Podcasts about Matchless

Matching Day: Part 1To love risks more than just her heart.Based on a post by SmallTownPrincess, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected.Girls spend their entire lives looking forward to the fateful Matching Day - and whether or not they will admit it, boys, too, have at least a healthy curiosity. It's so reassuring, knowing that in your eighteenth year, you and your age-mates will be paired off, brought together with another from their own community or a surrounding one that match them perfectly. No song-and-dance dating rituals, like the ones in the books Livia liked to read, no old maids, no riotous bachelors; just simple, comforting compatibility."Have you heard?" The hushed, conspiratorial tones issued from the pink-lacquered lips of Livia's best friend, Mara."What?" Livia's low-pitched voice always made her sound disinterested, but she paid close attention to Mara when her friend sounded this urgent."There was a big accident over in Micrague. One guy died!""Oh, that's terrible," Livia murmured, letting her eyelashes drop and rise again to half-mast in a brief show of empathy. It was all she had time for, as Mara leaned suddenly, ever more urgently forward, gripping Livia's arm in both hands."That's not the worst thing," she rolled on. "The guy who was killed? He just turned eighteen. That makes the numbers for tomorrow's Matching uneven!"Two full breaths, painful to the impatient Mara, passed before Livia spoke in response. "So, what, someone won't be paired? A girl will be left without her match?""Whoever matched with him will have no pair on Matching Day," Mara proclaimed ominously. Her eyes were wide and glittering with morbid excitement."What do they do about that?" It was unheard of, as far as Livia knew; there were always even numbers, always a perfect match for everyone.Mara gave an exaggerated shrug. "Maybe she'll never be matched."Livia was surprised into laughter. "They can't leave her without a match forever," she said with certainty. "Maybe they'll search out another community for someone that fits even better than that poor boy who died."Her reassuring confidence sent Mara, humming, away to terrify someone else with proclamations of an eternity alone for some poor girl. The thought nagged at Livia for the rest of the afternoon, though. What if he was matched with me?"Verin Massada," the stern voice called from the central platform, and a stick-thin brunette drifted toward the three steps that lifted her above the circle of impatient teenagers."Philip Pressia." The broad-shouldered redhead that stepped up to take Verin's hand smirked and bowed at the polite smattering of applause that ushered the happy new couple off the stage. Livia smiled approvingly; Verin needed a little more humor in her life.Livia watched each girl she'd grown up with walk back into the circle, shyly clutching the hand of her new mate, and twisted her skirt nervously in her fingers. It seemed forever before the 'R's were called, and the wad of boys brought in from all the different communities steadily shrank. She met the clear grey eyes of one of the remaining boys as Clanley Ritchell was met by a generic-looking, dark-haired boy, and she thought fleetingly, I hope I'm matched with him. He seemed to be thinking the same thing; his face fell a little when he was called up to greet a willowy blond on the dais."Danica Soress," the voice demanded, and Livia stood a little straighter with a sharp intake of breath. Had she been skipped?All the vague, incoherent fears that had accompanied Mara's morbid pronouncement coursed through Livia, charged with shame as some girls recognized the omission and turned to look at her with expressions of varying pity. Livia felt on the edge of tears.She saw the blond - that wretched Salvia - pull the grey-eyed boy down to whisper cruelly in his ear and point in Livia's direction, and she contemplated melting into the dirt.With the blood roaring loudly in her ears, she heard no other names called, and stared fixedly at a nondescript blade of grass in front of her to avoid the glances that were flickering toward her. How can this be? she thought frantically. How can I not have a match?"Livia, what's going on?" Mara's face held ghoulish curiosity with only an edge of concern for her friend, and Livia couldn't deal with her. She turned without a word and marched to the fountain a good distance away from the platform. People were breaking off now, finding secluded spots to get to know this person with whom they'd be partnered forever. Livia, wrapping her arms tightly around her gut, had never felt so alone.How could she have lost a lifetime of companionship without ever tasting it? It was too, too cruel. What right did that boy have to take away everything in one fell swoop? How could he die? She wanted to shake her fist at the heavens, demand an explanation, but she just trailed her fingers through the rippling water in the fountain basin, swallowing hard against the wave of emotions that threatened to show itself grotesquely in her features."His name was Bracken, if that helps," said a voice behind her, and she jumped, throwing water onto her dress. She turned to see that grey-eyed boy approaching, and she prepared herself for the humiliation she was sure to experience at his hands; he had, after all, been matched like everyone else, and she was alone - possibly forever.He did not mock her, though; his eyes held the soft, cautious understanding of someone who pitied another, but was not sure whether that person desired sympathy or not. When she said nothing, he shrugged self-consciously. "Sorry, I realize you might not have wanted to know. I just, he was my best friend. I thought if you did want to know about him, I'd at least let you know who you could ask."A flood of gratitude made it temporarily impossible for her to speak, and then she forced a smile. "I think I'd like to know," she said hesitantly. She wasn't sure; would it be better to know nothing about what she'd never have, or to at least have pleasant thoughts about what could've been? "Can I ask you something now?""Absolutely.""Would I have liked him?"The boy nodded. "I think so. He was quiet at first, it took a while to get to know him. But once you did, there was no one you trusted more." He added, with the hesitation of an afterthought but the seriousness of something he'd intended to say all along, "Seeing you here, there's no doubt that he would have liked you."He gave Livia one last smile and lay his hand over hers for a moment, ignoring the water droplets that sat on it like dew. For a warm second, she felt a rush of what it might have been like to have someone get to know her intimately over a lifetime, to love and understand her and for her to love back, and then the grey-eyed boy was walking with wide strides back to Salvia, and nothing but a hollow sadness remained beneath her breastbone.Livia hated them. All of them.The girls with their softly rolling curls, teased and coached for hours in order to look casually delicate when the boys, their shirts tucked in and their shoes shined, arrived at their doorsteps carrying one or two or twenty flowers in one hand and a shining invitation in the other. They walked with springing steps the short distance to the gathering hall in the center of town, hand in hand or arm in arm, and Livia wanted to throw rocks at the whole lot of them.She had been invited, sort of, to join in on the festivities. The community officials, not sure what to do with the first single person over eighteen in a century, had hesitantly allowed for her participation in all the new couples' activities; so far, she had partaken in none of them.Desperately, she wanted to be a part of the revelry, but she could not force herself to walk into the rooms full of happy girls and their happy boys, and have nothing herself. Her mother, unable to comfort her, had begged her to go to the dance. It was the last night before all the boys would be returning to their own communities, taking their matches with them. It was the last night she would seek Mara, who had paired with a boy from Onek.And she'd tried: she'd gotten dressed, piled her hair up on top of her head and pulled her elbow-length gloves on, but nothing could motivate her to step outside her house as streams of giggling lovebirds trickled by on the way to the hall."Go, Livia," her mother said, coming up behind her with a basket of laundry on her hip. "You should at least go long enough to say goodbye to Mara.""I can't, Mama. Think of how they'll look at me!"Her mother bent Livia's head down to kiss her on the forehead. "It's not your fault, Neinei, and they know that. They feel bad for you. They all want to see you. The world didn't end when that poor boy died.""Bracken," Livia said defiantly. Her mother had refused to say his name, insisting that it was better for Livia to know nothing about what she had lost.Patting her daughter's shoulder, she adjusted her basket and turned to leave. "Go."Livia had retreated around the side of the gathering hall, standing just outside the golden pool of light that poured like honey from the windows. Sobs caught in her throat and were choked down, unvoiced, as she watched Mara and Verin and Danica and dozens of others receive chaste pecks from shy boys as they spun by in their brightly-colored dresses, waving fluted, bubbling glasses and laughing with abandon.And there, the grey-eyed boy, Bracken's best friend, was seated quietly with his hands folded in his lap, listening politely to an enthusiastic rendition of some trivial event or another by Salvia. It was always easy to tell when she was excited about something, as her arms pinwheeled and hands fluttered with no thought to how the gestures went along with the story.He glanced up, and his eyes met, for a moment, Livia's. He looked surprised to see her there, and then a bit sad, and then his gaze drifted back to Salvia, who had grabbed his knee in her earnestness.This infinitesimal rejection, the refusal to even meet her eyes for more than a moment, pushed Livia over the edge. Tears, burning like acid, washed over her face, and she stumbled away from the window, crying with pitiful lack of restraint.She staggered into the sparse forest, the trees providing scattered shelter from curious eyes, if any should choose to drift away from the golden party, and the darkness of the night fit her mood, a strangely soothing thought."Are you alright?" For the second time, the grey-eyed boy's voice jolted her out of her own misery. She would not face him; not now, when her eyes were puffy and irritated, her nose red and her face streaked with dirty tear tracks. He would see her and compare her to Salvia, and she would fall short; she could not handle right now seeing him weigh her that way and find her lacking.His hand on her back was another surprise, and then both his hands weighing down on her shoulders as he stepped closer behind her. "Hey," he said gently. "Everything will turn out fine. Maybe, maybe you'll find someone better than Bracken could have been for you."She forgot her resolution not to face him then, turning toward him with her eyes narrowed to angry slits. "How could I, when everyone is paired already? Besides, I had my chance - he just managed to get himself killed before I could even meet him!" The words came out much harsher than she intended, and the young man in front of her actually took a step back from her ferocity, hunching like she'd landed a blow to his gut. "I'm sorry," she said immediately, automatically. "I shouldn't have said that. He was your friend, ""It's alright," he said, giving her a ghost of a smile and waving his hand with a nonchalance that didn't show in his eyes. He had that gentle look of quiet appreciation of life that came to some people who lost loved ones, but knew that lost friend would be offended if they did not continue to smile. "I know it's probably really hard on you, seeing everyone so, happy." He trailed off, not looking happy in the least."Speaking of happy people, shouldn't you be in there with Salvia?"His face took on the contemplative expression of someone deciding how to phrase something delicately. "Salvia, she's not quite what I expected to find, on my Matching Day. She's, ""Lively?" Livia suggested. "Brazen? Exuberant?" obnoxious," the grey-eyed boy said decisively. "I don't like her at all."Livia smirked. "Well, you have to like her. She's your match. You love her."He shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I don't.""But she's your perfect match," Livia insisted."But what if she's not?"Livia heard her heart beat twice before she asked, "What?""What if Salvia is not the perfect girl for me? What if the girl that I would love more than anyone else in the world couldn't be matched with me because, there was someone else our age who she would like a little bit better?""That doesn't even make sense," Livia said, shaking her head. "The matches have always been perfect: even numbers, complete compatibility;”"But this time they messed up, right? I mean, you should know. You're the person who's affected more than anyone else.""Well, yes, but;”"So why isn't it possible that they aren't right on everything else? What if they didn't match this girl with me because she would love this other guy more?""Well, so, maybe they did. But if you would love her so much, surely you would want to see her happy, with the man she was meant to be with, right?""Yes," he said, very seriously. "I would want to see her happy.""Then you should leave her in peace with the person she was matched with, and focus on learning to love the girl you were paired with."The interminable silence stretched between them as the grey-eyed boy stared down at the leafy ground and Livia watched the way his hair blew across his forehead in the breeze. At last he said, "What if she wasn't matched with anyone?"Livia's heart sped up, beating double time as she realized what he'd been saying all along, what she'd been too dim to put together until he'd spelled it out. "But you are matched," she said numbly. "Salvia has you."He leaned dangerously far forward, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered into it, "I don't want Salvia."Livia shrank back, confused. These were dangerous words he uttered, dangerous thoughts. People were matched with the people they were meant to be with. How could there be any other way? They couldn't be wrong; there'd been no divorce, no infidelity, no broken hearts in the decades people had been paired this way. Surely it was the right way. It had to be."I don't even know your name," Livia said resolutely, as though that settled the matter and proved him wrong. She pushed against his chest to force him back, feeling the blazing heat of his heart under her palm."It's Mason," he said quietly, and his words had the sound of discussion-ending power to them too. Livia was conscious of the fact that she had not moved her hand from his chest; her fingers curled slightly, enjoying the silky feeling of his shirt over his skin, and the warmth that radiated from his flesh."Go back to Salvia, Mason," she whispered. She realized she was shaking from head to toe, and not from cold. Here was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had imagined when she thought of her Matching Day, but he was not hers. "Please, go back to the party."With a sigh, Mason touched her cheek briefly, the lightest of butterfly wing contacts, and then he turned and vanished into the night, not toward the party, but deeper into the forest. Livia stood for a long time without moving, her mind racing and her heart pounding like a runner's feet, and then she walked, slowly, directly away from Mason."You didn't come to the party last night," Mara said, breaking the silence that stood like frosted glass between her and Livia."No." Livia had gotten no sleep the night before; lying in bed, replaying continually the frightening moments with Mason, her heart had never slowed."Well, I just wanted to say goodbye, " Mara twisted her hands for a moment before wrapping Livia up in a warm and desperate hug. "I'm sorry, Lenny. I'm going to miss you so much."The tension between them melted, and Livia returned the hug tightly, sighing. "It's hard to believe I'll never see any of you again - all the girls I've known all my life! Except for Maize and Crista, they're the only ones who matched with boys from here, right? And I don't really even know them.""Well, you'll see Salvia too, for a little while."Breathe in. Breathe out. "Why's that?""Oh, that fellow she paired with - Mason, isn't it? - his parents have some sort of huge wedding ceremony planned, and they've got a house mostly built for the two of them. They told him to stay here a while, get to know his partner's family for a bit, let her spend some more time with them, and then head back once the house and all the plans were done."Wedding were an extravagance, a luxury that most people went without, especially if they didn't have the means to make it a massive event. The fact that Mason's family was going to such lengths meant they must be well off indeed."So Mason, and Salvia, will be around for a while?""Yeah, at least a month, I'd say."A buzzing numbness in her extremities made it difficult for Livia to respond. She had thought Mason would be gone today, that she'd never have to see him and Salvia together again. But they would be here for a month,"Speak of the devil," Mara said cheerfully, skipping over to greet Salvia as she pranced up the path with Mason's hand gripped in her own vice-like claw. The dark circles under his eyes said that he, too, had had a night with little sleep.

Matching Day: Part 1To love risks more than just her heart.Based on a post by SmallTownPrincess, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected.Girls spend their entire lives looking forward to the fateful Matching Day - and whether or not they will admit it, boys, too, have at least a healthy curiosity. It's so reassuring, knowing that in your eighteenth year, you and your age-mates will be paired off, brought together with another from their own community or a surrounding one that match them perfectly. No song-and-dance dating rituals, like the ones in the books Livia liked to read, no old maids, no riotous bachelors; just simple, comforting compatibility."Have you heard?" The hushed, conspiratorial tones issued from the pink-lacquered lips of Livia's best friend, Mara."What?" Livia's low-pitched voice always made her sound disinterested, but she paid close attention to Mara when her friend sounded this urgent."There was a big accident over in Micrague. One guy died!""Oh, that's terrible," Livia murmured, letting her eyelashes drop and rise again to half-mast in a brief show of empathy. It was all she had time for, as Mara leaned suddenly, ever more urgently forward, gripping Livia's arm in both hands."That's not the worst thing," she rolled on. "The guy who was killed? He just turned eighteen. That makes the numbers for tomorrow's Matching uneven!"Two full breaths, painful to the impatient Mara, passed before Livia spoke in response. "So, what, someone won't be paired? A girl will be left without her match?""Whoever matched with him will have no pair on Matching Day," Mara proclaimed ominously. Her eyes were wide and glittering with morbid excitement."What do they do about that?" It was unheard of, as far as Livia knew; there were always even numbers, always a perfect match for everyone.Mara gave an exaggerated shrug. "Maybe she'll never be matched."Livia was surprised into laughter. "They can't leave her without a match forever," she said with certainty. "Maybe they'll search out another community for someone that fits even better than that poor boy who died."Her reassuring confidence sent Mara, humming, away to terrify someone else with proclamations of an eternity alone for some poor girl. The thought nagged at Livia for the rest of the afternoon, though. What if he was matched with me?"Verin Massada," the stern voice called from the central platform, and a stick-thin brunette drifted toward the three steps that lifted her above the circle of impatient teenagers."Philip Pressia." The broad-shouldered redhead that stepped up to take Verin's hand smirked and bowed at the polite smattering of applause that ushered the happy new couple off the stage. Livia smiled approvingly; Verin needed a little more humor in her life.Livia watched each girl she'd grown up with walk back into the circle, shyly clutching the hand of her new mate, and twisted her skirt nervously in her fingers. It seemed forever before the 'R's were called, and the wad of boys brought in from all the different communities steadily shrank. She met the clear grey eyes of one of the remaining boys as Clanley Ritchell was met by a generic-looking, dark-haired boy, and she thought fleetingly, I hope I'm matched with him. He seemed to be thinking the same thing; his face fell a little when he was called up to greet a willowy blond on the dais."Danica Soress," the voice demanded, and Livia stood a little straighter with a sharp intake of breath. Had she been skipped?All the vague, incoherent fears that had accompanied Mara's morbid pronouncement coursed through Livia, charged with shame as some girls recognized the omission and turned to look at her with expressions of varying pity. Livia felt on the edge of tears.She saw the blond - that wretched Salvia - pull the grey-eyed boy down to whisper cruelly in his ear and point in Livia's direction, and she contemplated melting into the dirt.With the blood roaring loudly in her ears, she heard no other names called, and stared fixedly at a nondescript blade of grass in front of her to avoid the glances that were flickering toward her. How can this be? she thought frantically. How can I not have a match?"Livia, what's going on?" Mara's face held ghoulish curiosity with only an edge of concern for her friend, and Livia couldn't deal with her. She turned without a word and marched to the fountain a good distance away from the platform. People were breaking off now, finding secluded spots to get to know this person with whom they'd be partnered forever. Livia, wrapping her arms tightly around her gut, had never felt so alone.How could she have lost a lifetime of companionship without ever tasting it? It was too, too cruel. What right did that boy have to take away everything in one fell swoop? How could he die? She wanted to shake her fist at the heavens, demand an explanation, but she just trailed her fingers through the rippling water in the fountain basin, swallowing hard against the wave of emotions that threatened to show itself grotesquely in her features."His name was Bracken, if that helps," said a voice behind her, and she jumped, throwing water onto her dress. She turned to see that grey-eyed boy approaching, and she prepared herself for the humiliation she was sure to experience at his hands; he had, after all, been matched like everyone else, and she was alone - possibly forever.He did not mock her, though; his eyes held the soft, cautious understanding of someone who pitied another, but was not sure whether that person desired sympathy or not. When she said nothing, he shrugged self-consciously. "Sorry, I realize you might not have wanted to know. I just, he was my best friend. I thought if you did want to know about him, I'd at least let you know who you could ask."A flood of gratitude made it temporarily impossible for her to speak, and then she forced a smile. "I think I'd like to know," she said hesitantly. She wasn't sure; would it be better to know nothing about what she'd never have, or to at least have pleasant thoughts about what could've been? "Can I ask you something now?""Absolutely.""Would I have liked him?"The boy nodded. "I think so. He was quiet at first, it took a while to get to know him. But once you did, there was no one you trusted more." He added, with the hesitation of an afterthought but the seriousness of something he'd intended to say all along, "Seeing you here, there's no doubt that he would have liked you."He gave Livia one last smile and lay his hand over hers for a moment, ignoring the water droplets that sat on it like dew. For a warm second, she felt a rush of what it might have been like to have someone get to know her intimately over a lifetime, to love and understand her and for her to love back, and then the grey-eyed boy was walking with wide strides back to Salvia, and nothing but a hollow sadness remained beneath her breastbone.Livia hated them. All of them.The girls with their softly rolling curls, teased and coached for hours in order to look casually delicate when the boys, their shirts tucked in and their shoes shined, arrived at their doorsteps carrying one or two or twenty flowers in one hand and a shining invitation in the other. They walked with springing steps the short distance to the gathering hall in the center of town, hand in hand or arm in arm, and Livia wanted to throw rocks at the whole lot of them.She had been invited, sort of, to join in on the festivities. The community officials, not sure what to do with the first single person over eighteen in a century, had hesitantly allowed for her participation in all the new couples' activities; so far, she had partaken in none of them.Desperately, she wanted to be a part of the revelry, but she could not force herself to walk into the rooms full of happy girls and their happy boys, and have nothing herself. Her mother, unable to comfort her, had begged her to go to the dance. It was the last night before all the boys would be returning to their own communities, taking their matches with them. It was the last night she would seek Mara, who had paired with a boy from Onek.And she'd tried: she'd gotten dressed, piled her hair up on top of her head and pulled her elbow-length gloves on, but nothing could motivate her to step outside her house as streams of giggling lovebirds trickled by on the way to the hall."Go, Livia," her mother said, coming up behind her with a basket of laundry on her hip. "You should at least go long enough to say goodbye to Mara.""I can't, Mama. Think of how they'll look at me!"Her mother bent Livia's head down to kiss her on the forehead. "It's not your fault, Neinei, and they know that. They feel bad for you. They all want to see you. The world didn't end when that poor boy died.""Bracken," Livia said defiantly. Her mother had refused to say his name, insisting that it was better for Livia to know nothing about what she had lost.Patting her daughter's shoulder, she adjusted her basket and turned to leave. "Go."Livia had retreated around the side of the gathering hall, standing just outside the golden pool of light that poured like honey from the windows. Sobs caught in her throat and were choked down, unvoiced, as she watched Mara and Verin and Danica and dozens of others receive chaste pecks from shy boys as they spun by in their brightly-colored dresses, waving fluted, bubbling glasses and laughing with abandon.And there, the grey-eyed boy, Bracken's best friend, was seated quietly with his hands folded in his lap, listening politely to an enthusiastic rendition of some trivial event or another by Salvia. It was always easy to tell when she was excited about something, as her arms pinwheeled and hands fluttered with no thought to how the gestures went along with the story.He glanced up, and his eyes met, for a moment, Livia's. He looked surprised to see her there, and then a bit sad, and then his gaze drifted back to Salvia, who had grabbed his knee in her earnestness.This infinitesimal rejection, the refusal to even meet her eyes for more than a moment, pushed Livia over the edge. Tears, burning like acid, washed over her face, and she stumbled away from the window, crying with pitiful lack of restraint.She staggered into the sparse forest, the trees providing scattered shelter from curious eyes, if any should choose to drift away from the golden party, and the darkness of the night fit her mood, a strangely soothing thought."Are you alright?" For the second time, the grey-eyed boy's voice jolted her out of her own misery. She would not face him; not now, when her eyes were puffy and irritated, her nose red and her face streaked with dirty tear tracks. He would see her and compare her to Salvia, and she would fall short; she could not handle right now seeing him weigh her that way and find her lacking.His hand on her back was another surprise, and then both his hands weighing down on her shoulders as he stepped closer behind her. "Hey," he said gently. "Everything will turn out fine. Maybe, maybe you'll find someone better than Bracken could have been for you."She forgot her resolution not to face him then, turning toward him with her eyes narrowed to angry slits. "How could I, when everyone is paired already? Besides, I had my chance - he just managed to get himself killed before I could even meet him!" The words came out much harsher than she intended, and the young man in front of her actually took a step back from her ferocity, hunching like she'd landed a blow to his gut. "I'm sorry," she said immediately, automatically. "I shouldn't have said that. He was your friend, ""It's alright," he said, giving her a ghost of a smile and waving his hand with a nonchalance that didn't show in his eyes. He had that gentle look of quiet appreciation of life that came to some people who lost loved ones, but knew that lost friend would be offended if they did not continue to smile. "I know it's probably really hard on you, seeing everyone so, happy." He trailed off, not looking happy in the least."Speaking of happy people, shouldn't you be in there with Salvia?"His face took on the contemplative expression of someone deciding how to phrase something delicately. "Salvia, she's not quite what I expected to find, on my Matching Day. She's, ""Lively?" Livia suggested. "Brazen? Exuberant?" obnoxious," the grey-eyed boy said decisively. "I don't like her at all."Livia smirked. "Well, you have to like her. She's your match. You love her."He shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I don't.""But she's your perfect match," Livia insisted."But what if she's not?"Livia heard her heart beat twice before she asked, "What?""What if Salvia is not the perfect girl for me? What if the girl that I would love more than anyone else in the world couldn't be matched with me because, there was someone else our age who she would like a little bit better?""That doesn't even make sense," Livia said, shaking her head. "The matches have always been perfect: even numbers, complete compatibility;”"But this time they messed up, right? I mean, you should know. You're the person who's affected more than anyone else.""Well, yes, but;”"So why isn't it possible that they aren't right on everything else? What if they didn't match this girl with me because she would love this other guy more?""Well, so, maybe they did. But if you would love her so much, surely you would want to see her happy, with the man she was meant to be with, right?""Yes," he said, very seriously. "I would want to see her happy.""Then you should leave her in peace with the person she was matched with, and focus on learning to love the girl you were paired with."The interminable silence stretched between them as the grey-eyed boy stared down at the leafy ground and Livia watched the way his hair blew across his forehead in the breeze. At last he said, "What if she wasn't matched with anyone?"Livia's heart sped up, beating double time as she realized what he'd been saying all along, what she'd been too dim to put together until he'd spelled it out. "But you are matched," she said numbly. "Salvia has you."He leaned dangerously far forward, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered into it, "I don't want Salvia."Livia shrank back, confused. These were dangerous words he uttered, dangerous thoughts. People were matched with the people they were meant to be with. How could there be any other way? They couldn't be wrong; there'd been no divorce, no infidelity, no broken hearts in the decades people had been paired this way. Surely it was the right way. It had to be."I don't even know your name," Livia said resolutely, as though that settled the matter and proved him wrong. She pushed against his chest to force him back, feeling the blazing heat of his heart under her palm."It's Mason," he said quietly, and his words had the sound of discussion-ending power to them too. Livia was conscious of the fact that she had not moved her hand from his chest; her fingers curled slightly, enjoying the silky feeling of his shirt over his skin, and the warmth that radiated from his flesh."Go back to Salvia, Mason," she whispered. She realized she was shaking from head to toe, and not from cold. Here was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had imagined when she thought of her Matching Day, but he was not hers. "Please, go back to the party."With a sigh, Mason touched her cheek briefly, the lightest of butterfly wing contacts, and then he turned and vanished into the night, not toward the party, but deeper into the forest. Livia stood for a long time without moving, her mind racing and her heart pounding like a runner's feet, and then she walked, slowly, directly away from Mason."You didn't come to the party last night," Mara said, breaking the silence that stood like frosted glass between her and Livia."No." Livia had gotten no sleep the night before; lying in bed, replaying continually the frightening moments with Mason, her heart had never slowed."Well, I just wanted to say goodbye, " Mara twisted her hands for a moment before wrapping Livia up in a warm and desperate hug. "I'm sorry, Lenny. I'm going to miss you so much."The tension between them melted, and Livia returned the hug tightly, sighing. "It's hard to believe I'll never see any of you again - all the girls I've known all my life! Except for Maize and Crista, they're the only ones who matched with boys from here, right? And I don't really even know them.""Well, you'll see Salvia too, for a little while."Breathe in. Breathe out. "Why's that?""Oh, that fellow she paired with - Mason, isn't it? - his parents have some sort of huge wedding ceremony planned, and they've got a house mostly built for the two of them. They told him to stay here a while, get to know his partner's family for a bit, let her spend some more time with them, and then head back once the house and all the plans were done."Wedding were an extravagance, a luxury that most people went without, especially if they didn't have the means to make it a massive event. The fact that Mason's family was going to such lengths meant they must be well off indeed."So Mason, and Salvia, will be around for a while?""Yeah, at least a month, I'd say."A buzzing numbness in her extremities made it difficult for Livia to respond. She had thought Mason would be gone today, that she'd never have to see him and Salvia together again. But they would be here for a month,"Speak of the devil," Mara said cheerfully, skipping over to greet Salvia as she pranced up the path with Mason's hand gripped in her own vice-like claw. The dark circles under his eyes said that he, too, had had a night with little sleep.

Men committed the majority of violent crimes in Tudor and Stuart England. But when women murdered, the press had a field day. This Long Read, written by author and historian Blessin Adams, asks what drove society's gleeful fascination with its “angels of death”. HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today's feature originally appeared in the April 2025 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matchless Design Ephesians 4:16

Stephen Proctor's latest book, Matchless" is due out October of 2025 and in it he makes an argument for the match piting USA's Glenna Collett vs the UK's Joyce Wethred going down as the Match of the Century. These two Titans of the Green propelled the women's game into the international spotlight and laid the groundwork for what would become the LPGA Tour. Matchless marks Stephen's third golf history book and quite frankly its a trilogy that every golf history lover needs to have on their shelves. We hope you enjoy this preview of MATCHLESS!

Luke 23:32-34 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Fredrik och Ulf pratar om prylar som av olika skäl hamnat utom räckhåll för oss vanliga dödliga. Fölster pratar och cases och gigbags. I veckans pryl testar vi Dirty Boy Preamp. I detta avsnitt: Dumble, Trainwreck, Kelley, Analogman, Ibanez, Gibson, Fender, Hiwatt, Gretsch, Marshall, Matchless, Badcat, Bigsby, Benson, Chase Bliss, Suhr, Ronin, Audio Eyra, Boss, Ross, Slickbag, UA, Dirty Boy.

Detta är summeringen från vår träff i Roslagen där vi är alla tre var på plats. Fölster gör en djupdykning i sitt uppdaterade pedalbord. I veckans pryl testar vi Kingsleys Peasant. I veckans avsnitt: Gibson, Fender, Square Wave, Huima, Rickenbacker, Magnatone, Gretsch, Bluebox, Matchless, Kingsley, Soulman, Chase Bliss, Suhr, Jam Pedals, Eventide, Koll, Nobels, Castledine, Laundromat, Pigdog, Analogman, BJFE, Prescription Electronics, MXR, Boss, UA.

Vi jobbar på i Roslagen och i detta avsnitt snackar vi om en av de mest klassiska elgitarrerna i historien. Fölster ger sig bakåt i tiden och pratar ljud vi minns. I veckans pryl spelar vi på Sir Henry Vibe. I veckans avsnitt: Fender Bigsby, Gibson, G&L, Music Man, Marshall, Germino, Gustavsson, Analogman, Dumble, Komet, Satellit, Custom Audio, Gretsch, Fractal Audio, Matchless, Insulander, Vemuran, Andersson, Marshall, Sir Henry, Asher.

Vi har fortfarande Fölster med oss och i detta avsnitt pratar vi om hur vi konsumerar gitarrgrejer. Fölster funderar över det här med att flyga med gitarrer. I veckans pryl testar vi Behringer UV300 Ultra Vibrato. I veckans avsnitt: Fender, Gibson, Hamstead, Matchless, Dumble, Komet, Two-Rock, Bruno, Hamer, Taylor, Boss, Behringer, UA.

Bro. Doug Foster presents "God's Matchless Mercy" from 2 Peter 2, during a worship service at Immanuel Baptist Church, Florence, Ky. Please visit us at 7183 Pleasant Valley Road Florence KY 41042, or call us at (859) 586-6829. Church links: Website: https://www.ibcflorence.com Daily Devotions: https://ibcflorenceky.wordpress.com/follow/ Free App: http://www.ibcflorence.com/ibc-app Our entire list of recent sermons: https://www.ibcflorence.com/recent-sermons Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ibcflorence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ibcflorenceky Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibcflorence/ Podcasts: https://soundcloud.com/user-658781358 Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/ibcflorence/live We would love to know how to pray for you! Romans 10:9

Psalm 111

"Matchless Name of Jesus: Immanuel" with Pastor Ray Swatkowski

"Matchless Name of Jesus: Lamb of God" with Pastor Seth McCumber

Ingen over og ingen under!... Eller? Matchless hviler ikke på laubærene hva gjelder navn, og det med god grunn fordi Matchless har en så utrolig deilig og saftig Vox-på-steroider-tone at det er hygge herfra til månen. Siden 1989 Har flaggskipet deres DC30 beriket ørene våre med deilig, klar, overtonerik dog tykk gitartone som er et resultat av flinke amerikanere som bygger videre på Vox AC30 sitt allerede nydelige soniske format. Vi tester som vanlig en emulering av dette i Line 6 Helix med den svært populære emuleringen ved navn "Matchstick". God lytt!

"Matchless Name of Jesus: Prince of Peace" with Pastor Ray Swatkowski

"Matchless Name of Jesus: Messiah" with Pastor Ray Swatkowski

We speak with Larry Ruttman, a 93-year-old attorney based in Boston who has developed a great love of classical music. His latest book is "Intimate Conversations: Face-to-Face with Matchless Musicians," a collection of interviews he was privileged to conduct with an array of fine performers, composers and conductors such as violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, mezzo soprano Susan Graham, and composer Matthew Aucoin.

>128 - Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon) In episode 128 of “Have Guitar Will Travel”, presented by Vintage Guitar Magazine host James Patrick Regan speaks with guitarist and vocalist Matt Scannell from the band Vertical Horizon. In their conversation they cover Matt's current tours and his road gear, a Line 6 Helix and a pedalboard which weighs just 9lbs and his backup a Line 6 Pod Express… but they quickly began talking about Matt's collection of Marshall Plexi's. Matt discusses the shear volume of the Plexi and his solution the Fryette Power station attenuator. Matt also talks about the rest of his amp collection: vintage Fenders, Vox AC30's Matchless and Divided by 13. Matt discusses his stage guitars electrics made by Paul Reed Smith, acoustics made by Taylor and then we dive deep into Matt's vintage guitars and how he became a lover of vintage instruments. Matt tells us about his friend who recently passed away James Tyler a guitar builder who made a huge impact on Matt's life. Matt delves into his hero's Alex Lifeson and David Gilmore and Matt's opportunity to play David Gilmore's ‘54 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. Matt tells us about his childhood guitar a Kramer Pacer deluxe that he plugged into a Fender London Reverb with a Roland SDE 1000. Matt begins to tell about how he started in bands and he tells us about his education and he's going to give us the rest us his story in part 2 . You can find out more about Matt and his band Vertical Horizon at their website: verticalhorizon.com . Please subscribe, like, comment, share and review this podcast! . #VintageGuitarMagazine #MattScannellguitar #VerticalHorizon #Marshallamps #MarshallPlexi #PRSGuitars #taylorguitars #GuitarHero #theDeadlies #Fryette#haveguitarwilltravelpodcast #VintageGibson #Travelwithguitars #hgwt #HGWT . . Please like, comment, and share this podcast! Download Link

Primary podcast for LDS kids. This week we are studying Helaman and the Stripling Warriors! In the for kids section of the come follow me manual titled: Preserved by His Marvelous Power”Alma 53–63Having faith in God helps me overcome fear.I can be faithful to God like Helaman's young soldiers.I can be faithful to what my parents teach in righteousness.I can keep my covenants with Heavenly Father.Welcome to the Come Follow Me Kids Podcast! This is a scripture study podcast for children. Specifically; this is a Come Follow Me for Kids - focused on helping your kids learn the gospel! We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and we create this podcast for primary aged children (ages 2-12) following along with the church's Come Follow Me Manual. We are a game play podcast and engage and entertain children through fun interactive games and stories. This year we are a Book of Mormon Come Follow Me Study podcast for children. We hope you enjoy listening! If your children would like to be guests on our podcast email us at comefollowmekidspodcast@gmail.com and we will send you an assignment for a future week. We are also happy to give your child a baptism shout out as well! Just email us their name, city, and ward and we will give them a baptism way to go! We are not officially affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and refer you to their website for any questions regarding doctrine or gospel information.

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 4 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 4 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 3 1 Timothy 1

On July 11, 1928, six Canadian female athletes—Fanny Rosenfeld, Jean Thompson, Myrtle Cook, Florence Jane Bell, Ethel Smith, and Ethel Catherwood—departed for Amsterdam to participate in the Olympics, marking the first time women were allowed in athletics and gymnastics. Their legacy contributed significantly to the progress of gender equality in sports, from 10% female participation in 1928 to nearly 50% expected in Tokyo 2020. Guest: Craig Baird, Host of the Podcast “Canada History Ehx” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello! We are starting to dust off the cobwebs of summer break. As we do, we return to one of Mike Carroll's short stories. Please enjoy! We will be back with the new format soon, so keep following us here! Thanks, Nic

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 2 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 2 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 2 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 1 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 1 1 Timothy 1

The Matchless Grace of Christ Part 1 1 Timothy 1

Hebrews 1:1-4

Ces deux aventuriers iraniens ont entrepris dans les années 50-60, un improbable tour du monde, à moto d'abord à travers l'Asie, l'Océanie ou l'Amérique, puis en 2 CV sur le continent africain. Le récit de leurs dix ans de voyage, encore largement méconnu dans l'espace francophone, est enfin adapté et traduit en français. Téhéran, été 1954Issa et Abdullah Omidvar enfourchent leur moto Matchless et tracent un chemin de liberté et de fraternité à nul autre pareil, qui les conduira sur les pistes africaines, les routes sablonneuses de l'Australie ou les voies sinueuses du Tibet. Depuis trois ans, les deux frères préparent ce grand voyage, avec en tête l'idée de rencontrer, filmer et « étudier » les peuples les plus isolés de la planète. Dix ans plus tard, ils auront traversé près de 100 pays, vécu des mois auprès des Aborigènes, des Inuits du Grand Nord, des Pygmées ou d'ethnies reculées d'Amazonie, récoltant au passage de précieux témoignages (écrits, objets, photos et films) d'un monde particulièrement riche, parfois sans frontières, mais déjà secoué par un ordre mondialisé qui a la ferme intention de s'imposer partout. À leur retour en Iran, ils seront accueillis en héros. Leur voyage inédit est un exploit. Téhéran, années 2000 Jean-Louis Ozsvath, un français passionné de voyages, découvre comme beaucoup, l'existence de ces deux Iraniens pionniers de l'exploration, à travers le musée qui leur est consacré à Téhéran, dans le palais de Saadabad, présenté comme le « premier musée d'ethnologie d'Iran ». Il découvre aussi le récit publié en anglais de ce tour du monde, écrit par Abdullah et Issa. Mieux, Jean-Louis Ozsvath apprend que les deux frères sont encore en vie et continuent de partager leurs souvenirs depuis l'Iran où vit Issa, et le Chili où s'est installé pour sa part Abdullah (jusqu'à sa mort récente à l'été 2022). Il entreprend alors de les rencontrer de Santiago à Téhéran, et d'adapter en français leur récit de voyage, encore totalement méconnu dans le monde francophone. Pendant leurs dix années passées sur les routes, les frères Omidvar n'ont pas fait que partager le quotidien des peuples qu'ils ont rencontrés. Ils les ont filmés, suivis longuement, cherchant à les comprendre, les connaître sans les préjugés coloniaux qui guidaient alors encore beaucoup d'Européens. Ils étaient Iraniens, leur rapport était différent, le regard neuf souvent, naïf parfois. Mais ce qui frappe en lisant leur récit publié aux éditions Névicata/Elytis, c'est à quel point les deux ethnographes et documentaristes iraniens nous alertent, à leur manière, sur la direction que prend le cours de l'histoire et du monde, dénonçant la surpopulation, la surexploitation des ressources naturelles et la disparition en marche de la richesse et de la diversité culturelle qu'incarnent les peuples premiers. Deux aventuriers pas banals qu'il faut donc suivre et à qui il faut aussi, enfin, rendre hommage. Une rencontre initialement diffusée en septembre 2022.À lire, à voir et écouter  Le voyage des frères Omidvar : deux aventuriers iraniens à travers le monde d'Issa Omidvar, par Jean Louis Ozsvath. Éditions Nevicata Elytis Un article sur le musée des frères Omidvar et ce que cela dit de notre rapport au voyage, par l'autrice Lucie Azéma dans le Courrier International Quelques extraits en ligne des films des frères Omidvar, sous-titrés en anglais La musique enregistrée par frères Omidvar pendant leur tour du monde : Rahavard (2002). Disponible en ligne sur les plateformes audio. 

On this day when we pay our homage to that 'Paragon of Purity' Mother Easwaramma, Sai Prabhakar, an alumnus of Bhagawan's college, recalls a poignant episode that he was not only witness to it but also was part of in 2010 when Swami visited the shrine of Mother Easwaramma on Easwaramma Day. As Prabhakar recounts that day he reflects on the matchless relationship between Mother Easwaramma and her Beloved Son and draws powerful lessons which should be our take aways on this sacred and solemn occasion. OMS' is an 'Oh My Sai' series wherein we plan to offer 100 such OMS videos as we march towards Bhagawan's 100th Birthday to be celebrated on Nov 23, 2025.

Matchless Holiness അതുല്യമായ വിശുദ്ധി | Br.Damien Antony | Morning Glory Episode 1325

© JPS Archives

“Our Matchless God" Exodus 7 - 11

Accessing The Matchless Dividends of Grace - BetterLife Conference Edition by Paul Osei Yaw Afoakwa

"For Unto Us a Child Is Born..." "You shall call His name 'JESUS.'" Oh the Matchless and Most Powerful name of Jesus! In this message, the Origin, the Importance, the Impact and the Influence of this name will be discussed! Merry Christmas! Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Mark Hawwa is a visionary who transformed a simple idea into a global movement. Inspired by a GQ magazine image of Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm in "Mad Men," sitting suavely on a classic Matchless motorcycle, Mark yearned to shatter the rough-edged stereotype often associated with bikers. He envisioned a world where motorcyclists were seen in a different light, not as the notorious one percenters or "bad boys," but as dapper individuals enjoying the ride of life. With this image in mind, Mark created "The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride" (DGR), an event where riders don their finest suits and take to the city streets with open-faced helmets and wide grins. The inaugural DGR was driven by the desire to dress sharply, share a few laughs, and pivot away from the conventional biker image. Mark's initiative quickly outgrew its humble beginnings, blossoming into an international phenomenon that has reshaped the public's perception of motorcyclists across the globe. With a touch of elegance and a strong sense of community, Mark Hawwa has spearheaded a stylish revolution on two wheels, proving that change can begin with a simple ride through the heart of the city.   www.gentlemansride.com www.gentlemansdrive.com   Socials  @gentlemansride @gentlemansdrive https://www.facebook.com/gentlemansride https://www.facebook.com/gentlemansdrive   Sponsors:  https://www.triumphmotorcycles.com https://elf.com/ https://hedon.com https://www.quadlockcase.com/

This year for Christmas, Victoria celebrates by making life a little better for those in need of a Guide and some cheer. Enjoy this third of five special Christmas mini-audio celebrations leading up to Christmas Eve."Matchless"Victoria finds Elina cold, tired, and alone outside of her building and invites her in to warm up and to help her enjoy a Happy Christmas.Cast (in order of appearance):Elina: Mary MurphyVictoria Bigglesworth-Hayes: Amber Loverling née CollinsNarrator: Daniel FoytikAuthor: LB WaltzScore: Nico Vettese of the inky pawprintSound Design: Daniel Foytik of 9th Story Studios LLCArt: jesse hawke of the inky pawprintA 9th Story Studios, LLC Production, All rights reserved. | Foytik, Loverling, VetteseSupport us on Patreon for ad free episodes and extra content.Listen and Subscribe: iTunes | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Google Podcasts | TuneIn | StitcherTHEMES:"The Lift Arrives, (Opening Theme Music):"Victoria's Music Box, (Victoria's Theme)"The Lift Closing Theme MusicComposed and Recorded by Nico Vettese of We Talk of Dreams www.wetalkofdreams.comFX:Sound FX: freesound.org, audioblocks.comProducer / Editor / Creator: Daniel FoytikExecutive Producers: Amber Loverling, Nico VetteseVisit The Lift: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Victoria's Twitter Victoria's Lift and all core characters, places, and situations are property of Daniel Foytik, 9th Story Studios, LLC and may not be used in any form without explicit written permission.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2910400/advertisement

Our names describe different aspects of who we are. The same thing is true about Jesus. He is our Mighty God, the Creator who spoke everything into existence. He has no rival and no equal. That means He is mighty over any difficult situation you may be facing today. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Who is this that even the wind and waves obey him? Jesus is matchless in power and we see him command a storm and command evil. 

Jonny Ardavanis concludes his study of the book of Jonah, and expounds on the heart of God as revealed in Jonah 4.