?27:06-27:09I mean, when you're skiing, that thing is super useful.27:09-27:11It has great purpose.27:11-27:16"Oh, you're skiing, it has great purpose." But then when you show up at school, what is it?27:16-27:18It's just a piece of garbage hanging from your coat.27:20-27:21It doesn't mean anything.27:22-27:24Like, dude, you don't need that.27:24-27:26You don't need to ride the lift to the cafeteria.27:29-27:31You don't need the ski tag.27:32-27:34And that's really, same thing with marriage.27:35-27:38Like, hey, married, I got a beautiful wife, she's awesome.27:38-27:45It's like, yes, but you're not going to need a wife in heaven, because every relationship is going to be perfect.27:50-27:53Paul's saying what he says in Colossians 3 too, right?27:53-27:57Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.27:59-28:02Don't let marriage distract you from your spiritual life.28:03-28:42Don't let marriage make you lose perspective on your priorities? Because it does. There are people, there are some people here that work more on their marriage than they do on their personal walk with Jesus Christ. That's a problem. That's backwards. If you worked more on your personal walk with Jesus Christ, things in your marriage would get a whole lot better. But marriage distracts us from focusing on eternity because marriage, as God's Word tells us, divides our interests.28:44-28:45Look at verse 32.28:49-28:52Paul says, "I want you to be free from anxieties.28:55-29:00The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord." How to please the Lord.29:01-29:06But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife.29:08-29:09And his interests are divided.29:11-29:20And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit.29:20-29:27But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.29:29-29:36Any single people can serve Jesus undistracted because the single person only has one set of cares.29:37-29:39The married person is divided.29:40-29:41That's what he's saying.29:41-29:47The married person says, "I really do want to serve Christ.29:47-29:58I really do want to give everything to Jesus, but I also have this God-given responsibility to take care of my family.30:00-30:07My interests are divided." So, singles better.30:09-30:11You're like, "Man, that sounds legalistic." Look at verse 35.30:13-30:38Paul says, "I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord." See that's exactly what Paul is saying here, he says, "I'm not being legalistic." He says, "This is for your benefit." But don't think that married people are second-class citizens.30:41-30:41Right?30:42-30:55Verse 36, he says, "If anyone thinks he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes.30:55-30:57Let them marry, it is no sin.30:58-32:31But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity, but having his desires under control and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better." You're like, "What is he talking about here?" This would have made way more sense to the original audience of this letter. Understand here, Paul is talking specifically here to fathers of unmarried daughters. The fathers had decision-making power in the matter of marriage for their daughters. Like, well that sounds very weird. Not really. Even today, I mean, isn't there the custom of when you want to get married to a woman, don't you go to her father and ask for her hand in marriage? Where do you think that comes from. Right? Same principle. But understand, Paul's just, once again, even in that, he's laying out the same thing he's been saying through this whole chapter, specifically through this whole passage. He goes, "If they get married, great. And if they remain single," He's like, "That's even better.32:32-32:39It's even better." Paul says here in this section that when it comes to serving Jesus, single people have an advantage.32:42-32:54Now, understand, single people, single people understand before you go out and get your ski tag, understand he's not saying single people are more spiritual than married people.32:54-32:55He is not saying that.32:56-33:02Single people are not automatically more devoted to Jesus than married people.33:02-33:04He is not saying that.33:04-33:11You're like, "Well, what is he saying?" He's saying single people have the greater potential in their service to Jesus Christ.33:16-33:17All right?33:17-33:46people, consider how much of your resources goes to just taking care of your family, right? How much time does your family require? How much money do you spend on your family? How much energy does your family get? And the answer is Because they get all of all the above, right?33:49-34:04And Paul here is simply saying, "Single people, you have tremendous opportunity, capacity, and potential to serve Christ because you're saved from the distractions that come from having to take care of a family." Right?34:04-34:05Single people?34:07-34:07Single people?34:08-34:12You want to spend extra time in prayer and the Word today?34:13-34:30You can do that without a bunch of little people running up to you going...and you're like, "I fed you yesterday." Well, you've got to feed them today too.34:31-34:33Single people don't got to worry about that.34:34-34:36Single people, you want to go on a mission trip?34:37-34:42You know what, this Vision Appalachia thing, I'm about that, I'm gone.34:42-34:44I'm going to talk to Bob Brown, I'm gone.34:44-34:46Single people can do that, like at the drop of a hat.34:47-34:51Or hey, next trip to Thailand, I am there.34:52-34:53No problem.34:53-35:00Single people can do that because you don't have to factor in the schedules of several other people.35:02-35:02Right?35:04-35:17Single people, you're like, "Oh, it's a prayer service tonight at church." You don't have to worry if you're going to miss it because your spouse is working late or Joey has yet another lacrosse tournament.35:20-35:21That's like the fifth one today.35:24-35:26Single people don't got to worry about that.35:26-35:27That's all Paul's saying here.35:29-35:35Oh, and P.S., history is full of single people that God has used mightily.35:37-35:39I read about a whole bunch of them this past week.35:40-35:44I don't have time to get into all of them, but I will mention one.35:44-35:47How about Paul, right?35:48-36:12Paul himself being single allowed Paul the opportunity to evangelize the Roman world and write holy Spirit-inspired letters that guide, encourage, and bless the churches even until today." So I guess Paul being single adds quite a bit of credibility to this Spirit-inspired truth that he wrote.36:12-36:14He says, "Hey, are you single?36:15-36:21You're saved from a lot of distractions." All right, three advantages of being single.36:21-36:22You're saved from certain troubles.36:23-36:24You're safe from distraction.36:24-36:26Number three, you're safe from obligation.36:28-36:31One more, you're safe from obligation.36:33-36:36Paul says a wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives.36:38-36:46But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.36:48-36:52Yet in my judgment, she is happier if she remains as she is.36:55-36:57And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.36:59-37:00I love that last statement.37:01-37:16Paul's like, 'cause you know that people are gonna be reading this and hearing this like, "Oh, come on, Paul, that's just your opinion." And he's like, "Yeah, I think I have the Holy Spirit too." So you're saved from obligation.37:16-37:22Paul says, "If your spouse dies, You can marry another believer.37:24-37:38Paul says, "Yet you'll be happier to stay single." But, Paul says, "Once you marry, you are bound as long as your spouse lives." He's talking about the obligation to the marriage.37:41-37:57The most important choice you will ever make for however long you have on the earth, the The most important choice is whether or not you are going to turn from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ and receive Him as your Lord and Savior.37:57-37:59That is the most important choice you will ever make.38:00-38:03Do you know what the second most important choice is that you will ever make?38:04-38:06Is the person that you decide to marry.38:11-38:12Because there's no going back.38:14-38:15At least not in God's eyes.38:16-38:17There's no going back.38:18-38:20It's more important than choosing a college major.38:20-38:23It's more important than choosing a career.38:24-38:26It's more important than choosing a tattoo.38:29-38:33More important than all these, who you marry, because it's a covenant before God.38:33-38:36It's a sacred thing in the eyes of God.38:36-38:47In the eyes of God, you're bound for life, and Paul's reminding, hey, when you're bound to a spouse, there is no more liberty that comes with being single.38:51-38:58You know, in Matthew chapter 19, Jesus was talking about marriage and divorce and adultery.38:58-39:03He was being challenged, and we've talked about that passage even very recently.39:04-39:12And Jesus gave his teaching on what it means to be married and defining divorce and adultery and all of that.39:12-39:18Well, the disciples heard all this, and this was their response to Jesus.39:18-39:24After hearing the Lord teach about marriage, this is what the disciples said in response to Jesus.39:25-39:41The disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it's better not to marry." Go back and read that whole passage, and you'll see they got it.39:42-39:44They were not rebuked for this statement.39:45-40:03Jesus is like, "Yeah, but not everybody can receive that, but yeah, they got it." Marriage is not for everyone, but there is a special wisdom and dedication that single people are gifted, right?40:04-40:06Our worship team would make their way back up front.40:13-40:22Single people, do you have the gift of being single?40:23-40:24Do you have that gift?40:28-40:32You're like, "You know, I really think this might be God's gift for me, being single." Is that you?40:32-40:34Well, I want to say something to you.40:34-40:38On the authority of the Word of God, it is not inferior to being married.40:39-40:46In fact, God says very clearly, in a lot of ways, it is better.40:49-40:55But for those of you who are single and you're struggling to know, "Do I have the gift?40:55-40:57I'm not sure if I have the gift.40:57-41:12What does God have for me?" Today I just want you to consider the benefits that the Word of God laid out, that there are troubles, distractions, and obligations that you're going to be saved from.41:13-41:14Let's pray.41:15-41:48in heaven, we thank you for your Word. And I know this can be a touchy and emotional subject, but I thank you. I thank you for the tone in which you inspired Paul to communicate this, that it wasn't some hard-nosed, snarky, legalistic thing at all, but just an objective look at reality.41:51-41:52God, You give gifts.41:52-41:53Your Word is so clear.41:53-42:10You give gifts to each one of us, and for some, Father, You've given the gift of singleness, and I pray a special blessing on those that You have so set aside for specific types of ministry that married people are unable to do.42:11-42:28Father, for the single people here maybe who are struggling, not sure if it's their gift, I just ask, Father, that you would maybe use this message to give them direction on what it is exactly you do have for them.42:30-42:47For the rest of us, Father, show us how we can love and encourage our single brothers and sisters without making them feel like they're on a second tier path because according to your word, it's kind of the opposite.42:49-42:53Give us wisdom, Father, in all these things we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 7:25-40What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Give some examples of “troubles” that come in marriage (internal and external) that single people are spared.How exactly are single people able to serve Jesus without “divided interests” (1 Cor 7:33)?What are some ways the church can reach single people for discipleship (without allowing it to become just a “match-making ministry”)?BreakoutPray for one another.

What's your favourite Love Song?On this month's episode of Forgotten Melodies, to cap off February, we're chatting about our own, and digging into and performing three iconic folk songs about love. These new arrangements are of Cupid the Pretty Plough Boy, Green Bushes and No John No, including our friend Katie Sommers singing soprano parts, plus Martin, Ben and Eleanor chatting about the history and context of each tune.From the roots of the Love Ballad in the Middle East and north Africa via Renaissance poetry and the blooming of comic opera, the Love Songs of today have been on a long journey of evolution.And yet, has the nature of love really changed so much across the centuries?Have we lost things in the mission to make some of these songs 'Drawing Room Safe?'And can Ben ever explain the Dorian Mode in a way Martin will understand?!We hope you enjoy listening to us chewing over these questions and much more beside - and this clutch of brighter songs as the weather brightens into spring.Speak to you again on Saturday, with this week's Local Legends interview with David Rowe, and again on Sunday for our March Update episode!The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcastREGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOURVisit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hearts and Cupid's arrows were in the air when we recorded this most recent Comic Book Bears episode this past Valentine's Day! And what an assortment of comic book candy do we have for you this time around! Hit play to hear Caleb, Bill Z and Steve discuss the Dreadnok War storyline in Image's current G.I. Joe series, The Vision and The Scarlet Witch's Fear the Reaper arc by Steve Orlando and Lorenzo Tammetta from Marvel, the DC K.O. Boss Battle one-shot and the (excellent) Knightfight mini-series starring Batman and various Robins by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora springing out of the same DC Comics event! And if your taste in confections runs more to the indie end of the spectrum, don't worry we have you covered too with the queer graphic novels In Between the Trees by Paul Winck and Dancing on the Volcano Paperback by Floor de Goede! All this plus a sweet and crunchy vintage Geek Get that Bill Z shows off from 1989!!

A refreshed Mike Vrabel and a Patriots reset // WEEI Red Sox insider Rob Braford joins, is all about the WBC // Dan Bahl as cupid and a leprechaun //

Are you living in "boy psychology" or stepping into your true strength as a man? In this episode of the Cupid's Coach Podcast, host Julie Ferman sits down with coach, entrepreneur, and author Mike Raboor to discuss his direct approach to mindset, discipline, and accountability.Mike dives deep into the concepts from his new book, "Man Up," exploring why modern culture often promotes weakness through a "dopamine economy" of immediate comfort. He shares his personal journey from a multimillionaire lifestyle of external validation to finding true internal peace through "self-applied suffering" and radical responsibility.Inside this Episode:• The "Disciplined Savage": Understanding when to embrace your inner strength and how to tame it with honor and respect.• Radical Responsibility: Why "manning up" means taking ownership of every area of your life.• Breaking the Comfort Addiction: The power of a 4:00 AM protocol, cold plunges, and morning rituals to reprogram your brain.• Boy vs. Man Psychology: Why a man produces more than he consumes and the importance of serving your community and family.• The Truth About Modern Dating: Why "Mr. Nice Guy" is actually boy psychology and why alpha women struggle to find men who can lead.• Peace Over Happiness: Why happiness is just an expectation met, while peace comes from the process of becoming who you want to be.Connect with Mike Raboor: Find more about his protocols and coaching at mikesuniversity.com or follow him on Instagram @mikeradoorConnect with Julie Ferman: Ready to find your "Natural Match"? Register for free and private matchmaking at JulieFerman.com.#CupidsCoach #MikeRaboor #ManUp #Masculinity #PersonalGrowth #DatingAdvice #RelationshipGoals #MindsetMastery

Today on the show Jerry and Manaia try to find love for our listeners, Manaia had another shoppping trolley incident, and it's lame claim to fame tuesdays! Plus, Mikey Havoc joins us!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melky, Bah, Goobie & Kaff dive heart-first into Valentine's Day… and immediately prove they don't get it. From side-eyeing overpriced roses to questioning who decided chocolate equals romance, they roast Cupid like he's on a reality dating show. In the end, it's hugs, shrugs, and a whole lot of “they don't get it.”

Nick Jeffery read Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book, a Victorian epic poem about a murder mystery in 17th Century Italy, to test a theory. John Granger's best guess after surveying the chapter headings of Hallmarked Man last September was that, of all 77 sources for the 139 epigraphs in Strike8, Browning's poem was the most likely to hold a secret message or special meaning inside it. John had said something similar about another Browning poem and Ink Black Heart, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Aurora Leigh, and Nick had confirmed that through his own reading and confirmation by Rowling herself. He thought John's track record of spotting important epigraph sources merited a test reading.He published his findings on Friday in a post titled ‘The Ring and The Book – A Rowling Reading.' In brief, the murder in Browning's poem is a point-to-point model for the Ironbridge murder mystery in Hallmarked Man with characters in Rowling-Galbraith's book — most notably, Chloe Griffiths, Tyler Powell, and Ian Griffiths — having their astonishing equivalents in Ring. The less obvious but more important links between the two are in their implicit feminism and other messages: Both works critique abusive relationships and patriarchal power: Guido's control of Pompilia and Dino Longcaster's control of Decima Mullins. The legal system (Books 8–9 especially) is satirized as formalistic, pedantic, and often blind to moral reality. True justice requires personal moral intuition beyond mere evidence or procedure. The Pope's monologue (Book 10) weighs this tension most profoundly. In The Hallmarked Man the police are slow to act on new information gained by Strike and Robin and Farah Navabi manages to hoodwink the courts into escaping punishment for her part in Patterson's crimes.The Ring and The Book dramatizes the eternal struggle between good and evil. Pompilia embodies instinctive purity, sacrificial love, and spiritual insight despite her suffering. Guido represents sophisticated, calculating evil that twists morality to justify cruelty. Browning affirms that evil exists but that good can somehow arise from or shine through evil's consequences. In The Hallmarked Man evil is real, monstrous, and often cloaked in normalcy or power structures, but it can be exposed and defeated through persistence, intuition, and moral courage.Nick also discusses in this article the chiastic structure of Ring (!) and the ‘conversation' he heard between Robert Browning in this poem with Aurora Leigh, the masterpiece by his late wife. His ‘Rowling Reading' of Ring and the Book, consequently, will soon be a touchstone piece not only in Rowling Studies but Browning Studies as well (#ArmstrongBrowningLibraryAndMuseum @ Baylor). As they have done before with Nick's ‘Rowling Reading' articles. the Hogwarts Professor team recorded their conversation about the piece (listen to their discussions of I Capture the Castle and Aurora Leigh). Seven High Points of that Ring and the Book epigraph conversation include:* Nick's review of why Serious Strikers and Rowling Readers should read The Ring and the Book along with the story of his immersion in it;* John's explanation of why he was so confident that Browning's poem was a template of some kind for Hallmarked Man even though only six of Strike8's 139 epigraphs were taken from it;* Their survey of Rowling's previous work with epigraphs — Deathly Hallows and Casual Vacancy all the way to Running Grave and Hallmarked Man — for works with similar embedded-in-the-epigraph texts and those without one (or in which it hasn't yet been discovered);* Nick's discussion of Rowling's previous comments about epigraphs and her answer to the question, ‘Which Came First, the Epigraph or the Story?';* John's best guess pre-publication about the text that will be the epigraph source in Sleep Tight, Evangeline and which Strike text it will most resemble with its Whiskey Shambles title;* Nick's commitment to exploring Blue Oyster Cult epigraphs in Career of Evil to see if one of that band's albums, all of which supposedly had sci-fi themes and story continuity, served as a text-within-the-text for Strike3; and* John's suggestion that the relationship of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning, a great love with a shared vocation, might be a point of reflection for Serious Strikers as a template for understanding the Strike-Ellacott partnership.Nick and John will be recording their group charting of Hallmarked Man's Part Eight this week with Sandy Hope and Ed Shardlow (and Presvytera Lois?), a survey of readers is in the works, and the long-awaited close look at the Strike series in light of the Cupid and Psyche myth draws ever nearer. Stay tuned!The Ten Questions, Epigraph Charting, and Links to Previous Epigraph Discussions Here and Elsewhere:The Ring and The Book – A Rowling Reading, Nick Jeffery, February 2026Intro to Epigraphs 101, John Granger, September 2022The Heart is Not About Emotions and Affection but the Human Spiritual Center, John Granger, October 2022A Rowling Reading of Aurora Leigh, Nick Jeffery, November 2025Beatrice Grove's Pillar Post Page at HogwartsProfessor.com* Scroll down for Prof Groves' posts about epigraphs and literary allusion in Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, Troubled Blood, and Ink Black HeartLethal White: Ibsen's ‘Rosmersholm', John Granger, December 2018Rowling, Dylan Thomas, and the I Ching: Three Thoughts on Strike7's Epigraphs, John Granger, April 2023‘Deathly Hallows' and Penn's ‘Fruits of Solitude,' John Granger, October 2008The Aeschylus Epigraph in ‘Deathly Hallows,' John Granger, October 2008Maid of the Silver Sea Epigraphs: Louise Freeman Davis' Collected Posts, 2025The Faerie Queene Epigraphs in Troubled Blood* Scroll down the Troubled Blood Pillar Post for the Faerie Queene commentary by Beatrice Groves, Elizabeth Baird-Hardy and John GrangerRobert-Galbraith.com Posts about the Epigraphs in Each Book* Hallmarked Man's Epigraphs: The Poetry* Hallmarked Man's Epigraphs: The Prose* Scroll Down the site's ‘Features' Page for all the other Epigraph PostsAgents of Fortune: The Blue Oyster Cult Story, Martin Popoff, May 2016Pompilia: A Feminist Reading Of Robert Browning'S The Ring And The Book, Anne Brady, May 1988Roman Murder Mystery: The True Story of Pompilia, Derek Parker, January 2001Sleep Tight, Evangeline: Nick Jeffery and John Granger talk with Dimitra FimiHallmarked Man Epigraphs: The Tally SheetMatthew Arnold: 17 poems, 25 epigraphs, 6 from Merope: A Tragedy* 3, 17, 52, 103, 108, 110 (Merope), 21, 33, 68, 38, 97, 41, 45, 59, 58, 69, 73, 76, 80, 86, 96, 106, 119, 122, 124Robert Browning: 26 poems, 38 epigraphs including frontispiece, 6 from The Ring and the Book* 44, 75, 62, 64, 102, 118 (Ring and Book), frontispiece, 2, 9, 11, 107, 13, 16, 20, 26, 28, 32, 35, 37, 114, 39, 42, 93, 44, 75, 47, 51, 62, 64, 67, 116, 71, 77, 79, 84, 87, 120, 90, 91, 100, 102, 109, 118, 126A. E. Housman: 5 works, 25 poems, 28 epigraphs, 10 from Last Poems* 1, 5, 7, 53, 19, 92, 56, 65, 74, 105 (Last Poems), 23, 30, 34, 36, 40, 43, 46, 49, 57, 63, 78, 82, 89, 94, 98, 112, 115, 125John Oxenham: 1 work, 26 epigraphs* Parts 1-10, Epilogue, 15, 18, 22, 25, 27, 55, 60, 66, 83, 85, 88, 95, 111, 113, 127 (Maid of the Silver Sea)Albert Pike: 3 works (?), 22 epigraphs, 16 from Morals and Dogma* 4, 16, 12, 121 (Liturgy), 8, 10, 14, 29, 31, 48, 50, 54, 61, 70, 81, 99, 101 (Morals and Dogma), 24, 72 (Ancient and Accepted Rite?)Most epigraphs: Robert BrowningFrontispiece: Robert BrowningMost from one poem: Tie, Robert Browning 6 Ring and Book, Matthew Arnold 6 Merope: A TragedyMost from one novel: John Oxenham 26 Maid of the Silver SeaMost from one didactic or discursive argument: Albert Pike 22 (24?) Morals and DogmaConclusions: Ring and Book your best bet as template, Re-read Maid of the Silver Sea, read Merope: A TragedyTally Sheet of Epigraphs for Ink Black Heart:Poet: epigraph numbers, (total)* Christina Rossetti: 8, 14, 22, 24, 25, 35, 38, 50, 52, 54, 56, 84, 86, 90, 98, 103, 105, 107 (18)* Elizabeth Barrett Browning: 12, 21, 33, 39, 42, 45, 47, 58, 67, 71, 72, 82, 96, 101, 102, 104 (16; all but #s 21 and 58 from ‘Aurora Leigh')* Mary Elizabeth Coleridge: Book, 1, 18, 20, 49, 79, 81, 91, 93, 94, 106 (11)* Emily Dickinson: 11, 31, 53, 58, 59, 65, 70, 76, 99 (8)* Charlotte Mew: 16, 17, 40, 55, 66, 92, 95 (7)* Felicia Hemans: 6, 10, 15, 63, 100 (5)* Amy Levy: 7, 23, 32, 80, 85 (5)* Jean Ingelow: 9, 27, 29, 37, 64 (5)* LEL!: 62, 68, 69, 83 (4); see also Rossetti 52 ‘LEL')* Mary Tighe: 36 (Psyche), 43, 60, 88 (4)* Helen Hunt Jackson: 4, 87, 89 (3)* Joanna Baillie: 13, 21, 34 (3)* Augusta Webster: 44, 48, 51 (3)* Emily Pfeiffer: 3, 75 (2)* Charlotte Bronte: 19, 74 (2)* Adah Isaacs Menken: 30, 57 (2)* Constance Naden: 41, 46 (2)* Mathilda Blind: 61, 97 (2)* Mary Kendall: 73, 77 (2)* Martha Jane Jewsbury: 2 (‘To My Own Heart')* Anne Evans: 28* ‘Michael Field' (Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper): 78The Heart and Vision epigraphs in Ink Black Heart by chapter number:* Heart: 20, 106 (MEC); 21, 67; 52, 107; 68, 85; 2; 63, 80, 85; 17, 40, 55, 95 (Mew); 19, 74; 27; 30; 36, 60; 87 (23)* Vision: Frontispiece, 1, 49, 81 (MEC); 22, 25, 38, 90, 98 (CR); 59; 3; 34; 95; 57; 88; 48; 46 (17)Tally Sheet of Epigraphs for Cuckoo's Calling:* Frontispiece: Rossetti -- A Dirge* Prologue: Lucius Accius, Telephus* Part One: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy* Part Two: Virgil, Aeneid* Part Three: Virgil, Aeneid* Part Four: Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis* Part Five: Virgil, Georgics* Epilogue: Horace, Odes* [Closing Poem: Tennyson, Ulysses]Brackets/Latch: 19th Century English poets (see Groves)Most epigraphs: Virgil (3); no other author has more than oneMost frequently referenced work: Aeneid (2), shades in UlyssesCenter of Chiasmus: Aeneid (true if ring has 5, 8, or 9 parts)Turtleback lines: Not evident in authors list, perhaps in meanings of specific epigraphsConclusions:* Read Aeneid to look for Cuckoo's parallels;* Study epigraphs to look for parallelsOnline Literature Review for ‘Epigraphs of Cuckoo's Calling:‘https://robert-galbraith.com/epigraphs-of-the-cuckoos-calling/* 2025 connecting the dots between epigraphs and chapter set to follow (generic)* No mention of Strike as Aeneashttps://strikefans.com/the-cuckoos-calling-epigraphs/* Reprinting of epigraphs without commentary* No mention of Strike as Aeneashttps://thesefilespod.com/blog/the-cuckoos-calling-epigraphs/* Includes a very helpful link to The Rowling Library and an article there about the ‘real world' crime serving as a template for the Landry murder* No mention of Strike as Aeneashttps://mugglenet.wpenginepowered.com/2017/09/literary-allusion-cuckoos-calling-part-1-christina-rossettis-dirge/* Brilliant discussion of the Rossetti poem but curiously without reference to resurrection meaning* No mention of Strike as Aeneashttps://mugglenet.wpenginepowered.com/2017/09/literary-allusion-cuckoos-calling-part-2-tennysons-ulysses/* Brilliant discussion of Strike as Ulysses* No mention of Strike as Aeneas, curious becauseh Virgil models Aeneas on UlyssesThe Ten Questions of This Conversation (Sort Of!)1, (Nick) So, John, I finally wrote up my findings about The Ring and the Book as the story template for Hallmarked Man's murder mystery and, as we did with my posts about Aurora Leigh and I Capture the Castle, let's talk about it, expanding on the correspondences between the Browning poem and Strike 8. The natural place to begin is with your guess about Ring and the Book being a template based on your tally of the Hallmarked Man epigraphs, a theory you shared on our first show post-publication. Can you explain your process and what made you so confident about Ring and the Book?2. (John) Looking at that tally, then, Arnold's Merope and Oxenham's Maid of the Silver Sea are quantitatively more likely equivalents to Aurora Leigh in Ink Black Heart, but the Browning frontispiece, number of his epigraphs, the hidden quality of the Ring and Book poem titles, and the relationship with Barrett Browning made it seem the most likely. That the poem is considered one of the great feminist tracts written by a man didn't hurt. I still want to go back to the Arnold poem, though, because of the centrality of his epigraphs in the center Parts and Oxenham deserves a re-read, too, or just a trip to Louise Freeman Davis site, the home of Oxenham Studies online. What struck me while reading your post, Nick, was in the correspondences you found between Ring and the Book and Hallmarked Man. Can you give us the highlights of that?3. (Nick) The Ironbridge murder mystery, then, is largely lifted from the death of Pompilia. Which is unusual isn't it? Has Rowling-Galbraith ever used her epigraphs to point to the template of her story?4. (John) I think, then, that at least four of the previous Strike novels give us the embedded template, per Beatrice Groves The White Divel and The Revenger's Tragedy (and even Hamlet) gives us important clues about The Silkworm crime, Rosmersholm and its incestuous backdrop inform the murder of Lethal White, the Janus deceiver in Faerie Queene should have been a give-away about the poisoner in Troubled Blood, and, as Rowling confirmed and you demonstrated Nick, Aurora Leigh is the working model for Ink Black Heart. I think the closest Rowling epigraph suggestions to story template was in the Rossetti poem that opens Cuckoo's Calling and the Aeschylus epigraph in Deathly Hallows. What has Rowling said, though, about her epigraph sources? Do they precede the novels or follow the writing?5. (Nick) So it's not one or the other, I think, that is, she has a template in mind and if the source doesn't have sufficient quotable pieces to serve a epigraphs for the whole book, she uses other sources from the genre in play or that highlight her central theme (cf., the Gray's Anatomy heart epigraphs in tandem with the hearty women Victorian poets in Ink Black). What I'm struck by here, though, is the shift in importance of epigraphs to Rowling-Galbraith. The numbers are startling, no, between Cuckoo and Hallmarked?6. (John) Not only do we see a jump from eight or nine epigraphs in Strike1 to 139 in Stike8, but Team Rowling is pushing readers to think more seriously about them by posting reviews of the epigraphs in each book, drawing the dot-to-dot correspondences. I confess the Strike novel whose epigraphs are not like the others, Nick, is Career of Evil and its Blue Oyster Cult lyrics. You've been reading a book about Blue Oyster Cult so I'll defer to you in this despite my great fondness for heavy metal groups with sci-fi themed lyrics...7. (Nick) What about the book we haven't got in hand, John: Sleep Tight, Evangeline? We have been told -- sort of! -- the title is from a 2014 song from an American blues band called ‘The Whiskey Shambles.' Which of the previous epigraph models Rowling has used, from Deathly Hallows to Hallmarked Man, do you think we'll be seeing in Strike9? What are your thoughts on that, especially as the best link we have for Sleep Tight, Evangeline is from a rock and blues band?8. (John) So I hope that we're going to see another Running Grave type epigraph experience in Evangeline, though Grave was unique among Rowling novels and their epigraphs in not having a story-book, poem, or play as its primary source. The I Ching, cannot be a story-template per se because it is a divination tool or means to reflection. Unless you think Pike's Morals and Dogmas Freemasonry encyclopedia qualifies as an equivalent of sorts to the I Ching? That's another outlier, isn't it?9. (Nick) To put a Fourth Generation focus on this, John, we should be looking for a technique that Serious Readers can use for Sleep Tight, Evangeline to hunt for the embedded source if its hidden as were Aurora Leigh and The Ring and the Book. You've found the ones no one else noticed in Ink Black Heart and Hallmarked Man, how did you do that and do you think the same method will work for Cuckoo and Career as well as Evangeline?10. (John) So, yes, I found them but you had the first confirmed by Mrs Murray and then connected the dots between the Browning poems and Rowling's work. If this method is going to work on Cuckoo, Career, and Evangeline it will have to involve a spotter and a shooter, though they can be the same person. The spotter technique is nothing but grunt work; chart the epigraphs used and spot the author most frequently referenced and the work of theirs most frequently cited. The shooter work is actually a lot more involved and interesting; tell us about your experiences with the two Browning's' epic poems, that thrill of discovering correspondences. Do you think that excitement is something Rowling is offering her readers a a treasure hunt or as a point of reflection in terms of meaning? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Finally connecting with a high-school friend.By outdoorhorny. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Desiree should have been born in the 60’s. Everything about her reflected a kinder, gentler, and groovier vibe than the 90’s were comfortable with; in short, she was a hippie. She wore patterned peasant skirts, thin cotton T-shirts with mandalas and such, beads all over the place, Birkenstocks, and course, a peace-sign medallion. All of these things drew my eyes to her right away, but they in no way hid the luscious body beneath and behind them. She had long brown hair that fell in soft curls below her shoulders. Her eyes were dark brown, her lips deep red and shaped like Cupid’s bow. Full tits and wide hips stretched her garments tight in all the right places. Best of all, her skin was translucent and flawless, even in the dead of winter.We were both new students in school during our senior year. She had been kicked out of boarding school, and my parents had retired to a small town in the eastern part of the state. That made us the only 2 students in our grade who hadn’t been there all 4 years. Actually, the rest of the student body pretty much grew up together, but since the high school served 3 towns, only a third of them had been in school together all 12 years previously. Still, it was enough to make us feel like total outsiders.That alone was enough to bond us, but we also had a lot of classes together. There were only small sections of upper-level classes in English, history, math, French, and science, and we were in all those together. She was always somewhat spacey, but a good student, a good lab partner and homework buddy, and a pleasure to talk to, even if the conversations took odd turns.She was dating a guy named David who had already graduated. I spent the fall pursuing the only other single girl in our upper-level group, but she was still kind of seeing her old boyfriend from a few towns away, so that wasn’t a regular thing. We all went to the same parties, hung out after soccer and basketball games, and went to the nearest big town once in a while for some wild nights of pizza or McDonalds and a movie.It wasn’t until winter came that I realized how badly I wanted to be with Desiree. There was a lot of snow that winter, and she called one afternoon to tell me that her 18th birthday party was moved from the Science Museum to her own house; that way, no one had to drive 45 minutes in bad weather.When I got there, Des was dressed up for a change. There was still a hippie vibe to her outfit, but her parents had friends over as well, and everyone was dressed for a holiday party. It turned out that her family had scheduled both things, but combined them to save everyone a drive. Anyway, she looked amazing; her hair was silky and somewhat straighter, she had on a little makeup, and her outfit made her look older and more beautiful. I was glad I had taken some pains to dress up as well; some of our friends didn’t get the memo and showed up in our usual teenage gear. She told me how nice I looked, and I made sure to compliment her as well.Because of my mother’s job, I was accustomed to spending time with adults at parties like this one. I chatted with her parents, and with some other adults who were parents of kids at school, or people I had met around town. Even the damn principal of the high school was there, which was a little weird for all of us! I saw Desiree working her way around the room as well, and my eyes kept straying her way as I admired her outfit, her flashing eyes, and the soft ripples of laughter that I knew so well. She caught me looking every once in a while and smiled at me.When I finally broke away to hang out with my friends, her mom stopped me to say how glad she was that I had come. She complimented my poise, told me I was very grown up, and gave me a peck on the cheek. I grimaced, blushed, and thanked her before disengaging as gracefully as I could. When I got out of the kitchen and headed for the den where the kids were hanging out, Desiree was headed out as well.“Wow; you’re quite the hit with the mom-and-dad crowd, dude” she teased me.“Just working the room, ya know?” I said in my most pompous voice.“I’m sorry if my mom embarrassed you,” she said apologetically. “She can be kinda over the top. I keep trying to get her to mellow out, but she always comes out with something trippy!”“No problem; I can handle moms pretty well. My mom used to drag me to parties all the time for her old job, and you just kind of get used to the chit-chat.”“Well,” she began, taking my arm, “I was very impressed with your poise!”I blushed again. “Oh, you heard that, did ya?”She laughed happily and squeezed my arm, her tits pressing against me closely.“Yes, I did. I was thinking how grown-up you were, too. When I noticed you checking me out, I kept thinking it was some creepy older guy, but then it was you, and it just made me feel good.”I had no idea what to say to that, so I fell back on flattery.“Des,” I told her, “I’m sorry about that, you just looked so beautiful and natural chatting away with all those people that I couldn’t help but look at you!”A pleased smile appeared, and she squeezed me again.“Does that mean you didn’t think I was beautiful before?”“Oh, no, not at all!” Did I mention I was far from smooth back in those days?“So tell me, dude, how long have you been thinking I was beautiful?”At that point, I realized that she was completely messing with me, but I couldn’t stop myself.“Since day one of school,” I told her earnestly.I think my serious tone took her aback somewhat, but again the pleased smile appeared.“So it wasn’t just because I’m all dressed up and wearing makeup instead of being my usual crunchy self?” she asked. This time, the teasing quality of her voice was more apparent.“Nope. Crunchy Des is beautiful all the time, I just never get a chance to tell you.”“I can see why you’re such a hit with the moms,” she murmured just before we entered the den.She let go of me to rejoin the group, and we relaxed into our usual roles, joking around as a group and devouring the pizzas her mom had ordered for us. We stayed there for three or four hours, watched a movie, and at the cake her mom brought in. All in all, a good birthday party.The adults had drifted off before the movie ended, so the house was quiet when Desiree’s party was over. Everyone hit the road, but I stayed behind to say goodbye to her parents; again, my mother’s training was kicking in. She thanked me again for spending time with the grown-ups and, to me embarrassment, gave me another peck on the cheek, turned me around toward Des, and said, “Isn’t he great?” in a loud voice. “And handsome?”“Oh, he certainly is!” Des affirmed, desperately trying to keep a straight face.“Well, goodnight, thanks again for having me,” I muttered and headed for the door.Des caught me before I got my coat on completely. She grabbed my arm in the hallway, her eyes filled with laughter.“I’m sorry; I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist!”“No big deal,” I assured her somewhat truthfully. “It’s your mom; she’s just a little, ”“I know. I’m sorry. But she was right about one thing, ”“You Are very great and handsome,” she said softly. Then she stepped forward and planted a soft kiss on my lips. Her eyes were deep and serious, and she pulled back a few inches, watching me, waiting for my reaction.“Des,” I replied in a low voice, “I was serious when I said you look beautiful all the time. I’ve always thought so, it’s just that tonight, I saw you looking beautiful in a different way and it made me realize, ” My words trailed off.“Realize what?” she asked, holding herself just inches from my face.“How much I want to do this,” I told her, crossing the space between us and kissing her back, letting my arms wrap naturally around her slender waist.Des hummed happily, then broke our kiss to smile up at me. “Far out!” she said softly.Her mom was still moving around the living room and kitchen collecting glasses, so Des urged me out onto the broad bluestone steps and closed the door behind us. The outside lights were on and it felt like snow again. I pulled my coat all the way on, then opened the front and she stepped gratefully into the shelter it offered her from the cold. Her body was warm and lush against mine, and I felt every curve plastered against me as our lips met again.Away from prying eyes, her lips parted quickly and her tongue darted playfully into my mouth. I responded in kind, and our eyes closed for what seemed like an endless moment as we shared that thrilling rise of passion for the first time. I could feel my whole body responding, and Des shifted her weight, clearly feeling the same ripples of pleasure in her core.“I’ve got to help my mom,” she said apologetically.“I’ve got to get home, too,” I told her. “I don’t want to go, though, ”“I know, I don’t want you to go!”Stepping back into me, Des kissed me hard one more time, then pulled back and looked at me sadly. “I guess we’ll have to finish this some other time,” she said.“Yeah, definitely!” I said urgently.“Come back tomorrow if it doesn’t snow,” she said quietly.She smiled, then stepped back and opened the door. I watched her go and then turned down the icy stairs. Driving home, my mind was filled with possibilities, and I was grinning like an idiot.Thankfully, there was only a dusting of new snow when I got up the next day. I told my parents I would be hanging out with Desiree and working on a lab report. They nodded, told me to be careful and be home for dinner, and went back to whatever they were doing.The twisty back roads were gritty with salt and sand as I raced toward Des’s house. Pulling into the driveway, I noticed fresh tracks from the garage to the street. When I tapped the bird-shaped knocker, there was a long pause before I saw a flash of movement through the prisms of glass beside the door. I heard a click, and the door swung open a few inches. I could see one of Desiree’s dark eyes, a trace of a smile on her lips, a cloud of brown hair framing her face, a flash of bare thigh, and a thick bathrobe belted tightly at her waist.“Yes?” she asked in an imperious tone, raising an eyebrow playfully.“Good morning, miss,” I said earnestly. “Is your mom home? She told me yesterday that I should come by this morning. I believe that I was so poised and well-spoken at her party that she wanted to spend some more time with me, ”“You’re disgusting!” Des snorted, swinging the door open wider. “You probably would go after my mom!”“Not when you’re here,” I told her, stepping close once the door was closed behind me.Desiree grabbed the lapels of my winter coat and pushed them back off my shoulders. As the coat slid down my arms, she closed the distance between us, pressing her warm body against mine. Our lips met, softly at first and then with increasing passion.“Come upstairs,” she said after pulling back to catch her breath.“Parents?” I asked.“Gone for the day” she replied with a wicked smile.“Good!” I said fervently. “Let’s go!”She turned with a smile and a swirl of dark hair. Her bare feet were almost silent on the wooden treads as she flew up the central staircase. My hiking boots left melting snow behind as I rushed after her. I almost tripped because I was trying to run upstairs and watch her enchantingly bare legs as I went; the bathrobe was long, but I could see a lot of her beautiful form from that angle.When I got to her room, Desiree was standing on the far side, the neatly made double bed between us. Posters, tapestries, dried flowers, and a lingering whiff of sandalwood competed for and lost my attention as I halted just inside the door.“You can come in,” she said mockingly, a trace of that same sexy smile on her lips.I walked to the edge of the bed opposite her.“This is where I wanted to bring you last night,” she said. “Once I saw you with my mom, ”“Don’t start. I was just being nice, but I’m glad you noticed me, finally!”“I always noticed you, we just had other stuff going on.”“Yeah,” I replied with my usual brilliance.“So now, ” she began.“Now I’m all yours!” I told her with my best smile.“Good. I want to show you something!”I nodded and told her “Anything you want!”Her smile grew wider. Then she lifted on knee up onto the bedspread.“After you left last night, I came up here when everything was done.”She leaned forward and put her palms flat on the covers. Her other foot came off the floor, and she drew herself toward the middle of the bed, sitting with her knees together, feet tucked under her, and the bathrobe lying in soft folds on her lap. My eyes were drawn to her bare thighs, then moved slowly upward, taking in the swell of her full tits under the thick terry cloth. When I reached her face, I noticed both a smirk on her lips and a smoking, sensual glimmer in her eyes.“I was wishing you were here with me,” she continued. “So I threw my clothes over there.” She gestured with her chin, and I glanced at the outfit she wore last night piled in reverse order on the chair. “And then I climbed into bed, ”Her hands pulled slowly on the bathrobe belt. When it came undone, the lapels fell apart a few inches, drawing my eyes to the soft valley of her cleavage. Desiree shrugged her shoulders then, and the soft fabric slipped back off her shoulders. Her hands came up to cover her tits as they were exposed, but she kept up her narration.“And I started thinking about what I would do if you were with me, ”I stood there in awe as she used her palms to graze her nipples, making small circles without fully revealing herself to me.“I got so fucking horny!” she said more intensely. Her hands fell away from her chest, and as she shoved the bathrobe off her lap and away behind her, my heart beat faster and I drank in the sight of her tits: pale globes with dark, tight nipples and wide areolas. They were as gorgeous as my teenage fantasies had imagined them, and my hands itched to reach for them.Des dropped her hands to her lap then, and shifted herself to widen the space between her knees. I followed the motion and was treated to a glimpse of dark curls before one hand blocked my view. I thought for a moment she was being modest, but then I noticed her hand moving slowly, caressing herself with slight up and down motion.“Just thinking about having you up here last night made me want you so badly, I ended up sitting just like this, wishing it was you playing with my boobs, and I was touching myself like this.”Her free hand came up and I saw her pinch her own nipple delicately, twisting it as she did. Her other hand pressed more firmly into the shadowy depths of her lap, and I knew her fingers were curled underneath her, stroking the furry lips of her cunt.“Show me, ” I whispered, finally contributing to the conversation.Des smiled again and rose up to her full kneeling height. From knees to neck, her body was a symphony of pale olive skin and alluring curves. She kept her hands in place, but seemed to savor my admiration while I took in the narrow waist, the long muscles of her thighs, and the rippling bounce of her tits.Again, she spoke as she played with herself: “My nipples got really hard thinking about you pinching them, and I started playing with my clit because I was already so wet for you!”Looking down, I saw that she had two fingers extended and they were making tight circles at the base of her mound.“Sometimes, ” she resumed, “I put my fingers inside to get them wetter.” Her hand curled lower for a moment and then went back to lavishing attention on her most sensitive spot. “Is that what you would have done to me last night?”“God, yes!” I told her immediately. She smiled, but I wanted to raise the stakes a little more.“I would have started like that, Des, I wish I could have come upstairs and seen you naked like this! I would have kissed every inch of you and pinched your nipples and rubbed your clit exactly the way you’re doing it now!”“What else?” she asked in an urgent whisper, her back arching a bit and her eyes half-closed.“I would have pushed you back, though, so I could taste you,” I said.“Umm, I love that idea!” she assured me with a sexy smile.Her hand left her lap and she brought the two fingers she had been using to play with herself up to her lips. “I do that all the time!” she said happily before licking each finger individually. Then she sucked them both at once, slowly getting every trace of her juices off.As I stood beside the bed and watched this erotic display, my cock was achingly hard inside my jeans. I could think of nothing to say; my mind was gripped by the show in front of me, and I was fantasizing about those beautiful lips sucking me instead, and I was imagining the taste as well.Fortunately, Des kept things moving forward. “When I was thinking about what I wanted you to do to me last night,” she began, “you weren’t wearing all those clothes!”As quickly as I could, I unlaced my boots, shucked off my jeans and underwear, and whipped both sweater and T-shirt over my head. All this was hampered by the face that Des was naked in front of me and I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her!When I was as bare as she was, Desiree took the initiative again. Bracing her hands on the bedspread, she slipped her feet in front of her and moved them off the bed. Her legs parted even more as she scooted forward until her ass was just on the edge of the mattress. This position revealed her fully; wide-open thighs framed the neatly groomed, silky curls that covered her mound and along each side of her opening. Her earlier actions had turned her on, and her inner lips glistened with her arousal.“What were you going to do to me?” she asked enticingly.In a heartbeat, I fell to my knees on the soft rug beside her bed. My hands went to her inner thighs, pushing them wider apart while my thumbs did the same for her labia. Leaning in, I licked her from bottom to top, my tongue broad as I repeatedly lapped up her juices.Desiree groaned with pleasure, and her arms wrapped around my head, pulling me into her.“Oh, fuck!” she exclaimed. “Fuck me with your tongue!&rdquo

Finally connecting with a high-school friend.By outdoorhorny. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Desiree should have been born in the 60’s. Everything about her reflected a kinder, gentler, and groovier vibe than the 90’s were comfortable with; in short, she was a hippie. She wore patterned peasant skirts, thin cotton T-shirts with mandalas and such, beads all over the place, Birkenstocks, and course, a peace-sign medallion. All of these things drew my eyes to her right away, but they in no way hid the luscious body beneath and behind them. She had long brown hair that fell in soft curls below her shoulders. Her eyes were dark brown, her lips deep red and shaped like Cupid’s bow. Full tits and wide hips stretched her garments tight in all the right places. Best of all, her skin was translucent and flawless, even in the dead of winter.We were both new students in school during our senior year. She had been kicked out of boarding school, and my parents had retired to a small town in the eastern part of the state. That made us the only 2 students in our grade who hadn’t been there all 4 years. Actually, the rest of the student body pretty much grew up together, but since the high school served 3 towns, only a third of them had been in school together all 12 years previously. Still, it was enough to make us feel like total outsiders.That alone was enough to bond us, but we also had a lot of classes together. There were only small sections of upper-level classes in English, history, math, French, and science, and we were in all those together. She was always somewhat spacey, but a good student, a good lab partner and homework buddy, and a pleasure to talk to, even if the conversations took odd turns.She was dating a guy named David who had already graduated. I spent the fall pursuing the only other single girl in our upper-level group, but she was still kind of seeing her old boyfriend from a few towns away, so that wasn’t a regular thing. We all went to the same parties, hung out after soccer and basketball games, and went to the nearest big town once in a while for some wild nights of pizza or McDonalds and a movie.It wasn’t until winter came that I realized how badly I wanted to be with Desiree. There was a lot of snow that winter, and she called one afternoon to tell me that her 18th birthday party was moved from the Science Museum to her own house; that way, no one had to drive 45 minutes in bad weather.When I got there, Des was dressed up for a change. There was still a hippie vibe to her outfit, but her parents had friends over as well, and everyone was dressed for a holiday party. It turned out that her family had scheduled both things, but combined them to save everyone a drive. Anyway, she looked amazing; her hair was silky and somewhat straighter, she had on a little makeup, and her outfit made her look older and more beautiful. I was glad I had taken some pains to dress up as well; some of our friends didn’t get the memo and showed up in our usual teenage gear. She told me how nice I looked, and I made sure to compliment her as well.Because of my mother’s job, I was accustomed to spending time with adults at parties like this one. I chatted with her parents, and with some other adults who were parents of kids at school, or people I had met around town. Even the damn principal of the high school was there, which was a little weird for all of us! I saw Desiree working her way around the room as well, and my eyes kept straying her way as I admired her outfit, her flashing eyes, and the soft ripples of laughter that I knew so well. She caught me looking every once in a while and smiled at me.When I finally broke away to hang out with my friends, her mom stopped me to say how glad she was that I had come. She complimented my poise, told me I was very grown up, and gave me a peck on the cheek. I grimaced, blushed, and thanked her before disengaging as gracefully as I could. When I got out of the kitchen and headed for the den where the kids were hanging out, Desiree was headed out as well.“Wow; you’re quite the hit with the mom-and-dad crowd, dude” she teased me.“Just working the room, ya know?” I said in my most pompous voice.“I’m sorry if my mom embarrassed you,” she said apologetically. “She can be kinda over the top. I keep trying to get her to mellow out, but she always comes out with something trippy!”“No problem; I can handle moms pretty well. My mom used to drag me to parties all the time for her old job, and you just kind of get used to the chit-chat.”“Well,” she began, taking my arm, “I was very impressed with your poise!”I blushed again. “Oh, you heard that, did ya?”She laughed happily and squeezed my arm, her tits pressing against me closely.“Yes, I did. I was thinking how grown-up you were, too. When I noticed you checking me out, I kept thinking it was some creepy older guy, but then it was you, and it just made me feel good.”I had no idea what to say to that, so I fell back on flattery.“Des,” I told her, “I’m sorry about that, you just looked so beautiful and natural chatting away with all those people that I couldn’t help but look at you!”A pleased smile appeared, and she squeezed me again.“Does that mean you didn’t think I was beautiful before?”“Oh, no, not at all!” Did I mention I was far from smooth back in those days?“So tell me, dude, how long have you been thinking I was beautiful?”At that point, I realized that she was completely messing with me, but I couldn’t stop myself.“Since day one of school,” I told her earnestly.I think my serious tone took her aback somewhat, but again the pleased smile appeared.“So it wasn’t just because I’m all dressed up and wearing makeup instead of being my usual crunchy self?” she asked. This time, the teasing quality of her voice was more apparent.“Nope. Crunchy Des is beautiful all the time, I just never get a chance to tell you.”“I can see why you’re such a hit with the moms,” she murmured just before we entered the den.She let go of me to rejoin the group, and we relaxed into our usual roles, joking around as a group and devouring the pizzas her mom had ordered for us. We stayed there for three or four hours, watched a movie, and at the cake her mom brought in. All in all, a good birthday party.The adults had drifted off before the movie ended, so the house was quiet when Desiree’s party was over. Everyone hit the road, but I stayed behind to say goodbye to her parents; again, my mother’s training was kicking in. She thanked me again for spending time with the grown-ups and, to me embarrassment, gave me another peck on the cheek, turned me around toward Des, and said, “Isn’t he great?” in a loud voice. “And handsome?”“Oh, he certainly is!” Des affirmed, desperately trying to keep a straight face.“Well, goodnight, thanks again for having me,” I muttered and headed for the door.Des caught me before I got my coat on completely. She grabbed my arm in the hallway, her eyes filled with laughter.“I’m sorry; I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist!”“No big deal,” I assured her somewhat truthfully. “It’s your mom; she’s just a little, ”“I know. I’m sorry. But she was right about one thing, ”“You Are very great and handsome,” she said softly. Then she stepped forward and planted a soft kiss on my lips. Her eyes were deep and serious, and she pulled back a few inches, watching me, waiting for my reaction.“Des,” I replied in a low voice, “I was serious when I said you look beautiful all the time. I’ve always thought so, it’s just that tonight, I saw you looking beautiful in a different way and it made me realize, ” My words trailed off.“Realize what?” she asked, holding herself just inches from my face.“How much I want to do this,” I told her, crossing the space between us and kissing her back, letting my arms wrap naturally around her slender waist.Des hummed happily, then broke our kiss to smile up at me. “Far out!” she said softly.Her mom was still moving around the living room and kitchen collecting glasses, so Des urged me out onto the broad bluestone steps and closed the door behind us. The outside lights were on and it felt like snow again. I pulled my coat all the way on, then opened the front and she stepped gratefully into the shelter it offered her from the cold. Her body was warm and lush against mine, and I felt every curve plastered against me as our lips met again.Away from prying eyes, her lips parted quickly and her tongue darted playfully into my mouth. I responded in kind, and our eyes closed for what seemed like an endless moment as we shared that thrilling rise of passion for the first time. I could feel my whole body responding, and Des shifted her weight, clearly feeling the same ripples of pleasure in her core.“I’ve got to help my mom,” she said apologetically.“I’ve got to get home, too,” I told her. “I don’t want to go, though, ”“I know, I don’t want you to go!”Stepping back into me, Des kissed me hard one more time, then pulled back and looked at me sadly. “I guess we’ll have to finish this some other time,” she said.“Yeah, definitely!” I said urgently.“Come back tomorrow if it doesn’t snow,” she said quietly.She smiled, then stepped back and opened the door. I watched her go and then turned down the icy stairs. Driving home, my mind was filled with possibilities, and I was grinning like an idiot.Thankfully, there was only a dusting of new snow when I got up the next day. I told my parents I would be hanging out with Desiree and working on a lab report. They nodded, told me to be careful and be home for dinner, and went back to whatever they were doing.The twisty back roads were gritty with salt and sand as I raced toward Des’s house. Pulling into the driveway, I noticed fresh tracks from the garage to the street. When I tapped the bird-shaped knocker, there was a long pause before I saw a flash of movement through the prisms of glass beside the door. I heard a click, and the door swung open a few inches. I could see one of Desiree’s dark eyes, a trace of a smile on her lips, a cloud of brown hair framing her face, a flash of bare thigh, and a thick bathrobe belted tightly at her waist.“Yes?” she asked in an imperious tone, raising an eyebrow playfully.“Good morning, miss,” I said earnestly. “Is your mom home? She told me yesterday that I should come by this morning. I believe that I was so poised and well-spoken at her party that she wanted to spend some more time with me, ”“You’re disgusting!” Des snorted, swinging the door open wider. “You probably would go after my mom!”“Not when you’re here,” I told her, stepping close once the door was closed behind me.Desiree grabbed the lapels of my winter coat and pushed them back off my shoulders. As the coat slid down my arms, she closed the distance between us, pressing her warm body against mine. Our lips met, softly at first and then with increasing passion.“Come upstairs,” she said after pulling back to catch her breath.“Parents?” I asked.“Gone for the day” she replied with a wicked smile.“Good!” I said fervently. “Let’s go!”She turned with a smile and a swirl of dark hair. Her bare feet were almost silent on the wooden treads as she flew up the central staircase. My hiking boots left melting snow behind as I rushed after her. I almost tripped because I was trying to run upstairs and watch her enchantingly bare legs as I went; the bathrobe was long, but I could see a lot of her beautiful form from that angle.When I got to her room, Desiree was standing on the far side, the neatly made double bed between us. Posters, tapestries, dried flowers, and a lingering whiff of sandalwood competed for and lost my attention as I halted just inside the door.“You can come in,” she said mockingly, a trace of that same sexy smile on her lips.I walked to the edge of the bed opposite her.“This is where I wanted to bring you last night,” she said. “Once I saw you with my mom, ”“Don’t start. I was just being nice, but I’m glad you noticed me, finally!”“I always noticed you, we just had other stuff going on.”“Yeah,” I replied with my usual brilliance.“So now, ” she began.“Now I’m all yours!” I told her with my best smile.“Good. I want to show you something!”I nodded and told her “Anything you want!”Her smile grew wider. Then she lifted on knee up onto the bedspread.“After you left last night, I came up here when everything was done.”She leaned forward and put her palms flat on the covers. Her other foot came off the floor, and she drew herself toward the middle of the bed, sitting with her knees together, feet tucked under her, and the bathrobe lying in soft folds on her lap. My eyes were drawn to her bare thighs, then moved slowly upward, taking in the swell of her full tits under the thick terry cloth. When I reached her face, I noticed both a smirk on her lips and a smoking, sensual glimmer in her eyes.“I was wishing you were here with me,” she continued. “So I threw my clothes over there.” She gestured with her chin, and I glanced at the outfit she wore last night piled in reverse order on the chair. “And then I climbed into bed, ”Her hands pulled slowly on the bathrobe belt. When it came undone, the lapels fell apart a few inches, drawing my eyes to the soft valley of her cleavage. Desiree shrugged her shoulders then, and the soft fabric slipped back off her shoulders. Her hands came up to cover her tits as they were exposed, but she kept up her narration.“And I started thinking about what I would do if you were with me, ”I stood there in awe as she used her palms to graze her nipples, making small circles without fully revealing herself to me.“I got so fucking horny!” she said more intensely. Her hands fell away from her chest, and as she shoved the bathrobe off her lap and away behind her, my heart beat faster and I drank in the sight of her tits: pale globes with dark, tight nipples and wide areolas. They were as gorgeous as my teenage fantasies had imagined them, and my hands itched to reach for them.Des dropped her hands to her lap then, and shifted herself to widen the space between her knees. I followed the motion and was treated to a glimpse of dark curls before one hand blocked my view. I thought for a moment she was being modest, but then I noticed her hand moving slowly, caressing herself with slight up and down motion.“Just thinking about having you up here last night made me want you so badly, I ended up sitting just like this, wishing it was you playing with my boobs, and I was touching myself like this.”Her free hand came up and I saw her pinch her own nipple delicately, twisting it as she did. Her other hand pressed more firmly into the shadowy depths of her lap, and I knew her fingers were curled underneath her, stroking the furry lips of her cunt.“Show me, ” I whispered, finally contributing to the conversation.Des smiled again and rose up to her full kneeling height. From knees to neck, her body was a symphony of pale olive skin and alluring curves. She kept her hands in place, but seemed to savor my admiration while I took in the narrow waist, the long muscles of her thighs, and the rippling bounce of her tits.Again, she spoke as she played with herself: “My nipples got really hard thinking about you pinching them, and I started playing with my clit because I was already so wet for you!”Looking down, I saw that she had two fingers extended and they were making tight circles at the base of her mound.“Sometimes, ” she resumed, “I put my fingers inside to get them wetter.” Her hand curled lower for a moment and then went back to lavishing attention on her most sensitive spot. “Is that what you would have done to me last night?”“God, yes!” I told her immediately. She smiled, but I wanted to raise the stakes a little more.“I would have started like that, Des, I wish I could have come upstairs and seen you naked like this! I would have kissed every inch of you and pinched your nipples and rubbed your clit exactly the way you’re doing it now!”“What else?” she asked in an urgent whisper, her back arching a bit and her eyes half-closed.“I would have pushed you back, though, so I could taste you,” I said.“Umm, I love that idea!” she assured me with a sexy smile.Her hand left her lap and she brought the two fingers she had been using to play with herself up to her lips. “I do that all the time!” she said happily before licking each finger individually. Then she sucked them both at once, slowly getting every trace of her juices off.As I stood beside the bed and watched this erotic display, my cock was achingly hard inside my jeans. I could think of nothing to say; my mind was gripped by the show in front of me, and I was fantasizing about those beautiful lips sucking me instead, and I was imagining the taste as well.Fortunately, Des kept things moving forward. “When I was thinking about what I wanted you to do to me last night,” she began, “you weren’t wearing all those clothes!”As quickly as I could, I unlaced my boots, shucked off my jeans and underwear, and whipped both sweater and T-shirt over my head. All this was hampered by the face that Des was naked in front of me and I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her!When I was as bare as she was, Desiree took the initiative again. Bracing her hands on the bedspread, she slipped her feet in front of her and moved them off the bed. Her legs parted even more as she scooted forward until her ass was just on the edge of the mattress. This position revealed her fully; wide-open thighs framed the neatly groomed, silky curls that covered her mound and along each side of her opening. Her earlier actions had turned her on, and her inner lips glistened with her arousal.“What were you going to do to me?” she asked enticingly.In a heartbeat, I fell to my knees on the soft rug beside her bed. My hands went to her inner thighs, pushing them wider apart while my thumbs did the same for her labia. Leaning in, I licked her from bottom to top, my tongue broad as I repeatedly lapped up her juices.Desiree groaned with pleasure, and her arms wrapped around my head, pulling me into her.“Oh, fuck!” she exclaimed. “Fuck me with your tongue!&rdquo

Send a textIs February 2026 the best month in Hallmark history? In today's episode of The Way to You Podcast, Eric and Andrea dive deep into two of the biggest releases of the month: the New York City subway romance "The Way to You" and the mystical mixology of "Because of Cupid."We break down why one of these films earned a rare 5-star rating and is already being called a "Hallmark Hall of Fame" contender, while the other left us wanting more "zany" energy despite its magical premise. Whether you're a fan of high-chemistry New York stories or you're curious if a magic love potion can actually save a movie, we've got the full breakdown.We also touch on our favorite past Valentine's Day classics, the "one-note" acting struggle in mystery series, and what's coming next for Aurora Teagarden.In this episode, you'll learn:Why "The Way to You" is the gold standard for modern Rom-Coms.Our honest critique of the chemistry and plot in "Because of Cupid".Which Hallmark leads are officially in the "Upper Echelon" of acting.A sneak peek at the future of Aurora Teagarden and Hannah Swensen mysteries.Subscribe for weekly Hallmark movie reviews, mystery breakdowns, and banter!Chapters00:00 – Intro: Is February Better Than January?01:54 – Big News: The Way Home Release Date Update03:12 – Movie Review 1: "The Way to You" (The 5-Star Masterpiece)06:14 – NYC as a Character: Subway Blackouts and Authentic Vibes10:10 – Why the Ending of "The Way to You" Actually Worked11:58 – Re-watching the Classics: The Secret Ingredient & Lost Valentine14:38 – The "Dash of Love" Debate: Does Popularity Equal Quality?16:45 – Movie Review 2: "Because of Cupid" (Love Potions & Mocktails)18:50 – Missed Opportunities: Why We Wanted More "Zany" Energy21:10 – The Highlight of the Film: Yoga Classes & Secondary Characters24:40 – Why Mocktails are the New Hallmark Trend27:54 – Looking Ahead: Aurora Teagarden: Haunted by Murder29:15 – The "One-Note" Acting Debate: Kim Matula vs. Candace Cameron Bure31:30 – Mystery Rumors: Is Curious Caterer Cancelled?33:57 – Wrap Up & Final Valentine's WishesFollow us on social media: Instagram and TikTok: @hallmarkmysteriesandmoreYoutubeOr visit our website. This podcast was created by fans for fans and is NOT affiliated with or sponsored by Hallmark or the Hallmark Channel.

In this episode of Do You Watch What I Watch?, we're recapping and reviewing Hallmark Channel's “Because of Cupid,” starring Evan Roderick and Amy Groening!From the playful premise to the romantic payoff, this movie delivered the kind of charm and chemistry that reminds us why we keep showing up for Hallmark in the first place.We break down:

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown for February 20, 2026. I'm Tim Walden, Communications Leader for the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Valentine's Day may have come and gone, but for some, Cupid's arrow was carrying more malware than magic. This week, we're talking about romance and relationship scams, the kind that start with sweet messages and end with broken hearts and empty bank accounts. Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/idtheftcenter/ Follow on X: twitter.com/IDTheftCenter

We know Valentines Day just passed. This Valentines we are breaking down what this day looks like for us, and what standards we have. Is being taken actually better? Or is being single more free? Is Valentines day for the girls?Xoxo,Suz & Ash

In this episode, I chat with you abobut some of my favorite Hallmark Channel Valentine's Day movies as well as give you my thoughts on the movies for March. Say hello: dearhallmark@gmail.com Youtube:https://youtube.com/@dearhallmark?si=o_vx3T2kEjMoqK7YI wrote a book!  "Chasing Wind": https://amzn.to/3IGUI6gDear Hallmark's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearhallmark/

Malta. A fortress carved from rock, surrounded by sea, ruled by warrior monks who pray at dawn and kill by noon.Caravaggio arrives to paint a portrait. He stays because he has no choice. The Grand Master offers sanctuary, admiration, and something neither man is prepared to name. The Captain at Arms offers suspicion, jealousy, and a locked door every night.Act Two is the cage. Beautiful. Suffocating. Holy.Caravaggio paints the Grand Master's portrait and captures more than armor and scars. He captures a man's loneliness. The Knights throw a feast in his honor. He dances on tables. He is knighted with a gold sword. He is watched from every window.Back in Rome, Cardinal Del Monte fights for a papal pardon while the Tomassoni brothers hire bounty hunters. The Pope dies. A new Pope rises. The Church still cannot decide what Caravaggio is worth.On the beach, the Turks attack. Knights are nailed to crosses and set on fire, floated into the harbor at dawn. Caravaggio picks up a sword for the first time. He gives water to a dying boy. The boy is killed in front of him.Flashbacks pull him back to Rome. To Lena. To the night Ranuccio came for him with a blade. To the moment that changed everything.He paints The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist on a chapel wall and signs his name in the blood flowing from the saint's neck. The only painting he ever signed.Then he paints a Cupid so grotesque it seals his fate.Act Two is devotion. Desire. Betrayal. The moment a man realizes that the sanctuary he was promised is just a prison with better art on the walls.The fuse is burning.CastDennis Kleinman · NarratorCraig Parker · CaravaggioDan Lauria · Cardinal Del MonteBruce Davison · Alof de WignacourtShaan Sharma · Stefano della CroceCatherine Lidstone · LenaSarah Elmaleh · MariaBrendan Bradley · Annibale CarracciNoah James · Ranuccio TomassoniJosh Sterling · Ottavio TomassoniZeke Alton · Giovan TomassoniNick Monteleone · ManciniMatt Curtin · ToppaBjorn Johnson · Pope Paul VRay Abruzzo · Pope Clement VIIIWritten byRichard VetereExecutive Produced byJack Levy, Shaan Sharma, and Mark KnellTable Read is a Manifest Media production.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Tuesday which means it's time for a new Hallmark movie review!ABOUT BECAUSE OF CUPIDFollows Naomi and Marcus, best friends and bartenders in Buffalo, New York, who enter a Valentine's Day mocktail contest to kickstart their dream business. After unknowingly adding a real love potion to their mocktail, they win the competition but spark chaos when judges-and Marcus-fall under its spell. As media attention grows, they race to find an antidote, questioning whether their own feelings are real. Ultimately, they discover their love is genuine, secure a career-making deal, and realize that the true magic was between them all along.AIR DATE & NETWORK FOR BECAUSE OF CUPIDFebruary 14, 2026 | HallmarkCAST & CREW OF BECAUSE OF CUPIDAmy Groening as NaomiEvan Roderick as MarcusAdam Tsekhman as HalBRAN'S MOVIE SYNOPSISMeet Naomi and Marcus - best friends and co-workers. They're working at this bar but the owner is getting ready to sell it. Naomi and Marcus really don't want it to. Naomi has a plan to save it - mocktails. One day, EJ Cortland comes in. He's a famous romantasy author but no one knows that he's a he. The owner is a big fan and they get to talking. They're hitting it off until suddenly they're not. We find out that Marcus is very cynical about love. But when Naomi walks away, he opens up to this guy about being in love with her. This guy turns out to be a tea boy. Naomi really wants to work tea into a mocktail so he invites them to come to a tasting. When they go to the tasting, the dude gives Marcus a vial of tea that he says will make someone fall in love. Marcus is like wtf. Dude is like it's like how ginger soothes the tummy. Fair enough, guy.There's this mocktail competition coming up that Marcus' rich uncle gets him and Naomi into.She decides to make a little something something that night and includes the cupid juice, which she doesn't know about. She gives the drink to a ton of people, including Marcus. When Marcus gets on stage and sings a love song to Naomi. He figures out what happens - he insists to Naomi that he was already in love with her. But they gotta go check on everyone else that got some of the drink. And they are WILDDDDLY in love.They go and they find the Cupid guy, "Hal". He is disappointed to find out that she didn't drink it, but he does give them the recipe to the antidote.It takes some time but they're able to figure out what the actual recipe. But they do, and they start giving it to everyone that drank the drink. Some of them fall right out of love, but some of them (who were really in love beforehand) stay in love.Naomi is really liking this new Marcus. She really doesn't want him to take the antidote. He is like I promise I've loved you.It's time for the competition AND THEY WIN!!!Speaking of winning, Marcus' uncle gets married - potion or no potion, my guy is in love. At the reception, Cupid is there and gives Marcus the antidote. It turns out....he wasn't under the spell of the potion at all. It takes two to tango.Naomi realizes she's in love with him too and sings him a love song too. He tells her that he hasn't been under a spell this entire time.And the good news keeps coming....their boss is basically giving them the bar. YAY! They celebrate by dancing and kissing. Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtubeInterested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode we're recapping the aftermath of Valentine's Day weekend — the gifts, the expectations, the romantic wins… and the hilarious relationship reality that hits the second the chocolate runs out.Then we head to the Winter Olympics where curling delivered unexpected drama with the now-infamous double-touch dust up. Yes, curling got spicy and we are absolutely here for it. We also dive into the absolutely unhinged sport of skeleton racing — because sliding head-first down an ice track at highway speeds feels like a totally reasonable life choice.And finally… what really happens after Valentine's Day? From leftover candy survival strategies to the great relationship “cool down” period, we're talking about the funny, relatable reality nobody posts on Instagram.Expect laughs, hot takes, and cozy couch vibes.Subscribe, like, and tell us: Did Valentine's Day meet expectations… or did it crash and burn?

Last November Nick and John introduced Dimitra Fimi, the magnificent maven of Tolkien Studies and Professor of Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow, to students of J. K. Rowling's work. In that discussion, ‘Reading Rowling as Myth Maker and Myth Re-Writer: A Conversation with Dr Dimitra Fimi,' she shared her thoughts about Rowling's creative use of mythology in Harry Potter but especially in the Cormoran Strike series.The Hogwarts Professor team asked her to join us again because of Rowling's yuletide charm bracelet gift to Strike fandom and the recent announcement of the Strike 9 title, Sleep Tight, Evangeline. Her insights about the Longfellow poem as a possible even likely source of the next book's epigraphs are engaging, but it is her expertise in the arcane area of miniature books as well as mythology and the light each shines on the two items attached to the last link of the charm bracelet that open up exciting possibilities.Her idea is that the Psalter on the ninth link of the charm bracelet may actually be, unlike the other tokens on the bracelet's nine links, an object that will play a part in the story, a miniature book. It turns out that one inch high books were something of an industry as curios in the 19th and early 20th century, a means of demonstrating technological mastery.Dr Fimi discussed several projects she has been a part of in conjunctions with nano-technologists and the librarians at the University of Glasgow's special collections division. The one that has the most obvious link to English literature is the ‘Tiny Alice project,' a contemporary effort to minituarize Lewis Carroll's Alice stories to unfathomable minuteness:The Tiny Alice Project has produced one of the world's smallest books: a tiny reproduction of Lewis Carroll's children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). All 78 pages and 26,764 words of the story have been transposed on to a tiny silicon chip, with each page just the width of a human hair (60 microns). Each individual letter is just two microns high, and made from pure gold!Click on the icons below to find out more about the project, the technology behind it, and Lewis Carroll and his interest in the minuscule. Via the tabs above you can also discover the long tradition of miniature books, and teaching resources.Clip: Twixter link to tweet aboveYou can read Dr Fimi's write-up of ‘Tiny Alice' and the Miniature Book exhibition she curated at the University of Glasgow to highlight their special collection of these treasures at her 2019 blog post about them. Pictures that include annotated miniature books — copies in which their owners made notes in the miniscule margins of the printed pages — can be seen here.Later this week, Nick will be sharing his thoughts on Robert Browning's The Ring and the Book as the Ironbridge Murder story's template within Hallmarked Man, John, Nick, Sandy Hope, and Ed Shardlow will be parsing the ring within Strike8's Part Seven, and more about Longfellow's Evangeline — stay tuned!The Ten Questions Guiding Today's Conversation with Dr Fimi with the Necessary Links for Fun Follow-Up:(Intro) So everything Serious Strikers are thinking and talking about this month made me think of you, Dimitra, and to write you hat-in-hand with an invitation for your return to HogwartsProfessor to share your perspective, knowledge, and first impressions. Thank you for making time to join us!1. (John) Jumping right in, then, two of the charms on the Strike9 or ‘Evangeline' bracelet are Fimi areas of unique expertise: the Psalter and the Head of Persephone. I had urged readers to read your Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy at A Kind of Elvish Craft: The Dimitra Fimi Substack Site in the links after our conversation here last November but I confess to being surprised still when you asked for the dimensions of the Psalter charm after Nick and I posted our thoughts on the subject. For those who haven't read your ‘Miniature Books' post, please share how one of the world authorities on the writing of J. R. R. Tolkien became interested in the smallest of texts, the ‘Little Books' of 19th century printing.2. (Nick) So you asked for the dimensions of the Psalter, you weren't thinking as we were that the Psalter charms would be a box holding a folded up paper with a psalm, maybe two, inside it. You're thinking it might actually be a complete Coverdale Psalter? Is that possible?3. (John) What Nick and I hope to contribute to the nascent field of Rowling Studies, as you know, is a refocusing of the scholarship and the serious reader attention about her work on to her Lake Springs -- the biographical part of story inspiration -- her Shed Tools or intentional artistry, and the Golden Threads, the plot points and themes that run throughout her work, i.e., to bring Rowling Studies more in line with all literary scholarship about notable authors, living and dead.One of the Golden Threads we talked about in our Kanreki series last summer was the ‘Embedded Text,' the books inside a book topos that is in almost every book Rowling writes (Kanreki Golden Thread posts one and two). Detective fiction is always about an embedded text, the narrative ‘written' by the criminal to prevent the detective from reading the real story of what happened and Rowling-Galbraith often makes this narrative an actual book (Dumbledore Chocolate Frog Card, Tales of Beedle the Bard, Bombyx Mori, Talbot's ‘True Book,' The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus, etc.). How do you think a Psalter miniaturized book would appear in a Strike novel?4. (Nick) Has an author used a miniaturized book before in this way? Were there 19th Century Psalters that people wore as talismans or carried as the original Pocket Books?5. (John) And what about the Head of Persephone charm on that bracelet? It's on the ninth and last link, paired with that Psalter. You shared your first thought about the Persephone charm, a hopeful note, on the comment thread here. As our go-to authority on Greek mythology, I'm dying to know more of your thinking about (a) the specific charm and its relation to the Cupid and Psyche myth-template to the Strike series, (b) its pairing with the Psalter, and (c) its position as the last charm on the bracelet. Do you still think it's a sign that Robin will survive Sleep Tight, Evangeline?6. (Nick) As someone immersed in mythological studies and more than familiar with Rowling's use of myth, do you think the Jungian interpretation of that myth as the ‘actualization of feminine identity' is a better lens through which to read that embedded text or is the Spenserian lens of Eros/Anteros, False Cupid and Cupid more helpful? Or is this not a case of Either/Or but Both/And? Valentines Day Special7. (John) Rowling is a close reader and admirer of J. R. R. Tolkien, though that is more evident in the clear pointers to his work in her own work than from her interviews. How does her use of myth contrast with that of Tolkien and Lewis? (See John's 2008 post about Rowling's debts to Tolkien and the two part podcast with Tolkien scholars and Rowling Readers Dr Amy H Sturgis and Dr Sara Brown here and here for more on that influence.)8. (Nick) In an in-person meeting with UK Serious Strikers last week, Rowling shared with them and later via X with everyone the title of the ninth Strike novel, Sleep Tight, Evangeline. We're pretty sure that title refers to a song by an American Blues group called ‘The Whiskey Shambles' (story of the hunt, why Whiskey Shambles is a good bet). There is a famous poem, though, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called ‘Evangeline,' one perhaps not as famous as ‘Aurora Leigh' or ‘The Ring and the Book,' other texts Rowling may have used as back-drops to her novels, but still another poem very famous in its own time akin to those epics. Is its subject matter as good a match-up with the possible direction of Sleep Tight as the Victorian poetry back-drop is with other Rowling models?9. (John) You're a native Greek speaker; what does ‘Evangeline' mean in Greek? Is it a common name in Greece or is it a ‘Virtue Name' in the Puritan tradition of grace-filled names (cf., Credence Barebone is probably a reference to an Englishman named “Praise-God Barebone, whose son Nicholas may have been given the name If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned[3]“).10. (Nick) Don't leave before trying to tie together the pieces of this conversation! Is there a thread joining the Psalter, the Head of Persephone, miniaturized books, and the title Sleep Tight, Evangeline?Dimitra Fimi is Professor of Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow and Co-Director of the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic. Her Tolkien, Race and Cultural History won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies and she co-edited the critical edition of A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages which won the Tolkien Society Award for Best Book. Her Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children's Fantasy won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies. Other work includes co-editing Sub-creating Arda: World-building in J.R.R. Tolkien's Work, its Precursors and its Legacies and Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy. She has contributed articles for the TLS and The Conversation, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.When the rightly famous and beloved ‘The Great Courses' series decided to offer a Lord of the Rings entry for their catalog of the very best in scholarship for adult-learners, they asked Dimitra Fimi to create ‘The World of J. R. R. Tolkien,' one of their most popular courses and one you can enjoy in an Audible edition.Links Promised in Conversation:A Kind of Elvish Craft: The Dimitra Fimi Substack Site* Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy* Parabasis: A Tribute to Dionysis Stavvopoulos* On Tolkien's Letter 131 (4): “Romance” vs. ScienceDimitra Fimi articles at ‘The Conversation'* After 150 years, we still haven't solved the puzzle of Alice in Wonderland (2015) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Cousin Brucie and singer Tony Orlando celebrate Valentine's Day by sharing stories of romance, family, and lifelong friendship. Their conversation highlights the unique cultural identity of New York, specifically through a humorous debate over why the city's water makes its pizza and deli food superior to that of California or London. Orlando discusses his holiday traditions and the personal significance of his hit cover of "Cupid," which he dedicates to the host and all long-term couples.

Fluent Fiction - Italian: Cupid's Mishap: How a Valentine's Gaffe Sparked Romance Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/it/episode/2026-02-15-08-38-20-it Story Transcript:It: Nell'ufficio aziendale di una grande società a Milano, l'aria era piena di tensione e eccitazione.En: In the company office of a large corporation in Milano, the air was filled with tension and excitement.It: Era il giorno di San Valentino e, nonostante il freddo invernale, il profumo di cioccolatini e rose riempiva l'ambiente.En: It was Valentine's Day and, despite the winter cold, the scent of chocolates and roses filled the environment.It: Alessio, un giovane impiegato un po' goffo ma sveglio, sedeva alla sua scrivania.En: Alessio, a somewhat awkward but sharp young employee, sat at his desk.It: Il rumore delle tastiere lo distraeva mentre si perddeva nei suoi pensieri su Gianna, la sua collega di cui aveva una cotta segreta.En: The sound of keyboards distracted him as he got lost in his thoughts about Gianna, his colleague on whom he had a secret crush.It: Alessio aveva preparato un biglietto romantico per Gianna, sperando di farle sapere i suoi sentimenti in modo discreto.En: Alessio had prepared a romantic card for Gianna, hoping to let her know his feelings in a discreet way.It: Ma, distratto e nervoso, commise un terribile errore.En: But, distracted and nervous, he made a terrible mistake.It: Invece di inviare il biglietto solo a Gianna, lo inviò per errore a tutta l'azienda.En: Instead of sending the card only to Gianna, he accidentally sent it to the entire company.It: "Oh no!"En: "Oh no!"It: esclamò Alessio, vedendo la notifica sullo schermo del suo computer.En: exclaimed Alessio, seeing the notification on his computer screen.It: Il rumore dell'ufficio si fermò per un attimo mentre tutti leggevano il biglietto.En: The noise in the office paused for a moment as everyone read the card.It: Le guance di Alessio erano rosse dall'imbarazzo.En: Alessio's cheeks were red with embarrassment.It: Tutti iniziarono a bisbigliare e guardarlo con sorrisi divertiti.En: Everyone started whispering and looking at him with amused smiles.It: "Cosa devo fare adesso?"En: "What should I do now?"It: pensò Alessio, in preda al panico.En: thought Alessio, in a panic.It: Il capo, Lorenzo, convocò una riunione straordinaria.En: The boss, Lorenzo, called an extraordinary meeting.It: Alessio capì che era il momento di affrontare la situazione.En: Alessio realized it was time to face the situation.It: Durante la riunione, Alessio si alzò.En: During the meeting, Alessio stood up.It: Con un sorriso nervoso, disse: "Cari colleghi, credo che tutti abbiate ricevuto una mia... corrispondenza speciale.En: With a nervous smile, he said, "Dear colleagues, I believe you all received some of my... special correspondence.It: Non era il mio intento pubblicare i miei sentimenti in questo modo."En: It wasn't my intention to publish my feelings in this way."It: La sala scoppiò in una risata collettiva.En: The room burst into collective laughter.It: Alessio continuò, approfittando del momento: "Sapete, l'amore a volte ci fa compiere gesti folli.En: Alessio continued, taking advantage of the moment: "You know, love sometimes makes us do crazy things.It: Volevo solo dire che, se non vi dispiace, stasera, vorrei invitare Gianna a cena.En: I just wanted to say that, if you don't mind, this evening, I'd like to invite Gianna to dinner.It: Accetti, Gianna?"En: Will you accept, Gianna?"It: chiese, finalmente guardandola negli occhi.En: he asked, finally looking her in the eyes.It: Gianna era sorpresa, ma colpita dalla sincerità di Alessio.En: Gianna was surprised but touched by Alessio's sincerity.It: Gli sorrise e rispose con gioia: "Sì, Alessio, mi piacerebbe molto."En: She smiled at him and joyfully replied, "Yes, Alessio, I would love to."It: L'ufficio esplose in un applauso e tutti si congratularono con Alessio per il suo coraggio.En: The office erupted in applause, and everyone congratulated Alessio on his courage.It: La giornata di San Valentino, che poteva trasformarsi in un disastro, era invece diventata un ricordo prezioso per Alessio.En: Valentine's Day, which could have turned into a disaster, instead became a cherished memory for Alessio.It: Aveva imparato che l'onestà e l'umorismo possono trasformare anche le situazioni più imbarazzanti in qualcosa di bello.En: He had learned that honesty and humor can turn even the most embarrassing situations into something beautiful.It: Da quel giorno, Alessio camminava per l'ufficio con più fiducia, consapevole che mostrare il vero sé non era solo liberatorio, ma anche incredibilmente attraente.En: From that day on, Alessio walked around the office with more confidence, aware that showing his true self was not only liberating but also incredibly attractive. Vocabulary Words:tension: la tensioneexcitement: l'eccitazionewinter: l'invernalescent: il profumoenvironment: l'ambienteawkward: goffosharp: svegliokeyboard: la tastierathoughts: i pensierisecret crush: la cotta segretadiscreet: discretomistake: l'errorenotification: la notificared: rosseembarrassment: l'imbarazzowhispering: bisbigliareamused smiles: i sorrisi divertitipanic: il panicoextraordinary meeting: la riunione straordinariacollective laughter: la risata collettivaadvantage: il vantaggiocrazy things: i gesti follicourage: il coraggiodisaster: il disastrocherished memory: il ricordo preziosohonesty: l'onestàhumor: l'umorismoembarrassing situations: le situazioni imbarazzanticonfidence: la fiduciaincredibly attractive: incredibilmente attraente

Cupid hit me with a fist this year… and honestly? I liked it.

Episode 776: February 14, 2026 playlist: Laibach, "Allgorhythm (feat. Wiyaala)" (Musick) 2026 Mute Drop Nineteens, "Fools" (Fools) 2025 Wharf Cat Pan American, "Death Cleaning" (Fly the Ocean in a Silver Plane) 2026 Kranky Insides, "Nobody Could Love You more" (Nobody Could Love You more) 2026 [self-released] Dizzy Fae, "Cupid's Call" (Cupid's Call) 2026 Pulse Kim Gordon, "Not Today" (Play Me) 2026 Matador Greater Than One, "Control Freak" (Groove Is In The Dark) 2026 Dataflow Yin Yin, "Lecker Song" (Yatta!) 2026 Glitterbeat Eli Keszler, "When I Sleep (Tim Hecker Remix)" (Eli Keszler Remixes) 2025 Lucky Me Tommy Peltier, "Flight of the Dancer" (Echo Park (The 70's Sessions)) 2026 Drag City K.A. Posse, "Imported Taste" (Strikes Again) 2026 Dark Entries Klein, "rich dad poor dad" (sleep with a cane) 2025 [self-released] Adey Omotade, "Oori : Ogbe" (Eero : Eecu) 2026 Afrosynth Joshua Abrams, "Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation (brief immersion)" (Music for Pulse Meridian Foliation) 2026 Drag City Email podcast at brainwashed dot com to say who you are; what you like; what you want to hear; share pictures for the podcast of where you're from, your computer or MP3 player with or without the Brainwashed Podcast Playing; and win free music! We have no tracking information, no idea who's listening to these things so the more feedback that comes in, the more frequent podcasts will come. You will not be put on any spam list and your information will remain completely private and not farmed out to a third party. Thanks for your attention and thanks for listening.

Today Rachel talks actress Amy Groening about her career and new movie Because of Cupid Follow Amy https://www.instagram.com/amy.groening/?hl=en Send us your feedback at feedback@hallmarkiespodcast.com or the twitter call +1 (801) 855-6407 Check out the merch store and get our #hashtag shirts! https://hallmarkies.dashery.com/ Please support the podcast on patreon at https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies Follow us on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hallmarkies-podcast/id1296728288?mt=2 https://twitter.com/HallmarkiesPod on twitter @HallmarkiesPodcast on Instagram Check out our website HallmarkiesPodcast.com Follow Rachel's blog at http://rachelsreviews.net Follow Rachel on twitter twitter.com/rachel_reviews Follow Rachel's Reviews on youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/rachelsreviews Follow Rachel on facebook www.facebook.com/smilingldsgirlreviews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the Handsome Fathers Podcast, we're officially declaring Valentine's Day what it really is…National Cupid Expense Day.You know the drill. Yesterday, a dozen beautiful roses were $21. Fresh, romantic, reasonable. Overnight? BOOM. Same roses, same water, same thorns… now they're $75 like they were grown on the moon and delivered by Cupid with overnight shipping.Balloons? $45. Cards? $15 for folded paper and emotional pressure. Chocolate? Somehow flirting with $30 just because it's shaped like a heart instead of a rectangle.And restaurants… oh, the restaurants.Suddenly they've got these mysterious “limited reservations.” “Oh sorry, we only have a 9:40 PM slot left… special Valentine's menu… $98 per person.”Sir. Yesterday I could walk in wearing sweatpants and get a table in six minutes. Today I need to book like I'm trying to see a championship fight?Let's be honest. Nothing changed except the calendar… and everybody's price tag caught feelings.So today's episode is a funny, real, confident breakdown of how the world collectively agreed to raise prices for 24 hours straight… and how every one of us still walks into that store like:“Yep… I guess love costs $75 this year.”We're laughing about it, calling it out, and keeping it real about relationships, effort, and why the best Valentine's moments usually aren't the expensive ones anyway.If you've ever stared at a flower display and whispered, “These were cheaper yesterday…” If you've ever panic-bought chocolate at the last minute… If you've ever questioned whether restaurants invented fake reservation scarcity…This episode is for you.Tap in, laugh with us, and welcome to National Cupid Expense Day — only on the Handsome Fathers Podcast.

Scardi + Travie 4 Evr // listen to a long awaited visited from friend-of-the-pod Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes to talk Cupid's Chokehold, 20 years of As Cruel as School Children, and working with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump PLUS: Hear MOONSHININ', the newest from Gym Class Heroes at the end of the episode!

Mythos & Logos are two ancient words that can be roughly translated as “Story & Meaning."Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/mythosandlogosThere were too many art credits to fit in this description, but you can view them all in the description on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uL3wYie6h3w

Cupid needs our help with a Valentine’s Day emergency! The woman on the phone says they were KICKED OUT of a restaurant on their date but she insists it was one of the best meetups she’s ever had.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cupid needs our help with a Valentine’s Day emergency! The woman on the phone says they were KICKED OUT of a restaurant on their date but she insists it was one of the best meetups she’s ever had.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The "We Hate Uncle Lewis Club" is back in session for another deep dive into FRIDAY THE 13TH THE SERIES as we discuss "Cupid's Quiver".Love is in the air, and so is murder, because a disturbed college student has gotten his hands on a cursed Cupid statue with the power to make women love him...to death.You can expect-Forty-year-old college students!Unsexy sex scenes!Lasers!Bee Bombs!Wild Wiggery!Updates From Hawaii!!Snarky Yet Wise Commentary From Maya, Trae and Patrick!CUPID's QUIVER is currently available on YouTube.www.screamqueenz.comFollow us on InstagramJoin our YouTube ChannelTheme song: SINISTER (Darkwave Remix) by SAM HAYNESLogo by KASEY LOMAN from EVIL GOODS DESIGNMentioned in this episode:Network Plug with musicThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Al and Gemini are at Ellis Island, the longtime locally-owned value-forward casino, hotel and restaurant complex just east of The Strip. Owner Christina Ellis shows off the new rooftop deck - known for a few more days as "Cupid's Deck." We also talk to Barbara Valle about the new tiki bar at Excalibur, get the lowdown on the new burgers offered by Naked City Pizza, and preview two big Lunar New Year events at Hakkasan and China Poblano. And, as usual, The Happy Report and lots of restaurant visits.     

This Spring at Grace, we are reading Till We Have Faces, the final — and, according to Mark, best — novel by C. S. Lewis. In this episode, Mark shares with Cameron some of his tips for reading the novel, short cuts that should help readers pick up on the deeper layers. The most important of these is understanding what Lewis meant by saying that Christianity was a myth that had become fact. His short essay “Myth Became Fact,” collected in God in the Dock, unfurls a fascinating conception of myth as the isthmus between abstractions and the concrete … and it helps explain how Lewis adapts and transforms the myth of Cupid and Psyche in his novel. Myth Became Fact, by C. S. LewisTHE COMMENTARY is an in-depth conversation about vision, worship, and life at Grace Presbyterian Church.Subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Send a textHappy Valentine's Eve, Freshies ❤️This week on The Fresh Bunch, News Anchor Mimi is back reporting live from Jet Fresh Cash & Carry, chatting with local Miami floral pros about the real story behind Valentine's Day. We're talking about how V-Day steals birthday thunder for florists, why burgundies and darker, moodier tones are dominating this year's designs, and how to to work with the VIP Choco Wax Roses from Jet Fresh Growers.  We also get into the surprising truth: most florists love Mother's Day way more than Valentine's. (Sorry, Cupid.)Head Coach Mike opens up in a full-on Valentine therapy session, sharing his honest feelings about the floral holiday — the pressure, the gratitude, and the sweet relief of February 15th. No jokes this week… just appreciation for the customers, the team, and making it through one of the biggest days in flowers.It's real, it's reflective, and it's all love from the Fresh Bunch.See you on the other side of Valentine's 

Valentine's Day. It's a time of exaggerated displays of affection, of wining and dining, a chance to reignite the passion that maybe got obscured by parental duties. Cupid's holiday can serve as a bitter reminder of the single life or be a gentle nudge to appreciate the ones we love. Valentine's Day usually doesn't involve reporting someone missing. On February 14th, 2007 Michigan father of two Stephen Grant filed a missing person's report for his wife Tara. Tara Grant, a successful businesswoman who traveled weekly for work, left their house one night in a dark sedan. She was never seen or heard from again. Subscribe to Jami's YouTube channel @JamiOnAir: https://www.youtube.com/@jamionair Follow Jami @JamiOnAir on Instagram and TikTok. Sponsors Shopify: Visit shopify.com/murderish to sign up for a $1/month trial. HelloFresh: Visit hellofresh.com/murderish10fm for 10 free meals + a free Zwilling Knife on your 3rd box. Dirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime - Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-money-moves-women-in-white-collar-crime/id1619521092. Research and writing by: Alison Schwartz. Want to advertise on this show? We've partnered with Cloud10 Media to handle our advertising requests. If you're interested in advertising on MURDERISH, please send an email to Sahiba Krieger sahiba@cloud10.fm and copy jami@murderish.com. Visit Murderish.com to learn more about the podcast and Creator/Host, Jami, and to view a list of sources for this episode. Listening to this podcast doesn't make you a murderer, it just means you're murder..ish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the dudes for their annual Valentine's Day special: Forgive or Forget – the ultimate fantasy heartbreak therapy session! We're diving deep into players who ghosted us last season (busts, injuries, total flops) and deciding once and for all: Do we forgive them and give 'em a second chance in drafts... or forget 'em forever and move on to hotter options? It's redemption arcs, tough love, and no mercy debates – perfect for Cupid's draft prep!But first... Seth's still riding that high from the Seahawks' dominant Super Bowl LX victory over the Patriots (29-13 champs, baby!  Kenneth Walker MVP vibes all around). Expect some parade-fresh bragging, confetti stories, and why Seattle's looking unstoppable heading into 2026.Plus:Fan mail answers – your questions on sleepers, busts, draft strategy, and wild takesHot NFL offseason talk, free agency buzz, and early 2026 fantasy outlooksAnd to cap off the Valentine's vibes, the dudes build their Rom-Coms Mount Rushmore – the definitive top 4 romantic comedies of all time! Expect heated debates, classic picks (think Pretty Woman, When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill?), guilty pleasures, and why certain ones deserve to be immortalized on the mountain. Who's getting carved in stone, and who's getting left off? It's the perfect feel-good (or controversial) wind-down after all that fantasy heartbreak.Whether you're team "Forgive" or team "Forget," grab your tissues (or champagne for Seth), hit play, and let's settle these fantasy exes once and for all. Drop your own forgive/forget picks – or your Rom-Com Mount Rushmore lineup – in the comments; we might shout 'em out next time!Connect with the Showhttps://x.com/TFFDudes https://www.instagram.com/tffdudes/Watch the Dudes on Youtube athttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2JAx3YD3P-OJRiaqA7wSQwQuestions for the showtffdudes@gmail.com Watch the Dudes on Youtube athttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2JAx3YD3P-OJRiaqA7wSQw Sponsors Trophy Smackwww.trophysmack.com/dudes Sleeper www.sleeper.comDudes100 and they will match you $100

We deliver the "Project Cupid" valentines that students made to several senior living facilities across our community.

McGillin's Olde Ale House isn't just the oldest bar in the city; it may also be Cupid's most frequented watering hole. With Valentine's Day this weekend, we're listening back to a conversation between host Trenae Nuri and Chris Mullins, the bar's owner, about hundreds of couples who found love at the ale house. They also talk about the “Love Letters Book,” which lists the signatures of couples who met at the bar. Plus, we included some meet-cute stories from three of those happy couples to get you in the mood for love's biggest weekend. This episode originally aired on February 11th, 2025. Our newsletter has Philly news & events in your inbox every weekday morning. Call or text us: 215-259-8170 Instagram: @citycastphilly Support our show and get great perks as a City Cast Philly Neighbor: membership.citycast.fm Advertise on the podcast or in the newsletter: citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: South by Southwest - Unlock a 10% discount on your Innovation Badge when you use code citycast10 

The true origin of Cupid, a story that makes Romeo and Juliet look like a happy ending, and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. These are just some of the creepy stories that author Tim Rayborn shares with us on this special Valentine's edition of The Paranormal Podcast. You can find his book, The Scary Book of Valentine's Day Lore: 50 Terrifying Tales of Romance from Around the World, on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Zwyu1n -- This post contains Amazon affiliate links that benefit Jim Harold Media when you make a qualifying purchase. Thank you for your support! --NEWSLETTERGet Jim's weekly free newsletter and a free Campfire ebook at the same time. Go here: https://jim-harold.kit.com/campfire-ebook VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE GROUPJoin our FREE online community at ⁠https://virtualcampfiregroup.com⁠ EVENTSHope to see you soon at one of Jim's live events: https://jimharold.com/events YOUTUBE CHANNELBe sure to subscribe to Jim's YouTube channel at: ⁠https://youtube.com/jimharold⁠ JOIN JIM'S SPOOKY STUDIO PLUS CLUBYou can get access to Jim's entire back catalog of Campfire and a TON of exclusive content with the Spooky Studio Plus Club. Go to https://⁠jimharold.com/plus⁠ and signup to support the show and get access to our MASSIVE library of content! MERCHGo to ⁠https://jimharold.com/merch⁠ to get your Jim Harold T's, sweatshirts, mugs, hats and more! BOOKSGet all SIX of Jim's Campfire books here: https://jimharold.com/campfirebooks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've ever wondered what happens when a daily comedy show accidentally stumbles into bowling ownership, Valentine's Day ethics, and a Pokémon scandal in the same morning… congratulations. You found your people.Today's episode kicks off with a major announcement: Moon Valjean is now the proud owner of Pin-Up Bowl in The Loop. That's right. Our own Moon — musician, radio host, professional vibe curator — now owns 73 bowling balls and possibly a dream. We talk leagues, Pete Weber tributes, pre- and post-Pageant party domination, and whether Rizz will immediately break something in the back mechanical room. (He will.)Then we dive headfirst into Valentine's Day drama. Rafe casually admits he made THREE dinner reservations “just in case,” which spirals into a full breakdown of modern dating strategy. Is that romantic preparedness or Cupid-level chaos? Meanwhile, we debate whether you break up before Valentine's Day or fake it through dessert like an emotional stunt double. Tough love was served hotter than a Longhorn ribeye.Speaking of Longhorn… a dad goes viral bragging that his son told his date to “get the tip” after he paid for dinner. The result? No tip. No second date. Just a waitress caught in the crossfire of a weird morality lesson. The crew does not hold back on this one. Spoiler alert: Rizz is Team Waitress.Oh, and yes — apparently there was a PokéStop on Epstein Island. We unpack how that even happens, how PokéStops work, and how the internet manages to make everything weirder than it already is.We also hit: • Britney vs Bieber catalog money debate • Nelson Mandela, Buster Douglas, and accidental Cheney history • Bands ditching talent agencies post-Epstein files • A Clownspiracy involving Orville Peck and Clownvis • And the ongoing saga of King Scott dressing like Austin Powers in publicIt's your favorite daily comedy show doing what we do best: taking real headlines, real life, and real awkwardness and turning it into something you can laugh at on your commute (worth $8,158 annually, apparently).If you're into pop culture chaos, sarcastic humor, St. Louis energy, and a group of friends who probably overshare for a living, this daily comedy show is your safe place.Follow The Rizzuto Show → linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online → 1057thepoint.com/RizzShow.Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO.Olympian Sturla Holm Lægreid Holds Back Tears as He Admits to Affair in Live TV Interview After Medal WinPokémon Go Players Kept Swarming The Epstein Island Pokéstop, Forcing Devs To Remove ItFormer substitute teacher accused of sexual relationship with minorMissouri lawmakers propose easing vehicle inspection rulesToyota recalls 141K vehicles over doors that could open while driving4 people have died from eating death cap mushrooms as they spread in California after rainsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy Valentines Day! The boys spend the episode answering your questions and listening to your stories about love, sex, and relationships.

AB went the extra mile to make "Project Cupid" even more special for one nursing home resident.

This week, step into the smooth and shadowy groove of the Scary Spirits Podcast as we serenade the season of love—with a twist. Karen and Greg pour their hearts (and a little something stronger) into a spirited review of the 2020 horror film “Cupid.” Like a love song gone wrong, this episode blends romance and chills as our hosts unpack the film's dark take on affection, revenge, and supernatural mischief. And to keep the mood just right, they're sipping on a Valentine's‑themed “Broken Heart Cocktail”—a drink as sweet, soulful, and haunting as the story itself. If you're searching for the perfect mix of Valentine's Day horror, movie reviews, and creative cocktail inspiration, this episode hits all the right notes. Tune in, kick back, and let the conversation drift over you like a classic melody—smooth, warm, and just a little bit wicked. Broken Heart Cocktail • 2 parts Broken Shed vodka• 1 part pomegranate and/or cranberry juice• 1/2 to 1 part Triple Sec or Cointreau Instructions: Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Add pomegranate seeds and/or cranberries for decoration. Source: spiritsreview.com A Brief Synopsis: After being horrendously embarrassed by girls at school, a witch summons an evil entity to exact revenge on everyone who’s wronged her. Some of the topics discussed and highlights of this episode include: Karen tells us the story of Cupid and Psyche. We learn a little bit about love spells. Greg works in an Iron Maiden reference. Our rating of the film: This movie was so bad that it took us 4 cocktails to get through it. Take our online survey! We want to know more about you! Please take our survey. All questions are optional and you can remain completely anonymous if you prefer. Tell us what you like or would like to hear more of! All music on the Scary Spirits Podcast is provided by the band “Verse 13”. Please check them out. You can listen to all their music on their Bandcamp page. Get social with us! Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram Subscribe on YouTube to watch Greg attempt to make all the featured cocktails Follow @ScarySpiritsPod Questions, comments or suggestions? Shoot us an email at info@scaryspirits.com As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small percentage of qualifying purchases through our links.

In this episode, Alyssa and Mandi play matchmaker with Disney characters! We hope you will grab your Cupid's bow and arrow and join us!Send us a message by clicking here. We may read or respond to it in a future episode!Support the show

What is that in the air? Could it be… love? HA! Bet you thought we'd say death! Today we recognize Valentine's Day by looking at the origins of Valentine's Day, including the grizzly execution of its namesake Saint Valentine. Sorry, we can't help ourselves, but we do what we love! We also take a look at the lost (and frankly much cooler sounding) Pagan version of the holiday known as Lupercalia with its ample displays of debauchery. Plus we take a gander at Valentine's Day mascot Cupid, that lovable cherub scamp that spreads love by shooting people with arrows; the epic poem that tied the concept of love with the death of a martyred saint; and how St. Valentine (amongst others) is the Patron Saint of Epilepsy. Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is here, so snuggle up to that special someone, read them the entirety of Geoffrey Chaucer's “The Parliament of Fowls,” and most importantly, listen in, Land of the Living!Links for today's episode:Origins of Valentine's Dayhttps://www.history.com/articles/valentines-day-originLupercaliahttps://www.history.com/articles/lupercaliaWho is Cupid?https://www.history.com/articles/who-is-cupidTranslation of Geoffrey Chaucer's “The Parliament of Fowls”https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/English/Fowls.phpSt. Valentines and Others: The Patron Saints of Epilepsyhttps://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/st-valentine-and-others-patron-saints-of-epilepsy#deathiseverything #DeathIsEverythingPodcast  #DIEwithMarianne #DIEwithMarianneandChris #DIEwithMCA #deathinpsiration #deathpodcast #LApodcast #takingchances #landoftheliving #ValentinesDay #StValentine #holidays #Lupercalia #cupid #loveThanks for listening, Land of the Living! Subscribe, and follow us on Instagram @die.podcast  for updates! Check out deathiseverything.com for merchandise, our mailing list, and more!

Cupid called to say Pay Attention It’s the month of love, so we’re going beyond flowers and chocolate into the real heart of marriage: emotional intimacy. Julie and Jim unpack why connection matters — plus the live case study where Jim proves selective hearing is alive and well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This month on Scream Queens Horror Road Trip Podcast, we're sharpening our Cupid's arrows and revisiting the glossy, early-2000s slasher Valentine (2001) while cruising down to Fredericksburg, Texas for a fabulous PALentine weekend in wine country.Between dissecting suspicious love letters, chaotic dance scenes, and that killer cherub mask, we sip our way through vineyards, snack on incredible food, browse the cutest shops, and fully commit to hot tub time (because what's a slasher discussion without bubbles?).And yes… we even locked eyes with a RHINO at The Rhinory. Romance isn't dead — it just has a horn.Grab your besties, pour a glass, and watch your back this Valentine's season.

Who was Saint Valentine? Who is Cupid? Why do people give chocolate on Valentine's Day? Have you started your FREE TRIAL of Who Smarted?+ for AD FREE listening, an EXTRA episode every week & bonus content? Sign up right in the Apple app, or directly at WhoSmarted.com and find out why more than 1,000 families are LOVING their subscription! Get official Who Smarted? Merch: tee-shirts, mugs, hoodies and more, at Who Smarted?

On an all-new panel episode of Bad Dates, host Joel Kim Booster welcomes comedians Jazmyn W, Fiona Cauley, and Fumi Abe to discuss their most iconic dating fiascos. First he'll ask the group "what is one thing you should never do on Valentine's Day?" Then, Jazmyn is on a date with the mayor of a bar where everybody knows his name, Fiona senses things are about to get spooky at this suburban Chili's, and Fumi meets a model who takes his digits. Well, one digit, into her mouth.  Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for full episodes. Merch available at SiriusXMStore.com/BadDates. Joel Kim Booster: Psychosexual, Fire Island, Loot Season 3Jazmyn W: @jazmynw on socials, new podcast Quit Playin' with Jazmyn and Amber, check socials for upcoming tour datesFiona Cauley: @fionacauley on Insta, fionacauley.com for tour dates, podcast Rampin' UpFumi Abe: @thefumiabe on socials for tour dates Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Bad Dates ad-free. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's February and it's time for LOVEUARY! Here are the movies:The Way to YouPremieres: Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. ETNetwork: Hallmark ChannelStarring: Kim Matula, Aaron O'ConnellNew Yorkers Emma (Matula) and Conrad (O'Connell) agree to help each other track down missed connections after a subway blackout. Their search could lead to love—but not where either of them expects to find it.Because of CupidPremieres: Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ETNetwork: Hallmark ChannelStarring: Amy Groening, Evan RoderickBest friends Naomi (Groening) and Marcus (Roderick) enter a Valentine's Day mocktail competition. Things go hilariously wrong when Cupid interferes with a love potion—affecting Marcus and several of their friends.The Star Between UsPremieres: Saturday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. ETNetwork: Hallmark ChannelStarring: Sarah Drew, Matt LongSeven years ago, Kim (Drew) shared a mysterious connection with a stranger during a solar eclipse. Now a budding news reporter, she returns to Illinois for another eclipse—unaware that fate may bring them together once again.Romance at Hope RanchPremieres: Saturday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. ETNetwork: Hallmark ChannelStarring: Alison Sweeney, Gabriel HoganHope Morgan (Sweeney) begins a new chapter in her life by fulfilling her childhood dream of running a ranch in Ruidoso, New Mexico—while also working to revive the town's beloved Giddy Up Gala. Watch the show on Youtube - www.deckthehallmark.com/youtubeInterested in advertising on the show? Email bran@deckthehallmark.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.