Podcasts about Frodo Baggins

For this Special Episode, Chantelle and Christian are joined by a few surprise family guests to revisit one of the most iconic films in cinema history, Jaws. More than just a summer blockbuster, Jaws changed the movie industry forever and left a lasting impact across generations.Together, the group shares personal memories, behind-the-scenes facts, and why the film still holds up 50 years later. It's a warm, funny, and nostalgic conversation that celebrates Spielberg's shark classic through a truly family lens.

What if your teachers weren't just strict—they weren't even human? We revisit Robert Rodriguez's 1998 cult favorite The Faculty and pull apart why a movie that isn't all that scary can still be a blast. From a stacked cast and deliciously campy set pieces to a soundtrack that transports you straight to the late 90s, this one hits the sweet spot between teen drama and creature feature.We kick off with a quick setup and a “sinister sip” cocktail, then get into what makes the film tick: archetypal teens forced to trust one another under alien pressure, a Thing-inspired test scene that still crackles, and a football-field menace that turns school spirit into a hive. We talk what holds up—tight pacing, memorable lines, Elijah Wood's earnestness, Josh Hartnett's slacker charisma—and what doesn't: dated stereotypes, an abusive-coach caricature, clunky CGI, and a few jokes that should've stayed in 1998. Along the way we salute the needle drops, from The Offspring to Pink Floyd, and spotlight why the music does more than vibe—it frames the story.You'll also hear deep-cut trivia and international title oddities, plus how this film nudged careers (and maybe even set Frodo's path). We compare The Faculty's meta ambitions to Scream and its paranoia mechanics to The Thing, landing on a clear verdict: this is comfort-horror—fun, quotable, and worth your time, even if it won't haunt your dreams. Hit play, pour the Teacher's Pet, and message us with your favorite scene or the trope that made you groan.Enjoyed the conversation? Follow on Instagram at ScreamStream Pod, visit screamsandstreams.com for episode notes and research links, and leave a rating or review so more horror fans can find the show. Head to www.screamsandstreams.com for more information related to our episode.

Huhu und Hallo! Bilbos Butze macht dich froh! Hier ist nämlich die neueste Folge in der es ausschließlich um tolle Dinge geht. Zum Beispiel Hobbits, Schlachtpläne, Hörner und den Untergang der Bäckereien im Auenland. Na klingt das nicht super? Außerdem besprechen Manu und Michel, die beiden Sackheim-Beutlins aus Beutelsend das nächste Kapitel im Herr der Ringe. Wird das Auenland nun endlich so richtig gesäubert? Na mal sehen. Wird ein alter Bekannter auftauchen und nochmal Krawall machen? Bestimmt. Ist alles eine riesen Freude? Mit Sicherheit!Viel Spaß!

Blackers announced he’s hosting the 2025 ARIA Awards red carpet again, and we couldn’t be more excited for our man in the spotlight. We dove into Total Turnoffs with a hilarious list of hairstyles that, according to a “funny website” Joel found, are guaranteed to kill your chances in the dating world. Lil Jon has gone zen, releasing a meditative version of “Yeah!” that you need to hear to believe. We also asked, “What do you swear by?” and this couple blew our minds, claiming they got married at Hobbiton, with Frodo himself making a cameo. In the glossies, Heather Gay from Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has hooked up with Captain Jason from Below Deck Down Under, and we can’t stop gossiping. Things got emotional when a man tried to bring an emotional support roast chicken through airport security, and yes, it got cleared. Finally, Angela Bishop joined us for Quick Draw and crushed it, proving she’s just as sharp on the game as she is hosting the ARIA red carpet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's All Hallow's Eve Eve! Does that make sense? It's the day before Halloween(duh). And we had a to of Halloween stuff this morning including a Jason Vorhees/Peloton team-up, the #1 candy in every state, and whether or not Halloween decorations have become too scary. It's also "Hypothetical Thursday" and Jean's question was: "Would you rather ONLY eat candy corns for an entire month...or eat ONLY pumpkin-flavored foods for an entire month?" Brian's question was: "Which horror movie main character do you think you could survive?" We also talked to Office Cora to find out what she's up to in the 715 this weekend. Her Hypothetical Question for us was: "Would you rather have food delivered instantly the moment you order it...but it's a bit too spicy and the temperature of the food is off....or have it delivered normally with the right amount of spice & the correct temperature?" In sports, the Blue Jays got a BIG win over the Dodgers last night in Game 5 of the World Series, Week 9 in the NFL kicks off tonight with Thursday Night Football, a look at the NFC North schedule this weekend, the Bucks are back in action tonight, an update on Terry Rozier & Chauncy Billups, the Twins get a new manager, and Aidan Hutchinson gets a massive contract extension. Elsewhere in sports, the Governor of Louisiana has some interesting comments about the next head coach at LSU, former NHL player Ryan Kesler is facing some serious chargers, and Kyle Busch & his wife lost over $8 million in a life insurance scam! Several really cool stories this morning, including Mr. Frodo crashing a "Lord of the Rings"-themed wedding, a kid who grew his hair out so he could donate it to charity, and a family found a message in a bottle from a WW1 soldier! Today is "National Candy Corn Day", and pretty much everyone hates it. And in today's edition of "Bad News with Happy Music", we had stories about a pet monkey that got loose in a Spirit Halloween store, an artificial "tongue" that can apparently detect how spicy foods are, a woman who got hit in the face by a duck while riding a rollercoaster at SeaWorld, a United Airlines flight that got delayed with a couple of flight attendants turned into fight attendants, a guy who tried to sneak into a jail with a giant Thermos up his ass, a cop in Detroit who showed up to a virtual court hearing without any pants on, and a Halloween hater who destroyed a display featuring a skeleton version of Bob Ross!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You probably saw my post from ten days ago in which I argued that the vast numbers of people queuing up outside bullion stores in Singapore and Sydney to buy gold and silver were not a good sign.As it turns out, they were not. Gold and silver have put in a top - an interim, mid-cycle top, in my view, not the top - and we can now expect many months of sideways, shake-out, frustrating consolidation to generally piss everyone off. It's important, in such times, to keep your eye on the bigger picture, which in this case is the inevitable debasement of currency, so as not to lose your position.You'll know, I'm sure, the story of Joe Kennedy's shoe shine boy. In 1929, so the story goes, the boy who was polishing the celebrated investor's shoes started giving him stock tips. If the shoe shine boy has bought in, thought Joe Kennedy Snr, who else is left to buy? That persuaded him that the top was close and he famously sold just before the crash.That story is often cited to illustrate the idea that retail investors are sheep. They're stupid. You should do the opposite to what retail is doing and so on.I don't think it's anything like that simple.There are some retail investors who are stupid. There are plenty who are rookies and naive. But there are plenty who are thoughtful, wise and, as a result, very good investors. By the same token, I have met many fund managers, analysts and more from respected institutions who are thick as pigshite. (I have met plenty of geniuses too). Give me the choice between some blogger and an institutional research report, you'll often get far more insight from the former. I frequently read bulletin boards, or chats on Twitter, as part of my research into a company.It wasn't institutions who got into bitcoin early, it was retail. Even now many institutions shun it, particularly in bureaucratic banana republics such as the UK. Who were the smart guys? The people that bought earliest. Retail.Obviously, if you start getting investment tips from a shoe shine boy/taxi driver/barber (my Albanian barber is forever shilling me shitcoins) or your nan's carer's mate, that is usually a bad sign, but it doesn't mean that ordinary folk are stupid.With the above in mind, I stumbled across this video from another legend of American investing, Jim Simons. At the time of his death in 2024, the hedge fund manager's net worth was north of $30 billion, making him the 55th-richest person in the world.He describes January 21, 1980, when, at the afternoon fix, gold went to $850 /oz - a blow-off top that would not be seen again for almost 30 years.I write about that 1980 blow-off top, by the way, and how it was “illusory” in the Secret History of Gold (BTW the audiobook is getting barnstorming reviews).The point I draw from the Simons talk is that retail was selling gold. People were not buying, they were selling.In other words, retail nailed the top of the market. My mum remembers the gold fever - and indeed the silver fever (silver spiked to $50 three days earlier on January 18). Even today, 45 years on, the silver price is lower than it was then - that's how insane that spike was.She recalls people queuing up to sell their family silver. Not to buy it. To sell it.So that is something I am looking for to tell than this bull market is close to an end: when retail, ordinary people, start selling their physical in droves. We are not there yet.Even towards the end of the last bull market which peaked in 2011, everywhere you went, there were signs saying, “We buy any gold”. Retail was selling.Comedian Gary Delaney and I even wrote a sketch in which a wizard (Gandalf) pulls a ring from the fire, reads the inscription, hands it to a hobbit (Frodo), who nods thoughtfully and says something along the lines of, “I understand what I must do.” We then cut to him going into a shop with a sign outside that says, “We buy any gold.”I still think that sketch is funny, but of course TV didn't want it. Wrong age, wrong sex, wrong colour - never mind wrong views.If you enjoyed today's article, please tell a friend..Until next time,DominicIf you live in a Third World country, such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The bullion dealer I recommend is The Pure Gold Company. Pricing is competitive, quality of service is high. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe or you can store your gold with them. More here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

This week we're going over Magical Curses and Diseases! Throughout D&D and the fantasy genre, there have been magical afflictions. In Game of Thrones, Jorah Mormont catches Greyscale, but luckily is one of the very few survivors. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo is poisoned by Shelob's fangs and it's why Sam thought he was dead. So get out your stethoscopes, open that copy of Grey's Anatomy, and let's get into it! And remember to give us 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ AND a positive review! This helps us so much, so tell your friends!  We have VIDEO now! Subscribe to our YouTube to see the podcast! And other content! --------------------------- And CLICK HERE to find links to our Patreon, Discord, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, and more! Email us at Soyouwannabeadm@gmail.com WE HAVE MERCH! Click the link above!

You probably saw my post from ten days ago in which I argued that the vast numbers of people queuing up outside bullion stores in Singapore and Sydney to buy gold and silver were not a good sign.As it turns out, they were not. Gold and silver have put in a top - an interim, mid-cycle top, in my view, not the top - and we can now expect many months of sideways, shake-out, frustrating consolidation to generally piss everyone off. It's important, in such times, to keep your eye on the bigger picture, which in this case is the inevitable debasement of currency, so as not to lose your position.You'll know, I'm sure, the story of Joe Kennedy's shoe shine boy. In 1929, so the story goes, the boy who was polishing the celebrated investor's shoes started giving him stock tips. If the shoe shine boy has bought in, thought Joe Kennedy Snr, who else is left to buy? That persuaded him that the top was close and he famously sold just before the crash.That story is often cited to illustrate the idea that retail investors are sheep. They're stupid. You should do the opposite to what retail is doing and so on.I don't think it's anything like that simple.There are some retail investors who are stupid. There are plenty who are rookies and naive. But there are plenty who are thoughtful, wise and, as a result, very good investors. By the same token, I have met many fund managers, analysts and more from respected institutions who are thick as pigshite. (I have met plenty of geniuses too). Give me the choice between some blogger and an institutional research report, you'll often get far more insight from the former. I frequently read bulletin boards, or chats on Twitter, as part of my research into a company.It wasn't institutions who got into bitcoin early, it was retail. Even now many institutions shun it, particularly in bureaucratic banana republics such as the UK. Who were the smart guys? The people that bought earliest. Retail.Obviously, if you start getting investment tips from a shoe shine boy/taxi driver/barber (my Albanian barber is forever shilling me shitcoins) or your nan's carer's mate, that is usually a bad sign, but it doesn't mean that ordinary folk are stupid.With the above in mind, I stumbled across this video from another legend of American investing, Jim Simons. At the time of his death in 2024, the hedge fund manager's net worth was north of $30 billion, making him the 55th-richest person in the world.He describes January 21, 1980, when, at the afternoon fix, gold went to $850 /oz - a blow-off top that would not be seen again for almost 30 years.I write about that 1980 blow-off top, by the way, and how it was “illusory” in the Secret History of Gold (BTW the audiobook is getting barnstorming reviews).The point I draw from the Simons talk is that retail was selling gold. People were not buying, they were selling.In other words, retail nailed the top of the market. My mum remembers the gold fever - and indeed the silver fever (silver spiked to $50 three days earlier on January 18). Even today, 45 years on, the silver price is lower than it was then - that's how insane that spike was.She recalls people queuing up to sell their family silver. Not to buy it. To sell it.So that is something I am looking for to tell than this bull market is close to an end: when retail, ordinary people, start selling their physical in droves. We are not there yet.Even towards the end of the last bull market which peaked in 2011, everywhere you went, there were signs saying, “We buy any gold”. Retail was selling.Comedian Gary Delaney and I even wrote a sketch in which a wizard (Gandalf) pulls a ring from the fire, reads the inscription, hands it to a hobbit (Frodo), who nods thoughtfully and says something along the lines of, “I understand what I must do.” We then cut to him going into a shop with a sign outside that says, “We buy any gold.”I still think that sketch is funny, but of course TV didn't want it. Wrong age, wrong sex, wrong colour - never mind wrong views.If you enjoyed today's article, please tell a friend..Until next time,DominicIf you live in a Third World country, such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The bullion dealer I recommend is The Pure Gold Company. Pricing is competitive, quality of service is high. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe or you can store your gold with them. More here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Some performers step into the light and the room leans in. Others work just as hard and leave us cold. We wanted to know why. Together with juggler and performance thinker Jay Gilligan, we unpack stage presence without the fluff—what it is, how to build it, and why authenticity beats polish every time.We start by challenging the myth that presence is a gift you either have or don't. Yes, some people radiate charisma from day one. But most of us can raise our baseline by choosing the right lane and aligning our inner life with our outer expression. We explore useful archetypes to find leverage (clown, lover, hermit, magician), and show how mismatched personas create static the audience can feel. Then we get practical with a simple, powerful framework: head (ideas), heart (emotion), hands (skills), and senses (look and sound). When those four line up, presence clicks.Jay and I share stories from street stages and theater runs about entrances that land, silences that speak, and why the “living time” is the beat between tricks. We dig into micro-choices that shift everything—how your eyes acknowledge the crowd, how breath sets tempo, how a half-smile reads as gratitude instead of performance. We talk technique versus embodiment too: you can copy moves and still miss the moment; intention is what makes shape meaningful. Expect grounded advice you can use tonight: choose one beat for connection, test variations on camera, refine details like shoes and sound, and let your true motives shape your mechanics.If you care about connecting—juggling, comedy, magic, music—this conversation will sharpen your instincts and your toolkit. Subscribe, share with a performer who needs a lift, and leave a review with your biggest presence breakthrough. Your story might spark the next one.Support the show...Now you can get t-shirts and hoodies with our wonderful logo. This is the best new way to suport the podcast project. Become a proud parader of your passion for Showmanship and our glorious Craft whilst simultanously helping to gather more followers for the Way.You'll find the store here: https://thewayoftheshowman.printdrop.com.auIf you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to contact me about anything, including wanting me to collaborate on one of your projects you can reach me on thewayoftheshowman@gmail.comor find out more on the Way of the Showman website.you can follow the Way of Instagram where it is, not surprisingly thewayoftheshowman.If you find it in you and you have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo's friend Sam stops as they're leaving the Shire on their long journey, saying, “If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest from home I've ever been.” Sam may have taken one step in that moment, but it would take countless more steps for him and Frodo to reach their destination. Pastor Jeff teaches today that the Holy Spirit's transforming work doesn't happen all at once. It takes thousands of tiny steps and lots of time to make you into a new creation.

In this 8th anniversary remastered interview, Stefan Molyneux and Dr. Duke Pesta discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," exploring the impact of World Wars on themes of heroism and morality. They analyze the symbolism of the One Ring and contrast characters like Frodo with collective failures. This conversation encourages reflection on the enduring lessons of courage and integrity within Tolkien's works. Tune in for a compelling exploration of his literary legacy.SUBSCRIBE TO ME ON X! https://x.com/StefanMolyneuxFollow me on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@freedomain1GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2025

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

The Fellowgroup made a desperate final push across the ford. Guy and the mysterious elf shot arrows at the Ringwraiths while Adam dove underwater and stabbed at the horses from below before making it to shore. At the bank, Tyler reached for Guy and Frodo, but at the last moment, he lost his balance. He managed to grab hold of Guy, but Frodo couldn't reach and was swept downstream. With Ringwraiths at their heels, the elf confirmed that Yolo had the ring, then triggered an enchantment, causing the waters to rush up and carry the Ringwraiths—and Frodo—away. Can the Fellowgroup succeed now that they've lost the canonical ringbearer?Featuring players Tyler Hewitt, Del Borovic, Guy Bradford, and Adam McNamara, and Dungeon Master Tom McGee.Jesters of Middle-earth streams live every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/dumbdumbdice)Enjoying Jesters of Middle-earth? - Consider supporting the show for as little as $1 a month to get BTS fun, an ad-free feed, and even add your own character to the podcast! (https://dumbdumbdice.com/join)- Buy merch on our website (https://dumbdumbdice.com/)- Follow us on social media: @dumbdumbdice- Watch our video episodes on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@dumbdumbdice) Artwork by the brilliant Del Borovic- Website & Portfolio (https://delborovic.com/), @deltastic on socialsTheme song by Sound Gallery by Dmitry Taras- YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@soundgallerybydmitrytaras)- Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music/fantasy-dreamy-childrens-dark-mysterious-halloween-night-scary-creepy-spooky-horror-music-116551/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ein Rehbock auf der Teichwiese, 60 Liter Gulasch, junge Menschen mit großem Herz – und eine sehr persönliche Hommage an Jane Goodall: Elisabeth und Andi erzählen, wie sie in Jogginghose-Einsatz einen verirrten Rehbock sanft von der Nandu-Wiese lotsen, blicken auf ein überraschend gut besuchtes Herbst-/Patenschaftsfest zurück (inkl. legendärem Szegediner-Gulasch) und feiern eine 1.000-€-Spende einer HLW-Maturaklasse, die dafür sogar einen eigenen Stand betrieben hat. Die vier jungen Puten bekommen dank der Schüler:innen ihre Namen: Uli, Lotti, Tilda und Paula.Emotional wird's beim Rückblick auf Jane Goodall: Elisabeth schildert, wie prägend Begegnungen, Vorträge und ein Interview mit ihr waren – und warum Goodalls unermüdliche Hoffnung ansteckend bleibt. Außerdem: entzückende Neuzugänge im Hühner-Team (Don Camillo & Peppone, Helga & Luise), ein kurzer Faktencheck zur EU-Debatte um Bezeichnungen wie „veganes Schnitzel“ (mit Quiz zur Kalbsleberstreichwurst) und ein Solidaritäts-Shoutout an den Lebenshof „Leben lassen“: Die ausgebüxten Rinder Vivi und Oskar suchten dort Schutz – Spenden sind willkommen.

«Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheuren Ungeziefer verwandelt.» So beginnt «Die Verwandlung» von Franz Kafka. Wenn wir die Erzählung lesen, folgen unsere Augen den Buchstaben. Zeichen für Zeichen, Wort für Wort, Zeile für Zeile. Und dann passiert es: das Wunder des Lesens. Zwar folgen unsere Augen weiter den Buchstaben, den Worten, den Zeilen, aber wir sehen sie nicht mehr. Die Zeichen verschwinden, wir tauchen ein in eine andere Welt: Obwohl wir warm und geborgen in unserem Lehnstuhl sitzen, liegen wir plötzlich auch auf einem panzerartig harten Rücken und sehen, wenn wir den Kopf ein wenig heben, unseren gewölbten, braunen, von bogenförmigen Versteifungen geteilten Bauch, auf dessen Seite viele im Vergleich zum monströsen Körper kläglich dünne Beine hilflos vor unseren Augen flimmern. Wir erschrecken und fragen uns mit Gregor Samsa: «Was ist mit mir geschehen?» Nichts, das ist ja das Wunder: Wir folgen mit den Augen harmlosen Buchstaben und verwandeln uns in einen Käfer oder einen Ritter, in Old Shatterhand oder Stiller, in Heidi oder Molly Bloom, Frodo oder Harry Potter, Anna Karenina oder Pippi Langstrumpf. Wie ist das möglich, dass wir durch das blosse Entziffern von Buchstaben uns verwandeln, geistig in eine andere Welt eintauchen und komplett vergessen, dass wir lesen? Und was bedeutet das im Zeitalter der Künstlichen Intelligenz? Heisst das, dass auch die KI uns mir nichts, dir nichts mit ein paar Buchstaben in einen Käfer verwandeln kann?Matthias Zehnder ist Autor und Medienwissenschaftler in Basel. Er ist bekannt für inspirierende Texte, Vorträge und Seminare über Medien, die Digitalisierung und KI.Website: https://www.matthiaszehnder.ch/Newsletter abonnieren: https://www.matthiaszehnder.ch/abo/Unterstützen: https://www.matthiaszehnder.ch/unterstuetzen/Biografie und Publikationen: https://www.matthiaszehnder.ch/about/

St. Isaac speaks with a stark honesty that strips away every illusion about the spiritual life. To choose the good is to summon the battle. Every true beginning draws the adversary's attention. God allows this not to crush the soul but to test its resolve and to purify its love. Without that fire, virtue remains unproven and fragile. The one who doubts that God is his helper collapses under his own shadow. Fear itself becomes the enemy. Such a person starves amid plenty and drowns in calm waters, undone not by external trials but by the absence of trust. St. Isaac's words expose this inner poverty: faith without endurance is only sentiment. The steadfast heart, confident in God, is revealed in trial and shines before friend and foe alike. The commandments are not burdens but treasures. They conceal the presence of the Lord Himself. The one who carries them within finds God as chamberlain, waking and sleeping. Fear of sin becomes illumination, and even darkness turns transparent. The soul that trembles at evil walks with light before and within, guided by mercy that steadies every faltering step. St. Isaac ends with a fierce precision. There is no substitution in repentance. What is lost must be restored by the same means through which it was forfeited. God will not take a pearl for a penny, nor alms in place of purity. Greed is uprooted only by mercy, not by any other virtue. He will not be deceived by offerings that leave corruption untouched. This is the hard edge of Isaac's wisdom: grace demands truth. The path to God is not through sentiment or display but through the narrow way where every false comfort is stripped away, and only the tested heart endures. --- Text of chat during the group: 00:05:26 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Homily 5 paragraph 4 page 155 00:05:41 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Philokaliaministries.blogspot.com 00:07:39 Fr. Charbel Abernethy: Homily 5 paragraph 4 page 155 00:13:14 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 155, last paragraph, 4 00:14:30 Una: Nice! 00:17:20 Una: I like the way Anthony puts it: be prepared to be knocked around 00:17:20 Una: I like the way Anthony puts it: be prepared to be knocked around 00:17:33 Anthony: Reacted to I like the way Antho... with "❤️" 00:17:47 Anthony: Replying to "I like the way Antho..."   Thanks :) 00:25:07 Rick Visser: My despondency becomes so great that I cannot move. What am I to do? 00:25:38 Maureen Cunningham: how would you explain the difference between Grace  & Mercy. 00:26:27 Maureen Cunningham: When I have despondency . I put on Bach 00:29:24 Jessica McHale: There is a very short but tremendously helpful book called "Trustful surrender to divine providence: the secret of peace and happiness" (it's so short more like a pamphlet) but it helps so greatly with despondency. I read it every time I feel this struggle with trusting in God in every single tiny thing. 00:30:34 Barbara: The Church/grace is the spiritual hospital. 00:32:19 Anthony: It might be that our passion is the pride of scrupulosity that is revealed by falling to another passion and masked by that passion (a red herring). 00:33:48 Eleana: St. Claude La Colombière, Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure 00:34:00 Jessica McHale: yes, by Father Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure (the author of the book I mentioned) 00:35:52 Anthony: This is a remedy for the terror of mortal sin. 00:40:23 Ryan Ngeve: Father to what degree is engaging in thoughts that lead to despondency harmful to someone. And if it is how are we supposed to avoid engaging in such thoughts 00:45:55 David Swiderski, WI: I find this prayer helpful in challenging times. At one point in my life I felt great despondency having lost everything I had, living in a country I did not want to live in and largely being alone barely surviving. After a time I realized I only had belief and needed to work on actual faith. 00:46:41 Jessica McHale: Reacted to "Mobile-Litany-of-T..." with ❤️ 00:47:10 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 156, first paragraph, #5 00:50:31 Jessica McHale: Psalm 119 -- i love it 00:53:29 Maureen Cunningham: Kind of like bad acting verse when a person capture the character of the person he playing 01:00:12 Myles Davidson: Lead Kindly Light by Cardinal Newman https://spiritualdirection.com/2012/04/01/lead-kindly-light 01:01:08 Anthony: Here is a Tolkein digression: Frodo is given a gift to light him in the darkness (which I think is Marian "grace,") but it's such a generous gift that even his friend Sam can wield it in need.  The gift of Mary is a kind of kindly light when all is dark. 01:01:29 Ben: Reacted to "Here is a Tolkein di..." with

At vælge Peter Jackson til at instruere Ringenes herre-trilogien er nok et af de modigste moves i filmhistorien, for indtil Jackson stod med en pengepose på 300 millioner dollars i hænderne pr. LOTR-film (!), havde han kun instrueret low budget splatoons som fx Bad Taste fra 1987 og Braindead fra 1992. Men han skulle vise sig at være det helt perfekte match til netop den opgave. Peter Jackosn havde nemlig en perfekt forståelse for balancen mellem det nære eventyr med fokus Frodo og hans følgeskab og det store scope i konflikten mellem Saruman og resten af Midgård. Men det var ikke den eneste balance, han mestrede. Peter Jackson forstod til fulde, at filmens magi bl.a. ligger i hybriden mellem praktiske effekter (erfaret gennem sine splatoons) og top-notch filmteknologi med fx CGI og motion capture-teknik. I denne episode ser vi på, om den anden film i trilogien - De to tårne fra 2002 - stadig holder i forhold til netop balancen mellem den store og lille fortælling og om datidens teknologiske landvindinger stadig imponerer.

Chantelle and Christian look back on the extraordinary career of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, one of the greatest character actors of his generation. From scene-stealing supporting roles to powerful leading performances, they celebrate his range, vulnerability, and brilliance throughout his filmography.Whether it's Capote, The Master, Almost Famous, or Boogie Nights, he's an actor who brought depth and soul to every role. Tune in for memories, movie love, and a celebration of legacy gone too soon, but never forgotten.

Lindsey Cornett, Managing Editor of Englewood Press, spoke with authors Sarah Arthur and Mitali Perkins about the value and significance of children's literature for spiritual formation. We discuss how literature connects us to the heart of God, how Mitali and Sarah think about their own audiences as they write, and why adults should be reading children's literature. As always, the conversation wraps up with a discussion of what we've been reading lately.Lindsey Cornett is a loud talker, obsessive coffee drinker, and lover of the written word who lives in Indianapolis with her family. She is the Managing Editor of Englewood Press and a Senior Writer at Indianapolis Moms. You can find her writing at lindseycornett.substack.com. Mitali Perkins is an award-winning author of novels and picture books for young readers, including You Bring the Distant Near; Forward Me Back to You; Rickshaw Girl; and Bamboo People, among others. Her books have been nominated for the National Book Award, have won the South Asia Book Award, and have been listed as Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. Born in Kolkata, India, Perkins has lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, Great Britain, Mexico, Bangladesh, Thailand, and the United States. She lives and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area.Sarah Arthur is a fun-loving speaker and the bestselling author of a dozen books for teens and adults, including Once a Queen and Walking with Frodo. Among other nerdy adventures, she has served as preliminary fiction judge for the CT Book Awards, was a founding board member of the annual C. S. Lewis Festival in Northern Michigan, and codirects the Madeleine L'Engle Writing Retreats.Books Mentioned in this Episode:If you'd like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) Once A Queen (Book 1 of the Carrick Hall Novels) by Sarah ArthurOnce a Castle (Book 2 of the Carrick Hall Novels) by Sarah ArthurYou Bring the Distant Near by Mitali PerkinsRickshaw Girl by Mitali PerkinsThe Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery by Mitali PerkinsSteeped In Stories: Timeless Children's Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls by Mitali PerkinsThe God-Hungry Imagination: The Art of Storytelling for Postmodern Youth Ministry by Sarah Arthur A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson BurnettCharlotte's Web by E.B. WhiteA Light so Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle by Sarah ArthurA Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'EnglePeace Like a River by Leif AngerThe Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine PatersonMy Friends by Fredrick BackmanThe Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1) by Jasper FfordeEmily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace

From powering your 3 AM doom-scroll to preventing actual doom (climate change), batteries are the unsung heroes who quietly run the world. We journey from the oil crisis of the '70s to Nobel Prize-winning lithium-ion tech that made your smartphone possible – and might save the planet. We'll explore how these tiny energy lunchboxes evolved from exploding prototypes to $300k Tesla packs, and now cost $7k (a 97% price drop). Meet the scientists who cracked the code, and peek into a future of solid-state batteries and sodium-ion rivals. Plus: why your remote lasts forever, your phone dies by 4 PM, and what happens when you toss batteries in the bin (spoiler: landfill fires). One battery to power them all – if we can recycle responsibly and mine ethically. Because even Frodo needed a power bank for that walk to Mordor.

The Quiraing is not a gentle place. Stone spires jut skyward, cliffs crumble toward the sea, and paths twist like they're still being carved by giants. It's a landscape that doesn't promise safety—it dares you to take another step. On Skye, they say even dragons once hid in these folds, rising to defend the island from invaders. And standing here, staring into that mist and stone, you can feel it: adventure isn't slaying dragons. It's choosing to face the one within. Music from Kinnfolk, Ed Miller, and Marc Gunn. This is Quest & Chorus #308 0:39 -  - Kinnfolk “Highland Laddie” from Star Above The Mountain 4:21 - WELCOME TO QUEST & CHORUS Where every hill might hide a dragon, and every fear might be your map. We stand on the edge… of a cliff, of a journey, of ourselves. The Quiraing, on the Isle of Skye, is a land caught between movement and stillness… earth sliding slowly toward the sea. And standing here, staring out over stone teeth and mist-choked valleys, you might ask: Should I go forward? Or turn back? I'm your bard, Marc Gunn, also host of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast, and typically host of this show as Folk Songs & Stories, but today, we call it Quest & Chorus. Quest & Chorus is a 6-part podcast series. I fuse my love of Celtic and folk music, science fiction and fantasy, and travel into a podcast with a quest. In each episode, you will get a clue to unlock a secret reward. And at the end of the season, you will combine all of those clues to unlock an even bigger amazing reward. If you're new to the show, please follow us. You can do that PubSong.com or Just send me an email to follow@celtfather. Review of ALEP 6: A Long Expected Party. Stories: 6 mile hike Dressing like a hobbit Playing music with Kelly and Mitch in the Dancing Pony. Providing the atmosphere for Middle-Earth Sunrise over The Shire Singing beneath the stars. Ed Miller has a gift for turning lived experience into song. In “The Wide Rio Grande,” he tells the story of a young Scottish singer facing the sting of rejection at the U.S. border — and how that moment bound him to countless others who've risked everything to cross into a new life. It's a song about displacement and determination, about rules that separate and courage that refuses to be denied. From Houston to Laredo, from Scotland to Mexico, it is both personal and universal — a reminder that behind every border there are human hearts, still daring to cross. 11:19 - Ed Miller “The Wide Rio Grand” from Many's The Fine Tale The Wide Rio Grande Lyrics and music by Brian McNeill Fifteen years gone, the airport in Houston A young Scottish singer stands waiting in line He's been too long apart from the home of his heart It's a young Texas sweetheart so fair and so fine But the man at the desk with his uniform shoulders Gives uniform reasons and a uniform smile Takes more than a song son. The paperwork's wrong son Fly back where you came from just 5000 miles Come all you brave lads who follow my story I'll stand at the border and give you my hand Here's honor and luck, good health, and glory To those who would try for the wide Rio Grande London to Mexico, ready to try again Walk through a border that thousands have crossed Join the bold dispossessed of the South and the West For a white boy from Scotland, no irony lost But he knows as he reaches the light in Laredo With the guards looking on and the sun beating down That the hard law and order, the rules on the border Has made him at one with the men who have drowned Come all you brave lads who follow my story I'll stand at the border and give you my hand Here's honor and luck, good health, and glory To those who would try for the wide Rio Grande So the next time you walk the wrong side of the border Remember this song as you think on your lot For every man, Jack, who can take the road back Should think on the fortune of those who cannot For Wetback's a name that they whisper in corners But there's one man hear who will wear it with pride For a fence or a wall means nothing at all For a heart full of courage will ne'er be denied Come all you brave lads who follow my story I'll stand at the border and give you my hand Here's honor and luck, good health, and glory To those who would try for the wide Rio Grande Compadres and amigos who follow my story I'll stand at the border and give you my hand Here's honor and luck, good health, and glory To those who would try for the wide Rio Grande 15:50 - UPCOMING SHOWS OCT 11: The Lost Druid Brewery, Avondale Estates, GA OCT 17-19: MultiVerse, Peachtree City, GA NOV 1: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Festival, Fairburn, GA NOV 8: IrishFest Atlanta, Roswell, GA with Inara NOV 14-16: CONjuration, Duluth, GA NOV 22: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Festival, Fairburn, GA DEC 6: Georgia Renaissance Festival Fall Festival, Fairburn, GA DEC 7: Nerdy Wonderland at The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates, GA @ 12 - 5 PM. Please leave a comment on the podcast show notes at pubsong.com or wherever you listen. Email pictures of where you're listening to follow@celtfather . I'll send you a free gift and you can learn more about how to follow this podcast. News There is also a 10-day Sale at com for the 2025 Firefly Drinking Songs t-shirts. This is the only time you'll be able to get a copy of this shirt this year. The store closes on October 10. So get those orders in! October Patreon Membership Drive. I'm running a Patreon Membership Drive from October 1-10, 2025. When you become a Patron, you get a free album: Kilted Drinking Songs. I say a free album. But to be fair, you get several free albums. This is the latest. It features songs that were once recorded exclusively for this podcast. It's now together as a digital-only album. There's only one way to get it. A big thanks to my… GUNN RUNNERS ON PATREON If you enjoy this podcast or you love listening to my music, please follow my Celtfather Patreon page. You can sign up for free and get updates on what's new and you can get an ad-free edition of this podcast before public listeners. But you get so much more when you become a Patron of the Arts. Patreon is one of the ways modern musicians and podcasters make a living. For just $5 per month, you'll get exclusive, unreleased songs, podcasts, video concerts, bootleg concerts, and so much more. Email follow@celtfather to get more details! 18:38 - Marc Gunn “Paddy Murphy” from Kilted Drinking Songs 24:17 - TODAY'S SHOW IS BROUGHT TO BY CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS Every year, I take a small group of people on a relaxing adventure to one of the Celtic nations. We don't see everything. Instead we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join me with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts, blogs, videos, and photos. In 2026, you can join me for a Celtic Invasion of Galicia in Spain. Sign to the Celtic Invasion Vacations mailing list at CelticInvasion.com. Let's begin the… QUEST & CHORUS of QUIRAING, SCOTLAND The Quiraing lies on the northern Trotternish Ridge of Skye. It's part of the largest landslip in Britain — a massive collapse of rock that stretches nearly the length of the peninsula. What makes the Quiraing remarkable is that it's still moving. Every year, the road below must be repaired, because cracks open and the land shifts. The cliffs and pinnacles here are not frozen in time; they are alive, in motion, reshaping themselves even now. Within this landscape are some striking features: The Needle, a tall jagged spike of rock; The Prison, a crag shaped like a fortress; and The Table, a grassy plateau hidden away within the folds of the cliffs. These names reflect how the landscape feels — not just natural, but storied. The word Quiraing comes from Old Norse — Kví Rand — which means “round fold.” It's thought to describe the way the land curves inward, almost like a natural pen or hollow. Local lore says the hollows were once used to hide cattle, especially during Viking raids. The geography itself became a shield, a place of protection. There are stories of dragons living in the Quiraing. However, the dragon stories don't come from ancient Gaelic tradition. They appear more in modern folklore retellings and travel writing — stories told to capture the atmosphere of the landscape. It's easy to see why. The Prison, a huge crag that looks like a fortress, seems like the perfect lair. The Needle rises like a spear ready to strike. The Table, hidden within the fold of the cliffs, feels like a secret clearing where wings could unfurl. One version says the dragons hid in the folds of the Quiraing, guarding the people of Skye from Viking invaders. When longships came over the horizon, the dragons rose from the cliffs themselves — wings beating like thunder, breath as fierce as the Atlantic spray. The Vikings fled, and the people survived. It's not a tale you'll find in the oldest manuscripts.  In a place where the land still moves, where cliffs shift and stones crash down, dragons feel less like fantasy and more like a natural explanation for the Quiraing's wild power. So when you set foot there today, you're not just walking among rocks and landslides. You're stepping into a landscape that invites adventure — where the air feels charged, as if dragons might still be hiding just behind the next ridge, waiting for the moment to rise again. In Middle-earth, places like this are where heroes are tested. This is where Frodo keeps walking. Where Aragorn faces the dead. Where you ask: Am I brave enough to keep going? Talk prompts: Fear is not the enemy—stagnation is. Talk about how fear can be a compass, not a wall. The illusion of safety: The “door” we hide behind may protect us—but it can also trap us. Personal story: Have you ever reached a moment of internal Quiraing? When you had to keep going even if you were shaking? D&D parallel: Every great campaign starts with a hesitant first step. Players choose to walk into darkness. The song's core idea: Adventure is not slaying dragons. It's choosing to face the dragon within. This song came from that moment— That catch in the chest before you say ‘yes.' That step forward that feels like a leap. It's about choosing the road that scares you… Because it also might save you. This is Come Adventure With Me. 29:24 - Marc Gunn “Come Adventure With Me” from Come Adventure With Me Your next clue is locked in the lyrics. What turns you to stone? Listen again. Write it down. Because sometimes, it hardens into walls. And sometimes… you have to break them. Thanks for walking the edge with me today. The Quiraing doesn't give answers.  But it gives perspective. Next time, we dive into a different kind of exile, on Skellig Michael, where legends go to disappear beneath the waves. Until then, wherever you are… Come adventure with me. 33:52 - CREDITS Thanks for listening to Quest & Chorus. This episode was edited by Mitchell Petersen. You can follow and listen to the show on my Patreon or wherever you find podcasts. Sign up to my mailing list to learn more about songs featured in this podcast and discover where I'm performing. Remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment. Join the Quest and Sing Along at www.pubsong.com! #pubstories  

Gandalf the Grey delivered a message through a moth, saying he was imprisoned and that whoever heard his message must help Yolo flee to Rivendell immediately, so the troupe tried to do just that. Jimothy McGristle made his last stand at the front door of his pub as the troupe escaped out the back only to face a whole town looking for hobbits. Yolo put the ring on to hide, and Guy picked up Frodo and began to whisk him away to the east gate across the rooftops. But even as they ran, terrifying faceless figures in dark cloaks bearing long blades converged on the invisible Yolo. Can the troupe fight off a whole group of these otherworldly Black Riders?Featuring players Tyler Hewitt, Del Borovic, Guy Bradford, and Adam McNamara, and Dungeon Master Tom McGee.Jesters of Middle-earth streams live every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/dumbdumbdice)Enjoying Jesters of Middle-earth? - Consider supporting the show for as little as $1 a month to get BTS fun, an ad-free feed, and even add your own character to the podcast! (https://dumbdumbdice.com/join)- Buy merch on our website (https://dumbdumbdice.com/)- Follow us on social media: @dumbdumbdice- Watch our video episodes on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@dumbdumbdice) Artwork by the brilliant Del Borovic- Website & Portfolio (https://delborovic.com/), @deltastic on socialsTheme song by Sound Gallery by Dmitry Taras- YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@soundgallerybydmitrytaras)- Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music/fantasy-dreamy-childrens-dark-mysterious-halloween-night-scary-creepy-spooky-horror-music-116551/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daily Dad Jokes (03 Oct 2025) The official Daily Dad Jokes Podcast electronic button now available on Amazon. The perfect gift for dad! Click here here to view! Email Newsletter: Looking for more dad joke humor to share? Then subscribe to our new weekly email newsletter. It's our weekly round-up of the best dad jokes, memes, and humor for you to enjoy. Spread the laughs, and groans, and sign up today! Click here to subscribe! Listen to the Daily Dad Jokes podcast here: https://dailydadjokespodcast.com/ or search "Daily Dad Jokes" in your podcast app. Interested in Business and Finance news? Then listen to our sister show: The Daily Business and Finance Show. Check out the website here or search "Daily Business and Finance Show" in your podcast app. Jokes sourced and curated from reddit.com/r/dadjokes. Joke credits: HarpyGravey, Hemenocent, staring_at_keyboard, VictorSerge, VictorSerge, imtherealmellowone, StrangeUglyBird, wingsoverpyrrhia, UniverslBoxOfficeGuy, gills_of_war, Lucky-11, Wowza-yowza, Silly-Power, , ilikesidehugs, Healthy_Ladder_6198, PassTheDonutsPlease, Troubled_Millennial, Silly-Power, Silly-Power, IEnjoyDadJokes Subscribe to this podcast via: iHeartMedia Spotify iTunes Google Podcasts YouTube Channel Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Discord Interested in advertising or sponsoring our show? Contact us at mediasales@klassicstudios.com Produced by Klassic Studios using AutoGen Podcast technology (http://klassicstudios.com/autogen-podcasts/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily Dad Jokes (03 Oct 2025) The official Daily Dad Jokes Podcast electronic button now available on Amazon. The perfect gift for dad! Click here here to view! Email Newsletter: Looking for more dad joke humor to share? Then subscribe to our new weekly email newsletter. It's our weekly round-up of the best dad jokes, memes, and humor for you to enjoy. Spread the laughs, and groans, and sign up today! Click here to subscribe! Listen to the Daily Dad Jokes podcast here: https://dailydadjokespodcast.com/ or search "Daily Dad Jokes" in your podcast app. Interested in Business and Finance news? Then listen to our sister show: The Daily Business and Finance Show. Check out the website here or search "Daily Business and Finance Show" in your podcast app. Jokes sourced and curated from reddit.com/r/dadjokes. Joke credits: HarpyGravey, Hemenocent, staring_at_keyboard, VictorSerge, VictorSerge, imtherealmellowone, StrangeUglyBird, wingsoverpyrrhia, UniverslBoxOfficeGuy, gills_of_war, Lucky-11, Wowza-yowza, Silly-Power, , ilikesidehugs, Healthy_Ladder_6198, PassTheDonutsPlease, Troubled_Millennial, Silly-Power, Silly-Power, IEnjoyDadJokes Subscribe to this podcast via: iHeartMedia Spotify iTunes Google Podcasts YouTube Channel Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Discord Interested in advertising or sponsoring our show? Contact us at mediasales@klassicstudios.com Produced by Klassic Studios using AutoGen Podcast technology (http://klassicstudios.com/autogen-podcasts/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In which Corey returns to the Chamber of Mazarbul for the penultimate time, and in which Frodo is skewered like a wild boar. Join us on the Signum University Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/szXMFAv

Applying the Actionable Truths 7: Fellow TravelersPeople you can trust. Who don't have hidden agendas. Who are truly on the same page. That's who you need to look for when you are building a team of fellow travelers, which we discuss this week on the seventh episode of our series within the show on the Beyond the Crucible Roadmap.How do you find them? As we say here, you can learn a lot from Frodo's companions in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.To explore Beyond the Crucible resources, including our free Trials-to-Triumphs Self-Assessment, visit beyondthecrucible.com.Enjoy the show? Leave a review on your favorite podcast app and leave a comment at our YouTube channel and be sure subscribe and tell your friends and family about us.Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

With his new film One Battle After Another on the horizon, Chantelle and Christian take a deep dive into the evolution of Leonardo DiCaprio's Iconic career. From his early days in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet to his legendary collaborations with directors like Scorsese, Nolan, and Tarantino, they break down the performances, risks, and legacy-defining roles that made DiCaprio one of the greatest actors of his generation.Whether it's Titanic, The Departed, Inception, or The Revenant, this episode is backed with admiration and a few surprises as the duo revisits Leo's rise from teen idol to Oscar winner.

The Fellowship, reunited at long last after the completion of their quest, begins to part ways. The hobbits head west to the Shire (which is not as they left it) and then Frodo departs to head even further West...

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

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

Sam rescues Frodo and the two begin the hopeless trek across Mordor and, against all odds, complete their mission...quest...thing.

As a young child, Patrick frequently saw his mother engrossed in a forest's worth of fantasy and science fiction novels. Wanting to join in the fun, he read his first ‘big-person' novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, when he was eight. Although far above his reading level, he pushed through, several hours a day, taking literally longer to reach Rivendell than Sam and Frodo. This magical experience hooked him on speculative fiction forever. In his teens, he was bit by the writing bug and later abandoned a degree in engineering to pursue a degree in English literature. He fell into teaching, first as a way to support his writing hobby/habit, then as a vocation where he was lucky enough to spend every day helping young people become better versions of themselves. Over a twenty-year teaching career, Patrick has taught phys-ed (i.e. dodgeball) to Fortnite-obsessed middle schoolers, the enigmatic complexity of Hamlet to university-bound high schoolers and everything in between. He has learned that almost every part of the curriculum has room for a little humor — sometimes a lot of humor. When he's not writing fantasy and science fiction, Patrick enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with his wife and two children and going on long walks in the woods with his golden retrievers, Ciri and Arwen. The Contest, one of the most prestigious writing and illustrating competitions in the world, is currently in its 42nd year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction. Steven Heumann is a seasoned storyteller with over 20 years of experience crafting narratives across television, film, and publishing. As the founder of Super Heumann Creative, he leads a boutique agency dedicated to helping individuals and brands preserve their stories through ghostwritten books and documentary video. As a successful fiction author, Steven has published 10 full-length sci-fi thriller novels in the creative vein of the Twilight Zone, creating stories that can be enjoyed on multiple levels for readers who appreciate a deeper dive into character. He currently lives in Bluffdale, Utah with his wife and six children. Find out more at: www.SuperHeumann.com

Many far-right conservatives think The Lord of the Rings is about them. They may love Tolkien, but it's very possible Tolkien would not have loved them back. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen with help from Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King. Ian McKellen as Gandalf with Elijah Wood as Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Photo by New Line/WireImage. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Walker down and the troupe out of immediate danger, Guy respectfully looted the elf who died for him, and Adam disrespectfully looted the ranger. The troupe learned that the two hobbits were the ringbearer, Yolo Took, and his butler, Frodo Baggins, but they needed to hide until they could meet up with Gandalf the following night. So, Del, Tyler, and the hobbits snuck out an upper-floor window, and Adam and Guy pulled a Weekend at Bernie's to get the elf's body outside to loot it more thoroughly. Can they keep the hobbits safe from bounty-hungry drunk people for another day without drawing the attention of more black riders?Featuring players Tyler Hewitt, Del Borovic, Guy Bradford, and Adam McNamara, and Dungeon Master Tom McGee.Jesters of Middle-earth streams live every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/dumbdumbdice)Enjoying Jesters of Middle-earth?- Consider supporting the show for as little as $1 a month to get BTS fun, an ad-free feed, and even add your own character to the podcast! (https://dumbdumbdice.com/join)- Buy merch on our website (https://dumbdumbdice.com/)- Follow us on social media: @dumbdumbdice- Watch our video episodes on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@dumbdumbdice) Artwork by the brilliant Del Borovic- Website & Portfolio (https://delborovic.com/), @deltastic on socialsTheme song by Sound Gallery by Dmitry Taras- YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@soundgallerybydmitrytaras)- Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music/fantasy-dreamy-childrens-dark-mysterious-halloween-night-scary-creepy-spooky-horror-music-116551/)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Was Tolkien warning us about the rise of AI and transhumanism? What if The Lord of the Rings wasn't just a fantasy epic, but a prophetic story mapping out the dangers of machines, digital power, and a world losing touch with virtue? This episode will change the way you see both Tolkien's work and the world we live in today. Studio Sponsor: Cardio Miracle - "Unlock the secret to a healthier heart, increased energy levels, and transform your cardiovascular fitness like never before.": CardioMiracle.com/TBNS In today's conversation, we dive deep into Tolkien's mythology and explore how his Catholic worldview, his skepticism of machines, and his vision of the “One Ring” eerily line up with the rise of artificial intelligence. Is Sauron more than just a villain? Could he represent the machine itself — an all-seeing force built on binary code? My guest, Paul List, author of Mount Doom: The Prophecy of Tolkien Revealed, walks us through a mind-blowing breakdown of Tolkien's characters and symbols — Gandalf, the hobbits, the Ringwraiths — and how they connect to virtue, vice, and the spiritual dangers of our technological age. You'll never look at Frodo's journey the same way again. We also tackle today's AI race, where governments and corporations pour billions into building smarter machines. But are we building tools that serve us, or a beast that will one day demand our worship? Paul makes the case that Tolkien saw this exact danger nearly 100 years ago, warning us through myth before it became reality. Most importantly, we talk solutions. How do we fight back? It starts with cultivating virtue, clinging to faith, and refusing to hand over our humanity to the machine. This isn't just literature or politics — it's about the future of our civilization. Buckle up, because this conversation will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about technology, freedom, and the stories we tell. ❤️ Order Cardio Miracle (CardioMiracle.com/TBNS) for 15% off and take a step towards better heart health and overall well-being!

What if your everyday life felt as magical as Lucy stepping into Narnia, Cinderella twirling into her gown, or Harry Potter running through Platform 9¾? In this episode of The Vibrant Flow Podcast, Jo invites you to see your ordinary days through the lens of extraordinary stories, and to step into the divine, awe-inspired life you were created for.This episode blends faith, feminine leadership, and emotional alchemy with timeless symbolism from Disney, Harry Potter, Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and Throne of Glass. You'll discover how these stories remind us of God-breathed truth: your voice matters, your vision transforms, and your calling requires you to stop shrinking and step fully into your fire.

Holidays, history, and Carter's dog throwing up a corn cob. Bad AI phone systems, and talk about future robot voices. It's Alien Day! Carter saw Castle in the Sky and Holes with some thoughts about actors like Mandy Patinkin and Mark Hamill. K-pop Demon Hunters' music, Dan Da Dan's dark episode six, and listener emails about Frodo's lack of actual heroism. We also learned where Bone to Pick came from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Holidays, history, and Carter's dog throwing up a corn cob. Bad AI phone systems, and talk about future robot voices. It's Alien Day! Carter saw Castle in the Sky and Holes with some thoughts about actors like Mandy Patinkin and Mark Hamill. K-pop Demon Hunters' music, Dan Da Dan's dark episode six, and listener emails about Frodo's lack of actual heroism. We also learned where Bone to Pick came from. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Casa llena esta semana con la visita de Emanuel de Movie Squad, que vino a analizar noticias junto a Gazoo, El George y Lola, en un episodio repleto de debate y noticias, ¡la vas a pasar de show! RESEÑAS: The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox (George) The Liver King (Gazoo) Long Story Short (George) ¿Te gustó el primer episodio de Peacemaker? (Todos) NOTICIAS: No dejan morir a Frodo ni Gandalf: https://variety.com/2025/film/global/ian-mckellen-gandalf-frodo-return-andy-serkis-lotr-movie-1236491764/   La clavá de WWE llegará más rápido: https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/377935/how-to-stream-wwe-ple-events-on-espn-not-pay-monthly-subscription-fee-vpn-deals#comments   Daredevil Born Again 3 tiene esperanza: https://www.nexuspointnews.com/post/exclusive-daredevil-born-again-season-3   Ojalá estos rumores de James Bond sean falsos: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/james-bond-casting-scott-rose-marsh-1236342804/   https://okmagazine.com/p/jeff-bezos-obsessed-wife-lauren-sanchez-next-bond-girl-his-muse/   Yisus craist, it's Jason Bourne https://variety.com/2025/film/news/robert-ludlum-bourne-nbcuniversal-rights-1236488510/   Paramount enciende los motores https://deadline.com/2025/08/paramount-movies-priorities-top-gun-star-trek-1236480202/ DEBATE: ¿Fue buena idea el retcon que le hizo James Gunn a Peacemaker?

Giga Bytes Podcast #376: Hoy hablamos de lo mejor de Gamescom y Mucho más!!! PS5 Aumenta en precio $50 efectivo ya, disminuye precio en China (no hay aranceles) Precios actuales de consolas (US): PlayStation 5 Pro: $749.99 Xbox Series X 2TB: $729.99 Xbox Series X 1TB: $599.99 PlayStation 5 Disc: $549.99 PlayStation 5 DE: $499.99 Nintendo Switch 2: $449.99 Xbox Series S 1TB: $429.99 Xbox Series S 512GB: $379.99 ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X y ASUS ROG Xbox Ally lanza oct 16, rumorado $549.99 $899.99 Handheld Compatibility Program anunciado (Handheld Optimized, Mostly Compatible) Kirby's Air Ride nov 20 2025 Eenie Meanie Review Metroid Prime 4 recibe clasificacion del ESRB Where Winds Meet lanza nov 14 PS/PC Ghost of Yotei recibira modo Legends de manera gratuita en el 2026 Delta Force disponible ya en PS y XB Personas que jueguen BF 2042 del 18 agosto-octubre 7 recibiran hasta 28 premios para BF6 Gandalf y Frodo regresan para The Hunt for Gollum Helldivers 2 X Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond ago 26 RE2 y RE3 en PSN Plus Gen V S2: EPISODES 1-3 - SEPTEMBER 17 EPISODE 4 - SEPTEMBER 24 EPISODE 5- OCTOBER 1 EPISODE 6 - OCTOBER 8 EPISODE 7 - OCTOBER 15 EPISODE 8 - OCTOBER 22 The Last Guardian en desarrollo para cine por Playstation Productions Lego Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy Pieces of the Past sept 19 (todos) Death Stranding 2 recibe Trail de 5hrs en PSN + Extra y Premium Capcom Presents (90min) para Oct 10, 3:45pm ET Marvel: Tokon Fighting Souls tendrá Closed Beta Sept 5-7   Sigueme y Suscribete: Facebook.com/elgiga Youtube.com/elgiga947 Instagram.com/elgiga947                                                                                                                                    Twitch.tv/elgiga947 Twitter.com/elgiga947 Giga Bytes Podcast   #monsterenergypr @monsterenergy @Stephreyesmarketing @caribbeanxsports @eriberto213 #gigabytespodcast #NintendoSwitch2 #PS5 #DeathStranding2 #Multiplatform #MarvelTokonFightingSouls #SpidermanBrandNewDay #Battlefield6 #Beta #Switch2 #Switch #PS6 #Capcom #HellisUs #FantasticFour #GhostofYotei #MetalGear #Contrabands #GhostofYotei #Switch #Xbox #PSSR #PS5Pro #Xbox #Switch2 #Review #Playstation #Switch2 @tiendasmesalve #gigabytespodcast

Welcome to Multiverse News, Your source for Information about all your favorite fictional universesIt would appear as though Ryan Reynold's social media stunt we discussed last week is having the intended effect as a few of our favorite trades can't seem to come to a consensus. First, in the August 15 edition of Heat Vision, The Hollywood Reporter's exclusive column for all things comics, horror and sci-fi, Borys Kitt claimed that their sources confirmed Deadpool's inclusion in Avengers: Doomsday. However, later that day Deadline refuted the speculation by citing their own sources who said the actor has not been seen on the London set and is not intended to appear in either upcoming Avengers film. In less nebulous Doomsday talk, Nightcrawler actor Alan Cumming described his experience returning to the role as healing, after a terrible experience on 2003's X2. It's a big week for DC Studios with Superman hitting Video-On-Demand last Friday and Peacemaker Season 2 premiering this Thursday. While on the red carpet for the show's debut in New York, DC Studios head and Peacemaker's showrunner James Gunn defended Superman's quick availability for home viewing after just 35 days in theaters, by sharing how the film impacts the series. “It's a big part, definitely Superman leads directly into Peacemaker,” said Gunn, while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter. “Superman leads into this show and then we have the setting up of all of the rest of the DCU in this season of Peacemaker, it's incredibly important,” he continued. Gunn also teased the future for Superman on the big screen, saying, “I've already finished the treatment for the next story in what I'll call the ‘Superman Saga.' The treatment is done, which means a very, very worked-out treatment. I'm working on that and hopefully going into production on that not too far away from today.”Back to the Wasteland we go, as Amazon's marketing for Fallout Season 2 has begun in preparation for its December 17 premiere, with a full-court press that includes first look images and a trailer that was released earlier today. The images showcase returning characters played by Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Moises Arias, Aaron Moten and Kyle McLachlan, while the two minute 42-second trailer gave us our first glimpse at Justin Theroux's enigmatic Mr. House and McCauley Caulkin in an undisclosed role, which were of course accompanied, yet again, by the crooning stylings of The Ink Spots.In an interview with Collider, Marvel Zombies director Bryan Andrews confirmed that the series has moved its release date up to September 24th, and all episodes of the series will be available to stream at once. He also confirmed that the four episodes will be rated TV-MA.At a recent London fan event Sir Ian McKellen claimed Frodo and Gandalf will appear in Andy Serkis' upcoming The Hunt for Gollum film without specifying whether he and Elijah Wood would reprise their iconic roles.NBCUniversal announced that it has acquired all rights, excluding publishing, to Robert Ludlum's popular Jason Bourne and Treadstone book series.Weapons took the number one spot at the box office again in its second weekend with a drop of only 43%, bringing its worldwide total to nearly $150 million dollars. Nobody 2 generated around $15 million dollars worldwide in its opening weekend on a $25 million dollar budget.Netflix has dropped a trailer for the second half of season 2 of Wednesday, which will stream on September 3rd.Stranger Things creators The Duffer Brothers are in talks for a massive overall deal with Paramount that includes both streaming and features with a big theatrical component, something the pair have not been able to get at their current home of more than a decade, Netflix.Original Scary Movie actresses Regina Hall and Anna Faris are coming back as Brenda and Cindy, respectively, for the Wayans Brothers' restart of the comedy franchise, which is eyeing a 2026 release.

Is 'Nobody 2' A worthy sequel to the surprisingly good original? Kenjac and Robby review the new movie and do a draft of the most anticipated movies for the rest of the year. Intro - (0:00) Frodo will be in the new LOTR - (4:34) Duffer Brothers Leaving Netflix - (8:53) Deadpool will appear in Doomsday - (12:49) Baz Lurhman Joan of Arc Movie - (14:51) Extraction Series - (18:11) Osgood Perkins Trailer - (21:31) Good Boy trailer - (23:45) Nobody 2 Review SPOILERS - (33:41) Most Anticipated Combined Ranking - (42:13) Follow Barstool Sports here: Facebook: https://facebook.com/barstoolsports Twitter: https://twitter.com/barstoolsports Instagram: http://instagram.com/barstoolsportsYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/lightscamerabarstool

Download for Mobile | Podcast Preview | Full Timestamps Woolz In The Lab Plushie ONLY AVAILABLE THIS MONTH https://www.makeship.com/products/woolz-in-the-lab Older Twitch VODs are now being uploaded to the new channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CastleSuperBeastArchive Cyberpsychosis Is Real: ChatGPT Endorsed Therapist Stalking Fantastic Naked Gun 4 Review Unabridged Apocalyptic Ice Cube Amazon Browsing Release The Roblox Files Urinal Nightmares & The Lean Tech Watch live: twitch.tv/castlesuperbeast Go to http://auraframes.com and use promo code SUPERBEAST for $35 off the Carver Mat frame. - Go to https://HelloFresh.com/superbeast10fm  now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for Life! - Your new wardrobe awaits! Get $10 off @chubbies with the code superbeast at https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/superbeast #chubbiespod - Level up your game and get 10% off @TurtleBeach with code castle at http://turtlebeach.com/castle! #turtlebeachpod Nexon f2p shlooter The First Descendent continuing to use fake AI streamers is just the most loser behavior possible in video game marketing Roblox Is Being Sued By The State Of Louisiana Child's alleged Roblox kidnapping sparks lawsuit as California laws to protect kids online are stalled Roblox CEO Continues His Pitch Of Roblox As A Dating Site Ian McKellen reveals Gandalf and Frodo are returning for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum', Filming Begins in May McDonald's Japan has apologised after running a campaign giving away limited-edition Pokemon cards with Happy Meals leading to people buying and wasting large amounts of food Capcom announced some news today in a post titled "Regarding Video Uploads and Co-Streaming for “Street Fighter League: Pro-JP 2025”". That post said Hey, usually you can't restream SFL:JP, ok? But! you CAN do a watch party for it, as long as you only capture part of it Regarding Video Uploads and Co-Streaming for “Street Fighter League: Pro-JP 2025”  

Tonight we return to the cave-troll attack, already in progress. Let's watch as Frodo achieves the acme of his combat career. Join us on the Signum University Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/szXMFAv

The Deep with Erika Ahern is sponsored by Taylor Frigon Capital Management, serving clients at every stage of wealth: from first-time investors to high-net-worth families and organizations seeking full-service wealth guidance. Taylor Frigon provides institutional asset management solutions tailored to the needs of individuals, families and small businesses: https://cvote.it/taylorfrigonEvery pair of male friends, in history or fiction, has at some point in recent times been labelled "gay." Sherlock and Watson? Gay. Frodo and Sam? Gay. Joey and Chandler? Gay. When did we go from bros to bromance? In this episode, Erika explores the "gayification" of friendships, its effect on society, and, most importantly, what we can do to fix it.00:00 - Introduction02:10 - Sponsor: Taylor Frigon Capital Management03:38 - Is being gay an act or an identity?07:02 - Is everyone gay?08:35 - The consequences09:45 - What is true friendship?10:52 - ConclusionSubscribe to the LOOPcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theLOOPcast

ThredUp stock is up 600% this year… because Frugal Friendly Finance is winning the trade war.Palantir is named after LOTR, but is it Sauron or Frodo?… Either way, it's stock is #1 this year.The Savannah Bananas' baseball team is disrupting MLB… by doing stuff that doesn't scale.Hellman's Mayonnaise sponsored a wedding… (we cried)$PLTR $UL $TDUPWant more business storytelling from us? Check out the latest episode of our new weekly deepdive show: The untold origin story of… Hennessey

01:00:29 – Australia Bans Machetes, Ignores Migrant CrimeOpening covers Australia's new machete ban with surrender bins and prison terms. The show ridicules it as meaningless political theater that ignores the real issue — rising migrant violence. 01:15:53 – Islamic Enclaves Growing in U.S.Segment warns that Texas now has over 330 mosques, 450,000 Muslims, and entire Sharia‑compliant neighborhoods. The host calls it a targeted cultural takeover ignored by political leaders. 01:25:06 – Palantir Profits from AI MilitarizationAnalysis of Palantir's government contracts and Pentagon integration. The company's AI systems are spreading across U.S. forces globally, raising fears of unaccountable automated warfare. 01:56:13 – Trump's 10‑Day Ultimatum to RussiaTrump shortens his Ukraine ceasefire deadline to 10 days, threatening sanctions and tariffs. The commentary argues he has no leverage and that this is another “nothing burger.” 02:00:54 – No Defense Against Russia's Hypersonic MissileDiscussion of the new Oreshnik missile, which can carry nuclear or conventional payloads, travels over Mach 10, and currently has no countermeasure. Analysts warn it shifts the balance of power. 02:25:25 – California Hospital Hid Stillbirth DataA whistleblower nurse sues, alleging her hospital concealed a spike in stillbirths among COVID‑vaccinated mothers, then retaliated against her for exposing it. Lawsuit backed by Children's Health Defense. 02:40:00 – Christian Street Preacher Targeted by UK PolicePastor D.A. Moodley claims two‑tier policing after being assaulted by Muslim men while preaching, then threatened with arrest himself. Cites repeated harassment since 2020. 02:57:20 – Epstein Scandal Shows Elite ProtectionReview of Epstein's network, Maxwell's conviction, and suppression of client names. Links to art collections and rituals involving political elites raise deeper questions. 03:01:20 – Elites' Ritual Abuse and Child SacrificeTies elite child abuse to spiritual motives, calling abortion mass child sacrifice and a core tenet of globalist ideology. 03:02:32 – Tolkien, AI & the MachinePaul List joins the show to discuss his book Mount Doom: The Prophecy of Tolkien Revealed. 03:15:59 – Technocrats as the NazgulAI's elite backers are compared to Tolkien's Nazgul, enslaved to the ring's power. Elon Musk is singled out as the likely “Witch‑king,” with all vying for control of the machine. 03:33:28 – Tom Bombadil RevealedIn a deep dive into Tolkien's mythology, List identifies Tom Bombadil and Goldberry as incarnations of the Two Trees of Valinor. 03:40:55 – Gollum as IntemperanceGollum represents the vice of intemperance, bound in opposition to Frodo's temperance. Their dynamic shows why self‑control is key to resisting destructive desire. Follow the show on Kick and watch live every weekday 9:00am EST – 12:00pm EST https://kick.com/davidknightshow Money should have intrinsic value AND transactional privacy: Go to https://davidknight.gold/ for great deals on physical gold/silverFor 10% off Gerald Celente's prescient Trends Journal, go to https://trendsjournal.com/ and enter the code KNIGHTFind out more about the show and where you can watch it at TheDavidKnightShow.com If you would like to support the show and our family please consider subscribing monthly here: SubscribeStar https://www.subscribestar.com/the-david-knight-showOr you can send a donation throughMail: David Knight POB 994 Kodak, TN 37764Zelle: @DavidKnightShow@protonmail.comCash App at: $davidknightshowBTC to: bc1qkuec29hkuye4xse9unh7nptvu3y9qmv24vanh7Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-david-knight-show--2653468/support.