Podcasts about frowning

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

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

Because of a wound of shame early in Perry’s life and even though he experienced Jesus’ love early in life, he had this deep down belief that Jesus was frowning on him. Now he knows he has Jesus’ smile. He shares about the journey, cause it is a journey. When Shawna discovered the benefits of coconut oil, she applied it everywhere: her skin, hair, her food and coffee. You can only benefit from coconut oil if you use it! In the same way, all the benefits of scripture only work when they are applied to our lives. Perry shares, “We’re never ever good enough to merit God’s favor and we’re never bad enough to keep us outside his furious love.” Starting the day worshipping changes the day! With arms raised in her walk-in closet Shawna began the day with praise and she found her joy swelling as she drove to work. Last, we must take captive every thought and make them obedient to Christ. What does that even mean? And how do we even do that? Perry and Shawna share what they’ve learned.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshow/wgnbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acts and Facts - God's Unstoppable Mission: Part 17 - The Frowning of Providence In this stimulating series on the Acts of the Apostles, Bible teacher Brian Johnston explores how the historian Luke narrates the true story of a small Jerusalem-based group, emerging from Judaism, that morphed into a worldwide phenomenon that became mainly Gentile: to do this, Luke traces it all the way from Jerusalem to Rome and paints the story in 6 'panels', each ending with a summary statement of the ongoing progress of God's Word (6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20). Discover how the main overarching message of Acts is the progress of the Gospel in the power of the Spirit – in which all manner of internal and external obstacles are overcome. The last word is literally: ‘unhindered,' which brings us to a very inspiring crescendo indeed!

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time. Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What's up, Mom?”“I've got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I'm going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don't have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he'd just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he'd made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn't wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom's list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren't harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I'd see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won't settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I'm just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it's great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I'm, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don't know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that's sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I'll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn't believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline's fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I've got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I've got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason's longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She's an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don't belong on the same Planet as her! You're nothing'! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken's arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken's gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won't be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn't have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn't?”“I did. Jason, someday you'll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won't bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn't bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn't want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken's mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason's punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that's not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan's families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken's seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man's gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that's family; I don't want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles' cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I've got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it's Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I'll; I'll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It's a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn't even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You've reached Live 95.5 FM's world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you've reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn't help creeping on her! That's where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You're doing everyone a favor! If you'd like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken's rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn't even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She's far worse! I can't imagine how evil she'd be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken's mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn't know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason's words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn't have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken's initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason's cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that's not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle's Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”“Oh, Jimmy Stewart, you charmer you.” Gabby sighed.Soon, her emotions welled up as the hopeless romantic that was George Bailey began to succumb to the pressures and injustices of life. He had blamed his own uncle for destroying their business, lashed out at his wife and children in anger, and gone crawling to his hated rival for a loan. The hardest scenes for her to watch were always the bar fight and the car crash. Still, she always stuck it out. The best was yet to come.Just as George stood atop the bridge, Gabby caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. A young man of about nineteen or twenty was watching the movie from a distance away, leaning against a tree near the road. His face twisted in angst as he saw the pain on display in the film, and he soon spun around, walking into the nearby park. Gabby couldn't explain why, but something compelled her to follow him and make sure he was okay.Collecting her lawn chair, she walked along the perimeter of the green space, soon arriving at the entrance to the park. As she went, she began to hear angry shouting up ahead of her; it sounded like the young man was in distress. After a few minutes, she came upon the fountain situated in the center of the park. On a bench sat the man from earlier, appearing to be deep in thought. By the glow of the lamppost, Gabby could now get a good look at him. He appeared to be of average height, maybe 5'7”, and had shaggy black hair that seemed a bit unkempt. Still, it's color shone in the light of the park, and his white skin provided for quite a striking appearance. A pair of black horn-rimmed glasses framed his face, which combined with his red MIT hoodie to project a very specific image into Gabby's mind. He had to be incredibly intelligent.As she studied him, she saw the young man pull an object out of the pocket of his jeans. Catching a glimpse of something reflective, she could now see that he was holding a small folding knife. Gabby tensed up and wondered if she should run, but soon decided against it; he didn't seem to have even noticed her presence. In fact, the way he looked at the knife was quite unsettling. It was as if he saw that little blade as his best friend in the world. She knew the look in his eyes. She knew what would happen in a moment if she did nothing. Taking a deep breath, Gabby decided to act.“Hey.”Intervention.Ken was startled by the unfamiliar voice. Looking up, he now saw a woman in her early twenties standing across the way. She gazed at him with intent, but for what reason he did not know. Looking back at her, Ken's typical awkwardness began to kick in, as he could see that she was quite beautiful. Dressed warmly in a black winter coat and blue jeans, she wore a grey knit cap over her long blonde hair. Upon first glance, she appeared to be of some sort of Scandinavian descent, or perhaps German, though Ken couldn't be sure. His mouth went dry as he tried to find the words to speak.“Everything okay?” she asked.“Uh; fine. Why do you, um; why do you ask?”Smiling, she replied, “I saw you over on the green, watching the movie. By the look on your face, you were having a tough time with it. When I saw you walk off towards the park, I felt I should come and see if anything was wrong.”“No, nothing's wrong.”“Good. Then I shouldn't be concerned about the way you're looking at that knife of yours, right?”Shaking his head, Ken answered, “I'm not going to hurt you. Promise.”“That's not what I'm concerned about.”“Wha; what do you mean?” Ken asked, his eyes growing wide.“I've seen that look before,” she said, taking a couple of steps closer. “I am, sadly, all too familiar with it. You were about to hurt yourself, weren't you?”“You don't know a thing about me, lady,” Ken muttered, preparing to leave.“I don't have to know anything about you to be concerned,” she fired back.“Concerned,” Ken snorted. “How could you be concerned about me? You don't even know me!”“Easily rectified. Gabrielle Libertine. My friends call me Gabby,” she said, sticking out her hand with a warm smile. When he didn't respond, she smirked and continued, “This is the part where you tell me your name.”Sighing, he replied, “Ken. Ken Dix.”“A pleasure, Ken,” she said as they shook hands.“So; Gabrielle, eh? You supposed to be my Clarence or something?”With a playful gasp, she responded, “Oh my God! Does that mean you're Jimmy Stewart?! I've had the biggest crush on you for Years!”Ken gave a nervous laugh. “Alright, alright, I walked into that one. But in all seriousness.”“No, I'm not a Guardian Angel or the Word of God or anything like that. Just an average person like you.” Motioning to the bench, she asked, “May I?”“Sure, I guess,” Ken answered, scooting to the edge.“Thanks.” Taking a seat, she continued, “So tell me this, Ken: why would you want to hurt, maybe kill yourself?”His face twisted in pain. “You don't want to know.”“I do. Believe me, I do.”Sighing with reluctance, Ken relented and began to tell Gabby of the events of the day. He started with Jacqueline and Jason, then the confrontation with his uncle, and finally the fake phone number showing Jacqueline's true colors. Through it all, Gabby sat in silence, maintaining eye contact and nodding whenever appropriate. At last, he finished his story, and Gabby could feel her heart breaking within her chest.“Ken; I'm so sorry. I can feel the pain in your voice. No one deserves what you've gone through today. I know it's of little help, but I do understand what you're going through.”“Understand?” Ken said, incredulous. “How could a girl like you understand any of this? I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous, and I bet you've always been popular. Just like Jacqueline. Just like Jason. Just like Uncle Lee. None of you could ever imagine the world I live in.”With a stern look on her face, she replied, “I'm going to choose to let that slide, considering everything you've told me. Still, you need to know that what you just said was quite hurtful. Almost as hurtful as the things that have been said to you today.”Ken recoiled. He knew she was right. “I'm; I'm sorry. You're right; I should never have said that. You've been nothing but nice to me tonight.”“Apology accepted,” Gabby said with a smile. “Humility is a rare trait in men these days. Hang on to that.”Ken thought she might be mocking him, but bit his tongue nonetheless. He had already insulted her once, and he wasn't going to chance a second time.Seeking to turn the conversation to happier topics, she asked, “M I T, huh? You're an awful long way from home, aren't you?”“Huh? Oh, the hoodie. Yeah, I'm a freshman there this year, just home on break right now.”“Nice. Major?”“Health sciences. I want to go to medical school after MIT, though I'm still figuring out a specialty.”“Plenty of time to decide that. I'm sure you'll find the right career path,” she said with a grin.As nice as it was to talk about a familiar topic, a few things still bugged Ken's mind to no end. “I still can't figure it out; why would Jacqueline do this?”Frowning, Gabby replied, “Some people are cruel. Often the ones that are the cruelest disguise it with a kind, warm public demeanor. Jacqueline sounds like she fits that mold to a T.”“And she hid it all that time while we were in school?”“You were useful at the time, in her mind. She wasn't going to chance losing that. Once she got what she needed, she had no more reason to hide her true feelings.”“Yeah, but still. Why be all friendly to me in the store?”“In her twisted mind, she probably felt she was doing you a favor. She wanted to ensure you never tried to contact her again. To a cruel person like her; that's her idea of doing you a kindness,” Gabby replied sadly. “We just have to hope that there's enough real kindness in this world to counteract such cruelty.”Now noticing a silver cross hanging from her neck, Ken pointed to it and asked, “I guess this the part where you start lecturing me about suicide? That I'm being selfish and trying to go against God's plan?”“No,” she replied with simplicity.“No?”“No. Ken, I meant it when I said that I've seen that look before. I know better than most that suicidal thoughts are rarely that simple. There's no switch that can turn them off. It's a tide that must be turned back, bit by bit.”Stunned, Ken started to see that this woman understood what was important in life. Realizing he still had the knife in his hand, he folded it closed and put it back in his pocket.“Bit by bit,” she said with a smile. “My car's around the corner. Is there somewhere I can take you? Where do you live?”“I'm not going home. Not yet,” Ken replied. “Not with my uncles still there.”“No problem. I'm not going to force you.” Thinking a moment, she continued, “It's pretty cold out here. Why don't you come back to my place for a bit?”“That's; unnecessary. I'm fine on my own.”“Nice try, but no cigar,” she said. “I'm not leaving you alone with that knife, mister. And I'm certainly not leaving you alone on Christmas Eve. Nobody should be alone for the holidays.”“Thanks, but; won't your husband mind?”“He would, if I were married.”“Boyfriend?”“Nope, just my townhouse and me. Pretty cozy, all things considered. No problems with you coming over, but I do have one condition.”“And what's that?”Smirking, Gabby replied, “You call your mom right now and tell her you're okay.”Hesitating a moment, Ken soon relented. “Fine.” Tapping his phone, Ken waited as it rang. “Hey Mom, it's me; Yeah, I'm okay; No, seriously. I'm fine; Yeah I'm just hanging with a friend. I probably won't be back ‘til tomorrow; I will; Love you too; Bye.”“See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?” Gabby teased him.Eying her, Ken asked. “You're seriously okay with bringing me to your home?”“Positive.”Taking his hand, Gabby led him to her car.Gabby's guest.The drive had been silent for the most part. Ken was still trying to comprehend everything that was happening. Who was this woman? Why would she go to such great lengths for a stranger she didn't even know? Gabby seemed to pick up on this, refraining from prodding him for any further conversation. She could tell he was still processing the events of the day. Soon, they arrived at her townhouse complex and pulled into her garage.“Come on in, make yourself at home,” she said as she turned on the lights. “Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee? Hot chocolate?”“Hot chocolate sounds good, thanks.”“Coming right up!”As she hung her hat and jacket up on a rack, Ken couldn't help but stare. He now saw that she wasn't just a pretty face; her entire body was sublime. She wore a tight burgundy sweater and a pair of tight, form-fitting jeans. This ensemble only served to accent her body even further. Her hourglass figure was delectable, her slim waist contrasting with her curvy hips and ample bust. She was also just as tall as him, perhaps a bit taller, with legs for miles. Though Ken had fantasized about some of his classmates, none of them could come anywhere close to Gabby. She was a woman, not a girl, and in the prime of her life no less.“Here you go,” she said, handing Ken a mug.After blowing on the hot drink, he took a sip, feeling the warm liquid spreading through his body. “Thanks,” he sighed.“No problem,” she replied with a smile. “Come on, let's go relax in the den.”She led him into an intimate area with a sofa and a loveseat. The only illumination came from the twinkling multicolored lights on her Christmas tree in the corner. As Ken took in the relaxing surroundings, smelling the delicious scent of her Frazier fir tree, Gabby stepped over to the fireplace opposite the sofa. Flipping a switch, she soon had a comfortable fire roaring from the gas logs. She then sat on the sofa, placing her mug on the side table and patting the spot next to her.“Come sit. I promise I don't bite,” she said with a playful grin.“Um, okay.” he mumbled, scooting as close to the armrest as he could to give Gabby plenty of space.“Tell me about M I T,” she inquired. “You mentioned you want to go into health sciences. Does that include medical school?”“Uh, yeah with any luck. Harvard would be my top choice, but I don't know if I could afford it. But assuming so, my dream has always been to be a brain surgeon.”“Brain surgeon?! That's so cool! They're like; the most badass of all the badass doctors! Not just surgeons, brain surgeons!” Gabby gushed.“It's, uh, not that big a deal,” Ken replied as he blushed with embarrassment.“Well, I could totally see you as a brain surgeon. Don't ever give up on it.”“Thanks.”“So, what then for you, Dr. Dix? What happens once you reach your dream?”Ken began to feel a strange amount of comfort with this woman, and started to open up to her. “Honestly; I don't know. I mean even if I become a brain surgeon, I'm still hopeless around girls. Maybe Jason's right. I'm gonna die a virgin.” Realizing what he had confessed to her, he turned to Gabby and blurted out, “Not that it's your problem, or anything. S-sorry, I just; I shouldn't have gone that far.”Gabby just smiled and moved closer to him, brushing her hand against his arm.“Don't worry about it. You have goals, both personal and professional, but aren't sure exactly how to achieve them. So you're a virgin. That's nothing to be embarrassed about, and it's healthy to express your anxiety about it. That can help you overcome your fears. In all seriousness, I think you underestimate yourself, Ken.”“Underestimate myself?”“Of course,” Gabby replied. “You're smart, considerate, polite, you even held the car door for me earlier! Any girl you'd want to be with is gonna swoon at traits like that. I can also tell that you still think of yourself as unattractive, but I disagree. You wear glasses, yes, but that doesn't make you a dork. Your hair is a little shaggy, but not greasy or anything. You may not have a tan, but your skin complexion is damn near flawless. You have nothing to be ashamed of, be it your looks or your personality.”“You're about the only woman who thinks so,” he sighed.“Doubtful, but if it's that big a worry for you, I can give you a couple of pointers, if you like.”“Um, oh, okay I guess.”“Great! Okay, so you definitely give off the ‘geek' vibe, but that's not a bad thing. Don't fight it; own it.”“How?”“Well, you can make just some slight alterations to your outward appearance that can change the way others see you. For example, you could switch to wire-framed glasses instead of your horn-rimmed ones. Your hair is a great color, and would do well in a short, clean-cut style, if I do say so myself. You can also change out your usual t-shirts for some casual polo shirts.”“So; the secret to getting women to notice me is to change who I am?” Ken asked, feeling more than a little offended.Cocking her eyebrow, Gabby replied, “Are you saying your glasses, hair length, and shirt choices define who you are?”“Oh, uh; fair point,” Ken conceded.“See? Humility. Such a rare quality these days,” Gabby said with a grin. “To be honest, all the changes I suggested are things my brother did a couple of years back. He was a complete geek, maybe even bigger than you. The poor boy was helpless around the fairer sex. But after he made these changes, he no longer came off as the socially awkward geek. He came off as a self-assured, confident geek, one who loves himself for who he is. I see that potential in you, Ken.” Grabbing her iPad from the side table, she pulled up a couple of pictures for him. “See? Here's before. And here's after.”“Woah,” Ken marveled. He could see the drastic difference. The guy hadn't done anything to make himself stronger or bulkier, nothing to increase his manliness, but the things he did change just popped in all the right ways. Was it really that simple?“That's great and all, but can new clothes and a haircut get rid of social awkwardness? I still don't have even a shred of confidence around women,” Ken said.“They can help, but a change in your mental confidence is completely based on your willpower. You have to love yourself as much as you want others to love you. If you don't, everyone else will pick up on it.”“Knew there was a catch.”Gabby bit her lip in frustration. There had to be a way she could give him the confidence boost he needed to love himself, but how? Getting one somewhat crazy idea, she moved closer to Ken.“I'm guessing from your previous statements that; you've never kissed a girl before. Is that right Ken?”Poor Ken Dix didn't even know what had hit him. Here he was, sitting with the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, and the unthinkable was beginning to happen. She was moving closer, running her fingers through his hair, and now wanted to know if he'd ever been kissed! This was too much, way beyond any of his hottest dreams. Unable to find the words to respond, he managed to slowly nod his head.“Close your eyes,” she instructed in her sweet voice. When he only blinked in reply, she whispered, “Close; your eyes, Ken. Trust me.”Guided by an unseen force, Ken felt compelled to obey her. His eyes finally fluttered closed, and his breathing became more labored in anticipation of what was to come. A small part of him doubted that she was being truthful, thinking that she'd fake him out just like Jacqueline had. Those doubts were soon quashed, as he felt the warm sensation of Gabby's face leaning close to his. He could feel her breathing. He could smell her perfume. If there was a God, Ken prayed, then and there; that He could make this incredible moment last forever.After what felt like eons, Gabby finally released their building tension and touched her lips to Ken's. Her kiss was soft at first, allowing him to savor the new sensations he was feeling. Ken was so terrified and excited all at once that he could barely even move his lips in reply. Not that it mattered to Gabby. She had expected his fear, and made sure to keep her technique simple yet enjoyable. After around thirty seconds, she withdrew at last, her face aglow in the Christmas tree light.“Wow,” Ken managed to mutter as he opened his eyes. He soon noticed that he couldn't see Gabby at all; his glasses had fogged up from their kiss.“Here, let's just take these off,” Gabby said with a giggle. She slipped his glasses off and laid them on her side table. “Now then, since we've gotten your first kiss out of the way, ready to really dive in?”“Dive in to what?” Ken asked, his nerves beginning to fray.“Kissing, silly! You do know there's much more to it than what we just did, right?”“More?”“Of course! Look, one day you'll get the prime opportunity to kiss a special lady, and I want you to be ready when that chance comes.”To be continued in part 2, based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts for Sex Stories.

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time. Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What's up, Mom?”“I've got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I'm going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don't have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he'd just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he'd made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn't wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom's list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren't harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I'd see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won't settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I'm just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it's great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I'm, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don't know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that's sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I'll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn't believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline's fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I've got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I've got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason's longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She's an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don't belong on the same Planet as her! You're nothing'! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken's arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken's gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won't be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn't have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn't?”“I did. Jason, someday you'll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won't bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn't bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn't want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken's mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason's punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that's not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan's families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken's seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man's gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that's family; I don't want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles' cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I've got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it's Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I'll; I'll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It's a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn't even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You've reached Live 95.5 FM's world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you've reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn't help creeping on her! That's where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You're doing everyone a favor! If you'd like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken's rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn't even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She's far worse! I can't imagine how evil she'd be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken's mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn't know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason's words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn't have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken's initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason's cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that's not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle's Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It's a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”“Oh, Jimmy Stewart, you charmer you.” Gabby sighed.Soon, her emotions welled up as the hopeless romantic that was George Bailey began to succumb to the pressures and injustices of life. He had blamed his own uncle for destroying their business, lashed out at his wife and children in anger, and gone crawling to his hated rival for a loan. The hardest scenes for her to watch were always the bar fight and the car crash. Still, she always stuck it out. The best was yet to come.Just as George stood atop the bridge, Gabby caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. A young man of about nineteen or twenty was watching the movie from a distance away, leaning against a tree near the road. His face twisted in angst as he saw the pain on display in the film, and he soon spun around, walking into the nearby park. Gabby couldn't explain why, but something compelled her to follow him and make sure he was okay.Collecting her lawn chair, she walked along the perimeter of the green space, soon arriving at the entrance to the park. As she went, she began to hear angry shouting up ahead of her; it sounded like the young man was in distress. After a few minutes, she came upon the fountain situated in the center of the park. On a bench sat the man from earlier, appearing to be deep in thought. By the glow of the lamppost, Gabby could now get a good look at him. He appeared to be of average height, maybe 5'7”, and had shaggy black hair that seemed a bit unkempt. Still, it's color shone in the light of the park, and his white skin provided for quite a striking appearance. A pair of black horn-rimmed glasses framed his face, which combined with his red MIT hoodie to project a very specific image into Gabby's mind. He had to be incredibly intelligent.As she studied him, she saw the young man pull an object out of the pocket of his jeans. Catching a glimpse of something reflective, she could now see that he was holding a small folding knife. Gabby tensed up and wondered if she should run, but soon decided against it; he didn't seem to have even noticed her presence. In fact, the way he looked at the knife was quite unsettling. It was as if he saw that little blade as his best friend in the world. She knew the look in his eyes. She knew what would happen in a moment if she did nothing. Taking a deep breath, Gabby decided to act.“Hey.”Intervention.Ken was startled by the unfamiliar voice. Looking up, he now saw a woman in her early twenties standing across the way. She gazed at him with intent, but for what reason he did not know. Looking back at her, Ken's typical awkwardness began to kick in, as he could see that she was quite beautiful. Dressed warmly in a black winter coat and blue jeans, she wore a grey knit cap over her long blonde hair. Upon first glance, she appeared to be of some sort of Scandinavian descent, or perhaps German, though Ken couldn't be sure. His mouth went dry as he tried to find the words to speak.“Everything okay?” she asked.“Uh; fine. Why do you, um; why do you ask?”Smiling, she replied, “I saw you over on the green, watching the movie. By the look on your face, you were having a tough time with it. When I saw you walk off towards the park, I felt I should come and see if anything was wrong.”“No, nothing's wrong.”“Good. Then I shouldn't be concerned about the way you're looking at that knife of yours, right?”Shaking his head, Ken answered, “I'm not going to hurt you. Promise.”“That's not what I'm concerned about.”“Wha; what do you mean?” Ken asked, his eyes growing wide.“I've seen that look before,” she said, taking a couple of steps closer. “I am, sadly, all too familiar with it. You were about to hurt yourself, weren't you?”“You don't know a thing about me, lady,” Ken muttered, preparing to leave.“I don't have to know anything about you to be concerned,” she fired back.“Concerned,” Ken snorted. “How could you be concerned about me? You don't even know me!”“Easily rectified. Gabrielle Libertine. My friends call me Gabby,” she said, sticking out her hand with a warm smile. When he didn't respond, she smirked and continued, “This is the part where you tell me your name.”Sighing, he replied, “Ken. Ken Dix.”“A pleasure, Ken,” she said as they shook hands.“So; Gabrielle, eh? You supposed to be my Clarence or something?”With a playful gasp, she responded, “Oh my God! Does that mean you're Jimmy Stewart?! I've had the biggest crush on you for Years!”Ken gave a nervous laugh. “Alright, alright, I walked into that one. But in all seriousness.”“No, I'm not a Guardian Angel or the Word of God or anything like that. Just an average person like you.” Motioning to the bench, she asked, “May I?”“Sure, I guess,” Ken answered, scooting to the edge.“Thanks.” Taking a seat, she continued, “So tell me this, Ken: why would you want to hurt, maybe kill yourself?”His face twisted in pain. “You don't want to know.”“I do. Believe me, I do.”Sighing with reluctance, Ken relented and began to tell Gabby of the events of the day. He started with Jacqueline and Jason, then the confrontation with his uncle, and finally the fake phone number showing Jacqueline's true colors. Through it all, Gabby sat in silence, maintaining eye contact and nodding whenever appropriate. At last, he finished his story, and Gabby could feel her heart breaking within her chest.“Ken; I'm so sorry. I can feel the pain in your voice. No one deserves what you've gone through today. I know it's of little help, but I do understand what you're going through.”“Understand?” Ken said, incredulous. “How could a girl like you understand any of this? I mean, look at you. You're gorgeous, and I bet you've always been popular. Just like Jacqueline. Just like Jason. Just like Uncle Lee. None of you could ever imagine the world I live in.”With a stern look on her face, she replied, “I'm going to choose to let that slide, considering everything you've told me. Still, you need to know that what you just said was quite hurtful. Almost as hurtful as the things that have been said to you today.”Ken recoiled. He knew she was right. “I'm; I'm sorry. You're right; I should never have said that. You've been nothing but nice to me tonight.”“Apology accepted,” Gabby said with a smile. “Humility is a rare trait in men these days. Hang on to that.”Ken thought she might be mocking him, but bit his tongue nonetheless. He had already insulted her once, and he wasn't going to chance a second time.Seeking to turn the conversation to happier topics, she asked, “M I T, huh? You're an awful long way from home, aren't you?”“Huh? Oh, the hoodie. Yeah, I'm a freshman there this year, just home on break right now.”“Nice. Major?”“Health sciences. I want to go to medical school after MIT, though I'm still figuring out a specialty.”“Plenty of time to decide that. I'm sure you'll find the right career path,” she said with a grin.As nice as it was to talk about a familiar topic, a few things still bugged Ken's mind to no end. “I still can't figure it out; why would Jacqueline do this?”Frowning, Gabby replied, “Some people are cruel. Often the ones that are the cruelest disguise it with a kind, warm public demeanor. Jacqueline sounds like she fits that mold to a T.”“And she hid it all that time while we were in school?”“You were useful at the time, in her mind. She wasn't going to chance losing that. Once she got what she needed, she had no more reason to hide her true feelings.”“Yeah, but still. Why be all friendly to me in the store?”“In her twisted mind, she probably felt she was doing you a favor. She wanted to ensure you never tried to contact her again. To a cruel person like her; that's her idea of doing you a kindness,” Gabby replied sadly. “We just have to hope that there's enough real kindness in this world to counteract such cruelty.”Now noticing a silver cross hanging from her neck, Ken pointed to it and asked, “I guess this the part where you start lecturing me about suicide? That I'm being selfish and trying to go against God's plan?”“No,” she replied with simplicity.“No?”“No. Ken, I meant it when I said that I've seen that look before. I know better than most that suicidal thoughts are rarely that simple. There's no switch that can turn them off. It's a tide that must be turned back, bit by bit.”Stunned, Ken started to see that this woman understood what was important in life. Realizing he still had the knife in his hand, he folded it closed and put it back in his pocket.“Bit by bit,” she said with a smile. “My car's around the corner. Is there somewhere I can take you? Where do you live?”“I'm not going home. Not yet,” Ken replied. “Not with my uncles still there.”“No problem. I'm not going to force you.” Thinking a moment, she continued, “It's pretty cold out here. Why don't you come back to my place for a bit?”“That's; unnecessary. I'm fine on my own.”“Nice try, but no cigar,” she said. “I'm not leaving you alone with that knife, mister. And I'm certainly not leaving you alone on Christmas Eve. Nobody should be alone for the holidays.”“Thanks, but; won't your husband mind?”“He would, if I were married.”“Boyfriend?”“Nope, just my townhouse and me. Pretty cozy, all things considered. No problems with you coming over, but I do have one condition.”“And what's that?”Smirking, Gabby replied, “You call your mom right now and tell her you're okay.”Hesitating a moment, Ken soon relented. “Fine.” Tapping his phone, Ken waited as it rang. “Hey Mom, it's me; Yeah, I'm okay; No, seriously. I'm fine; Yeah I'm just hanging with a friend. I probably won't be back ‘til tomorrow; I will; Love you too; Bye.”“See? Now that wasn't so bad, was it?” Gabby teased him.Eying her, Ken asked. “You're seriously okay with bringing me to your home?”“Positive.”Taking his hand, Gabby led him to her car.Gabby's guest.The drive had been silent for the most part. Ken was still trying to comprehend everything that was happening. Who was this woman? Why would she go to such great lengths for a stranger she didn't even know? Gabby seemed to pick up on this, refraining from prodding him for any further conversation. She could tell he was still processing the events of the day. Soon, they arrived at her townhouse complex and pulled into her garage.“Come on in, make yourself at home,” she said as she turned on the lights. “Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee? Hot chocolate?”“Hot chocolate sounds good, thanks.”“Coming right up!”As she hung her hat and jacket up on a rack, Ken couldn't help but stare. He now saw that she wasn't just a pretty face; her entire body was sublime. She wore a tight burgundy sweater and a pair of tight, form-fitting jeans. This ensemble only served to accent her body even further. Her hourglass figure was delectable, her slim waist contrasting with her curvy hips and ample bust. She was also just as tall as him, perhaps a bit taller, with legs for miles. Though Ken had fantasized about some of his classmates, none of them could come anywhere close to Gabby. She was a woman, not a girl, and in the prime of her life no less.“Here you go,” she said, handing Ken a mug.After blowing on the hot drink, he took a sip, feeling the warm liquid spreading through his body. “Thanks,” he sighed.“No problem,” she replied with a smile. “Come on, let's go relax in the den.”She led him into an intimate area with a sofa and a loveseat. The only illumination came from the twinkling multicolored lights on her Christmas tree in the corner. As Ken took in the relaxing surroundings, smelling the delicious scent of her Frazier fir tree, Gabby stepped over to the fireplace opposite the sofa. Flipping a switch, she soon had a comfortable fire roaring from the gas logs. She then sat on the sofa, placing her mug on the side table and patting the spot next to her.“Come sit. I promise I don't bite,” she said with a playful grin.“Um, okay.” he mumbled, scooting as close to the armrest as he could to give Gabby plenty of space.“Tell me about M I T,” she inquired. “You mentioned you want to go into health sciences. Does that include medical school?”“Uh, yeah with any luck. Harvard would be my top choice, but I don't know if I could afford it. But assuming so, my dream has always been to be a brain surgeon.”“Brain surgeon?! That's so cool! They're like; the most badass of all the badass doctors! Not just surgeons, brain surgeons!” Gabby gushed.“It's, uh, not that big a deal,” Ken replied as he blushed with embarrassment.“Well, I could totally see you as a brain surgeon. Don't ever give up on it.”“Thanks.”“So, what then for you, Dr. Dix? What happens once you reach your dream?”Ken began to feel a strange amount of comfort with this woman, and started to open up to her. “Honestly; I don't know. I mean even if I become a brain surgeon, I'm still hopeless around girls. Maybe Jason's right. I'm gonna die a virgin.” Realizing what he had confessed to her, he turned to Gabby and blurted out, “Not that it's your problem, or anything. S-sorry, I just; I shouldn't have gone that far.”Gabby just smiled and moved closer to him, brushing her hand against his arm.“Don't worry about it. You have goals, both personal and professional, but aren't sure exactly how to achieve them. So you're a virgin. That's nothing to be embarrassed about, and it's healthy to express your anxiety about it. That can help you overcome your fears. In all seriousness, I think you underestimate yourself, Ken.”“Underestimate myself?”“Of course,” Gabby replied. “You're smart, considerate, polite, you even held the car door for me earlier! Any girl you'd want to be with is gonna swoon at traits like that. I can also tell that you still think of yourself as unattractive, but I disagree. You wear glasses, yes, but that doesn't make you a dork. Your hair is a little shaggy, but not greasy or anything. You may not have a tan, but your skin complexion is damn near flawless. You have nothing to be ashamed of, be it your looks or your personality.”“You're about the only woman who thinks so,” he sighed.“Doubtful, but if it's that big a worry for you, I can give you a couple of pointers, if you like.”“Um, oh, okay I guess.”“Great! Okay, so you definitely give off the ‘geek' vibe, but that's not a bad thing. Don't fight it; own it.”“How?”“Well, you can make just some slight alterations to your outward appearance that can change the way others see you. For example, you could switch to wire-framed glasses instead of your horn-rimmed ones. Your hair is a great color, and would do well in a short, clean-cut style, if I do say so myself. You can also change out your usual t-shirts for some casual polo shirts.”“So; the secret to getting women to notice me is to change who I am?” Ken asked, feeling more than a little offended.Cocking her eyebrow, Gabby replied, “Are you saying your glasses, hair length, and shirt choices define who you are?”“Oh, uh; fair point,” Ken conceded.“See? Humility. Such a rare quality these days,” Gabby said with a grin. “To be honest, all the changes I suggested are things my brother did a couple of years back. He was a complete geek, maybe even bigger than you. The poor boy was helpless around the fairer sex. But after he made these changes, he no longer came off as the socially awkward geek. He came off as a self-assured, confident geek, one who loves himself for who he is. I see that potential in you, Ken.” Grabbing her iPad from the side table, she pulled up a couple of pictures for him. “See? Here's before. And here's after.”“Woah,” Ken marveled. He could see the drastic difference. The guy hadn't done anything to make himself stronger or bulkier, nothing to increase his manliness, but the things he did change just popped in all the right ways. Was it really that simple?“That's great and all, but can new clothes and a haircut get rid of social awkwardness? I still don't have even a shred of confidence around women,” Ken said.“They can help, but a change in your mental confidence is completely based on your willpower. You have to love yourself as much as you want others to love you. If you don't, everyone else will pick up on it.”“Knew there was a catch.”Gabby bit her lip in frustration. There had to be a way she could give him the confidence boost he needed to love himself, but how? Getting one somewhat crazy idea, she moved closer to Ken.“I'm guessing from your previous statements that; you've never kissed a girl before. Is that right Ken?”Poor Ken Dix didn't even know what had hit him. Here he was, sitting with the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on, and the unthinkable was beginning to happen. She was moving closer, running her fingers through his hair, and now wanted to know if he'd ever been kissed! This was too much, way beyond any of his hottest dreams. Unable to find the words to respond, he managed to slowly nod his head.“Close your eyes,” she instructed in her sweet voice. When he only blinked in reply, she whispered, “Close; your eyes, Ken. Trust me.”Guided by an unseen force, Ken felt compelled to obey her. His eyes finally fluttered closed, and his breathing became more labored in anticipation of what was to come. A small part of him doubted that she was being truthful, thinking that she'd fake him out just like Jacqueline had. Those doubts were soon quashed, as he felt the warm sensation of Gabby's face leaning close to his. He could feel her breathing. He could smell her perfume. If there was a God, Ken prayed, then and there; that He could make this incredible moment last forever.After what felt like eons, Gabby finally released their building tension and touched her lips to Ken's. Her kiss was soft at first, allowing him to savor the new sensations he was feeling. Ken was so terrified and excited all at once that he could barely even move his lips in reply. Not that it mattered to Gabby. She had expected his fear, and made sure to keep her technique simple yet enjoyable. After around thirty seconds, she withdrew at last, her face aglow in the Christmas tree light.“Wow,” Ken managed to mutter as he opened his eyes. He soon noticed that he couldn't see Gabby at all; his glasses had fogged up from their kiss.“Here, let's just take these off,” Gabby said with a giggle. She slipped his glasses off and laid them on her side table. “Now then, since we've gotten your first kiss out of the way, ready to really dive in?”“Dive in to what?” Ken asked, his nerves beginning to fray.“Kissing, silly! You do know there's much more to it than what we just did, right?”“More?”“Of course! Look, one day you'll get the prime opportunity to kiss a special lady, and I want you to be ready when that chance comes.”To be continued in part 2, based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts for Sex Stories.

The Metal Debate podcast is back with another amazing album review... in this one Xander breaks down the new one from doom/death collective Clouds titled "Desprins" (2025). QUOTES "If you're a fan of Decembre Noir, Frowning and Ahab you will absolutely adore this album along with everything else this band has ever done... I don't like just handing away perfect 10/10 ratings like its Halloween candy, especially this early in the year. But for Clouds, I'm going to make an exception. This Desprins album has completely blown me away." Check out Clouds' music at https://www.youtube.com/@UCEByuBmN2Vi7aXN4i8CJZCA Purchase music and merchandise from Clouds at https://cloudsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/desprins SOCIAL LINKS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/metaldebate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegreatmetaldebate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metaldebate/ The Great Metal Debate Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-great-metal-debate-podcast/id1037874814 https://soundcloud.com/thegreatmetaldebate Podcast intro music by CONTRA; intro voice by Greg Kyle (RIP). CONTACT Business email: TheGreatMetalDebate@gmail.com

Frowning might take more muscles to use than smiling, but there's also less of a chance that you're being possessed by the entity of this week's review. But what SHOULD make you smile is the special guest, joining us for the premiere of season 7 of Bodybag Podcast. Joining the podcast, the author of "Acrid Sky", "Eve of Corruption", and "Relic Myers and the Rhythm of Ruin;" Mr. Brady J. Sadler. We travel back into the 90's as we talk about his latest book, "Relic Myers and the Rhythm of Ruin." Then, we let our hair down and rock out while talking about his band, Lorenguard. And, finally, we let our nerd flags fly as he tells us about his work as a game designer. All this AND a special review of the movie, "Smile."

It's hard to find the freedom Jesus offers in a culture steeped in religion, especially when the book of James keeps getting thrown around like a spiritual hammer. Too often, James is used to turn faith into a tool for validating our salvation instead of the lens that lets us see it. No wonder anyone who's caught the message of grace might get twitchy around a book in the New Testament that is all about law. But what if our fear of James comes from years of misrepresentation? Welcome to our new podcast series on James—the book everyone loves to quote but few want to deal with! It's time to strip away the misconceptions and see that James isn't questioning our foundation, he's showing us what it looks like to dance on it! This episode covers James 2:1-13______________________________________________________________________Helping You Learn To Live Loved...Become a Lark Supporter: https://larksite.com/donateWeb: https://larksite.comLarkcast: https://larksite.com/larkcastBook: Reclaim (Available on Amazon) https://larksite.com/reclaimInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lark_social/

Seducing the Wizard's Wife – 4 days of wizardry. By BradentonLarry -   Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 10 Day One Toshia's day with the satyrs When Don awoke, he found himself lying on his back upon a large four-poster bed. There was sunlight pouring in from somewhere, and he had a woman on his left with her head on his chest and another curled up on his right. Trying not to disturb the sleeping women, he opened his eyes a bit further and raised his head to have a look around. [[MORE]]  The woman with her head on his chest was Shelonda, and the one on his right was Amy, who was spooning Nicole. They were all still clothed, and in what seemed to be a large bedroom. Don couldn't help but remember waking up in the Manor next to Toshia what seemed like a very long time ago. That time the room had been dark and mysterious, and rather Spartan. This time, though, the room was brightly lit as two large windows let in a great deal of light. Although there was definitely the rather serious and looming question of how in the world they had been brought here, there was nothing even vaguely sinister about this room. Adding to the benign aspect of the room was, no doubt, the profusion of cut flowers that covered every available horizontal surface. As Don lowered his head again, Shelonda shifted and then raised her head to look around. When she saw that Don was also awake, she gave him a confused smile. He smiled back as reassuringly as he could and caressed her back. He wasn't terribly surprised to feel her hand moving up along the inside of his thigh. "If danger isn't threatening it must be time for sex" seemed to be the default rule among Eros dwellers. Don tried to think of a good reason to deny himself and Shelonda. He knew they were someplace strange, the guests of some new set of kidnappers, and that they had very likely completely lost track of Toshia, but all of those things had been true for hours, since they had apparently slept through the night, and if anyone meant them any harm, they surely would have carried through on that desire while they had been unconscious, rather than putting them on a comfortable bed. So, when the beautiful woman pushed his kilt up and began to stroke his cock, Don didn't resist and instead pulled her up so he could kiss her warmly. After all the stress of the last couple of days, with the plants, the watchers, the human attackers, and the chase after Toshia – not to mention seeing her cavorting with actual satyrs -satyrs! - it felt very good indeed to lay back and feel Shelonda's mouth on his, her tongue pushing past his lips, and her warm hand on his quickly thickening cock. Moving slowly, so as to not wake Amy and Nicole, Don moved his right arm up so he could get his hand on Shelonda's full breast, squeezing it gently through her tank top. This prompted her to squeeze and pull on his cock more strenuously. Don decided that two could play at that game, and, rolling onto his side a little, moved his right hand from her tit down to her strong left thigh. Slipping up under her skirt, Don's hand slid along her smooth brown skin and around to squeeze her firm ass tightly. Shelonda moaned her approval very quietly. Don kissed her more deeply in a vague attempt to get her to be quieter. Don worked his hand around in front of Shelonda. She parted her legs for him, raising her left one and wrapping it around Don's legs. This left Don free to run his fingers over her very moist lips. He teased her a bit before parting those lips with his fingertips and spreading her juices over her inner lips and clit. Soon his fingers were inside her, slipping in and out of Shelonda's pussy, as Don's thumb pressed against and rubbed her clit. Shelonda liked this quite a bit, and showed her approval by rolling back on the bed, pulling Don with her. They continued kissing as he moved naturally into position over her. Her legs spread and her hand pulling him forward, Don slipped into Shelonda's welcoming pussy. As he sank deep into her hot, wet sex, she reached down to clasp his butt in both of her hands, squeezing and pulling him into her. Their bodies were pressed tightly together as they fucked and kissed, moving slowly against each other on the bed. It was a passionate, loving and intense encounter there in the strange bedroom. Don had become extremely fond of the beautiful young woman, and he knew she felt the same way. The connection between the two of them was stronger and deeper than the casual sex relationship either or both of them shared with the other two women. Amy was a great sexual athlete, Nicole was a playful little minx, but Shelonda had a seriousness about her that made sex with her more than just sex. If it wasn't a romantic coupling, and it hardly seemed quite like that, it was a bit more than friends-with-benefits. Don resisted the urge to fuck Shelonda more vigorously, partly because he didn't want to disturb the others, and partly because the way they were screwing was building up its own intensity. Shelonda pulled him into her tightly with her legs and arms, kissing him intently. Then she threw her head back, gasping through clenched teeth. She let go of his ass to clench the sheets at her side, and then was burying her face into his shoulder. Don pushed himself deep into her clasping, clutching pussy riding out her quiet, intense orgasm by holding her in his arms. When Shelonda slowly relaxed, and lay back on the bed, he smiled down at her happily. She actually blushed and turned her face away. "Well, that looked like a good one," Amy said. Don looked over to see that the curvy blonde had rolled over onto her back to watch him and Shelonda. Nicole was also watching, but was resting her head on Amy's soft breast. Nicole's hand had already found its way down between Amy's thighs and was busy making mischief there. "Got enough to share with the rest of the class, Professor?" Nicole asked with a smirk. "I just might," Don grinned over at the two women. Then he leaned down to kiss Shelonda again. By the time he had withdrawn from Shelonda's exquisite embrace, Nicole had gotten down between Amy's legs and was giving some serious head, and Amy had pulled her tank top up over her head and thrown it aside. Don moved around behind Nicole and coaxed her up enough that he could get his cock down and into her waiting cunt. He admired Nicole's narrow waist and tight, brown ass as he began to fuck in and out of her. Shelonda moved over to be close to the action, and soon reached around so she could get her fingers on Nicole's clit. Nicole was only barely able to make Amy come, gasping and twisting on the bed, before she was coming herself. Don still hadn't come, and he was acutely aware of that fact. He pulled out of Nicole and urged her over toward Shelonda. Moving up between Amy's legs, he smiled down at her happy face, and said, "Where do you want it?" "Come on my tits, Professor," she said immediately. Don nodded, but took a moment to push his cock deep into Amy's juicy twat. After fucking Shelonda and Nicole, he only needed a couple of thrusts into her tight pussy before he was ready to blow. He pulled out of her and quickly straddled her abdomen. He had planned to jerk himself off, but Amy's hands beat him to it. She took him in a tight, enthusiastic grip and pumped his thick organ several times until a huge spout of white cum burst out of him and splattered over her chest, neck and chin. Several days of abstinence, coupled with the XYZ in his system and the sex leading up to this moment made Don's orgasm both extremely intense and voluminous. A second stream of jizz splashed over Amy's tits and then a flood of it spilled over her hands onto her belly. Don felt like he was coming for minutes. As he finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes, Shelonda and Nicole clapped and laughed. He managed to get off Amy while the other two girls closed in on her and began to play with and lick up the cum he had left there. As soon as his head stopped reeling from the intense orgasm, Don decided it was time to have a better look around. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed that there were not only two big windows, but also three sets of doors, all double and all closed. The room had a thick carpet. Don reached down and took off his sandals, and enjoyed the feeling of the carpet on his bare feet. There was a couch against the wall opposite the bed, as well as a large framed mirror. There was a low table in front of the couch and a pair of overstuffed chairs at either end of the table. One of the chairs had their satchels piled on it. Don and Shelonda's staffs were standing in a corner. All of the furniture was in an overly ornate style that Don thought of as rococo, though he wasn't confident that that was the right term. (Perhaps it was baroque, or regency; he could never tell.) Don got off the bed and moved over to one of the windows. They were apparently on the second or third floor and overlooked a vast well-tended and colorful flower garden. There was no one to be seen among the flowers or paths of the garden. He moved over to one of the sets of doors, and was surprised when they swung open of their own accord. Don stepped onto the tiled floor of a large and ornate bathroom, illuminated by an impressive skylight over a huge tub. Strewn about this room were more flowers and a liberal supply of towels and toiletries. As Don moved closer to the tub, water began to pour out of the four faucets set around it. The sound of the steaming, fragrant water quickly filling the bathtub drew the attention of the girls, who quickly crowded into the bathroom with Don. Clothes were quickly stripped off and thrown aside. Although they had only been out of the Manor for a few days, and had hardly been living a hard life outdoors, the opportunity to bathe properly was most welcome. They took quite a while, scrubbing each other clean, which naturally enough led to more splashing about than was strictly necessary as well as more fondling and play. Don was the first to get out of the tub, and so was the first to notice that their clothing had somehow been removed. He dried himself with a heavy, soft towel and then padded out into the bedroom naked. His sandals and Amy's top had also been removed. He moved toward one of the other sets of doors. When they failed to open for him, Don tried the handles, but they wouldn't budge. Frowning, he turned to the last set of doors, which did swing open as he approached. This time he found a large walk-in closet, full of clothing. On the right, taking up about a quarter of the available space was an assortment of strangely old-fashioned men's clothing. On the floor was a good selection of footwear. Don chose a pair of light cotton slacks and a buttoned shirt, and tried them on. He was not at all surprised that the clothes fit him perfectly. As he came out of the closet, the girls were just coming out of the bathroom. Seeing his attire and catching on that there were new, fresh clothes to be had, they swarmed around him and into the closet. They were each able to find at least a quarter of the closet that had clothing perfectly fitted to them, and spent some time selecting outfits. Don was amused to watch them trying various combinations. Ultimately they came out to model their selections, and he smiled to see their individual styles come through. Shelonda was wearing a light vest and a pair of loose silk pajama bottoms that were bloused at the ankles. Amy had on a low cut top and stockings and a garter belt, and a short pleated skirt that flared out from her waist. Nicole had on a form fitting sheath dress with slits running up the lengths of her legs. While Don was complimenting them on their outfits, the third set of doors swung open, revealing a long marble hallway. Cautiously, the four of them moved out into the corridor. There was nowhere else to go, so they proceeded along, until a large pair of doors opened before them. On the other side of this portal, they found a vast dining room, lit by a dazzling number of candles. There were a dozen chairs around the large, long table in the center of the room. There were also bowls full of fruit and gleaming glasses of water. On each of the three walls without doors there were large mirrors. Don eyed those reflective surfaces suspiciously, his mind on the likelihood that they were being observed through those mirrors. Like the trusting souls they were, Amy and Shelonda had made themselves comfortable at the table, drinking and eating freely. Don and Nicole shared a glance, but then joined the others in dining. Only when they had each eaten a small amount of fruit and drank a whole glass of water – in short, when they had their fill – did someone broach the subject that was on everyone's mind. Amy said, "Well, where are we anyway?" "I have no idea," Don admitted. "You are in my home," said a deep voice. They turned sharply to see a tall man standing in the doorway. He had white hair and a beard, a prominent brow adorned by bristling eyebrows, a pronounced hawkish nose, and bright eyes glittering at them in the candlelight. He wore a deep blue robe, like one would expect to see worn by a magician in a fantasy movie. He was over six feet tall, and stood erect and easily. Though his deeply lined face indicated great age, he carried himself as if he were quite healthy. "And you are?" Don asked. "I am called the Wizard of the Wood," declared the man in that voice that reminded Don of a not quite ancient John Carradine. "Well, I am Don, and this is Amy, Nicole and Shelonda. We're grateful for your hospitality. May we ask why you brought us here?" "Of course you may," the Wizard intoned. "I brought you here so that you might assist me with a particular task." "Um, well, we were trying to find a friend of ours..." "The one who was, and has been copulating so vigorously with those three satyrs, I suspect." "Yes," Don nodded, "that would be her." "She is in no danger. The satyrs mean her no harm. I believe they are enjoying her company far more than they expected to. She is quite spirited and has a great deal of stamina." "Well, you seem to be quite well-informed and have resources at your disposal." "You mean magic," the Wizard said. "I have magical resources." "Um, sure," Don said. "If you could bring our friend here like you did us, we'd be happy to help you with your task." "There are three problems with that proposal." The Wizard gestured and a chair slid out from the table. As he took his seat, he said, "One, I have no reason to trust you. This is of small consequence, though, because you would still have your freedom to gain. Two, I believe the desire to be reunited with your friend will be a better motivator in any case. Three, as a matter of fact, I cannot at this time bring your friend here." "Why not?" Nicole asked. "My power is largely focused upon this location. Within the bounds of this house and the grounds I have great power, but to exercise that power to bring people here is ... difficult. I do however have the means to convey you to your friend, which means I will make available to you following the completion of your task. I assure you, the task is within your power, and I will compensate you well for your efforts. You will not regret helping me." Don frowned, "And what if something should happen to our friend while we're here?" "I am monitoring your friend's situation and will find a way to intervene if she should actually be endangered. I am afraid I can only offer you my assurances as to this and my other promises. I hasten to point out that you do not seem to have any other viable options." "We could try to escape," Don pointed out. "Feel free," the Wizard shrugged. "You will only waste time and energy, uselessly." "Can you give us some evidence that you can actually know how and where Toshia is?" "Your friend? Yes, I think so," the Wizard nodded toward the large mirror to his right. Looking at that mirror, they could suddenly see Toshia. She was lying back against a satyr, while another satyr was in front of her. Her legs were around the front satyr's haunches and her hands were on his shoulders. It seemed clear that both of the satyr's were fucking her, and, moreover, that Toshia was enjoying herself quite a bit at the moment. "Alright," Don said after taking a moment to take in the expression on Toshia's face as the satyr's had their way with her, or she had her way with them. "What do you want us to do?" "I want you to seduce my wife." Don looked at the Wizard of the Wood to see if he was joking. He looked to the girls and saw that they were as confused as he was. "Well," Don said, "first, you're the first person I've met in Eros who's even in a monogamous relationship, let alone married." "Yes," the Wizard nodded, "we have always had an unconventional relationship." "OK," Don shrugged. "Why do you want us to seduce your wife?" "Well, it is not so much all of you, as you yourself, Don, though the others may of course help." "Alright, why do you want me to seduce your wife?" The Wizard stood up and began to pace alongside the table as he spoke. "We live alone here. The house and my power see to it that we want for nothing. I love my wife very much. She is a wonderful woman and a good companion. However, I am aware of what goes on out there in the world. I see the fun people have in the woods. I can watch the witches of the glen working their orgiastic magic. I know what goes on in that Manor. I want to enjoy some of that fun, Don. I want to convince my wife to have an open marriage." "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," Don admitted. He noticed that Nicole was having a very hard time keeping a straight face, while Amy and Shelonda simply seemed confused. "Have you talked to her about this?" asked Don. The Wizard shook his head, saying, "Oh, she would never agree to it. She is far too jealous and possessive. She would think I do not love her any more and that I just want to couple with other women." "But, you do want to 'couple' with other women," Nicole pointed out. "By all the gods, yes!" the Wizard shouted. "I want to so very badly. But it is only sex. Do you know how long we have been married?" "No, of course..." "A very long time, believe me! I love her madly, of course, but I need some variety now and then. I honestly believe it would do each of us and both of us as a couple a great deal of good to enjoy other people. Having sex with just the same person for many years is simply not healthy." "Well, I can't argue with that," Don smiled. "So, what are you thinking?" "If you seduce her, make her want to sleep with you, it will give me the opportunity to broach the subject." "That's extremely indirect," Don mused. "What if she doesn't want to sleep with Don, or just wants to sneak around on you?" Nicole asked. "My wife would never do such a thing," the Wizard insisted. "Perhaps," Don said, "but, as much as I hate to ask this, what about that other option? What if I can't seduce her?" "If you give a good faith effort to seduce her but she does not succumb, I will grant you your freedom and help you find your friend." "Are you sure you don't just want us to help you talk to her?" Don asked. It had just occurred to him that the Wizard's wife was going to be as ancient as he was. "No," the Wizard said with finality. "I have given this a great deal of thought, and I am certain that would never work. It has to be done this way." "Alright, then," Don said. He looked around to gauge the reactions of the women; Nicole shrugged, while Amy and Shelonda both nodded. "We'll help. I take it you have a plan, then." Day Two Toshia is caught by the warrior women and is taken to their castle The next day, the Don and the three women had a brief conference, during which they considered the merits of attempting to escape from their luxurious prison. It was Nicole who pointed out that even if they were able to get out of the house and the grounds, however far those might extend, they would have no idea where they were or how to find Toshia. It did seem that their best bet was to cooperate with the Wizard of the Wood and trust that he would honor his end of the bargain. So, they passed the day exploring the immense house, going only where the doors would allow them to pass. There was no sign of anyone else in the building, though everything was dusted and the flowers and fruit were freshly laid out. They found a large library, an indoor pool, and a billiard room, among other less well-defined rooms. Following the spirit of the Wizard's plan, they deliberately resisted the urge to fill the day with sexual play. Instead, they built up their frustration by engaging in playful banter and flirting. Things became particularly heated during their skinny-dip in the pool. Don had to herd the women into the showers, which did frankly very little to help, except that it introduced an all-too-ephemeral break in the action. Amy was particularly wound up by the time they returned to their room to change for dinner. "I will tell my wife that we have guests," the Wizard had explained. "I'll say that you were travelers who I rescued from hooligans using my magic, and that I offered you hospitality for a few days." "Hooligans?" Amy had asked. "That's what I call the bands of ill-mannered men who roam about the forest attacking anyone they come across." "We met some of those," Don had nodded. "It didn't end well for them," Nicole said quietly, looking across the table at Don. "They are thoroughly unpleasant," the Wizard had scowled. "Anyway, I will tell my wife that you seem to be very interesting people, and I will arrange to have her looking in on you during your dinner. You use that time to, shall we say, put on a show for her." "A show?" asked Shelonda. "Yes, well, a demonstration of unfettered sexuality," the Wizard explained. "You want us to have sex for your wife to watch," Nicole said. "Yes," the Wizard nodded. "I know my wife enjoys reading books with erotic scenes in them, and I suspect seeing one played out in front of her eyes will titillate her. Moreover, the fact that there are more than just two of you will work to our advantage if we are to be successful in tempting her toward a more open attitude toward sex." "I think we can manage that," Don smiled at the three women. He knew Amy in particular would rise to the occasion. "Remember, though," the Wizard had admonished before bidding them goodnight, "it must seem spontaneous. If my wife suspects chicanery she'll never go along with the rest of the plan." The three women all wore outfits that were at once frilly and feminine and were also simple enough that it would be quite easy to have sex in them. Nicole wore a form-fitting, backless dress with a very short skirt and puffy sleeves, all in black with large bright red flowers. Shelonda wore a frilly little sundress in light pastels. Amy wore a silk negligee and a long, sheer robe. All of the girls surprised Don by wearing high heels. For himself, Don wore dress slacks, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket. As an afterthought, he added socks and perfectly shined, black dress shoes. Arm in arm en masse the foursome left the bedroom and headed to the dining room. Along the way, Don reminded them to act as if no one was watching. "But, also make sure we put on a good show," Amy pointed out. "How are we supposed to do that?" Shelonda wanted to know. "Well, make sure that anyone looking can tell what you're doing; don't cover up anything," Amy suggested. "And make noise," added Nicole. "Let everyone hear that you're having a good time." "Wow," Don said, "that's really good advice. You're making me horny already." "You have to wait a bit, Professor," Nicole winked. With that they came to the dining room and gathered around the middle of the table, Don and Shelonda on one side and Amy and Nicole on the other. "Who do you think puts out this fruit and water?" Amy asked, as she picked up and examined a red apple. "I have no idea," Don shrugged. "Perhaps the same person who washed our clothes and put them back when we weren't looking yesterday." "Our host, maybe?" wondered Nicole. "The Wizard?" Amy laughed. "I doubt that." "He doesn't exactly seem the sort to do housework," Don admitted. With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Amy sank her teeth into her apple and leaned over toward Nicole, who, catching on immediately, bent in to take a bite out of the opposite side of the fruit. While they were doing this, Shelonda said, "Well, whoever's doing the cleaning and other stuff, it sure is nice of the Wizard to let us stay here." "We should try to find a way to thank him," Amy said around a mouthful of apple. "Oh? What did you have in mind?" Don asked with a laugh. "There are lots of ways a girl can thank a man," Amy smiled, taking another bite of the apple. "She can say, 'Thank you very much, Mr. Wizard, sir,'" Nicole smiled coyly while she toyed with a strawberry. "Exactly," Amy laughed, "but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind." "Whatever could you mean?" Nicole asked. She had now turned toward Amy and was running her hand up and down her arm. "Oh, you mean..." "Exactly!" Amy grinned and grabbed a nearby banana. She proceeded to peel it slowly. "But isn't he rather old?" Nicole persisted mischievously. "He seemed healthy enough to me," Amy said as she pulled the last peel down. "Anyway, I think I like older men. Plus, he's quite tall, and that usually means..." "You think so?" Shelonda joined in. "I do," Amy said. "Anyway, I'd be happy to show my appreciation." To demonstrate her capabilities, she slid the length of the banana into her mouth and down her throat. Don and the girls laughed, and Don said, "Well, fruit's one thing. Are you quite sure you're up to the real thing?" "Quite sure, sir," Amy said after swallowing the last of the banana down. "I'm unconvinced," Don said with a frown. "Well, how in the world can I convince you?" "You could show him on his cock," Shelonda said with exasperation. Don thought she was the best actress of the bunch. "Alright, Professor, hop up here on the table and let's see what you've got," Amy grinned. Don stood up and took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, while the women pushed the bowls and glasses out of the way. Then, he climbed up on the table and knelt in front of Amy. Getting into her act, Amy ran her hands up along Don's thighs and made a show of unfastening his pants. She slipped her hand into his slacks and took hold of his quickening cock. Pulling it out, she held it up for Nicole to see. "Very nice," Amy said, "but it needs more work, I think." She lowered her head to Don's lap and took the entire length of his cock into her mouth. Pulling on it with both her lips and hand, she quickly had him fully hard. While Amy was doing this, Shelonda climbed up on the table next to Don so she could see too. Amy pulled back to show the girls that Don was now erect. "That's more like it, Professor!" Amy said. "Now, what was it I was going to do with this?" "Oh, I can show you," Shelonda offered quickly. "By all means," Amy laughed. To be continued. Nicole & Amy Seek To Seduce The Wizard Shelonda leaned in over Don's lap and immediately lowered her mouth all the way down his cock, letting his fat head slip into her throat. She accompanied this with a loud, very satisfied, "Um!" When she came up for air, Shelonda smiled at Amy and Nicole and said, "That's what you were saying you could do." "Oh, yes, I remember now. Let me see if I've got this right," Amy laughed. Straight away, she took hold of Don's cock and lowered her mouth and throat on him. Don took advantage of the situation by gently grabbing Amy's head and holding her there on him so that he could flex himself in and out of her throat a bit. Following Shelonda's lead, Amy gurgled and moaned her approval of this maneuver loudly enough for everyone to hear. Always happy to oblige, Don fucked her throat a bit longer before letting her go. As soon as Amy was up again, Nicole jumped in with, "Let me give that a try!" Crowding in front of Amy, Nicole inhaled Don's shaft in one eager motion. Once he was in all the way, she bobbed her head up and down on him, murmuring her pleasure while he moved in and out of her throat. When she backed up off him, she gave the slippery head of his cock a kiss and flashed a grin around the room. "Is that all you'd do to thank the Wizard?" Shelonda asked. "Don't you think that's enough?" Amy asked. "Not nearly," Don said with a smile. "Oh, well, I might be able to come up with something else," Amy said thoughtfully. "Like what?" Shelonda asked as she reached over to stroke Don's wet cock, which was twitching in anticipation. Amy shrugged out of her sheer robe, said, "Well, I could do this," and, using her chair as a step up, climbed up on the table with Don and Shelonda. Amy planted her feet on either side of Don's thighs, and pulled up her silk negligee to expose her bare pussy and ass to view. "Now that looks delicious!" Don grinned. He leaned forward to kiss Amy's nether lips, reaching up between her legs to get his hands on her ass. Holding her in place, Don reached out with his tongue to lightly lick over the soft curve of her lips. Pushing up between them, he tasted her juices and slipped his long tongue up inside her. Amy moaned and pushed forward a bit, encouraging him to do more. He proceeded to fuck his tongue in and out of her, and then began to lick at her clit. Shelonda was still stroking Don's cock, or was until Nicole took Amy's chair and got into position in front of Don and began to suck on his cock with great enthusiasm. Shelonda leaned back for a moment, admiring the sight of Amy standing on the table while Don buried his face between her legs. Then she decided to get back into the fun. Pulling her sundress up over her head and casting it aside, but leaving her heels on, she got up to stand behind Don. She reached forward and took Amy's head in her hands and pulled her forward into a long, slow passionate kiss. Amy, who had been holding on to Don's head, both for a little support and to keep him there where he was giving her so much pleasure, reached up to get her hands on Shelonda's full tits. She moaned into Shelonda's mouth while squeezing and caressing those beautiful breasts. She moaned again when she felt Don pushing several fingers up inside her grasping pussy. When she felt Shelonda tugging at her negligee, Amy took a few seconds to quickly pull that garment up and over her head. She wasn't sure where it fell; it was out of her mind as Shelonda began to kiss and suckle on her tits. Then Don's tongue was making her come. Amy remembered Nicole's advice and cried out enthusiastically as the explosion of delight erupted in her clit and pussy and then spread through her body, making her shake and sob. "Oh fuck yes!" Amy gasped loudly. "That's so good! Don, you've got the best tongue. Damn!" Shelonda embraced Amy, whose legs were suddenly unsteady, and helped her to lie down with her on the table behind Don. Don took advantage of the momentary break to push Nicole back enough so that he could get off his knees. Instead, he sat on the edge of the table with his feet dangling. Nicole wasted no time, though, and climbed up on the table with the others. Pushing Don back so that he was leaning on his arms, she pulled up her short black dress and straddled Don's lap. She rose up as high as she could, to give anyone watching a clear view, and lifted Don's cock straight up. Pushing the head into her, Nicole slowly slid down its length, moaning happily as it filled her. Don grinned up at her and took her narrow waist in his hands. As soon as she was all the way down on him, Nicole pushed herself back up, almost all the way off, and paused there so anyone could see his thick pole disappearing into her tight pink sleeve as well as the shiny wetness she left on him. Then, finally she let herself down on him again, until his head was pressed against her cervix. Up again and pause, then down, harder this time. Don's strong hands and arms helped to raise and lower her, sparing her thighs some work. With each descent on his shaft, Nicole let out a happy, lustful moan. Soon she was grunting and crying out as she rode up and down on him with almost violent abandon. She began to throw herself into the performance aspect of the evening. "Fuck yes! God yes! That feels so good! Fuck me, Professor! Fuck me!" Nicole cried out. Don was pushing up into Nicole each time she came down on him. He was quietly amazed at how hard a fucking the tiny girl was taking and enjoying. As she bounced on his cock, he watched as she clawed at her dress to pull it aside and get her hands on her little breasts and hard nipples. Then she was coming on top of him, still bouncing as she screamed and shook. "Yes! Yes! Fuck yes!" she called. Then abruptly, she stopped and slumped forward on Don, gasping for air. "Damn!" she whispered, "I guess I like having an audience." "Well, it suits you," Don whispered back, kissing her ear. When Nicole pushed herself up a bit, they noticed that Shelonda and Amy had worked themselves into a 69. They lay on their sides, with Amy's feet and back toward Don and Nicole's side of the table. They could see the top of Shelonda's head as she worked her tongue over Amy's slick lips and sensitive clit. Both girls were moaning enthusiastically while they kept their mouths busy. Nicole pushed herself the rest of the way up, and struggled to get out of her dress. Don finally got around to unbuttoning his shirt, and when Nicole climbed off him to walk down the table, naked but for her heels, Don took the opportunity to get out of his clothes. By the time he got back on the table, Nicole was down by Amy's head, reaching around to get her fingers on and probably in Shelonda. Don decided he would make himself useful at this end of things. Lying down behind Amy, he scooted in and guided his cock between her legs. He felt Shelonda's breath and then tongue on the head of his cock just as he felt the wetness of Amy's waiting pussy. He didn't pause, but just went ahead and pushed himself in. Amy let out a particularly loud moan as he filled her in one sure motion. Steadily he began to fuck her, enjoying the sensation of her slippery cunt squeezing and pulling at him as well as Shelonda's tongue brushing against him. What Amy and Nicole were doing to Shelonda had the desired effect, because she was the next one to come, crying out loudly in ecstasy. This precipitated some rearrangement on the table, as Shelonda disentangled herself. Amy turned her head and said over her shoulder, "Get on your back, Don." Don quickly rolled back, reluctantly pulling out of Amy in the process. She wasn't done with him yet, though. Without turning around to face him, she got up over him. She took his cock and lifted it up and pushed the broad head of it up into her ass. Don said, "Oh, god that feels so good – so hot and tight!" "That's right, baby," Amy grinned back at him. Then she pushed herself down on him, taking his thick cock deep into her bowels. She leaned back then, and Nicole came around and knelt in front of her, pushing several fingers up into her pussy and attacking Amy's clit with her tongue. Meanwhile, Shelonda straddled Don's face, so that she could have her pussy licked while she reached around to play with Amy's tits. Don reached up to adjust Shelonda's position a little and began to lap at her very wet pussy and clit. His nose slipped into her vagina and then teased her ass as he moved back and forth over her. All the while, he could feel Amy moving up and down on him and Nicole's fingers inside her pussy. He couldn't see what was going on, but he could definitely tell when Amy began to come again. Not only did her ass clench and relax on him as she came, but she cried out in a dramatic and heartfelt wail. As the girls climbed off him, Don realized that he still had not come. He also knew that there was one woman he had not yet fucked that evening. He caught hold of Shelonda's narrow waist and quickly coaxed her into position on her hands and knees. As the other two girls focused their attention on Shelonda's pretty face and swinging breasts, Don drove his cock into her waiting vagina. Once he was good and slick again, though, he pulled back and then pushed himself firmly into Shelonda's tight ass. He remembered the night in the disco when he had first been welcomed into that sweet embrace. He smiled down at her dark, muscular back and fucked her with passionate abandon. She pushed back at him eagerly. "Come inside my ass, Don!" Shelonda called out. "Fill me with your cum!" He felt Amy's fingertips moving on Shelonda's pussy lips and clit, and tried to hold off until Shelonda was coming, but it was too late for that. Everything up until that moment had brought him to the brink and he was too far gone to hold back. He threw his head back and groaned, shoving himself deep into Shelonda as his cock spasmed and filled her ass with hot cum. This helped carried Shelonda over the edge too, and she cried out as her own orgasm swept through her leaving her and Don lying collapsed on the table in a quivering, laughing pile. The other two girls lay down with them, caressing and kissing their hair and sweaty skin. The next day Don was allowed to find his way out into the garden. Since the Wizard had let him know beforehand that this would happen, he was wearing clothing that would allow him to practice his kung fu in the open center of the garden – loose pants, shoes that were almost moccasins, and a light vest. After taking the time to stretch thoroughly, Don began to put himself through a full routine. He was very happy to notice that he was not only maintaining his conditioning but seemed to be in quite a bit better shape than he had been when had arrived in Eros. He was able to hold his stances longer and lower, had more stamina and endurance, and was able to kick and jump higher and more nimbly. He was enjoying the workout so much that he had almost forgotten that he was supposed to have an ulterior motive. Upon finishing a particularly long and demanding open-hand form, he was a little surprised to hear a woman's voice saying, "That was very graceful, sir." Don smiled, turned and bowed, "Thank you..." He was about to add, "milady," because it sounded like the appropriate way to address the Wizard's wife, but he was suddenly caught off guard. He had expected a woman who more or less resembled the Wizard. Not necessarily so tall, or quite so old, perhaps, but certainly older and not particularly attractive. Instead he beheld a beautiful young woman with long auburn hair falling over her bare shoulders in loose curls. She wore a white gown with flowing skirts and a cinched bodice that accentuated her very thin waist and full, medium-sized breasts. Her smiling lips were red, and her emerald green eyes were framed by long lashes. Don thought she bore a striking resemblance to Rita Hayworth, and found himself wondering if she had gorgeous dancer's legs. Still smiling, Don said, "My name is Don, are you the lady of the house?" She inclined her head and said, "I am. My name is Madeleine." "It is an honor to meet you, milady. My friends and I are your very grateful guests." "Ah, yes," she murmured. "And where are your three enthusiastic friends?" "I believe they are swimming in the pool. Would you like me to go fetch them?" She laughed a little. "No, that's quite alright. I am only taking my daily walk through the garden. Would you care to accompany me?" "It would be my pleasure," Don bowed again. He approached her and offered her his arm. Without hesitation, she slipped her arm through his and laid her warm hand on his sweaty wrist. "Do you have a customary path, milady?" "I do," she nodded, "but perhaps it is a good day to try something new." This certainly seems to be going well, Don thought. "My husband tells me that you seek a friend of yours who is lost in the forest." "Yes, he has graciously offered to help us find her." "How generous of him," she smiled. "He strikes me as a particularly generous man," Don nodded, thinking of things quite different than the offer of assistance. "Yes, I'm sure. And you are determined to find this friend of yours?" "Certainly." "She is perhaps more than just a friend?" "Much more, milady." "And yet you have three other friends, with whom you are apparently on rather intimate terms." Don decided to play coy, "Milady?" She paused a moment, then said, "So my husband has informed me." "Yes, well, my three companions are my friend's friends as well." "Interesting," Madeleine smiled, "and does this include intimacy as well." "It certainly does, milady," Don chuckled, "and quite a bit of it at that." "And neither you nor your friends are jealous of each other?" "No. We want each other to be happy, and to experience as much joy as possible." "How open minded and generous of you, Don. Let us sit there by that fountain." He led her to the indicated fountain and sat next to her on a stone bench. "Now we can speak directly," she said with a smile that was almost a grin. "My husband can't hear us here, though he is no doubt still watching." "Milady?" "I know what my husband is up to," she laughed. "I've known all along. The horny bugger wants you to seduce me so that I'll let him sleep around, or so we can both sleep around." "Um, the latter," Don nodded. "And I'll bet he's holding out the promise of helping you find your friend to get you to play along." "Yes," Don smiled, "but that was before I met you. If he had just let me meet you first I would have been quite happy to help him in this regard." She smiled and patted his knee, "You're sweet. However, things aren't quite as he would have you believe." "No?" "He wants to believe I'm terribly jealous, but the real problem is that he's quite insecure. I know my husband, and if I agree to an open marriage too easily he'll be plagued with doubts and utterly baseless worries. I know the difference between love and sex, Don. Moreover, I know the difference between sex and fucking amazing sex – and what you four showed off last night was fucking amazing sex!" Don was a bit taken aback to hear her saying "fucking" so freely. "I love my husband more than any other man or woman, and I knew plenty of both before I met him, let me tell you! And, I know my husband loves me. It doesn't bother me that he wants to screw the occasional hottie, or three. I certainly want to let you fuck me till I can't walk straight." Don smiled broadly, and said, "I'm glad to hear that, because..." "Hold on there, stud," she laughed. "We've got to play this just right. It's important that my husband thinks it was his plan that did the trick. That way he won't think I just let the first guy with a nice dick and a talented tongue, fuck me." "I don't suppose the two of you would consider just talking to each other," Don offered, hoping she would reject the idea. He was quite taken with the idea of seeming to seduce this gorgeous woman. "Oh, certainly," Madeleine smiled. "We've talked. He knows that I found the show you put on last night very titillating. I practically attacked him as soon as you were done. He's mentioned the open attitude of most of the people in Eros frequently enough that I know what's on his mind. But, as I said, I know my husband, and I know what it will take to make this work." "OK then," Don nodded, "what's next then?" "I will play hard to get, but intrigued, until tomorrow," she said. "I suspect he'll want you to put on another show this evening. Would you mind going down on the other two girls?" "No, not at all!" "Wonderful! That looked divine," she sighed. "Then, after he drops a few more hints, I'll suggest something like... Oh, I know. I'll tell him that if someone like you were to slip into my bedroom without warning I wouldn't mind being ravished, or something to that effect." "That does sound a little awkward," Don admitted. She waved that off, "I'll work it out. Maybe I'll just wait until he's got his cock in me. He'll get the gist then without paying attention to the way I phrase it." "Um, yes, I can see that." "Then, all you have to do is follow through," she smiled. "Think you can do that?" Don chuckled, "Yes, I'm quite sure." "Wonderful." Then she lowered her voice, though she had said they couldn't be overheard, "I really am looking forward to letting you have your way with me." "The feeling is quite mutual, milady!" "It's a date, then," she laughed. "Now, would you be so kind as to escort me back to the house?" Just as Madeleine had said, the Wizard came to them before dinner time and said that, although she found Don charming, she still wasn't quite sold on the idea of doing anything intimate with anyone. He suggested that they put on yet another show with dinner, and our four heroes were quite happy to oblige. This time, Don made a point of making each of the three women come with his lips, tongue and – here and there – his teeth. Don repeated his kung fu routine in the garden. Again, the Wizard's wife met him, and again they walked back to the fountain. She confirmed that she had dropped the appropriate hint to her husband, and then said, "Now, grab me and kiss me." Don had been thinking how much he wanted to kiss those ruby red lips since the day before, so he didn't need to be told twice. He quickly slipped his arm around her slim waist, and pulled her to him. Holding the side of her face gently in his hand so she couldn't turn away, he pressed his ardent lips against hers. He thrilled to feel her arms slip around him and hold him for a moment. She began to return his kiss, but then pushed him away. She slapped him then, but not too hard, and he was able to catch her wrist. Holding her hand to his face, he turned and kissed her palm. Yanking her hand away and scowling angrily, Madeleine said, "That was perfect, I can't wait to do more of that!" Then she made a show of storming off to the house. Don shook his head, and then made his way back inside. He was relaxing with the girls in the shallow end of the pool when the Wizard came to see them. Though he was obviously a bit distracted by the naked women, he was intent on his plans in regard to his wife. The Wizard paced back and forth by the pool as he enthused, "Everything is going perfectly!" "Are you sure?" Don asked, though he was pretty confident on that particular score. "Yes, she insists that she is angry with you for kissing her, and perhaps she is, but she is much more excited than angry." "How can you tell?" Shelonda wanted to know. "The ardor she displayed during our lovemaking just after her walk in the garden was exceptional!" the Wizard explained. "I know just how to proceed tonight. She said she was afraid you might steal into her bedroom and ravish her. I could tell this thought excited her very much, though." "Well, alright," Don said, "but how will this help convince her to try an open relationship?" This was a point of the plan that remained sincerely murky to him, and the wife's complicity hadn't helped clarify matters. "Ah," the Wizard smiled, "that will depend upon me getting her to admit that she had a good time." "Assuming she has a good time, eh, Professor?" Amy winked at Don. "Well, I'll do my best," Don grinned. That evening, while the girls were as frisky in the dining room as before, Don remained aloof. He had no doubt that he could perform more than adequately later even if he did play with the girls, but he frankly wanted to concentrate his attention on the Wizard's lovely wife at least for tonight. For himself, the Wizard had said that, though he would be sure she was again watching the dining room, he would find some reason to be unable to satisfy any resulting "urges" his wife might develop that evening. Later, after the girls had given a good warm-up show and after the door out of the bedroom opened of its own accord, Don left his three companions and followed the opening doors into a part of the house he had not yet seen. He was wearing only a soft, dark dressing robe he had found in the closet. He eventually found himself climbing a staircase up to at least the fourth floor of the large building. As the stairs stopped at this level, Don supposed this was the top floor of the house. There were only two doors available to him in the short corridor, and he had been told to go to the left one, which he now did. The door did not swing open as he approached, so he put his hand on the lever and slowly pushed it down. Madeleine was expecting him, but he was sure the Wizard would be watching and he wanted to make things look convincing. In the back of his mind, Don was worried that if the Wizard caught on to his wife's subterfuge he might withhold his assistance in finding Toshia. Don opened the door just enough to slip through into the candlelit bedroom. This chamber was even larger than the rather large bedroom Don had been sharing with his companions. Across the room, near the large, canopied bed, Madeleine sat in front of a gilded table and mirror brushing her long auburn hair. She was wearing a sheer robe of pink. She was turned three-quarters away from him, and the mirror was facing the wrong way to reflect Don as he crept into the room. Apparently sensing his entrance anyway, she said, "Ah, couldn't carry on with me after all, eh?" Don waited until he was almost to her before he said, "What man could?" Madeleine twisted and rose in a single lightning motion, raising her hairbrush as a weapon against him. "You!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?" Don paused a moment to admire the feminine form only barely obscured by her see-through robe. He had been right to imagine that she had long, dancer's legs. Her waist was narrow, her belly flat, and her breasts full, but not too big. She was glaring at him with a good semblance of shock, fear and anger. "I have followed where my desire led," Don said taking a step forward. "It brought me here." "Well, it had better lead you back the way you came." He slowly reached up and took hold of the hand holding the brush, saying, "I don't believe you want me to leave." "But I tell you that I do," Madeleine insisted. "Your eyes tell me that you lie," Don smiled. He moved a bit closer, and took the brush from her hand. "My eyes?" "They dwell too long on my bare flesh, and on my lips, and when you look me in the eye I see that you want more of what I started in the garden." He slipped up close enough to her that he could set the brush on the table behind her. Madeleine leaned back away from him, and said, "I look at your bare flesh because I'm shocked that you would come into the bedroom of another man's wife wearing only that robe. I look at your lips because I remember the liberty you so rudely took. As for what you think you see in my eyes, well, you see what you want to see." Don moved his hand – the one that had put the brush down – to her lower back, lightly touching her. Very slowly he raised his right hand up to brush his fingers along her jaw. "I do see what I want," he smiled. She kept her hands at her sides, hands now grasping the edge of her dressing table, "I will scream for my husband." "Scream then," Don leaned in closer, so that his nose was next to hers. They were both whispering now. "Do you think I could be here now if he didn't permit it?" "How dare you!" she hissed. He held her soft cheek in the palm of his hand and said, "If you tell me to leave, I will leave." "I have said it," she murmured. "But you don't say it," Don smiled. His lips brushed against hers. "If I do anything that displeases you, say so and I'll go." "And if what you don't do..." Don kissed her then, not quickly like in the garden but slowly and sensuously. She returned the kiss, tentatively at first but with increasing passion. He felt her hands on his sides, holding him in place. To be continued. By BradentonLarry for Literotica

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Tofu and Chopsticks: A Culinary Unveiling in Beijing Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.org/tofu-and-chopsticks-a-culinary-unveiling-in-beijing Story Transcript:Zh: 北京市繁华的大街小巷，烟火的味道噼里啪啦地弥漫开来。正午的阳光落在张伟脸上，面容暴露出刺痛般的慌乱，他焦急地在街角的餐馆里望向对面坐着的李梅。En: The bustling streets and alleys of Beijing were filled with the smell of smoke and firecrackers popping. The midday sun shone down on Zhang Wei's face, revealing a frantic look of panic. Anxiously, he glanced over at Li Mei seated across the street in the restaurant on the corner.Zh: 李梅是个自信大方的上海女孩，活泼地喋喋不休。对北京的一切都充满新奇。她透过明亮的眼睛望着这个城市，嘴角始终挂着笑，让人心生欢喜。En: Li Mei was a confident and outgoing girl from Shanghai, lively and talkative. Everything about Beijing was new and exciting to her. Through bright eyes, she gazed at the city, a constant smile on her lips bringing joy to those around her.Zh: 张伟举起那对显然陌生的筷子，绝望地盯着它，像是希望它们会变成他更熟悉的刀叉。一块豆腐滑到他的视线中，褪色的白与细腻的质地。他皱着眉头，夹住了它，小心翼翼地把筷子恢复到餐桌上，希望没有人看到他的尴尬。En: Zhang Wei lifted the unfamiliar pair of chopsticks, staring at them in despair, as if hoping they would transform into the more familiar knife and fork. A piece of tofu slid into his line of sight, its faded white color and delicate texture. Frowning, he picked it up cautiously with the chopsticks, gently placing them back on the table, hoping no one saw his embarrassment.Zh: 车马喧嚣的大街，有人说笑，有人争吵。尽管他想要做出一个自信的姿态，但他的筷子在豆腐上滑来滑去，犹如孩子的磨蹭让人心生怜悯。En: Amidst the noisy streets bustling with people talking and arguing, Zhang Wei tried to maintain a confident demeanor. However, his chopsticks kept slipping on the tofu, akin to a child's clumsiness evoking pity.Zh: "啊!"突然，张伟的筷子夹起一块豆腐，像个憨厚的杂技演员把它抛向空中，最后不小心的掉在了桌子上。短暂的寂静让街头的噪音更加响亮，张伟红透了脸，焦急地扫视着李梅。En: "Ah!" Suddenly, Zhang Wei's chopsticks picked up a piece of tofu, tossing it into the air like a clumsy acrobat before clumsily dropping it on the table. The brief silence made the street noise seem even louder, causing Zhang Wei to blush as he anxiously looked at Li Mei.Zh: 她瞪大了眼睛看着豆腐，然后看着他。他们的视线交锋，形成一种无言的紧张。然后，像是抓住了什么似的，她咯咯地笑了起来。En: She widened her eyes at the tofu and then at him. Their gazes met, creating a tense moment of unspoken understanding. Then, as if seizing onto something, she chuckled.Zh: "你看，你不是唯一一个会丢人的人。"她说着，拿起对方的筷子，努力夹起一块豆腐。En: "You see, you're not the only one making a fool of yourself," she said, picking up his chopsticks and attempting to grasp a piece of tofu.Zh: 这是一个轻松的打破破冰的一刻。张伟的脸色稍微缓和了，尴尬的场景最终化成了他们俩无尽的笑声。他们彼此望着，眼睛里充满欢乐，一个误会在这个刻刻的笑声中得到了释放。En: It was a lighthearted moment that broke the ice. Zhang Wei's face softened slightly, and the awkward situation ultimately dissolved into endless laughter between them. They gazed at each other, eyes brimming with joy, a misunderstanding finding release within the laughter of that moment.Zh: 在北京这个繁华的都市里，豆腐，筷子，创造出了那个下午最美好的瞬间。张伟还是没学会用筷子，但他学会了如何释放自在的笑声，在陌生城市的烹饪烟火里，找到了自我。En: In the bustling metropolis of Beijing, tofu and chopsticks created the most beautiful moment of that afternoon. Zhang Wei still hadn't mastered using chopsticks, but he had learned how to let out genuine laughter, finding himself in the culinary fireworks of a foreign city, embracing acceptance and appreciation for himself, Li Mei, and the city of Beijing as part of their lives.Zh: 故事的结束并非所有矛盾的解决，而是张伟对自己的接纳和赞美，同时也接纳了李梅和北京这个城市，成为他们生活的一部分。En: 故事的结束并非所有矛盾的解决，而是张伟对自己的接纳和赞美，同时也接纳了李梅和北京这个城市，成为他们生活的一部分。 Vocabulary Words:streets: 大街alleys: 小巷Beijing: 北京smoke: 烟firecrackers: 烟花midday: 正午Zhang Wei: 张伟frantic: 慌乱panic: 焦急Li Mei: 李梅restaurant: 餐馆confident: 自信outgoing: 大方Shanghai: 上海lively: 活泼talkative: 喋喋不休exciting: 新奇tofu: 豆腐chopsticks: 筷子knife: 刀fork: 叉embarrassment: 尴尬laughter: 笑声misunderstanding: 误会metropolis: 都市genuine: 真诚fireworks: 烟火acceptance: 接纳appreciation: 赞美awkward: 尴尬

Seducing the Wizard’s Wife – 4 days of wizardry.By BradentonLarry -   Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Chapter 10Day One Toshia's day with the satyrsWhen Don awoke, he found himself lying on his back upon a large four-poster bed. There was sunlight pouring in from somewhere, and he had a woman on his left with her head on his chest and another curled up on his right. Trying not to disturb the sleeping women, he opened his eyes a bit further and raised his head to have a look around. The woman with her head on his chest was Shelonda, and the one on his right was Amy, who was spooning Nicole. They were all still clothed, and in what seemed to be a large bedroom. Don couldn’t help but remember waking up in the Manor next to Toshia what seemed like a very long time ago. That time the room had been dark and mysterious, and rather Spartan. This time, though, the room was brightly lit as two large windows let in a great deal of light. Although there was definitely the rather serious and looming question of how in the world they had been brought here, there was nothing even vaguely sinister about this room. Adding to the benign aspect of the room was, no doubt, the profusion of cut flowers that covered every available horizontal surface.As Don lowered his head again, Shelonda shifted and then raised her head to look around. When she saw that Don was also awake, she gave him a confused smile. He smiled back as reassuringly as he could and caressed her back. He wasn’t terribly surprised to feel her hand moving up along the inside of his thigh. “If danger isn’t threatening it must be time for sex” seemed to be the default rule among Eros dwellers.Don tried to think of a good reason to deny himself and Shelonda. He knew they were someplace strange, the guests of some new set of kidnappers, and that they had very likely completely lost track of Toshia, but all of those things had been true for hours, since they had apparently slept through the night, and if anyone meant them any harm, they surely would have carried through on that desire while they had been unconscious, rather than putting them on a comfortable bed. So, when the beautiful woman pushed his kilt up and began to stroke his cock, Don didn’t resist and instead pulled her up so he could kiss her warmly. After all the stress of the last couple of days, with the plants, the watchers, the human attackers, and the chase after Toshia – not to mention seeing her cavorting with actual satyrs -satyrs! - it felt very good indeed to lay back and feel Shelonda’s mouth on his, her tongue pushing past his lips, and her warm hand on his quickly thickening cock.Moving slowly, so as to not wake Amy and Nicole, Don moved his right arm up so he could get his hand on Shelonda’s full breast, squeezing it gently through her tank top. This prompted her to squeeze and pull on his cock more strenuously. Don decided that two could play at that game, and, rolling onto his side a little, moved his right hand from her tit down to her strong left thigh. Slipping up under her skirt, Don’s hand slid along her smooth brown skin and around to squeeze her firm ass tightly. Shelonda moaned her approval very quietly. Don kissed her more deeply in a vague attempt to get her to be quieter.Don worked his hand around in front of Shelonda. She parted her legs for him, raising her left one and wrapping it around Don’s legs. This left Don free to run his fingers over her very moist lips. He teased her a bit before parting those lips with his fingertips and spreading her juices over her inner lips and clit. Soon his fingers were inside her, slipping in and out of Shelonda’s pussy, as Don’s thumb pressed against and rubbed her clit. Shelonda liked this quite a bit, and showed her approval by rolling back on the bed, pulling Don with her. They continued kissing as he moved naturally into position over her. Her legs spread and her hand pulling him forward, Don slipped into Shelonda’s welcoming pussy. As he sank deep into her hot, wet sex, she reached down to clasp his butt in both of her hands, squeezing and pulling him into her.Their bodies were pressed tightly together as they fucked and kissed, moving slowly against each other on the bed. It was a passionate, loving and intense encounter there in the strange bedroom. Don had become extremely fond of the beautiful young woman, and he knew she felt the same way. The connection between the two of them was stronger and deeper than the casual sex relationship either or both of them shared with the other two women. Amy was a great sexual athlete, Nicole was a playful little minx, but Shelonda had a seriousness about her that made sex with her more than just sex. If it wasn’t a romantic coupling, and it hardly seemed quite like that, it was a bit more than friends-with-benefits.Don resisted the urge to fuck Shelonda more vigorously, partly because he didn’t want to disturb the others, and partly because the way they were screwing was building up its own intensity. Shelonda pulled him into her tightly with her legs and arms, kissing him intently. Then she threw her head back, gasping through clenched teeth. She let go of his ass to clench the sheets at her side, and then was burying her face into his shoulder. Don pushed himself deep into her clasping, clutching pussy riding out her quiet, intense orgasm by holding her in his arms.When Shelonda slowly relaxed, and lay back on the bed, he smiled down at her happily. She actually blushed and turned her face away.“Well, that looked like a good one,” Amy said. Don looked over to see that the curvy blonde had rolled over onto her back to watch him and Shelonda. Nicole was also watching, but was resting her head on Amy’s soft breast. Nicole’s hand had already found its way down between Amy’s thighs and was busy making mischief there.“Got enough to share with the rest of the class, Professor?” Nicole asked with a smirk.“I just might,” Don grinned over at the two women. Then he leaned down to kiss Shelonda again.By the time he had withdrawn from Shelonda’s exquisite embrace, Nicole had gotten down between Amy’s legs and was giving some serious head, and Amy had pulled her tank top up over her head and thrown it aside. Don moved around behind Nicole and coaxed her up enough that he could get his cock down and into her waiting cunt. He admired Nicole’s narrow waist and tight, brown ass as he began to fuck in and out of her. Shelonda moved over to be close to the action, and soon reached around so she could get her fingers on Nicole’s clit. Nicole was only barely able to make Amy come, gasping and twisting on the bed, before she was coming herself.Don still hadn’t come, and he was acutely aware of that fact. He pulled out of Nicole and urged her over toward Shelonda. Moving up between Amy’s legs, he smiled down at her happy face, and said, “Where do you want it?”“Come on my tits, Professor,” she said immediately.Don nodded, but took a moment to push his cock deep into Amy’s juicy twat. After fucking Shelonda and Nicole, he only needed a couple of thrusts into her tight pussy before he was ready to blow. He pulled out of her and quickly straddled her abdomen. He had planned to jerk himself off, but Amy’s hands beat him to it. She took him in a tight, enthusiastic grip and pumped his thick organ several times until a huge spout of white cum burst out of him and splattered over her chest, neck and chin. Several days of abstinence, coupled with the XYZ in his system and the sex leading up to this moment made Don’s orgasm both extremely intense and voluminous. A second stream of jizz splashed over Amy’s tits and then a flood of it spilled over her hands onto her belly. Don felt like he was coming for minutes. As he finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes, Shelonda and Nicole clapped and laughed. He managed to get off Amy while the other two girls closed in on her and began to play with and lick up the cum he had left there.As soon as his head stopped reeling from the intense orgasm, Don decided it was time to have a better look around. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed that there were not only two big windows, but also three sets of doors, all double and all closed. The room had a thick carpet. Don reached down and took off his sandals, and enjoyed the feeling of the carpet on his bare feet. There was a couch against the wall opposite the bed, as well as a large framed mirror. There was a low table in front of the couch and a pair of overstuffed chairs at either end of the table. One of the chairs had their satchels piled on it. Don and Shelonda’s staffs were standing in a corner. All of the furniture was in an overly ornate style that Don thought of as rococo, though he wasn’t confident that that was the right term. (Perhaps it was baroque, or regency; he could never tell.)Don got off the bed and moved over to one of the windows. They were apparently on the second or third floor and overlooked a vast well-tended and colorful flower garden. There was no one to be seen among the flowers or paths of the garden.He moved over to one of the sets of doors, and was surprised when they swung open of their own accord. Don stepped onto the tiled floor of a large and ornate bathroom, illuminated by an impressive skylight over a huge tub. Strewn about this room were more flowers and a liberal supply of towels and toiletries. As Don moved closer to the tub, water began to pour out of the four faucets set around it. The sound of the steaming, fragrant water quickly filling the bathtub drew the attention of the girls, who quickly crowded into the bathroom with Don.Clothes were quickly stripped off and thrown aside. Although they had only been out of the Manor for a few days, and had hardly been living a hard life outdoors, the opportunity to bathe properly was most welcome. They took quite a while, scrubbing each other clean, which naturally enough led to more splashing about than was strictly necessary as well as more fondling and play.Don was the first to get out of the tub, and so was the first to notice that their clothing had somehow been removed. He dried himself with a heavy, soft towel and then padded out into the bedroom naked. His sandals and Amy’s top had also been removed. He moved toward one of the other sets of doors. When they failed to open for him, Don tried the handles, but they wouldn’t budge. Frowning, he turned to the last set of doors, which did swing open as he approached. This time he found a large walk-in closet, full of clothing. On the right, taking up about a quarter of the available space was an assortment of strangely old-fashioned men’s clothing. On the floor was a good selection of footwear. Don chose a pair of light cotton slacks and a buttoned shirt, and tried them on. He was not at all surprised that the clothes fit him perfectly. As he came out of the closet, the girls were just coming out of the bathroom. Seeing his attire and catching on that there were new, fresh clothes to be had, they swarmed around him and into the closet.They were each able to find at least a quarter of the closet that had clothing perfectly fitted to them, and spent some time selecting outfits. Don was amused to watch them trying various combinations. Ultimately they came out to model their selections, and he smiled to see their individual styles come through. Shelonda was wearing a light vest and a pair of loose silk pajama bottoms that were bloused at the ankles. Amy had on a low cut top and stockings and a garter belt, and a short pleated skirt that flared out from her waist. Nicole had on a form fitting sheath dress with slits running up the lengths of her legs. While Don was complimenting them on their outfits, the third set of doors swung open, revealing a long marble hallway.Cautiously, the four of them moved out into the corridor. There was nowhere else to go, so they proceeded along, until a large pair of doors opened before them. On the other side of this portal, they found a vast dining room, lit by a dazzling number of candles. There were a dozen chairs around the large, long table in the center of the room. There were also bowls full of fruit and gleaming glasses of water. On each of the three walls without doors there were large mirrors. Don eyed those reflective surfaces suspiciously, his mind on the likelihood that they were being observed through those mirrors.Like the trusting souls they were, Amy and Shelonda had made themselves comfortable at the table, drinking and eating freely. Don and Nicole shared a glance, but then joined the others in dining. Only when they had each eaten a small amount of fruit and drank a whole glass of water – in short, when they had their fill – did someone broach the subject that was on everyone’s mind.Amy said, “Well, where are we anyway?”“I have no idea,” Don admitted.“You are in my home,” said a deep voice.They turned sharply to see a tall man standing in the doorway. He had white hair and a beard, a prominent brow adorned by bristling eyebrows, a pronounced hawkish nose, and bright eyes glittering at them in the candlelight. He wore a deep blue robe, like one would expect to see worn by a magician in a fantasy movie. He was over six feet tall, and stood erect and easily. Though his deeply lined face indicated great age, he carried himself as if he were quite healthy.“And you are?” Don asked.“I am called the Wizard of the Wood,” declared the man in that voice that reminded Don of a not quite ancient John Carradine.“Well, I am Don, and this is Amy, Nicole and Shelonda. We’re grateful for your hospitality. May we ask why you brought us here?”“Of course you may,” the Wizard intoned. “I brought you here so that you might assist me with a particular task.”“Um, well, we were trying to find a friend of ours…”“The one who was, and has been copulating so vigorously with those three satyrs, I suspect.”“Yes,” Don nodded, “that would be her.”“She is in no danger. The satyrs mean her no harm. I believe they are enjoying her company far more than they expected to. She is quite spirited and has a great deal of stamina.”“Well, you seem to be quite well-informed and have resources at your disposal.”“You mean magic,” the Wizard said. “I have magical resources.”“Um, sure,” Don said. “If you could bring our friend here like you did us, we’d be happy to help you with your task.”“There are three problems with that proposal.” The Wizard gestured and a chair slid out from the table. As he took his seat, he said, “One, I have no reason to trust you. This is of small consequence, though, because you would still have your freedom to gain. Two, I believe the desire to be reunited with your friend will be a better motivator in any case. Three, as a matter of fact, I cannot at this time bring your friend here.”“Why not?" Nicole asked."My power is largely focused upon this location. Within the bounds of this house and the grounds I have great power, but to exercise that power to bring people here is … difficult. I do however have the means to convey you to your friend, which means I will make available to you following the completion of your task. I assure you, the task is within your power, and I will compensate you well for your efforts. You will not regret helping me.”Don frowned, “And what if something should happen to our friend while we’re here?”“I am monitoring your friend’s situation and will find a way to intervene if she should actually be endangered. I am afraid I can only offer you my assurances as to this and my other promises. I hasten to point out that you do not seem to have any other viable options.”“We could try to escape,” Don pointed out.“Feel free,” the Wizard shrugged. “You will only waste time and energy, uselessly.”“Can you give us some evidence that you can actually know how and where Toshia is?”“Your friend? Yes, I think so,” the Wizard nodded toward the large mirror to his right.Looking at that mirror, they could suddenly see Toshia. She was lying back against a satyr, while another satyr was in front of her. Her legs were around the front satyr’s haunches and her hands were on his shoulders. It seemed clear that both of the satyr’s were fucking her, and, moreover, that Toshia was enjoying herself quite a bit at the moment.“Alright,” Don said after taking a moment to take in the expression on Toshia's face as the satyr’s had their way with her, or she had her way with them. “What do you want us to do?”“I want you to seduce my wife.”Don looked at the Wizard of the Wood to see if he was joking. He looked to the girls and saw that they were as confused as he was.“Well,” Don said, “first, you’re the first person I’ve met in Eros who’s even in a monogamous relationship, let alone married.”“Yes,” the Wizard nodded, “we have always had an unconventional relationship.”“OK,” Don shrugged. “Why do you want us to seduce your wife?”“Well, it is not so much all of you, as you yourself, Don, though the others may of course help.”“Alright, why do you want me to seduce your wife?”The Wizard stood up and began to pace alongside the table as he spoke. “We live alone here. The house and my power see to it that we want for nothing. I love my wife very much. She is a wonderful woman and a good companion. However, I am aware of what goes on out there in the world. I see the fun people have in the woods. I can watch the witches of the glen working their orgiastic magic. I know what goes on in that Manor. I want to enjoy some of that fun, Don. I want to convince my wife to have an open marriage.”“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that,” Don admitted. He noticed that Nicole was having a very hard time keeping a straight face, while Amy and Shelonda simply seemed confused.“Have you talked to her about this?” asked Don.The Wizard shook his head, saying, “Oh, she would never agree to it. She is far too jealous and possessive. She would think I do not love her any more and that I just want to couple with other women.”“But, you do want to ‘couple’ with other women,” Nicole pointed out.“By all the gods, yes!” the Wizard shouted. “I want to so very badly. But it is only sex. Do you know how long we have been married?”“No, of course…”“A very long time, believe me! I love her madly, of course, but I need some variety now and then. I honestly believe it would do each of us and both of us as a couple a great deal of good to enjoy other people. Having sex with just the same person for many years is simply not healthy.”“Well, I can’t argue with that,” Don smiled. “So, what are you thinking?”“If you seduce her, make her want to sleep with you, it will give me the opportunity to broach the subject.”“That’s extremely indirect,” Don mused.“What if she doesn’t want to sleep with Don, or just wants to sneak around on you?” Nicole asked.“My wife would never do such a thing,” the Wizard insisted.“Perhaps,” Don said, “but, as much as I hate to ask this, what about that other option? What if I can’t seduce her?”“If you give a good faith effort to seduce her but she does not succumb, I will grant you your freedom and help you find your friend.”“Are you sure you don’t just want us to help you talk to her?” Don asked. It had just occurred to him that the Wizard’s wife was going to be as ancient as he was.“No,” the Wizard said with finality. “I have given this a great deal of thought, and I am certain that would never work. It has to be done this way.”“Alright, then,” Don said. He looked around to gauge the reactions of the women; Nicole shrugged, while Amy and Shelonda both nodded. “We’ll help. I take it you have a plan, then.”Day TwoToshia is caught by the warrior women and is taken to their castleThe next day, the Don and the three women had a brief conference, during which they considered the merits of attempting to escape from their luxurious prison. It was Nicole who pointed out that even if they were able to get out of the house and the grounds, however far those might extend, they would have no idea where they were or how to find Toshia. It did seem that their best bet was to cooperate with the Wizard of the Wood and trust that he would honor his end of the bargain.So, they passed the day exploring the immense house, going only where the doors would allow them to pass. There was no sign of anyone else in the building, though everything was dusted and the flowers and fruit were freshly laid out. They found a large library, an indoor pool, and a billiard room, among other less well-defined rooms. Following the spirit of the Wizard’s plan, they deliberately resisted the urge to fill the day with sexual play. Instead, they built up their frustration by engaging in playful banter and flirting. Things became particularly heated during their skinny-dip in the pool. Don had to herd the women into the showers, which did frankly very little to help, except that it introduced an all-too-ephemeral break in the action. Amy was particularly wound up by the time they returned to their room to change for dinner.“I will tell my wife that we have guests,” the Wizard had explained. “I’ll say that you were travelers who I rescued from hooligans using my magic, and that I offered you hospitality for a few days.”“Hooligans?" Amy had asked."That’s what I call the bands of ill-mannered men who roam about the forest attacking anyone they come across.”“We met some of those,” Don had nodded.“It didn’t end well for them,” Nicole said quietly, looking across the table at Don.“They are thoroughly unpleasant,” the Wizard had scowled. “Anyway, I will tell my wife that you seem to be very interesting people, and I will arrange to have her looking in on you during your dinner. You use that time to, shall we say, put on a show for her.”“A show?” asked Shelonda.“Yes, well, a demonstration of unfettered sexuality,” the Wizard explained.“You want us to have sex for your wife to watch,” Nicole said.“Yes,” the Wizard nodded. “I know my wife enjoys reading books with erotic scenes in them, and I suspect seeing one played out in front of her eyes will titillate her. Moreover, the fact that there are more than just two of you will work to our advantage if we are to be successful in tempting her toward a more open attitude toward sex.”“I think we can manage that,” Don smiled at the three women. He knew Amy in particular would rise to the occasion.“Remember, though,” the Wizard had admonished before bidding them goodnight, “it must seem spontaneous. If my wife suspects chicanery she’ll never go along with the rest of the plan.”The three women all wore outfits that were at once frilly and feminine and were also simple enough that it would be quite easy to have sex in them. Nicole wore a form-fitting, backless dress with a very short skirt and puffy sleeves, all in black with large bright red flowers. Shelonda wore a frilly little sundress in light pastels. Amy wore a silk negligee and a long, sheer robe. All of the girls surprised Don by wearing high heels. For himself, Don wore dress slacks, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket. As an afterthought, he added socks and perfectly shined, black dress shoes.Arm in arm en masse the foursome left the bedroom and headed to the dining room. Along the way, Don reminded them to act as if no one was watching.“But, also make sure we put on a good show,” Amy pointed out.“How are we supposed to do that?” Shelonda wanted to know.“Well, make sure that anyone looking can tell what you’re doing; don’t cover up anything,” Amy suggested.“And make noise,” added Nicole. “Let everyone hear that you’re having a good time.”“Wow,” Don said, “that’s really good advice. You’re making me horny already.”“You have to wait a bit, Professor,” Nicole winked.With that they came to the dining room and gathered around the middle of the table, Don and Shelonda on one side and Amy and Nicole on the other.“Who do you think puts out this fruit and water?” Amy asked, as she picked up and examined a red apple.“I have no idea,” Don shrugged. "Perhaps the same person who washed our clothes and put them back when we weren’t looking yesterday.“"Our host, maybe?” wondered Nicole.“The Wizard?" Amy laughed. "I doubt that.”“He doesn’t exactly seem the sort to do housework,” Don admitted.With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Amy sank her teeth into her apple and leaned over toward Nicole, who, catching on immediately, bent in to take a bite out of the opposite side of the fruit.While they were doing this, Shelonda said, “Well, whoever’s doing the cleaning and other stuff, it sure is nice of the Wizard to let us stay here.”“We should try to find a way to thank him,” Amy said around a mouthful of apple.“Oh? What did you have in mind?” Don asked with a laugh.“There are lots of ways a girl can thank a man,” Amy smiled, taking another bite of the apple.“She can say, 'Thank you very much, Mr. Wizard, sir,’” Nicole smiled coyly while she toyed with a strawberry.“Exactly,” Amy laughed, “but that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”“Whatever could you mean?” Nicole asked. She had now turned toward Amy and was running her hand up and down her arm. “Oh, you mean…”“Exactly!" Amy grinned and grabbed a nearby banana. She proceeded to peel it slowly."But isn’t he rather old?” Nicole persisted mischievously.“He seemed healthy enough to me,” Amy said as she pulled the last peel down. “Anyway, I think I like older men. Plus, he’s quite tall, and that usually means…”“You think so?” Shelonda joined in.“I do,” Amy said. “Anyway, I’d be happy to show my appreciation.” To demonstrate her capabilities, she slid the length of the banana into her mouth and down her throat.Don and the girls laughed, and Don said, “Well, fruit’s one thing. Are you quite sure you’re up to the real thing?”“Quite sure, sir,” Amy said after swallowing the last of the banana down.“I’m unconvinced,” Don said with a frown.“Well, how in the world can I convince you?”“You could show him on his cock,” Shelonda said with exasperation. Don thought she was the best actress of the bunch.“Alright, Professor, hop up here on the table and let’s see what you’ve got,” Amy grinned.Don stood up and took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, while the women pushed the bowls and glasses out of the way. Then, he climbed up on the table and knelt in front of Amy. Getting into her act, Amy ran her hands up along Don’s thighs and made a show of unfastening his pants. She slipped her hand into his slacks and took hold of his quickening cock. Pulling it out, she held it up for Nicole to see.“Very nice,” Amy said, “but it needs more work, I think.” She lowered her head to Don’s lap and took the entire length of his cock into her mouth. Pulling on it with both her lips and hand, she quickly had him fully hard.While Amy was doing this, Shelonda climbed up on the table next to Don so she could see too.Amy pulled back to show the girls that Don was now erect. “That’s more like it, Professor!” Amy said. “Now, what was it I was going to do with this?”“Oh, I can show you,” Shelonda offered quickly.“By all means,” Amy laughed.Nicole & Amy Seek To Seduce The WizardShelonda leaned in over Don’s lap and immediately lowered her mouth all the way down his cock, letting his fat head slip into her throat. She accompanied this with a loud, very satisfied, “Um!”When she came up for air, Shelonda smiled at Amy and Nicole and said, “That’s what you were saying you could do.”“Oh, yes, I remember now. Let me see if I’ve got this right,” Amy laughed. Straight away, she took hold of Don’s cock and lowered her mouth and throat on him. Don took advantage of the situation by gently grabbing Amy’s head and holding her there on him so that he could flex himself in and out of her throat a bit. Following Shelonda’s lead, Amy gurgled and moaned her approval of this maneuver loudly enough for everyone to hear. Always happy to oblige, Don fucked her throat a bit longer before letting her go.As soon as Amy was up again, Nicole jumped in with, “Let me give that a try!”Crowding in front of Amy, Nicole inhaled Don’s shaft in one eager motion. Once he was in all the way, she bobbed her head up and down on him, murmuring her pleasure while he moved in and out of her throat. When she backed up off him, she gave the slippery head of his cock a kiss and flashed a grin around the room.“Is that all you’d do to thank the Wizard?” Shelonda asked.“Don’t you think that’s enough?” Amy asked.“Not nearly,” Don said with a smile.“Oh, well, I might be able to come up with something else,” Amy said thoughtfully.“Like what?” Shelonda asked as she reached over to stroke Don’s wet cock, which was twitching in anticipation.Amy shrugged out of her sheer robe, said, “Well, I could do this,” and, using her chair as a step up, climbed up on the table with Don and Shelonda. Amy planted her feet on either side of Don’s thighs, and pulled up her silk negligee to expose her bare pussy and ass to view.“Now that looks delicious!” Don grinned. He leaned forward to kiss Amy’s nether lips, reaching up between her legs to get his hands on her ass. Holding her in place, Don reached out with his tongue to lightly lick over the soft curve of her lips. Pushing up between them, he tasted her juices and slipped his long tongue up inside her. Amy moaned and pushed forward a bit, encouraging him to do more. He proceeded to fuck his tongue in and out of her, and then began to lick at her clit.Shelonda was still stroking Don’s cock, or was until Nicole took Amy’s chair and got into position in front of Don and began to suck on his cock with great enthusiasm. Shelonda leaned back for a moment, admiring the sight of Amy standing on the table while Don buried his face between her legs. Then she decided to get back into the fun. Pulling her sundress up over her head and casting it aside, but leaving her heels on, she got up to stand behind Don. She reached forward and took Amy’s head in her hands and pulled her forward into a long, slow passionate kiss.Amy, who had been holding on to Don’s head, both for a little support and to keep him there where he was giving her so much pleasure, reached up to get her hands on Shelonda’s full tits. She moaned into Shelonda’s mouth while squeezing and caressing those beautiful breasts. She moaned again when she felt Don pushing several fingers up inside her grasping pussy. When she felt Shelonda tugging at her negligee, Amy took a few seconds to quickly pull that garment up and over her head. She wasn’t sure where it fell; it was out of her mind as Shelonda began to kiss and suckle on her tits. Then Don’s tongue was making her come. Amy remembered Nicole’s advice and cried out enthusiastically as the explosion of delight erupted in her clit and pussy and then spread through her body, making her shake and sob.“Oh fuck yes!” Amy gasped loudly. “That’s so good! Don, you’ve got the best tongue. Damn!”Shelonda embraced Amy, whose legs were suddenly unsteady, and helped her to lie down with her on the table behind Don.Don took advantage of the momentary break to push Nicole back enough so that he could get off his knees. Instead, he sat on the edge of the table with his feet dangling. Nicole wasted no time, though, and climbed up on the table with the others. Pushing Don back so that he was leaning on his arms, she pulled up her short black dress and straddled Don’s lap. She rose up as high as she could, to give anyone watching a clear view, and lifted Don’s cock straight up. Pushing the head into her, Nicole slowly slid down its length, moaning happily as it filled her. Don grinned up at her and took her narrow waist in his hands. As soon as she was all the way down on him, Nicole pushed herself back up, almost all the way off, and paused there so anyone could see his thick pole disappearing into her tight pink sleeve as well as the shiny wetness she left on him. Then, finally she let herself down on him again, until his head was pressed against her cervix. Up again and pause, then down, harder this time. Don’s strong hands and arms helped to raise and lower her, sparing her thighs some work. With each descent on his shaft, Nicole let out a happy, lustful moan. Soon she was grunting and crying out as she rode up and down on him with almost violent abandon. She began to throw herself into the performance aspect of the evening.“Fuck yes! God yes! That feels so good! Fuck me, Professor! Fuck me!” Nicole cried out.Don was pushing up into Nicole each time she came down on him. He was quietly amazed at how hard a fucking the tiny girl was taking and enjoying. As she bounced on his cock, he watched as she clawed at her dress to pull it aside and get her hands on her little breasts and hard nipples. Then she was coming on top of him, still bouncing as she screamed and shook.“Yes! Yes! Fuck yes!” she called. Then abruptly, she stopped and slumped forward on Don, gasping for air. “Damn!” she whispered, “I guess I like having an audience.”“Well, it suits you,” Don whispered back, kissing her ear.When Nicole pushed herself up a bit, they noticed that Shelonda and Amy had worked themselves into a 69. They lay on their sides, with Amy’s feet and back toward Don and Nicole’s side of the table. They could see the top of Shelonda’s head as she worked her tongue over Amy’s slick lips and sensitive clit. Both girls were moaning enthusiastically while they kept their mouths busy.Nicole pushed herself the rest of the way up, and struggled to get out of her dress. Don finally got around to unbuttoning his shirt, and when Nicole climbed off him to walk down the table, naked but for her heels, Don took the opportunity to get out of his clothes. By the time he got back on the table, Nicole was down by Amy’s head, reaching around to get her fingers on and probably in Shelonda. Don decided he would make himself useful at this end of things.Lying down behind Amy, he scooted in and guided his cock between her legs. He felt Shelonda’s breath and then tongue on the head of his cock just as he felt the wetness of Amy’s waiting pussy. He didn’t pause, but just went ahead and pushed himself in. Amy let out a particularly loud moan as he filled her in one sure motion. Steadily he began to fuck her, enjoying the sensation of her slippery cunt squeezing and pulling at him as well as Shelonda’s tongue brushing against him.What Amy and Nicole were doing to Shelonda had the desired effect, because she was the next one to come, crying out loudly in ecstasy. This precipitated some rearrangement on the table, as Shelonda disentangled herself. Amy turned her head and said over her shoulder, “Get on your back, Don.”Don quickly rolled back, reluctantly pulling out of Amy in the process. She wasn’t done with him yet, though. Without turning around to face him, she got up over him. She took his cock and lifted it up and pushed the broad head of it up into her ass. Don said, “Oh, god that feels so good – so hot and tight!”“That’s right, baby,” Amy grinned back at him. Then she pushed herself down on him, taking his thick cock deep into her bowels. She leaned back then, and Nicole came around and knelt in front of her, pushing several fingers up into her pussy and attacking Amy’s clit with her tongue. Meanwhile, Shelonda straddled Don’s face, so that she could have her pussy licked while she reached around to play with Amy’s tits.Don reached up to adjust Shelonda’s position a little and began to lap at her very wet pussy and clit. His nose slipped into her vagina and then teased her ass as he moved back and forth over her. All the while, he could feel Amy moving up and down on him and Nicole’s fingers inside her pussy. He couldn’t see what was going on, but he could definitely tell when Amy began to come again. Not only did her ass clench and relax on him as she came, but she cried out in a dramatic and heartfelt wail.As the girls climbed off him, Don realized that he still had not come. He also knew that there was one woman he had not yet fucked that evening. He caught hold of Shelonda’s narrow waist and quickly coaxed her into position on her hands and knees. As the other two girls focused their attention on Shelonda’s pretty face and swinging breasts, Don drove his cock into her waiting vagina. Once he was good and slick again, though, he pulled back and then pushed himself firmly into Shelonda’s tight ass. He remembered the night in the disco when he had first been welcomed into that sweet embrace. He smiled down at her dark, muscular back and fucked her with passionate abandon. She pushed back at him eagerly.“Come inside my ass, Don!” Shelonda called out. “Fill me with your cum!”He felt Amy’s fingertips moving on Shelonda’s pussy lips and clit, and tried to hold off until Shelonda was coming, but it was too late for that. Everything up until that moment had brought him to the brink and he was too far gone to hold back. He threw his head back and groaned, shoving himself deep into Shelonda as his cock spasmed and filled her ass with hot cum. This helped carried Shelonda over the edge too, and she cried out as her own orgasm swept through her leaving her and Don lying collapsed on the table in a quivering, laughing pile.The other two girls lay down with them, caressing and kissing their hair and sweaty skin.The next day Don was allowed to find his way out into the garden. Since the Wizard had let him know beforehand that this would happen, he was wearing clothing that would allow him to practice his kung fu in the open center of the garden – loose pants, shoes that were almost moccasins, and a light vest. After taking the time to stretch thoroughly, Don began to put himself through a full routine. He was very happy to notice that he was not only maintaining his conditioning but seemed to be in quite a bit better shape than he had been when had arrived in Eros. He was able to hold his stances longer and lower, had more stamina and endurance, and was able to kick and jump higher and more nimbly.He was enjoying the workout so much that he had almost forgotten that he was supposed to have an ulterior motive. Upon finishing a particularly long and demanding open-hand form, he was a little surprised to hear a woman’s voice saying, “That was very graceful, sir.”Don smiled, turned and bowed, “Thank you…” He was about to add, “milady,” because it sounded like the appropriate way to address the Wizard’s wife, but he was suddenly caught off guard. He had expected a woman who more or less resembled the Wizard. Not necessarily so tall, or quite so old, perhaps, but certainly older and not particularly attractive. Instead he beheld a beautiful young woman with long auburn hair falling over her bare shoulders in loose curls. She wore a white gown with flowing skirts and a cinched bodice that accentuated her very thin waist and full, medium-sized breasts. Her smiling lips were red, and her emerald green eyes were framed by long lashes. Don thought she bore a striking resemblance to Rita Hayworth, and found himself wondering if she had gorgeous dancer’s legs.Still smiling, Don said, “My name is Don, are you the lady of the house?”She inclined her head and said, “I am. My name is Madeleine.”“It is an honor to meet you, milady. My friends and I are your very grateful guests.”“Ah, yes,” she murmured. “And where are your three enthusiastic friends?”“I believe they are swimming in the pool. Would you like me to go fetch them?”She laughed a little. “No, that’s quite alright. I am only taking my daily walk through the garden. Would you care to accompany me?”“It would be my pleasure,” Don bowed again. He approached her and offered her his arm. Without hesitation, she slipped her arm through his and laid her warm hand on his sweaty wrist. “Do you have a customary path, milady?”“I do,” she nodded, “but perhaps it is a good day to try something new.”This certainly seems to be going well, Don thought.“My husband tells me that you seek a friend of yours who is lost in the forest.”“Yes, he has graciously offered to help us find her.”“How generous of him,” she smiled.“He strikes me as a particularly generous man,” Don nodded, thinking of things quite different than the offer of assistance.“Yes, I’m sure. And you are determined to find this friend of yours?”“Certainly.”“She is perhaps more than just a friend?”“Much more, milady.”“And yet you have three other friends, with whom you are apparently on rather intimate terms.”Don decided to play coy, “Milady?”She paused a moment, then said, “So my husband has informed me.”“Yes, well, my three companions are my friend’s friends as well.”“Interesting,” Madeleine smiled, “and does this include intimacy as well.”“It certainly does, milady,” Don chuckled, “and quite a bit of it at that.”“And neither you nor your friends are jealous of each other?”“No. We want each other to be happy, and to experience as much joy as possible.”“How open minded and generous of you, Don. Let us sit there by that fountain.”He led her to the indicated fountain and sat next to her on a stone bench.“Now we can speak directly,” she said with a smile that was almost a grin. “My husband can’t hear us here, though he is no doubt still watching.”“Milady?”“I know what my husband is up to,” she laughed. “I’ve known all along. The horny bugger wants you to seduce me so that I’ll let him sleep around, or so we can both sleep around.”“Um, the latter,” Don nodded.“And I’ll bet he’s holding out the promise of helping you find your friend to get you to play along.”“Yes,” Don smiled, “but that was before I met you. If he had just let me meet you first I would have been quite happy to help him in this regard.”She smiled and patted his knee, “You’re sweet. However, things aren’t quite as he would have you believe.”“No?”“He wants to believe I’m terribly jealous, but the real problem is that he’s quite insecure. I know my husband, and if I agree to an open marriage too easily he’ll be plagued with doubts and utterly baseless worries. I know the difference between love and sex, Don. Moreover, I know the difference between sex and fucking amazing sex – and what you four showed off last night was fucking amazing sex!”Don was a bit taken aback to hear her saying “fucking” so freely.“I love my husband more than any other man or woman, and I knew plenty of both before I met him, let me tell you! And, I know my husband loves me. It doesn’t bother me that he wants to screw the occasional hottie, or three. I certainly want to let you fuck me till I can’t walk straight.”Don smiled broadly, and said, “I’m glad to hear that, because…”“Hold on there, stud,” she laughed. “We’ve got to play this just right. It’s important that my husband thinks it was his plan that did the trick. That way he won’t think I just let the first guy with a nice dick and a talented tongue, fuck me.”“I don’t suppose the two of you would consider just talking to each other,” Don offered, hoping she would reject the idea. He was quite taken with the idea of seeming to seduce this gorgeous woman.“Oh, certainly,” Madeleine smiled. “We’ve talked. He knows that I found the show you put on last night very titillating. I practically attacked him as soon as you were done. He’s mentioned the open attitude of most of the people in Eros frequently enough that I know what’s on his mind. But, as I said, I know my husband, and I know what it will take to make this work.”“OK then,” Don nodded, “what’s next then?”“I will play hard to get, but intrigued, until tomorrow,” she said. “I suspect he’ll want you to put on another show this evening. Would you mind going down on the other two girls?”“No, not at all!”“Wonderful! That looked divine,” she sighed. “Then, after he drops a few more hints, I’ll suggest something like… Oh, I know. I’ll tell him that if someone like you were to slip into my bedroom without warning I wouldn’t mind being ravished, or something to that effect.”“That does sound a little awkward,” Don admitted.She waved that off, “I’ll work it out. Maybe I’ll just wait until he’s got his cock in me. He’ll get the gist then without paying attention to the way I phrase it.”“Um, yes, I can see that.”“Then, all you have to do is follow through,” she smiled. “Think you can do that?”Don chuckled, “Yes, I’m quite sure.”“Wonderful.” Then she lowered her voice, though she had said they couldn’t be overheard, “I really am looking forward to letting you have your way with me.”“The feeling is quite mutual, milady!”“It’s a date, then,” she laughed. “Now, would you be so kind as to escort me back to the house?”Just as Madeleine had said, the Wizard came to them before dinner time and said that, although she found Don charming, she still wasn’t quite sold on the idea of doing anything intimate with anyone. He suggested that they put on yet another show with dinner, and our four heroes were quite happy to oblige. This time, Don made a point of making each of the three women come with his lips, tongue and – here and there – his teeth.Don repeated his kung fu routine in the garden. Again, the Wizard’s wife met him, and again they walked back to the fountain. She confirmed that she had dropped the appropriate hint to her husband, and then said, “Now, grab me and kiss me.”Don had been thinking how much he wanted to kiss those ruby red lips since the day before, so he didn’t need to be told twice. He quickly slipped his arm around her slim waist, and pulled her to him. Holding the side of her face gently in his hand so she couldn’t turn away, he pressed his ardent lips against hers. He thrilled to feel her arms slip around him and hold him for a moment. She began to return his kiss, but then pushed him away. She slapped him then, but not too hard, and he was able to catch her wrist. Holding her hand to his face, he turned and kissed her palm.Yanking her hand away and scowling angrily, Madeleine said, “That was perfect, I can’t wait to do more of that!” Then she made a show of storming off to the house.Don shook his head, and then made his way back inside.He was relaxing with the girls in the shallow end of the pool when the Wizard came to see them. Though he was obviously a bit distracted by the naked women, he was intent on his plans in regard to his wife. The Wizard paced back and forth by the pool as he enthused, “Everything is going perfectly!”“Are you sure?” Don asked, though he was pretty confident on that particular score.“Yes, she insists that she is angry with you for kissing her, and perhaps she is, but she is much more excited than angry.”“How can you tell?” Shelonda wanted to know.“The ardor she displayed during our lovemaking just after her walk in the garden was exceptional!” the Wizard explained. “I know just how to proceed tonight. She said she was afraid you might steal into her bedroom and ravish her. I could tell this thought excited her very much, though.”“Well, alright,” Don said, “but how will this help convince her to try an open relationship?” This was a point of the plan that remained sincerely murky to him, and the wife’s complicity hadn’t helped clarify matters.“Ah,” the Wizard smiled, “that will depend upon me getting her to admit that she had a good time.”“Assuming she has a good time, eh, Professor?” Amy winked at Don.“Well, I’ll do my best,” Don grinned.That evening, while the girls were as frisky in the dining room as before, Don remained aloof. He had no doubt that he could perform more than adequately later even if he did play with the girls, but he frankly wanted to concentrate his attention on the Wizard’s lovely wife at least for tonight. For himself, the Wizard had said that, though he would be sure she was again watching the dining room, he would find some reason to be unable to satisfy any resulting “urges” his wife might develop that evening.Later, after the girls had given a good warm-up show and after the door out of the bedroom opened of its own accord, Don left his three companions and followed the opening doors into a part of the house he had not yet seen. He was wearing only a soft, dark dressing robe he had found in the closet. He eventually found himself climbing a staircase up to at least the fourth floor of the large building. As the stairs stopped at this level, Don supposed this was the top floor of the house. There were only two doors available to him in the short corridor, and he had been told to go to the left one, which he now did. The door did not swing open as he approached, so he put his hand on the lever and slowly pushed it down. Madeleine was expecting him, but he was sure the Wizard would be watching and he wanted to make things look convincing. In the back of his mind, Don was worried that if the Wizard caught on to his wife’s subterfuge he might withhold his assistance in finding Toshia.Don opened the door just enough to slip through into the candlelit bedroom. This chamber was even larger than the rather large bedroom Don had been sharing with his companions. Across the room, near the large, canopied bed, Madeleine sat in front of a gilded table and mirror brushing her long auburn hair. She was wearing a sheer robe of pink.She was turned three-quarters away from him, and the mirror was facing the wrong way to reflect Don as he crept into the room. Apparently sensing his entrance anyway, she said, “Ah, couldn’t carry on with me after all, eh?”Don waited until he was almost to her before he said, “What man could?”Madeleine twisted and rose in a single lightning motion, raising her hairbrush as a weapon against him. “You!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”Don paused a moment to admire the feminine form only barely obscured by her see-through robe. He had been right to imagine that she had long, dancer’s legs. Her waist was narrow, her belly flat, and her breasts full, but not too big. She was glaring at him with a good semblance of shock, fear and anger.“I have followed where my desire led,” Don said taking a step forward. “It brought me here.”“Well, it had better lead you back the way you came.”He slowly reached up and took hold of the hand holding the brush, saying, “I don’t believe you want me to leave.”“But I tell you that I do,” Madeleine insisted.“Your eyes tell me that you lie,” Don smiled. He moved a bit closer, and took the brush from her hand.“My eyes?”“They dwell too long on my bare flesh, and on my lips, and when you look me in the eye I see that you want more of what I started in the garden.” He slipped up close enough to her that he could set the brush on the table behind her.Madeleine leaned back away from him, and said, “I look at your bare flesh because I’m shocked that you would come into the bedroom of another man’s wife wearing only that robe. I look at your lips because I remember the liberty you so rudely took. As for what you think you see in my eyes, well, you see what you want to see.”Don moved his hand – the one that had put the brush down – to her lower back, lightly touching her. Very slowly he raised his right hand up to brush his fingers along her jaw. “I do see what I want,” he smiled.She kept her hands at her sides, hands now grasping the edge of her dressing table, “I will scream for my husband.”“Scream then

Hour 4 of the show. Callers bring some strong opinions about the QB. A.J. Brown wore his frustrations on the sideline yet again.

Today is Wednesday, December 20, and we're looking at Invisalign vs. SmileDirectClub.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is frowning linked with energy and pain? Thank you for watching Ask Dr. Taylor - Brain Bytes™ Visit Dr. Taylor's website at ⁠⁠ https://www.arlenetaylor.org/⁠⁠ Check out ⁠⁠ https://allmylinks.com/brainfunctionguru⁠⁠ And please subscribe to Dr. Taylor's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/braingurutaylor

Our website: https://www.itstwobrothers.com/ Discuss this episode at reddit.com/r/ItsTwoBrothersPodcast Spoilers: Final Fantasy X: 10:33 - 10:45 Gundam Zeta: 20:20 - 20:24 Game of Thrones: 36:20 - 36:26 Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust: 51:00 to the end In this episode we marvel at the glory that is Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust! Also in this episode: We recorded with the wrong mic settings (which hopefully isn't too noticeable!) Diablo 4 eats all Jason's free time. Riding the nostalgia train with Final Fantasy X and Gundam. We discuss favourite animes. Armored Core 6 turn speed controversy. McDonalds corrections. And some new music (link to that here)! Next up, Neo Tokyo and Memories! Support It's Two Brothers by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/itstwobrothers This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

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John Bunyan was a preacher who was thrown in jail in the 17th century. He was separated from his wife, children and congregation. A colleague named John Owen was a theologian who had a lot of influence, even in the government. Owen tried to get Bunyan released. He used his connections to do so, but … Continue reading Frowning providence, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and you

Apologies for the terrible structure of the show today, there were a few technical messssssssups that happened. Today on The Day After, Headlines: Diane Abbott sends shots at Starmer as infighting erupts over NHS reforms, Scottish woman marries a convicted rapist in US prison What You Saying? Frowning on people's sexual desires: The attraction to criminals society deem repulsive Headlines: Tech bosses could face jail after Tory MP's revolt on bill, China's population falls for first time since 1961, Greta Thunberg briefly detained at protes Word on Road: Bugsy Malone denies dating Gemma Owens, Actress, Anika Noni Rose gets married, Maya Jama is loved and there's reports of a multi-series deal The People's Journal: Capitol Hill remain deadlocked on raising debt ceiling, Netflix offers $385,000 salary for flight attendant, Effective tips when asking for a pay rise The Rotation Headlines: 02 Brixton security guards allegedly took bribes, Man weighing over 50st rescued from flat after heart attack, Former adult star Ron Jeremy declared unfit for sex crimes trial The Reaction: FA Cup results, Man charged with assaulting Aaron Ramsdale, Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially lodge interest in buying Man Utd, Talks between AJ and Franklin begin Outro --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedayaftertnb/message

Support Topic Lords on Patreon and get episodes a week early! (https://www.patreon.com/topiclords) Lords: * Erica * Jenni Topics: * Stronger with Stogner * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o0MwD8dyko * What is & isn't ahegao, prescriptivistly * Wanna Feel Old? 10 Hilarious Examples Of Anti-Piracy Measures In Video Games * https://screenrant.com/anti-piracy-video-games-funny/ * The Lanyard by Billy Collins * https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50975/the-lanyard * The "what the fuck" genre of narrative & why it frequently has an unsatisfying ending * Ed O'Brien on backing vocals * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWuAn6C8Mfc * https://floodmagazine.com/44288/ed-from-radiohead-sing-his-own-name/ Microtopics: * Fighting for credit. * The discord: it's fun in there. * Forgetting an entire lord. * A lot of work to get twice as many views. * A convenient thing you can put old food in so it doesn't go bad as quickly. * Gaskets: there's a name for them. * The British vs. the American conception of a frown. * Frowning with your face gaskets. * Doing a cartwheel to feel happier. * Alan Snape. * Doing a racy political ad on top of a 40-foot pumpjack. * What the Texas Railroad Commission does. * Getting the idea for OPEC from Texas. * A political ad using the Sugar Hill Gang cover of Apache as a soundtrack. * The suburban Texan mom solving the climate crisis single-handedly. * Twerking at the sunrise. * Field-dressing a moose. * Fantasy-footballing a female running mate for Theodore Roosevelt even though they didn't have women back then. * Getting so annoyed at an ad that you have to log back into Twitter. * Scrolling social media and getting angry by yourself. * The crucial elements that comprise the ahegao face. * Electronic Girl. * The phylogeny of the e-girl. * Is it Soup? * Looking at Zelda's face and thinking "okay, that's soup." * Whether ahegao or Betty Boop are sexy. * A face that people make to indicate horniness. * The Betty Boop ahegao: it's bad, folks. * What is otaku's plan for us? * Project Lords. * A web site with JavaScript implementations of video game code wheels of various 90s video games. * Everybody playing the free version of chess for thousands of years when the paid version is a way better game. * Why there is no Casio Loopy emulator. * Finding a tiny blood reservoir for the smallest blood sacrifices. * Who wrote the Vagina Monologues? * Moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano. * What a lanyard is and what it's for. * How to repay your mom for all the things that she's given you. * God's Eyes. * Replacing your son's butt-gasket. * Being old enough to remember when it was normal for schoolchildren to make their parents an ashtray. * Making a gumball dispenser in wood shop and using it to convince your mom to buy you a big bag of gumballs. * 1899. * A sequence of mysterious things happening. * A mysterious TV show that ends when you overwater all of your boyfriend's plants. * The final episode of Lost, where the giant panda shows up and explains that "I'm god and you're in my dream!" * Comedy typing directly into the Topic Bucket. * What makes a good ending to a mystery-focused story. * Mystery as marketing hook. * How to end a mystery-focused story in a satisfying way without solving the mystery. * The most normal-looking guy in Radiohead. * The one guy in Radiohead who doesn't have any fans. * From the Basement in Rainbows. * A super chill guy keeping time with his leg. * Does Ed from Radiohead only sing his own name? * A Pokemon Named Ed. * Idiosyncratic ways to describe your favorite band member, that unlock your unique adoration. * The only member of the band who smiles. * Absorbing it all as the luckiest person alive playing with your pals in a huge venue. * The kind of Radiohead fan whose imagination is so powerful that you can't safely let them into Radiohead concerts because they might imagine a bomb. * The kind of Topic Lord who listens to the show. * Having some delightful chats in Texas. * Posing on the pumpjack where nobody will ever see you.

Don't Wait On Anyone| Your Success Is Not Attached To Anyone Can I share this with you? I literally don't want anyone to make this same mistake. This story is almost funny. In the 6th grade, I had a homework assignment. I went home and done the assignment and the next day my friends said did you do the homework assignment; I said yes, and they said don't turn it in because I didn't do my homework. And me being the dummy that I was back then didn't turn in the assignments. My friends told me not to turn it in. My friends never mentioned that they would be turning in the make up assignment. They just said don't turn it in. I just remember them telling me NOT to turn the homework assignment in. I almost failed the class, fooling with these weirdoes. The funny part about sharing this story is.. I know there's an educator someone FROWNING at this story. I'm literally laughing my butt off. Yes at the time in my life I can't really say I was the “leader” I needed to be. Anywho the point of the story is, don't wait on anyone for your success. Especially when it comes to writing. A real friend wants you to succeed. Don't wait on anyone for your success. Also, stop thinking that you have to hang around certain people to get successful. You don't have to suck butt to get to your door of opportunity. I believe in networking, yes, but what's meant for you is meant for you. You don't have to “suck up” to anyone. Just continue to write and be authentically you! Write down every idea that you have this year. Don't let any seeds that you have to go without being watered. If it comes to your mind, WRITE IT DOWN. Don't let your mind talk you out of your success. Don't let people talk you out of your success. Your success this year will come from your ideas. Show up for your writing. Show up for your business. If there is something you don't know how to do, ASK SOMEONE. If there is something you don't know how to do... LEARN IT. It would surprise you how many classes I've taken this year. You'd be surprised how many books I've read this year... By the way, the book I'm reading right now is “1 Million Followers.” This year I went the extra mile just to put myself in the run against my competitors in the self-publishing industry. Surprisingly, I learned that the opportunities that I've gotten this year weren't based on what I knew, the opportunities came based on the things people saw me attempting to learn. Keep going and don't let anyone stop you from your dreams. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/inkdriespodcast/support

Matt Browning is a musician and singer-songwriter. He's been working to put words and stories to music for over 20 years. Matt's current band, The Floorboards, have released two albums of original music and are preparing to record the third.

Dr. Taylor tells what is wrong with frowning and how and when to replace frowns with smiles. Check out https://allmylinks.com/brainfunctionguru And thank you for subscribing to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/braingurutaylor Copyright © 2022 Arlene R. Taylor, PhD, Realizations Inc. All Rights Reserved. https://www.arlenetaylor.org

Lost in Eros, Book II: The Forest – Part 7 Seducing the Wizard's Wife – 4 days of wizardry. By BradentonLarry -   Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 10Day One Toshia's day with the satyrsWhen Don awoke, he found himself lying on his back upon a large four-poster bed. There was sunlight pouring in from somewhere, and he had a woman on his left with her head on his chest and another curled up on his right. Trying not to disturb the sleeping women, he opened his eyes a bit further and raised his head to have a look around. The woman with her head on his chest was Shelonda, and the one on his right was Amy, who was spooning Nicole. They were all still clothed, and in what seemed to be a large bedroom. Don couldn't help but remember waking up in the Manor next to Toshia what seemed like a very long time ago. That time the room had been dark and mysterious, and rather Spartan. This time, though, the room was brightly lit as two large windows let in a great deal of light. Although there was definitely the rather serious and looming question of how in the world they had been brought here, there was nothing even vaguely sinister about this room. Adding to the benign aspect of the room was, no doubt, the profusion of cut flowers that covered every available horizontal surface.As Don lowered his head again, Shelonda shifted and then raised her head to look around. When she saw that Don was also awake, she gave him a confused smile. He smiled back as reassuringly as he could and caressed her back. He wasn't terribly surprised to feel her hand moving up along the inside of his thigh. “If danger isn't threatening it must be time for sex” seemed to be the default rule among Eros dwellers.Don tried to think of a good reason to deny himself and Shelonda. He knew they were someplace strange, the guests of some new set of kidnappers, and that they had very likely completely lost track of Toshia, but all of those things had been true for hours, since they had apparently slept through the night, and if anyone meant them any harm, they surely would have carried through on that desire while they had been unconscious, rather than putting them on a comfortable bed. So, when the beautiful woman pushed his kilt up and began to stroke his cock, Don didn't resist and instead pulled her up so he could kiss her warmly. After all the stress of the last couple of days, with the plants, the watchers, the human attackers, and the chase after Toshia – not to mention seeing her cavorting with actual satyrs -satyrs! - it felt very good indeed to lay back and feel Shelonda's mouth on his, her tongue pushing past his lips, and her warm hand on his quickly thickening cock.Moving slowly, so as to not wake Amy and Nicole, Don moved his right arm up so he could get his hand on Shelonda's full breast, squeezing it gently through her tank top. This prompted her to squeeze and pull on his cock more strenuously. Don decided that two could play at that game, and, rolling onto his side a little, moved his right hand from her tit down to her strong left thigh. Slipping up under her skirt, Don's hand slid along her smooth brown skin and around to squeeze her firm ass tightly. Shelonda moaned her approval very quietly. Don kissed her more deeply in a vague attempt to get her to be quieter.Don worked his hand around in front of Shelonda. She parted her legs for him, raising her left one and wrapping it around Don's legs. This left Don free to run his fingers over her very moist lips. He teased her a bit before parting those lips with his fingertips and spreading her juices over her inner lips and clit. Soon his fingers were inside her, slipping in and out of Shelonda's pussy, as Don's thumb pressed against and rubbed her clit. Shelonda liked this quite a bit, and showed her approval by rolling back on the bed, pulling Don with her. They continued kissing as he moved naturally into position over her. Her legs spread and her hand pulling him forward, Don slipped into Shelonda's welcoming pussy. As he sank deep into her hot, wet sex, she reached down to clasp his butt in both of her hands, squeezing and pulling him into her.Their bodies were pressed tightly together as they fucked and kissed, moving slowly against each other on the bed. It was a passionate, loving and intense encounter there in the strange bedroom. Don had become extremely fond of the beautiful young woman, and he knew she felt the same way. The connection between the two of them was stronger and deeper than the casual sex relationship either or both of them shared with the other two women. Amy was a great sexual athlete, Nicole was a playful little minx, but Shelonda had a seriousness about her that made sex with her more than just sex. If it wasn't a romantic coupling, and it hardly seemed quite like that, it was a bit more than friends-with-benefits.Don resisted the urge to fuck Shelonda more vigorously, partly because he didn't want to disturb the others, and partly because the way they were screwing was building up its own intensity. Shelonda pulled him into her tightly with her legs and arms, kissing him intently. Then she threw her head back, gasping through clenched teeth. She let go of his ass to clench the sheets at her side, and then was burying her face into his shoulder. Don pushed himself deep into her clasping, clutching pussy riding out her quiet, intense orgasm by holding her in his arms.When Shelonda slowly relaxed, and lay back on the bed, he smiled down at her happily. She actually blushed and turned her face away.“Well, that looked like a good one,” Amy said. Don looked over to see that the curvy blonde had rolled over onto her back to watch him and Shelonda. Nicole was also watching, but was resting her head on Amy's soft breast. Nicole's hand had already found its way down between Amy's thighs and was busy making mischief there.“Got enough to share with the rest of the class, Professor?” Nicole asked with a smirk.“I just might,” Don grinned over at the two women. Then he leaned down to kiss Shelonda again.By the time he had withdrawn from Shelonda's exquisite embrace, Nicole had gotten down between Amy's legs and was giving some serious head, and Amy had pulled her tank top up over her head and thrown it aside. Don moved around behind Nicole and coaxed her up enough that he could get his cock down and into her waiting cunt. He admired Nicole's narrow waist and tight, brown ass as he began to fuck in and out of her. Shelonda moved over to be close to the action, and soon reached around so she could get her fingers on Nicole's clit. Nicole was only barely able to make Amy come, gasping and twisting on the bed, before she was coming herself.Don still hadn't come, and he was acutely aware of that fact. He pulled out of Nicole and urged her over toward Shelonda. Moving up between Amy's legs, he smiled down at her happy face, and said, “Where do you want it?”“Come on my tits, Professor,” she said immediately.Don nodded, but took a moment to push his cock deep into Amy's juicy twat. After fucking Shelonda and Nicole, he only needed a couple of thrusts into her tight pussy before he was ready to blow. He pulled out of her and quickly straddled her abdomen. He had planned to jerk himself off, but Amy's hands beat him to it. She took him in a tight, enthusiastic grip and pumped his thick organ several times until a huge spout of white cum burst out of him and splattered over her chest, neck and chin. Several days of abstinence, coupled with the XYZ in his system and the sex leading up to this moment made Don's orgasm both extremely intense and voluminous. A second stream of jizz splashed over Amy's tits and then a flood of it spilled over her hands onto her belly. Don felt like he was coming for minutes. As he finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes, Shelonda and Nicole clapped and laughed. He managed to get off Amy while the other two girls closed in on her and began to play with and lick up the cum he had left there.As soon as his head stopped reeling from the intense orgasm, Don decided it was time to have a better look around. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed that there were not only two big windows, but also three sets of doors, all double and all closed. The room had a thick carpet. Don reached down and took off his sandals, and enjoyed the feeling of the carpet on his bare feet. There was a couch against the wall opposite the bed, as well as a large framed mirror. There was a low table in front of the couch and a pair of overstuffed chairs at either end of the table. One of the chairs had their satchels piled on it. Don and Shelonda's staffs were standing in a corner. All of the furniture was in an overly ornate style that Don thought of as rococo, though he wasn't confident that that was the right term. (Perhaps it was baroque, or regency; he could never tell.)Don got off the bed and moved over to one of the windows. They were apparently on the second or third floor and overlooked a vast well-tended and colorful flower garden. There was no one to be seen among the flowers or paths of the garden.He moved over to one of the sets of doors, and was surprised when they swung open of their own accord. Don stepped onto the tiled floor of a large and ornate bathroom, illuminated by an impressive skylight over a huge tub. Strewn about this room were more flowers and a liberal supply of towels and toiletries. As Don moved closer to the tub, water began to pour out of the four faucets set around it. The sound of the steaming, fragrant water quickly filling the bathtub drew the attention of the girls, who quickly crowded into the bathroom with Don.Clothes were quickly stripped off and thrown aside. Although they had only been out of the Manor for a few days, and had hardly been living a hard life outdoors, the opportunity to bathe properly was most welcome. They took quite a while, scrubbing each other clean, which naturally enough led to more splashing about than was strictly necessary as well as more fondling and play.Don was the first to get out of the tub, and so was the first to notice that their clothing had somehow been removed. He dried himself with a heavy, soft towel and then padded out into the bedroom naked. His sandals and Amy's top had also been removed. He moved toward one of the other sets of doors. When they failed to open for him, Don tried the handles, but they wouldn't budge. Frowning, he turned to the last set of doors, which did swing open as he approached. This time he found a large walk-in closet, full of clothing. On the right, taking up about a quarter of the available space was an assortment of strangely old-fashioned men's clothing. On the floor was a good selection of footwear. Don chose a pair of light cotton slacks and a buttoned shirt, and tried them on. He was not at all surprised that the clothes fit him perfectly. As he came out of the closet, the girls were just coming out of the bathroom. Seeing his attire and catching on that there were new, fresh clothes to be had, they swarmed around him and into the closet.They were each able to find at least a quarter of the closet that had clothing perfectly fitted to them, and spent some time selecting outfits. Don was amused to watch them trying various combinations. Ultimately they came out to model their selections, and he smiled to see their individual styles come through. Shelonda was wearing a light vest and a pair of loose silk pajama bottoms that were bloused at the ankles. Amy had on a low cut top and stockings and a garter belt, and a short pleated skirt that flared out from her waist. Nicole had on a form fitting sheath dress with slits running up the lengths of her legs. While Don was complimenting them on their outfits, the third set of doors swung open, revealing a long marble hallway.Cautiously, the four of them moved out into the corridor. There was nowhere else to go, so they proceeded along, until a large pair of doors opened before them. On the other side of this portal, they found a vast dining room, lit by a dazzling number of candles. There were a dozen chairs around the large, long table in the center of the room. There were also bowls full of fruit and gleaming glasses of water. On each of the three walls without doors there were large mirrors. Don eyed those reflective surfaces suspiciously, his mind on the likelihood that they were being observed through those mirrors.Like the trusting souls they were, Amy and Shelonda had made themselves comfortable at the table, drinking and eating freely. Don and Nicole shared a glance, but then joined the others in dining. Only when they had each eaten a small amount of fruit and drank a whole glass of water – in short, when they had their fill – did someone broach the subject that was on everyone's mind.Amy said, “Well, where are we anyway?”“I have no idea,” Don admitted.“You are in my home,” said a deep voice.They turned sharply to see a tall man standing in the doorway. He had white hair and a beard, a prominent brow adorned by bristling eyebrows, a pronounced hawkish nose, and bright eyes glittering at them in the candlelight. He wore a deep blue robe, like one would expect to see worn by a magician in a fantasy movie. He was over six feet tall, and stood erect and easily. Though his deeply lined face indicated great age, he carried himself as if he were quite healthy.“And you are?” Don asked.“I am called the Wizard of the Wood,” declared the man in that voice that reminded Don of a not quite ancient John Carradine.“Well, I am Don, and this is Amy, Nicole and Shelonda. We're grateful for your hospitality. May we ask why you brought us here?”“Of course you may,” the Wizard intoned. “I brought you here so that you might assist me with a particular task.”“Um, well, we were trying to find a friend of ours…”“The one who was, and has been copulating so vigorously with those three satyrs, I suspect.”“Yes,” Don nodded, “that would be her.”“She is in no danger. The satyrs mean her no harm. I believe they are enjoying her company far more than they expected to. She is quite spirited and has a great deal of stamina.”“Well, you seem to be quite well-informed and have resources at your disposal.”“You mean magic,” the Wizard said. “I have magical resources.”“Um, sure,” Don said. “If you could bring our friend here like you did us, we'd be happy to help you with your task.”“There are three problems with that proposal.” The Wizard gestured and a chair slid out from the table. As he took his seat, he said, “One, I have no reason to trust you. This is of small consequence, though, because you would still have your freedom to gain. Two, I believe the desire to be reunited with your friend will be a better motivator in any case. Three, as a matter of fact, I cannot at this time bring your friend here.”“Why not?" Nicole asked."My power is largely focused upon this location. Within the bounds of this house and the grounds I have great power, but to exercise that power to bring people here is … difficult. I do however have the means to convey you to your friend, which means I will make available to you following the completion of your task. I assure you, the task is within your power, and I will compensate you well for your efforts. You will not regret helping me.”Don frowned, “And what if something should happen to our friend while we're here?”“I am monitoring your friend's situation and will find a way to intervene if she should actually be endangered. I am afraid I can only offer you my assurances as to this and my other promises. I hasten to point out that you do not seem to have any other viable options.”“We could try to escape,” Don pointed out.“Feel free,” the Wizard shrugged. “You will only waste time and energy, uselessly.”“Can you give us some evidence that you can actually know how and where Toshia is?”“Your friend? Yes, I think so,” the Wizard nodded toward the large mirror to his right.Looking at that mirror, they could suddenly see Toshia. She was lying back against a satyr, while another satyr was in front of her. Her legs were around the front satyr's haunches and her hands were on his shoulders. It seemed clear that both of the satyr's were fucking her, and, moreover, that Toshia was enjoying herself quite a bit at the moment.“Alright,” Don said after taking a moment to take in the expression on Toshia's face as the satyr's had their way with her, or she had her way with them. “What do you want us to do?”“I want you to seduce my wife.”Don looked at the Wizard of the Wood to see if he was joking. He looked to the girls and saw that they were as confused as he was.“Well,” Don said, “first, you're the first person I've met in Eros who's even in a monogamous relationship, let alone married.”“Yes,” the Wizard nodded, “we have always had an unconventional relationship.”“OK,” Don shrugged. “Why do you want us to seduce your wife?”“Well, it is not so much all of you, as you yourself, Don, though the others may of course help.”“Alright, why do you want me to seduce your wife?”The Wizard stood up and began to pace alongside the table as he spoke. “We live alone here. The house and my power see to it that we want for nothing. I love my wife very much. She is a wonderful woman and a good companion. However, I am aware of what goes on out there in the world. I see the fun people have in the woods. I can watch the witches of the glen working their orgiastic magic. I know what goes on in that Manor. I want to enjoy some of that fun, Don. I want to convince my wife to have an open marriage.”“Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that,” Don admitted. He noticed that Nicole was having a very hard time keeping a straight face, while Amy and Shelonda simply seemed confused.“Have you talked to her about this?” asked Don.The Wizard shook his head, saying, “Oh, she would never agree to it. She is far too jealous and possessive. She would think I do not love her any more and that I just want to couple with other women.”“But, you do want to ‘couple' with other women,” Nicole pointed out.“By all the gods, yes!” the Wizard shouted. “I want to so very badly. But it is only sex. Do you know how long we have been married?”“No, of course…”“A very long time, believe me! I love her madly, of course, but I need some variety now and then. I honestly believe it would do each of us and both of us as a couple a great deal of good to enjoy other people. Having sex with just the same person for many years is simply not healthy.”“Well, I can't argue with that,” Don smiled. “So, what are you thinking?”“If you seduce her, make her want to sleep with you, it will give me the opportunity to broach the subject.”“That's extremely indirect,” Don mused.“What if she doesn't want to sleep with Don, or just wants to sneak around on you?” Nicole asked.“My wife would never do such a thing,” the Wizard insisted.“Perhaps,” Don said, “but, as much as I hate to ask this, what about that other option? What if I can't seduce her?”“If you give a good faith effort to seduce her but she does not succumb, I will grant you your freedom and help you find your friend.”“Are you sure you don't just want us to help you talk to her?” Don asked. It had just occurred to him that the Wizard's wife was going to be as ancient as he was.“No,” the Wizard said with finality. “I have given this a great deal of thought, and I am certain that would never work. It has to be done this way.”“Alright, then,” Don said. He looked around to gauge the reactions of the women; Nicole shrugged, while Amy and Shelonda both nodded. “We'll help. I take it you have a plan, then.”Day TwoToshia is caught by the warrior women and is taken to their castleThe next day, the Don and the three women had a brief conference, during which they considered the merits of attempting to escape from their luxurious prison. It was Nicole who pointed out that even if they were able to get out of the house and the grounds, however far those might extend, they would have no idea where they were or how to find Toshia. It did seem that their best bet was to cooperate with the Wizard of the Wood and trust that he would honor his end of the bargain.So, they passed the day exploring the immense house, going only where the doors would allow them to pass. There was no sign of anyone else in the building, though everything was dusted and the flowers and fruit were freshly laid out. They found a large library, an indoor pool, and a billiard room, among other less well-defined rooms. Following the spirit of the Wizard's plan, they deliberately resisted the urge to fill the day with sexual play. Instead, they built up their frustration by engaging in playful banter and flirting. Things became particularly heated during their skinny-dip in the pool. Don had to herd the women into the showers, which did frankly very little to help, except that it introduced an all-too-ephemeral break in the action. Amy was particularly wound up by the time they returned to their room to change for dinner.“I will tell my wife that we have guests,” the Wizard had explained. “I'll say that you were travelers who I rescued from hooligans using my magic, and that I offered you hospitality for a few days.”“Hooligans?" Amy had asked."That's what I call the bands of ill-mannered men who roam about the forest attacking anyone they come across.”“We met some of those,” Don had nodded.“It didn't end well for them,” Nicole said quietly, looking across the table at Don.“They are thoroughly unpleasant,” the Wizard had scowled. “Anyway, I will tell my wife that you seem to be very interesting people, and I will arrange to have her looking in on you during your dinner. You use that time to, shall we say, put on a show for her.”“A show?” asked Shelonda.“Yes, well, a demonstration of unfettered sexuality,” the Wizard explained.“You want us to have sex for your wife to watch,” Nicole said.“Yes,” the Wizard nodded. “I know my wife enjoys reading books with erotic scenes in them, and I suspect seeing one played out in front of her eyes will titillate her. Moreover, the fact that there are more than just two of you will work to our advantage if we are to be successful in tempting her toward a more open attitude toward sex.”“I think we can manage that,” Don smiled at the three women. He knew Amy in particular would rise to the occasion.“Remember, though,” the Wizard had admonished before bidding them goodnight, “it must seem spontaneous. If my wife suspects chicanery she'll never go along with the rest of the plan.”The three women all wore outfits that were at once frilly and feminine and were also simple enough that it would be quite easy to have sex in them. Nicole wore a form-fitting, backless dress with a very short skirt and puffy sleeves, all in black with large bright red flowers. Shelonda wore a frilly little sundress in light pastels. Amy wore a silk negligee and a long, sheer robe. All of the girls surprised Don by wearing high heels. For himself, Don wore dress slacks, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket. As an afterthought, he added socks and perfectly shined, black dress shoes.Arm in arm en masse the foursome left the bedroom and headed to the dining room. Along the way, Don reminded them to act as if no one was watching.“But, also make sure we put on a good show,” Amy pointed out.“How are we supposed to do that?” Shelonda wanted to know.“Well, make sure that anyone looking can tell what you're doing; don't cover up anything,” Amy suggested.“And make noise,” added Nicole. “Let everyone hear that you're having a good time.”“Wow,” Don said, “that's really good advice. You're making me horny already.”“You have to wait a bit, Professor,” Nicole winked.With that they came to the dining room and gathered around the middle of the table, Don and Shelonda on one side and Amy and Nicole on the other.“Who do you think puts out this fruit and water?” Amy asked, as she picked up and examined a red apple.“I have no idea,” Don shrugged. "Perhaps the same person who washed our clothes and put them back when we weren't looking yesterday.“"Our host, maybe?” wondered Nicole.“The Wizard?" Amy laughed. "I doubt that.”“He doesn't exactly seem the sort to do housework,” Don admitted.With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Amy sank her teeth into her apple and leaned over toward Nicole, who, catching on immediately, bent in to take a bite out of the opposite side of the fruit.While they were doing this, Shelonda said, “Well, whoever's doing the cleaning and other stuff, it sure is nice of the Wizard to let us stay here.”“We should try to find a way to thank him,” Amy said around a mouthful of apple.“Oh? What did you have in mind?” Don asked with a laugh.“There are lots of ways a girl can thank a man,” Amy smiled, taking another bite of the apple.“She can say, 'Thank you very much, Mr. Wizard, sir,'” Nicole smiled coyly while she toyed with a strawberry.“Exactly,” Amy laughed, “but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.”“Whatever could you mean?” Nicole asked. She had now turned toward Amy and was running her hand up and down her arm. “Oh, you mean…”“Exactly!" Amy grinned and grabbed a nearby banana. She proceeded to peel it slowly."But isn't he rather old?” Nicole persisted mischievously.“He seemed healthy enough to me,” Amy said as she pulled the last peel down. “Anyway, I think I like older men. Plus, he's quite tall, and that usually means…”“You think so?” Shelonda joined in.“I do,” Amy said. “Anyway, I'd be happy to show my appreciation.” To demonstrate her capabilities, she slid the length of the banana into her mouth and down her throat.Don and the girls laughed, and Don said, “Well, fruit's one thing. Are you quite sure you're up to the real thing?”“Quite sure, sir,” Amy said after swallowing the last of the banana down.“I'm unconvinced,” Don said with a frown.“Well, how in the world can I convince you?”“You could show him on his cock,” Shelonda said with exasperation. Don thought she was the best actress of the bunch.“Alright, Professor, hop up here on the table and let's see what you've got,” Amy grinned.Don stood up and took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, while the women pushed the bowls and glasses out of the way. Then, he climbed up on the table and knelt in front of Amy. Getting into her act, Amy ran her hands up along Don's thighs and made a show of unfastening his pants. She slipped her hand into his slacks and took hold of his quickening cock. Pulling it out, she held it up for Nicole to see.“Very nice,” Amy said, “but it needs more work, I think.” She lowered her head to Don's lap and took the entire length of his cock into her mouth. Pulling on it with both her lips and hand, she quickly had him fully hard.While Amy was doing this, Shelonda climbed up on the table next to Don so she could see too.Amy pulled back to show the girls that Don was now erect. “That's more like it, Professor!” Amy said. “Now, what was it I was going to do with this?”“Oh, I can show you,” Shelonda offered quickly.“By all means,” Amy laughed.To be continued.By BradentonLarry for Literotica

Lost in Eros, Book II: The Forest – Part 7 Seducing the Wizard's Wife – 4 days of wizardry. By BradentonLarry -   Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Chapter 10Day One Toshia's day with the satyrsWhen Don awoke, he found himself lying on his back upon a large four-poster bed. There was sunlight pouring in from somewhere, and he had a woman on his left with her head on his chest and another curled up on his right. Trying not to disturb the sleeping women, he opened his eyes a bit further and raised his head to have a look around. The woman with her head on his chest was Shelonda, and the one on his right was Amy, who was spooning Nicole. They were all still clothed, and in what seemed to be a large bedroom. Don couldn't help but remember waking up in the Manor next to Toshia what seemed like a very long time ago. That time the room had been dark and mysterious, and rather Spartan. This time, though, the room was brightly lit as two large windows let in a great deal of light. Although there was definitely the rather serious and looming question of how in the world they had been brought here, there was nothing even vaguely sinister about this room. Adding to the benign aspect of the room was, no doubt, the profusion of cut flowers that covered every available horizontal surface.As Don lowered his head again, Shelonda shifted and then raised her head to look around. When she saw that Don was also awake, she gave him a confused smile. He smiled back as reassuringly as he could and caressed her back. He wasn't terribly surprised to feel her hand moving up along the inside of his thigh. “If danger isn't threatening it must be time for sex” seemed to be the default rule among Eros dwellers.Don tried to think of a good reason to deny himself and Shelonda. He knew they were someplace strange, the guests of some new set of kidnappers, and that they had very likely completely lost track of Toshia, but all of those things had been true for hours, since they had apparently slept through the night, and if anyone meant them any harm, they surely would have carried through on that desire while they had been unconscious, rather than putting them on a comfortable bed. So, when the beautiful woman pushed his kilt up and began to stroke his cock, Don didn't resist and instead pulled her up so he could kiss her warmly. After all the stress of the last couple of days, with the plants, the watchers, the human attackers, and the chase after Toshia – not to mention seeing her cavorting with actual satyrs -satyrs! - it felt very good indeed to lay back and feel Shelonda's mouth on his, her tongue pushing past his lips, and her warm hand on his quickly thickening cock.Moving slowly, so as to not wake Amy and Nicole, Don moved his right arm up so he could get his hand on Shelonda's full breast, squeezing it gently through her tank top. This prompted her to squeeze and pull on his cock more strenuously. Don decided that two could play at that game, and, rolling onto his side a little, moved his right hand from her tit down to her strong left thigh. Slipping up under her skirt, Don's hand slid along her smooth brown skin and around to squeeze her firm ass tightly. Shelonda moaned her approval very quietly. Don kissed her more deeply in a vague attempt to get her to be quieter.Don worked his hand around in front of Shelonda. She parted her legs for him, raising her left one and wrapping it around Don's legs. This left Don free to run his fingers over her very moist lips. He teased her a bit before parting those lips with his fingertips and spreading her juices over her inner lips and clit. Soon his fingers were inside her, slipping in and out of Shelonda's pussy, as Don's thumb pressed against and rubbed her clit. Shelonda liked this quite a bit, and showed her approval by rolling back on the bed, pulling Don with her. They continued kissing as he moved naturally into position over her. Her legs spread and her hand pulling him forward, Don slipped into Shelonda's welcoming pussy. As he sank deep into her hot, wet sex, she reached down to clasp his butt in both of her hands, squeezing and pulling him into her.Their bodies were pressed tightly together as they fucked and kissed, moving slowly against each other on the bed. It was a passionate, loving and intense encounter there in the strange bedroom. Don had become extremely fond of the beautiful young woman, and he knew she felt the same way. The connection between the two of them was stronger and deeper than the casual sex relationship either or both of them shared with the other two women. Amy was a great sexual athlete, Nicole was a playful little minx, but Shelonda had a seriousness about her that made sex with her more than just sex. If it wasn't a romantic coupling, and it hardly seemed quite like that, it was a bit more than friends-with-benefits.Don resisted the urge to fuck Shelonda more vigorously, partly because he didn't want to disturb the others, and partly because the way they were screwing was building up its own intensity. Shelonda pulled him into her tightly with her legs and arms, kissing him intently. Then she threw her head back, gasping through clenched teeth. She let go of his ass to clench the sheets at her side, and then was burying her face into his shoulder. Don pushed himself deep into her clasping, clutching pussy riding out her quiet, intense orgasm by holding her in his arms.When Shelonda slowly relaxed, and lay back on the bed, he smiled down at her happily. She actually blushed and turned her face away.“Well, that looked like a good one,” Amy said. Don looked over to see that the curvy blonde had rolled over onto her back to watch him and Shelonda. Nicole was also watching, but was resting her head on Amy's soft breast. Nicole's hand had already found its way down between Amy's thighs and was busy making mischief there.“Got enough to share with the rest of the class, Professor?” Nicole asked with a smirk.“I just might,” Don grinned over at the two women. Then he leaned down to kiss Shelonda again.By the time he had withdrawn from Shelonda's exquisite embrace, Nicole had gotten down between Amy's legs and was giving some serious head, and Amy had pulled her tank top up over her head and thrown it aside. Don moved around behind Nicole and coaxed her up enough that he could get his cock down and into her waiting cunt. He admired Nicole's narrow waist and tight, brown ass as he began to fuck in and out of her. Shelonda moved over to be close to the action, and soon reached around so she could get her fingers on Nicole's clit. Nicole was only barely able to make Amy come, gasping and twisting on the bed, before she was coming herself.Don still hadn't come, and he was acutely aware of that fact. He pulled out of Nicole and urged her over toward Shelonda. Moving up between Amy's legs, he smiled down at her happy face, and said, “Where do you want it?”“Come on my tits, Professor,” she said immediately.Don nodded, but took a moment to push his cock deep into Amy's juicy twat. After fucking Shelonda and Nicole, he only needed a couple of thrusts into her tight pussy before he was ready to blow. He pulled out of her and quickly straddled her abdomen. He had planned to jerk himself off, but Amy's hands beat him to it. She took him in a tight, enthusiastic grip and pumped his thick organ several times until a huge spout of white cum burst out of him and splattered over her chest, neck and chin. Several days of abstinence, coupled with the XYZ in his system and the sex leading up to this moment made Don's orgasm both extremely intense and voluminous. A second stream of jizz splashed over Amy's tits and then a flood of it spilled over her hands onto her belly. Don felt like he was coming for minutes. As he finally took a deep breath and opened his eyes, Shelonda and Nicole clapped and laughed. He managed to get off Amy while the other two girls closed in on her and began to play with and lick up the cum he had left there.As soon as his head stopped reeling from the intense orgasm, Don decided it was time to have a better look around. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed that there were not only two big windows, but also three sets of doors, all double and all closed. The room had a thick carpet. Don reached down and took off his sandals, and enjoyed the feeling of the carpet on his bare feet. There was a couch against the wall opposite the bed, as well as a large framed mirror. There was a low table in front of the couch and a pair of overstuffed chairs at either end of the table. One of the chairs had their satchels piled on it. Don and Shelonda's staffs were standing in a corner. All of the furniture was in an overly ornate style that Don thought of as rococo, though he wasn't confident that that was the right term. (Perhaps it was baroque, or regency; he could never tell.)Don got off the bed and moved over to one of the windows. They were apparently on the second or third floor and overlooked a vast well-tended and colorful flower garden. There was no one to be seen among the flowers or paths of the garden.He moved over to one of the sets of doors, and was surprised when they swung open of their own accord. Don stepped onto the tiled floor of a large and ornate bathroom, illuminated by an impressive skylight over a huge tub. Strewn about this room were more flowers and a liberal supply of towels and toiletries. As Don moved closer to the tub, water began to pour out of the four faucets set around it. The sound of the steaming, fragrant water quickly filling the bathtub drew the attention of the girls, who quickly crowded into the bathroom with Don.Clothes were quickly stripped off and thrown aside. Although they had only been out of the Manor for a few days, and had hardly been living a hard life outdoors, the opportunity to bathe properly was most welcome. They took quite a while, scrubbing each other clean, which naturally enough led to more splashing about than was strictly necessary as well as more fondling and play.Don was the first to get out of the tub, and so was the first to notice that their clothing had somehow been removed. He dried himself with a heavy, soft towel and then padded out into the bedroom naked. His sandals and Amy's top had also been removed. He moved toward one of the other sets of doors. When they failed to open for him, Don tried the handles, but they wouldn't budge. Frowning, he turned to the last set of doors, which did swing open as he approached. This time he found a large walk-in closet, full of clothing. On the right, taking up about a quarter of the available space was an assortment of strangely old-fashioned men's clothing. On the floor was a good selection of footwear. Don chose a pair of light cotton slacks and a buttoned shirt, and tried them on. He was not at all surprised that the clothes fit him perfectly. As he came out of the closet, the girls were just coming out of the bathroom. Seeing his attire and catching on that there were new, fresh clothes to be had, they swarmed around him and into the closet.They were each able to find at least a quarter of the closet that had clothing perfectly fitted to them, and spent some time selecting outfits. Don was amused to watch them trying various combinations. Ultimately they came out to model their selections, and he smiled to see their individual styles come through. Shelonda was wearing a light vest and a pair of loose silk pajama bottoms that were bloused at the ankles. Amy had on a low cut top and stockings and a garter belt, and a short pleated skirt that flared out from her waist. Nicole had on a form fitting sheath dress with slits running up the lengths of her legs. While Don was complimenting them on their outfits, the third set of doors swung open, revealing a long marble hallway.Cautiously, the four of them moved out into the corridor. There was nowhere else to go, so they proceeded along, until a large pair of doors opened before them. On the other side of this portal, they found a vast dining room, lit by a dazzling number of candles. There were a dozen chairs around the large, long table in the center of the room. There were also bowls full of fruit and gleaming glasses of water. On each of the three walls without doors there were large mirrors. Don eyed those reflective surfaces suspiciously, his mind on the likelihood that they were being observed through those mirrors.Like the trusting souls they were, Amy and Shelonda had made themselves comfortable at the table, drinking and eating freely. Don and Nicole shared a glance, but then joined the others in dining. Only when they had each eaten a small amount of fruit and drank a whole glass of water – in short, when they had their fill – did someone broach the subject that was on everyone's mind.Amy said, “Well, where are we anyway?”“I have no idea,” Don admitted.“You are in my home,” said a deep voice.They turned sharply to see a tall man standing in the doorway. He had white hair and a beard, a prominent brow adorned by bristling eyebrows, a pronounced hawkish nose, and bright eyes glittering at them in the candlelight. He wore a deep blue robe, like one would expect to see worn by a magician in a fantasy movie. He was over six feet tall, and stood erect and easily. Though his deeply lined face indicated great age, he carried himself as if he were quite healthy.“And you are?” Don asked.“I am called the Wizard of the Wood,” declared the man in that voice that reminded Don of a not quite ancient John Carradine.“Well, I am Don, and this is Amy, Nicole and Shelonda. We're grateful for your hospitality. May we ask why you brought us here?”“Of course you may,” the Wizard intoned. “I brought you here so that you might assist me with a particular task.”“Um, well, we were trying to find a friend of ours…”“The one who was, and has been copulating so vigorously with those three satyrs, I suspect.”“Yes,” Don nodded, “that would be her.”“She is in no danger. The satyrs mean her no harm. I believe they are enjoying her company far more than they expected to. She is quite spirited and has a great deal of stamina.”“Well, you seem to be quite well-informed and have resources at your disposal.”“You mean magic,” the Wizard said. “I have magical resources.”“Um, sure,” Don said. “If you could bring our friend here like you did us, we'd be happy to help you with your task.”“There are three problems with that proposal.” The Wizard gestured and a chair slid out from the table. As he took his seat, he said, “One, I have no reason to trust you. This is of small consequence, though, because you would still have your freedom to gain. Two, I believe the desire to be reunited with your friend will be a better motivator in any case. Three, as a matter of fact, I cannot at this time bring your friend here.”“Why not?" Nicole asked."My power is largely focused upon this location. Within the bounds of this house and the grounds I have great power, but to exercise that power to bring people here is … difficult. I do however have the means to convey you to your friend, which means I will make available to you following the completion of your task. I assure you, the task is within your power, and I will compensate you well for your efforts. You will not regret helping me.”Don frowned, “And what if something should happen to our friend while we're here?”“I am monitoring your friend's situation and will find a way to intervene if she should actually be endangered. I am afraid I can only offer you my assurances as to this and my other promises. I hasten to point out that you do not seem to have any other viable options.”“We could try to escape,” Don pointed out.“Feel free,” the Wizard shrugged. “You will only waste time and energy, uselessly.”“Can you give us some evidence that you can actually know how and where Toshia is?”“Your friend? Yes, I think so,” the Wizard nodded toward the large mirror to his right.Looking at that mirror, they could suddenly see Toshia. She was lying back against a satyr, while another satyr was in front of her. Her legs were around the front satyr's haunches and her hands were on his shoulders. It seemed clear that both of the satyr's were fucking her, and, moreover, that Toshia was enjoying herself quite a bit at the moment.“Alright,” Don said after taking a moment to take in the expression on Toshia's face as the satyr's had their way with her, or she had her way with them. “What do you want us to do?”“I want you to seduce my wife.”Don looked at the Wizard of the Wood to see if he was joking. He looked to the girls and saw that they were as confused as he was.“Well,” Don said, “first, you're the first person I've met in Eros who's even in a monogamous relationship, let alone married.”“Yes,” the Wizard nodded, “we have always had an unconventional relationship.”“OK,” Don shrugged. “Why do you want us to seduce your wife?”“Well, it is not so much all of you, as you yourself, Don, though the others may of course help.”“Alright, why do you want me to seduce your wife?”The Wizard stood up and began to pace alongside the table as he spoke. “We live alone here. The house and my power see to it that we want for nothing. I love my wife very much. She is a wonderful woman and a good companion. However, I am aware of what goes on out there in the world. I see the fun people have in the woods. I can watch the witches of the glen working their orgiastic magic. I know what goes on in that Manor. I want to enjoy some of that fun, Don. I want to convince my wife to have an open marriage.”“Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that,” Don admitted. He noticed that Nicole was having a very hard time keeping a straight face, while Amy and Shelonda simply seemed confused.“Have you talked to her about this?” asked Don.The Wizard shook his head, saying, “Oh, she would never agree to it. She is far too jealous and possessive. She would think I do not love her any more and that I just want to couple with other women.”“But, you do want to ‘couple' with other women,” Nicole pointed out.“By all the gods, yes!” the Wizard shouted. “I want to so very badly. But it is only sex. Do you know how long we have been married?”“No, of course…”“A very long time, believe me! I love her madly, of course, but I need some variety now and then. I honestly believe it would do each of us and both of us as a couple a great deal of good to enjoy other people. Having sex with just the same person for many years is simply not healthy.”“Well, I can't argue with that,” Don smiled. “So, what are you thinking?”“If you seduce her, make her want to sleep with you, it will give me the opportunity to broach the subject.”“That's extremely indirect,” Don mused.“What if she doesn't want to sleep with Don, or just wants to sneak around on you?” Nicole asked.“My wife would never do such a thing,” the Wizard insisted.“Perhaps,” Don said, “but, as much as I hate to ask this, what about that other option? What if I can't seduce her?”“If you give a good faith effort to seduce her but she does not succumb, I will grant you your freedom and help you find your friend.”“Are you sure you don't just want us to help you talk to her?” Don asked. It had just occurred to him that the Wizard's wife was going to be as ancient as he was.“No,” the Wizard said with finality. “I have given this a great deal of thought, and I am certain that would never work. It has to be done this way.”“Alright, then,” Don said. He looked around to gauge the reactions of the women; Nicole shrugged, while Amy and Shelonda both nodded. “We'll help. I take it you have a plan, then.”Day TwoToshia is caught by the warrior women and is taken to their castleThe next day, the Don and the three women had a brief conference, during which they considered the merits of attempting to escape from their luxurious prison. It was Nicole who pointed out that even if they were able to get out of the house and the grounds, however far those might extend, they would have no idea where they were or how to find Toshia. It did seem that their best bet was to cooperate with the Wizard of the Wood and trust that he would honor his end of the bargain.So, they passed the day exploring the immense house, going only where the doors would allow them to pass. There was no sign of anyone else in the building, though everything was dusted and the flowers and fruit were freshly laid out. They found a large library, an indoor pool, and a billiard room, among other less well-defined rooms. Following the spirit of the Wizard's plan, they deliberately resisted the urge to fill the day with sexual play. Instead, they built up their frustration by engaging in playful banter and flirting. Things became particularly heated during their skinny-dip in the pool. Don had to herd the women into the showers, which did frankly very little to help, except that it introduced an all-too-ephemeral break in the action. Amy was particularly wound up by the time they returned to their room to change for dinner.“I will tell my wife that we have guests,” the Wizard had explained. “I'll say that you were travelers who I rescued from hooligans using my magic, and that I offered you hospitality for a few days.”“Hooligans?" Amy had asked."That's what I call the bands of ill-mannered men who roam about the forest attacking anyone they come across.”“We met some of those,” Don had nodded.“It didn't end well for them,” Nicole said quietly, looking across the table at Don.“They are thoroughly unpleasant,” the Wizard had scowled. “Anyway, I will tell my wife that you seem to be very interesting people, and I will arrange to have her looking in on you during your dinner. You use that time to, shall we say, put on a show for her.”“A show?” asked Shelonda.“Yes, well, a demonstration of unfettered sexuality,” the Wizard explained.“You want us to have sex for your wife to watch,” Nicole said.“Yes,” the Wizard nodded. “I know my wife enjoys reading books with erotic scenes in them, and I suspect seeing one played out in front of her eyes will titillate her. Moreover, the fact that there are more than just two of you will work to our advantage if we are to be successful in tempting her toward a more open attitude toward sex.”“I think we can manage that,” Don smiled at the three women. He knew Amy in particular would rise to the occasion.“Remember, though,” the Wizard had admonished before bidding them goodnight, “it must seem spontaneous. If my wife suspects chicanery she'll never go along with the rest of the plan.”The three women all wore outfits that were at once frilly and feminine and were also simple enough that it would be quite easy to have sex in them. Nicole wore a form-fitting, backless dress with a very short skirt and puffy sleeves, all in black with large bright red flowers. Shelonda wore a frilly little sundress in light pastels. Amy wore a silk negligee and a long, sheer robe. All of the girls surprised Don by wearing high heels. For himself, Don wore dress slacks, a white shirt and a dark blue jacket. As an afterthought, he added socks and perfectly shined, black dress shoes.Arm in arm en masse the foursome left the bedroom and headed to the dining room. Along the way, Don reminded them to act as if no one was watching.“But, also make sure we put on a good show,” Amy pointed out.“How are we supposed to do that?” Shelonda wanted to know.“Well, make sure that anyone looking can tell what you're doing; don't cover up anything,” Amy suggested.“And make noise,” added Nicole. “Let everyone hear that you're having a good time.”“Wow,” Don said, “that's really good advice. You're making me horny already.”“You have to wait a bit, Professor,” Nicole winked.With that they came to the dining room and gathered around the middle of the table, Don and Shelonda on one side and Amy and Nicole on the other.“Who do you think puts out this fruit and water?” Amy asked, as she picked up and examined a red apple.“I have no idea,” Don shrugged. "Perhaps the same person who washed our clothes and put them back when we weren't looking yesterday.“"Our host, maybe?” wondered Nicole.“The Wizard?" Amy laughed. "I doubt that.”“He doesn't exactly seem the sort to do housework,” Don admitted.With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Amy sank her teeth into her apple and leaned over toward Nicole, who, catching on immediately, bent in to take a bite out of the opposite side of the fruit.While they were doing this, Shelonda said, “Well, whoever's doing the cleaning and other stuff, it sure is nice of the Wizard to let us stay here.”“We should try to find a way to thank him,” Amy said around a mouthful of apple.“Oh? What did you have in mind?” Don asked with a laugh.“There are lots of ways a girl can thank a man,” Amy smiled, taking another bite of the apple.“She can say, 'Thank you very much, Mr. Wizard, sir,'” Nicole smiled coyly while she toyed with a strawberry.“Exactly,” Amy laughed, “but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.”“Whatever could you mean?” Nicole asked. She had now turned toward Amy and was running her hand up and down her arm. “Oh, you mean…”“Exactly!" Amy grinned and grabbed a nearby banana. She proceeded to peel it slowly."But isn't he rather old?” Nicole persisted mischievously.“He seemed healthy enough to me,” Amy said as she pulled the last peel down. “Anyway, I think I like older men. Plus, he's quite tall, and that usually means…”“You think so?” Shelonda joined in.“I do,” Amy said. “Anyway, I'd be happy to show my appreciation.” To demonstrate her capabilities, she slid the length of the banana into her mouth and down her throat.Don and the girls laughed, and Don said, “Well, fruit's one thing. Are you quite sure you're up to the real thing?”“Quite sure, sir,” Amy said after swallowing the last of the banana down.“I'm unconvinced,” Don said with a frown.“Well, how in the world can I convince you?”“You could show him on his cock,” Shelonda said with exasperation. Don thought she was the best actress of the bunch.“Alright, Professor, hop up here on the table and let's see what you've got,” Amy grinned.Don stood up and took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, while the women pushed the bowls and glasses out of the way. Then, he climbed up on the table and knelt in front of Amy. Getting into her act, Amy ran her hands up along Don's thighs and made a show of unfastening his pants. She slipped her hand into his slacks and took hold of his quickening cock. Pulling it out, she held it up for Nicole to see.“Very nice,” Amy said, “but it needs more work, I think.” She lowered her head to Don's lap and took the entire length of his cock into her mouth. Pulling on it with both her lips and hand, she quickly had him fully hard.While Amy was doing this, Shelonda climbed up on the table next to Don so she could see too.Amy pulled back to show the girls that Don was now erect. “That's more like it, Professor!” Amy said. “Now, what was it I was going to do with this?”“Oh, I can show you,” Shelonda offered quickly.“By all means,” Amy laughed.To be continued.By BradentonLarry for Literotica

这则成语出自《庄子·天运》，比喻模仿别人，不但模仿不好，反而出丑。 This idiom comes from "Zhuangzi: Heaven's Fortune" (3rd century BC). It is a metaphor for imitating others, and ending up with making fool of oneself.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you! For listeners old and new, The Coconuts Podcast is now WTF is Up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong, where we bring you the Coconuttiest trending news and pop culture stories from across the region. It's pretty much the same podcast you know and love, but in a format better dedicated to the stories you want and need to hear. Tune in (and let us know how you feel about it!). Other stories include: Woman rages and rips license plate off of car on Tuas Second Link, police investigating | Women and men to be segregated on angkot minivans following sexual harassment incident | Special delivery: Cambodia to extradite dozens of scam suspects to Thailand | Fractured inheritance: Man in Bali broke his penis while engaging in cowgirl position | Man in Hong Kong apparently falls to tragic death while trying to retrieve AirPods that fell out of window | Frowning not allowed: Town mayor orders all government employees to smile while serving the public WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong delivers impactful, weird, and wonderful reporting by our journalists on the ground in eight cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon, and Bali. Listen to headline news on matters large and small, designed for people located in – or curious about – Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. WTF is up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong is available on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe today!

Adam Dawes from Shaw and Partners and Rudi Filapek-Vandyck from FN Arena go in-depth and stock specific. Stocks covered: PSQ, BSL, PLT, FMG, DSK, REH, DGL, ARU, SHL, SSM. Watch here to find out whether now is the time to have a shopping list of 'buys' on hand or 'hold' onto cash. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

And we're back with Season 2, Episode Four of the Undeniable Level Up Podcast.  For those who missed our last episode, we discussed Embracing the Suck, where Professor Minh Nguyen, a 3rd Degree Taekwondo and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt discussed how he learned to embrace the suck in his pursuit of not only mastering one, but two martial arts, and how he continues to do this as the owner of Aspire Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School, an affiliate of the Pablo Silva Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school, where Crystal and I both train and compete. In life, you'll find that not everything is going to go according to plan.  The reality is that shit happens. The plan you had at 15 is not the plan you have at 21, and it is not going to be the plan that you have at 30.  Why?  Because shit happens.  The one definite thing you can depend on is that shit is going to happen.  And when it does, your success depends 100% on how you pivot from that thing that has derailed you. This is where most people fail.  Your inability to side step a challenge, your inability to get passed a road block, your inability to overcome an obstacle, derails you in a way where you find yourself spiraling, making bad decision after bad decision, until you finally hit rock bottom.  But this doesn't have to be your story. So, you lost job? Okay, time to find a new opportunity. A side hustle.  Oh, your car got repossessed? Okay, time to learn public transportation and find out who your real friends are.  Damn, your home got foreclosed on, okay, time to find a roommate.  None of this changes the fact that it's not time to stop and lick your wounds.  It's not time to cry about what could have been and it's not time to whine about it.  It's time to side step, pivot in a new direction and keep it moving. In some instances, especially when something catastrophic happens you can find yourself needing to pivot into a role that you are unfamiliar with.  And when this happens, you will need to fake it 'til you make it.  That doesn't mean lie on your resume.  It doesn't mean, pretend you're something that you are not.  It doesn't mean, apply for a job you're not qualified for.  What it does mean, is figure out what you need to be successful in this new position you find yourself in, and do what you need to do to become successful. This might mean that you need to learn a new skill, like carpentry or welding.  And although you may be 40 years old and just graduated from welding school, you need to fake the confidence of a 20 year veteran welder when you apply for that new welding position, until being a veteran welder becomes your reality. Maybe you just left the military and you're looking for a corporate executive job.  Fake it 'til you make it, means dress the part, speak the lingo, exude the confidence of a corporate executive, until it becomes your reality.   Maybe you just got out of prison where you spent the last 8 - 10 years paying your dues to society and now your looking for a way to provide for your family.  Fake it 'til you make it means, developing the job skills necessary to create a career, find a mentor who can teach you a path and learn as much as you can, take every opportunity given and do the job assigned to you better than everyone around you, until you are so fucking undeniable in your skillset that being the best is your reality.  Today we are here to discuss how to Fake it Until You Make, and we have a special guest and a very good friend of ours.  AJ Franco.  For those of you meeting AJ for the very first time, AJ is a Supply Chain leader and executive currently residing and working in Northern CA where he leads a Fortune 500 grocery distribution center.  AJ is no stranger to the concept of faking it until you make it and has had his fair share of "shit happening". Paulo Coelho has been quoted as saying "You must be the person you have never had the courage to be. Gradually, you will discover that you are that person, but until you can see this clearly, you must pretend and invent." Does Paulo's approach to faking it seem dishonest or sneaky? When we discuss the act of faking it, what we are truly focusing on is your ability to be confident in an environment where you lack confidence.  We have all been in a situation where we have found ourselves under-prepared and not fully confident in either our preparation, our capabilities, or our knowledge.  When we do find our selves in these types of situations, it important to find that confidence intrinsically.  So when should you not fake it? When you lack knowledge or credentials to perform a job When you are required to be deceitful or dishonest. If you are creating a visual representation of success that is beyond your financial situation If you are creating an environment that will be unsafe or dangerous   Have you ever faked it when you shouldn't have?  How did that work out?  What did you learn from it? Confidence impacts the way others view you.  The way others interact with you and it impacts the way you see yourself.  You are capable of manipulating your brain to think of yourself as more confident.  This rewiring can have a long lasting impact and become second nature for you as you become more and more confident.  We are going to provide you with the 15 ways to level up your confidence so that you too can fake it until you make it.  Has a lack of confidence ever held you back from achieving a goal or accomplishing an objective? The first method is one of my go-to favorites.  Its Power Posing.  You get the opportunity to harness one of your super heroes!  Using positive and empowering body language, like power posing, you are able to get over your fears and stressors.  This can happen when you find yourself in a new and an uncertain environment.  It is a great way to exude and boost confidence.   Power posing was made popular after Amy Cuddy, a Social Psychologist who conducted a Ted Talk where she shared scientific evidence that substantiated that power posing can build confidence and enhance self esteem.  Although today, some psychologist have challenged Amy's findings, they all agree that there is an impact on a person mentally, even if physiologically, there is not much of a change. The second is doing something that you are great at.  It is possible that there will be times in your life when your confidence will waiver of dip.  This happens when you're underprepared for meeting, or you get caught off guard by a question.  Don't allow that uncomfortable feeling to linger longer than it has too.  Go and do something that you are great at and remind yourself that although you don't have the answer to every question, you are good at a lot of things. Have you been in a situation where you lost confidence and how did you recover from it?  What caused the confidence loss?   Thirdly,  is maintain eye contact.  It is a dead giveaway that your confidence is lacking when you have difficulty making or maintaining eye contact.  If maintaining direct eye contact begins to make you uncomfortable or uneasy, a good method to fake it, is to focus on the person's nose or mouth instead.  This gives the impression that you are still engaged and focused. The fourth is manage voice projection, intensity and speed.  A lot can be determined from how you speak and communicate.  Someone who is mumbling or speaking softly will come across as not confident.  When you are feeling like your confidence level is not where it should be, try projecting your voice more.  Also speak slower.  Speaking fast is a telltale sign that you are nervous and lack confidence.  Remind yourself that what you are saying is important and value added.  This will also help reduce the number of filler words you might use when speaking faster than your brain can formulate your ideas, and also help reduce any accidental stuttering. How do you communicate in order to display confidence in that communication?  Have you had challenges here?   The fifth way is dress to impress.  You should always dress for the job that you want not the job that you have when it's practical of course.  You're not going to wear a suit to pick up trash on the highway, but you should take your wardrobe selection serious and wear appropriate fitting clothes.  Wear clothes that make you feel confident.  Clothes that make you look good and feel good. How have you followed this philosophy of "dressing to impress?"  Has this been successful for you? Sixth way is to remember to smile.  People associate a smile with friendliness and positivity.  It makes you approachable and believe it or not, smiling has a positive physiological change.  Frowning on the other hand has the exact opposite impact. Seventh, listen to motivational and uplifting music.  This can include songs that pump you up, or speeches with positive affirmations. This is a great way to put your "symbolic armor" on! How have you used music or positive affirmations to motivate and drive up your confidence? Eighth, practice deep breathing or meditation.  This a great way to calm your mind, control your anxiety and focus on being present.  When doing this try to clear your mind and be present by focusing on your breathes entering your lungs and processing throughout your entire body.  When noise starts seeping into your mind, quiet it again by focusing on being present. How do you work on being present and controlling your energy in moments of high stress, discomfort or lack of confidence? Ninth, loosen up.  You don't want to be too relaxed especially in a professional environment or setting, but being too tense or rigid can be a sign of no confidence.  Ensure you are not clenching your jaw or pulling your shoulders back.   Being tensed can be a sign of anxiety. Tenth, be a good listener.  Being a good listener means you are actively listening.  When someone is speaking, you are making direct eye contact, leaning forward and providing responses to indicate that you are listening.   How do you actively listen?  How do you do that in a tense of challenging environment?   Eleventh, document your victories. Journaling or keeping a diary is a great way to remind yourself of all of your accomplishments.  It allows you to document goals and achievements. Do you keep a journal? Does it help? Twelfth, act as the most qualified person in the room.  If you have the answer to a question, share it.  If you have something to share, then share it.  Ensure that those around you are able to benefit from your knowledge and experience.  Remind yourself that you are value-added to the discussion.  At the same time, if there is something that you don't know, then search for the answer so next time you will be better prepared to answer a question. How have you acted like the most qualified person in the room? Thirteenth, redirect attention in uncomfortable settings by asking questions of others.  Redircting attention away from yourself, pulls you out of the limelight and places focus on others.  It also allows you to learn more about others and build connections. Fourteenth, learn to accept compliments.  Shunning or downplaying your compliments can be a sign of low self esteem and lack of confidence.  Learn to say thank you.  Never deflect a compliment to someone else. How do you deal with compliments?   Fifteenth, learn to love the process.  Do not look at failure as a destination, or a binary act.  Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow,  Embrace a growth mindset and learn from your failures so that you are always slef improving and becoming better today than you were yesterday.  Take calculated risks with the understanding that there will be some failures and that your plan will be to learn from them. How have you learned to love the process? Amy Cuddy says, "Don't fake it till you make.  Fake it till you become it." What is the difference between faking it until you make and faking it until you become it? People, its time to level up. If you're in a situation where you are having to fake it until you make, whether that's in a new job, in school, on a sports team or in a new relationship, then I encourage you to purchase the book, 'How to Fake It Til You Make It', by Shontavvia Shropshire and Kay Young.  This book will provide great examples on HOW to fake it til you make. Let's stop allowing a new environment, or a change in our situation to slow us down from achieving  our goals when working towards our objectives.  Let's begin to work internally on our confidence so that we can bring our best selves to the fight every time.  Whether that fight is in the boardroom, the warehouse floor, the classroom or in a relationship.  Learning when and how to fake it till you make will help boost your confidence, your knowledge and your expertise so that you can achieve success where others may struggle. It's time to level up how we transform ourselves into what we need to become in order to succeed.  Take a step to living a life without limits, a life where anything is possible.    ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:7-11, 20-21"Can you think of anyone who needs a friend?" Abby's Sunday school teacher asked the class. "During His time on earth, Jesus sought out those who were rejected or ignored by others so they would know they were loved by God. When we reach out to those who are lonely, we're showing them the love of Jesus, who sacrificed His life so we could have a place in His family. Who can you show God's love to this week who might be feeling lonely?" Abby tried to think of someone, but there wasn't anyone at her school who seemed lonely. Her class was small, and the kids all knew each other well. When Abby got home, her dog, Moppet, met her at the door. "Hi, Moppet," Abby crooned. As she sat down to pet the little dog, Abby's brother Topher walked through the kitchen. Moppet promptly jumped up and followed him.Frowning, Abby glared after them. "Why does Moppet always prefer to be with my brother?" she muttered under her breath. Sighing, Abby got up and went to her room.Later that day, Abby noticed that her brother didn't seem very interested in the TV show he was watching. I wonder if Topher is lonely, she thought with a start. We've only lived here a little while, and he doesn't seem to have many friends yet. Abby remembered how she felt when Moppet often chose to follow Topher instead of her. Is that how Topher feels? she wondered. Sad and lonely because everyone else in our family feels at home and has made friends except for him? Abby thought again of her teacher's words. I couldn't think of any lonely people this morning, but I didn't even consider my own brother. She sighed. Maybe that's why Moppet chooses to follow Topher around--because he knows Topher needs a friend.Abby went to the kitchen and got two glasses of milk and some cookies. She put them on a tray and took them to the living room. Topher looked up in surprise when Abby offered him cookies and milk. "What's that for?" he asked. Abby shrugged. "I just thought we could have a snack and hang out."Topher smiled. "Okay," he said, and they sat down to watch his show together. -Linda WeddleHow About You?Do you know someone who's lonely and could use a friend? It might be someone at your church, your school…or even in your own family! Ask God to show you someone who needs a friend. Then reach out to them and let them know you care. Through your kindness and friendship, you can let them know that Jesus loves them and has a place for them in His family.Today's Key Verse:He who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:21 (NKJV))Today's Key Thought:Be a friend to others

Karsten and Ben of the Mental Health Monday Podcast come on and cure us of our depression.Linksto MHM below!!!Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3w83XwQX091wYxCB1ObPZl?si=zIvkfkNtQyS2chzVx9d47Q

Remember, we welcome comments, questions and suggested topics at thewonderpodcastQs@gmail.com   S3E7 TRANSCRIPT:----more---- Yucca: Welcome back to the Wonder Science-Based Paganism. I'm your host Yucca  Mark: and I'm Mark, Yucca: And today we have a really special episode. We have, what was it that you called it? A.  Mark: Literary interlude.  Yucca: a, a bit of storytelling, dreaming and poetry for the spring, which a lot of us are in that place. And here in the Northern hemisphere where we're going into spring, where, Ooh, we want to get going. We want to, we want to just get out there, but it's still, still a bit nippy, not quite there yet. And so it's still that time of dreaming and storytelling. Getting ready for all of it.  Mark: Right. Yeah, it's that in between time and, and we, we were a little bit at a loss to know what to talk about today. So. We've, we've fallen back on on poetry and stories and that kind of thing. These are. The poems come from my book a red kiss, which is my second book after the atheopaganism book and is a collection of poems of mine going all the way back to 1993--selected poems, not all of them just the good stuff. So I'm really happy to share. I write on a variety of different kinds of themes. So these are these sort of go all over the place. So settle in and we'll, we'll start out with an atheist prayer :  AN ATHEIST'S PRAYER Praise to the wide spinning world Unfolding each of all the destined tales compressed In the moment of your catastrophic birth Wide to the fluid expanse, blowing outward Kindling in stars and galaxies, in bright pools Of Christmas-colored gas; cohering in marbles hot And cold, ringed, round, gray and red and gold and dun   And blue   Pure blue, the eye of a child, spinning in a veil of air, Warm island, home to us, kind beyond measure:  the stones And trees, the round river flowing sky to deepest chasm, salt And sweet.   Praise to Time, enormous and precious, And we with so little, seeing our world go as it will Ruing, cheering, the treasured fading, precious arriving, Fear and wonder, Fear and wonder always.   Praise O black expanse of mostly nothing Though you do not hear, you have no ear nor mind to hear Praise O inevitable, O mysterious, praise Praise and thanks be a wave Expanding from this tiny temporary mouth this tiny dot Of world a bubble   Going out forever meeting everything as it goes All the great and infinitesimal Gracious and terrible All the works of blessed Being.   May it be so.   May it be so.   May our hearts sing to say it is so.   Yucca: Mark. That was beautiful. Mark: Thank you. That's the one that I ended the atheopaganism book with actually there's a little one page chapter called what it looks like, and that's that's what's on that page. Yucca: The, the imagery, I just, just closing my eyes and listening, as you said that, and could just, just feel my. Changing perspective and flying through coming down from the galactic of you into the eye of the child. Just, just amazing.  Mark: Thank you. so much. This is one called "Blessed". And it's got a dedication: for my people. You know who you are.  Yucca: Hm. BLESSED I am among the blessed.   I am of the kind who leaves the glaring tube, remembering And goes to watch the moon rise silver through the trees Breathing purple and chill, stinging pine.  I am Among the blessed:  I know the acacia, the first daffodil, The irises unsheathing cream and violet labia in the green wet of May. I tune for the new music on the radio:  I turn it up.   I am among the blessed:  I drink wine by firelight, clothes rank with smoke, Bright silver twisted through my lobes.  I know secrets; They are tattooed on my body where the sleeves can cover them, They read   Blessed, and only if we are lucky enough, you and I, courageous enough To shed our clothes together will you read them.    Seeing scarlet leaves drift down, Perhaps, with ice around the moon, or the steel bones of the oaks against Orion, Knowing we are among the blessed, that we miss nothing, that we will eat this life Like a chocolate mango, like Beethoven ice cream, Moaning our joy with each sweet bite. This next one is dedicated to my friend, Ellen Lewis. And it's about getting older. It's about how maybe it's just because I'm very, I'm a very sort of skeptical person, but I always find it a little hard to believe that somewhere, 1975. Isn't still out there; that I could, that I could go to that place again. And those people would be there and it would be that place again somehow. The, the passage of time is kind of baffling to me in a way. So this is called A FAR COUNTRY. It comes in moments, thinking: Oh, that year is still out there somewhere. We could drive Far into the night and come upon it, A world of remembered fashions and faded devices.   But then your bones confirm: no. Those days are gone for always, lost In the strangeness that is the passing of time. We are older now.   Remembering, there is always the will to bring What has been gained on this roadworn way back On that trip: strapped to the roof like campers' gear, Waiting to unfurl and make a new home.   We would have our wisdom and our youth besides then. No aches and infirmities, and optimism bright as peaches, Innocence without inexperience. We would have all We have won by endurance, and cost free.   The far land of the past would take us then, unmake The failures and embarrassments, take The work and sorrow from us, the mistakes, Leaving gold, and we young and beautiful to spend it.   Oh, if it were only so.   But we are not passengers--nor drivers, really: We calve like ice from floes laid down in bygone snows Jagged and dangerous, mostly unseen And float down the currents, rounding Softening Learning our depths as we diminish until Blue with history, curved and scalloped With knowing this great ocean at last We are melted into the vastness of things.   Yucca: Hm. Mark: That's one of my favorites actually.  Yucca: I love that last line melted into the vastness of things.  Mark: Yeah. Cause it's what happens Right? Yucca: Right? Mark: When our time comes, we get disassembled and melted into the vastness of things.  Yucca: Yeah. Well, and that's, that's what, I mean, we weren't anything, but that's what.  Mark: right.  Yucca: And we're just a piece. We're a ripple in that basket for this time. And then the wave dissipates and returns back to just being part of the whole ocean.  Mark: Right,  Yucca: Hm. Mark: right. So this is something for the season. This is called SPRING LAUGHS. It begins with a giggle: The tiniest white tendril reaching from the secret soil Like a child's laugh, the purr of a cat and then Raising, greening leaves and flowers peal across the meadows, Carpet even what was once severe, sere, Frowning brown in summer's dry thatch, A deep belly rumble of soaring chlorophyll Spreading wanton leaves, dangling perfumed sex Climbing to nod and wave come and get me, These meadows, Brazen to the skip of children gathering posies Bees lumbering slow in the crisp morning air You, and I, perhaps, gone down to the stream To lay down in that place, screened by waving rye And the laughter of the stream gurgling out like a baby's delight Playing with our playthings as we do, exploring The whole world green and gripped with the howl of it: Spring come at last. Yucca: That makes me want to get out and be in the spring. Come on spring, be here already. Oh, beautiful. Thank you, mark. Mark: Thank you so much. And the last poem that I'll read, and then I'll tell a story is a Christian heresy poem. This is called MARY MAGDALENE IMPENITENT.   And so I have become an object lesson to these old, dried men. A cautionary tale.  They know nothing, these friends, these hangers-on, They have only their dreams of what was given them, the longed-for balm, Freedom from their secret lusts as seen In the mirror he was for each he met, As Pilate did.  And I.   What they do not tell you in their book fills chests of scrolls In the library of my heart, will die with me.  His sorrow, his rage, his agony They embrace, they exalt, the old men who think this fire in their eyes is his —When it is their own— But his sweetness, his passion, his humanity they choose to forget, confounded That a whore held his confidences, that we shared what they could not, Who would consume him, tear him to pieces and eat him to have what he was.   Who will tell that his skin smelled of honey in the sun?  That his mouth was red As berries, filled with juices, alive on me, how long his fingers were, and gentle,     How his back arched when he spilled into me?  Who will say that he laughed often, And at little things?  That he snored?  Loved figs and pomegranates, But did not care for dates? Who will remember his fear, his questioning?   I cursed the corrupt old men when they took him from me. I cursed God.   And I repent nothing.  Not even this.     Highly maligned and unfairly treated character. Mary Magdalen. Really doesn't get her props.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So now along the lines of something completely different, here is a campfire story. This is called POTOK AND THE HUNDRED-THOUSAND YEAR FIRE. And it's for all my pagan friends out there, because it's really about us. There was a night—long, long ago—when we had captured fire. This was many years before we knew how to make it. We found it in a tree which had been struck by lightning, carried it in a gourd to where we made a camp. And that night, we gathered around where the fire was fed to grow fat and snapping. We saw one another's faces in the flickering light, and felt the warmth even in the dead of night. It was a miracle. No predator would dare come near. And we were all together, in a circle, about the dancing, magical fire. One night, meat was plentiful. A man named Potok had killed a cave bear after a fierce battle. Our bellies were full and grease hissed in the fire, and when we had eaten, Potok stood and told his tale: how he had lured the bear and crept upon it, how his spear went deep, and then he leapt upon the bear with his flint knife. The bear's fangs hung, fresh and bloody, from a thong about his neck. We cheered and ate some more. The next winter, Potok died. We buried him with the bear fangs. But that night at the fire, and many nights thereafter, we told the tale of Potok and the bear. And the tale, as tales will, grew in the telling. There followed many fires. We took fire into caves. We drew the bear, and the cave lion, and the aurochs and the bull. Again and again we returned, our torches flaring, to blow ochre against our hands, flattened against the wall, signifying, we were here. And we told the tale of Potok. We spoke his name over our weapons before we hunted. Before long, we were asking Potok to help us in the hunt. As if he were still alive. As if he still existed. And the tale, as tales will, grew in the telling. There were fires, and fires, and fires. We brought them into our houses. We built cities and learned to plant crops in rows. Circles became lines. And Potok was joined by warriors and heroes and lovers and queens and kings and demons and angels and devils and djinn and ifrit. Until at last they all rolled into one. One hallowed name. And the fires dwindled to tiny candle flames. But still we gathered. Still we whispered the sacred name. Even as we gathered to kill one another. Until—gradually, very slowly—we didn't. We learned. We brought our fire into laboratories and harnessed it for engines and turbines and rockets. We found that they flew just as truly, even when we did not invoke the name of Potok. And so many of us left him behind. In growing numbers, the people no longer spoke the name of a Being who had once been Potok. Which brings us to this night. This fire. At a time when we are finally forgetting the name of Potok. This fire is a place for us to remember the look of each others' faces in firelight. To gaze upward to the Moon, remembering: we went there. To celebrate anew our humanity, our lives on this generous world, now that Potok no longer distracts us from it. One day, generations in the future, the tale may be told of this fire. Of this gathering. Of the People Who No Longer Needed Potok. It is unlikely that our names will be remembered, but the fact that we gathered at this fire may be. The fact that we began to build the culture of those who celebrate living, who revere the Sacred Cosmos, who bind to one another in community and family…all without Potok. And that tale, in all likelihood, will grow with the telling. For that fire will burn not here, no. Look up. To the stars. That fire may well burn up there. Where people will tell their tales of how we sallied forth, armed with knowledge and filled with reverence, to the sky.   Yucca: Thank you mark. Mark: You're welcome. You're welcome.  Yucca: I hadn't heard that one before. I like it. Mark: Yeah. Yeah. It's got a happy ending.  Yucca: It does. Yeah. And, and we, we still gather around our fires.  Mark: we do.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: It's it's hardwired in--the fastest way to make new friends on a beach is to light a fire. People will just look like a magnet. People just come on over.  Yucca: Yep. Yeah. And there's that? There's just something deep. So deep in human to sit around a fire and look up at that sky. The stars, the moon.  Mark: Yeah, there sure is.  Yucca: And the quality of seeing their face lit by that fruit, that flickering dancing flame. Mark: And the smell, the smell of the smoke, all it is just really primordial, just. Gets to parts of yourself that are way below the thinky parts.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: Yeah.  Yucca: Well, I hope that everyone gets to have. Many fires this year, right?  Mark: But no wildfires.  Yucca: No wildfires.  Mark: No  Yucca: Let's, let's, avoid those. Let's do safe fires that,  Mark: Well controlled domesticated fire.  Yucca: yes. That put out well, and, but, but you know, that, that experience right in it in a safe way, I'm sure that our ancestors. Accidentally and often purposefully caused quite a few. But if we could skip that one today, the purposeful, an accidental war wildfire, but the sitting around and, and even if it isn't, sometimes we can't go outside and have that outside, but there's something that the candle still reminds us of that. Right.  Mark: Yeah,  Yucca: It's. Mark: well, and we're going to get to do that because we're going to century retreat in may.  Yucca: That's all right. Mark: be leaving there three months from today.  Yucca: That's right. And one of those nights weather permitting. We should be having a fire under the, a lunar eclipse. Mark: Yeah, full lunar eclipse. It's just we, And this was an accident we didn't, we didn't plan for it We got that retreat center for the only weekend it was available for the entire year. Yucca: And it happened to be a total lunar eclipse at an, at an hour that most people will still be awake for.  Mark: Exactly. So.  Yucca: So there will be lots of late evening activities during the retreat. But for those of us who can't quite stay up that late, there will also be the option of going to sleep. But the rest of you, I hear are going to have lots of fun in the evening. Mark: Well, that's, that's certainly the plan. Yes. And you can go to atheopagan ism.org and the pinned post at the top of that is all about how you can register to go to the century retreat. It's in Colorado Springs, from the. I want to S w is it The 13th, through the 16th or is it the 16th through the 19th of Yucca: The 13th, let me, let me double check that. But  Mark: so, so I'm wrong about our leaving a month from today? It's actually, it'll already be over.  Yucca: Let's see, let me, I'm pulling up my calendar right here. I remember that it's the beginning of may. So let's see. It is the 13th through 16th.  Mark: Okay.  Yucca: Yep. So it'll be that it's the second weekend of may. And we still have a few. So there's a, there's a few spots left for people who are interested in and we'll both be there and we'll be doing an episode from there. Mark: Yes. Over, over the lunch hour, we'll be interviewing people.  Yucca: Yep. And hopefully we'll be able to be depending on a wifi, hopefully blue people to be publishing that live. But if not, we'll, we'll do it as soon as wifi permits.  Mark: Right, right. But supposedly the wifi is quite good in the dining halls. So. if they're correct about that, then we'll be able to do a live broadcast and that'll be fun.  Yucca: That'd be exciting. Yeah. Well, I have to practice and figure out how to first, but we'll do it. We'll figure it out. So yeah, that's, that's coming up and we would love to tell poetry, tell stories, and read poems and do all of that around the, the campfire with you. Mark: Yes.  Yucca: Yep. Mark: I am. So looking forward to it. I mean, it's, it's just this stacked up layer of wonderful things. First of all, seeing people at all,  Yucca: Yes. Mark: it doesn't even matter who they are, but then seeing these people around a fire in, you know, you know, a wilderness area, it's, just, it's going to be so beautiful. I really can't.  Yucca: you know, it's Ponderosa pine forest, just beautiful. Just wonderful. I haven't been to that specific place yet, but I know the, you know, it's the Rockies. I know the Rockies and they're just. They're amazing and great time of year, you know, we'll have the full moon and it'll be so wonderful to see people in person that we've been hanging out with over zoom and doing meetings and all of that for, you know, two years now. Mark: Yeah. More in some cases. Yeah.  Yucca: Right. So it'll be great. And I'm bringing a couple telescopes too, so we'll have that. Yeah. I think that this is a little bit of a shorter episode than the normal, but mark, thank you for sharing those beautiful poems with us in the story and  Mark: Well thank you for suggesting it. It hadn't occurred to me, but it's, it's nice to get my stuff out there. All right, everyone have a wonderful week and we will see you next week on the wonder science-based paganism.

Not feel like smiling? Yeah, I get it, things are kind of crazy in the world. Frowning seems more appropriate. But hold on: smiles are nice, and we all need to feel (and share) warmth and light as much as possible, in my grumpy opinion. Well, the good news is that sometimes all it takes to get the ball rolling--or the smile glowing--is simply putting a pen in your mouth, thereby artificially positioning your facial muscles into the facsimile of a smile. And then, due to the marvelous unity of our physical and emotional/spiritual selves (part of the miracle of G-d's creation), "smile" has somehow been neuronally registered and dopamine is released in our brains. And that means we begin to FEEL happier. The "external" smile has awakened, or induced, an "internal" and genuine feeling of greater well-being. Modern psychological studies have confirmed it...but it's a classic truth discussed in traditonal Jewish sources long before. The external can awaken the internal. Of course, we have to work directly on our inner selves too, and that is primary: studying Torah deeply to absorb its life-affiriming wisdom; praying; cultivating real relationships with others, etc. But taking external action to move ourselves in a better direction--even in the absence at first of the inner joy or spark or inspiration--can be a tremendously helpful strategy to employ to make our lives better. So follow Rabbi E's advice: put that pen in your mouth...and start to smile!

It's the last episode of the year! Vee and J are joined by special guests, Seattle-area comedians and overall amazing human beings Linda Farza and Howie EchoHawk to talk about how the year made them all feel. Special Guests: Linda Farza - @LindaFarza on Twitter and @Linda_Farza on Instagram Howie EchoHawk - @HowieEchoHawk on Instagram and follow @Indigenize_Productions on Instagram Special thank you to FCON for loaning us their song Liquid Fury for our intro! Their bandcamp: https://fcon206.bandcamp.com/track/fcon.

Saving Faith Is Incompatible with Partiality... I. Partiality is Evaluating People Positively and Negatively based on External Factors! (1) II. Partiality takes God's Place as Judge then replaces it with Evil Motives! (2-4) III. Partiality Contradicts God's Attitude and Charactertowards People! (5-7) Practical Implications o What External are you prone to honor/dishonor people over? o What steps are you taking to identify and fight partiality? o How can you be part of the solution?

Three million years was a long time. An awful long time. It was so long that Doyle Tingler believed his brain fully incapable of processing the implications of its length, and so did his best to spare the poor thing that unpleasantness. Doyle vacillated his thoughts between two subjects. The first was his quest to find his girlfriend Kirsten, who ran off to join the Nikola's Children cult shortly after Doyle had proposed to her. Three million years crammed in a stasis chamber with Sarah the security officer–his friend's would-be-kidnapper–had not dulled his desire to complete that quest, though thinking about how he might go about it now, given his current predicament, tended to darken his mood considerably. The other subject towards which Doyle more frequently steered his thoughts was, much to the chagrin of those around him, thinking of and listing all the films, television shows, and books he knew of that resembled his present situation in some way. “Red Dwarf,” said Doyle, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. Sarah put her face in her hands and sighed dramatically. “You've said that one.” “Have I?” Sarah nodded emphatically. She put down the small black book she had been writing in before Doyle had interrupted her, and launched into a nasally voiced imitation. “Dave Lister, after being put in stasis for smuggling a cat aboard the deep space mining ship Red Dwarf, finds himself resurrected in deep space three million years later and…” “It's odd, isn't it?” interrupted Doyle, ignoring Sarah's mockery. “I mean that it was also three million years.” “Whatever,” Sarah said, rolling her eyes. “Except in that show Lister was the last human alive, so it's not exactly like this, since there's two of us. We do have an android, though,” Doyle added, thinking of Desmond, the artificial intelligence that had piloted the Nikola's Children ship–the Ark–for three million years before crashing it into a planet and copying himself into the robot body they found abandoned there. Doyle shook his head. “But no holograms. What about Farscape? Have I mentioned Farscape yet?” “You mean the show where John Crichton finds himself flung to a distant corner of the galaxy where he has to navigate the socio-political fabric of several unfamiliar alien races as he searches for a way home?” asked Sarah. “Yes,” said Doyle. “Never heard of it,” said Sarah. She returned her attention to her book. “That doesn't fit, either,” said Doyle. “It didn't take place in the future. Also in Farscape there were aliens, but I think everyone we've met so far is essentially human, give or take a few million years of evolution. Zuli says it's a widely held belief that all known life originated from a common source. I suppose that would be Earth, though I gather that's a religiously contentious opinion nowadays. “No, Farscape is close, but I feel like I'm forgetting something even better…” Sarah snapped her book shut and stood up. “Well, be sure not to bother me with it when you've figured it out.” She pushed past Doyle toward the hallway that led to her quarters. Bae, the tiny rhino-pig that had been napping at Sarah's feet, woke up and stretched lazily, then trotted after her. “Oh, I know! Planet of the Apes. Not the new ones, but the old Charlton Heston one. Or the Tim Burton remake. Except those were all on Earth,” Doyle mused, following Sarah and Bae into the hall. “Leave me alone,” said Sarah, quickening her pace. “Maybe the Culture books by Iain M. Banks. Or Dune. Didn't that desert planet with the sand worm remind you of Dune?” “I'm not listening,” said Sarah. “Oh! Did I tell you about Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy yet?” Sarah screamed. Zuli leaned back in the captain's chair and frowned at the patterns that danced across the large curved screen in front of her. She had agreed to help Doyle find Takkah IV, where he believed the Ark had been taken, but to do that they would have to find someone who knew more about the Orubus Belt–an area of space not widely renowned for its abundance of friendly encounters. “I've zoomed the sensors out,” Desmond said. “You see those jiggly patterns in the upper left? It's radiation that the ship's computer calls non-random chatter. And it's at a volume that indicates a totally massive communications hub of some kind. Like a station or an inhabited star system. Might be a good direction to head, see if we can get close enough to decode some of it and listen in.” “Very well,” Zuli said, glancing over at the large robot. A snaking tendril of cable connected Desmond's arm to a console against the wall of the bridge. “I am grateful to you, Desmond. Your interface to the ship and your instruction in its operation has been invaluable. It is just too bad the ship computers did not contain more information about the Orubus Belt.” “Nobody ever mapped this part of space out, eh?” asked Desmond. “I imagine someone has,” said Zuli. “Just not where I am from. People outside the Belt tend to view it as a forbidden zone of sorts. A place that only criminals and fools have any interest in.” “Which one are you?” asked Desmond. Zuli smiled. “I suppose I might fit into either category, depending on who you ask.” After a moment of silence, Desmond spoke again. “Can I ask how you came into possession of this ship? I've found some old crew manifests, and there's no mention of the name Zuli.” “Zuli is a name my mother called me. My full name is T'chaka Zulinaar,” said Zuli. “But you won't find any mention of that name either, I am afraid.” “In the crew photos and video logs, they have… I mean, they look rather… well, they don't look anything like you,” said Desmond. Zuli pushed her hands through her short white hair, and looked away from Desmond with her striking orange eyes–feeling a little foolish at how self-conscious the robot made her. “My people have never been technologically inclined. We have no ships of our own. In fact until a few hundred years ago, my people had not been aware such a thing was even possible. We believed we were alone in the universe. “One day, emissaries from a race calling themselves the Igidi landed on our planet, ending centuries of philosophical and scientific debate and disabusing us of any notion that we were somehow special. The Igidi came under the guise of friendship, offering to be our guides and protectors as we established ourselves within the greater interstellar community we had been ignorant of too long.” “But they had ulterior motives?” Desmond guessed. “Yes,” said Zuli, feeling the memories of how she left her home planet weighing heavily upon her. “Let us suffice it to say, for now, that this ship is a mere drop in the ocean of recompense owed my people by the Igidi. And its original crew is… well, is no longer in need of its facilities. “Due to the hasty nature with which I acquired it, aside from basic navigation and communications, I am largely unfamiliar with the ship's systems. That is why I am so thankful that the Prophets led you to me.” “I see,” said Desmond. Thankfully, he seemed satisfied for the time being with her vague explanation and didn't press Zuli for further details. “For now, I agree with your recommendation,” said Zuli. “I will plot a course in the direction of the ‘non-random chatter.' Please have the computer alert us once it is able to decipher something.” Desmond nodded his head, featureless except for the glowing blue dots where a human's eyes might be. “Aye aye, captain!” Having been rudely snubbed by Sarah, who had locked herself in her quarters, Doyle decided to do some exploring. He called Zuli up on the ship's comm system and asked if she knew of any books on the ship he could take a look at, with the idea to put his translator cells to the test and possibly learn more about what had transpired over the last three million years. She informed him that the ship did indeed have a library, and gave him rough directions to get there. He thanked her, set off, and quickly found himself utterly lost in the ship's many identical corridors. During his vagaries, Doyle came across some curious rooms–there was one that looked like a medical lab, with a gurney sitting beneath a hanging gun-shaped contraption that looked like something out of a Bond movie; there was a completely dark room, shunning all external light to such a degree that at first Doyle thought he was looking at a black wall–an idea quickly refuted when his hand passed through the blackness, completely vanishing at the wrist; there were closets storing various bottles and jars that Doyle couldn't identify; a football-field-sized room filled with dozens of raised platforms at different heights–perhaps an arena for some futuristic sport, thought Doyle; but most of all he passed unoccupied quarters, storage rooms filled with crates and bins, and plain old empty rooms. Doyle wondered what Zuli had been doing all alone on a ship that was clearly built to house hundreds of crew and passengers. She had told them she “inherited” it, and that while she entertained guests on occasion–such as the madman who had tried to kill Doyle and Sarah after they first arrived–she invariably ended up on her own once her guests achieved whatever goal they had enlisted her help for. Or gotten themselves blown out an airlock, Doyle supposed. How long had Zuli had been at it–this life of nomadic virtuousness? And, whatever the answer, how had she survived that long? There must be more to her than the meek, pale-skinned delicate woman she appeared to be. Doyle pushed the thought aside as he slid his hand over another door's access panel. The door slid open to reveal what looked like a theater–a dozen rows of seats lined up, facing away from the door. But the floor was level, not angled as Doyle would have expected, and the front row looked barely three feet from the wall at the far end of the room, leaving no space for a screen. Doyle stepped inside and peeked over the closest row. Each seat had what looked like a headset resting on it, attached to one of the armrests by a thick black cable. His mind started racing. Could it be some kind of virtual reality headset? It would explain the lack of a screen. He picked up a headset to inspect it. It didn't look like any virtual reality headset that Doyle had ever seen. There was no goggle-shaped housing for the optics. It looked more like a hairnet of criss-crossing metal strips, with small cylinders jutting out wherever the strips intersected. Doyle's bemusement grew as he sat and hovered the headset over his head. It can't be virtual reality if it doesn't cover your eyes, right? Doyle wondered for a brief moment if what he was doing was wise. Fuck it, thought Doyle, and rested the metal contraption on the nearly non-existent hair covering the top of his head. The headset hummed to life. Doyle heard clicking and felt pinpricks of pressure on his skull as the tiny cylinders clamped down. The room went hazy, and then Doyle was plunged into darkness. Disoriented, Doyle felt like he was falling. He waved his hands in front of his face, but saw nothing. Nothing but pitch blackness in all directions. Panic gripped his mind, rising in him like a swelling tide. And then, a blinding light, and Doyle was standing on a pool of water. Looking down, he saw a vast city of smooth gray skyscrapers and interweaving highways miles beneath him. Water rippled from his feet when the sudden sensation of height made him stumble. He crouched and ran his hand over the water's surface–it felt smooth and dry, but more ripples shimmered out from the path he traced with his fingers. It felt smooth and dry. He could feel! He lifted his hands–they looked like his hands–and brushed his cheeks. His graying beard-hairs tickled his palms. He looked down and saw he was wearing the same clothes he had put on that morning. A woman's voice echoed in Doyle's mind, but the language was alien to him. After a moment, it repeated. Shit, thought Doyle. Why weren't the translator cells working? Zuli had mentioned when they first arrived that they wouldn't work on Desmond because he was a computer; perhaps that meant the translation didn't work in computer simulations either. Whatever the reason, Doyle had no way to communicate with the program. “Uh, I don't understand,” said Doyle. “Can you understand me? How does this work if I don't know the language?” A white rectangular slate bearing an array of photographs materialized, floating in front of Doyle. There was a photo with a palm tree hanging over a sandy beach with deep blue water stretching off to the horizon, another that looked like the inside of an office building, one that showed a person pumping his fist triumphantly at the apex of a snow-covered mountain, and a dozen more each showing a different scene. Doyle found that when he waved his hand an inch above the slate, its surface panned in all directions, revealing new photos for each one that scrolled off the opposite edge. Doyle grinned, grateful for the language-agnostic interface. He continued panning around the photos. There were hundreds of them. Glowing jellyfish suspended all around in an underwater scene. A man decked out in metallic armor, holding a rifle. A deep, purple sunset against a blood-red sky. Doyle felt a tinge of excitement run through his body. So many possibilities! He stopped scrolling when he spotted the photo of a woman's lips, slightly parted, teasing a hint of white teeth and pink tongue. The mouth was positioned innocuously between a photo of dense jungle and one of a group of free-falling skydivers. Light reflected off the glossy red lipstick. Doyle looked down at his legs, and poked one of them with his finger. The pressure felt so real. He wondered how far the headset's ability to simulate physical sensation might go. But was this okay? Could he do this? An unwelcome memory surfaced in Doyle's mind. He had been visiting his parents for the holidays. Everyone had retired for the night, and Doyle was alone in his old childhood bedroom, watching certain videos on his phone to help him… relax. In the fits of his relaxation, he unwittingly activated a feature on the phone that wirelessly transmitted its contents to the nearest television set. His parents, who had been enjoying their nightly ritual of watching the news in bed before going to sleep, had taken quite a while to recover from the sudden unwelcome interruption. Would Desmond, an artificial intelligence, be judgmental? Doyle didn't think so. And Doyle didn't care what Sarah thought of him–she made it generally obvious that she despised him anyway. Zuli, though, was another matter. Doyle didn't know how he felt about her–she seemed wise, respectable, and devoutly religious. She would probably disapprove. Then there was Kirsten. What would she say if she ever found out? Doyle sighed. “It's been three million years,” he said out loud. “I think she'd understand.” He delicately brushed his finger against the bright red, swollen come-hither lips, as though shushing their owner to keep silent about the deep, dark, shameful secrets he would soon be baring. “The ship has managed to decode some of the transmissions,” said Desmond. “There are a few using the CIL.” Zuli nodded. The advent of translator microbes had slightly diminished the importance of the Common Interstellar Language, but the microbes only worked over short distances, and didn't work on recordings or computers at all. The larger civilizations–and most of the smaller ones, including Zuli's–at some point in their history adopted the common language as a new primary language, often abandoning their native tongue entirely over the course of a few generations. “May I listen?” asked Zuli. A crackle sounded through the bridge, followed by hundreds of overlapping voices, like the indecipherable thrum of a massive crowd. “Can you isolate any individual signals?” asked Zuli. “There's a ton of interference,” said Desmond. “But I'll see if I can clean it up a bit.” After a moment, the sound of the crowd faded, still audible but reduced in volume. “…engines have failed, all attempts to…” a lone voice rose above the crowd, swallowed by static before Zuli could make out the rest. Zuli glanced at Desmond. “…received your distress signal and are on our…” a woman's voice this time, again fading to obscurity before Zuli could make out anything useful. “…something is preventing us…” more static cut off a man's voice. “…out of time,” a woman's voice suddenly leapt to the forefront. “Requesting urgent assistance from any nearby…” The panicked voice receded. Zuli leaned forward in her seat. “They all sound distressed,” she said. “We must help them, if we are able.” The quiet murmuring voices stopped, replaced by the familiar background hum of the ship. “I'm not sure that's a good idea,” said Desmond. “The way these broadcasts are layered on top each other seems suspicious. I think they're all recordings–I've detected repetitions. I don't think we can trust them.” Zuli frowned at Desmond. “I cannot turn away from those in need,” she said. “It is the will of the Prophets. It is their…” she paused, searching for a better word than ‘punishment.' “…their edict for me that I should live in the service of others, regardless of cost or danger to myself.” “The thing is,” said Desmond, “all these signals are now at a strength indicating they're close. Like, really close. Like well within sensor range close. But so far the ship's scanners are still coming up empty. Also if there really are thousands of ships in distress out there, is it really wise to rush headlong in to join them without knowing more?” “You speak much sense, Desmond,” said Zuli. “Do you think something is interfering with the sensors?” “There are some abnormal electromagnetic readings, but no indication that the sensors are malfunctioning,” said Desmond. “I cannot simply abandon these ships without knowing more,” said Zuli. Her thoughts turned to Sarah and Doyle. While her decree from the Prophets demanded she forswear her own safety, it did not compel her to–and in fact strictly forbade her from–endangering others. Now that she had rescued them, Sarah, Doyle, Desmond, and even Bae were her wards, and part of her duty to the Prophets was to ensure that no harm came to them. In that regard, it seemed to Zuli, Sarah and Doyle were very much in need of her help. She couldn't believe all aspects of their story–such as their absurd claim to be from Earth three million years in the past–but she did sense that they were oddly out of place. They seemed like newborn babes in their naivete and unawareness of the way of things. And they both seemed to harbor such guilt over their current predicament–Sarah coped by insulting and ridiculing Doyle at every opportunity, while Doyle coped by pretending their relationship was a friendly one, often going out of his way to be kind to the girl. Such an odd companionship, thought Zuli, and yet she couldn't help but find it endearing. Zuli shook her head clear, returning her thoughts to the present. “Let us proceed with caution. Reduce speed, and continue to scan for the ships or any sign that may shed light on the nature of their peril.” Zuli used the console on her armrest to start an outgoing hail. “Distressed ships, I have received your message. Please respond using this same frequency modulation with more details on your situation.” “I'll monitor for responses,” said Desmond. Only a few millicycles passed before Desmond spoke again. “I'm picking up a signal matching your frequency modulation, it could be a response,” said the robot. “Play it please, Desmond.” “Distressed ships, I have received your message. Please respond on this same frequency modulation with more details on your situation.” Zuli furrowed her brow. “I meant play the response, not my original message.” “Um, that was the response,” said Desmond. “Seems your message bounced back at us.” Frowning, Zuli shifted in her chair. Why would a distressed ship rebroadcast her message instead of replying? It seemed a purposely strange thing to do under any circumstance, aside from running a communications relay or signal booster. “Desmond, was the broadcast altered in any way? Perhaps amplified?” “Only in that it's been layered in with all the other communications from the other ships.” Zuli had a bad feeling. “Desmond, I find myself now in agreement with your initial assessment. I believe we should leave this place. At once, if possible.” She hoped it wasn't already too late. “Reversing course, full speed ahea… Um, that's weird,” Desmond paused. “What is it?” “As soon as our main engine powered down, the broadcasts from the other ships just… stopped.” The knot forming in Zuli's stomach tightened. She made the sign of the prophets, reciting a short prayer requesting their blessings. “Desmond, get us out of here.” “I'm trying, Cap. Something's wrong with the engines,” said Desmond. A small light flickered on the bridge's display, and a chirp signaled an incoming video comms request. Zuli looked at Desmond, wide-eyed. “It's another ship,” said Desmond. “Came out of nowhere. It's hailing us.” Zuli inhaled deeply, then slowly let the air out, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. “Very well,” she said. “Accept the request, Desmond. On screen.” Desmond instructed the ship to accept the incoming hail, then routed the video feed to the screen in the bridge. “Greetings!” exclaimed a wide-faced man. The top of his head was bald, but wild bushes of dark hair streaked with gray clung to the sides. Smokey glass set in a pair of brown-rimmed goggles obscured the man's eyes, and he spoke the common language in a raspy voice. “I'm Captain Vesprent Bunko,” continued the man. “And you, my friends, seem to be in a bit of a pickle!” “Hello, Captain,” Zuli said. “I am T'chaka Zulinaar, stewardess of this ship. We are experiencing some engine trouble, but are working on repairs and should be back under way soon. Tell me, we followed some distressed communications to this location, did you detect them as well? Is that why you came?” The man chuckled and shook his head. “Don't hold your breath on those repairs, honey. You followed a lure–but don't feel bad, the communications you followed were replays from hundreds of other ships that fell for the same trap. Once you get close enough it activates a dampening field. That's why your engines ain't working.” Desmond activated the ship's sensor array and initiated a scan, hoping to detect some sign of the dampening field. The scan kicked off, but was running much slower than Desmond had expected–it seemed that something else on the ship was tying up most of the computer's processing power. “What do you know about the dampening field? Has it affected your ship as well?” asked Zuli. “Good question, toots,” the man replied. “I reckon the field only affects electromagnetic propulsion engines like yours. I guess whoever set it up doesn't give a crap about old combustion-powered junkers like mine.” That explained why the maneuvering thrusters still worked, thought Desmond. It also gave him narrower parameters for his scan, which was still running slow. The process bogging down the ship's computer was one with which Desmond was unfamiliar–it was the first time he'd ever seen it running. “I see,” said Zuli. “Do you know who set this trap? Was it you?” The man laughed. “Nope it ain't mine, and frankly I never stuck around long enough to find out whose it is. I saw some of the other ships that did stick around, though. Or, what was left of them… “Look, babe, here's the rub. I got a tow line that I can use to pull you out of the dampening field before the bad guys show up, but if I'm gonna help ya, you gotta make it worth my while. Know what I mean? So my question to you is, whaddya got to trade with? Any currencies? Valuable cargo?” Desmond's scan uncovered some electromagnetic anomalies. He kicked off a deeper analysis, but the computer reported it would take over an hour to complete under its current processing load. Desmond inspected the mystery process hogging the ship's computer. He found an open network socket, and probed it. The resulting data feed from the process appeared to be a video of some kind, with an ancillary channel for audio communications. “I am afraid we do not have any currencies,” Zuli said, shifting again in her chair. “There is some cargo that was left by the ship's previous crew, but I do not know if there is anything of value. You are welcome to come aboard and look through it once we are safely away from…” “Nah, ah,” said Bunko, cutting Zuli off before she could finish. “Service will be rendered after payment. What is that you've got there…?” Bunko's head grew larger on the screen as he leaned forward and peered around. “Some kind of robot? What does it do? Does it work? You know what? I don't even care, I want it. Just pop it out an airlock so I can scoop it up and I'll have you outta that dampening field in a jiffy.” Desmond remained motionless and silent, unsure of how Zuli would respond. “The robot is decorative,” said Zuli, glancing at Desmond. “A statue of sorts, of little worth. But I am afraid it is not mine to offer. We have several matter replicators, however, capable of producing a wide variety of…” “Uh huh,” said Bunko. “I got some of those already. Give me the robot and I'll save your asses, or don't and wait for them to be ravaged instead. That's my final offer. No skin off my back either way. But don't take too long. See that ship that just popped up on your long range sensors? It's gonna be here in under a cycle, and you don't wanna be here when it does. Give me a hail when you come to your senses.” The communication feed from Captain Bunko's ship terminated and the bridge's screen went blank. Zuli exhaled loudly. “I do not trust him, I believe he set this trap.” “Maybe so,” said Desmond. “But he's right about a ship on long-range. It's quite a bit bigger than us, and coming in real hot. “But get this, I think I've detected the dampening field. If I could analyze it I might find a way out. But a process I've never seen before is monopolizing the ship's computer, and I'm not sure if I can safely kill it. It's exposing some kind of video communications feed, I was about to connect to see if I can figure out what it is.” Zuli furrowed her brow. “Can you put it up on the screen here?” “Sure thing, Cap.” said Desmond. “One moment…” Desmond connected to the communications socket on the rogue process. The view screen flashed back to life, and the sound of Doyle groaning suddenly saturated the bridge. Zuli stared in disbelief, speechless, at the image that had materialized before her. Doyle sat in a chair at the center of the screen, wearing a black dress with a form-fitting top and a tight skirt down to his knees, bound at the waist by a glittering sequined belt. His feet were clad in black high-heeled shoes with black straps that snaked and laced their way up his calves. Thick white makeup caked his face and beard. Two pale gray featureless humanoid beings stood like mannequins on either side of the chair, each with one hand on Doyle's shoulder and the other on his arm, as though holding him down. “Doyle?!” Zuli exclaimed. On screen, Doyle started looking around wildly. “Zuli? Is that you? Oh thank God! Where are you?” A third being like the ones flanking Doyle appeared, approaching him with its back toward the screen. It held something toward Doyle–Zuli couldn't see what it was, but from Doyle's expression she could only imagine what horrifying form of torture it implied. “Doyle! What is going on?!” Zuli cried out, standing up from her chair. “Are you in trouble? Do you need help?” The being stopped, standing directly in front of Doyle and obscuring Zuli's view of him. The thing leaned forward, and lifted the thing it carried to Doyle's face. Doyle started grunting and groaning. Zuli looked away, toward Desmond. “Desmond, what is this? What are we watching? What are those creatures doing to him?” “I… don't know,” said Desmond. “I think we tapped into some kind of virtual simulation.” The creature stopped moving. After a moment it turned and left the same way it had come, revealing what it had done to Doyle. Doyle's pale white face was now punctuated with ruby-red lipstick, bright pink blush, and deep purple eyeshadow. The two beings on either side of him pushed his shoulders forward, then lifted him by the arms into a standing position. “Zuli, please, you've got to get me out of here,” sobbed Doyle. “I'm trapped in this fucking nightmare make-over simulation. I thought it was… Well, never mind what I thought. Just tell me how to get out. Is there some command? A hand signal? I've tried everything but it just loops over and over and over…” Zuli sat back down in her chair, exasperated. “We do not have time for this, Doyle,” she said curtly. “Desmond, kill the process. Run your analysis. How much time do we have?” “Aye aye, Cap.” said Desmond. The screen went blank. “A little over half a cycle ‘til the ship gets here.” The bridge fell silent. Zuli closed her eyes, and prayed for the Prophets to guide Desmond, to show him a way out of this trap. After a short while, Zuli heard Desmond move slightly. She opened her eyes and looked at him expectantly. “Let me show you the anomalies, Cap.” the tall robot said. “Anomalies? More than one?” “Yes,” said Desmond. The bridge's view screen activated, showing a top-down view of Zuli's ship next to a much a smaller one–presumably Bunko's–near the center of a large red circle. Outside of the circle, was a smaller red oval shape. “The larger circle is, I believe, the dampening field. It should be possible to nullify it by pulsing an EM wave at the right frequency, but finding that frequency will take some time.” “Time is, unfortunately, a luxury we are short on,” said Zuli, studying Desmond's diagram. “What is the smaller shape?” “The other shape is a second electromagnetic anomaly,” explained Desmond. “It's different from the dampening field–hard to get a read on it because it deflects almost every form of radiation in a really strange way.” “Strange how?” “It absorbs radiation on one side, then emits it on the other, almost like it passed right through, but a fraction of a nanocycle slower than you'd expect,” said Desmond. “The only reason I even noticed is because Doyle's simulation slowed my first scans down, causing them to burst-fire like a machine gun. It made the timing discrepancies easier to detect. If the scan had been running like normal I probably wouldn't have noticed.” Zuli considered Desmond's explanation. Something about Bunko's ship seemed odd to her. “Desmond, what is the nearest star system to our present location? Are there any stations or outposts nearby?” “The nearest star system is the one we passed seventeen cycles ago, and there are no stations or outposts that the long range scanners can detect.” Zuli nodded. Her expression hardened. “Desmond, please hail Captain Bunko.” “Cutting it pretty close, ain't ya?” the grating voice of Captain Bunko accompanied his image on the view screen. “I was about to cut and run.” “I think you may find that difficult to achieve without your ship,” said Zuli. Bunko's forehead crinkled above his goggles, and his mouth formed a bemused smile. “Oh? Are you gonna shoot me? That would be rather callous of you, considering that I am offering to help. And it would be rather foolish of you too, considering I'm your only ticket outta this mess. Besides, your energy weapons won't work in the dampening field, and I'm pretty sure I could dodge any combustion-powered missiles you sent my way, assuming you even got any.” “Oh, we have some,” said Zuli, smiling sweetly back at Bunko. “This is an Igidi prime warship, Captain Bunko. Designed to wage war against entire star systems single-handedly, and fully armed with a wide variety of weaponry to ensure its adequateness at that task.” The smile on Bunko's lips faltered slightly. “Well, regardless of all that, it's still like I said. Shooting at me won't do you any good. Look, that ship of yours sounds impressive. Maybe we can come up with a different deal to…” “Oh I have no intention of shooting at you, Captain Bunko,” said Zuli. She used the console on her chair to fire the maneuvering thrusters, rotating the ship slightly to expose its side toward the smaller anomaly. “You see, that is another thing about Igidi prime warships, Captain. They are extremely sensitive to cloaking technology. If your shuttle has the capability, you will see that I have a weapons lock on your cloaked ship, which I have detected just outside the dampening field. “Oh, and Captain Bunko,” Zuli glared at Bunko, still smiling sweetly. “I would wager that your ship is not as capable at deflecting physical munitions as it is energy scans, am I correct?” Bunko, shaking with rage, slammed his fists down on the console in front of him. “Wait!” he cried. “Damn it, wait just a millicycle.” “Captain Bunko, was it not you who just recently advised me not to take too long? I intend to follow that advice. Arming torpedo bays four through eight. Firing in five, four, three, two…” “Gwahahaha!” Bunko's raspy laughter crackled through the bridge. “Oh, you're good. You're fuckin' good, I'll give you that. Look, I'll tow you outta the dampening field. Just promise not to shoot. Gotta act fast though, we're cutting it close.” “Thank you, Captain Bunko. I accept your terms,” said Zuli. “I will power down my weapons once clear of the electromagnetic anomaly. And be assured, this ship is fully capable of hitting a stationary target, even while you are towing it.” “Oh, I've no doubt of that!” Bunko's laughter continued for a moment until the screen went dark. Zuli leaned back and sunk down into her chair, sighing heavily. “Can I say something, Cap?” Desmond asked. Zuli waved her assent at him. “That was fuckin' badass!” cried Desmond. “How did you know the second anomaly was his cloaked ship?” Doyle asked. He sat across from Zuli at one of the mess hall tables. Sarah sat next to her, smirking at Doyle. “A lucky guess, Prophets bless me,” said Zuli. “It did not make sense that Bunko would be so far from any inhabited systems. It would take him a megacycle to get anywhere with combustion engines, and the fuel required to do so would not even fit in this ship, let alone his little shuttle. The only logical conclusion was that he had another more powerful ship nearby, and the second anomaly was the only clue we had. It was a bluff, but one that paid off.” Doyle, nodded approvingly. “You saved our lives again. I don't even know how to begin thanking you.” “No thanks is necessary,” said Zuli, smiling warmly at Doyle. “My path is to serve others, in the name of the Prophets.” Doyle noticed that Sarah was still grinning widely at him. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and looked back to Zuli. “Were you able to get any information out of Bunko? Did he know anything about Takkah IV?” “No, I am sorry Doyle. Once we were free of the dampening field I prioritized our escape from the approaching ship.” “I understand,” said Doyle. It disappointed him that a possible source of answers slipped through their grip, but he couldn't blame Zuli. He studied her from across the table, suddenly wondering just how old she was. The contrast between her short silver hair and youthful looking face beguiled him–she could be anywhere from thirty to sixty, he thought. Zuli noticed Doyle's attention on her and looked away from him, blushing slightly. “You're staring, Mrs. Doubtfire,” said Sarah in a monotone voice. Doyle narrowed his eyes. “What?” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” repeated Sarah. “Or no, what about Tootsie?” Doyle turned and looked frantically at Desmond, who had been sitting quietly at the end of the table. “You didn't!” said Doyle. “I didn't?” asked Desmond. “You did!” said Doyle. “I did,” admitted Desmond. “You were much hotter than Robin Williams, though,” Sarah said. “Dustin Hoffman, too.” “Wait, you saw me?” asked Doyle. “Oh sure, Desmond published a video of the whole thing for me.” “You published a video?!“ Doyle glared angrily at Desmond, who remained sitting quietly. “Did you ever see White Chicks?” asked Sarah. “Well, it's been fun catching up, Zuli, but I really gotta go,” said Doyle. He stood up, violently knocking his chair to the ground before turning and walking quickly toward the exit. Sarah stood and rushed after him. “Oh and that other one, what was it? To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, something something…” “I'm not listening,” said Doyle, walking faster. Sarah picked up her pace to match his. “What about TV shows? What was that guy's name… RuPaul? RuPaul's Drag Race! That's perfect!” Doyle screamed. “Are you certain?” Bunko didn't know why he even bothered using video comms with the Takkah dark priests. The shadowy figure on his view screen lived up to his name–almost entirely shrouded in darkness. “Yeah I've seen images of the other ones you guys are hoarding. It was definitely a Constructor sentinel,” said Bunko. “And it was inactive?” “Yeah, busted like all the others. The chick said it was like a decoration, or statue or something. I had to get out of there to avoid the Corpseship, but I did manage to record her heading before I skedaddled.” “Send us your ship's data,” said the dark figure. “Everything it recorded during the encounter.” Bunko squirmed slightly, trying to build up courage. His relationship with the Takkah Empire was a tenuous one at best. He knew very well what the consequences would be for outright defiance–he would never go that far. But he couldn't just let it go without at least attempting to bargain. “I feel like maybe this information is worth a little more than the standard fare? Wouldn't you agree?” he said tentatively. “It's not every day I bring you a lead on Constructor technology, after all.” Bunko's question was met with a long moment of silence. A bead of sweat made its way over the top of his goggles and streaked down the glass. Had he misjudged? He suddenly wished he had kept his mouth shut. “You will receive the usual payment,” the figure replied at last. “But should your information lead to the acquisition of Constructor technology, we will be amenable to the possibility of additional compensation.” “Good enough for me!” said Bunko, feeling both relieved and annoyed. “The data's on its way.” “Make no mistake, Mister Bunko, the Takkah Empire does not tolerate insubordination among its vassals. I caution you against attempting such negotiations in the future. Other priests may not be as… forgiving as I.” The view screen shut off. “Fuckin' creep,” Bunko grumbled as he prepared to transmit the data that he had doctored. He scrolled through the sensor output, grinning devilishly at his ingenuity. He had altered it just enough to keep Takkah of his ass–sending them on a wild goose chase. The priest could shove his “possibility of additional compensation” right up his shadowy ass, thought Bunko. They were gonna pay, alright. He'd make them pay a thousand times the usual fare, once he had that white-haired bitch and her robot.

Cleaning the GarageApple Podcast Reviews:TruckerSlothBest Nintendo PodcastSean with his upbeat personality and Caito with her spicy takes really play off each other well. It's always a blast to listen to and I can't wait for every episode to air. Take a listen and enjoy it yourself.The PlaylistCaito: Monster Hunter Stories 2:Wings of Ruin Demo (Release Date: July 9,2021)Sean: Mario Golf: Super Rush, Pokemon Go!Braking NewsThe Nintendo Switch (OLED model) arrives on October 8 and will cost $349USD or $449CAN. It features 64GB of internal storage and a 7” OLED screen with a slimmer bezel. The large screen's vivid colors and high contrast deliver a rich handheld and tabletop gaming experience. It features a wide adjustable stand that can be set to your preferred viewing angle for comfortable gameplay in tabletop mode. The Dock is upgraded as well, with two USB ports, a HDMI port for connecting to a TV and a new wired LAN port.Antix @Antix64: It's a brilliant purchase for anyone who's interested in getting a Switch for the first time. The OLED screen is nice, but otherwise there's not much incentive to upgrade from my current system, especially with the rival consoles out now.ARGO @ARGO_227: No Bluetooth, no processing upgrade, only 64g storage - makes it a hard pass for me. I'm assuming this will just replace the current model. But if they are working on a ‘pro', shouldn't they have announced they are to keep people informed if they want to buy this or wait..Josh Stapleton @mttgstreetteamSome nice improvements, but it doesn't match up with all the wild Switch Pro rumors for the last few years. Still though, those were just rumors and on the whole I'm cool with this new version. I'll have a more concise opinion after hearing more in-depth details about it.Mostly Martinez @MartinezMostlyIf you don't have a need for another Switch might be a harder sell. But if you do need to add an extra Switch to the family it's a no brainer in my opinion. As my son has pretty much stole mine…I have a good excuse for a little upgrade that I am more than happy with!Mike Fire Blaze Knight Fire @BlazeKnight0923Not too exciting for a current Switch owner who already hardly plays Switch. The black and white color scheme is pretty nice though.Essential Josh @JoshBonesLooks cool. I'm pretty shocked it's not graphically improved at all though. I wonder what the price point will be .Brent Robinson @Okotokslawyer (pronounced oak-uh-tokes lawyer)No Joy-con fix. Frowning face No improvement to graphics. Frowning face No price drop on basically 4.5 year old hardware. Frowning faceMetroid's 'Dark Samus' amiibo I

Brooke talks about being appreciated. Sequoia talks about spending quality time. We talk catcalling! Have you ever been approached by swingers? Follow us on social: IG: @lovelocsvibes Twitter: @lovelocsvibes Facebook: Love, Locs & Vibes Email us at lovelocsvibes@gmail.com

This week on the Career Suicide Podcast, Matt talks about Godzilla vs Kong, Mitch talks about VR, and the two of them react to the new Space Jam trailer. SHOW NOTES: - Godzilla vs Kong - Space Jam 2 - Adult stuff in kids' movies - VR gaming - Thumper is a bad game - Stone Ocean - Naked Vengeance - Sega Astro City Mini - Hacking arcade machines - Windows and Linux - Console exclusivity - Dead or Alive - Redo of Healer - Shaman King remake - Streaming services - 8bitdo and Retro Fighters - CRT television collecting - Frowning women

BBC Award-winning vocalist, actor and broadcaster presents his funny and often moving highly-personal stories from an excessively colourful life. Each episode contains a current diary musing, a portrait of icons present and past, and an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir. "A master of quietly fearless intimacy" The Guardian Produced by Jamie Safir Original Music by Tristan Ryder

Well, kind of. We talk about the history of Lester Wire and the original electric traffic lightAlso, would emojis help encourage you to slow down? Frowning faces sure seem to help us!Thanks to the Salt Lake City History Minute for the audio clip.

A Homestuck Podcast reads pages 4925 - 5013 of Homestuck! [Content Description coming soon] Credits: [Host] John - @SansmaedaSerket [Host] Aidan - @kousyustreet [Editor & Artist] Alex - @Dechetsb [Intro] Pumpkin Party in Sea Hitler's Water Apocalypse - Malcolm Brown [Outro] I'm A Member of the Midnight Crew (Acapella) - David Ko

At first glance, he didn't seem so old, maybe a year or so younger than Wycan, but a second look at those eyes and he was not so sure. Frowning, the youth opened his mouth and let out a series of piercing shrieks. Wycan started, goosebumps popping out all over. Here was the second bird! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/grace-chetwin/message

Meditation on Judges 5-6 IntroductionDeborah was the only female judge recorded in Israel’s history. We don’t know why that is, or how she got into that position, though we do know that she was a wife and a mother (unless the mention that she is a “mother in Israel,” Judges 5:7, is symbolic of her role over her people). When God instituted judges to help Moses, he was specifically instructed to appoint men to that position. Perhaps, as in the days of Gideon, the men of Israel were all so cowed by their oppressors that God could not find a man of faith, so he found a woman instead. (Gideon eventually did as God asked, but it sure took a lot of convincing on God’s part.) We can see that faith is scarce by Barak’s response when Deborah told him to go up against Sisera—he was so fearful that he insisted that she be the one to lead the armies into battle! Presumably had he done what the Lord commanded through Deborah without shrinking back in fear, the glory for finishing off Sisera would have gone to him, rather than to Jael. It’s easy to understand why the men were so fearful, if you only look at the situation in the natural. They had been oppressed by King Jabin for at least twenty years. The Israelite armies had not one shield or spear among forty thousand (Judges 5:8), compared to Sisera, who had nine hundred chariots of iron. Most of the tribes of Israel refused to heed Barak’s call (Judges 5:13-18), so even their numbers were pitiful compared to what they might have been. But it didn’t matter: the Lord caused the river Kishon to sweep the chariots away (Judges 5:21). This might have been due to rain overflowing the banks, and the water from the mountains rushing down to the banks as well (Judges 5:4-5)—perhaps due to marshy conditions, the chariots got stuck and were rendered useless. Regardless, when the Israelites came against Sisera’s far more powerful army, they killed every last one of them (Judges 4:16) by the sword—swords they didn’t even have to begin with! Sisera alone fled on foot. Since the Israelites had no swords, presumably they took their enemies’ own swords and used those against them. Heber, meanwhile, was mentioned just before the verse that someone told Sisera of the assembly of Barak’s armies, so presumably he was the one who tattled. Sisera would have felt safe in Jael’s tent, as she was Heber’s wife. He just assumed that she shared her husband’s political views. Oops. Jael’s action can be considered as an act of war, rather than murder. She was not permitted to fight openly on the battlefield, so she did what she could. Any of the soldiers on the battlefield would have been delighted to do the same, had they been given the chance. Fictionalized Retelling Deborah:The two disputing Israelite women, now reconciled, made their way down through the mountains of Ephraim. I sat alone under my palm tree now, awaiting the next case the Israelites would bring before me for judgment. This was my favorite part, though: the moments in between. The moments of peace, where I could just listen to the wind whipping through the palm branches above my head. I closed my eyes, letting the breeze caress my face. It is time. My eyes flew open. The sound came to my spirit like a whisper, and yet I knew it as the voice of the Lord. My heart beat faster, because I knew what He meant, too: I had been pleading since my early adulthood, for the past twenty years, to deliver us from the oppressive hand of King Jabin of Canaan. We were the Lord’s people, and He had given the land of Canaan to us—and yet, due to our disobedience, He had allowed us to be oppressed by our enemies. We had not one spear or shield among forty thousand Israelites: not even the means to defend ourselves. We had no money to pay the men who risked their lives on our behalf. I had expected the Lord to provide both of those things before a military approach would be feasible. And yet, with neither weapons nor money, and most of Israel still trembling in fear, God still told me, It is time. “What should I do, Lord?” I asked aloud. What came next was an impression, rather than words. I saw Barak, son of Abinoam from Kedesh, of the tribe of Naphtali. He was on Mount Tabor, with a sea of Israelite men, though I knew without counting that there were ten thousand of them. They were sons of Naphtali and of Zebulun. I saw Sisera, commander of Jabin’s armies, coming against him, his nine hundred chariots of iron all around him. The battle took place at the River Kishon. Despite the inequality of weapons and the fact that Sisera was not taken unawares, in my vision, Sisera’s entire army fell before Barak’s. “You have shown this to Barak as well?” I asked the Lord out loud. I sensed that the answer was yes. The next person I saw cresting the hill to where I sat was my husband Lapidoth, and our three children. They skipped like little lambs, and I stood up, grinning, to welcome them. Lapidoth had a basket slung over his arm, which I knew contained whatever food he was able to scrounge up for our midday meal. It was never much, but we never went hungry either. The Lord always provided. “Busy today?” he asked me, as we all settled down to eat. My eyes shone as I told him what the Lord had shown me. “Would you summon Barak when you return to the valley?” I asked. “I must speak with him today.” Lapidoth did as I asked, and several hours later, just at the golden hour before sunset, I saw Barak cresting the hill, alone. He was a large, thickly built man, with a heavy brow and an expression etched in stone. He looked every bit the military commander. “Has not the Lord God of Israel already told you what you are to do?” I asked him, and described what I saw. “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will deliver Sisera into your hand at the River Kishon.’” Barak shuffled his feet, cleared his throat, and did not answer me immediately. At last he said, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!” I stared at him, not sure I heard him right. This man weighed as much as three of me. I was a wife and a mother! True, God had placed me as judge over Israel, though I had always wondered why He had chosen a woman for the position, when Moses had originally indicated that the job should be held by “able men, such as fear God, men of truth …to be rulers of thousands and rulers of hundreds… and let them judge the people at all seasons.” Men, he had specified. Yet, here I was. Was that because God could not find a man worthy to fill the role? Of course I never intimated these thoughts to my husband, who chafed enough that I held a position of leadership in Israel when he did not. But now I saw before me the man God had chosen to lead his armies, and yet he had so little faith that he would demand a wife and mother lead his troops into battle for him! When I recovered my tongue, I said sternly, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Barak looked less chagrined at this than I thought he should have. Truth to tell, he looked more relieved than anything else. I arose and went with him to his home of Kedesh, and he sent messengers to the tribes of Israel to recruit soldiers willing to obey the word of the Lord. I was appalled but not surprised when entire tribes refused: Reuben, Gilead, Asher, and Dan sent not a single man. We had a few from Ephraim and from Benjamin, but the bulk of the army, as I had seen in my vision, were from Naphtali and Zebulun. They arrived at Mount Tabor in the coming days bearing what weapons they could find: pitchforks and other instruments of harvesting, stones and homemade slingshots. My heart swelled with the pride of these men who did Israel proud, unlike their brothers. Oh Lord, there are still some who believe in You! Yes Daughter, I heard in my spirit. There are always a few. Down below, Sisera had somehow gotten word that Israel had assembled troops against him—but that was all right. I had expected from my vision that he would. I felt the men grow apprehensive around me as they watched the chariots of iron assembling from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon. They looked from the chariots down below to their makeshift weapons of farming equipment, their expressions ranging from apprehension to terror. I suppressed a sigh of exasperation. “Up!” I declared to Barak. “For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?” I led the charge down the mountain toward the army below, though I had no weapon in my hand at all. As soon as Barak saw me move, he kept pace with me and soon outstripped me—his legs were much longer than mine. The ten thousand troops kept pace with him, and I soon found myself lost in the thick of the fighting men. When we reached the River Kishon where Sisera’s armies awaited us, I was confused at first why he did not direct his chariots to surge forward to meet us. Then I saw that their chariots had been rendered useless to them, the wheels stuck in the marshy ground left over from the rain. Sisera’s army had alighted from their chariots to try to dislodge them when Israel descended upon them with a mighty war cry. In short order, the men of Israel had slain their first victims and stolen their swords, at which point they tore through the rest of the army. But I fixed my gaze upon one man, whose chariot looked more impressive than all the others. When it became apparent that he could not dislodge it from the marshy ground, and the first wave of Israelites defeated the front lines of his army, he alighted from his chariot and fled on foot. He ran in the direction of the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, where I suspected his allies were. Behind him, the Israelites slew every last man of his army. He alone escaped. My eyes narrowed at the man. That, I knew, was Sisera. Jael:My husband Heber was a traitor. We Kenites had historically been allied with the children of Israel, as descendants of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law. But Heber was an opportunist, and decided to ally himself with Jabin, the King of Canaan, instead. He would never fail to side with whoever would benefit him the most. So we had moved away from the rest of the Kenites, away from everyone we had ever known, and pitched our tent at Zaanaim, where Heber could spy on Israel and report what he had learned to Sisera, Jabin’s military leader. Since Zaanaim was right next to Kedesh, Heber saw when Barak assembled his armies at Mount Tabor. It was he who had alerted Sisera to gather his chariots so that Barak’s army would not take him unawares. Heber had gone early that morning, to watch what he expected to be the massacre of the Israelites from a safe distance. Hours went by. I was grateful to have the day to myself at least, but I spent most of it fuming. I hated King Jabin. I hated Sisera. I hated Heber. I wanted to be an Israelite again. Or at least an ally to the Israelites. I wanted to belong to their God. But I was no soldier. I was left out of all machinations, as I was only a woman. What could I do? Suddenly I froze, hearing a noise I couldn’t quite make out at first. The sound slowly sharpened into the pounding of feet on the ground, and when it got close enough, I heard that it was accompanied by panting as well. Frowning, I approached the flap of my tent and pulled it aside. Sisera stood before me, alone and on foot, streaming with perspiration. “Please, my lady,” he gasped, dropping his hands to his knees as he caught his breath. “May I—trouble you for your hospitality?” I blinked quickly, my mind whirring. Fortunately my mouth worked faster than my brain, and I at once affected womanly concern. “Oh, turn aside, my lord! Turn aside to me; do not fear.” I stepped aside to let the grateful commander pass into my tent. I knew already what I planned to do; I just did not yet know how. “All of my men have been slaughtered,” Sisera confessed to me, eyes wild with fear. “I alone escaped on foot as you see, and I am sure that the Israelites are pursuing me too now!” “Never fear, I will keep your secret,” I soothed, and gestured to our own bedding on the ground. “Rest from all your worries. You will need to sleep for a while to have your wits about you, for whatever comes next.” Whatever, indeed. With no further prompting, Sisera collapsed onto the bed. I clucked my tongue as I pulled a blanket over him, and watched him close his eyes. “Please give me a little water to drink,” he croaked, “for I am thirsty.” “I will do better than that,” I cooed, “I have a jug of milk.” I went and retrieved it, and as if he were an invalid or a child, I lifted it to his lips. He drank greedily, the cream running down his chin. He wiped it away with his forearm and lay back down again with a sigh of contentment and relief. “Stand at the door of the tent,” he begged, “and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say ‘No.’” “I will, my lord,” I murmured. “Now close your eyes and rest awhile.” He needed no further encouragement. Within a few moments, I heard the soft sounds of his rhythmic breathing, followed by occasional snores. I smiled, and went outside the tent, pulling up one of the tent pegs. I wiped off its dirt upon my skirts, and then went back inside, rummaging around for the hammer my husband had used to place it in the first place. Then, grasping the peg in one hand and the hammer in the other, I approached the sleeping commander. He still snored peacefully. Ever so gently, I placed the peg at his temple so as not to wake him. Then, heart pounding, I hammered it in. Straight through to the ground. Only a woman, I thought, and smiled. I wiped the blood on my skirts, right next to the dirt, and calmly walked to the tent entrance to wait for the Israelites whom Sisera had said would be hot on his trail. I recognized Barak as the commander of the Israelite army by the way he was dressed, and flagged him down. “Come,” I said “I will show you the man whom you seek.” He followed me inside, and gasped. Then he let out an incredulous chuckle. “‘The Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman,’” he murmured, but to himself, as if quoting something. Then he looked at me. “I thought He meant Deborah!” “Your judge?” I asked, confused. Barak nodded. “I certainly never thought he meant the wife of our enemy!” I stiffened. “Do not judge me with my husband. We do not see eye to eye, to say the least.” “No, I can see that,” Barak agreed, with a glance at the dead man in my bed. After Barak, waves of other Israelites followed, including the famous prophetess herself. Together, Barak and Deborah composed a song of worship to the Lord on the spot, singing about the great victory to the Lord had given them, both at the river, and here in my tent. I choked back tears when they sang about me. The rest of the Israelite soldiers learned the song as they composed it, singing along. I found myself singing along too. What will Heber say, I wondered with fierce pride, to come home and find that his wife is now the blessed of Israel?

See what happens when you give Kim the microphone to talk all things vagina related. Then let’s see what the men have to say! Let the battle begin! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

#82 - Helen Hong - Helen in the Hood. Mouse in the House. Drowning Dan, frowning Dan. Hoarders & disorders. New arm, no harm. Prius vs Prius combat. (Director's Cut bonus material on Patreon) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rareformradio/support

FROWNING

One day, the Messenger ﷺ was preaching to the leaders of Makkah, hopeful they would accept his message. He was extremely concerned to bringing them into the fold of Islam, and saving them from the Hellfire. However, Abdullah ibn Umm-al Maktum, a blind Muslim, came unexpectedly and wanted the attention of the Prophet ﷺ, saying: "Messenger! Teach me what Allah has taught you." The Messenger ﷺ did not like this interruption and frowned at him, turning away from him and towards the Makkans leaders. The surat commented on this incident, and thereafter the Messenger ﷺ used to say to him, "You are the man for whom my Lord censured me." It is obvious that Abdullah was in error when he interrupted the Messenger ﷺ, who was conveying the Message. So why does the Quran censure him? A closer look at the passage reveals that the Quran wants to remove the Makkan leaders' misunderstanding; they thought Islam needed them. However, the Quran tells them they are wrong, Islam doesn't need them. On the other hand, it appreciates sincere people like the blind man. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ left Madinah, he would appoint Ibn Maktum as the governor. The Quran teaches respect and equality for the blind and disabled.

Welcome to 2021! Vee and J spend this episode talking about 2021, what they expect, and what they're looking forward to. Call us and leave a voicemail at ‪(425) 224-7621‬ Special thank you to FCON for loaning us their song Liquid Fury for our intro! Their bandcamp: https://fcon206.bandcamp.com/track/fcon --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Those crazy SOB's in green ACTUALLY DID IT! In this AFC East RoundUp, Scott Mason of "Play like a Jet", Alf Arteaga of "3YPC" and Mike D'Abate of "Locked On Patriots" help us tackle Week 15's biggest divisional storylines:

Mini Fuzz! F*** Yeah! Lots of great articles and stories this week. Tune in! https://linktr.ee/monsterfuzz

Ed bemoans the lack of quality Irish accents in film and gives his best and worst culprits as the trailer for the new movie 'Wild Mountain Thyme' breaks the Irish internet. Ed asks, is it that bad? It probably is. There's a mini trailer for his own version which would probably be called 'Brendan and the American Potato Fancier' but it is unnamed. Ed also complains about his horrible neighbour driving away the nice neighbour and her lovely dog, Ben. There's also a lovely freestyle rap in the style of a local Dublin scut. Enjoy. x

On this episode, we discuss childhood favorites, sports injuries, and lunch foods. Chris also lets us know about a messy situation. Support the show (https://www.gofundme.com/f/beckette)

John Jacob Thomas argues for self-government in the English colonies of the Caribbean but his fellow Trinidadian Frederick Alexander Durham recommends repatriation to Africa instead.

After the dissolution of Chicago-based Braid, Bob Nanna and Todd Bell took their post-hardcore emo sound and added some melody and pop to it. The result was Hey Mercedes - but the change in sound was likely thanks to Vagrant records. While there are a couple of stand-out tunes on their debut Everynight Fire Works, we conclude along with many of the critics that this album is largely forgettable. But if you're looking to scratch that emo-pop nostalgic itch like we are right now - this album will do just that, even if only for a few minutes. Hey Mercedes - A-List Actress Braid - The New Nathan Detroits Hey Mercedes - Frowning of a Lifetime Big Bite - Paralyzed Hovenweep - Cave Hey Mercedes - The Promise (When In Rome cover) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcasts network.

After the dissolution of Chicago-based Braid, Bob Nanna and Todd Bell took their post-hardcore emo sound and added some melody and pop to it. The result was Hey Mercedes - but the change in sound was likely thanks to Vagrant records. While there are a couple of stand-out tunes on their debut Everynight Fire Works, we conclude along with many of the critics that this album is largely forgettable. But if you're looking to scratch that emo-pop nostalgic itch like we are right now - this album will do just that, even if only for a few minutes. Hey Mercedes - A-List Actress Braid - The New Nathan Detroits Hey Mercedes - Frowning of a Lifetime Big Bite - Paralyzed Hovenweep - Cave Hey Mercedes - The Promise (When In Rome cover) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcasts network.

After the dissolution of Chicago-based Braid, Bob Nanna and Todd Bell took their post-hardcore emo sound and added some melody and pop to it. The result was Hey Mercedes - but the change in sound was likely thanks to Vagrant records. While there are a couple of stand-out tunes on their debut Everynight Fire Works, we conclude along with many of the critics that this album is largely forgettable. But if you're looking to scratch that emo-pop nostalgic itch like we are right now - this album will do just that, even if only for a few minutes. Hey Mercedes - A-List Actress Braid - The New Nathan Detroits Hey Mercedes - Frowning of a Lifetime Big Bite - Paralyzed Hovenweep - Cave Hey Mercedes - The Promise (When In Rome cover) This show is part of the Pantheon Podcasts network.

More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Hannah Gadbsy jokes about the dog park in her Netflix special, "Douglas"

The job market is tough, but here are some sure fire ways to get it done 

A quick 37 minutes from https://twitter.com/WelshRev for https://www.facebook.com/Grace.Wales.online/ and http://ygrwp.com at https://www.facebook.com/TyrBugail/ online on Ruth 1:1-5We post every week so please SUBSCRIBE to our podcast to stay up to date, and be sure you are on the mailing list for our online DIY Sunday Service sheet which contains this podcast, the Word for the Week short video and a range of other useful resources.Request YOUR email subscription through the contact form on the website ... asking to be included if you are not already.http://www.yGRWP.com

Dave and I set up an ambush and do some gotcha journalism songs: Mountain Goats - Quito & John Prine - Hello In There

Screen Based Strong Messaging Techniques   Most people have trouble getting their message across when they are in front of others and doing it in person.  Being on screen while everyone is working at home, makes the whole proposition so much more difficult.  A mediocre presenter becomes a shambles in this new medium.  There is the tendency to imagine that the screen based delivery medium makes lousy messaging and amateur presentations acceptable.  Well they aren't, if you have a message to deliver, in fact you have to do a lot better in this case, than you normally would.   Get the logistics sorted. Dress for success, so don't beam in wearing your pyjamas, Aloha shirt or your favourite deathmetal band T-shirt or anything other than full business battle attire.  Go for power colours rather than pastels. Avoid narrow stripes because sometimes there can problems with the video technology not handling stripes all that well. Looking professional adds to the credibility of your message.  A business suit looks a lot more powerful on screen than casual clothes, if that is the normal attire at the office.    Get yourself a mouse to whiz around the screen with, rather than using the trackpad on your laptop.  Get a webcam camera if your laptop or home computer isn't up to snuff.  The audio when connecting remotely can be a problem if your internet connection at home isn't all that robust.  Headphones with a microphone attachment makes communication so much easier and clearer.  Also, most technologies allow you to record the session, so certainly make good use of this opportunity so that you can see how you come across to others using this medium.   Eye contact is really important in this screen based world, but so often we have nostril focus, because the laptop camera is shooting straight up the speaker's nose. This is distracting us from what the speaker is saying.  The screen is confusing too, because the camera is above the screen and we all tend to talk to the screen rather than our audience.  We have to get used to speaking to camera and ignore the screen.  We can look at the screen, in the same way we would look at notes in front of us.  The key point though is focus on spending as much face to camera time as possible.  This is how technically difficult this is – raise the laptop height so the camera is at eye level.  I think we can all manage that.   Make sure there is some decent lighting in the room.  Often we don't think about this and we and the room can be gloomy.  Arrange extra lights to be focused on you as the centerpiece so we can see you clearly.  We are used to close up shots in movies and television and this is the same thing with us when we are the focus.  When you are speaking during an on line broadcast, most of the technology transfers your face to the full screen for the audience and you are now a massive close up.    You may or not be able to control the background but we should try, so we don't have competition for our message.  Some broadcast technologies offer virtual backgrounds, if you have the bandwidth, so your humble abode is not front and center of the broadcast.  If you can't manage that, then try to eliminate things which might be distracting from you when you are speaking.  You may be able to drop the background behind you into darkness by turning off some lights and only have light on you.   Everyone is feeling tense and uncertain about where we are going with the Covid-19 virus and attached business meltdown.  Without knowing it your face could be reflecting these worries, so don't forget to smile on camera.  You may not have a killer smile, but do the best with what you have.  You can simply put a smiley face or the instruction SMILE above the camera to remind you to smile and that actually works quite well.  Smiling shows confidence and friendliness.  It also helps to build confidence in your audience that you know what you are doing, because you look relaxed and in control.  Frowning, creasing your eyes, stiffening your facial muscles all do the opposite, so avoid these simple mistakes.   Don't forget your body language is a powerful communicator.  The screen can diminish you, if you allow it to. Instead try to own the screen and use your gestures and posture to your advantage.  Sit up straight and forward and get your hand gestures to sync with what you are saying, to underscore the message.  Don't be afraid to stand up and present standing, because the camera just moves to a wide shot.  Don't stand too far back though, because the audio might not pick you up as well as you need it to.  Also be animated and speak with passion, rather than droning on as a talking head on screen.   In the room, on screen, on video, it makes no substantial difference.  The basics of presenting apply everywhere, although we do have to make a bigger effort when broadcasting remotely.  Awareness is the key and repetition and practice assist us to become more professional in this screen environment.   Free LIVE On Line Stress Management Sessions On a separate note, we are running public LIVE On Line Stress Management classes, which will be free to all attendees on April 16th (Japanese) and 17th (English).  We are also offering the same thing as an in-house programme, delivered LIVE On Line for our existing clients and for prospective clients.  This allows us to help our clients and our community.   The registration process for these free stress management sessions is being offered on our website, so please go to this specific page: http://bit.ly/dale_stress_e      

As you can see from the title, episode 13 of the show is as unapologetically zesty as Jamie's beautifully protruding chest hair. Originally from the Isle Of Wight his performances are embellished with dreary British grit and dry-as-a-bone humour with each piece encapsulating the internal monologue of a park bench dwelling wordsmith. The three poems we get to hear from him are 'Love Carousel', 'Down the Isle' (not 'Isle of Wight' as I mistakingly name it in the intro), and finally 'Live Laugh Love'. To give him a follow on instagram head to @JamieKMerrick. Enjoy!

Miriam Salpeter is our Social media expert. Business owners and job seeker – If you’re wasting time and money because you don’t know how to use social media? Miriam, can help you establish credibility, build partnerships and accomplish your goals. Learn more at KeppieConsulting.com and *Follow her on Twitter: @MiriamSalpeter

By Mike Allen, from Issue #289 of Beneath Ceaseless Skies Online MagazineNarrated by Michael J. DeLuca.Frowning at the hole left in Trukos's chest by the Goldbrook man’s knife, Mayya said, “Come with me.”More info »

The Chairshot, brings you THE podcast that will absolutely have you questioning everything you thought you knew about professional wrestling, POD is WAR #PiW. Join Christopher Platt @therealcplatt,  Andrew Balaz @IWCWarChief and the moderator PC Tunney @PCTunney, as they battle it out for intellectual superiority in sports and entertainment! On this week's episode...      - The Wednesday Night War Begins      - AEW Dynamite      - NXT On USA      - Lashley, Lana And Rusev      - The Rock's Show For the latest, greatest and up to datest in breaking news, opinions, and podcasts ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit TheCharishot.com 

The Elixir of Life… Where do we find it? It turns out immortality or maybe just growing as old as you want is possible. The only potion you need is positive thinking, according to Gavan. In this episode of The Speed Mentor Podcast, he talks about the power of positivity. Frowning, complaining, or bickering will get you nowhere. If you really want to reach your goals, change ways, or try out something new, then you have to think that you can do it, at the very least. Learn how you can develop a positive mindset today when you tune in. KEY TAKEAWAYS We can't have control on the commotion/imbalance/disturbance that happen in our surroundings. What we can control is how we process and deal with them. If we don't let them consume us, then you don't have to worry about a shortened life expectancy. According to a study, optimistic people live longer. On average, they have 11 percent to 15 percent longer life span than those who don't have a positive outlook in life. Gavan also adds that most optimistic people have goals. Tips To Keep you More Positive: Dive again in the previous episodes of The Speed Mentor Podcast. Visualise a good life ahead of you. Be grateful. Stop complaining. Have an alcohol-free existence. BEST MOMENTS “I've got control of everything I let in my orbit.” “Lead a positive life. Always see the cup half full. Always see that every obstacle is an opportunity1 “Positivity comes from feeding yourself of the good stuff.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Optimists Live Longer | The Brinks Gavan Wall Official Website ABOUT THE HOST Welcome to the Speed Mentor Podcast. Do you want success and abundance in your life?! Do you want to hear how to achieve it? Then you've come to the right place where the world's only Speed Mentor, Gavan Wall will mainline you with micro bite-sized chunks of inspiration fused with knowledge, built into a daily routine to help you deliver success. After walking away, a decade ago from his gilded life as a leading Barrister and property investor, Gavan Wall started his entrepreneurial career in inauspicious circumstances as he lost everything in the property crash. But he refused to give up, re-building a financial fortress from scratch, until now he leads multiple successful multi-million £ companies across FMCG, Franchise, Tech, Property and Mentoring. He's the Speed Mentor and serial entrepreneur, who shares with you all the breadcrumbs of success and just as importantly the failures. If you listen, you can avoid the potholes and learn to conquer your fear and live a life of success and abundance just like him. But be warned, his message can be stark and will not be for those seeking shortcuts. If you're wanting to be told that the law of attraction will deliver success wrapped in a bow to your front door, then this Podcast isn't for you, as that's never going to happen! It's time to own your own sh#t, never blame others and take the massive action to create the attraction. The opportunities and white space are everywhere. Gavan will help you get outside your comfort zone, connect with others, shed the scarcity mindset, set gorilla goals and achieve so much more. If you want to make your ideas soar…then talk to the Wall! CONTACT METHOD Gavan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavan-wall-b828a56b/ Gavan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gavanwall Gavan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/gavanwall Speed Mentor Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeedMentor Subscribe to Gavan Wall's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZyfsl7Au5_tM7gKA_vuitw Gavan Wall Official Website: gavanwall.com Email him at success@gavanwall.com   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thinking Face is an emoji review podcast, with new episodes released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Your hosts are Chris (https://twitter.com/localbones), a sword and video game addict, and Jeremy (https://twitter.com/jggreer), who doesn't feel comfortable using emojis in his personal life. Chris and Jeremy do more podcasts, which you can find at Monster of the Week (https://monsteroftheweek.cool). Support this show at our Patreon, or by leaving us a review of your favorite emoji on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever else you feel like leaving it.

Things escalate in the Brushwood house. Well, not even in the Brushwood house! Plus, a new news game, "News6" and your (theft-y) emails to mail@nightattack.tv. Frowning elbows! Night Attack is performing at the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX on August 27. Get tickets: https://oobfest.com/schedule/tuesday/hideout-down/830 And see Justin at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA on August 31!

Things escalate in the Brushwood house. Well, not even in the Brushwood house! Plus, a new news game, "News6" and your (theft-y) emails to mail@nightattack.tv. Frowning elbows! Night Attack is performing at the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX on August 27. Get tickets: https://oobfest.com/schedule/tuesday/hideout-down/830 And see Justin at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA on August 31!

Things escalate in the Brushwood house. Well, not even in the Brushwood house! Plus, a new news game, "News6" and your (theft-y) emails to mail@nightattack.tv. Frowning elbows! Night Attack is performing at the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX on August 27. Get tickets: https://oobfest.com/schedule/tuesday/hideout-down/830 And see Justin at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA on August 31!

Things escalate in the Brushwood house. Well, not even in the Brushwood house! Plus, a new news game, "News6" and your (theft-y) emails to mail@nightattack.tv. Frowning elbows! Night Attack is performing at the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX on August 27. Get tickets: https://oobfest.com/schedule/tuesday/hideout-down/830 And see Justin at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA on August 31!

Things escalate in the Brushwood house. Well, not even in the Brushwood house! Plus, a new news game, "News6" and your (theft-y) emails to mail@nightattack.tv. Frowning elbows! Night Attack is performing at the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX on August 27. Get tickets: https://oobfest.com/schedule/tuesday/hideout-down/830 And see Justin at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA on August 31!

Things escalate in the Brushwood house. Well, not even in the Brushwood house! Plus, a new news game, "News6" and your (theft-y) emails to mail@nightattack.tv. Frowning elbows! Night Attack is performing at the Out of Bounds Festival in Austin, TX on August 27. Get tickets: https://oobfest.com/schedule/tuesday/hideout-down/830 And see Justin at Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA on August 31!

FitTip #322: Smile and be nice when greeting or being greeted by someone. Smiling takes less facial muscles to use than frowning, one of the only times to take the easy way out of exercising your muscles.

Can winning a championship compare at all to eternal living (Heaven!) with Christ? In this week's episode, Alex and Ben discuss the excitement of attending an intense sporting event, the excitement of Virginia winning March Madness, and the struggles at the plate for Baltimore's Chris Davis. What can we learn from it? Oh - and don't forget to listen for the 10 Question Baseball Trivia Quiz at the end - How many will you get right? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aim-men/support

تخيل أن تتفاجأ بقصة أحدهم كنت تعتقد أنه مختلف

Intro Hi everyone and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in empowering children by helping them discover who they are as readers.  My goal is to help you connect kids between 8-12 with fabulous reading experiences and share inspiring conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. I’m your host, Corrina Allen - a mom of two, a 5th grade teacher, and thinking about how much I LOVE our public libraries and how much they are needed. My daughters and I just launched our summer Library Crawl where we try to hit as many public libraries in the area as can and explore their unique services and collections and just get to know them. Libraries are the heart of our communities. Please support them. This is Episode #55 and oday I want to chat with you about being a book witch, and then I’ll share a conversation with Melissa Sarno, author of Just Under the Clouds!   I have three super quick announcements for you! First is a Middle Grade at Heart Book Club update. The August pick is Where the Watermelons Grow, the September pick is The House That Lou Built and in October we will be reading Three Rules of Everyday Magic. And all of those authors are scheduled to come on the show - so stay tuned for that! And announcement #2 - don’t forget that Monday nights are the #MGBookChat Twitter chats with upcoming topics like #ownvoices, the importance of refugee stories, and books that battle mental health stigmas. So set a reminder for Mondays at 9pm EST and check out #MGBookChat on Twitter for conversations and collaboration between educators, librarians, and authors. And - finally, announcement #3. This is something that has been semi-secretly in the works for a few months now, but I am so happy to make it official. NerdCamp Central New York is ON for next summer - August 6, 2019! So - if you want to experience some of that NerdCamp magic and you’re able to make it to Syracuse, NY - save the date! And you can follow @NerdCampCNY on Twitter for more updates. Main Topic - Being a Book Witch And you can go ahead and replace that W with a B if you’d like.  So - I had a topic planned for today. I had an outline, things were coming together, and then I saw a post. And then some tweets. From several people, including Donalyn Miller, who were attending a recent Scholastic Reading Summit.  It was it from a presentation by Annie Ward - or at least referencing her work From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Capable, Confident Readers.   And it was one slide showing ways that educators and parents can be what she called “Book Wardens”. And well, it struck me so forcefully. And made me think of all those times as a teacher and as a parent, I have been that Book Witch. I am recovering - but yeah…. that was me. So I scrapped my other topic and that’s what I want to talk to you about today. First - ways we might not even realize that we’re being book snobs and inadvertently turning kids off to reading - both from Annie’s presentation and from my own mistakes. And then some thoughts on ways we can do better. Although to be up front with you - my understanding of this is evolving. Starting with the first bullet on that slide. 1. Confining kids to “just right” books - gulp. That is a phrase I have used ever since... I don’t know when! A have a big lesson on choosing “just right” or “good fit” books complete with a whole array of shoes I bring in to demonstrate! But now I am wondering… who SETS the criteria for “right”? Is it.. Level?  Genre? Format? Perceived complexity? Something I’ve started doing is turning these questions back on myself. Okay Corrina, what’s a “just right” book for you? Well -it depends! What am I in the mood for? What do I want to learn? What are my friends all reading that looks amazing and I want IN on THAT conversation!  When I think about it that way, it’s not really about picking a book off the shelf and reading the first page and counting the errors on my fingers. Adults don’t do that! And - we are definitely NOT picking from the bin labeled Level Z or only reading within our lexile level.  So why are we asking kids to do that? What DO we do? We weigh all those factors, gather some options, and try them out. If it’s too hard, well…. then…. I’m just going to put The Iliad off to the side for now. I think we need to trust kids more. And be more open about how you actually go about choosing books. And maybe I don’t totally drop the phrase “just right” but shift it to be child-centered and NOT mean “just right” from MY point of view.   2. Express book snobbery. So, you might be a book snob, if you’ve said one these things (and I’ve said a few of them in the past…):   “Graphic novels are not real reading.” “Don’t just listen to that audio book - make sure you are following along in your book.” “I only really like literary books - you know award-winners.” “Well, I’ve never heard of that book!” “NEVER watch the movie before reading the book!” “I get all my book recommendations from NPR.” “They’re reading THAT? I guess it’s better than reading nothing!” “I don’t watch TV. Never.  I just read.”   “I only read books for adults.” (Credit to Sarah Threlkeld for suggesting that one.)   “Yeah, we’re only reading CLASSICS in this class.”   “Romance novels are all the same.” (And you can replace romance with mysteries, westerns, fantasy.)   “Are you reading a picture book? Maybe you should choose something more your age.” “You dog-ear your pages? You beast!” “Fan Fiction doesn’t count toward your reading minutes.”     So - that last one? About the fan fiction? Was me - a few years ago. But then, I discovered that Angie Thomas (you know - author of New York Times Bestselling, multiple award-winning The Hate U Give) got her start writing fanfiction for her favorite soap opera. And suddenly I thought, maybe I’m being kind of a witch about this. And then, I discovered Star Wars fan fiction and I was hooked. I think I spent about a week just immersed in alternative Star Wars universes. So go ahead - come at me about the fan fiction! 3. Look askance at funny, edgy, or “forbidden” topics. So, confession time.  Way back when I was just getting starting as a teacher and starting to build my classroom library, I would ONLY purchase what I, the book witch, deemed as high quality literature. Captain Underpants? Comics? Joke books? Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Uh...no. And oh do I owe those kids an apology. I was flat out wrong. And clearly not remembering all the Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes books that I devoured as a young kid. I’m happy to say our class is filled with Dav Pilkey books and all kids of funny, light-hearted books. Because, wow - don’t we need that now? And as far as edgy or “forbidden” topics - that has always rubbed me the wrong way. Edgy according to who? I’ve seen adults roll their eyes when a 10 year old picked a book about the WWE.  I’ve seen adults try to ban books with characters who are dealing with substance abuse. And I’ve seen adults pluck books with gay characters out of their kids hands. Who are we to tell kids that their family, their life, their experiences are “too edgy” and not allowed. 4. Frowning upon rereading. Yup - this is another one I have done regularly. And I think it comes from a well-intentioned place. When you know how many amazing books are out there, you want kids to experience that. And I think for me, I have the bias that I am not typically a HUGE rereader. Aside from a few books that I might reread for school or book club (like Home of the Brave, or Wonder), I find it so hard to resist the siren call of my TBR pile.  But last year, instead of giving side-eye to those kids rereading Dork Diaries or Smile for the 3rd or 4th (or 12th!) time - instead, I tried to act excited and say, “Wow - what do you love so much about that book? What are you noticing now that you never noticed the first time you read it?” And the reframing has helped me recognize more value in rereading. And those conversations help me understand my readers better and offer them similar titles they might enjoy to expand their reading palate. 5. Imposing Accountability Measures for Reading. I’ll admit - I had to think about this one for a minute. But I think what this is getting at is when ‘points programs” like AR (Accelerated Reader) are used to confine student reading in an attempt to make sure there is tangible proof of reading. Accountability measures might include parent sign-offs on a reading log or requiring a summary each night. That imposition on reading.  Instead - the best “accountability” is a culture of reading where kids want to talk about what they are reading. And your tangible proof are conferences and conversations and observations. 6. Treating some books like “dessert”. And only allowing kids to read them after they’ve read something more suitable. Usually when I see this - those “dessert” books are graphic novels, or Minecraft books. Now - there are times when I will say, “Let’s take some some time to read our Book Club novels. And if you finish your section for the day, read whatever you want.” But always treating SOME TYPES of books like just fluff - is being a book witch. So those were the main points from Annie Ward. But I’ll add one more. 7. Not letting kids take the books home. I used to treat MY books like they were GOLD. And I would let kids read them in class but then not let them out of my sight. I lost fewer books - but I also lost readers. Now - they go home with them. Usually they come back, but if not - I just hope that book meant so much to that child that they couldn’t bare to part with it.   So, I am a recovering Book Witch! And I mentioned some things we can do instead, but to quickly sum up, here they are: Let kids take the lead in what “just right” reading means for them - including their mood and what they are interested in, the format, the social connections they want to form around that reading - and not just a level. Don’t be a book snob! Openly embrace and book talk all genres and formats and expand your horizons. Watch your words and your body language to make sure you are not looking down on kids’ reading choices or making them feel ashamed for reading a text some might consider “edgy.” If a child is rereading a book - ask them about it! Or ask them to book talk it to the class! Instead of cumbersome attempts at reading accountability, instead - watch your kids, have conversations about the books, confer with them and have them read to you. Let kids take books home. And be gracious when they get lost or damaged. And finally - trust the kids and trust the books. If you want to know more about Annie Ward’s work with co-author Stephanie Harvey, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Capable, Confident Readers.  And as always, we are learning together and helping each other out, so please share your thoughts about overcoming being a book witch.  You can tag me on Twitter, Instagram, and now Facebook - our handle is @books_between or email me at booksbetween@gmail.com and I’d love to share your ideas.   Melissa Sarno - Interview Outline Joining me this month for our Middle Grade at Heart interview with Melissa Sarno is author Julie Artz. We got a chance to sit down together last month to chat about Just Under the Clouds. Take a listen… Just Under the Clouds CA: For our listeners who haven’t yet read Just Under the Clouds what is this story about? CA: One of my favorite parts of the book is when Cora goes to her remedial math class and her new teacher gives her some advice about solving algebra problems. She says: “I’ll give you a hint. It’s always easiest to start from the end. Start backward.”  I’m wondering - when if your own life have you found it easier to start at the end? JA: I loved the friendship between Cora and Sabina. They both have experienced intense loneliness due to an unconventional lifestyle, but the moment when they commit to their friendship--even though they may end up apart--was really touching. How did you come up with the idea for this complex and lovely friendship? JA: Adare is such a vivid character despite being mostly non-verbal. What research went into creating her character? **BONUS SPOILER SECTION: Melissa and Julie and I discuss the ending of the novel, and if you’d like to hear that conversation, I moved that part of the recording to after the end credits of today’s episode at the 37:50 mark. Your Writing Life JA: I loved the tree book and all that it represented for Cora. How much time did you spend researching trees for the story, or has that always been an interest of yours? CA: What are you working on now? Your Reading Life CA: One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books.  Did you have a special teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader? JA: What types of books did you love when you were Cora’s age? CA: What are you reading now? Links: Melissa’s website - https://www.melissasarno.com Melissa on Twitter and Instagram Julie’s website - http://julieartz.com Julie on Twitter New York City Tree Census - https://www.nycgovparks.org/trees/treescount/about   Books & Authors We Chatted About: Swiss Family Robinson (Johann D. Wyss) The Tillerman Series (Cynthia Voight) Lizard Music (Daniel Pinkwater) Her Body and Other Parties (Carmen Maria Machado) The Cardboard Kingdom (Chad Sell) Bob (Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead) Hurricane Child (Kheryn Callender)   Closing Alright, that wraps up our show this week! If you have a question about how to connect kids between 8-12 to books they’ll love or a suggestion about a topic we should cover, I would love to hear from you. You can email me at booksbetween@gmail.com or message me on Twitter/Instagram at the handle @Books_Between. Books Between is a proud member of the Education Podcast Network. This network features podcasts for educators, created by educators. For more great content visit edupodcastnetwork.com Thank you so much for joining me this week. You can get an outline of interviews and a full transcript of all the other parts of our show at MGBookVillage.org. And, if you are liking the show, please leave us some love on iTunes or Stitcher so others can discover us as well. Thanks and see you soon!  Bye!  

The Beginnings of a Positive Mindset by Leigh Martinuzzi “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” Roy T. Bennett As Michael Hyatt points out is that we can alter our happiness levels by merely smiling more. There is a direct correlation between smiling and positivity. Smiling produces positive emotions that benefit our well-being. Not to mention the reaction from others we receive when we give them a friendly smile. It can only be a good thing. Having a positive mindset is like constantly allowing your mind to smile. Frowning does the opposite - it breeds negativity. Both positivity and negativity are contagious. Is our state of mind a choice? What control do we have over developing a positive mindset? In this episode, I share some ideas and thoughts on the beginnings of creating a positive mindset.

Retro Detroit Nerdfighters – Episode 13 – We Get Political… Frowning Face

Retro Detroit Nerdfighters – Episode 13 – We Get Political… Frowning Face

After a weekend of Father's Day festivities, the two Campbell Brothers jump back on the mics to opine about Tupac's Movie, Jada's Love for Pac, Bill Cosby's love for quaaludes and Al Sharpton's attempt to risk it all for the gram. A little medicine mixed in with the candy so drive slow homie...

We Discuss: Belmar Parade, Adulting Classes, Pepperidge Farm Cookies, Fences, Spotify, Finances, Sweating & Frowning. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rubrica Musicale (New Wave, Dark, Synthpop, New Romantics, 80’s)

This week, obvious! Another kickstarter project raises eyebrows when they ask for more money, firmly establishing the pattern. Skyforge is getting an expansion full of fish men and Blizzard finally realises the benefits of an online card game. Plus the closing chapter in the tale of the little game developer. Have something to say? Send your emails to noexcusesvtw@gmail.com. Or tune in live at 9:30pm EST Saturday to interact directly with the show via IRC!

Questions, tangents and potty mouths. What more could a podcast need?

Kayla, Ruairí, and Lucas discuss the presidential election and campus news, and the Center for Ethics in Society presents an interview (seek to 14:24) of Larissa MacFarquhar, staff writer for The New Yorker. The Axe and Politics podcast is still a work in progress. Thanks for joining us, and please consider supporting more of The Stanford Political Journal's work at stanfordpolitics.com.

Smiling beats frowning after being in a collision.  Does this mean going around ignoring real feelings? Absolutely not.  There are times when sadness is appropriate. Loss is real.  But so is not living in the past, dreaming about a better future, and fighting against bad faith practices by Auto Insurance, Employers, Social Security Disability, Long-Term Disability, or anyone else who present a false sense of sincerity. Even in the hardest of times, there are still things to smile about which helps move through struggles.   Join ESTRA today for ideas about reasons to smile when facing personal injury and ideas of what you can do when frowning seems as the only options.  Note: 24/7 I face harassment and intimidation publicly and online. Cyberhacking is constant on my laptops which require continual fighting with harassers to keep them up and usuable, since they use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to access my computers, have modified Microsoft Operating System to intervene before system is completely up.   And this does not include following me wherever I go in public, or circling out side constantly.   I say all of this just to let you know, every once in a while my programs may be a day or two late. But as i say to you, I will never give up or in to their abuse.  Please support Insured Civil Rights Legislation so you won't have to go through this after filing an Insurance Claim. ESTRA

Smiling beats frowning after being in a collision.  Does this mean going around ignoring real feelings? Absolutely not.  There are times when sadness is appropriate. Loss is real.  But so is not living in the past, dreaming about a better future, and fighting against bad faith practices by Auto Insurance, Employers, Social Security Disability, Long-Term Disability, or anyone else who present a false sense of sincerity. Even in the hardest of times, there are still things to smile about which helps move through struggles.   Join ESTRA today for ideas about reasons to smile when facing personal injury and ideas of what you can do when frowning seems as the only options.  Note: 24/7 I face harassment and intimidation publicly and online. Cyberhacking is constant on my laptops which require continual fighting with harassers to keep them up and usuable, since they use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to access my computers, have modified Microsoft Operating System to intervene before system is completely up.   And this does not include following me wherever I go in public, or circling out side constantly.   I say all of this just to let you know, every once in a while my programs may be a day or two late. But as i say to you, I will never give up or in to their abuse.  Please support Insured Civil Rights Legislation so you won't have to go through this after filing an Insurance Claim. ESTRA

On Todays show we have Funeral Doom one man masterpiece Frowning from germany!! get up close and personal with "Val Atra Niteris" who i the sole the creater of some of the best funeral doom to come out of europe in 2014. Check out bandcamp.com/frowning to order your copy of the spilit cd or pre-order the new cd due for an October release at https://www.facebook.com/frowning.band or email at frowning@gmx.de. The two tracks featured in the show are Funeral March which is featured on the spilt with Aphonic Threnody called "Of Graves, Worms and Epitaphs" and Murdered By Grief will be on the upcoming release "Funeral Impressions", Sorry in advance my recording equipment again played up but we did the best with what we had and it was a really good interview with a really great, funny and talented guy!. Enjoy people!!

Hello everyone and thanks for downloading.  This, as if you didn't know, is An Apotheosis of a Bombast. This week Elton and Scott hit the phenomenon (do do da dodo) of Rebecaa Black, talk New Jersey Laws and smash keyboards with Press the Spacebar. They also find out whats banned by the Bible and have a quick 'famous website' quiz. Enjoy, send mail to bombastpodcast@gmail.com, join the Facebook page and please spread the word. Cheers.

-What Ya Been Playin (00:00)-Games of the Week (15:24)-Agent MOO Gets His Plug (16:57)-Xbox Gamer Spotlight Leads To Trouble (18:47)-Chad Ocho Cinco Challenges The Internet (25:18)-MAG Gets A Release Date (28:19)-PSPGO.co.uk Is A Fanboy's Mona Lisa (33:30)-PS3 Price Cuts? (38:19)-Yoko Ono Could Have Fucked Shit Up (41:44)-Grin Entertainment is Frowning (45:23)-Listener Questions! (51:43)

Episode 74 of PotterFicWeekly has been released! This evening, we resume our analysis of Backward with Purpose, by Deadwoodpecker and cover Chapters 16 through 24. We get deep. We’re rowdy. We talk about the origins of time and destiny. It’s like college in here! I can’t make sense of the author’s name and call half […]

Please beware: These are very early vintage shows from a podcast that has evolved gradually over 18+ years and 800+ episodes and sounds very different today. If you're new to Into Your Head, please try my later shows first. Tonight's topics include: Frowning pencils and the youth of today, People are weird about fish, How french fries are made, Shakespeare the third rate comedian, Interfering with old bookcases, Art on wheelie-bins, Disposing of dead puppies, How plastic is made, Adam and Eve's trick on the dinosaurs, Cats in space, Today's beverage, Hurricanes' first names, Uneducateable children, Snow White and children's footwear, Solar cooking, My secret band, Sun holidays to the North Pole, Unknowingly learning a percussion instrument, Getting stoned to death, my shakespearean Sonnet and more. License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International – It is mandatory to reproduce this attribution for each episode: “Neal O'Carroll via IntoYourHead.ie – Many episodes findable forever on Archive dot org.”