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Neighbor's daughter seeks out widower next door, to help her with human sexuality lessons. By SilverFoxMullet - Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was folding the last of my laundry, there wasn't much with just myself left in the house. My son had got married and moved to British Columbia. My wife passed on 2 years ago. Just me now, enjoying a much-too-quiet life. Then the doorbell rang. I went to the door and opened it, only to find my neighbour's daughter Tess standing on his front porch. I'd watched her grow up next door. When my son had moved out ten years ago, my wife and I had occasionally babysat little Tess. It had been nice having kids around the house again. She'd grown up into an intelligent, pretty young girl. She'd also been devastated why Marie had died. "Oh, Hi, Tess. What can i do for you?" "Hi Mr Brock. I um, I need some help with some, uh, homework. I was hoping you'd be able to help me?" "OK, I don't know how much help I can really be, but I can try. High school was an awful long time ago for me! Come on in." Tess followed me into the living room and I asked her "Do you want a drink, I've got water, pop, juice, or milk." "Water's fine" she said. I poured two glasses and came back, handing her one as she sat there on my sofa. "So, how can I help? My knowledge of high school math is really out of date you know." She was fidgeting and blushing, as she sat there clutching her drink and a textbook. Finally she exhaled and said "Human sexuality" as she held up the book. I blinked at her, nonplussed. What are they teaching kids these days? The only response I could muster was "Um, what?" She set down her book, took a drink, then set her glass on the coffee table. "Mr. Brock…" "Call me Kenneth, please." "Kenneth. I, I want to learn about um, you know, sex. I, my friends, they're all starting to do stuff, to fool around, and I um, I want to learn too but I'm afraid." I sat there looking at her, unable to process what she was saying. She grew more agitated, and blushed even more. Tears welled up and slipped down her cheeks. If I have one weakness, it's a crying woman. I got up and moved to sit beside her and wrapped my arms around her. Tess sobbed and clutched at me, crying into my shoulder. After a few minutes she pulled back, and I let her go. "Will to teach me?" she asked. Oh fuck no, I thought. "That depends on what you want to learn." "I want to learn about sex. I want to learn everything, I want you to teach me." "Oh. How old are you now, Tess?" "I'm sixteen. I'm old enough to learn about this." Oh crap. This is bad. Really, really bad. "You may think you're old enough, but not for me, that's for sure. You're not even an adult in the eyes of the law. I'm sorry Tess, I can't help you with this." Tears started dripping again as she spoke. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you with this. It's just, like, all my friends, they're doing stuff, and I feel left out, I want to, but I'm scared. They all say sex is painful, or uncomfortable, or just, not great. Stuff I've read, and stuff I've watched on the internet, makes it sound like sex should be really good, really fun, but my friends say it's not. I want to learn the right way, so it's good for me." Wow. What the hell are her friends doing? Ah, right, teenage boys. Worse than useless. Maybe I can't do anything with her, but I can help. "Ok, I am not going to teach you, at least not any hands-on lessons, but I will offer you some advice." She straightened up a bit, and wiped her eyes. God she was so beautiful. Very girl-next-door wholesome. The last thing she deserved was some idiot teenage boy humping at her for 30 seconds and then running off to brag about his prowess to his idiot friends. "My first piece of advice is to masturbate." She looked confused now. "You want me to what?" "Masturbate, play with yourself. Look, how will you ever be able to tell your lover what you want and how you want it unless you know yourself? Get comfortable with yourself, learn how to please yourself, learn what makes your orgasms great." She was staring wide eyed at me now, as my words started to sink in. "How do I do that?" she asked. "Look up female masturbation videos. Watch and learn, and practice." "Okay" she said, "What else?" "Buy a toy. Get a marital aid, a dildo, so you can practice feeling what intercourse is like. You can use other things, but it's better and safer to use the right tools for the job. Look up a sex shop or stag shop. I'll even go shopping for you if you want." "Oh, yes, would you, please?" "Certainly. Now, once you are comfortable with your own sexuality, and you find someone you want to be with, make sure you tell them what you like. Don't be afraid to be demanding about what they're doing. They either do it right or you kick them out of bed." She giggled at this, which I thought was incredibly cute. "Don't discount female lovers either. They like sex exactly the way you do. Once you get good at masturbation you'll be able to please another girl quite well." "I don't think I want to do that, I like boys." she said. "You mean 'men' not 'boys'. That's exactly why your friends are having lousy sex. They're playing with boys." She nodded, so I continued. "Guys like oral sex too. In fact, if you're good at blowjobs you won't have to put up with their inept antics in bed. That's another use for the dildo, to practice oral sex. And if a guy starts to hump your face, if he starts grabbing you and pushing, bite him. You don't have to take that if you don't want it. If it's something you enjoy, then let him play, but otherwise he is there to please you, not the other way around." Tess was smiling now, tears all but forgotten. She hugged me, and said "Thank you. I will follow your advice Mr, uh, Kenneth." I picked up her book, flipped through it quickly, and found the section on female anatomy. I showed her the diagram and said "Learn what all your parts are, what they're for, and how they work. This is a good place to start. I'll find you a toy tomorrow and you can stop by to pick it up on Tuesday, OK?" She nodded, saying "Thank you", and repeated herself after hugging me again. Once she'd left I locked the door and went upstairs with laundry basket. I dropped the basket on the bed and went into my bathroom. I had such a wicked hard-on, I just had to get some relief. The very idea that the literal girl next door wanted me to teach her about sex had me hard as steel. She might be jailbait but I could still follow my own advice, and masturbate. Of course I didn't last long at all, but I wasn't trying to last. I went shopping for Tess on Monday, picking out a nice realistic looking dildo and a bottle of personal lubricant. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I chose one that was almost exactly my size. The girl at the cash looked kind of funny at me, so I smiled and said "Gift for a friend Tess knocked on my door the next afternoon when she got home from school. We exchanged greetings and I handed her the plain brown paper bag. She wanted to pay me for it but I told her it was a gift. l got a hug in return and she practically scampered next door. I silently wished her luck. ." It's great to see Tess feeling more confident about her sexuality. I'm still amazed that I'm the one she turned to for help. The thought of this girl using her new toy to explore herself gave me fodder for my own playtime for the next week. She may only be sixteen, but she's unbelievably sexy. Afterwards I only saw her in passing, as usual, and we'd wave and say 'Hi'. She looked happy and cheerful, and I assumed her self-directed lessons were going well, as she hadn't returned for any more advice. Part of me assumed she'd developed a romantic relationship and was handling things just fine. Life went on, I kept busy at work, and did yard maintenance, laundry, and all the usual stuff around the house. I wasn't into playing sports, so I went to the gym a few days a week to keep in shape. My woodworking hobby morphed from a strictly power tool shop to using a lot more hand tools. It was slower paced but I found it a lot more rewarding. Thoughts of Tess faded away. I had my 'internet videos & pics' to keep me occupied when I needed it. I had no interest in pursuing a new love this late in life, so i wasn't dating or putting myself out there. That was two years ago. Today I was in the basement shop, planing a cherry table top. It was good physical labour, and I was sweating a bit as I worked. I heard the doorbell, so I set the plane aside and brushed the shavings off my pants. The bell rang again as I hurried up the stairs, yelling "Coming!" I pulled the door open to find Tess standing there smiling at me. "Oh, Hi there, Tess. I haven't seen you around for a while. How've you been?" "Hi Kenneth! I just wanted to stop by for a visit, if that's OK?" "Uh, sure, come on in, can I get you a drink or something?" "Water would be fine, thanks." I poured two glasses and brought them to the living room. We sipped and she set her glass down. "So what brings you by today?" I asked. "Same as last time." she said with a demure smile. Last time? Shit, last time she wanted me to 'teach' her about sex. I choked on my drink. "Uh, Last time?" I said faintly. "I'm here for my next lesson. I turned 18 a month ago," She beamed. "And now I want you to finish teaching me about sex." Holy fucking mother of god. She was back, and she was more beautiful than ever. She'd matured more since she was 16, with such a pretty face and solid, slim figure. I could see how nice that figure was, because she wasn't hiding it. The bright yellow halter style dress she was wearing had a deep vee displaying her lovely cleavage, no back, and came to mid-thigh on her sleek legs. I didn't realize that I hadn't responded to her. "Well? Will you? Please?" she asked. "I've waited two years you know. And I followed all your advice too. I'm ready for the next lesson." "But why me, you're stunningly beautiful, you could have any guy you wanted." "I know. And I want you." She said with resolve. She then kicked off her sandals and stood up. Reaching behind her neck, she undid the tie holding up the top of her dress. It came undone and the dress slithered to the floor, pooling around her feet. All she had on now was a pair of lacy yellow panties God she was perfect. Chestnut hair, falling about her shoulders. High, firm, fully tanned breasts with neat brown areolas and stiff looking nipples; her slender waist flared into nicely curved hips, which continued in a graceful curve down her thighs. Tess stepped towards me, and held out her hand. I reached out and took it. God help me, this was so wrong, but I was literally unable to resist her. She pulled gently and I rose to my feet, stunned by her presence. A tug on my hand was all she had to provide to get me in motion, and I followed her from the living room. She led me to the top of the stairs, hypnotizing me with the sway of her ass; then stopped and asked in a sultry voice "Which way is the bedroom?" "This way" I said, pointing to the right. I continued to follow her, into my room, where she stopped, turned, and stood with her arm wrapped around the tall bedpost at the foot of my queen bed. "Tess…" I croaked in a strained voice. "This is what I wanted back then, when I came to you two years ago. It's still what I want now. You said I was too young. I'm an adult now, and I want this, I want you." "Oh god, Tess. I want to say no, I should say no, I have to say no, but I can't. You're so perfect, so beautiful, so delightful, and I can't tell you no." She smiled, and oh man, she was so stunningly beautiful it made me weak at the knees. Like a fucking goddess. And like a goddess, no mere mortal like me could refuse her. "Make love to me, Kenneth." She said, in a low sultry voice. I peeled off my polo shirt and tossed it aside. The rest of my clothing quickly followed, and I stood before her as aroused as I had ever been in my life. Her smile broadened and she laughed lightly, saying "Oh you're perfect! You're just like that wonderful dildo that you gave me to practice on!" I remembered the dildo I bought her years ago, and recalled that that was exactly what I'd picked out for her. I just smiled back at her and gave a little shrug. She laughed again and beckoned me forward. The goddess pulls the strings and the puppet moves to her will. Where did she get such sexual confidence and assertiveness? I took her hand and walked over to the side of the bed, where I sat and guided her onto my lap, and kissed her. She sighed into the kiss, and melted against me. Her skin was so soft, her warm, fragrant body so supple and firm at the same time. We kissed for a while, and I moved my attentions from her lips to her jawline, then to her earlobes, and finally her neck. Tess was cooing and sighing in my arms, her firm breasts and taught nipples pressed to me. I kissed her again, harder, and brought my tongue into it. Hers came back at me to play, and we tasted each other for a while more. When she started to writhe in a subtle manner I knew she was truly aroused, so I moved her over to lie back on the bed. Awestruck, I gazed at her, reddish brown hair fanning out on the bed, firm breasts sitting high on her chest, defying gravity and anatomy alike. I swooped down upon her breasts, stroking, kissing, licking, and fondling her magnificence. Those coos and sighs continued, and she started adding words to her breathless sounds. "Don't touch my nipples yet" she whispered, as she directed me to the valley between her tits. I moved to the undersides of them, and thence to her areolas, as I progressed along my slow, wonderful tour. Finally, with a moan and a push, she led me to the end of this part of our journey. Set in goose-bumped areolas, her swollen, highly sensitive nipples were my last target. I began with gentle licks, then small kisses, on one, then the other, and back. Then it was nibbles, fingers rolling them, sucking them, pressing them, and manipulating her nipples as many ways as I could. She began to writhe beneath me, her words tapering off into moans and gasps. No longer directing me, I played, I explored, I teased and tantalized her. A shudder, followed by a long sighing gasp was the signal she was done with this, and she gently pushed me away. "Oh, Kenneth, that was wonderful! Thank you. Now lay back, I want to explore you." I did as she bid, and Tess started touching, stroking, fondling, and kissing her way from my ears to my toes. She didn't spend too long in any one place, and she avoided my cock completely. Little questions, do I like this, or that, and little comments about what she found or liked, interspersed her explorations. She found some ticklish places, and she also found some really arousing places too. Places my wife had never found, places I never suspected I had. By now, there was a puddle of pre-cum on my abdomen, and she shifted her position to inspect me more closely. She lifted my cock and licked the most recent droplet from it. Then she dipped her head down and lapped up that puddle. My stomach muscles flexed and clenched as she tickled me with her agile tongue. She giggled at my 'gut reaction' as she called it. Then the most wondrous sensation hit my rigid cock. Her mouth closed over me, and that agile tongue found a new place to play. My late wife hadn't been much for blowjobs, so this was a rare treat indeed for me. Last time would have been probably 25 years ago. And it didn't stop with her tongue, amazing as it was. My shaft began to disappear into her mouth bit by bit, as she bobbed up and down ever so slowly. I stared stunned and slack-jawed in amazement as Tess worked my cock into her throat. I kept my hands to myself, clutching the duvet, and desperately willed myself not to cum. Alas, this last was in vain, because this goddess continued to pull strings on her mortal puppet. She wanted me to cum, so cum I would, whether I wanted to or not. I groaned and muttered "I'm gonna cum" through gritted teeth. She heeded my warning by humming and pulling back until just my head was in her warm wet mouth. She redoubled her efforts with her tongue, swirling around and around my throbbing manhood. With a whimper I came, shaking and pulsing over and over into her eager mouth. She swallowed my load and kept licking and sucking until I wilted in her mouth. "How was that?" she asked. "Oh god, Tess, that was the best I ever had." She giggled again. "I'm just glad you picked a toy the right size. Practice makes perfect. Although my toy doesn't cum like you do, that was a bit of a surprise. It doesn't taste bad at all, but the texture is weird." As I listened to her words, she made me wonder, and I had to ask. "Was that your first real blowjob?" "Uh huh. First ever. It was good?" "Like I said, best ever. I can't believe that was your first time doing this!" "First time for real, it was always just my toy before now." "Wow." "Now it's your turn to please me" she said, rolling onto her back and tugging my arm. Those strings again, pulling me wither she desired, and this time it was her most private place. I used my hands and forearms, my lips and tongue, to stroke and touch her all over. It was my turn to find her interesting places, her ticklish spots, and make her squirm in anticipation. I touched her face and neck, kissing and stroking, and proceeded to her shoulders and arms. Another chance to play with her lovely breasts was not to be denied either, and I did indeed have her squirming now. I worked my way down her body, making sure to test every place I could for sexual suitability. She directed me to a few places that she liked, and I found some spots she didn't yet know about. She began to get more vocal, calling my name occasionally, giving hints and feedback and directions, interwoven with a progressively louder and more varied series of moans and gasps. I stopped, and rose to preview what I was about to acquire. I softly brushed my fingers all around her panties, and her movements became more erratic, changing from a slow undulation to twitching and shuddering. Slowly, I peeled the bright yellow lace from her hips. I could scent her now, a wonderful mix of the robust and the delicate at the same time. She had a beautiful reddish-brown bush, lush and soft, that led to her sex. I nuzzled her lovely triangle of fur, all the while drawing in her heady aroma. I discarded her panties now, and her legs fell open to my gaze. Beautiful. Exquisite, even. Her lightly furred vulva surrounded a pair of dark-edged lips, glistening with the source of that scent I was enjoying. I pushed her legs farther apart and looked up at her. She smiled back at me and said "Teach me". Fuck. A lick, along her slit, hammered my senses of taste and smell, filling me with her. She was sour and sweet and floral and meaty, with a little saltiness from her sweat. I moaned into her as I plowed her with my tongue again, deeper, harder. More contact, more flavour, more joy! I pulled back and looked for her clit. That little peak in her folds held a secret I wanted to discover. I drove my tongue into her again and licked all the way up to try and find her clitoris. It was there, small, but firm, still buried in those folds, I could feel it. She could too, based on how she squeaked and jumped when I hit the right spot. Her breathing was getting faster, and her thighs were flexing, so I assumed she was very close. Did I want, or even need, to tease her? I needed to know what she wanted, so I asked. "Do you want to cum now, or make it last a while?" "In a little while, but not too long" she said as she brought her hands down to run fingers through my hair. Perfect. I wondered if her other lovers had asked the right questions, or had she had to guide them? No matter, I have the here and now to deal with. I pulled her labia apart gently with my fingers and played my tongue over the wet pink flesh revealed within. Her hips gyrated against me, so I continued to play at this. When my nose bumped her clit, she jumped and squeaked again. I worked a fingertip into her opening, swirling it around to maximize the stimulation, while at the same time I began to gently lick and kiss her clitoral hood. A shuddering moan indicated I was on the right track, With feather-light touches around her clit, and my finger slowly working deeper into her passage, I increased her stimulation. Those gyrations increased, and my licks to her clit became less subtle, more direct. Tess whimpered as I rolled my finger inside her, and sought her G-spot. When she cried out suddenly, with an accompanying shudder and thrust of her hips, I knew I'd found the right spot. I attacked her clit with more gusto, lapping and flicking at her, as my finger continued it's internal foray. She came, she came with abandon. Squealing and thrashing and calling my name, she practically bounced on the bed. I had to hold her hips firmly with my arms and my free hand just to stay connected to the vital spots and continue to stimulate her. She seemed to cum at least twice, possibly thrice, before the grip on my air went from pulling to pushing. I relented, and rose to look down at her, her face and chest flushed, sweat beading her forehead, and the most beautiful expression on her face. She looked like the goddess she was. "Oh god Kenneth, that was the most amazing orgasm I've ever had! What have you done to me?" I slid up to lie beside her, cuddling together while she regained her breath and her senses. "That was wonderful" I said. "I enjoyed you so much, and you seemed to enjoy it too." "The best ever" she said, paraphrasing my earlier comment on her own oral efforts. "Your other lovers didn't perform so well, then?" "There are no others. just me and my toy. I've waited and practiced and dreamed of this day." Her hand slipped between us to fondle my hardness, which was back from it's slumber. "No one? But I though you wanted to learn…" "I wanted you. I told you so. I wanted to learn, and I wanted you to teach me. All you could give me was advice and my toy, so I made the best of what I had. Can we start our next lesson?" "Tess? You're still a virgin? Are you sure about this?" She laughed, saying "If you're wondering about my hymen, that toy took it the very first day I got it. I went straight home and tried it. Slowly, carefully, and immediately. And every day since, I've practiced and practiced, hoping that when I was ready, you'd accept me. That you'd teach me the rest." "You are so beautiful, so amazing, I don't know how or why I got so lucky, but you're here. And I will not disappoint you." I sat up next to her, and swept my gaze and my hands along her nubile young body. "Did you bring any condoms?" I asked. "I'm on the pill, and you are my first lover, do we need one?" "I haven't been with anyone in over 5 years, and before that I had a vasectomy. So I am clean and sterile." "Make love to me, Kenneth." "For your first time, I want you on top." She laughed and we switched places on the bed. Straddling my hips, she leaned in to kiss me fervently, passionately, until we were starving for oxygen. I could feel her wet heat against my hardness, as she slowly shifted her weight on me. Finally breaking our kiss, she sat upright, raised herself aloft, and reached for me. I felt her hand moving my cock around, as she tried to position me just so. "I never tried this way with my toy. It doesn't lend itself to this very well. I'm usually on my back or on my hands and knees." Then she pressed herself down onto me, taking it slowly, gently. She leaned forward to plant her hands on my chest. "Oh god, this is so good, sooo goooood" she groaned. Bottoming out, she sat staring at me, gently running fingers through the graying hair on my chest. "Wow. I thought when I saw you, that it would feel just like my toy. But it doesn't, not at all. This is so much better!" With that, she started to play. She bounced up and down for a while, breasts wobbling, hair swirling, suddenly yelping and shuddering on me as she came. Collapsing on me, breathing hard for a minute or two, whilst her pussy throbbed and rippled on me. Smiling that amazing smile of hers, she pushed herself back up, and started grinding on me in little circular motions. This apparently worked even better, as she kept it up for about 5 minutes before squealing through a couple of orgasms. Once again, she slumped down onto my chest, and I could feel her heart beating madly in hers. When her pussy relaxed again, and she stirred, she sat up and said "That was better than anything I've ever felt. Even better than your wonderful tongue. Can we trade places now?" "As you wish" I said. "Oh Westley!" she replied with laugh. "Farm boy, make love to me now!" she demanded. With a chuckle, I rolled her over and we kissed again. I reached down to guide myself into her beautiful warmth, and god she was tight. I knew I wouldn't last long like this, and I told her so. "I've already had the best time of my life, please just enjoy me, the way I enjoyed you." she said. I kissed her again as i began to slowly push my aching cock in and out of her. We could hear the wet sloppy sounds of her pussy as I fucked her. I pushed myself up on my elbows and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile was amazing, and she felt so alive beneath me! I rocked my hips as my thrusting increased in force and speed, which stimulated her clit. Her smile changed to laughter as she approached orgasm, crying out to me "Oh god yes! Yes!" I was getting closer myself, and then she looked deep into my eyes, saying "I love you". That triggered me, and I humped madly at her, pounding myself deep into her, over and over, until I spasmed in bliss. I felt and heard her answering orgasm as we tumbled from our peaks to lay panting against each other, sharing breath, sharing heartbeats, sharing souls. "Oh god, Tess, I love you too." This, torn from me, how and why could this be happening? She kissed me again. "I hoped, I prayed, I wished, I waited so long for this. Thank you." Not wanting to crush her, I lifted off her, and slowly pulled my shrinking cock from her welcoming heat. "Yipe! Hey, I thought you were fixed!" she exclaimed as my issue came pouring out of her. Too late, the duvet cover needs washing now for sure. "A vasectomy doesn't change how much comes out, just what's in it, or not in it, so to speak. And you knew from that blowjob how much I cum." "My toy never made this much of a mess, that's for sure." she said with a laugh. "Let's take a shower, and then we can have something to eat, and we can talk, OK?" She looked a trifle worried about the 'talking' part, but the shower was definitely of interest to her! We spent a long time in the hot spray, exploring, touching and teasing each other. And we did incidentally get clean. We dried each other off, and I got a spare bathrobe for her. I made some sandwiches, and poured a couple of glasses of lemonade. We ate, and I asked her about school. She had just graduated high school with top honours, and was intending to go to Queens in Kingston, come September. Now we has to discuss 'Us'. "Tess, you're 18, you have your whole life ahead of you. I'm 58, due to retire in 2 years. I'm afraid that if we pursue any kind of relationship it will end badly, and most badly for you." Once again she surprised me by simply laughing at me. "Silly man! You've probably got another good twenty years in you. Do you want to waste it mowing your lawn and doing your laundry, or do you want to live?" I blinked at her in surprise, and she continued, "Do you think I would deny myself my true love simply because it may be cut short? Are you tied to this place? Could you follow me to Kingston?" My mind spun, I felt totally disoriented for a moment, and I looked into those crystal grey eyes. And I was lost. Strings, pulling me out of the quiet, common existence I was in. Strings, hauling me out of a rut that I hadn't known I had fallen into. Strings, pulling on my heart, making me love again. "Yes" I managed to choke out. She smiled that awesome, devastating smile of hers, and said "Kenneth Brock, will you marry me?" This had started with her tears two years ago and it was going to end with mine today. "Yes" By SilverFoxMullet for Literotica.

Neighbor's daughter seeks out widower next door, to help her with human sexuality lessons. By SilverFoxMullet - Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories. I was folding the last of my laundry, there wasn't much with just myself left in the house. My son had got married and moved to British Columbia. My wife passed on 2 years ago. Just me now, enjoying a much-too-quiet life. Then the doorbell rang. I went to the door and opened it, only to find my neighbour's daughter Tess standing on his front porch. I'd watched her grow up next door. When my son had moved out ten years ago, my wife and I had occasionally babysat little Tess. It had been nice having kids around the house again. She'd grown up into an intelligent, pretty young girl. She'd also been devastated why Marie had died. "Oh, Hi, Tess. What can i do for you?" "Hi Mr Brock. I um, I need some help with some, uh, homework. I was hoping you'd be able to help me?" "OK, I don't know how much help I can really be, but I can try. High school was an awful long time ago for me! Come on in." Tess followed me into the living room and I asked her "Do you want a drink, I've got water, pop, juice, or milk." "Water's fine" she said. I poured two glasses and came back, handing her one as she sat there on my sofa. "So, how can I help? My knowledge of high school math is really out of date you know." She was fidgeting and blushing, as she sat there clutching her drink and a textbook. Finally she exhaled and said "Human sexuality" as she held up the book. I blinked at her, nonplussed. What are they teaching kids these days? The only response I could muster was "Um, what?" She set down her book, took a drink, then set her glass on the coffee table. "Mr. Brock…" "Call me Kenneth, please." "Kenneth. I, I want to learn about um, you know, sex. I, my friends, they're all starting to do stuff, to fool around, and I um, I want to learn too but I'm afraid." I sat there looking at her, unable to process what she was saying. She grew more agitated, and blushed even more. Tears welled up and slipped down her cheeks. If I have one weakness, it's a crying woman. I got up and moved to sit beside her and wrapped my arms around her. Tess sobbed and clutched at me, crying into my shoulder. After a few minutes she pulled back, and I let her go. "Will to teach me?" she asked. Oh fuck no, I thought. "That depends on what you want to learn." "I want to learn about sex. I want to learn everything, I want you to teach me." "Oh. How old are you now, Tess?" "I'm sixteen. I'm old enough to learn about this." Oh crap. This is bad. Really, really bad. "You may think you're old enough, but not for me, that's for sure. You're not even an adult in the eyes of the law. I'm sorry Tess, I can't help you with this." Tears started dripping again as she spoke. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you with this. It's just, like, all my friends, they're doing stuff, and I feel left out, I want to, but I'm scared. They all say sex is painful, or uncomfortable, or just, not great. Stuff I've read, and stuff I've watched on the internet, makes it sound like sex should be really good, really fun, but my friends say it's not. I want to learn the right way, so it's good for me." Wow. What the hell are her friends doing? Ah, right, teenage boys. Worse than useless. Maybe I can't do anything with her, but I can help. "Ok, I am not going to teach you, at least not any hands-on lessons, but I will offer you some advice." She straightened up a bit, and wiped her eyes. God she was so beautiful. Very girl-next-door wholesome. The last thing she deserved was some idiot teenage boy humping at her for 30 seconds and then running off to brag about his prowess to his idiot friends. "My first piece of advice is to masturbate." She looked confused now. "You want me to what?" "Masturbate, play with yourself. Look, how will you ever be able to tell your lover what you want and how you want it unless you know yourself? Get comfortable with yourself, learn how to please yourself, learn what makes your orgasms great." She was staring wide eyed at me now, as my words started to sink in. "How do I do that?" she asked. "Look up female masturbation videos. Watch and learn, and practice." "Okay" she said, "What else?" "Buy a toy. Get a marital aid, a dildo, so you can practice feeling what intercourse is like. You can use other things, but it's better and safer to use the right tools for the job. Look up a sex shop or stag shop. I'll even go shopping for you if you want." "Oh, yes, would you, please?" "Certainly. Now, once you are comfortable with your own sexuality, and you find someone you want to be with, make sure you tell them what you like. Don't be afraid to be demanding about what they're doing. They either do it right or you kick them out of bed." She giggled at this, which I thought was incredibly cute. "Don't discount female lovers either. They like sex exactly the way you do. Once you get good at masturbation you'll be able to please another girl quite well." "I don't think I want to do that, I like boys." she said. "You mean 'men' not 'boys'. That's exactly why your friends are having lousy sex. They're playing with boys." She nodded, so I continued. "Guys like oral sex too. In fact, if you're good at blowjobs you won't have to put up with their inept antics in bed. That's another use for the dildo, to practice oral sex. And if a guy starts to hump your face, if he starts grabbing you and pushing, bite him. You don't have to take that if you don't want it. If it's something you enjoy, then let him play, but otherwise he is there to please you, not the other way around." Tess was smiling now, tears all but forgotten. She hugged me, and said "Thank you. I will follow your advice Mr, uh, Kenneth." I picked up her book, flipped through it quickly, and found the section on female anatomy. I showed her the diagram and said "Learn what all your parts are, what they're for, and how they work. This is a good place to start. I'll find you a toy tomorrow and you can stop by to pick it up on Tuesday, OK?" She nodded, saying "Thank you", and repeated herself after hugging me again. Once she'd left I locked the door and went upstairs with laundry basket. I dropped the basket on the bed and went into my bathroom. I had such a wicked hard-on, I just had to get some relief. The very idea that the literal girl next door wanted me to teach her about sex had me hard as steel. She might be jailbait but I could still follow my own advice, and masturbate. Of course I didn't last long at all, but I wasn't trying to last. I went shopping for Tess on Monday, picking out a nice realistic looking dildo and a bottle of personal lubricant. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I chose one that was almost exactly my size. The girl at the cash looked kind of funny at me, so I smiled and said "Gift for a friend Tess knocked on my door the next afternoon when she got home from school. We exchanged greetings and I handed her the plain brown paper bag. She wanted to pay me for it but I told her it was a gift. l got a hug in return and she practically scampered next door. I silently wished her luck. ." It's great to see Tess feeling more confident about her sexuality. I'm still amazed that I'm the one she turned to for help. The thought of this girl using her new toy to explore herself gave me fodder for my own playtime for the next week. She may only be sixteen, but she's unbelievably sexy. Afterwards I only saw her in passing, as usual, and we'd wave and say 'Hi'. She looked happy and cheerful, and I assumed her self-directed lessons were going well, as she hadn't returned for any more advice. Part of me assumed she'd developed a romantic relationship and was handling things just fine. Life went on, I kept busy at work, and did yard maintenance, laundry, and all the usual stuff around the house. I wasn't into playing sports, so I went to the gym a few days a week to keep in shape. My woodworking hobby morphed from a strictly power tool shop to using a lot more hand tools. It was slower paced but I found it a lot more rewarding. Thoughts of Tess faded away. I had my 'internet videos & pics' to keep me occupied when I needed it. I had no interest in pursuing a new love this late in life, so i wasn't dating or putting myself out there. That was two years ago. Today I was in the basement shop, planing a cherry table top. It was good physical labour, and I was sweating a bit as I worked. I heard the doorbell, so I set the plane aside and brushed the shavings off my pants. The bell rang again as I hurried up the stairs, yelling "Coming!" I pulled the door open to find Tess standing there smiling at me. "Oh, Hi there, Tess. I haven't seen you around for a while. How've you been?" "Hi Kenneth! I just wanted to stop by for a visit, if that's OK?" "Uh, sure, come on in, can I get you a drink or something?" "Water would be fine, thanks." I poured two glasses and brought them to the living room. We sipped and she set her glass down. "So what brings you by today?" I asked. "Same as last time." she said with a demure smile. Last time? Shit, last time she wanted me to 'teach' her about sex. I choked on my drink. "Uh, Last time?" I said faintly. "I'm here for my next lesson. I turned 18 a month ago," She beamed. "And now I want you to finish teaching me about sex." Holy fucking mother of god. She was back, and she was more beautiful than ever. She'd matured more since she was 16, with such a pretty face and solid, slim figure. I could see how nice that figure was, because she wasn't hiding it. The bright yellow halter style dress she was wearing had a deep vee displaying her lovely cleavage, no back, and came to mid-thigh on her sleek legs. I didn't realize that I hadn't responded to her. "Well? Will you? Please?" she asked. "I've waited two years you know. And I followed all your advice too. I'm ready for the next lesson." "But why me, you're stunningly beautiful, you could have any guy you wanted." "I know. And I want you." She said with resolve. She then kicked off her sandals and stood up. Reaching behind her neck, she undid the tie holding up the top of her dress. It came undone and the dress slithered to the floor, pooling around her feet. All she had on now was a pair of lacy yellow panties God she was perfect. Chestnut hair, falling about her shoulders. High, firm, fully tanned breasts with neat brown areolas and stiff looking nipples; her slender waist flared into nicely curved hips, which continued in a graceful curve down her thighs. Tess stepped towards me, and held out her hand. I reached out and took it. God help me, this was so wrong, but I was literally unable to resist her. She pulled gently and I rose to my feet, stunned by her presence. A tug on my hand was all she had to provide to get me in motion, and I followed her from the living room. She led me to the top of the stairs, hypnotizing me with the sway of her ass; then stopped and asked in a sultry voice "Which way is the bedroom?" "This way" I said, pointing to the right. I continued to follow her, into my room, where she stopped, turned, and stood with her arm wrapped around the tall bedpost at the foot of my queen bed. "Tess…" I croaked in a strained voice. "This is what I wanted back then, when I came to you two years ago. It's still what I want now. You said I was too young. I'm an adult now, and I want this, I want you." "Oh god, Tess. I want to say no, I should say no, I have to say no, but I can't. You're so perfect, so beautiful, so delightful, and I can't tell you no." She smiled, and oh man, she was so stunningly beautiful it made me weak at the knees. Like a fucking goddess. And like a goddess, no mere mortal like me could refuse her. "Make love to me, Kenneth." She said, in a low sultry voice. I peeled off my polo shirt and tossed it aside. The rest of my clothing quickly followed, and I stood before her as aroused as I had ever been in my life. Her smile broadened and she laughed lightly, saying "Oh you're perfect! You're just like that wonderful dildo that you gave me to practice on!" I remembered the dildo I bought her years ago, and recalled that that was exactly what I'd picked out for her. I just smiled back at her and gave a little shrug. She laughed again and beckoned me forward. The goddess pulls the strings and the puppet moves to her will. Where did she get such sexual confidence and assertiveness? I took her hand and walked over to the side of the bed, where I sat and guided her onto my lap, and kissed her. She sighed into the kiss, and melted against me. Her skin was so soft, her warm, fragrant body so supple and firm at the same time. We kissed for a while, and I moved my attentions from her lips to her jawline, then to her earlobes, and finally her neck. Tess was cooing and sighing in my arms, her firm breasts and taught nipples pressed to me. I kissed her again, harder, and brought my tongue into it. Hers came back at me to play, and we tasted each other for a while more. When she started to writhe in a subtle manner I knew she was truly aroused, so I moved her over to lie back on the bed. Awestruck, I gazed at her, reddish brown hair fanning out on the bed, firm breasts sitting high on her chest, defying gravity and anatomy alike. I swooped down upon her breasts, stroking, kissing, licking, and fondling her magnificence. Those coos and sighs continued, and she started adding words to her breathless sounds. "Don't touch my nipples yet" she whispered, as she directed me to the valley between her tits. I moved to the undersides of them, and thence to her areolas, as I progressed along my slow, wonderful tour. Finally, with a moan and a push, she led me to the end of this part of our journey. Set in goose-bumped areolas, her swollen, highly sensitive nipples were my last target. I began with gentle licks, then small kisses, on one, then the other, and back. Then it was nibbles, fingers rolling them, sucking them, pressing them, and manipulating her nipples as many ways as I could. She began to writhe beneath me, her words tapering off into moans and gasps. No longer directing me, I played, I explored, I teased and tantalized her. A shudder, followed by a long sighing gasp was the signal she was done with this, and she gently pushed me away. "Oh, Kenneth, that was wonderful! Thank you. Now lay back, I want to explore you." I did as she bid, and Tess started touching, stroking, fondling, and kissing her way from my ears to my toes. She didn't spend too long in any one place, and she avoided my cock completely. Little questions, do I like this, or that, and little comments about what she found or liked, interspersed her explorations. She found some ticklish places, and she also found some really arousing places too. Places my wife had never found, places I never suspected I had. By now, there was a puddle of pre-cum on my abdomen, and she shifted her position to inspect me more closely. She lifted my cock and licked the most recent droplet from it. Then she dipped her head down and lapped up that puddle. My stomach muscles flexed and clenched as she tickled me with her agile tongue. She giggled at my 'gut reaction' as she called it. Then the most wondrous sensation hit my rigid cock. Her mouth closed over me, and that agile tongue found a new place to play. My late wife hadn't been much for blowjobs, so this was a rare treat indeed for me. Last time would have been probably 25 years ago. And it didn't stop with her tongue, amazing as it was. My shaft began to disappear into her mouth bit by bit, as she bobbed up and down ever so slowly. I stared stunned and slack-jawed in amazement as Tess worked my cock into her throat. I kept my hands to myself, clutching the duvet, and desperately willed myself not to cum. Alas, this last was in vain, because this goddess continued to pull strings on her mortal puppet. She wanted me to cum, so cum I would, whether I wanted to or not. I groaned and muttered "I'm gonna cum" through gritted teeth. She heeded my warning by humming and pulling back until just my head was in her warm wet mouth. She redoubled her efforts with her tongue, swirling around and around my throbbing manhood. With a whimper I came, shaking and pulsing over and over into her eager mouth. She swallowed my load and kept licking and sucking until I wilted in her mouth. "How was that?" she asked. "Oh god, Tess, that was the best I ever had." She giggled again. "I'm just glad you picked a toy the right size. Practice makes perfect. Although my toy doesn't cum like you do, that was a bit of a surprise. It doesn't taste bad at all, but the texture is weird." As I listened to her words, she made me wonder, and I had to ask. "Was that your first real blowjob?" "Uh huh. First ever. It was good?" "Like I said, best ever. I can't believe that was your first time doing this!" "First time for real, it was always just my toy before now." "Wow." "Now it's your turn to please me" she said, rolling onto her back and tugging my arm. Those strings again, pulling me wither she desired, and this time it was her most private place. I used my hands and forearms, my lips and tongue, to stroke and touch her all over. It was my turn to find her interesting places, her ticklish spots, and make her squirm in anticipation. I touched her face and neck, kissing and stroking, and proceeded to her shoulders and arms. Another chance to play with her lovely breasts was not to be denied either, and I did indeed have her squirming now. I worked my way down her body, making sure to test every place I could for sexual suitability. She directed me to a few places that she liked, and I found some spots she didn't yet know about. She began to get more vocal, calling my name occasionally, giving hints and feedback and directions, interwoven with a progressively louder and more varied series of moans and gasps. I stopped, and rose to preview what I was about to acquire. I softly brushed my fingers all around her panties, and her movements became more erratic, changing from a slow undulation to twitching and shuddering. Slowly, I peeled the bright yellow lace from her hips. I could scent her now, a wonderful mix of the robust and the delicate at the same time. She had a beautiful reddish-brown bush, lush and soft, that led to her sex. I nuzzled her lovely triangle of fur, all the while drawing in her heady aroma. I discarded her panties now, and her legs fell open to my gaze. Beautiful. Exquisite, even. Her lightly furred vulva surrounded a pair of dark-edged lips, glistening with the source of that scent I was enjoying. I pushed her legs farther apart and looked up at her. She smiled back at me and said "Teach me". Fuck. A lick, along her slit, hammered my senses of taste and smell, filling me with her. She was sour and sweet and floral and meaty, with a little saltiness from her sweat. I moaned into her as I plowed her with my tongue again, deeper, harder. More contact, more flavour, more joy! I pulled back and looked for her clit. That little peak in her folds held a secret I wanted to discover. I drove my tongue into her again and licked all the way up to try and find her clitoris. It was there, small, but firm, still buried in those folds, I could feel it. She could too, based on how she squeaked and jumped when I hit the right spot. Her breathing was getting faster, and her thighs were flexing, so I assumed she was very close. Did I want, or even need, to tease her? I needed to know what she wanted, so I asked. "Do you want to cum now, or make it last a while?" "In a little while, but not too long" she said as she brought her hands down to run fingers through my hair. Perfect. I wondered if her other lovers had asked the right questions, or had she had to guide them? No matter, I have the here and now to deal with. I pulled her labia apart gently with my fingers and played my tongue over the wet pink flesh revealed within. Her hips gyrated against me, so I continued to play at this. When my nose bumped her clit, she jumped and squeaked again. I worked a fingertip into her opening, swirling it around to maximize the stimulation, while at the same time I began to gently lick and kiss her clitoral hood. A shuddering moan indicated I was on the right track, With feather-light touches around her clit, and my finger slowly working deeper into her passage, I increased her stimulation. Those gyrations increased, and my licks to her clit became less subtle, more direct. Tess whimpered as I rolled my finger inside her, and sought her G-spot. When she cried out suddenly, with an accompanying shudder and thrust of her hips, I knew I'd found the right spot. I attacked her clit with more gusto, lapping and flicking at her, as my finger continued it's internal foray. She came, she came with abandon. Squealing and thrashing and calling my name, she practically bounced on the bed. I had to hold her hips firmly with my arms and my free hand just to stay connected to the vital spots and continue to stimulate her. She seemed to cum at least twice, possibly thrice, before the grip on my air went from pulling to pushing. I relented, and rose to look down at her, her face and chest flushed, sweat beading her forehead, and the most beautiful expression on her face. She looked like the goddess she was. "Oh god Kenneth, that was the most amazing orgasm I've ever had! What have you done to me?" I slid up to lie beside her, cuddling together while she regained her breath and her senses. "That was wonderful" I said. "I enjoyed you so much, and you seemed to enjoy it too." "The best ever" she said, paraphrasing my earlier comment on her own oral efforts. "Your other lovers didn't perform so well, then?" "There are no others. just me and my toy. I've waited and practiced and dreamed of this day." Her hand slipped between us to fondle my hardness, which was back from it's slumber. "No one? But I though you wanted to learn…" "I wanted you. I told you so. I wanted to learn, and I wanted you to teach me. All you could give me was advice and my toy, so I made the best of what I had. Can we start our next lesson?" "Tess? You're still a virgin? Are you sure about this?" She laughed, saying "If you're wondering about my hymen, that toy took it the very first day I got it. I went straight home and tried it. Slowly, carefully, and immediately. And every day since, I've practiced and practiced, hoping that when I was ready, you'd accept me. That you'd teach me the rest." "You are so beautiful, so amazing, I don't know how or why I got so lucky, but you're here. And I will not disappoint you." I sat up next to her, and swept my gaze and my hands along her nubile young body. "Did you bring any condoms?" I asked. "I'm on the pill, and you are my first lover, do we need one?" "I haven't been with anyone in over 5 years, and before that I had a vasectomy. So I am clean and sterile." "Make love to me, Kenneth." "For your first time, I want you on top." She laughed and we switched places on the bed. Straddling my hips, she leaned in to kiss me fervently, passionately, until we were starving for oxygen. I could feel her wet heat against my hardness, as she slowly shifted her weight on me. Finally breaking our kiss, she sat upright, raised herself aloft, and reached for me. I felt her hand moving my cock around, as she tried to position me just so. "I never tried this way with my toy. It doesn't lend itself to this very well. I'm usually on my back or on my hands and knees." Then she pressed herself down onto me, taking it slowly, gently. She leaned forward to plant her hands on my chest. "Oh god, this is so good, sooo goooood" she groaned. Bottoming out, she sat staring at me, gently running fingers through the graying hair on my chest. "Wow. I thought when I saw you, that it would feel just like my toy. But it doesn't, not at all. This is so much better!" With that, she started to play. She bounced up and down for a while, breasts wobbling, hair swirling, suddenly yelping and shuddering on me as she came. Collapsing on me, breathing hard for a minute or two, whilst her pussy throbbed and rippled on me. Smiling that amazing smile of hers, she pushed herself back up, and started grinding on me in little circular motions. This apparently worked even better, as she kept it up for about 5 minutes before squealing through a couple of orgasms. Once again, she slumped down onto my chest, and I could feel her heart beating madly in hers. When her pussy relaxed again, and she stirred, she sat up and said "That was better than anything I've ever felt. Even better than your wonderful tongue. Can we trade places now?" "As you wish" I said. "Oh Westley!" she replied with laugh. "Farm boy, make love to me now!" she demanded. With a chuckle, I rolled her over and we kissed again. I reached down to guide myself into her beautiful warmth, and god she was tight. I knew I wouldn't last long like this, and I told her so. "I've already had the best time of my life, please just enjoy me, the way I enjoyed you." she said. I kissed her again as i began to slowly push my aching cock in and out of her. We could hear the wet sloppy sounds of her pussy as I fucked her. I pushed myself up on my elbows and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile was amazing, and she felt so alive beneath me! I rocked my hips as my thrusting increased in force and speed, which stimulated her clit. Her smile changed to laughter as she approached orgasm, crying out to me "Oh god yes! Yes!" I was getting closer myself, and then she looked deep into my eyes, saying "I love you". That triggered me, and I humped madly at her, pounding myself deep into her, over and over, until I spasmed in bliss. I felt and heard her answering orgasm as we tumbled from our peaks to lay panting against each other, sharing breath, sharing heartbeats, sharing souls. "Oh god, Tess, I love you too." This, torn from me, how and why could this be happening? She kissed me again. "I hoped, I prayed, I wished, I waited so long for this. Thank you." Not wanting to crush her, I lifted off her, and slowly pulled my shrinking cock from her welcoming heat. "Yipe! Hey, I thought you were fixed!" she exclaimed as my issue came pouring out of her. Too late, the duvet cover needs washing now for sure. "A vasectomy doesn't change how much comes out, just what's in it, or not in it, so to speak. And you knew from that blowjob how much I cum." "My toy never made this much of a mess, that's for sure." she said with a laugh. "Let's take a shower, and then we can have something to eat, and we can talk, OK?" She looked a trifle worried about the 'talking' part, but the shower was definitely of interest to her! We spent a long time in the hot spray, exploring, touching and teasing each other. And we did incidentally get clean. We dried each other off, and I got a spare bathrobe for her. I made some sandwiches, and poured a couple of glasses of lemonade. We ate, and I asked her about school. She had just graduated high school with top honours, and was intending to go to Queens in Kingston, come September. Now we has to discuss 'Us'. "Tess, you're 18, you have your whole life ahead of you. I'm 58, due to retire in 2 years. I'm afraid that if we pursue any kind of relationship it will end badly, and most badly for you." Once again she surprised me by simply laughing at me. "Silly man! You've probably got another good twenty years in you. Do you want to waste it mowing your lawn and doing your laundry, or do you want to live?" I blinked at her in surprise, and she continued, "Do you think I would deny myself my true love simply because it may be cut short? Are you tied to this place? Could you follow me to Kingston?" My mind spun, I felt totally disoriented for a moment, and I looked into those crystal grey eyes. And I was lost. Strings, pulling me out of the quiet, common existence I was in. Strings, hauling me out of a rut that I hadn't known I had fallen into. Strings, pulling on my heart, making me love again. "Yes" I managed to choke out. She smiled that awesome, devastating smile of hers, and said "Kenneth Brock, will you marry me?" This had started with her tears two years ago and it was going to end with mine today. "Yes" By SilverFoxMullet for Literotica.

MORE FREAKY DELIGHTS AWAIT, in Exquisite Corpses Issue 4 - And it might be our favorite of the series thus far! Featured creators in this issue are Che Greyson & Adam Gorham.

To continue to celebrate the engagement of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce, Exquisite and Hannah go through the theme of marriage (and separation) in Taylor's discography, from folklore to The Tortured Poets Department. (Check out our previous episode for Part 1!)Taylor Swift gives a more complex and nuanced view of long-term relationships through the safety of auto-fiction in folklore and evermore. And then as we get into Midnights, we see her questioning her choices in the past and present, culminating in the manic TTPD. Buckle up. Want to support Exquisite on her journey to becoming a professor? Donate here: https://gofund.me/ceaf3b27dEnjoy the episode? ⁠⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️⁠And don't forget to join the conversation with #ShowgirlSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠⁠@alefvernon⁠⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Part 5 zeroes in on the record $12.9M Kobe/MJ Exquisite Dual Logoman: is it a true comp or a one-off outlier? We dig into why this sale triggered stronger reactions than Wagner/Mantle results, the marketing/use-case angle (Schemes/Dick's as precedent), and how headlines (“highest ever”) can be worth more than the incremental bid. We also kick around underbidder theories, “comp” vs “comparable,” and whether there's any real trickle-down. Then a fun closer: what would a 1/1 '89 UD Griffey be worth? Highlights Why this modern card drew more vitriol than vintage record-setters “Comp” vs “comparable”: when a data point doesn't map to anything else Marketing spend logic (Schemes/Dick's) and the Secure syndicate's “calling card” Psychological spillover vs long-term pricing reality Manufactured rarity isn't new: Wagner, '52 Topps highs, '33 Goudey Lajoie, Bert Corbeau, Leaf Marciano Quick takes from Karvin Cheung, Chris McGill, and Josh Adams on what really matters for collectors If you're into record sales, comps, and the vintage–modern divide, this one's for you. Watch Sports Cards Live most Saturday nights on YouTube for live, interactive hobby talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 4 shifts into a roundtable with Karvin Cheung, Chris McGill, and Josh Adams, digging into why wax is so pricey and who's actually opening it. We compare breakers vs. LCS demand, online buying behavior, and how distribution/licensing ripple through box prices. Chris puts wax costs in macro context (USD purchasing power, gold/bitcoin/S&P comparisons), while Carvin explains the ecosystem effects—and revisits Exquisite's DNA, the “1-of-1-of-1-of-1” idea, bold on-card autos, and game-used (plus where Topps Dynasty fits now). We also hit goat-chasing, sentiment signals, and whether “don't open it” is the only lever to push prices down. Highlights Breakers vs LCS: who opens more, and why it matters Distribution, licenses, and the feedback loop that lifts box prices Macro lens: cards vs gold/bitcoin/S&P; the dollar's bite on the hobby Exquisite legacy & design: bold autos > grades, and the true “1-of-1-of-1-of-1” Game-used patches today; Dynasty's role for high-end, on-card autos Cycles, sentiment, and practical ways collectors can still “stay in their lane” If you're into the real reasons wax is expensive, how breaking reshaped the hobby, and insider takes on Exquisite/Dynasty and game-used patches, this episode is for you. Watch Sports Cards Live most Saturday nights on YouTube for live, interactive hobby conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 3 continues the “priced out” conversation with Jeremy and Mike Zier, joined midway by Karvin Cheung (creator of Exquisite, The Cup, National Treasures, and more) and later Chris McGill of Card Ladder. What starts as a collector's reality check on wax prices evolves into a roundtable on distribution, licensing, breakers, and the overall state of the hobby. From $12.9M grails to $800 wax boxes, this discussion spans both ends of the spectrum, and asks whether regular collectors can still find their lane. Highlights Collector angst: returns shrinking while wax prices soar Breaking then vs. breaking now, does it still offer value? Carvin on licensing, distribution, and why the ecosystem fuels high prices Chris McGill connects rising wax costs to broader inflation and everyday life Is “don't open it” the only way to push wax prices down? The tension between million-dollar grails and collectors just wanting affordable packs Discipline, budgets, and staying grounded in today's market If you want straight talk on wax costs, the breaking economy, and the state of the hobby from both collectors and industry insiders, this episode is for you. And don't forget, watch Sports Cards Live most Saturday nights on YouTube for live, interactive conversations with hobby voices at every level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes a player a true hobby GOAT? And why do sets sometimes matter as much as the athletes on the cardboard?In this episode, Brett explores the recipe behind collecting greatness. He breaks down why only a select few players reach GOAT status, the role of cultural impact and iconic moments, and why certain sets, brands, and parallels hold long-term value.You'll hear stories about Jordan, Ruth, Jackie, Brady, Kobe, Serena, and others who transcend their sports, plus insights into how products like 2003 Exquisite, 2012 Prizm, and 1952 Topps shape the hobby.Whether you're chasing legends or building around iconic sets, this episode is a guide for thinking long-term, adding stability to your collection, and enjoying the stories behind the cards we all love.Get your free copy of Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On HypeStart your 7 day free trial of Stacking Slabs Patreon Today[Distributed on Sunday] Sign up for the Stacking Slabs Weekly Rip Newsletter using this linkFollow Stacking Slabs: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tiktok

To celebrate the engagement of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce, Exquisite and Hannah go through the theme of marriage in Taylor's discography, from Taylor Swift to Lover. (They would've kept going but the episode went too long.)Taylor Swift talks about this institution in myriad ways, whether daydreaming about it, taking inspiration from others' marriages, and creating fictionalized stories. In other words, buckle up for "hellos" and "coming homes."Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with#ShowgirlSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

The AMPire Diaries Episode 121: The Originals - “Exquisite Corpse” This BODY is INCREDIBLE? NUH. This CORPSE is EXQUISITE. Yeah. That's more like it. (And yes, I realized after the fact that this bit fits the Drake “Hotline Bling” meme. Sorry for that unintentional corniness. I was actually originally going for The Social Network corniness.) The second season of The Originals really is cooking with propane. That's because, this week, your favorite Vampire Diaries rewatch-slash-first-time watch (and still mostly spoiler-free) combination podcast is discussing The Originals' “Exquisite Corpse” (Season 2, Episode 17). Which means we're talking: - …for 8 and a half minutes (and this is the ABRIDGED version) about things that AREN'T TVDU-related in the intro, in case you wanna skip some dog co-host and movie etiquette talk. - Ex​quisite Corpse, a signature scent. - P.S. LaToya had some audio issues in this one–mostly resolved in the edit–but there are moments when she's not as clear as she usually would be on mic. - Women's rights and women's wrongs, as exemplified by Freya Mikaelson and Eva Sinclair. - What GOOD sexpionage looks like, STEVE. Here's that sexy Bonnie and Clyde shit we were looking for. - Ya gotta watch Blindspot, gang. Ya just gotta. - We just know that Claire still won't sign SHIT. God love her. - The lack of urgency we've been dealing with from the Mikaelsons lately… it's because Klaus simply hasn't been paying attention to this season. (Couldn't be us.) - Is Marcel being a bad dad or a cool (aka “badd”) dad? - Look, you'll never catch your AMPie Queens ending up in a horror movie. - The Magic Limbo. - Hayley… We love you, girl… But you've gotta stop being such a bitca to other women. (But also, never stop. It's really funny..) “CONTROLLING THE DEMON” (“Exquisite Corpse”... and wow, I guess that means we really should've listened to the episode's voiceover more than we did…) Whether you're a Vampire Diaries obsessive or newcomer, join along with hosts LaToya Ferguson (@lafergs—AMPie Queen, Vampire Diaries obsessive) and Morgan Lutich (@LorganMutich—AMPie Queen, Vampire Diaries obsessive) on their continuing podcast journey.* Most importantly, get AMPED (and horny) along with them on this journey. Ya gotta get AMPED. * And sometimes Jill Defiel (@jiilbobaggins—AMPie Queen, Vampire Diaries newcomer, now former host) and Michael Chasin (@mchasin—AMPie Boy, Vampire Diaries obsessive, sort of host). Become a patron! https://www.patreon.com/ampdiariespod/ Email us! theampirediariespod@gmail.com and fatherkieran1@gmail.com Tweet at us! @AMPDiariesPod Skeet at us! ampdiariespod.bsky.social Instagram... at us! @AMPireDiariesPod Go to our website! http://theampirediariespod.com/ The Official CW Promo for “Exquisite Corpse”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiHjVasHVNU The Mystic Falls Event of the Week for “Exquisite Corpse”: LET'S GO SAVE SOME WITCH KIDS (WITH SEXPIONAGE) The AMPire Diaries is now available to stream on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Podcasts, as well as wherever you get your podcasts (except for Spotify). Don't forget to rate (5 STARS, please) and review the podcast. And most importantly, don't forget to get AMPED.

We're out of the haze and back under dazzling lights in this new episode of The Taylor Seminars, and we're ready to discuss more of this new universe Taylor is revealing, variant by variant. So yes, we talk about the covers, but we also talk about the feeling of accomplishment that comes with each performance, even if it's accompanied by exhaustion. We also apologize to evermore. So join Exquisite and Hannah as they talk about what it means live in The life of A Showgirl.

Craig and Carmine share updates from recent shows across the country including Carmine's financial breakdown as a dealer in The Masters territory, how Emmitt Smith made Craig's All-National Team and the deal for Carmine's new favorite card in his entire collection.Craig also shares the creative ways he funded the newest addition to his Knicks PC and a literally Exquisite card involving a couple GOATs.YouTube & More: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/crosstowncardboard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Craig's Instagram: @newyorkcitysportscardsCarmine's Instagram: @CarminesCards

Even though they predicted it, Exquisite and Hannah were shocked by the drop of TS12, aka The Life of a Showgirl. They interrupt this "evermore" season with their first reactions to the new album. Listen in to hear their overall thoughts and a track-by-track sort-of-rapid-fire impressions. Enjoy the episode? ⁠⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️⁠ Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠⁠@alefvernon⁠⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Even though they predicted it, Exquisite and Hannah were shocked by the drop of TS12, aka The Life of a Showgirl. They interrupt this "evermore" season with their first reactions to the new album. Listen in to hear their overall thoughts and a track-by-track sort-of-rapid-fire impressions. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️ Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, Brett shares his experience playing as Emma Frost and Jean Grey in Marvel Rivals, just to make EvilJeff jealous. EvilJeff gives Brett his review of the new Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson. Plus we talk K-Pop Demon Hunters and of course some X-Men comics and One World Under Doom!

One of the greatest holiday songs to come out this century, "Tis the Damn Season" from evermore is a Taylor Swift song that's a modern take on the classic story of returning to one's hometown--and all the complex feelings and love that we rediscover. This gorgeous song features hints from her past albums, like Fearless Taylor's Version and also looks forward to songs like "You're On Your Own," and "Midnight Rain." Join Hannah & Exquisite for this winter-y (and muddy) journey. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Join us for another bonus episode where we discuss the issues of Exquisite Corpses out on Image comics!

Some believe the song of the Wood Thrush to be the most beautiful bird song in North America. Others select the song of the Hermit Thrush. Still others name the singing of the Swainson's Thrush. How do thrushes like this Veery create such fine music? The answer is that the birds have a double voice box, unique to them, called the syrinx. A fine singer like a thrush can voice notes independently and simultaneously from each half of its syrinx, notes which blend brilliantly as ethereal, harmonious tones.More info and transcript at BirdNote.org.Want more BirdNote? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Sign up for BirdNote+ to get ad-free listening and other perks. BirdNote is a nonprofit. Your tax-deductible gift makes these shows possible. 

What must it be like to write the hauntingly beautiful, "Gold Rush," track 3 of Taylor Swift's album evermore? Join Hannah and Exquisite as they mine the depths of this gorgeous song, including its fascinating song structure and the beauty of the rhymes. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

The six-piece group previewed new music, and their unique blend of bossa nova, neo-soul, jazz and more, in a KNKX Studio Session performance.

Send us a textMusic journalist, podcaster and photographer Jeremy Shatan drops in on YMAAA to introduce Al to Holly Miranda's 2018 album Mutual Horse. Jeremy talks about how his exploration of Miranda's music began with a New York Times article that he read, and how it led him to follow her career ever since. He explains why he thinks Mutual Horse is Miranda's best album and why it is a favorite in his collection. Jeremy also talks about how he developed broad musical tastes and why he started blogging and doing his Discover Music with AnEarful podcast.On this episode, Al made a reference to the first episode of Discover Music with AnEarful, in which Jeremy explains how he became a musical obsession. If you're not familiar with Jeremy's podcast, this is a great place to start. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-1-5-how-i-got-here/id1588981051?i=1000537666517Jeremy mentioned the New York Times article that catalyzed his Holly Miranda fandom. You can read it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/arts/music/14mira.html.Through the first 197 episodes of YMAAA, neither of Al's horses had anything to contribute to the show. On this one, at 54:40, Fynn makes his YMAAA debut.To check out Jeremy's Substack, go to anearful.substack.com.His Spotify playlists are available at https://open.spotify.com/user/jshatan.Jeremy's photography website: jeremy-shatan@pixels.comJeremy has not one, but two Instagram accounts!For music: @anearfulmusicFor photography: @murgatroydYou can also follow Jeremy on these other social media platforms…@AnEarful on Facebook, Tiktok and X@AnEarfulTV on YouTubeThe first episode of Bonus Tracks—YMAAA's subscriber-only podcast series—is now available at patreon.com/youmealbum. More monthly episodes, posts and other good stuff are soon to come. Please consider subscribing! Your support will make it possible for Al to keep this podcast going.To keep up with You, Me and An Album, please give the show a follow on Instagram at @youmealbum.1:09 Jeremy joins the show1:35 Jeremy explains how he first got interested in Holly Miranda's music7:34 Al talks about his observations regarding Miranda's on-stage charisma8:53 Jeremy notes Miranda's progression across her first three albums17:29 Jeremy appreciates the way that Miranda puts an album together19:01 Hearing some of the tracks live ahead of time got Jeremy excited about buying Mutual Horse21:18 “Wherever You Are” made a great first impression on Jeremy23:42 Al and Jeremy talk about Mutual Horse's sonic variety, particularly in the album's middle section29:40 Jeremy and Al discuss Miranda's collaboration with Kyp Malone on “Exquisite”31:54 Jeremy and Al talk about Miranda's Neil Young cover and some of her other cover songs35:58 Jeremy explains how the tracks on the latter part of the album relate to the death of Miranda's mother41:41 Jeremy has gained a new perspective on the grind of the recording industry50:08 Jeremy talks about getting to know Miranda personally55:37 Jeremy explains how Miranda wound up writing and contributing to the theme song for Discover Music with AnEarful56:50 Jeremy shares how he developed such a broad range of musical interests and how he keeps up with new music1:10:09 Jeremy talks about the value of admitting your musical ignoranceSupport the show

Long before I met the women of La Flor Farm, I met their gorgeous flowers. For the past three years, mom Michele and daughter Chantelle have supplied customers (like me) who shop at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market with a breathtakingly beautiful selection of the highest quality flowers – from tulips in time for Valentine's […] The post Episode 727: A tour of La Flor Farm's dahlia fields, where four generations grow exquisite blooms for the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market and local florists appeared first on Slow Flowers Podcast with Debra Prinzing.

Bill kicked of the morning revisiting a thought on "eschatological vison" for our life.There's a gap between those who know text etiquette and those who are just figuring out what an emoji is, Bill, Jules and Chad go through what might be good and what could be bad texting practices. While on their trip to Nashville, Dave, Bill and Carmen sat down with friend and sister Natalie Grant!From singing the National Anthem and meeting Tom Brady to what it's like raising...

Join Mike and Bill as they discuss The Visit, Superman, Vicarious #1, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Previews, Sandman TV Show, Godless, Warrior, Nude, Republic of Doil, Medieval Spawn #1, Curse of Sherlee Johnson #1, Free Planet #1, Exquisite Corpses #1, Ti...

Join Exquisite and Hannah as they analyze Track 1 of Evermore , "Willow." This witchy track by Taylor Swift is filled with metaphors that remind us of so many of her past and future songs. (There's one connection that made Exquisite feel crazy!!!) Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Step out of the labyrinth and into the witchy woods of Evermore in our latest season of "The Taylor Seminars." Exquisite and Hannah visit this beautiful album and discuss the themes and context around this beautiful album. Plus they share their favorite (and least favorite) tracks on the album. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with#EvermoreSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Taylor Swift was featured in the beautiful song "The Alcott" from The National's album First Two Pages of Frankenstein, and Exquisite and Hannah wanted to cover it. Why? Well because it's also connected to "Exile", "Coney Island," and "You're Losing Me." Join them on this episode that links us to the next series we'll be covering in the Taylor Seminars: evermore.Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with#MidnightsSeminars on X/TwitterFollow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

We come to the close of Midnights by Taylor Swift with the bonus track "Hits Different." Exquisite and Hannah parse the lyrics of this descriptive song, especially the word-vomit-y bridge in this latest episode. Listen to these argumentative, antithetical dream girls!Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #MidnightsSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Movie News: DC (Mister Miracle, Superman, Clayface), MCU (Spider-Man) Aliens vs. Avengers #4 Krypto #1 Exquisite Corpses #2 GI Joe #8

There's a place where fire meets ice, where the sea sings stories older than time, and where the land pulses with the wild truth of transformation. Exquisite. Otherworldly. A sacred journey. Welcome to the ICELAND RETREAT. This is not just a trip — it's a curated journey for women who crave beauty, depth, and nourishment. This premium retreat is created for smart, soulful women who are ready to discover what's next in one of the most stunning locations in the world. On this sacred adventure in November in one of the most stunning spots in the world, you'll reconnect with your inner knowing, release what no longer serves you, and gain the clarity to take bold action toward your next level. On this episode, I share the retreat vision, travel details + why your next chapter is waiting to be discovered in Iceland. "To travel is worth any cost or sacrifice." - Liz Gilbert  < LET'S RISE > Iceland Retreat: Discover What's Next in the Land of Fire + Ice | November 2025 https://jennyfenig.com/iceland

A sophisticated restaurant blending European elegance with American flair. Exquisite dishes and drinks. They have an excellent California wine menu. Inviting ambiance and excellent service.

We discuss a few new incredible Image Comics books: Invincible Universe Battle Beast by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley, Lost Fantasy by Curt Pires & Luca Casalanguida, and Exquisite Corpses by James Tynion IV & Michael Walsh. Plus Sleep, Spawn The Curse of Sherlee Johnson, Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger Spawn, Metal Hurlant, Dr Fate, Green Lantern, and Legion of Super-Heroes. #Skybound  #TinyOnion #DCComics You can follow us on Bluesky @comicsdiscourse114.bsky.social, Instagram: @comicsdiscourse114, Threads: @comicsdiscourse114, and Facebook: Facebook Comics Discourse 114 Also, please leave us a 5-star review at your favorite podcast platforms.  

 Karen Saves The Universe: Part 1Desperate aliens kidnap a Karen to save their world!Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.On the starship Onan, the Priamites dubiously watched the screen display the creature. Dr. Fehr's algorithm had brought them trekking across the galaxy to a smallish, blue planet around an unimpressive star. While there was no denying the power emitted by the angry, festering organic matter before them, the thought of containing it and bringing it back to Priam was daunting. Still, the fate of their world hung upon the success of their mission."Do we have; uh; audio yet, Lieutenant Cavill?" Captain Hemsworth said, pausing briefly to joylessly ejaculate into his cumsuit, which quickly reclaimed the essence he emitted and channeled it into one of the suit's containment pouches to be resorbed as nourishment.Ever since the people of Eros had unleashed their horrific weapon on them, the Priamites orgasmed almost constantly. The Eros Curse, which seemed like a gift at first, became a tool of enslavement and oppression as the great Priam civilization devolved into listless people who passed the time sitting and staring at nothing in particular. Even special holidays were simply spent gathered in each other's' houses, grunting intermittently. The children of Priam, spared by the curse of Eros by living in growth pods, were never exposed to the disease or its effects until the seemingly arbitrary age of 18, so at least there was no trouble with the censors. The demands of orgasming so frequently took its toll on the Priamite's bodies. Dehydration, muscle spasms, and fatigue were common. The effects on the mind were worse. It wasn't until the invention of the cumsuit, which not only reclaimed the fluid loss and prevented dehydration, but also reduced arousing sensations until the wearer was nearly numb, that it was possible for them to journey out into the stars in search of a cure.Guided by the ancient journals of the revered Dr. Fehr, the Priamites had come to a small planet where it was foretold that there was a force of great and terrible power. It was hoped that this force could be used to break free of the cruel Eros Curse, but time was running out. Even wearing the cumsuits, the crew of the Onan, who were the most stoic, intellectual and sexless men of Priam, felt themselves progressively weakening to the Curse. It was only a matter of time until they lost all sense of duty and simply went adrift through the universe."No audio yet, Captain. The resonant frequency is so shrill that if we don't modulate the pitch; uh;” Lieutenant Cavill replied, closing his eyes and shaking as he orgasmed, then collapsed and stared blankly at the control panels as he recovered.Another crewman took over at the panel, "Captain, I can give you audio, but only for a short time. Even on their planet, they; they; oh; oh fuck;” the replacement said, stiffening as he spurted inside his suit, then shook his head to clear it and looked to their leader for orders. Captain Hemsworth braced himself in his chair and nodded for him to activate audio.A horrendous braying screech filled the bridge, “ No Idea Why You People Can't Even Take An Order Right! I Ordered The Cobb Salad With Extra Avocado! I Don't Care If It's Not On There Or Not! Fix The Damn Menu! I Have Been Coming Here For Over 15 Years And I Know For A Fact That You People Had Cobb Salad On There Two Years Ago When You Were Called Baker's Pie;"Another voice interjected, soft and conciliatory, "Oh, yes, ma'am; I see the confusion. The Baker's Pie that was here went out of business. This restaurant is Snooker's, now, so we don't have the same menu, but our club salad is very similar to;""Are You Actually Interrupting Me? Get. Me. A. Cobb. Salad. Extra Avocado! Do You Understand? Extra Avocado! Mucho Amortado! Comprendo Estupido?"Even in that short interlude, most of the Onan's bridge crew had begun bleeding from their ears and collapsing onto the deck. Captain Hemsworth, a man of rare tolerance and stamina, struggled past their unconscious bodies to the control panel and lowered the volume until it was barely audible. "Computer, disburse caffeline into bridge life support systems, 15 parts per million," he mumbled, leaning on the control panel for support as the strong stimulant hissed into the room. He didn't like to use the drug, because the heightened energy it gave often led to periods of prolonged involuntary masturbation, but he couldn't afford to waste time for the crewmen to awaken naturally. Not when conditions were so dire on Priam.Lieutenant Cavill groaned and rose weakly, climbing back into his console chair and checking the readings. "What happened, Captain? Our scans showed a primitive civilization on the planet without any meaningful defenses. What was that? Some kind of weapon?" he asked.Captain Hemsworth did a double-take at the crewman in wonder, but he said nothing. All around him, he watched the rest of the crew slowly getting to their feet and going back to their positions. All the men were alert, aware, and focused on their duties. Several of them were talking to each other; in full uninterrupted sentences. No one drooled, no one's eyes rolled back; not one of them stared off into space, as if dully re-living the curse that had infected their brains. He, himself, had not even felt the urge to sexually relieve himself once, even with the high levels of caffeline in the air. Indeed, he had not felt anything below the waist; not since he heard that voice. He doubted whether he would have the urge to orgasm ever again. They had finally done it."That was no weapon, Cavill; it is what we came here to find. It's the cure that Dr. Fehr told us was here all along. Contact High Command and tell them; tell them we found it. Tell them we have found; The Karen.The man-eating woman.After straightening out the incompetent waiter on her order, Karen Carmichael excused herself from her prayer group's table and walked to the restrooms, incensed. What kind of man actually cries when taking an order for a salad? Probably gay; or whatever kids were calling themselves these days. Was there such a thing as "gay" anymore, when people "identified" themselves as whatever the hell occurred to them? What was the point of picking a sexuality when people didn't even have a species anymore?Of course, Travis the Waiter had to play the victim about it, too, making the entire restaurant gawk over at their table like they were monsters. He probably knew they were a nice church group and went out of his way to make trouble. Sure, they all scream for "tolerance," but their types couldn't wait to attack nice people of faith like her who showed the world what it was to be decent and pure of heart. Well, he could just kiss his tip money goodbye! Tipping had gotten ridiculous anyway; a generation of whiny babies feeling entitled to extra money just for doing their jobs. ‘If ‘; they did their jobs. She couldn't even get a salad; and, by God, if the Manager didn't make things right, her Yelp review on this place would burn a hole through people's screens!Karen pushed on the door to the restroom tightly clutching her can of pepper spray, because sexual predators were always trying to rape women like her in public restrooms, and she nearly screamed when the door opened. Wet paper towels were everywhere. The garbage bin was overflowing, and some slob had splashed water all over the sink area! Now, she'd have to make the Manager take care of this, too! More drama, when she just wanted to have a nice lunch with her friends. And, of course, the Manager would just try to ‘handle ‘; her; as if she was some unreasonable bitch just for wanting to use a facility that wasn't absolutely disgusting! Then looking near her, but not at her, the Manager would apologize in that fake-nice voice and offer to comp her meal; offering her even more of what was bad in the first place. Managers and their fake apologies. They weren't sorry. The soulless jerks never meant it. They just wanted her to go away; acting like she was a scamming thief instead of someone who just wanted to be treated decently.She settled on the toilet and tried to calm herself. Lately, half the time she wanted to cry, or scream, or tear out her hair; but it wouldn't matter. Nothing would change. Everything changed around her, though. Menus; her children; hairstyles; prices; everything changed. It felt like everything had just left her behind. She looked everywhere for the things she used to love, but she couldn't find them anymore; and if she did find them, they weren't the same as they once were. Nothing made her feel her joy like she used to. That was it. Maybe she was done; that her turn at having any real joy was over. Now, the only time anyone tried to make her happy, or even looked at her, was when she screamed at them.Karen opened her eyes to a rattling sound at the door of her long, handicapped-bathroom stall. "Occupied!" she called out. To her dismay, the dial holding the sliding bolt turned all by itself and the door unlocked. "Hey! Get out!" she yelled, grabbing her pepper spray and holding it in front of her while she tried to stand and pull up her yoga pants."Nice human; good human;” a vaguely disembodied male voice said as a dark, hooded figure in a bizarre form-fitting spacesuit stepped into her stall holding what looked like a staff with a flexible loop affixed to the end of it. It slowly stepped toward her, as cautiously as one might approach a spooked animal. "Human want a nice piece of kale? Yes you do! Yes you do! Who's a good human?" it asked, holding out a curly dark green leaf to her and shaking it temptingly."What the hell?" she yelled, fumbling with the pepper spray can and trying to figure out how to make it work, just as the loop at the end of the staff went down over her head and around her neck, cinching tight.Karen choked, clutching at the loop with one hand, trying to loosen it so she could breathe, and with the other she emptied the can of pepper spray into the hooded face of her attacker. She struggled wildly, but the staff with the loop effectively controlled her and prevented her from landing any punches or kicks on her attacker. As darkness started creeping in on her vision, the last thing she saw was the figure deeply inhale the cloud of pepper spray and hold its breath, then say in a choked voice, "Ready for transport, sir; and man, they've got some good shit down here;”The forgotten leaf of kale fell down next to where Karen's cheek was pressed against the filthy bathroom floor, and with what she feared was her dying breath she choked out, "I want; to see; the; Manager;”Karen's ne victim."I used kale, Sir. Worked like a charm. It's one of the most nutritionally dense materials on the planet, so naturally, it was irresistible," a larger Priamite said to Captain Hemsworth, as he stripped out of his protective suit in a small enclave, bathed in an undulating light.Captain Hemsworth nodded. "Good work, Commander Momoa. Decontaminate for a full four cycles and I want protective measures in place for all personnel. God knows what this thing is capable of when it wakes."Karen heard garbled voices nearby, but kept her eyes closed and tried to steady her breathing. What had happened? The air smelled odd; almost crackling with ozone and energy, like a storm coming. The ambient sounds of the room told her she was not in Snookers anymore. Probably human traffickers. She saw a whole show about it. The bastards kidnapped her and were going to sell her into sexual slavery; except that she wasn't a teenager. She was 51 years old. Nobody would pay for sex with her, much less risk a felony conviction for it. Any ransom demands sent to her husband were going to have disappointing results, as well. So, what was going on? Why was she here? The kids were in college and wouldn't even notice she was gone until Christmas came. Her friends; her passive-aggressive competitors, if she was being honest; they'd just assume she left in a huff and stiffed them on the lunch check. The cold, hard truth was: nobody cared about her anymore and she knew it. That meant, if she was going to get out of this, she would have to do it herself. Her cheek hurt where it had hit that disgusting bathroom floor and she reached her hand up to touch it. The voices yelped in alarm and Karen opened her eyes to see two figures backing away from the enclosure she was imprisoned in."Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my purse?" she yelled, pushing herself to her feet. She walked toward them, crossing her arms and glaring. "I want whoever is in charge over here right now! I mean it!" she yelled, pointing as she walked toward them. One of the figures screamed, clutched at his ears and doubled over, staggering around the room dramatically. The other, larger one she recognized from the restaurant bathroom was in some tanning-booth-looking-thing, half naked and gorgeous in a likely-sexual-predator kind of way. Rather than flailing around the room, he seemed to have gone into a catatonic trance. God, people were useless. "You! Himbo!" she shouted, pointing at him. "Where is my purse? Did you even think to get it when you kidnapped me, or am I going to miss my Ozempic shot? I hope to God you assholes have good lawyers!"The beefy kidnapper in the tanning booth wobbled, then vomited loudly. Karen snorted as he slid down to the floor, unconscious. Pathetic. The smaller figure dove toward a panel on the wall next to her enclosure and pressed a few buttons and she heard the ambient noise of her room change, like it was encased, somehow."I've muted it. It's become even stronger than before;” Captain Hemsworth gasped, helping Commander Momoa to his feet again."How are we going to get it back to Priam? We could choke it out again every time it awakens; give the privilege out as a reward to the crew?" Commander Momoa suggested eagerly."No," Captain Hemsworth said, coming closer to the force field separating him from the angry Karen still yelling and pointing from inside the enclosure. "The cumulative effects of throttling it constantly might affect its functioning. We need The Karen at full power if we are to rescue Priam. We need to keep it conscious. We must feed it, provide it breathing gasses, and keep it clean; it appears to be constantly decaying. That reminds me ; cleaning duty goes to Ensign Holland. He's still on my shit list after the incident with the Zendayans.""Aye, sir."Captain Hemsworth cleared his throat and pressed another button on the side panel. "Hail Karen, bringer of blessed flaccidity, destroyer of abhorrent lust, and banisher of all erotic thought. We are men of the planet Priam. We mean you no harm. We come to you seeking aid, and we come in peace. Actually, until we found you, we would come almost constantly. It was disgusting. Everything was sticky. You see, our enemies from Eros sent us the most perfect pornographic images disguised in an innocent-looking email attachment. Once they were seen, they could not be unseen. They were burned into our brains, cursing us with perpetual arousal. The first wave of Priamites were taken by surprise once they activated the link. The next wave fell victim when the first wave posted the link on their social media because it was just so unbelievably; anyway, after the rest of our population fell out of curiosity or boredom, our civilization was nearly destroyed. We have been searching the stars for a cure, but to no avail. Then, just as all hope seemed lost, we found you; we heard your voice; and our loins finally withered. You are now a guest on my ship, The Onan, en route to my homeworld Priam. There, we will deliver your noxious, strident sounds to everyone, freeing them from their intransigent arousal. Then, after we are assured that all have been cured, we shall return you to your home."At this, Karen made an unpleasant face and began breathing on the clear wall of her enclosure, fogging it. Then, she quickly wrote a short message. "What does it mean?" Commander Momoa said, squinting at the squiggling lines she had made.At this, the computer made a chirp and began speaking, "The message, from the American dialect of the language English translates to: Why didn't you just make a recording?"Captain Hemsworth's shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes with a sigh. Commander Momoa's eyes went wide and he clapped his hand over his face in exasperation. "Fuck;” Momoa said in realization. "A recording;”"Dammit. We didn't have to take her at all, did we?" Captain Hemsworth groaned.Karen glared at them and wrote another word on the wall. As certain as Captain Hemsworth was that he did not need or want the translation, the computer was already on the job. "'Dumbasses,'" the computer cheerfully intoned, "a colloquial phrase, plural of the insult 'dumbass,' meaning 'a foolish or stupid person.'""End translation. Yes, Karen, if we had thought to record your voice instead of kidnapping you, this might have been a much shorter story, and considerably less inconvenient, but as it is, we are closer to Priam than Earth at this point, and our course is set. We will bring you to Priam and then return you home. Perhaps kidnapping you was not the most well-considered solution, but I defy you to think clearly after constantly watching porn for eons and let me know if you do any better."Karen's new calling.Great; as if getting old wasn't insult enough, I've actually become an intergalactic sexual repellent, Karen thought to herself as she paced around her cell. A lifetime of trying to do things right, and this is what it gets me. She wasn't so surprised that there were aliens in the universe, or that they had somehow weaponized porn, but that with all their advancements they were still so stupid!Sighing, she closed her eyes and listened to the ambient sounds of her cell. Life had been so noisy, the last 30 years. Everyone needing her, pulling on her for one thing or another. No peace. Lately though, with the kids gone and Cal; otherwise occupied; life had gone silent. The silence that she had wished for held no peace when it finally came. It just reverberated with the memory of things that had left her behind, making her anxious to fill the emptiness with noise. Nothing came to lure her mind away from the silence, no pleasurable temptations; her duties were done and it felt wrong to do, or even think about, anything else. My god, she had been kidnapped, was flying through the galaxy, and was surrounded by beefcake aliens and she was still thinking about that stupid loose tile in the master bathroom; she needed to get it fixed before the house was sold.A slight sound outside her cell drew her attention. "Who's there?" Karen asked, softly, opening her eyes.A wide-eyed figure peered around the edge of her cell, moving with cautious curiosity. It seemed younger than the other ones. It moved with a sense of barely-restrained eagerness, adorable and earnest. It also held a curved sort of wand in its hand."Honey, if you're here to anally probe me, I'll pass. I already had a colonoscopy this year, I'll have them send you the records;” she murmured, not expecting an answer.After a pause as the figure listened to the translation, its large eyes got even wider. "Is that how you poop?" he asked."What?" she asked, looking more closely at the young alien."I'm supposed to clean your cell when you poop; but you haven't pooped yet; wait, do colonoscopies make you poop?" it asked, scandalized.Karen closed her eyes and shook her head, "No. Colonoscopies put a small camera up your ass so that we can pay a doctor to do what we were afraid aliens like you would do to us if we got drunk in cornfields too much. They don't make us poop. In fact; well, never mind;” she trailed off, embarrassed.She still had vivid memories of her first colonoscopy earlier in the year, drinking gallons of preparatory laxatives, and the resulting quality time with her phone on the toilet. It was an odd experience; not awful, but not one that she could talk to anyone about. Her friends only talked about their kids and their successes, or whose husband cheated on them with some young thing, viciously salivating over their friends' misery with barely concealed glee. Forget about talking through her fears about it with Cal; that wasn't something he was interested in. Not anymore.After the procedure, she had been scared and disoriented from the sedation. For whatever reason, Cal hadn't shown up to give her a ride home. The stupid clinic wouldn't let her leave until someone could drive her home and take care of her. She just sat there getting more and more anxious. Eventually, she called an Uber and begged Xabiib the driver to pretend to be her neighbor; or just someone who cared about her. She spent the ride home trying to say his name correctly while he chuckled and repeated it for her. It was so horrifyingly embarrassing. It's one thing to have no one care about you, but another thing to have the whole world know about it when you were helpless and confused.Tears had rolled down her cheeks and she absently wiped them off with her hand. The young alien sat up and craned his head to look at the liquid on her hand. Karen snorted, "At ease, Holland. It's not poop. You're not getting anything out of me unless you have some heavy-duty magnesium supplements or yogurt."Holland's eyes went wide, "Are humans telepathic???" he gasped. "How did you know my name? Wow, that's so cool! Do it again! What am I thinking about now?"Karen suppressed a smile. Closing her eyes, she pressed her fingers to her temples and swayed from side to side, mysteriously. "I see something; something in the mist; something about; could it be; no, it makes no sense. Is it; a Zen; Zendayan? Does that make any sense to you?" she asked.Holland dropped his curved instrument in shock. "Yes! Yes! We just met them! We negotiated with them for supplies! I was there to carry stuff and; and;” he paused, shrinking in on himself a bit. "They are so beautiful. The Zendayans? So beautiful; and super nice; and just; like wow; I was supposed to just stand there until they were done with the talking and bowing and stuff, but they were just like so beautiful.""Well, what happened?" Karen asked."Captain introduced me and I bowed to them. I was feeling dizzy because, you know, their beautifulness just keeps radiating off them. Then; then; the most beautiful of them; she smiled." Holland stared at nothing, immersed in the memory, then wobbled, tipped over, and lay on the floor staring at the ceiling.Karen bit her lips in amusement. "I see. What did you do then?""I; I; I started talking and then I just couldn't stop because I was just trying to say how beautiful she was and how it just made my mind explode when she smiled and then I might have peed on the floor.""Oh dear," Karen said, cringing in sympathy. "We don't always put forward the face we want to when we are in our feelings, do we?" she said, quietly."Yeah; I've been cleaning poop ever since;” Holland sighed. After a while he sat back up, picked up the curved instrument and began twirling it in his hands. "So, like; what about you? Have you always made horrible noises?" he asked.Karen huffed, but then she saw the oblivious earnestness in Holland's face and sighed. "No; I wasn't always; like this. In fact, until about 30 years ago, I made beautiful noises. I was a pianist," she said."But, wait, they said you were a female;” Holland said, confused."Pee, an, ist," Karen repeated slowly. "I played the piano. It's an instrument; I was a musician. I was a student at Juilliard. It's a school on Earth; it was like a dream to even get in. I was on a scholarship, living in this shoddy apartment with my roommate Dana;” she trailed off, thinking about those days when everything seemed possible."Wait! Are you remembering?" Holland asked, breaking her reverie. "Can I remember it, too? Nobody wants to remember with me ever since the Zendayans, so I'm just left with my own memories and it gets so boring.""What are you talking about?""Well, it's kinda like; um; let me just show you. Computer, scan The Karen and project her memories," Holland ordered. A humming noise filled the room and a beam of light shot out of the wall and passed over her several times. Suddenly, her cell transformed into her shoddy apartment in Newark, New Jersey."Oh my gosh; it's just like it," Karen gasped looking around."Humans dream of getting into this?" Holland said, scrutinizing a cockroach scurrying along the floor."No, silly. This was our apartment across the river. We lived here when we weren't at school. Dana and I moved off campus in our second year. We took jobs on the side through an agency. That was when;” she sat down and a phone in the apartment's bedroom began ringing.A long, pale arm reached out of a pile of blankets on the bed and grabbed the phone. "Hullo?" Dana mumbled. A voice on the phone sounded irate. "Yeah, I'm almost there," she said and hung up.

Exquisite and Hannah take a slight detour because the best glitch ever interrupted their plans: Taylor Swift buys back her masters. Hear them discuss the outcome and then get into the song "Glitch" by Taylor Swift from her album Midnights. Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #MidnightsSeminars on X/TwitterFollow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

Karvin Cheung's influence on the hobby is probably more than you realize.  He's a risk taker who decisions have had positive effects. He returns for part 2 of our conversation on this episode.   Talking points on this episode may include: *The Evolution of the Hobby *Wearing different hobby hats *Working for Upper Deck, Working for Panini *The Legend of the Exquisite brand *Grail item *Would you like to see multiple licensing again? *Taking Risks *NSCC Discussion  Follow us on Social Media:  Website:https://www.sportscardnationpo....com https://linktr.ee/Sportscardna... Merch shop:https://sports-card-nation.pri...   To eliminate pre & post-roll adshttps://www.spreaker.com/podca...

Mr. Hollywood forgets his job as we talk Avengers delay. Alex picked Secret Six Vol.2 for the book club. Garrett brings a new book to the table. Leave a message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/WednesdayComics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WednesdayComics.com⁠Sponsors:⁠⁠⁠⁠Rainbow Comics and Cards⁠⁠⁠⁠Roots of the Swamp Thing

Custom surface artists Lisa Donohoe and Brynn Gelbard met and fell in love in the queer underbelly scene of San Francisco in 2002, a time before bi-national same-sex marriage was legal. Their diverse community was built on love, curiosity and celebrating each other's differences. In an evolution that was equal parts organic maturity and cosmic intervention, Brynn and Lisa moved to Los Angeles and founded Londubh Studio, specializing in elaborate and maximalist hand-applied surface designs. Now the duo, often considered the design world's secret weapon, are translating their wildness, love, magic, and the sacred, through exquisite artistry and pristine craft, into visual celebrations that vibrate with love and emanate joy. Special thanks to our sponsor: Wix Studio:Web designers, Wix Studio lets you deliver your vision with less friction. Built for agencies and enterprises, you get total creative control over every last pixel, with no-code animations, tons of AI tools, reusable design assets, and advanced layout tools. Check out Wix Studio for your next project: https://www.wix.com/studio.For more from Byrnn and Lisa, head to cleverpodcast.com for a transcript (with links!) of this episode, images, resources, and over 200+ more episodes! Please help us out by completing a short LISTENER SURVEYSubscribe to our free substack for updates, bonus content, and new episode alerts.Please say Hi on social! Instagram and Linkedin - @CleverPodcast, @amydeversIf you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!Clever is hosted & produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Mark Zurawinski, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We didn't podfade! The boys are back to talk this week's new comic releases. Remembering Peter David Andor Exquisite Corpses #1 Superman Unlimited #1 Detective Comics #1097 Note: We did have some minor audio issues with our new software - we're working through them!

Karvin Cheung's influence on the hobby is probably more than you realize.  He's a risk taker who decisions have had positive effects. He joins us today on this episode.   Talking points on this episode may include: *The Evolution of the Hobby *Wearing different hobby hats *Working for Upper Deck, Working for Panini *The Legend of the Exquisite brand *Grail item *Would you like to see multiple licensing again? *Taking Risks *NSCC Discussion  Follow us on Social Media:  Website:https://www.sportscardnationpo....com https://linktr.ee/Sportscardna... Merch shop:https://sports-card-nation.pri...   To eliminate pre & post-roll adshttps://www.spreaker.com/podca...

Dan Slott moves to DC for the Summer of Superman! In this week's episode, it's Memorial Day weekend, so Joe and Matt are firing up the grill and roasting Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque's Superman Unlimited, Aunt Petunia's favorite Fantastic Four member in The Thing's new series, Kaare Andrews' channeling Todd McFarlane in the latest […] The post Spider-Man & Wolverine, Superman Unlimited, Invincible Presents Battle Beast, Exquisite Corpses & MORE! | New Comics Review Show #778 appeared first on The Two-Headed Nerd Comic Book Podcast.

Guess what? We are back and so is Butter Man!www.coolparents.co

With Larkin no longer in the picture, the investigators begin their search of the pyramid site. Watch the video here: ⁠⁠⁠https://youtu.be/TDGlU7zU7k4 For a limited time, use code "TFC" to save 15% on Cthulhu products at ⁠⁠chaosium.com⁠⁠. Access exclusive podcasts, ad-free episodes, and livestreams with a 30-day free trial with code "GCN30" at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠jointhenaish.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join Troy Lavallee, Joe O'Brien, Skid Maher, Matthew Capodicasa, Sydney Amanuel, and Kate Stamas as they tour the country. Get your tickets today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03cn8wr0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. For more podcasts and livestreams, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hubs.li/Q03cmY380⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Watch new episodes when they premiere every Friday at 8PM ET on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠youtube.com/theglasscannon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, starting July 11th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

learn how to say 'exquisite' in Korean

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSSpider-Gwen gets 'Brand New Day' in new series launchMarvel reveals cover and Quesada talks 'Marvel Knights' The World to Come' #3'Marvel All-On-One' #1 anniversary one-shot coming August 2025'Imperial' gets new teaser promising spin-off one-shots, and issue 3 solicitSequel 'Cemetery Kids Run Rabid' #1 set for August releaseSkybound and Universal reteam for 'The Invisible Man'Casey Jones gets a solo seriesScott Snyder reveals new look at Bane and ‘Absolute Batman' vol. 2 titleDC Comics solicitaitons for August!New existential horror 'Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum' coming August 20252025 Eisner Awards nominees are in!Our Top Books of the WeekDave:Absolute Batman #8 (Scott Snyder, Marcos Martin)Spider-Verse Vs. Venomverse (2025) #1 (Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins, Luciano Vecchio)Alex:​​Exquisite Corpses #1 (Tynion, Michael Walsh)All-New, All-Deadly Gwenpool #1 (Cavan Scott, Stefano Nesi)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Alex - Doom Snikt in OOUD #4Dave - Battle Beast #1 (Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKAlex: The Vision & the Scarlet Witch #1 (Orlando, Lorenzo Tammetta), Absolute Flash #3 (Lemire, Robles)Dave: Into the Unbeing Part 2 #4 (Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: The New Gods #6 (Nimit Malavia)Alex: The Ultimates #12 (Inhyuk Lee variant)Interview: James Tynion - Exquisite Corpses #1 out May 14, 20251. What drew you to the exquisite corpse method as a structural framework—and how did it shape your writing process across collaborators?2. You've said before that horror lets you explore personal fears in metaphorical ways—what fear sits at the heart of Exquisite Corpses for you personally?3. This project is filled with shifting tones and visual voices—how did you maintain thematic cohesion across multiple artists and chapters?4. You've tackled horror through multiple lenses—from psychological horror in The Nice House on the Lake to body horror in Something is Killing the Children. Where does Exquisite Corpses fall on your personal horror spectrum?5. You've spoken about burnout and choosing joy in your writing—did this collaborative process reawaken anything in you creatively?6. There's a class warfare element baked into the DNA of Exquisite Corpses. How important was it for you to make that commentary explicit rather than just subtext?7. You're known for big ideas in genre fiction. Was there ever a version of Exquisite Corpses that could've been a prose project or TV pitch—or was comics always the only way this could work?8. What's one element in Exquisite Corpses—a character, twist, or scene—that you're most excited for readers to finally experience, but can't say anything about yet?

Episode 980-Connectivity, Battle Beast Blind Bags, Exquisite Corpses, Jessica Jones, Gary Vee+ Sneak Peek at Next Week w/Kyle & DrewABSOLUTE FLASH #3 (W) Jeff Lemire (A/CA) Nick RoblesCATWOMAN #76 (W) Torunn Gronbekk (A) Patricio Delpeche (CA) Inhyuk LeeSongs by Drew - Static & Disconnect & Sync Need an LCS Kowabunga Comics https://kowabungacomics.com - Get FOC Access: http://eepurl.com/du7Wwf or Eric@KowabungaComics.com Like & Subscribe on our Youtube www.youtube.com/@comicsforfunandprofit5331Patreon https://www.patreon.com/comicsfunprofit  Merch https://comicsfunprofit.threadless.comYour Support Keeps Our Show Going On Our Way to a Thousand EpisodesDonate Here https://bit.ly/36s7YeLAll the C4FaP links you could ever need  https://beacons.ai/comicsfunprofit Listen To the Episode Here: https://comcsforfunandprofit.podomatic.com/

Join us as Exquisite and Hannah discuss the heartbreaking "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" by Taylor Swift from Midnights. Taylor writes purposefully vaguely about a tragedy in a life and yet so specifically that she's able to put words to people's sadness--even when she says "no words appear before me in the aftermath." Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #MidnightsSeminars on X/TwitterFollow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠

I've been meaning to catch up with Eisner Winning comics writer and artist Michael Walsh (Universal Monsters:Frankenstein, Nullhunters) for some time on the show. As a big fan of his work on The Silver Coin, I was particularly excited about the news that he was working on a new project with James Tynion, and what a project this is. Exquisite Corpses is unlike anything else I've ever seen. It's an indy book with a production and marketing engine rivaling the big two and backed by the full force that is Tiny Onion and its plethora of talented worker bees. I'm not typically a single issue person, usually waiting for trades but after getting an advance sneak peek at this, I'm all in every month as it will be that read in the car book many people will anxiously await each month. They've assembled an all star team of rotating talent to work on different issues but retained the same letter and colorist to maintain some visual continuity throughout. As the architect of much of the visual language of the book and its various villains, it was a joy to hear all about Michael's character design process and the unique nature of collaborating that helped create the blueprint for what will be one of the most exciting series of 2025. Michael's website Michael's shout outs Becca Carey - project letterer Courtney Maynard Exquisite Corpses From the publisher Every five years on Halloween, the wealthiest families in America play a game. Twelve of the deadliest people in the world are dropped into a small town with just one goal: last killer standing wins. For the citizens of Oak Valley, Maine—this year's unlucky arena—the goal is much simpler. They must survive the night. Experience a comics event like no other, from the minds of JAMES TYNION IV & MICHAEL WALSH, as they lead a group of the most exciting voices in the industry. Over thirteen blood-soaked chapters, these creators will collaborate and compete to determine who wins and who dies—and the games begin in this triple-sized debut! Exquisite Corpses is an extended collaboration between Tynion and Walsh, who wrote the creative bible for the series, and some of the most acclaimed and popular creators in comics, including Adam Gorham (Hellhunters), Becca Carey (Absolute Wonder Woman), Che Grayson (Dark Spaces: Good Deeds), Claire Roe (Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special), Gavin Fullerton (The Closet), Jordie Bellaire (Redlands), Marianna Ignazzi (Catwoman), Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian), Tyler Boss (You'll Do Bad Things), and Valentine De Landro (Bitch Planet). PATREON We have a new Patreon, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CryptidCreatorCornerpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you like what we do, please consider supporting us. We got two simple tiers, $1 and $3. Want to know more, you know what to do. ARKENFORGE Play TTRPG games? Make sure to check out our partner ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Arkenforge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use the discount code YETI5 to get $5 off your order. THE LANTERN CATALOG Created on the premise of creating light in the dark, this is the the go to resource to keep you up to date on the indy projects and the creators you love. You can find them at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thelanterncatalog.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Make sure to check out our sponsor ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠2000AD⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Hannah and Exquisite as they discuss the first of Midnights 3am tracks. "The Great War" is a masterful self-written song that describes a tumultuous time in a couple's relationship that has a happy ending. But we see glimpses of other battles in the past and even foreshadowing of betrayal and heartache in the future.

On today's podcast, Founder and CEO of af&co., Andrew Freeman shares Expert Tips and Trends in Travel, Luxury Hotels and Fine Dining, and Strategies to stay relevant, resourceful, and respected in your industry   BACK STORY Named as one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, and was named a PRNEWS CEO of the Year Honoree for 2023, Andrew brings a combination of deep industry experience, passion and creativity to every endeavor. With 40 years in the hospitality industry and af&co. celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, Andrew has built a legacy of innovation while staying at the forefront of industry trends. With over 200 restaurant and hotel launches, Andrew and his team have provided branding, marketing, PR, and operations consulting for hundreds more, including spirits, wine brands, and destinations. af&co. has also produced culinary events ranging from intimate dinners to festivals drawing over 10,000 guests. From 2016 to present, af&co. has been named by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Top 50 LGBTQ-Owned Businesses in the Bay Area, consecutively moving up the ranks to its current position at number 34.  Andrew got his start in the restaurant business by working his way up through the ranks at several legendary New York City establishments. At the Russian Tea Room, Andrew opened the Cabaret, which became the toast of the town after only six months and he spent six years as VP of PR at The Rainbow Room, working alongside Joe Baum. He then moved onto the famed Windows on the World, Andrew was the VP of Public Relations and Marketing and oversaw the re-launch after the Trade Center bombing in 1992.  Before founding af&co., Andrew spent a decade as VP of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, launching over 40 properties and expanding the brand globally. He also spearheaded Kimpton's award-winning LGBTQ+ travel program, helping it become the first hospitality company to earn a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index—a distinction it has maintained since 2002. In addition to af&co., Andrew co-founded Carbonate in 2020, an independent branding and creative agency specializing in storytelling, identity, and positioning for the hospitality industry. Under Andrew's leadership, af&co. and Carbonate have become highly respected consulting firms with headquarters in San Francisco and Cincinnati, serving clients nationwide. The af&co. + Carbonate Annual Trends Report, now in its 17th year, continues to be one of the most influential industry resources, providing insights into emerging hospitality trends. When Andrew is not consulting with his growing list of notable clients, he dedicates any extra time he has to philanthropic efforts sitting on the boards of SF Travel, The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, Foodwise, and The Richmond Ermet AID Foundation. He's an honorary board member of Meals on Wheels San Francisco and a co-founder for Dress for Success San Francisco.  Andrew has been a driving force in initiatives that amplify and support hospitality businesses in the Bay Area. He is a co-founder of the Oakland Restaurant Collective and Savor Oakland and collaborates with Visit Oakland, Eat Drink SF, and The James Beard Foundation on yearly culinary events. He continues to advocate for hospitality businesses, ensuring they remain integral to the cultural and economic landscape. A regular contributor to industry publications, Andrew is a sought-after speaker at hospitality conferences worldwide. When not working – you can find Andrew at Barry's Bootcamp, catching the latest Broadway show (obsessed), exploring the wonders of San Francisco with his pooch Dolly and of course celebrating life's everyday moments at his favorite restaurants and hotels. Website: https://www.afandco.com/ Instagram: afandco SUBSCRIBE TO ICONIC HOUR If you enjoyed today's podcast, I'd be so appreciative if you'd take two minutes to subscribe, rate and review ICONIC HOUR. It makes a huge difference for our growth. Thanks so much!   ICONIC LIFE MAGAZINE  Stay in touch with ICONIC LIFE magazine. We invite you to join our digital VIP list and SUBSCRIBE!   JOIN OUR ICONIC COMMUNITY Website: iconiclife.com Instagram: @iconiclifemag Facebook: Iconic Life YouTube: ICONIC LIFE   FOLLOW RENEE DEE Instagram: @iconicreneedee LinkedIn: Renee Dee   Thanks for being a part of our community to Live Beautifully.

Exquisite and Hannah wrap up Track 13 of Midnights (the end of the standard album) with "Mastermind." This song mixes romanticism and manipulation to concoct the perfect closer (or is the closer?!?) that show how Taylor is clearly in control (or is she?!). Enjoy the episode? ⁠Support The Taylor Seminars on Ko-fi! ❤️And don't forget to join the conversation with #MidnightsSeminars on X/Twitter Follow us on Twitter:- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠taylorseminars⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠sippingaugust ⁠⁠⁠⁠(Hannah)- ⁠@⁠⁠⁠exquisitewill⁠ ⁠⁠⁠(Exquisite)Cover Art by Alef Vernon: - ⁠@⁠⁠⁠alefvernonart⁠ ⁠⁠⁠on Instagram- ⁠@alefvernon⁠ on Twitter⁠⁠⁠Follow Alef on ⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠