Podcasts about Oh Shit

A Holiday Haunting: Part 3 Jack, Erin and Lucy deal with the final complication; Based on a post by zeon 67. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. Jack visits the Franklin Home. Jack opened his eyes. He was instantly wide awake. It didn't take him long to realize that Jack was somewhere else, definitely not his bedroom. He was in his living room; yeah, it had to be. The room had the same shape, but there were no lights, electronics or anything modern. Ornate wood and gold-framed paintings filled the walls. The room felt smaller, but Jack noticed a massive fireplace that must have been removed before his parents bought the house. He had to be in 1898. It was the only thing that made sense. An older man walked into the room, but he didn't notice Jack sitting on the chair. Again, Jack was quick to understand; he was the ghost this time around. He couldn't touch anything, but could sit and stand, like Erin after the s ance. Looking down, he found himself wearing the same clothes before the ritual. The older man looked like he was in his sixties, overweight and balding salt and pepper hair. He reminded Jack of a railroad baron in old westerns. He had these large sideburns that went down to his chin. Jack couldn't help but stare at him. He guessed that the man was Jedediah Franklin. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and stood next to the fire. Jack could hear him speaking to himself but couldn't make out what he was saying. They were soon joined by another. A woman, in her sixties, walked into the room. Stone-faced and with grey eyes, she looked miserable. She was wearing this dark blue, nearly black ruffled dress that had this deep, sweeping skirt. If the man was Jedediah Franklin, she had to be Alice Franklin. She joined her husband at the fire and said, "Where is Robert?" "In the library," he answered. "And that jezebel?" "Fixing herself supper." "She cannot stay. She talks about marriage." "We cannot just force her out," Jedediah Franklin said, staring at the fire. "What? Let her marry your only son?" He turned and glared at his wife, "You think I would allow that Irish fucking whore to be part of this family? No, she must be silenced. She cannot speak to anyone about this." Alice Franklin slowly smiled and said, "Then we are at agreement. But it must be tonight." They both nodded and turned to watch the fire. Jedediah Franklin snaked an arm around his wife's waist while she rested her head on his shoulder. It would have looked like a heartwarming moment, but they were planning a murder, and it just pissed off Jack even more. The way they talked about death, so casual and just to avoid a minor scandal, disgusted Jack. Needed to get away, Jack caught Erin walking past in the hallway. He ran after her, following her into the kitchen. "Erin? Erin?" He said, standing in front of her. She didn't respond. It wasn't the Erin he knew. She had her hair tied in a bun, her face disinterested and a little tired. She slowly washed the dishes, staring dead-eyed at the water. Jack then followed her as she went about with her chores. He had called out for Erin, his Erin, but only got silence. Going back to the alive-Erin, Jack got it. He needed to see her die, to understand what happened to her. It made sense to him. A younger man, looking like a mix of Jedediah Franklin and weirdly enough for Jack, himself. Robert. Dressed in a black three-piece suit, he didn't have his father's impressive muttonchops but a simple beard. Jack watched him stare at Erin, taking in her every movement as she did her chores. Erin was putting away a jar, leaning up to place it in a cabinet when Robert approached her. He quickly trapped her in the corner of the room. He smiled and said, "Erin." She jolted, nearly dropping the jar. Erin then turned and clutched her chest. "Oh Robert, you frightened me." "I have to see you tonight." Robert stroked her cheek and grinned. "In the attic?" "Your mother and father?" "Please," he replied. Erin nodded. Lucy's Post Coital. Lucy shook awake. She was on Jack's bed, naked and warm. Her hand slithered down her nude body, liking how it felt, stopping at her crotch. A big dirty smile appeared on her face as Lucy slid her hand between her legs. Jack's cum dripped out, coating her fingers and her thighs. The guy knew how to fuck; she'd give him that. It was a hot show. But Lucy turned her head and realized that she was alone. No Jack. No Erin. She jumped off the bed and yelled their names. It was getting close to two in the morning. Lucy ran to Jack's bathroom and cleaned herself up, she usually would take her time with post-sex cleanup, but she rushed through it. Lucy then emptied out her overnight bag and quickly got dressed. Opening the grimoire, she tried to find clues on what had happened. Sex magic and resurrecting the dead don't make people disappear. Frantically flipping through the pages, this was not supposed to happen. Lucy could feel her heart thumping, and her hands were trembling, where did she send Erin and Jack. She then heard a thud from downstairs, and Lucy stopped. This was getting weird. Jack's parents, she realized. Fuck, if they were awake, she will be in a lot of trouble. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Lucy yelled to herself and ran out of the room. An Attic Nightmere. Jack had followed Robert upstairs to the attic. He struggled to see how the space would be turned into his bedroom. A massive trunk, a decrepit dollhouse and an ancient full-length mirror covered in rust were the only things that filled the space. It looked more like a scene from a clich d horror movie. While Robert waited on Erin, Jack circled around him. He had this vibe that Jack really hated. Like he was some entitled frat boy. Jack had read about him, failed business ventures, multiple marriages, some for money. Robert finally lost it all in 1929 and disappeared from public record. They both turned, hearing someone coming up. Erin was carrying a lantern as she walked to Robert, a big smile on her face. This wasn't going to be pretty, Jack said to himself. "Robert," she said, resting the lantern on the trunk. Erin then gave him a long hug, wrapping her arms around him. Robert just kept his arms by his sides and looked away. Jack sighed, knowing that there was no point in getting angry. She then kissed him and said, "I'm so sorry. I was a fool and the drink got on me." "It is fine, my darling." Robert then rested his hand on her stomach. "Are you?" "No. I am not with child." Erin glanced at this hand and then back up, hopeful. "I want to be; with you." "I wish that as well. But soon. I; we have dealings that need to be cleared. But I wish it too. And when these deals;" Jack couldn't watch Robert struggle to pacify Erin with vague words anymore. He saw something move behind Erin. There was someone else. The figure then struck Erin in the back of the head. It took a step closer, Jedediah Franklin with a fireplace poker in his hands. Erin was on the floor, bleeding but still alive. Her eyes focused on Robert, and she called out his name. The elder Franklin aimed the poker and swung for the final blow. He had to look away. Jack couldn't watch her die; it was too much. But there Erin stood, alongside Jack; her hair undone and flowing and looking at him. Her apron was gone, and she had undone the first two buttons of her shirt like before. Her face dropping and she raised a hand, blocking her view of her own dead body. "I always hated this moment. Watching my body handled like meat," Erin said. Her tone was more of annoyance and disgust than sadness. "I'm so sorry." Erin took his hand and held it close to her. "There's nothing you could've done. This is where I was, whenever I wasn't with you. Seeing my death over and over." "Was that why you didn't want to believe in the ritual?" "Somewhat. While I couldn't touch anything, and possibly be treated as some curiosity. I would have taken being a specter than watch this again." Alice Franklin had joined them in the attic. She held on to the lantern as Jedediah and Robert lifted Erin's dead body, directing them down the stairs. Jack visibly winced as he heard the Franklins mock Erin and ask if someone should have done the last rites. "There is something that I must tell you," Erin said, taking a step closer. Their faces inches apart. "When Patrick died, he lost all our money in a card game. I was told that I've become too old to marry and I should just work. The Franklins gave me a job and I felt that was it. Then I met Robert. I felt my life had begun again." Erin gave a faint smile and carried on, "We courted for a few months, until he took me while his mother and father were in New York. Weeks passed and I thought that I was with child. I told him and he choked me." "I knew that I picked the wrong man. But still believed that I could be something more than a maid through him. That he could take me away from a bucket. Now I have you. You make me hopeful. What I want to say is that I love you. I know I am this spirit and; Jack interrupted her and said, "I love you too." He grinned. They kissed again. Erin wrapped her arm around his neck, pushing herself against his chest. She parted her lips and moaned, welcoming Jack's invading tongue. He had his hand resting on the small of her back, not letting her go, and their tongues twirled. Erin then broke their embrace. Her lips turned into a smirk; she had a dirty idea. "Let's leave. I hated this room. Well, until it was changed." She then took him downstairs. Both were soon running and laughing. Erin pulled him into the master bedroom and pushed him onto the bed. This room would later belong to Jack's parents. Thankfully for him and his erection, the room was completely different in 1898. A lot of heavy furniture, with drapes everywhere and a parquet floor. He was lying on the bed, a four-poster bed that was made out of solid wood, while the mattress was very soft and lumpy. Erin crawled and laid next to him. She quickly got on top of him and stared into his eyes, a small smile forming on her face. She pressed her lips to his, swiftly parting them and sliding her tongue out. The tips of their tongues met again, snaking over each other as their bodies grinded. They tore through their clothing, ignoring any damage as they got nude, Erin especially not caring at the state of her ripped uniform. She wished to never see it again. Jack kissed down her neck and reached her milky, perky tits. He instantly attacked them with his mouth, giving both nipples considerable attention. Erin's breathing was becoming more rapid; a deep, warm glow rippled from her crotch. She pulled Jack up, her eyes drifted down, focusing on his powerful erection. It was making her mouth water. She wanted another taste. Her delicate, soft fingers wrapped around his heavy shaft, and she looked back at Jack. Smirking at him. Just like minutes, hours or maybe days before, Erin kneeled in front of Jack's cock. She had no explanation for why he was here, in purgatory with her, but if this was to be the end, she really wanted one more taste of his cock. She made him groan as she brushed her lips against his swollen head. Erin parted her lips, ready to suck on his tip, but stopped. She looked up at Jack; he had this kind look, his eyes dilated, and he just smiled back at her. Erin could feel herself glow, and she went back to his cock, carefully guiding the head to her waiting mouth. She was scared for a moment, missing Lucy's guiding voice. But soon, Erin's cravings took over and she slurped on his tip, swirling her tongue around it. Erin then wrapped her fingers around the shaft, looked Jack in the eye, slowly bobbing her head up and down. It was easier this time. Erin felt more confident in swallowing his cock. She scooted forward, her perky tits pressing on his balls as she took in another inch of his cock. "Oh, god. Erin," Jack said, stunned. He couldn't believe the change in Erin. She was swallowing more and more of his cock with complete ease. But they both stopped and looked up; they had a visitor. Alice Franklin walked around the bed, going to the dresser, totally ignoring them as she searched the drawers. Jack pulled his focus away from her to Erin; she looked as confused as he was. She released his cock from her lips but slowly stroked it as she stared at Mrs. Franklin. Seconds passed, but there was no reaction from the older woman. Jack waved at her and even Erin called her name, addressing her formally as she used to do. But Mrs. Franklin didn't respond. She didn't just ignore them; to them, it felt like couldn't see them at all. Jack stroked Erin's chin and pointed to his cock. Erin grinned and lowered her mouth down, sensually kissing the tip. She then ran her tongue up and down the underside of his shaft before swallowing the head. Jack moaned again. Erin firmly sucked on the head, slurping on it as her hand worked the shaft. She had her eyes on him, watching Jack's contorted face. He loved it. Erin now hunched over Jack's cock, ready to take more of it. She took him deeper and deeper, his head grazing the back of her throat. She remembered Lucy's advice, taking it slow and breathe. Erin didn't gag, her throat stretched out and eagerly taking his full length. "Erin! Fuck. That feels so good." Erin was ecstatic hearing those words and moaned on his cock. She had her lips pressed against his crotch, completely buried and held him there till her eyes started to water. Slowly, Erin pulled back and wrapped her hand around his wet, drool-covered shaft, pumping her fist as she sucked on Jack's throbbing tip. With her eyes locked on his, Erin bobbed her head on his cock. She pulled her hand back and forced the rigid pole into her throat again. Jack grunted in appreciation, shuddering as he felt her tongue. He reached out, brushing strands of her auburn hair away from her face. He couldn't believe it, a teenage crush that he was now in love with, enthusiastically sucking on his cock. With his other hand, Jack grasped her perky tits, squeezing the flesh to her delight. Alice Franklin returned to the room, joined by Jedediah. But both Jack and Erin didn't care. She stayed focus on his cock, moaning on his shaft as she felt Jack pinch and pull her nipples. She actually wished the Franklins could see her, sucking a penis in their bed. "Oh god, Erin. I'm going to cum soon if you keep that up." Erin as tasted his precum, she remembered Lucy showing her videos of women swallowing men's semen. Seeing those women and recalling when she caught Lucy and Jack together, she was intrigued. She pondered the taste and how it would feel. She pulled his cock out of her mouth, beads of spit dripping down the corner of her lips. Erin narrowed her eyes and said, "I want to taste your cum, Jack." Erin then stuffed his cock back in her mouth. She frantically bobbed her head while pumping her fist along his veiny shaft. She would stop for a moment, swirling her tongue over the sore head, then going back to thrusting her mouth up and down. Erin knew that Jack was close; he was grunting and shaking, his cock wildly twitching in her mouth. "Oh, Erin. Fuck;" Jack clenched his fists, wanting to grab something as he released a torrid of cum in Erin's open mouth. Her eyes widened, but she kept on stroking his cock, filling the back of her throat with more jizz. They both groaned as more spurts erupted, hitting Erin in the lips and chin. Whatever magic that brought him here had an effect on his penis; he'd never cum that much. One more release, and Jack was done, collapsing on the bed. Erin raised her head, looking at him and swallowed his load. It tasted salty and unusual, but still, she craved more. Erin ran her fingers over her chin and lips, scooping up blobs of his jizz before sticking her finger in her mouth. She wanted to try that again. Jack pulled her up and gently kissed her on the lips. As Erin parted her lips and allowed his tongue to invade her mouth, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She pressed her tits against his chest as their tongues dueled. Jack slid his hand down, feeling up Erin's toned ass. "That was perfect," Jack said, now kissing down her neck. "Thank; Oh," Erin replied, Jack's already erect cock. "You feel passionate," she said, stroking his cock, "We should try again? Dog-style?" Jack grinned and said, "You mean doggy-style?" "Okay," Erin laughed. Jack smirked back at her, she's so cute. He then slowly pushed Erin down, getting on top of her. His cock was already incredibly hard, painfully hard, rubbing against her thigh. He had never recovered this quickly after cumming. Jack just chalked it up to the sex magic. He broke their kiss and sat up. Reaching behind him, Jack grabbed a couple of pillows; both were very soft and lumpy. How did people in the nineteenth century sleep? Erin then gave him instant command of her body and Jack shifted her, so she was on her hands and knees. She looked over her shoulder and smirked back at him. He leaned over, quickly kissed her and said, "This is doggy-style." Jack then wedged the pillows under her stomach. Now staring at her tight, pert ass, Jack could swear that his cock grew another inch. He slipped his fingers between Erin's thighs, amazed at how wet she felt. Erin moaned as Jack teased her, slipping a finger deep past her lips. He added another one, sliding them further pass her moist folds. Over the sounds of her whimpers, Jack slowly thrust his fingers. He then grabbed hold of his cock and positioned his tip at the entrance of her pussy. Erin groaned as she felt the bulb of his cock rub up against her swollen pussy lips. Inhaling, Jack slid his cock into her cunt in one long, slow push. Erin grunted and moaned as she felt Jack's hard cock invade her pussy again. "Oh, yes; Jack!" Erin threw her head back and moaned in appreciation. Remembering how tight she felt around his cock, Jack left his cock deep inside her for a while. The tightening of her cunt caressed his cock, making him shake with delight. There was a mirror in front of them; there were several around them, and Erin nodded her head. She wanted more. Jack pulled his cock out till just his pulsating head was being clutched by her pussy. He then gently thrust it back in, getting another moan from Erin. "More," Erin yelled. Nodding his head, Jack grabbed her soft tits. He tugged on her nipples, while picking up the pace of his strokes. Erin let out another cry, sounding like she wanted it faster. It didn't take her long to push her ass back, meeting every one of Jack's powerful thrusts. Her pussy tightened around his shaft, giving him an indescribable feeling as he fucked harder and faster. Erin was now trembling and shaking. She would let out a short yelp after each hard thrust. Then someone else entered the room, Robert. He must have been back after staging her accident. The hatred she had for him, her love for Jack, and the lush sensation of his cock, fueled another orgasm for the night. "Oh yes; Oh yes; Oh Lord yes!" Erin cried out in a high-pitch tone. Jack drove his rampant cock all the way into her, over and over again, just as fast as she wanted. She was breathless and quivering; her body was on fire, never been filled like this before. Jack held her tightly, ignoring her cries, and rammed his raging cock. She was getting close. Robert was now standing in front of them, facing Jack. He wished that piece of shit could see them. Erin moaned again, tightly gripping Mrs. Franklin's sheets, panting. She arched her back and gritted her teeth. Her eyes rolled back, slamming her hips backwards, the walls of her pussy clamping down on Jack's mauling cock. Erin howled in delight, her fingers ripping the bedsheet, much to her delight, as she spasmed in an orgasmic frenzy. She crashed forward, whimpering as she trembled in post-climax high. Jack held on her ass tightly, still plunging his cock in and out of her soaked, velvet pussy. His heart was thumping, struggling to hold off his own orgasm. Jack could feel the pressure building in his balls. Erin slowly woke up and shook her ass, her pussy clamped around his charging cock again, making him cum. Jack grunted and roared as he erupted. Erin sighed and moaned, feeling Jack's cock explode deep inside her, making her tremble in ecstasy. Another rope of his jizz filled her womb, followed by another. Once finished, Jack collapsed next to her, his brain mushed in a post cum daze. She had a broad grin, smugly satisfied that her pussy was filled by her lover's cum, while the people she hated the most watched them. Quietly moaning, feeling the hot cum seep down her thighs, Erin leaned forward. Her tits pressed against Jack's chest as she kissed him. Recovering from the intensity of their orgasm, they passionately kissed before breaking, pressing their foreheads together. "I love you," they said in unison and kissed again. Erin quickly fell asleep. Jack remembered this was just like last time. He jumped up on the bed, his bed. They had returned back to his room. He checked the alarm clock; it was half-three in the morning. No Lucy. Jack stroked Erin's chin; he could still touch her, he guessed that was positive. "Erin; Erin; Erin," Jack said, trying to wake her. No response. She was trapped in a deep sleep. "Fuck!" Lucy yelled, standing by the door. She rushed to the bed. "You're back?" "Yeah?" Jack replied, looking back at Erin. "Is she asleep?" "I think." "Okay," Lucy nodded her head, "Your parents are still downstairs and they're acting fucking weird." The final complication. Jack rushed back downstairs, with Lucy following. Their footsteps thundered against the wooden steps, but it didn't wake Jack's still slumbering parents in the living room. They were fine; the concoction that Lucy had given them was making them roll around in their sleep. Not too serious. Slamming the door open, Jack found Erin still unconscious. He yelled her name and gently, then roughly shook her. Still nothing. He tilted her head back, opening her mouth; Jack then leaned in and felt her breath. Relieved, he sighed but still had no idea what to do next. "Still down?" Lucy asked, crouching down next to him. "Yeah. It's like she's in this deep sleep." Jack shook Erin again for Lucy's benefit. Still nothing. Lucy said, "Shit," annoyed. She lifted Erin's arm and let it go. "Wow." "What do we do? Call an ambulance?" "What are you going to tell the paramedic? My formerly-ghost girlfriend from 1890s is now in coma?" "You got any ideas?" Lucy prodded Erin in the arm and just said, "Fuck." "Where's the grimoire?" Jack asked. She scurried to the other side of the room and quickly returned. Jack watched her flip through the pages, her unblinking gaze not giving him much hope. It was going to be morning soon, and here he was with a sleeping naked woman and a medium. What would he say to his parents when they wake up? Lucy slammed the book and shook her head. "Fuck!" Jack yelled; it was starting to get exhausting. "Of course, it doesn't say anything." "Dude, this was written by a guy who works at Outback Steakhouse and is a BTS fan." "I'm sorry," Jack said, turning back to Erin, "What do we do with her?" "We should move her." Jack nodded his head. "Where?" "My apartment is like twenty minutes away. She can crash there until she wakes." "Fuck it." Jack said, shrugging. Jack looked around for her clothes, and found that her uniform had gone missing. They quickly dressed her in Jack's old sweats, then carried her downstairs. His parents were still sleeping, something else Jack would have to deal with, but later. They sat Erin down in the back with Jack by her side. Fifteen minutes later, they were at Lucy's apartment. At 3:30 am, there was no traffic to slow them down. Jack scooped Erin up in his arms, her petite frame weighing nothing. There was no one on the streets, no one that could catch a guy and a girl carrying an unconscious woman into the building. God, if he got arrested now. Lucy's apartment was small, a one-bedroom, and messy. Clothes everywhere, Wiccan d cor and a toy cauldron on the coffee table. They put Erin on the couch; a soft moan escaped her lips as she bounced against the cushion. He watched her lips curl into a smile; if she was dreaming, she was enjoying the dream. There was nothing else for him to do. Jack just had to pray that Erin would wake up soon. He still hadn't asked himself if she was actually human and if their sex magic worked. She could disappear again. He had to stay positive. Jack turned back to Lucy and asked, "Can you keep an eye on her?" "Yeah," she said, covering Erin with a blanket. "I'll let you know if anything happens." He thanked Lucy and left. Tired but still having to deal with his parents, Jack walked home. He took a couple of steps but then stopped. Squinting his eyes, Jack bobbed his head like he was trying to work something out. "Did I fucking time-travel?" Christmas In the Old Mansion. Jack thought about ignoring his sister and staying in bed. But it was pointless. He knew that his mom would be ringing him sooner or later, demanding that he come down. Reaching for his phone, it was 10:15 am on December 25th, Christmas morning. Still no messages from Lucy. Yesterday, she told him that Erin had awoken for a moment and moved her head, and then fell back asleep. Erin didn't say a word or ask where she was. The way Lucy explained it, Erin was just slowly recovering her energy since becoming possibly human. Jack still didn't know if the ritual had worked or not. It had been like this for the last couple of days. Looking at his past messages, a lot of them were about asking Lucy if she could still touch Erin. That could look weird. She could, which Jack took as a positive. It was the only thing that he had. He knew he had to be patient; maybe something would happen, or not happen. Jack was just sick of not knowing. He heard his sister yell his name again. Walking downstairs, his parents were on the couch, holding coffee mugs, while his sisters were sitting by the tree. It was like they were kids again, tearing through the wrapping paper. He didn't really care what he got, with Erin taking over his mind, but did his best to look enthusiastic when opening his presents. Lucy finally texted Jack hours later. But he was in the kitchen, with his sisters, and away from his phone. Beth saw that he got a message from Lucy, her face lighting up as she turned to Jack. He had a good relationship with both his sisters, loved them both, but they could annoy the shit out of him. Especially when they had something over him. Like that time when Beth found out he got caught with a joint by a cop. A month of being her chauffeur drove him mad. "So, who's Lucy?" She asked, barely hiding her grin. Beth moved away from the stove and stood by her sister, checking out the message. "Mom said that you met some girl called Erin?" "Yeah." Jack nodded, effortlessly taking his phone off them. He checked the text; Erin had been away for a while and drank something. "Lucy's Erin's roommate," he said, "Erin lost her phone and she's sick right now. I was just asking how she is." Beth went aww, while Katie stayed silent. Jack knew he was lucky that it was Christmas and there was stuff to do. The onslaught would have to wait for now. When they first met Laura, Beth wanted to know everything about her, the films she liked, what music she was into and how serious it was. Katie was different, less manic, just asking if he felt that Laura was cool. If everything had worked and Erin could actually meet people, Jack knew he needed to prep her before meeting his family. It would have to be soon. Knowing his sisters, Beth and Katie would demand it the next couple of days. It would need to be somewhere where they served a lot of alcohol. "Is she really an actress?" Katie asked, now waving a knife. Rolling his eyes, he wished she was more focused on dicing onions than on him. Opening another beer, he said, "Yeah. But it's an amateur thing and that she is covering for someone and that she will probably won't do it again." Both sisters then looked at each other. Something was up; Jack could see it. Was something he said, was that it, it had to be. Beth then turned back to him and asked, "What does she do?" Without thinking, Jack said, "House-sitter," and finished his beer. He was blessed that his father yelled his name, asking for help. After fixing the router, they sat down for dinner. They talked about the usual stuff during the meal; thankfully, no one mentioned Erin. Jack felt calm, probably because he was focusing on something other than his ghost girlfriend. The Sick and the tired. Jack now walked a couple of steps behind his parents. His sisters flanked him as they walked down the empty streets to the movie theater. He had no idea what everyone else wanted to watch; he prayed that it was something easy, he didn't want to pay attention. He was barely listening to his sister as they walked. They talked about the not-so-secret Taylor Swift Christmas concert. He just said uh-huh at the right moments, walking along, with a hand wrapped around his phone in case it buzzed. It finally vibrated minutes later. Lucy had messaged him. Erin was awake and had been for a while. She even sent him a photo, Erin still wearing his clothes, lying on the couch, her eyelids barely open. Lucy said that he should come now if he wanted to see her. "Hey Mom, Dad, I'm not feeling great right now," Jack said, clutching his stomach. It was the first thing that he could think of. He hoped that he could remember his acting techniques when he used to play sick during junior high. His mom turned around and asked, "What's wrong?" "I feel like; nauseous and everything really aches." Jack told his parents that he should probably skip the movie and rest back home. His mom threw a couple of questions at him, asking what was wrong, how it happened and if he needed anything. He mentioned Erin's name, saying that she was also sick. Katie perked up in the corner of his eye when he mentioned Erin. This was all he needed, a sister playing detective. He convinced them to still see the movie, saying that he would go straight to bed. That there was no point in them breaking from tradition. Jack walked away from them slowly. After a couple of blocks, he rushed back to the house and jumped in his car. Annoyingly, he would have to drive past the movie theater to get to Lucy's apartment. "Hey," Lucy said, opening the door, "You're fast." "Yeah." Jack nodded. He was pretty sure that he ran a couple of red lights getting here. He just needed to see her quickly, see if she was okay and then leave. "How is she?" "Okay. It's like she got the flu or something. I've been giving her some fluids and Tylenol." "Has she eaten anything?" "Vegetable soup," Lucy said, shrugging her shoulders, "I have no idea what she can eat. You know when you go abroad and you can't drink the water because of local bacteria or shit? I don't know if she can handle meat or dairy." Jack opened the door to the living room but turned to Lucy, "Thank you for everything. Sorry that you had to spend your whole day looking after her." "It's nothing. I want to help," Lucy replied, "Now get in there." Walking into the room, Jack found Erin still on the sofa. A couple of blankets covered every inch of her body apart from her head. There was no color on her face, reminding Jack how she used to look like. Bags under her eyes and her hair was a mess. She clasped a mug of something, inhaling the aroma. Erin then looked up and smiled, "Jack." She was weary, and her voice creaked. She tried to raise her arms, possibly hug him but gave up. He rushed to her side and asked, "How are you?" "I'm okay." Jack said, "You sure?" With a quiet tone, letting know her it was okay if she wasn't. Erin paused, then shrugged her shoulders. "No. I feel so tired and sick. And I hate everything." "Wow. Welcome to being an adult in the 21st century. We all feel like that." "Great." Erin threw her head back, then said, "So this is what being human feels like after so many years? It's painful. There is something else. I been having these dreams. That I am still with the Franklins. They follow me through your house. But your house how it looks now." "Oh. I'm sorry." Erin shook her head and said, "Please don't. It's not your fault. I think of them and I feel myself passing through the couch and then I remember I am here." Their hands touched, and Erin quickly began to smile. She then asked, "So, tell me about your Christmas. What presents did you get?" "Oh. My parents got me a new laptop bag and a cold brew bottle. My sisters went fifty-fifty and got me a pair of Jordans." Erin blinked and said, "I don't know what that means." She then yawned, and her eyes slowly shut. "Just tell me more about how your Christmas went." Jack gave her a brief breakdown on his Christmas, trying not to bore her. But there was really little to say; he had sleepwalked through the day. Jack saw a quick smile on her face when he told her that his sisters were pestering him for details about her. But slowly, she drifted off and was back asleep. "Hey Jack," Lucy said, calling him into the kitchen. "So, I'm thinking that Erin should see someone. Like a therapist?" For a second, Jack was surprised. "Really?" "She's been stuck in the same house for a hundred years, watching herself get killed over and over. That's got to fuck you up." "No. I know that's completely true and she should have someone to talk to. Just, didn't think that mediums were pro-therapy." "If you speak to ghosts, you would be pro-therapy as well. They are always fucked up. Most need Valium." Jack smiled. He looked back at Erin and said, "Suggest it to her. It'll probably be best coming from you. The problem is who can see her? Like she needs health insurance." "I'm been thinking about that. No way Erin can function in the real world. She hasn't got a social, birth certificate or a passport. She can't just depend on you for money." "I know." "And?" "I'm working on it." Jack had an idea or half one; he still needed to ask around. "You better work on it quicker. Erin's getting antsy. She wants to explore the world, go on a plane, see Paris." Jack nodded and looked back at Erin. "Keep her calm. She still needs to walk after she can run, or the other way round." "Sure." "I gotta go." Jack said. He left the kitchen and checked on Erin again; she was soundly sleeping. "I'll be here in the morning. Now excuse me, I have to pretend to be sick." "Hey, I have something that can help. It's like diluted ayahuasca." Jack stopped and turned around. He stared back at Lucy's grinning face just before gently closing the front door. Still, he had no idea if she was just joking. Erin Tours The Town. A couple days later, Jack was called to Lucy's place. He could hear voices behind the door and the sounds of footsteps as he waited outside Lucy's apartment. He had texted Lucy earlier; she said that Erin was more awake than before and he should come around. That was good to hear. Jack didn't like to be in constant worry. Also, it was way too early in the relationship for him to have to deal with stuff like this. He just wanted to spend time with his girlfriend and not think if she would fade away or be trapped in a house. Erin opened the door, smiling instantly at him. She looked better. Erin had discarded Jack's sweats for some yoga pants and hoodie, probably from Lucy's wardrobe. Color had returned to her face, and the bags under her eyes had disappeared. She had brushed her hair, tying it up in a loose ponytail. She had her arms around his neck, and Erin quickly pulled him down for a long kiss. She felt so good to touch. Jack didn't realize how much he missed having her in his arms. He wanted to take her somewhere private. When they stopped kissing, Erin smirked back at him, and Jack knew she had the same dirty thoughts. But then Erin yawned, and he knew that they had to take their time. "How are you?" He asked, trying not to wince. He guessed that Erin was getting sick of that question. She smiled, leading him to the sofa and sat down. Erin pulled her feet up and said, "Better. I can get up and walk and bathe. I had my first shower ;  a hot shower." Erin grinned and giggled to herself. Seeing that response, Jack realized he really didn't know that much about plumbing in the 1800s. "It felt so good. I feel like I'm getting stronger and have more vigor." "I'm guessing those are Lucy's clothes?" "Yeah," Erin said, blushing, "she said that I should wear something else. Her clothing looks strange but so interesting. Just disappointing that they don't really fit." Looking at her, she is right. Jack could tell that the clothes she had on were supposed to be for Lucy's curves, not Erin's petite frame. He needed to take her shopping. "I will return your clothes after I launder them." "No, no, no. You don't have to." "I want to. It was my job. And I need to know how to use these machines." The bedroom door opened, and Lucy walked in. She was dressed similar to Erin, yoga pants and a sweatshirt. She sat on the chair and said, "Morning." Jack greeted her and then asked them what their plans were for today. "I could do a coffee run? Erin could try her first latte." Lucy said. "How about we go outside," Erin replied, "I wish to leave the apartment for a while. And I'd like to see some of the city." Jack nodded and said, "Give her a tour of Portland and then brunch?" Their first stop was at the harbor. There used to be cheap apartment buildings around the docks, but the way Erin described it, they were more like slums. Her old apartment had disappeared. Jack looked it up for her, finding out that two years after she died, there was a huge fire which gutted the entire neighborhood. "Maybe I should thank the Franklins." Erin said with a wry smile. They walked a couple of blocks up and stopped at St. Dominic's Parish. It was the church that Erin used to attend regularly. She would be there every Sunday for Mass and would stop off after her shift ended for prayer. Erin left Jack and Lucy outside, knowing that it wasn't their scene and she needed to be alone for this. The church hadn't changed much; a new coat of paint was all she could see. There were a few people seated in the pews that ignored Erin as she walked to the statue of the Virgin Mary. They didn't care that she was dressed in casual clothes. A big difference from when she was alive, a woman in pants would be refused entry, and there would be talk of excommunication. Erin lit a candle and said a prayer. It was a quick one, honoring those she had lost since being trapped in that house. She could come back on Sunday and see how Mass had changed, or she wouldn't. Erin hadn't decided yet. She found Jack and Lucy both on their phones. They stopped and looked up at her, both giving Erin concerned looks. While she appreciated the gesture, she wanted something else and asked to eat. Lucy picked a place nearby but warned Erin about her choices. She, as well as Jack, was worried about what food that Erin could eat. They both suggested eating something simple, slowly get used to pasteurized milk, additives and pesticides. All Erin could do was nod her head and not scream in frustration, blocking out all the exciting food around her. "Wave-us ranch-us?" She repeated Jack's order. Erin listened to them and ordered a bowl of oatmeal. It was what she used to eat back in 1898. "Huevos rancheros," Jack said again. "It's eggs on tortillas with beans and salsa." "That sounds so intriguing. I really want to try." "Erin," Lucy said, "Just take your time. We just don't want you to take a bite and puke everywhere because your stomach isn't used to modern bacteria or something. It's like learning to drink. You start small, wine coolers and beer and build your tolerance and soon you'll be finishing a bottle of vodka all by yourself." Jack rolled his eyes and said, "Not in that way but yeah. It's a vaccine. Take a small bite of fruit or a sip of milk and get used of it." He took a sip of coffee and then shook his head. "Shit!" Jack said, but quiet enough that no one else heard. "I still haven't sorted out getting a physical or something. I mean Erin hasn't been vaccinated." "Yeah. There was this disease that you call polio and it affected people in Boston. The stories were terrifying. I really want to be protected." "Yeah, but how?" Lucy asked. "There's a way," Jack said, "A way?" Lucy repeated. "There's this guy in my building, he buys his sneakers and mushrooms on the dark web." Jack then turned to Erin and said, "The dark web is where you can buy illegal things. He said that you can buy passports, birth certificate, and socials. You can even get a high school diploma." "Really?" Lucy leaned in, "Like any school?" "Maybe," Jack replied. "I'd like to get an education by myself," Erin said, glancing at the two of them. "I know that I will have to take the fake social and birth certificate to survive. But I want to be in charge of my own future." "That's fair." Jack nodded. The food then arrived, and Erin stared at the bowl of oatmeal. It was like the gruel she used to have while growing up in Ireland. It tasted better than the watery sludge of oat she used to survive on. But looking at Jack's plate, it was not what Erin wanted right now. "So, what next?" Jack asked, putting his wallet away. "We could see more of the city? Also, Erin needs some clothes." Lucy replied. Erin finished her coffee and stared at the cup; it wasn't enough. "I would love to," she said, "but I feel so tired." Lucy nodded and said, "I think this is the longest you've been awake for." "Rest up and we'll talk later." Jack then leaned in and kissed her goodbye. *** Erin stared out of the window, watching in amazement as the plane climbed higher and higher into the sky. She was with Lucy, driving to a store, which meant going past the airport. She had remembered reading about airships and possible flight. But that was in 1898, now they have gone to the Moon and want to travel to other planets. Looking up at the plane, she was going to be there soon. Either with Jack or by herself, but definitely soon. In the last couple of days, Erin was eating more, developing actual stamina and didn't need to take frequent naps. With the increase in energy, she craved to be out of the apartment, exploring more of the city and finding out what else had changed. She had gotten lucky as Lucy's apartment was not that far from where Erin lived, and she could see how the neighborhood transformed. Lucy parked the car in the lot, and they both got out. Erin stared at the store ;  Target. Since being flesh and blood again, she had been borrowing Lucy's clothes, and she didn't like it. Erin felt terrible about being a burden on her, and Lucy's clothes didn't really fit her. "What do we need to get?" Lucy locked the car and said, "Just the basics." Erin nodded, looking away. Her eyes caught a girl, mid-twenties like her. She wore an overlong emerald sweater and boots that went past her knees. Also, sunglasses. Erin wanted to ask Lucy if this was common but was worried about sounding stupid. The nineteenth-century values of modesty and pureness, and calling chicken bosoms instead of chicken breasts, was still stuck in her. Seeing women her own age dressing so casually, showing off more flesh and wearing form-fitting clothes, Erin wanted to return to Lucy's couch. There were more changes that Erin had to get used to inside the store. She had thought of Target as a department store but larger. The sheer size of it shocked her. And that all the products, clothes, groceries and electronics were out in the open. There were no large, ornate wooden counters, wall-high glass cabinets, or mustached clerks in smocks. But there are a lot more options, and it's brighter. "You're like what? Extra small?" Lucy asked. "I guess." Erin said, taking her word for it. "What should I buy?" "I don't know, probably jeans, leggings, a couple of t-shirts and some tops. Also socks, bras and panties." Lucy paused, seeing Erin blush and try not to laugh. "Oh yeah, sneakers. How do those Nikes feel?" "Uncomfortable. I'm sorry." "No worries, I think you're size bigger." Erin nodded and asked, "How much did he give you to spend?" She was in the bathroom when Jack popped over at the apartment in the morning, overhearing them talk about shopping. Erin had to rely on Jack and also Lucy to survive, she accepted that, but it felt uncomfortable. "He gave me around two hundred." "Two-two hundred dollars?" "Yeah?" "That's impossible. That's more than what I earned in a year. He's given me too much." "Really?" Lucy pulled out her phone and searched for a dollar inflation calculator. Erin nodded. She hugged herself and looked away. Her eyes caught a sign, jeans for twenty dollars. That didn't sound right. "Oh," Lucy said, "He gave you the equivalent of six dollars and some change." "Still, that was two days of pay for me." They started shopping, and Lucy instantly took her to the underwear section. It took a while for Erin to get used to buying bras and panties. A store owner would never dream of displaying woman's bloomers. She felt herself going red, which she hated. Shaking her head, Erin took a deep inhale and asked Lucy how many bras she should get without blushing. Lucy then picked up a couple of hoodies, and Erin nodded, letting her drop them in the cart. Erin was amazed at how soft and comfortable the material felt as she ran her fingers over the fabric. Not stiff or feeling like burlap. Also, how simple it is. No corsets or bustles. No spending an hour dressing yourself or helping the lady of the house. "Is this what women wear now?" Erin asked. She noticed how everyone dressed so casual, like they were going to exercise. "It's very informal," she said, not knowing if it's a good thing or not. "That's the trend now." Lucy picked up a white t-shirt and raised it to her chest. "And you are going to see models, actresses, influencers wear t-shirts like these that cost thousand dollars." "A thousand dollars?" "Yeah," Lucy said, placing a pair of leggings in the cart, "And you're going to need more clothes later. These are cool for chilling in the apartment. But what you going to do later?" "What do you mean?" "Like your plans. You going to get a job? You said you want to go to college, what you going to major in? And are you going to stay in Portland?" Erin shook her head. She hadn't given that much thought. "Hey," Lucy said, "You can still stay with me. But I don't know what that sofa is going to do to your back. If Jack comes through with a social and ID, you can get a job." Erin nodded. But then she thought about what type of jobs could she really do. "I'm guessing you don't want to be a maid again." "I was not a maid." "No?" "No. A maid would live in the house with the family. I had my own room. I was a charwoman." Erin said. She picked up a sweater, liking the pattern and dropped it in the cart. "I cleaned houses because I had to. I'm not going to go back to that. I just need to think about what to do next. I want a real job." "I mean there is an obvious answer." "What?" "You go to college. You can major in nineteenth century U S history. It will be a breeze for you." "Wouldn't that be cheating?" "Fuck no." Lucy stopped the cart and smiled. "You went through all this trauma and now you're in a time where you can go to college and be who you want to be. Used any advantage you can." Erin nodded, and they went back to shopping. She liked the sound of going to college, something that was impossible the first time around. Studying history didn't really appeal to her, but Erin could see Lucy's point. It took them another hour to get to the checkout line. Looking at the cart, Erin hoped that they had gotten everything. Two pairs of jeans, in black & blue, leggings, four t-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, socks, a pair of white sneakers and underwear; Erin really hoped that was enough for her to live on. She caught herself staring at other women and then glancing back to the cart. Something didn't feel right. Last night, she and Jack had a long conversation over the phone. Now she could leave the apartment more often and didn't need to nap all the time; Jack said he would love to take her out. They then agreed on dinner tomorrow night. "Sorry to ask again. But you said that these clothes are okay to wear all the time? Like in the evening?" "Maybe." Lucy shrugged. Her eyes then narrowed, knowing that was something more. "Like in the evening? Like for a date?" Erin paused, remembering how the definition had changed. She nodded her head and said, "Yes." "Tonight?" Erin shook her head and replied with a small smile. Lucy looked at the pile of clothes and paused for a moment; she was working something in her head, Erin could tell. "Not for date night. Let's go to the mall." She quickly paid and grabbed Erin out of the store. They didn't drive long, maybe five minutes at most. Lucy told her about date nights and the need to dress up. It shocked her. She didn't see Lucy as a type of woman who would wear an evening gown for a dance. Erin told her what Jack had been thinking of, a simple dinner at a restaurant, maybe a quick stopover at a bar. Lucy drove to a mall, which Erin roughly knew as a building with lots of stores. It was quieter than she expected and hoped. She wanted more interaction with regular people, learning to talk to them and seeing if she could successfully fool them. Lucy dragged Erin into an H and M store and told her that it's a step above Target. Flipping through a rack, Lucy then said, "What you need is a really good dress." "Okay?" "But also, it's like 30 degrees outside. So probably something like a sweater dress." Lucy said, staring at the clothes. She pulled out a navy dress and pressed it against Erin's body. "Try this on." "I don't think this is necessary. We don't know what we are going to do." "This is your first date, like ever. Don't you want to dress hot?" Erin chuckled this time, still focused on the definition of date. She saw Lucy give her a curious look and replied, "Dating meant something different in my time. Having a date meant you would have paid a whore for the night." "Now you don't have to be a whore to dress sexy and fuck your boyfriend." Erin smirked and took the dress, slowly walking to the dressing room. Inside the stall, she quickly stripped Lucy's clothes and folded them neatly on the table. It was something that she had found herself doing a lot, muscle memory from over a hundred years ago. She slipped into the dress, remarking how comfortable the fabric felt against her skin. There were positives to the changes in fashion, she slowly understood. Erin remembered how her old clothes were stiff and heavy, realizing how much she hated wearing them. Zipping up the back, Erin then turned and faced the full-length mirror. Seeing her reflection there, she just moaned, a navy-blue dress fitted to her slender body, with long sleeves and a cowl neck. It was scandalous how the dress ended above her knees. But seeing herself, Erin praised Lucy's choice. She really looked sexy. Erin ran her hands up her sides, posing against the mirror. Something then felt off. Erin felt her heart thud in her chest. Sweat dampened her forehead. She had to get away. This was too much for her. She wanted the attic again. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the side. Instinctively, Erin raised a hand up to steady herself. But she phased through the stall, her forearm disappearing. "Oh Shit" A female voice screamed. The other stall door crashed open, and Erin could hear footsteps pounding away from her. She pulled her arm back and grabbed her chest. Breathing was hard. But Erin calmed herself down. It happened again. This was getting annoying and getting more frequent. Changing back to her regular clothes, Erin walked back to the shop floor. There was no one near her, no scared woman or guards. She found Lucy, holding a black dress. It was more revealing than the blue one she picked, but it made Erin smile. It looked cute. "You should get this also." "Yeah," Erin said. Her eyes wandered, trying to find a frightened woman. "It happened again." "Yeah. I figured. Saw some lady run out, screaming about a ghost arm." Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "I'm going to ask around. Just don't think about it." She turned her head and pointed at the intimate section. "You need to pick out some date night lingerie. Something revealing." "You are really invested." "After getting kinda fucked by Jack but hearing your voice, I'm definitely invested. It was a hot show." Lucy grinned. "Let's get you some lace bra and panties and some boots then we can go." "Do we have enough? I think we spent nearly all the money Jack gave us." Lucy paused and then said, "I still have the cash that Jack gave me. You know? From the first time. When you tried to possess me and kiss him?" A teenager walked past them and gave them a long stare. Both Erin and Lucy replied back with indifferent looks. Turning back to Lucy, Erin said, "I can't ask you spend your earnings on me. It's not;" "It doesn't matter. It's cool. I'll buy it for you. Call it a thank-you present for getting rid of that stain in the kitchen." "Thank you." Erin smiled. "I want to say that I really appreciate your support and friendship." She wrapped her arms aroun

For this episode we are joined by Nate Spieth. Photographer/media guy from North Adams, Michigan. He operates INSZN Media.Discussed:Notable races attended in 2025!When did he pick up the camera. Reasoning behind it and also where INSZN came fromA trip to Port Royal Speedway ⚡A couple "Oh Shit" moments. Bumps and bruises to get that good shot!Sprint cars or Late Models?WatermarksFood: Albion Malleable Brewing Company, Boohers Fresh Market, Finish Line. Sweet tooth ✅ Ice cream favorites and other sweets.Chicken wings. Go-to spots: Sweetwater Tavern, Saucy Dogs, Rocky Top (Ends around 1:33:00 minute mark)Stoking the FireOur weekend Gateway Dirt Nationals / Dome recap. Tempers flare, message board, Chet is back, driver intro's , and more Tulsa Shootout entries hit 1,563Chili Bowl Nationals entries surpass 300POWRi 410 Outlaws, POWRi National midget, World of Outlaw sprint car schedules are out!Donny Schatz secures a full time World of Outlaw ride for 2026.ASCS adds 2 new regional series for sprint car racing. Social media of the week: Hot Karl has a question. Devon Borden is fired up on a Sunday!The Draft(Ends around 1:50:00 minute mark)Feature Finish9th Annual Gateway Dirt Nationals in St. Louis at the Dome at America's Center The Smoke Charlie has some pork chops, Wasabi hibachi, and a visit to Darmstadt Inn that lingered all weekend...Bunner returns to Hornville Tavern after they have been closed for 2+ years. Garlic bread smash burgersJordy's Mexican buffet for lunch in OwensboroRigazzi's on The Hill in St. LouisTin Roof drunk foodMaking a run for frozen pizzas

MILP

Send us a textWe find ourselves once again at the end of a season. This caps off Season 6 of Blue Canary and it's been very interesting. I had been thinking about retirement for a couple of years. Once the greatness of it started to settle and the things you missed started to creep back in past the walls you built telling yourself it was the greatest decision you ever made, reality raised it's ugly head.Don't get me wrong, I am very happy I am retired. But there are things I miss. I mean really miss.I miss the people. The officers I got to work with every day. The ones who came to me for guidance. The ones who came to me with problems. And even the ones that came to me when they had screwed up.I miss the work. Serving the community everyday was fulfilling. I knew what I was doing mattered, even when it didn't seem like it at the time.I miss the challenges, having to be sharp, fit, strong, and quick. Pitting yourself against bad guys and trying to solve problems on the fly.I miss the adrenaline. Sure, that's the thing you're not supposed to talk about, but it's there. They way your heart hammered in your chest when the Oh Shit button got pushed. The feeling you had at the end when you had won.I miss the identity. I miss being a cop. And everything that comes with that.When I settled on retirement for this season's focus it was because I wanted to talk about that thing that had been weighing on me. The lack of support.I had chatted with fellow retired officers who said they didn't feel supported. I chatted with my military friends who had vastly different experiences upon retiring. And I did my research, looking for programs, communities, and people to help.What I found just made it worse.On a positive note, I am doing the DJ thing every Friday form 8am - Noon on the Thin Line Rock Station. Check it out.https://www.thethinlinerockstation.com/

Pentagon orders aircraft carrier to Latin America as Trump signals escalation Russia issues new nuclear warning as NATO tensions flare Democrats under fire as food stamp funds run dry: 42 million Americans caught in shutdown fight US East Coast on high alert as deadly Storm Melissa threatens several states with pounding waves Republican takes lead in new California governor race poll Mysterious Declassified UFO Footage Released by the Pentagon Mysterious Mars structures 'prove there was life on the Red Planet' Trump scraps trade talks with Canada after being triggered by a television ad First Photos From Saturn's Moon Titan Reveal 400 Kilometer-Wide Lakes Scientists discover super-Earth with oceans How SpaceX's New Fuel Could Change the Race to Mars NASA Confirms Ancient Livable Environments Have Been Found on Mars Bosses Are Firing Gen X Left and Right (And Honestly, We See Why) Here are the five key takeaways from Friday's consumer price index report Colombian government issues demand after latest deadly US boat strike: "Cease these attacks" Putin has just been undermined by two of his biggest allies NASA Probe Records Lights During The Night On Jupiter Russia massing nuclear fleet in Arctic circle ‘for war with Nato'

0:00 Hey Hey it's WesDay! Oh Shit it's Reece!1:09 Intro/Housekeeping3:15 The Vanishing Gamescast, Broke the Embargo! 5:45 Tips6:07 VTQ: Where's Sony With The Hybrids?13:35 Vitruvius VR (Arken Age) Exclusive News!! 17:50 Tips19:50 Thief VR Reece's First Impressions41:45 Release Dates, Maid Of Sker49:05 Tips, Rush55:40 Blacktop Hoops1:07:15 Tips, Alien Rogue Incursion Flat Mode1:16:30 Four Minute Challenge1:27:50 Coming Up On GamesWithTea1:29:00 Thank You!1:29:58 Outro, Flashback Oct, 1 2021

In this episode of The Salesy Podcast, I sit down with Danielle, CPA and founder of a thriving accounting firm, to tackle one of the most confusing—and often taboo—topics for business owners: money. From LLCs and S Corps to building a strong financial team and avoiding “oh-shit money moves” in Q4, Danielle breaks down complex financial concepts into actionable, real-world advice you can use to run a profitable and sustainable business.Whether you're wondering when to transition to an S Corp, how to pay yourself more in 2025, or what role your “money team” should play in your business growth, this conversation gives you the clarity and tools you need to plan ahead, avoid costly mistakes, and set your business up for long-term success.What You'll Learn in This Episode:The difference between an LLC and an S Corp (and when switching makes sense).Why owner's draws aren't business expenses—and what that means for your taxes.The four key players every entrepreneur needs on their money team: bookkeeper, CPA, financial advisor, and business coach/CFO.Why quarterly tax estimates and intentional budgeting are non-negotiable.How to avoid dangerous end-of-year spending traps that hurt more than they help.The importance of building a cash reserve and planning your financials monthly.How to structure your business for a future exit—even if you're a coach or service provider.Key Takeaways:Transitioning to an S Corp around $75k in net income can lower your tax liability, but you must pay yourself reasonable compensation.Bookkeepers look backward, CFOs look forward—both are crucial for a healthy business.Don't let Q4 panic drive your financial decisions; intentionality beats quick fixes.Regular financial check-ins (monthly finance meetings) reduce overwhelm and help you make strategic decisions year-round.Profitability isn't just about numbers—it's about building a business that sustains you personally and professionally.This episode is packed with insights for entrepreneurs who want to pay themselves more, plan for the future, and finally feel confident about their business finances.Danielle Hayden is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kickstart Accounting, Inc., where she helps six- and seven-figure women entrepreneurs stop winging it with their money and actually understand their numbers. She's your no-BS financial co-pilot with a side of “let's make this business profitable and fun again.”With over 15 years of experience in the world of finance, Danielle has worked her way from accounting firm intern to the Co-Founder of Kickstart Accounting. She understands how complex business finances can be, and she knows that entrepreneurs, especially women, need more than just a bookkeeper; they need real financial analysis and support in order to get the confidence required to create the sustainable wealth they deserve. Danielle brings a unique perspective when it comes to providing business owners with “the total package” as it relates to their finances.She's been featured on dozens of top-rated podcasts, including The Proffitt Podcast, Eat, Blog, Talk, Oh Shoot! The How of Business, and more. Danielle also hosts her own hit show, Business By the Books.When Danielle isn't in her money mindset work, you can find her hiking or spending time with her family.

När USA:s hälsominister Robert F Kennedy Jr ska ”lösa” autismgåtan hamnar en svensk forskare i skottlinjen. Autism-diagnoserna har skjutit i höjden. Kan det verkligen vara vanliga värktabletter som ligger bakom?

Brandon Swanson drove into a ditch on a quiet Minnesota road. He called his parents, said he was walking toward help… and then, mid-call, he said “Oh shit” — and vanished.No body. No clues. No good reason.Source Material:Wikipedia – “Disappearance of Brandon Swanson”InForum / The Vault – “Rural roads of Minnesota remain last known location of 19-year-old Brandon Swanson”Marshall Independent – “Swanson case still unsolved” (May 2018)FBI ViCAP – Brandon Victor Swanson Missing Person PosterThe Cold Cases – “Brandon Swanson: A Complete Timeline”Music Credit:1. LIGHTLESS DAWNMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/lightless-dawnLicense code: PFYUGTZVDWOCBNLK2. SOLVING THE CRIME2021-09-06_-_Solving_The_Crime_-_David_Fesliyan.mp33. CAN'T SLEEPMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/locran/cant-sleepLicense code: HAVIXRYL3KM0XULJ Connect with us: killerhearttohearts@gmail.comFollow us on: Tik TokFollow us on: InstagramLike us on: FacebookFollow us on: Twitter

US Testing its New Gigantic $13 Billion Aircraft Carrier Trump poling numbers or fantastic The Talon-A2 Hypersonic Vehicle Completes Its Second Successful Test And Could Reach Speeds Of 3,800+ Miles Per Hour Major Shift: Poll Reveals Trump Approval Rating Why China's Mega Construction Is Causing Worldwide Alarm Trump Sues Over Wall Street Journal's Epstein Report First Alert Forecast: Friday, July 18 - Early Evening Inside China's Dark Factories Where Robots Run the Show The YF-23 ‘Stealth Fighter' Summed Up in 4 Words SpaceX Starman Spacesuit Outperforms NASA's Designs, Shaking Up the Space Race New assessment shows U.S. strikes only destroyed one of three Iranian nuclear sites Justice Department files to release grand jury testimony in Epstein case China's super soldier experiments ‘disturbing': Ex-intelligence officer Voyager 2 Reaches Interstellar Space and Finds a Fiery Boundary No One Expected Texas company unveils futuristic jet-powered flying car

Tracklist and more info: https://www.bestdrumandbass.com/podcast552/OH SHIT, its my birthday! Were going in with an extra heavy mix, and we have a top notch guest mix by the man FUTCH to round things out. Thank you to everyone whos reached out, and make sure to lock it in for this one. Your weekend soundtrack has arrived! Subscribe to the podcast: bestdnb.com/podcast  MoteXx ft Xyno & S.I.O.N – Amplifi / Breaking [OUT NOW on Abducted LTD]Download / Stream: bestdrumandbass.com/altd124/Supported by: Bytecode, Aphrodite, Diode, Jane Doe DNB, ABELYN, Manta, MV, Sindicate, FauxRealz, 9thwave, Stonerice, Scout 22, Nightstalker, DJ Mag, Inside Dnb, Nox, Lee UHF and more

Ever roll your eyes when someone tells you AI will "revolutionize your business"? Yeah, our guest Brooke Richie-Babbage felt the same way. She was firmly in the "I don't need some tool to write weird poems" camp until one conversation completely shifted her perspective.Now? Brooke has built an AI-powered business advisory system that's replaced expensive professional services, streamlined her financial reporting, and gives her marketing insights that used to take days to compile. And she's doing it all without becoming a tech guru or spending hours crafting perfect prompts.In this candid conversation, Brooke pulls back the curtain on exactly how she went from AI skeptic to power user, sharing her specific systems for training custom GPTs that actually know her business, understand her clients, and deliver actionable insights she can trust.Whether you're curious about AI but haven't found your use case yet (hi, Jess!) or you're ready to move beyond basic content creation, this episode breaks down practical applications that can actually transform how you run your consulting practice.Highlights:Stop starting from scratch every time. Brooke's custom "Business Advisor" GPT is trained on 15+ business frameworks, her specific goals, and detailed customer insights—so it gives advice that's actually relevant to her business model.Turn raw data into actionable insights. Those monthly P&L reports and Google Analytics downloads you avoid? Brooke uploads them to AI and gets comprehensive business analysis in 15 minutes instead of spending three days doing it herself.Your clients need this too. The same AI systems Brooke uses for her own business are helping the nonprofit leaders she works with get strategic insights without hiring expensive consultants or drowning in spreadsheets.Training matters more than prompts. Forget perfect prompt architecture—the real game-changer is giving AI the right knowledge base to draw from, whether that's business frameworks, customer feedback, or your own proven methods.Resources Mentioned:Connect with Brooke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookerichiebabbageBrooke's website: https://brookerichiebabbage.com/Find Us Online:  https://www.confessionswithjessandcindy.comConnect with Cindy:Cindy Wagman Coaching: cindywagman.comFractional Fundraising Network: fractionalfundraising.co/LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/cindywagmanConnect with Jess:Out In the Boons: outintheboons.meLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesscampbelloutntiheboons/

Tonight! On the Chat!!!! Let's talk about everything! Or....nothing at all! e encourage *you* our audience to bring subjects and questions you would like us to discuss on tonights panel! Join us LIVE @ 7:30 EST!!!!

Cáel  Defeats The Illuminati: Part 19The Great Hunt.Book 3 in 19 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.‘The Hunt is never an easy thing because in the Wild there are things which hunt the hunters'September 11th: First Day Of The Great HuntCentral ArgentinaFelix was still nursing his hurt hand when I came back from my Ishara-space."Well?" he smirked."Plenty of good news," I smirked right back from the place where I had dropped when Felix had cold-cocked me. "Suffice it to say the weather on the final day will be in our favor ~ no more precise answer than that from the goddess SzélAnya ~ plus our horses will not throw us, or give away our position. That's from the Goddess Epona by the way.""Finally, the Goddess Ishara will be watching over us and our travails... she will send omens to warn us of hunters closing in as well as talk to me in my dreams. Apparently she doesn't want me; us; to shame her in this contest so is taking this competition seriously. Mind you, this means the other goddesses will be taking this contest seriously as well, so we have our work cut out for us again.""What is Ishara the Goddess of again?" the teased me."Oaths, love and medicine," I repeated my answer."Fine," the grinned, "is there any goddess in my corner?""None that bothered talking to me," I snorted. "Want me to knock you out and see what you can see?""Nah... I'm Felix Melena. I work better alone.""You mean in alone in a team of two, right?""Yeah; a team of four actually, Nyilas. Don't forget our mounts," Felix motioned to our two horses.I was ecstatic because they had brought Peppermint down from 'Summer Camp' for this romp through the Pampas. To me she was the perfect mare for this endeavor.Felix had been gifted with a spirited gelding named 'Thunderbolt'; 'Rayo' in Spanish. He was a black haired beast with white sox and a white diamond on his forehead. Felix had wanted a stallion, but the Horse-mistresses of Epona had nixed that choice as highly impractical for a horse-virgin such as himself. I had to agree as stallions had far too much spirit and the likelihood of one making noise when it smelled an unknown mare was far too high... so a gelding it was.Not that an 'unknown' mare was that much of a possibility. See, we had been put down where the other thirty huntresses would also be starting from; a makeshift corral our host Freehold had put together as the entrance to some 'badlands' in which the hunt would be taking place. There ten Amazons; with their own mounts; manned the place, fed the horses and made sure no one cheated out of the starting gate.We had our 24 hours head start on our pursuers, but that didn't turn out to be the huge edge we thought it would be. We were given the first part of our map... which led to the area we would find our second part of our map... and so on until sometime late Saturday night, or Sunday morning, we would find the final part of our map which would direct us to where our extraction point would be.We were to be extracted at Noon; not sunset as we had originally been told; on Sunday. Actually, anytime between ten minutes before to ten minutes after... so fair this was not seeing as we were novice outdoorsmen. Still, those were the rules we were given so off we went early Thursday morning. In the truest Amazon fashion, this was to be a contest which required the utmost skill and endurance to win.Heading out, Felix and I were deciding on what the enemy strategy, or strategies, would be. We figured some would start by simply trailing us seeing as how they were better both at tracking as well as doing so from horseback. The second group would follow a different, but equally difficult 'Treasure Hunt' toward our final point of extraction and wait for us there.I reminded Felix that neither he nor I nor any of the Amazons would be riding our horses to death, or even injury, because that wasn't the Amazon way. Such callous disregard for one's mount wasn't in them and we had to follow that dictum, or suffer irreparable harm to our own 'honor' should we do so and somehow win. Doing so and losing... we decided to not even go there.This also meant we had to take time for our horses to graze and find water for them to drink along the way. After getting that lecture, Felix wondered out loud if it wouldn't be a better idea for us to let our horses loose and 'hoofing' it ourselves seeing as how the Amazons would also have to follow the same horse etiquette. I had to remind him reluctantly how much faster horses could travel. Horses were the way to go.The difference was there was no rapid charging across the landscape with the Sun at our backs as we headed out. No, we took it at a steady trot until we hit our first terrain feature; a steady gradient cut in the side of a canyon which had been created over the millennia by the forces of wind and rain. Down we went. Our horizon sunk down until all we had were the walls of the canyon.Our map directed us to take this route to the first 'treasure horde', whatever that was. By the way we were moving and how the Sun slowly crawled up above us; recall it was almost 'spring' down under; we figure we were making good progress toward our first target... which we located without too much hassle around noon.It was a Bonanza! Not for us, but for the horses. We had four bags of grain for our mounts. We humans received some sort of indescribable jerky (since it was probably not human we decided to eat it... later [it turned out to be the local flightless bird and it tasted like chicken jerk jerky too!]). There was also the second part of our map which led us farther out into the wilderness. Off we went.Third Treasure Trove.By evening we had found our third treasure trove. The second had contained two compasses and two hatchets (Yippee!). The third had contained two sections of twenty-five meter rope and some flint and tinder so we could start a fire. Felix was all for this as it was butt-numbing cold already and we were damn tired from a day full of riding.We compromised by creating a banked fire. We also decided to sleep instead of pushing on. It was pretty dark outside even with the three-quarters Moon above. We definitely didn't want to walk our mounts into something which could bring them up lame this early in the contest. I assured Felix we couldn't abandon them and leading them would be torture. Essentially we would be disqualified.I won the compass toss and got to sleep the first part of the night. Felix woke me around Moon-set and then I kept watch; there were predators about, or so we believed; until sunrise. Then we ate the last of the jerky, fed and watered our mounts then head out once more. This time our hearts began to hammer within their cages and every noise had sinister implications.See, the Amazons are cheating bitches of all cheating bitches and could have started after us at 12:01 last night and pushed on following our trail through the night. Being expert horsewomen and spectacular trackers they could do shit like that. We, their prey, had to be clever in other ways. What those ways were weren't relatively apparent though.Maybe Pamela could show up and, after slapping me upside my head, give me a clue. No Pamela arrived though so we were on our own. Shortly after the Sun crested the canyon walls; we kept to the canyons just in case; we came across the fourth 'trove'... and it was chilling. We received two binoculars and some more jerky (it was to be our lunch). The binoculars were the chilling part because if WE had some then most likely the Amazons behind us had some as well.Also, the way from our fourth treasure to out fifth put us in the horns of a dilemma. We could either cut over the sides of the canyon to where the fifth treasure trove/map was, or keep to the canyon and travel three times the distance. After a quick discussion followed by some 'rock-paper-scissors' (complete with a prayer to Dot Ishara), I won, so up and over the side we went.To reduce the size of our silhouette, we dismounted and led our horses across the... and stumbled across a herd of cattle; Sweet Mother Ishara! We moved through the herd, waved to the accompanying Amazon gaucho, and went on our way. Felix muttered something about my 'dumb' luck. He-he-he-he-he... We talked to the gaucho, turned on the charm and convinced her to not tell any of our pursuers we had come by this way.She was like nineteen years old and I could tell really took a shine to Felix... so he promised to come back and visit her the moment he won the contest. After we departed her and her track-erasing herd of cattle, I pulled him aside."You had better keep that promise to that girl. If you don't, she and her kinfolk will hunt your ass down and tag you like a mule deer in the Yellowstone," I cautioned him."I know. I know," he grinned. "These are some crazy ass bitches. Besides, being the lone male in a freehold of women has its own appeal."I thought we were in safe territory again when Felix finally asked that doom-laden question."Cáel , where have all their dudes gotten off to?"'Oh shit', I mused. How much of the truth could Felix handle?"I'm only telling you this because I like you," I said then took a deep breath. "They sold them to the Nine Clans... they are a bunch of assassins.""Really?" he studied me. Like he was going to catch me in a lie after four years of dating the most dangerous game on this Earth; girlfriends."Really. Where do you think they get those legion of ninja and combat fighters from? Sure their life expectancy isn't what we have, but it is much better than they would have if they stayed home." There was some part of the truth in that."That seems... short-sighted.""What do you think guys like us are for? Now they won't have to kidnap local passer-byers for weeklong orgies.""How come words has never gotten out about this?" Felix was relentless."It has from time to time, but Havenstone makes sure such reports are relegated to the realm of tabloids and UFO aficionados. If that doesn't work, they bribe some people to bury the story. If that doesn't work, they kill some people.""Now that I believe," Felix nodded."That they kill people to keep their secrets?""Absolutely. They look like the kind of girlfriend who wouldn't be happy unless she burns your balls before your eyes after you break up.""How succinct," I nodded back."So, are we ever going to see Khalid, Trent, or Brian again?""Sure... they are only being kept prisoners and milked of their seeds... but I can arrange for you go to go meet them if you really want to," I offered."No thanks," Felix shook his head then grinned. "They washed out while only you and I remain. Let me find them on my own and get some sort of permission from Ms. Love (Katrina) first. I thought Khalid was kind of cool and Trent was the kind of brother I could invite out for a beer, or ten.""Not Brian?""Brian was too invested in himself and his weevil-ing ways. I couldn't trust him at my back, or with my girl. Mind you, I wouldn't trust you with my girl either, but we are otherwise okay.""Smart move. I have exceedingly low impulse control around the ladies plus an over-developed libido.""Yeah," he smiled my way. "I'd trust you in a knife fight, but not with someone I loved. You are way too smooth, Nyilas. Way too smooth.""What brought that revelation on?""Ms. Lee (Brooke). Normally I can mend any fence with any girl I come across, but not with her after she'd been with you. I admire that," he studied me."So, are you and Gene going to be a regular thing?""Yeah. I think so. I still expect me to be getting plenty of tail at Havenstone once I win this thing, but having a less-lethal girl on the outside wouldn't suck either."So much like me... I admired that about the guy."Once we win, don't ya mean?""Sure thing, Nyilas," he chuckled. "I figure it helps me to help you across the finish line. The better standing you end up in the better an ally you make back at work.""That reminds me; Katrina told me they are going to spin this; your participation in this inaugural Great Hunt is that all sins are forgiven; yadda, yadda, yadda. Thus you still walking around Havenstone being the bad boy you are.""Clever lady and always thinking ahead. Is she seeing anybody?""No, and dude, you don't want to go there. She is far too clever by half to fall for any of our reindeer games. She scares me," I cautioned him."All the more reason to pursue her," he snorted."Go for it," I shrugged. Hey, I'd warned the guy."What about that blonde number I saw you with... Elsa was it?"Oh, he knew exactly who Elsa was, but he was acting all nonchalant about his treatment at her hands."Yeah. Elsa. What about her?""Is she in your stable?""Nope. Not really," I shrugged. "Going after her too?""Oh, definitely.""Good luck with that," I sighed. He'd learn the hard way."There is something you are not telling me.""Yeah. She has the hots for me. Wants to own me... and not in a good way.""Oh... is that your way of cautioning me to be wary of her?""Most definitely. Elsa is one scary lady and she already knows who and what we both are.""What are we?" he was eyeballing me again."Hunters on the prowl. Guys who like a challenge. In your case, the guy who only wants the best. I'm more of an omnivore.""You mean you are a man-slut," he snorted."Got me," I chuckled."So, you think she's out of my league?""No. I think she is Katrina's friend and Katrina sees right through both of us. Elsa might not have those interpersonal skills, but she's twice as lethal. Trust me on that; I've fought her.""How tough was she?""Beat me black and blue then choked me out because I wouldn't surrender.""Oh... I'd like to get her on the mats.""Good luck with that then. Become a 'Runner' and there is even more I can tell you about her. Right now it is all simply in-house stuff.""Corporate confidentiality details, eh? Executive Services purview and stuff like that. Man, I was wrong to look down on your branch of service. I apologize.""Why thank you. I honestly never thought I'd get a sincere apology from you.""I can be wrong once in your lifetime," Felix laughed, "and I'm man enough to admit it.""Oh... and thanks for the sim-cards. They helped me get off that deserted atoll.""No problem. That was Katrina's idea though.""Well, you got them to us so surreptitiously the Chinese suspected nothing.""Don't you mean those rogue Albanians?""Yeah... them too," I laughed along with him."I think we can be friends, Nyilas," he grinned."I think so too. I didn't think so originally. On the first day you and the others treated me like the country bumpkin, but now I think you see me as a survivor... just like you.""Precisely. You know I had the option of leaving Havenstone... no matter how this affair turns out.""And you didn't take it? Who offered you this opportunity anyway?""Katrina.""It might have been a ruse," I warned him. "These bitches don't play fair.""I took that into account... but I love the challenge of this place. It is like no other work environment on Earth. Challenges every day, hot women all around, and the chance to risk my life on a monthly basis. Screw regular corporate America. I've found the place where I belong."Felix sounded so enthusiastic. I hoped he understood the fate he was embracing. I also hoped he found a niche in Havenstone which allowed him to live out his life... hopefully a long, long life. Maybe I should warn him about the 'cliffs'? Perhaps once we had won and were safely back in Havenstone's motherly embrace.Hiding.Fortune favored us backtracking from our seventh treasure trove; our dinner and more grain for the horses. A few birds flew up out of the brush ahead of us. I took that as a sign from Ishara."Felix," I hissed. "Hide!"We looked around and found a draw away from the main canyon floor for us to slink into. I used some brush to cover our side tracks then ran back to cover.No sooner had I gotten there than two Amazons came trotting past us. The lead one was Svetlana Inara and she was tracking us from the saddle. The second one was Beatrice Astarte who was scanning the environment as they moved together following our trail up this vein of the canyon. As soon as they were around the next corner of the vein, Felix and I mounted up and raced down the other way.The sand floor covered our hoof-falls and we had to go that way anyway. We had barely covered the distance to the next draw when we spotted two more Amazons following our earlier trail this way. We had Two Amazon parties on our trail and it wasn't even Friday night yet! This group spotted us and gave chase. They must have ridden their horses hard to get this far because we quickly left them in our dust.This allowed us to slow down a bit and deviate over to where the eight 'treasure' was. Our map had us going back down his particular draw which I thought was most unwise, so we went over the lip of the draw dismounted and led our horses at a rapid run; for us humans; across the greater landscape. Thank SzélAnya, a late afternoon rainstorm fell upon us as we dropped down into the next vein of the canyon before the pursuing Amazons crested the draw we had exited.We walked through the rain until the sun set then debated what to do next. We were going to need light to figure out where the eighth treasure was at; they were all somewhat hidden. We had to keep moving no matter what because we doubted the Amazons on our asses were going to let up. We decided when we got close to the eighth treasure horde I would do the searching while Felix stood watch on the entrance to the draw.Using a hatchet I cut off a branch from a bush and set it alight so I could see what I was doing. It took me twenty long minutes to figure out where the treasure was hidden... night-vision goggles and the map to the ninth map piece. Gleefully, I went back down to where Felix was except... no Felix. Oh Shit! I slipped back and put on my night-vision goggles, got a hatchet at the ready and returned, scanning about.I spotted one Amazon... she was Carla Nemain... and I recalled her being teamed with Ella Mielikki. Anyway, I tried to sneak up on Carla and it almost worked. At the last moment the cloud cover cleared and the three-quarters Moon revealed me. She spun on me with twin fighting sticks while I tried to brain her with the flat side of my hatchet.Yours truly took two punishing blows to his ribs while only clipping her with my hatchet. Still, the blow appeared to cause her to stumble so I pressed my advantage. I knocked one of her two sticks out of her hand then missed twice. I thought I heard someone coming up hard behind me. Well... fuck!"What do you have?" Carla grumbled. "Are you trying to kill me?"I kept silent, pulling out my second hatchet and pressing my luck a little further. I disarmed her and then hammered her down with a hatchet to the top of her skull. Down she went. I spun around just in time to see Ella Mielikki coming at me with a lasso. She launched it a second too late and I was able to bat it aside. She drew her honor blade and kept coming though."Ella... I have two hatchets. This is not a fight you can win," I addressed her."You won't kill me," she kept advancing."Of course not. We are sisters, but I can do... this!" and I attacked her with the flat ends of my twin hatchets. I so had her too... or I would have had I had the extra moment to ensure Carla was unconscious.She wasn't. She jumped me from behind then Ella rushed in from the front and I went down in a tangle of arms, legs and torsos. I was doing surprisingly well wrestling them both despite the odds until Ella put her knife against my throat."Give up," she panted. "You have been captured. Admit it!""I surrender," I sighed then relaxed my body. My two hatchets dropped to the ground."Let's bind him up too," Carla grinned. They proceeded to tie my hands behind my back then my legs together. Then then gave each other a celebratory 'high-five'. Then came their pillaging of our loot. They especially loved our night vision goggles and the grain for 'their' horses. They abandoned our horses, put loose nooses around our necks and began riding off down the canyon, their horses feeding on the grain in feedbags... and there was a suitably humbled Felix...To do so they had to untie our legs, but they compensated for that by tying our elbows together behind our backs as well as our hands. It was a rather painful affair. All in all, our captors were quite triumphant. After a while, I decided to speak."So, how did you catch us so fast?" I asked Carla. She had my noose."I prayed to Nemain and then picked a compass point and rode that way. We came across your path and followed you here."So you weren't the group following us from the afternoon?""No... you were being followed?""Yes... by two groups... both of whom tracked us from the beginning," I sighed."Ella," Carla addressed her companion. "We had better get a move on. There are four others on our track.""Damn it," Ella grumbled. "You take both males. I'll double back and start masking our trail. You pick a different compass point and I'll catch up.""Okay. Come here," Carla accepted Felix's noose from Ella. "We are going... north by northwest."Ella doubled back and was soon out of sight. Carl took the next draw she came across and kept up a steady walking pace. As a matter of safety, she didn't wrap our tethers around her saddle horn on the off chance her horse took off. We could be dragged to death of we were attached to the horse. So, we had a momentary advantage... and took it.I spotted Felix counting down with his fingers behind his back. I spotted him at '4'. I rapidly signaled '3', he went to '2' and I finished up with '1' then we lunged backwards trying to pull her off her horse. With my luck, she tumbled down on Felix's side, horse rearing up. I ran for it, quickly pulling my noose along with me. I heard Carla and Felix cursing behind me.It was gut-check time. I could abandon Felix or attempt to double back and help him with only my legs because my hands were behind my back."Fuck it," I cursed silently as I doubled back. In the forefront of my mind was the notion Felix would come back for me if the roles were reversed. In I charged.Felix was standing, trying to use his martial arts kicks to keep her at bay.He was also absorbing the majority of her concentration because; again; she didn't notice me until I was right on top of her. I put a shoulder into her diaphragm, taking her down and knocking her knife out of her hands. Felix didn't waste a moment giving her as snap-kick to the cranium... knocking her out. I picked up the knife and backed up toward my partner.First I had to saw through his elbow bonds and then his bound hands to free him. This all took precious time. I had just freed him when Carla began moaning. Felix looked to me then to the horse."Go," I urged him on. "Go to the next site and then double back for me. You know which way they will be heading and it is you on horseback versus two of us who aren't."He gave me a quick nod of the head then jumped into the saddle... and almost spilled himself over the other side, but then was off like a flash. I ran off in the other direction. Of course with the minimal lighting and my arms tied behind my back I didn't expect to get too far, but what realistic choice did I have. I certainly wasn't going to give up, damn it.[The Politics Of Not Playing Fair]In hindsight, knowing the Amazons were cheating bitches of cheating bitches, I should have tried to cheat more, but I ended up thinking too much about the male version of honor and not enough about winning. Thankfully, others were much more invested in me winning than that. Add to this and I had family I really hadn't counted on seeing things that way.And then there was the Sanctity of the Contract to consider... which I clearly hadn't, though the opportunity to do so was right there all along.As I was fleeing for my life I caught sight of one person running past me to my right and another to my left as a third slammed into me and took me down. For an instance I was thinking 'now they are operating in groups of four!' then the clothing of the three entered my consciousness. They weren't dressed like Amazons. Their camouflage was all wrong unless you were deliberately trying to hide in this environment.The only people I knew who would do something like that without a plethora of modern weapons being evident; thus being the Seven Pillars; were the Ninja![in Japanese] "Hey there, are you looking for me?"[in Japanese] "Yes we are, Ishara-sama," a feminine voice answered. "Where is your companion? We are supposed to make a good faith effort to save them as well.""Wait... who hired you?""Well, it is supposed to be something of a secret so tell no one, but it was your brother," she replied in thickly accented English. With a few flashes of steel in the moonlight and I was a free Amazon once more."Were did the other two go?""Covering your tracks and laying out a few nuisance traps to confuse the two following you.""Your body feels... awfully familiar," I hazarded conversation of another sort."I am Miyako's older sister; and married. Happily so though I have been repeatedly reminded of your... horn-dog status. It is 'horn-dog' correct?""Yeah," I sighed. "That's me. Let's go find Felix before he gets hopelessly lost."By this time the other two had made it back to us, expertly covering my tracks; they were not leaving any; because, you know, they were ninjas. By the looks of things it must have seemed I flew away because I had simply vanished as well. I wish I could have hung around long enough to see the looks of consternation on the pursuing Amazons' faces, but I had real work to take care of."So basically, my Brother, the Great Khan, has hired three ninja to help me win," I whispered as we made our getaway into the moonlit darkness."Oh no," I could have sworn she smiled, "There are seven of us. We each have other tasks to perform, be it carry extra equipment, or scouting ahead to make sure we don't bump into any more of your girlfriends.""They are not my girlfriends... yet... maybe," I shrugged."Don't make me hit you," she whispered back. "I will hit you if you cheat too much on my little sister. She is so impressionable you know.""Oh... boy," I groaned. A protective older sister while I was on a time table. "Is all of your team female?" I asked instead."Yes. When dealing with our allies the Amazons it was considered the diplomatic thing to do. Now we most move like the autumn breeze over the grass, Ishara-sama.""Please, call me Cáel . What's your name?""Not something I can reveal while on a mission. My name in the team is 'First' as I am the team leader.""I could call you Hatsuyuki," I kept going. Hatsuyuki meant 'First Snow'. We were angling in a different direction suggesting to me we had come across Felix's path and were racing to catch him."I will help you out a bit," she chuckled ever so slightly. "Every woman on the team is a sister, or sister-in-law of Miyako, so we have all heard the tales of your exploits and been suitably warned by Grandmother to not fall for your... reindeer games.""Wow... cut off at the knees before even leaving the starting gate," I frowned."Please concentrate on the task at hand Ishara-sama," she whispered then, "Four more ahead of us. I swear they must have some sort of divine assistance as well.""Cheating bitches of all cheating bitches," I quietly cursed. Hatsuyuki put her hand over my mouth despite the low volume of my words.I risked a peek. It was fucking Elsa and Rachel and they were having a pow-wow with Tormé Maeve and Parul Nammu. By the rules of the Great Hunt, no Amazon could subdue, or otherwise hinder any other Amazon; as long as they didn't have a male. Then all bets were off. After a while the two teams flipped a coin and departed in different ways... which were eerily close to our actual track.The moment they were safely away, we took off once more at a steady jog. Mind you, I was in pretty damn good shape... and these little ninja babes were threatening to run me into the ground such was their stamina. The big thing was breath control. We had to be prepared to be utterly still at a moment's notice. Every Amazon around us was as hunter of some sort, be it of big game, or of humans.Even with their precautions we found ourselves being tracked by Daryna Šauška and Yatta Oxóssi within the hour. Exactly what they were tracking wasn't known to me and was a source of consternation to the Ninja. It was impossible to outrun horse-bound foes at our current pace and if we moved faster, the odds of our enchantment failing would drastically increase."Fuck!" I hissed."What?" Hatsuyuki made brief eye contact then scanned around for whatever threat I might have detected."They are tracking the magic of the enchantment," I enlightened her."Are you sure?""Alal; my Grandfather is," I held her eyes this time. "Honestly, I was going through the Rolodex of my mind when this thought occurred to me. I think it was a mystic rite the Egyptians invented millennia ago, but he knows it.""What is the counter?""I don't know," I sighed, "but I do know your movement is leaving a magical trail behind which glows like the failing light of a sunset to the searcher."Hatsuyuki whispered some arcane words which my ears failed to focus on while making several complicated hand gestures. She gave me one head nod then we took off, jogging in another direction though still angling to intercept Felix. I noticed the change immediately. Dry grass crackled beneath our feet and standing grass bent at our passage. I was the worst offender without a doubt.Later when we stopped for a break, 'Three' returned to tell us the followers had initially been confused by the loss of the spell energy betraying us, but then they dismounted and began tracking us on foot; slower yet still a persistent menace."New plan," I decided. "We set an ambush for them.""We can't do that, Cáel ," Hatsuyuki informed me. "We are forbidden to directly confront our foes."My mind barely hesitated in its skullduggery."But if I confront them, could you steal their horses?""Yes," she grinned once more, or so I thought. "Then set up a field of simple traps with a path I can maneuver through so I can lose them once I have their undivided attention. Can you do that?""Yes," and another smile."Let's get on it," I grinned back. I could tell she was warming up to me. After all, I wasn't pressuring her to save me, or violate her Contract. Instead I was thinking on my feet and utilizing what they were best at to avoid my enemies.[in Japanese] "Team, here is what we must do," Hatsuyuki gathered her girls together and laid out what they needed to accomplish.Twenty minutes later, the ambush was set and the two ladies walked right into it. Apparently the idea I would fight back so aggressively hadn't occurred to them. I smashed straight into Daryna first, knocking her down and running past her. Instinctively she jumped up, cursing me even as she gave chase. For an instance Yatta hesitated, considering mounting up and giving chase, or pursuing on foot. Rapidly riding a horse even in this partially moonlit night was risky so she decided to join Daryna on foot as I raced away. She did grab her lasso first though. Seeing as Daryna was following in my footsteps, it was Yatta who stumbled into the first series of traps, spraining her ankle in the process.Hearing that, I took a quick detour, allowing Daryna to catch up if she cut crossways in her pursuit. Predictably she did so and crashed into her own series of traps while I continued to beat feet out of there. As Daryna untangled herself from the 'spider web' trap; really just a tangle of silk strings; she heard the horses neigh and then take off. The ninja had exploded smoke bombs in the horses' faces to accomplish this feat.By the time Daryna stood up, I was long gone in the foot race. She carefully picked her way back to Yatta, helped her up and then worked her way back to find their saddles cut loose and packs set aside... and their horses long gone as well. From what 'Five' related to us later, Daryna elected to take after their lost steeds while Yatta treated her sore ankle. 'Five' didn't hang around to see how long it took Daryna to return with their mounts. The rest of us had successfully slipped away by that time.Reunited.By the time we had reunited with Felix he had already discovered our next Treasure Trove; more grain, a compass and a map of the whole region. Woot! We still only had one mount until an hour past sunrise when our two steeds came trotting into our brief camp. Now we had three horses. We elected to release Carla's mount to find its way back to her mistress... eventually, we hoped."Care to explain the entourage?" Felix joked."Somebody who is somebody loves me," I shrugged. "I can't tell you who though. I've been sworn to secrecy.""Damn... five female ninja. We have got to not waste this opportunity.""I am so onboard with that plan," I grinned, "but it going to be tough. Most of the only speak Japanese and they are all related to a girl I've already knocked up.""So they all know what a stud you are, Cáel ," Felix laughed. "Give it time and they'll be begging for it. I know the type. Fit, but silent with minimal social skills. They want to know all about how you seduced their sister, cousin, what have you.""God, I hope so," I groaned. "All this abstinence is driving me crazy.""Me too," he chuckled. "Me too."Oh, what we had planned was horribly irresponsible. We had the inaugural First Great Hunt to win for all Mankind after all. Still, it took only three elements to be effective; a stream, river, or lake of some kind to bathe in; to convince the ninja we had to take a bath to remove any scent the Amazons who captured us may have sprayed on us; and the ninjas' willingness to believe such an outlandish excuse to get naked. Once they saw us naked nature would take its course.Well, despite our awesome masculine arsenals... we got nowhere. The ninja babes didn't buy our excuses, blew away our pseudoscientific ramblings (pheromones don't work that way, they insisted) and seriously; we didn't really have the time. So while putting our shirts back on and then going for our boots, two more Amazons came our way. We barely had the warning time to seek cover when Elsa and Rachel came riding down the stream, looking each way for any signs of us.Thanks to our horses remaining perfectly still as well, they gradually moved past our hidey-holes and out of our view. The second the ninjas gave us the 'all clear' we hurriedly finished dressing then headed off in a different direction. The last two Amazons I wanted to confront were Elsa and Rachel. I liked Rachel too much and quite frankly was too afraid of Elsa.Once more we risked using some Ninja Magics to aid our passage through a light, early morning rain. This one put off a confusing area of tracks which were both difficult to follow; Amazons were no dummies; and included our chosen pathway to the next treasure trove. Shortly after an overcast noontime Sun, we hunkered down for a few hours and took a short nap.I would have liked to sleep longer, but according to the two ninja who had stood watch, the whole area appeared to be crawling with Amazons out and about, mounted and dismounted and following our misleading trails, but still being close enough around to make traveling above the canyons frankly impossible. Felix and I had a meeting of the minds with Hatsuyuki.Sending two Ninja off on our steeds wouldn't work because at least one group of the opposition had our binoculars and none of the Ninja could pass for us under such scrutiny. In fact, we couldn't come up with a single plan which guaranteed us a chance to move about unseen. So, we came up with a crazy plan instead. I would take off on Peppermint in an elliptical path meant to draw off as many Amazons as possible.It had to be me because a few of the Amazons might not pursue Felix if he tried the same stunt, focusing on capturing Ishara first... so Ishara had to be the one to play decoy. We shook hands, hugged then scouted around for the best opportunity for me to make a bolt for it... then off I went. What the Ninja planned to do wasn't revealed to us though I had a feeling they weren't enamored with my plan.Peppermint and I came out of the closest draw and set off with a meandering gate; we would need all the speed she could muster soon enough. Unthinkingly, I had also stumbled across an added bonus to my plan. Me and my dumb luck. See, all the Amazons anywhere close to me at the start had been pressing their mounts hard for a day and a half now plus hadn't spent any time last night sleeping whereas me and Peppermint were relatively well fed and watered as well as well rested.Still, my initial sense was that I was simply fucked. All across the plain, Amazons noted my presence within a minute and began moving to hem me in. I imagine once I was unmounted and bound, the grand melee to see who would claim me would begin. I counted twelve of the fine ladies and while none were directly ahead of the direction I was heading in, some were far too close for me to hold out much hope.I didn't give up though. I wasn't in me and apparently it wasn't in Peppermint either. She picked up the pace instinctively when I leaned forward and off we went. Incrementally, all thirteen steeds picked up their speeds. I wasn't going to make it... and then it got worse. Coming out of a draw to my front-right was none other than Ella Mielikki.See appeared as surprised to see me as I was to see her, but that didn't last. She whipped out her lasso and spurred her mount to go faster. She was going to cut me off. I had no out in any other direction. All I had was a plain full of grass and thunderclouds in the distance; just too far away to do me any good.'Remember who you were...' came unbidden to my mind.I leaned forward and began whispering in Peppermint's ear in a language I did not know... but three thousand years ago it had been the language of horse peoples like the Scythians who taught it to their noble young... and so had another people long forgotten by history... the Medians. The words spilled out of me until all that was left was the final benediction; words that would bind man and mount together.[Median] "For Aya," I whispered.Remember who you were; wasn't meant for me. It was for the hundreds of Median steeds my Grandfather had ridden into battle... with his comrades-in-arms for over a thousand years two thousand years ago.Ella was whirling the lasso over her head. We were so close I could read the prayer to Mielikki on her lips as she strove to close those last few hoof-falls. The lasso flew through the air...Peppermint took off in a burst of speed utterly unlooked for. Her ghostly white plume rose majestically over her head; Grandfather's symbol... and now mine. The thunder of a hundred such steeds filled my ears with their power as we pulled away from the falling lasso... now less than a foot... too short. She had missed us and with that throw, passed the last chance the Amazons had to catch me.Rachel would later tell me they were all completely aghast at the pace Peppermint set as we rode past Mielikki, easily outdistancing her thus everyone else. We had escaped them and they knew it. They didn't know how and the looks of utter disbelief the Amazons behind me exchanged left them no doubt I had led them a merry chase only to vanish in a whirlwind of dust as I raced all the way into the storm-burst. Gone, gone, gone.Rachel told me she had then turned to Elsa and laughed heartily."I should have given him my honor blade," she chuckled, "because unlike the rest of you, I knew better.""But, what did he do?" Elsa had asked, truly curious and a bit frustrated."Just being Cáel ," Rachel had shaken her head as she replied. "Just being Cáel ."[Sunday]It was a thick, pounding rain as promised. No one could ride in this. Visibility was down to a few yards and the ground had turned into a morass. Only the greyness of the clouds betrayed the coming of day to us while our final treasure trove; a compass, map and coordinates for the rescue; pointed us in the proper direction... us and thirty Amazons.In our favor, the Ninja threw up a marching cordon around us so we didn't walk into any ambushes, and any Amazons not already at least even with us in the distance separating us from our evacuation point had a chance of catching us. Again, no Amazon worthy of their name would ride in weather like this and in a foot race, we men actually finally had the advantage.I wish I knew who was closest so I could plan accordingly. In strictly hand to hand combat, Felix and I had the advantage on over half those we were confronting. While most excelled at being hunters, beating up their prey with hands and knives wasn't normally their second best feature. No, they were fine combatants, just not in Felix's, or my, league.But then there were the Amazons like Tormé Maeve and Elsa Zorja who could kick our asses without a doubt, and planning how to fight them required a completely different game plan."What's on your mind?" Felix leaned in and shouted into my ear."This ain't over. Not only do we have to reach the evacuation site within a twenty minute window, we have to hope a half-dozen Amazons aren't waiting there for us."Felix nodded."Who is going to be the worst team?""Elsa and Rachel. I'm not sure I can beat Rachel and I'm damn sure I can't beat Elsa," I answered."Leave Elsa to me then. While I've never fought her before, she's also never fought me," he reasoned. "My best bet is an all-out offense; holding nothing back and hope I can outmuscle her before she pulls some surprise on me.""That's about right," it was my turn to nod.One of the Ninja came running back to us."There are two Amazons ahead of us going in the same direction. What do you want to do?"I looked to Felix who cracked his knuckles. He was right too. We didn't have enough time left to race around them; not in this mud; so jumping them and putting them down was our best bet.Bleeding.Our fists were bleeding, I had a knife wound on my left thigh, and Felix's nose was most likely broken, but we had put down two pairs of Amazons in the closing hour of the Great Hunt... and we were still free. We had even recorded the coordinates of where we left the four bound Amazons because leaving them all tied up in these conditions didn't seem fair.So far we had put down Niranjana Ereshkigal and Anna Cybele whose strategy was to figure out where the evacuation point was and then set up an ambush close by, and our old buddies, Tormé Maeve and Parul Nammu, who had been racing up to the evacuation point after some piece of divine intervention. They stumbled into us as we were binding up the first two.Thanks to the Ninja we had a moment's warning before they jogged right into us. It was on! Felix immediately challenged Tormé while I circled Parul, each seeking an advantage. Unfortunately, Tormé began cleaning Felix's clock so spun around and we switched partners."I wanted it to be me and you," she snarled."I was hoping to miss you entirely," I replied. She laughed and closed... and then slipped in the mud and slid right into my knee strike. Before she could clean the cobwebs from her head, I had landed three solid fist strikes to her jaw, rendering her incapable of immediate resistance; one tough chick! I quick glance back to Felix showed me he had Parul well in hand, so I quickly bound Tormé up and took her honor blade so she wouldn't be cutting herself free too soon.After we had Parul secured, Felix slapped me on the back and laughed."You bastard, I saw that," he chuckled. "She slipped.""I'll take it," I was unapologetic. Explaining to Felix how she was Katrina's #1 assassin would take too long. I'd leave it to Katrina to warn him how dangerous dating her would be.And then we heard the helicopter... and looked at our watches. It Was 11:48! We raced up the last bit of the slope to see the helicopter finish its descent. We'd made it... and then we saw Elsa and Rachel climbing up the slope beside us, disguised as we were by the downpour."Cáel !" Elsa screamed out my name. Rachel simply charged Felix wordlessly.I drew Tormé's honor blade and faced Elsa down. "Do you honestly think you can defeat me?" Elsa laughed. "Because Cáel , you cannot. You are already beaten, bruised and bleeding. Surrender and I promise to be gentle.""On any other day, I would agree with you, but this is not like any other day," I held my captured small knife out in a fighting stance."Today... today I have my Grandfather's knowledge and my Father's boundless spirit, Elsa. Today; you cannot defeat me. Come at me and find out, if you must." My stance flowed into an alien design... which came from a time when knives were the only close combat weapon anyone was lucky enough to have. My knife raised up over my head yet still pointing at my opponent while my empty left hand pointed at my foe.Then it occurred to me... if I could withstand the pain, I could grab her blade and hold it in place while I slashed down with my own ceremonial weapon. I could regenerate the damage; that was my edge and this was a fighting stance my Grandfather had perfected with that knowledge when all blades were either sharp stones, or smelted copper.I could see Elsa studying me rapid-quick before she made her lunge. It was so On! The first series of slashing strikes saw me barely missing having my hand cut open. I wasn't so lucky my second time around. Elsa sliced my ring finger to the bone."Damnit, Cáel !" Elsa snapped. "If you are going to fight me, at least use the training Pamela gave you. I have no idea what this crazy stance is supposed to show, but I think it is nothing more than your made-up style again. This time I am going to really hurt you if you don't surrender... Right Now!"Yeah, Elsa was upset she had to actually hurt me. I sensed that in her. Still, the pain quickly receded and I continued to stalk her... silently and with great determination on my face. No response was necessary and I was sure my quietude was unsettling her even more. On the next exchange Elsa moved so fast I couldn't track her blade. Still, I moved my empty palm across to stop her most likely angle of attack.I was wrong. By shifting my entire body to stop her slash, I put myself in the wrong positon; closing the distance between us and intercepting her surprise backslash with my left side at the kidney level. Ouch! Motherfucker! I grunted but used my positioning disadvantage as an advantage. As Elsa's hand recoiled from the dire wound she had given me, I reached out with my left hand and grabbed her wrist.My right hand came down attempting to slash her wrist in this exchange. She caught my right wrist in her left hand. Our bodies collided then my forward momentum slammed into her form and we both fell over. She rolled so we ended up crashing down on our sides, but I refused to release my hold while driving my blade ever downward.I didn't have much advantage over Elsa, but I was superior in upper body strength. It was my old buddy except coming out in my favor today. Slowly my blade inched toward its target."How... can... you... still... be... fighting?" Elsa ground out between her teeth."I am Ishara," was my reply. "The power of the goddess runs through me," I added a lie meant to confuse and dishearten her.She tried to break away by rolling around. I wouldn't let her. I tangled my legs up with hers until we were one conjoined mess. Then she surprised me with a head-butt right as the option was just occurring to me. She smashed my nose. There was blood everywhere, but I wouldn't relent on my hold. Instead, I followed up her head-butt with one of my own.Elsa caught mine with the hardest part of her forehead instead. Our skulls collided. I refused to feel the pain so while she was still reeling from that contact I smashed forward once again; this time impacting her temple and really shocking her. I had to have seemed like a monster to Elsa by this point in our bout; I could feel no pain and no infirmary would hold me back.Lacking every other point of leverage, she went for the 'Tried and True'; her knee impacted my precious gonads and for just that instance, my hold on her weakened. She broke free then rolled away."Stay down," she almost screamed at me. I didn't, instead rising up and resuming my archaic stance once more."This is going to hurt you a whole lot more than me," she promised next. Just then we both heard a titanic scream to my left. By the sound of the grunt which followed, I realized Felix had connected with one of his powerful kicks to Rachel's ribs. I used the positional advantage to charge. We collided once more, each one's opposite hand clamping down on the other's knife hand.While standing, we pushed each other back and forth, attempting kicks and foot stomps all the while my knife approached Elsa's collarbone. We were both too on guard for head-butts to pull one off this grapple, but I didn't need it... because we were in fact, grappling and I had a whole martial art devoted to grappling; Brazilian Jujutsu!I dropped Tormé's honor blade and flipped us around so I landed on top of her. Her blade drew a bloody line along my hip, but not enough damage to cause me any consternation. I could see it in her eyes, the moment we landed in the mud. She realized her mistake by allowing me too close, but the last time she had let that happened she had succeeded in stabbing me in the kidney, so she was taken off-guard for just that instance."Yeah," I chortled, "Just recalling my Brazilian Jujutsu aren't ya?""I can beat it," she ground out."You and an MMA Army," I growled back. She was in danger of having me roll her over... then it would be light's out!Right then Rachel and Felix came crashing down on the two of us, breaking my concentration and my hold. The four of us rolled up and separated once more.Rachel moved to Elsa's side while Felix helped me stand."We are running out of time," Felix informed me. We were. That appeared to be Rachel and Elsa's strategy all along. Keep us occupied for the remaining... eighteen minutes... damn was I out of breath and hurting."Switch," Felix tapped me on the forearm. "I got this."He didn't and he knew he didn't. For some god damn unknown reason, Felix was doing a selfless act for the first time in his life and I couldn't comprehend why."She'll destroy you," I pointed out."You're bleeding; badly," he stated, "and failing fast.""Listen to your friend," Rachel interjected herself into the conversation. Worse, she stepped aside and clearly indicated she would let me pass."Rachel!" Elsa snapped."He's earned it. For the past eighty-four days and then some, Cáel has earned; our respect," Rachel reminded us."Okay," I acknowledged the act of kindness. I moved behind Felix so he could screen me from Elsa... then shoved him as hard as I could across the muddy surface toward freedom. The look he sent back my way was priceless. Reluctantly, he looked back once then jogged to the helicopter and the rewards he deserved for surviving against so many for so long; just like me, but without the Goddesses and my troop of ruthless Amazon allies..."Two on one," I joked."No. I've surrendered my trophy," Rachel smile to me was emotionally crushing."Fine," Elsa nodded then, "Let's continue." This time I didn't have a knife.When we collided this time, she didn't hesitate to stab me in the left pectoral; above the heart, but not by much. I failed to catch her wrist and realized I was all out of game. My regeneration couldn't tackle both bleeding wounds and I was beginning to feel woozy.Elsa fell back."Surrender, Cáel ," her own voice had softened."Never surrender," I laughed back then I began to sway.This time as Elsa closed, she went for the grapple as well. I countered as best I could, but my reflexes were slowing down too. I wasn't going to make it then something tackled us both, slamming Elsa into my chest, stunning her."Felix... you came back," I groggily mumbled as Felix hammered Elsa hard, twice in the temple."You would come back for me. I see that now," he confessed. He half pulled, half-dragged me to our waiting chariot. The clock was a 'ticking."Rachel," I looked over to the other combatant. She hadn't started advancing on us like she should have."Go," she waved us away. "Today... today you have won your freedoms. Now go."What honors Rachel had passed over for whatever reasons were unknown to me. I was terrified she had done it out of love for me. Terrified because I felt so unworthy of such devotion and affection.Yet, Felix and I had made it and as the helicopter took off, I could sense the tension leave my body. My wounds were indeed healing and my blood supply, so witlessly spent was returning to me. Felix leaned into me as the nice Epona medic aboard our ride began to administer her traumatic injury training. I winced because it felt appropriate, not because I was allowed to feel any of the passing pain."You are a Runner now," I looked over to Felix. "Welcome aboard.""Sure thing, Ishara.""Ha," I chuckled. "Call me Cáel . You have earned that right.""I imagine there is something to that," he nodded. "Tell me what it is when you get the chance.""I will," I promised. "That and a few thousand other critically important things none one else will bother to teach you. As the saying goes, 'you've earned it'."Thus Ends The First Great HuntNow onto the final chapter of the First Part of Cáel 's journey.By FinalStand for Literotica.

The Chat oh shit what_s coming

For this episode, we are joined by photographer - Nick Zebelian of Armada, Michigan! Being a battery guy for ESPN early on.Taking a break for a few years and coming back for some 410 sprint car action.Getting a job, walking through a parking lot!Knoxville

Paging Doctor... Austin? I didn't know he was a... OH SHIT!!And not only do we have an appearance from Mr. American Horror Story himself, but Dawson Leery had a name change and is a big-time director now!?Send us a textEliminate the hassle of taking your clubs in for regripping with FORE GRIPS. Our product allows you to easily customize the grip on your clubs, ensuring a perfect feel every time. Choose from a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and patterns to find the perfect fit for your game.Order. Open. Wrap. Play.That simple.Fore GripsDitch the rubbers, wrap your shaft!Support the showCheck out @thwf.podcast on ALLLLL the socials including: Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads!

[FREESTYLE] Lyrics/Transcription: Lost my spot. I should I'm off the clock, but I've been thinking a lot. I've been thinking a lot; and tweaking the plot. I've been pink— I'm still in the box. I got snarf goggles; Trying to get a box of wobbles going. I feel awful; I should probably walk it off —or maybe dance, did the truffle shuffle. Did I stutter or did I mumble, mumble? Maybe I should skip this feeder or hit shuffle, shuffle, maybe I should just get a bag of ruffles— Ruffles. Now that sounds like the business. Yeah, cheddar and sour cream, man why are they orange, though? The cheddar and sour cream, man. It's pre season; don't need reason to get a recent or revenge, because eventually everything changes. I'm rearranging my strangeness. I've been up for days in this A-List, but hey, this: I still missed Los Angeles. but I just went back there. It's just been, what, past few months? New York sets in fast. Yeah. it does and then it gets… and then it gets under your skin. We're up against the wall like a pile— (A pile of bricks is.) Pile of brickses. *nervous laughter* My elixir is this; laughter is the best medicine, so I've been getting in my head a bit because that's where the lettuce is. The lettuce? Yeah, you know, like water and salad. I don't have a Brooklyn accent right now. I've been in my cornerZ I'm American as a gets man. I'm Californian, bro. So shut the fuck up and just smoke something. I should probably tell a joke or something, I should… I should— — I should I should… I should. THE KIDD Well, if I would I would Chuck wood. I got buck to buck buck stuttering again, huh? Well, I couldn't give a fuck. — if it's not making any money, so uh pardon me, honey. — I gotta get to the the to uh— the… Where is there to go? To maybe like Wonderland or better yet, Ultra. Better yet —maybe uh, well, what's in my notebook? Not rap. Not rap. but I guess I could get a pack of gum for that, huh? [a one dollar bill] Shit. I'm like a battery for those assholes; I should just go back to Alaska where that shit's still frozen. It's still frozen for like another two, three, what? four, five, six months, bro. , just rolling fucking winter. I know somebody from moved there, bro. Where is that place called? Kaktovik. It's a place. It's just always snowing. —and, [population: 247. Most of them are polar bears] I don't know where to go next, but it's not gonna be this corner in New York, because I've been so sick up in this hole, but I've been doing my projects so last's cool. Yeah, those assholes. You might need an enema if I get into you, cause you're the enemy if you're like a splinter, bro. Damn, when's the last time you had a splinter? I don't know. I'm like 400! Eventually, you just figure out how to not get fucking wood in your — cervix. Yeah. Eventually, you figure that out. And it feels good. It feels good like I like I like I—I solved it. But I promise you can't time travel with no equation. There's no combination of things you can do. So what's your destination? [nineteen hundred and forty-eight, then] 1948 then. It's really hard not to rap about race, man. It really is. It's hard to not rap about rats, Race, or class, or war. What happened? What happened?! What happened!?? I quit rapping, cause I work hard and I fit the program, I— I don't wanna daughter. I don't I really don't. I know that you know why? ‘ cause I saw a deep throat. Ahahaha— OH SHIT. Oh, no. What the fuck? Yo, what the fuck is it going on right now? Oh shit. oh shit. DAAAAAAAAAMN! Oh, it's breakfast time! What the fuck is this fucking oh shit? You know what? We're skipping this! That's a cool commercial, but, you know what, fuck it. That was crazy. What the fuck? What the fuck, man? I don't know. Whatever, dog. What the fuck was that oh, you know what? Oh, you know what? I just opened up my notebook to Nofucks. Sure. I just opened up my whole world to horcruxes and uh horrors— and luxury apartments, but I just got stop it. But I just can't help it because you just can't help me and I'm just fucking— man! AAANNNNNNND— that's what happens when you like candles on Saturdays! FICTIONAL PETE DAVIDSON O/P (From an exterior dimension) Light candles on Saturdays. V.O. Got it. O/PCONT'D V.O. Then I opened up a can of spam and just forgot. and then I went back and it was still good. FICTIONAL PETE DAVIDSON So I thought, why not? CC/FINI/BLU (From a distant parallel, looking in the mirror) Okay, but I'm gonna HAVE some questions. {Enter The Multiverse} But after breakfast… did I write something vaguely familiar here? Ah, yes! Something about the— It doesn't matter. because I'm not Earth, man, I could use some, herb, man. Yerbabmate. No thanks. I'm more of like a, you know, earth and dirt man. More like a 'I don't flirt'man. I just put my hand where I ought to not. (That should do it. ) Okay. I brought the Jew with you. Well, good riddance to neighbors who like screw with you! (I think they get paid to!) Manc You get played in section eight, because that's right. They hate you when you're Kool Aid. They hate you in your cool shades. They hate you when you're too late. BP time. Or maybe just CP time, SUPER JEW ACCOUNTAINT (To Sunnï Blū) it's EP time?! I'm pretty sure they're gonna fucking label it an album, anyway. I always do that. I mean for it to be an EP, but they're like, no, it's you man. I am a you- man. Fucjthat. I'm not one man. I think I'm two men. That's too bad. I gotta get some new shoes, man. I gotta make some new rules, man. Cause, I've been feeling stupid. What about you, Cupid? That's too cool, man. That's fuel, ma'am. If I'm a battery, I gotta like, you know, recharge! I gotta think hard about these retards because they be snarfing. alort. (Snarfing alot.) In my head, I'm just surfing alert. surf alert? Yeah. but I'm in New York, so it's a curb alert, for sure. Phineas and ferb alert. I Phineas nd Ferb. Yeah. what rhymes with the Phineas and Ferb?! a lot. but I'm still fucking stuck in my Hunh?! What? Nothing. I'm still in the neighborhood where the getting's good, (but it hasn't been) I'm still in the, “what is that? hazmat suit or a husband?” I'm still in the “Na, thanks”. I'm a nanocchip. I'm still in the ho rob is kind of a mammoth one. It's where the mammoth wind. (((I hear it in my sleep sometimes— just a beat.)))) Just a beat, that's true. I used to eat meat now I just repeat, okay. I used to eat meat now I just New York, so I beat beef, beep, beep, beep, HONK-HONK. And I still kind of want a dog, but I've been fixated on this prized hog from my dreams for the book. [pause] No, that is not a hepatitis C commercial. That's too cool! M mm. Y'all need to dump that down. What the 4 I was like chic. That was chic for hepatitis C! which I'm sure is preventable if you're just not dirty, like NYC!!!! EW. Yes, NYC EE, I NYCU, cause I L Y NY U, hi U. I heard you're getting a degree, so try try to get try to get B's instead of hepatitis be. Try to get A's instead of bl- blimy. I've been trying. no Cockney thug. I've been trying, I've been I haven't been tryinging so much as like laughing because I just don't give a fuck. I just don't give four leaf clovers. That is a lot of good luck, a guy whole patch of them. A whole patch of a Damn it. Great, that was like, no. That fantastic. almost forgot that was a fid of fidget spinner? fictional fictional character. Named [Patrick Kirkpatrick] Name Bro, I've been thinking about this, too, but like, okay, I've been thinking about you, but I'm like, yo, what if what if I'm like sunny blue? SUNNI BLU What if I'm a fictional character? And I'm just like, all this weird shit happens and then I'm like, oh, this cause I'm like in a I'm like in a book or something. It would be delusional thinking to think you're in a movie all the time. It is delusional, but there is a studio right down the block, you know? and there's a studio right down the block again. Just like anywhere I walk. There's like —anywhere I walk and so talk at the same time. I usually don't. I just try to shut the fuck up when I'm in Brooklyn because it reminds me of the Bronx sometimes, you know? Sometimes, you know? Sometimes, you know. and sometimes you don't. And sometimes the curiosity killed the cats, so just don't watch, no pay attention to what you're not part of but you're part of it all. I got no attention for half hearted-squatters, squatters. Oh, no. Squatters, hepatitis se and Herpes. Hpatitis C because we're just freestyleing. We're not, you know, really like being serious about this thing. No, not really. No, not really . Yo. get your degree with no appetit C. You're trying to make me envy you; but I kind of envy me, because I'm the MVP true. One time I tried to get on MTV. And I think they're still following me. like, maybe. I shop at… ( No, I don't.) I shop by old Navy. Sometimes, you know, like around the Fourth of July BIGGIE, but -Ū. when my mama made me!! , that's true, I was conceived on the fourth of July. I came to a firework. And now I get fired when I try to work. I want to not fight a lot. I I really want to smoke some weed. I'm not gonna lie. I really want to smoke some weed. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm I'm not gonna lie, but you ever try to tell the truth and the truth hurts?. So I got two words: That was an infinite space. (Well, it could be any two words, really, after what I said before.) Damn. I got somewhere to go. No, no, I don't. I really don't. I got somewhere to be. I I just know it. I got nowhere to be. PETE DAVIDSON/ OR WHOEVER SHAPESHIFTER I'm bored. …I'm bored. DAH fuck! No, I'm not bored! I'm not bored, “oh lord”, I said to the lord, because, you know, I don't know how long you've been listening to the show but sometimes I'll talk about God, and how if you tell God you're bored, then God answers with things that —- certainly aren't boring. —Certainly I'm snoring. I'm for sure. Number four. is hostage paper. I swamped. told me so. This is weird. This is getting weird.. I'm, like, done. what the world. I'm thinking. What the world I'm thinking that I'm still writing. Ey! 22 minutes, 22 minutes wrap it up. That's it. That's there's there's an ad here. Do you wanna do, like outro? do outro, and then we'll fade out, though. Something's wrong with my eyes, man. I caught I gotta call at Heist, man. Heisenberg. Yeah. Heisin. I gotta close my eyes for the night, I think. I'm at work. Something's lurking. I was what Perkins? I don't know, Perkins. Perkins nah, not working. I gotade out. Okay. This Mixtape's not as good as the first one, but hey— first one rhymes with…??? —per Perkins? SUNNI BLU Nah. All right. see you on the next one or whatever. L E G E N D S {Enter The Multiverse} Copyright © The Festival Project, Inc. ™ | Copyright The Complex Collective © 2019 ™ All Rights Reserved. C'cxell Soleïl

Cáel's second vacation with Aya and friends.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Loving your enemy is easy. You know precisely where the two of you standJust in case anyone cares, I do not hate China or the Chinese People. As a Global Power, the PRC is fair game as a great antagonist. Not only do they have, as of 2015, the world's largest economy, largest population and a truly global Diaspora, they also have a rather totalitarian governance system that enables them to devote scary levels of resources to any endeavor they set their minds to.I usually paint all governments to be entities capable of great good (rarely achieved) and great evil (because it makes such enticing fiction). In my stories, it often falls to the people within those institutions to make judgment calls on what is the right thing to do. In my final analysis, there are no 'Evil' governments, just evil people who use the system to get what they want(Right where we left off)"Aya," I spoke to her when she'd finished up by giving Mu a strong dose of a pain killer, "Now go back to the galley and find the nice medic-lady there. She has a bottle filled with some of those kick-ass sedatives. Inject everyone else but me, you, Zhen here and Mu, Mu's had enough drugs for one day.""Okay," she popped up. She turned fearlessly to face her former tormentors and jailors."I had them all swear an oath to Ishara to not kill, harm, or restrain you in any manner, so have fun hunting them down. You've got about thirty minutes.""Is Dot with us right now?" she gave me a bone-tired smile. I nodded. "This is going to be fun," she shouted and off she went.'I'll be by her side', Dot whispered to me. She rose forth from the seat within me and followed Aya out into Seven Pillars Hell. Technically, I believed it was the Diyu of the Fiendish Child. Those malicious bastards suffered every accident, misfortune, and nearly-impossible odds malfunction in the process of being subdued by a 9 year old Amazon.Four of them died in the process of trying to kill her, when stopping her became obviously impossible. Two had their guns blow up when they tried to shoot her, dismembering their hands and wrists. One guy was strangled in his emergency oxygen supply mask. The last guy lunged forward, slipped on a cup and broke his neck when his head was caught in a folded armrest.Twenty-eight nerve wracking minutes later."All done," she gave me an exhausted yet triumphant chirp. "Should I strap Mr. Mu into a chair? He's passed out.""Zhen, buckle your brother into a chair and hurry back. I'll hold us steady until you get back."Remember, I had only the use of my left hand. My right had to stay on the dagger to keep things powered up."Buckle-up after you've gotten Duan Mu secured, Aya. That's his proper name.""I know that. I was trying to keep them irritated so they would act irrationally. You taught me that," Aya bathed me in her sinister ways and means.Finally, it was down to me and Zhen. "Do you think we will succeed, Cáel Wakko Ishara?" "I'm giving it my best shot." "The little girl was right," Zhen groaned. "She told us we'd regret not killing you in New York when we had the chance. I thought she was being an annoying spoiled brat. I was wrong." Pause. "I know you have no reason to answer me truthfully, but when we, the rest of us, die, could you make sure my brother's body is returned to my father so that he can join our ancestors in the family grave?" "Why do you think I would lie to you now that we are alone?" That was a loaded question. I did the majority of my lying when I was alone with a woman. "I, will you give me your Oath, in your Goddess's name?" "Nope. My Goddess has pretty much been exhausted by your boys trying to break their vows to me and Aya. I'll tell you what I will do, " "What?" "Show me your tits and I'll promise to do my best." "What? You want to see me naked?" she grew indignant. "No!" It was her being a vaginal virgin (I knew the type ~ good oral technique and bed play, but no 'go-uppy' the cunt, or ass) and me not being Han Chinese, therefore being a 'Stinky Barbarian'. "Listen, I've never flown a commercial jet before and neither have you. Odds are we are both going to be dead in the next ten minutes. After all the hell you have put me through, can you at least give me some fucking inspiration. No one will ever know. Besides, imagining the perfect swell of your breast and the smooth tautness of your stomach, well, you are so damn perfect it is distracting!" I protested against the World's grand injustice (me not being Han and thus not worthy of seeing her goodies). "Do you really think we are all about to die?" she studied me. "I'm doing my best, but, yes, I believe we are," I stared deep into her dark brown orbs.'You are despicable,' Ishara chortled. 'I promise you, plant your seed and she will bear you a son.' "Very well, hold onto the controls," she said as she released her joystick. She rolled up her padded (high-tech body-weave) shirt carefully. I was a past master of looking while pretending not too look. Still, "Can I look yet?" I hesitantly questioned. Sure, we were about to slam an Airbus-350 into the Pacific Ocean, or a concrete runway, no lights, in a cyclone, but she was 'working it'. For all she knew, this striptease would be her last living memory. "No." A few seconds passed. "Now?" "No." Oh, her top was just cresting her highly aroused nipples, she had tiny, erect nipples. The smallest I had ever seen, but long, almost like tiny awls. Finally she'd played it out as long as possible. "Okay." "No, wait," I begged. "Let me make sure everything is stable. I want to look at you for as long as I can. This will probably be the last happy moment of my life, so I want to make the most of it." That made her happy. I puttered around for five seconds, then pivoted around to take in her full, topless view. I didn't say anything for the longest time. "Aren't you done yet," she grumbled. "We are about to crash." "Oh, sorry," I turned away. She rolled her top down quickly and we returned to trying to keep the people we loved most in life alive. I sensed as sense of disappointment in her nonetheless."Perfect," I whispered. She caught it. "What did you say? Is something wrong?" she worried, studying her crippled command console for any errors she might have missed. "I said 'perfect'. I knew it, your body is perfect," I confessed. Pause. "Oh, " "Now I have something to live for," I declared. "I will never let you see me naked again. This was a one-time thing!" "That's two things I have to live for then," I countered. "Bringing us in alive and seeing me naked once more?" she had to be sure. "I was going to say 'seeing you naked again' and 'living', but I can see that your priorities make more sense," I conceded. "Ah, you are right, that I am right." Pause. "Good luck." "On seeing you naked again, or surviving our landing." "Let's start out by landing the plane. "And then, Duan Zhen?" "We will see, Cáel Ishara."{9 pm, Tuesday, August 16th ~ 23 Days to go}{aka 2 am Wednesday, Aug. 17th ~ 22 Days to go (Havenstone time)}(The following is in Mandarin until I note otherwise)"What are you doing?" I struggled to keep the panic from my voice."Killing all these alarms," Zhen responded. She was grinding her teeth in frustration and fear. "There is nothing we can do to fix those problems.""My, right rudder, its barely responding," I grunted. This was fly-by-wire, not typical manual control, so my concern was entirely mental, not wanting to miss our turn south into the sole runaway on Johnston Atoll. With the steady degradation of the plane's electronics, we wouldn't make the 360 for another pass.Landing from the southern end of the runway would put the cyclone force winds behind us. There would be no way for the plane's two inexperienced pilots to make that miraculous landing happen. No, we had to approach form the north, into the winds and allow nature to slow us down."On it, I'm good," she confirmed that her co-pilot's systems were still doing their job. "Tell me when we are making our final approach." Zhen, my Seven Pillars of Heaven co-pilot (and designated assassin), couldn't see where we were going. Our avionics had perished earlier in this disaster.Goddess Dot Ishara was communicating with Goddess SzélAnya who was frolicking in this maelstrom; the Draconic Storm Divinity was in her element. Dot was 'in' her element as well ~ her last living mortal descendent (me), if you didn't count all those unborn offspring I'd been contributing to in the past few weeks.'Are you thinking about me, Wakko?' she whispered into my mind. I was Wakko Ishara. I was supposed to be Yakko, but that hadn't worked out. As the 'main girl' in the relationship between me, the leader of her Amazon House, and Yakko Ishara ~ my first Ishara ancestor ~ she earned the slot of Dot (see Warner Bros.) Ishara.One of her earliest gifts to me was to make my mind inviolate to ALL supernatural penetration which was the reason she was bothering to ask about my thoughts and intentions.'Yes,' I thought back. 'I'm worried you are expending too much energy on my behalf, Dot.''Opposed to leaving you alone with SzélAnya? I don't trust her around you. She'd make a little Dragon-offspring/avatar with you if I'm not careful.''If you aren't careful? Don't I get a say in all of this?''No. Trust me, she's clingy and you are more active than a whole temple of Babylon's whores. Her mortal avatar would further bond your two legends together and your Legend is already the prop, placed with House Ishara.' Translation: My Goddess was clingy. After all, she'd meant to say my legend was her 'property'."Flaps!" Zhen yelled at me. "Check your flaps. Mine keep shorting out.""On it," I replied. I'd 'zoned out', so she'd screamed at me to get my attention back on task. Altitude, 1200 meters, which meant flaps at, fuck if I knew."What do I set them, Oh Shit!" I realized I'd forgotten something horribly imperiling."What?" Zhen shot me a furious look."Fuel! We've got to start dumping the fuel!" I screamed."Why?""Fireball, Zhen. If we hit hard, this bitch will barbeque us," I spit the words. "Don't you watch any airplane crash movies?" I added."The Airbus 350 has plenty of, safeguards,""You mean like all the other ones that have failed us in the past half hour?""Opening main tanks #1 and #2," she grumbled. "If we are struck by another lightning bolt we could blow up in mid-air.""Won't happen," I feebly jested. "The Storm Goddess loves me.""Does she love my brother and I?""Nah. She wants you and everyone else on this plane dead, but she's humoring me right now.""Flaps," she reminded me. "Why would she care about you?""Having no other useful skills, I am a truly remarkable lover."Zhen spared me a blistering look."You have seized this aircraft from my brother, me and forty of our best Special Operations Strike Warriors. That does not qualify you as 'unskilled'," she lambasted me."Oh no? You should see a 'real' Amazon in action," I teased her. "I'm just an intern who hasn't yet completed his 84 day trial period." I also worked the flaps."Too much," she snapped. "If we drop below 400 kilometers per hour, these winds will slam us into the Pacific."I was adjusting the flaps appropriately as we began our final roll to the left when a cloud-to-cloud bolt of electricity coursed through our craft. We didn't blow up."Thank you, SzélAnya," I whispered."What?" Zhen worried. Fucking up now would be the end of us all.'Your gratitude is overdue, Cáel,' SzélAnya slipped her murmur into the crashing thunder and another lash of raw, natural fury. 'We will talk later.'"I thought you said she loves you.""Umm, did I forget to mention I told her I was going out for pizza and never called her back?""That makes no sense," Zhen glared at me briefly. I was gifted with a visual of our plane in perspective to the runway. Yay, five meter waves were smashing into the atoll. I adjusted our yaw to the right."We are three kilometers out," I advised her."Flaps, spoilers," I went over my limited Alal-knowledge. This stuff worked on a piston driven commercial liner and it was the only flight data I had."Landing gear," Zhen responded. She had to throttle up a little because all that drag was cutting into our speed.'You are being blown too far to the east,' SzélAnya advised. I did the best I could."What are you doing?" Zhen was starting to sweat."Responding to divine intervention.""I, I see it!" Zhen's panic turned to exultation as she could finally make out the pale concrete runway surrounded by the angry sea.Too disasters hit us simultaneously."The left landing gear is not fully deployed," Zhen cautioned me."We are coming in too fast anyway," I dryly noted. The Goddess had brought me in on target, but she knew nothing about aircraft aeronautics.The Airbus came down too hard, too fast and our left landing gear snapped on impact. Sarrat Irkalli's parting gift was decay. Every design weak point gave in. The front fuselage broke apart, my hand on the dagger slipped and the power died. The front 25% of the plane spun off to the west while the remainder shot down the runway and off the southern end of the island.Sadly we went off into the lagoon between the western side and the barrier reef. In a delayed bit of good fortune, our careening section went head to head against a massive storm surge."Go!" I screamed at Zhen.She snatched up her Jian that she had used to pin the undead necromancer Tsu. I was right behind her, though I did stop to retrieve Sarrat Irkalli's dagger and pluck the two bone reliquaries from his neck before following Zhen's tight, athletic buns out of the cockpit and toward Aya. My diminutive better half was still in her seatbelt and clutching the medical bag to her chest.(English) "Cáel, I think we are sinking," she noted with a twinge of concern and more courage than I felt like utilizing. As Zhen was rescuing her brother the enormity of my mistake sunk in. All the Seven Pillars people were unconscious thus unable to save themselves from drowning. Aya's survival came first. I'd worried about my 'would-be executioners' later.I swept up Aya so fast it took me a second to realize she was poking me. She had retrieved the trinkets Felix had given Mu, our phone cards, my Dot-treats and my Amazon blade. I quickly strapped the blade to my arm. The water was rushing in through the severed back section.I turned to see Zhen struggling with her brother. Her look said it all. She expected them both to die. She wouldn't abandon him to save herself and the waves were too rough to make it with him."Get as far as you can," I shouted to her over the typhoon strength winds. "I'll come back for you."Her face expressed how little faith she put in my promise. Zhen had no choice left to her. I cut off two lengths of seat-belt to give Aya a harness to wrap over my shoulder and opposite underarm. I used the second piece to create her harness I linked with my own. {Back to English as the primary language}"He'll come back for you," Aya tried to assure Zhen while I worked."Aya, take a deep breath then expel it," I advised. The second she did I dove into the water. I had never attempted to swim in water this nasty, but I had been dumped into a white water rapids before. That was the best I had.Somehow in the madness, I pointed myself in the right direction. Once more, the storm came to my rescue. Two monster waves picked us up and pushed us toward the edge of the runway.'Go to the north end of the island,' Ishara told me. There is a building there that will shelter you, and Cáel, I must leave now. Don't do it.''I can't not try,' I replied. 'Can you help Aya?' I gave one last appeal. No reply. I twisted southward to locate the next monster wave. My precious cargo pressed tightly to my upper torso, I flipped over so that my feet were facing toward the onrushing runway. I'm not as dumb as I look, or sound.I bent my knees in the same way they instruct you when you go cliff diving. Up we went. I pulled Aya and I as deep into the water as possible, up, up, crest and then down-down-down. My bare right foot hit something jagged and sharp. I'd worry about bleeding later. The momentum of that contact tried to tilt me head-first, but I resisted.My left foot slapped down on a hard, smooth, granular surface, the sea wall. Now I swam backwards with my free arm while I raced to get my right foot back under me. My body ended up surging forward, yet I was in control of my movements once more. I rolled with the impact, taking the brunt to my left shoulder while shielding Aya with my right. Three rolls and I was on my feet again."Aya!" I beseeched my companion."That was fun," she yelled back over the hurricane force winds. "Let's try to do this next year," the rest was lost. I kept staggering forward in about a foot of water that the storm had flooded over the land. I looked behind me.The next wave was unfriendly. The one behind that one appeared to be a lot like what I imagined a Berlin Wall-sized tombstone would look like. I ran. I survived the first wave then gave Aya a cautionary squeeze. I felt her tiny lungs inflate, soak up the salt-water spray and oxygen then flush the air back out.A few more steps then we plunged back sideways into the monster current ~ the wave had already crashed."What did you say?" I shook Aya as we surfaced once more."Next year, much later next year," she grinned up at me."Aya, do you think you can,""Yes. Go find them. You gave her your word," she hugged me."Stay on the runway, head north, Dot says there is a building up there that is still intact. Aya, take this," I handed her the pistol and a spare mag."Do you promise you won't let me die today?" she shouted over the winds. I had to think about that. Aya rammed the pistol and magazine into her medical bag's side pocket. Oaths had their own power and maybe, just maybe, Dot Ishara would help me honor this one."I swear to you, I will not let you die today," I yelled back."Then go and hurry," she hugged me as I cut her loose. "She needs you more than I do. Go!" With that, we separated. Aya slugged forward a few steps, was staggered by another wave then turned and gave me her 'thumbs up'.I turned to the south and the blinding winds and terrible surf. I had to try. Alal kicked in. Jumbo commercial airliners = no help. Shipwrecks = he'd survived a few. I mapped out in my mind the waves, winds and their direction relative to the plane. I could still make out its half-submerged shape.The edge of the runway had a U-shaped seawall which created a peak that channeled the waves. I couldn't see the structure itself due to the high tide, but I could locate the wall by watching the waves break. If I could get to the outside of the eastern peak, I would have an easier time going about this rescue. Also, if Zhen wasn't brought in by the same waves that saved Aya and I, she would be driven to the northwest, parallel to the island.I could intercept them. I'd effective killed everyone else. Maybe, I dove in.'Don't!'“Too late, SzélAnya,” I vaulted off the semi-submerged sea wall, then let the undertow pull me along the broken coral rocks the Navy had put there when they expanded the airfield in the 1960's.I kept my hands on the rocks, rock climbing in reverse. The waves passing overhead tried to pluck me up and return me to the land. I moved as rapidly as I could, until my muscles ached from the water's chill and oxygen starvation. My lungs were on fire. I let the next wave pull me up.Fortune favors the foolish should be my new motto. I broke the surface just after another large wave passed by. I kept my breathing short and steady, despite my burning hunger for air. Gulping air would only earn me a mouthful of salt water. I took the reprieve in the storm's efforts to drown me.The 'foolish' was waiting for me four meters away, slightly behind me and to the East. Zhen was being dragged past the atoll. I kept one eye on her progress and the other on the waves. A monster rolled up, I dove under and thus resurfaced less than two meters away. Zhen had Mu in a classic rescue swim position. He was still likely to suffocate in this downpour.The look in her eyes was, pure confliction. I cut through the last bit of ocean to be at her side. My first action was to point to the next tidal beast heading for us.(Mandarin) "I've got him. Dive beneath the wave," I hollered. Had she resisted, all three of us would have been screwed. She didn't.I took another deep breathe then sort of freaked her out. I clamped my mouth over Mu's and expelled my air into his lungs. My right arm snaked under his left with my hand grabbing the back of his head. I shoved his head tightly against my face, pressing his nose shut, then dove. Zhen was right behind me.After that, we had our routine down. Zhen took Mu every fourth wave. Breathing for both him and me was tough. I'd take him back for the fifth and slowly we made ourselves to the eastern shore. I hit first, fell flat on my face but kept a hold on Mu. I temporarily lost sight of Zhen. One life at a time.I lugged Mu up, staggered his unconscious and my exhausted forms a few feet and then was toppled by yet another wall of water. This time, when I returned to a standing position, I check Mu's breathing. He would make it. I few more steps, another wave. I kept my footing that time. Another, Zhen came careening our way from the North. The waves had swept her passed us.Zhen immediately looped her arm under Mu's right arm. That allowed her, me and our shared burden to slog another meter inland, then the next wave caught up with us. Zhen fell; I stumbled, but righted myself and thus kept Mu from being washed away. Zhen rolled a few feet forward, rebounded up, only to be shoved away when a gust of wind hit us.On her next attempt, she rejoined us. From that point onward, we were far enough away from the land's end so that we were slogging through standing water and could resist the waves that impacted us.(Mandarin) "You came back," she shouted.There were all kinds of romantic, chivalric and very true responses to that. I chose a half-lie. (Mandarin) "I really wanted to see your tits one more time," I yelled. The looks she gave me was priceless. She was convinced I was a lunatic ~ no doubt about it.While she puzzled out her reaction/retort, we chanced upon a Quonset hut. In its lee, we caught a break from the worst of the wind. We also picked up a little Epona who had made the same logical choice (to get out of the wind) as we had. My heart leapt for joy. She was grinning like an impish hellion as she tried to tell me something.I leaned down until her lips were touching my ear."I forgot to pack my swimsuit," she chortled."It's probably sitting at home along with my surfboard," I kissed her on the forehead. "How about we get inside, somewhere?" Aya nodded.(Mandarin) "Let's go," I roared. Zhen nodded briefly. We turned Mu around so we would be dragging him with his back to the winds. The journey to the structure SzélAnya had pointed me at (the J O C building) took over an hour and a half to cover the two kilometers. Along the way, Aya discovered her inner Peter Pan.That was the childish fiction I was going to use to explain what she did when I regaled this episode to her Mother, assuming we made it back. In common parlance, a gust of wind that must have been about 150 kilometers per hour picked her up and off she went. Hell, I'd honored my oath to Zhen. I dropped Mu and raced after my own personal good luck fairy.A freak micro-burst, shot Aya up so high I lost track of her in the rain.'Please'.I saw my tiny human javelin plummeting to earth several meters away. Aya had refused to mitigate her fate by releasing the medical bag. I jumped, caught her and took another hard spill to the ground, Aya on top of me. She said something to me.I made it back to my knees, clutching a standing Aya firmly to my chest."I said 'I've had enough fun for today," she sputtered. "Can we go inside now?"'You now owe me a life, I go,''Thank you'. If she heard me, she didn't acknowledge it. The storm didn't relent its assault, that was for sure.I couldn't risk losing Aya again. I had placed Zhen and Mu on solid ground so she returned to being my top priority. I slogged my way through the typhoon, cyclone, 'what have you', only to find a solid steel door between Aya and safety. I felt volcanic fury building up inside me. Then I remembered I still had a few firearms,The QCW spoke and the door popped opened. I raced around the first interior corner, deposited Aya, ran back to the door, reverse course, raced back to Aya, kissed her cheek then ran back out into the blinding rain and battering winds. Zhen was right where I'd left her. She had relied on me coming back, damn her.(The J S O C Building)Five minutes later, I had the Seven Pillars twins inside and the door wedged shut. We were all temporarily safe. Here and there small puddles of water had formed from leaks above, but otherwise the structure was solid, sound and safe. Zhen and Mu were on the opposite side of the room. After she tended to her brother, she looked my way.I took the medical bag from a wide-eyed and happy Aya."We are down to two of them," she shivered. "Perhaps you should ask her to surrender now, while they still can?" I snorted then chuckled."Do you really think the proud scions of Duan will bow before the Amazons?" I asked her. Aya fatigued mind worked that question over."No, you are right. I don't think they are smart enough to know when they are beat. Cáel, they called me 'Chǒul u de cuüw ', or something like that," Aya kept her eyes on Zhen. "What does that mean?" It took me a second to piece that together. You can tell a great deal about people if you catch them talking about you behind your backs, or when they think you can't understand what they are saying."Ugly Bug," I translated. Aya snorted."That was rude. We can call her 'L s la ninda'," she proclaimed loud enough for Zhen to hear, "and we can call him Amar."I had to applaud her choice of names for our would-be killers.See, L s la ninda roughly translated from Amazon to English as 'cupcake'. Amar was Amazon for 'calf' which was a play on his Mandarin name, 'Mu'."Dumu?" I indicated her. Aya's eyes sparkled. Duma was the diminutive for 'daughter'."Atta," she murmured back. That was 'respectful Father'; a title no Amazon girl had addressed a man with in, well maybe, ever. The term was largely religious and only used in the terms of female divinities referring to divine paternals."Take the gun," I withdrew the QSW-06 from the medical bag. "I'm going to take a look at Mu."I wasn't a surgeon, most of my medical skills were self-taught (I get hurt a great deal), I was personally acquainted with pain and I wasn't easily grossed out. Alal's past granted me beaucoup knowledge to fill in the gaps. Mu was going to be okay.His problems were the bullet hole, blood loss, our mutual damp condition and his complete exhaustion. Zhen knelt close by as I cut open his pants. The bullet was still in him. I was guessing the round had cracked his femur, not broken it. I cleaned out the wound with minimal disturbance to Mu's sleep. The antiseptic came next, followed by the wrapping and finally a syringe of general antibiotic.(Mandarin) "Let's find something to dress ourselves in and then we all need to get out of these wet clothes. If we don't shed these clothes soon, we'll get a chill we don't need," I advised.(Mandarin) "How bad is it?" she asked. She meant her brother's condition.(Mandarin) "He'll be okay. Feel free to try and kill me when you wish. He doesn't need me anymore." That, pretty much confirmed for her what she suspected, I was a lunatic.(Mandarin) "Well, okay. Thank you. I will not kill the child; I have given you my word."(Mandarin) "Are you talking about 'Ugly Bug'?"(Mandarin) "Oh. I thought she didn't know our language either," she blushed then frowned. "She never revealed she understood our words."(Mandarin) "She doesn't. Aya has a phenomenal memory. All Amazons are taught from a very young age to develop a strong eye for detail. This includes remembering words spoken around them, even if they don't know their meaning."That silenced her. The medical kit gifted us with five glow sticks.The women paired up to search the first, second, third and fourth floors; I didn't trust Zhen to find something useful and report it to me. I knew women. She wouldn't kill Aya tonight and Aya would keep her

Bevor morgen mit dem ersten New Music Friday das Musikjahr endgültig lanciert wird, gönnen wir uns noch ein letztes Mal Vorfreude auf grosse Momente, die auf uns zukommen: Die Sounds!-Inventur in Sachen Festivals, Clubkonzerte und (vielleicht?) Weltbewegendem anno '25. Haltet Eure Agenda bereit! +++ PLAYLIST +++ · 22:56 - KNOCKIN' HEART von HAMILTON LEITHAUSER · 22:52 - THIS SIDE OF THE ISLAND von HAMILTON LEITHAUSER · 22:49 - BARN NURSERY von HEY, NOTHING · 22:46 - WISH YOU WOULD NOTICE (KNOW THIS) von ZZZAHARA · 22:43 - SUGAR & SPICE von HATCHIE · 22:37 - BROKEN von ELA MINUS · 22:31 - SUMMER OF LOVE von PARCO PALAZ · 22:22 - T.K. COLLIDER von MNEVIS · 22:19 - BARRIO HUSTLE von HERMANOS GUTIERREZ · 22:16 - SPA von ANNA ERHARD · 22:12 - DOG DAYS von DEHD · 22:08 - ROLL WITH IT von OASIS · · 21:57 - OH SHIT von THE LIBERTINES · 21:53 - THE HAND THAT FEEDS von NINE INCH NAILS · 21:48 - COMPRESS / REPRESS von TRENT REZNOR/ATTICUS ROSS · 21:45 - ESPRESSO von SABRINA CARPENTER · 21:41 - SWEET LOVE von SYLVIE KREUSCH · 21:37 - REDONDO BEACH von PATTI SMITH · 21:32 - WONDER von EN ATTENDANT ANA · 21:26 - ROCKY TRAIL von KINGS OF CONVENIENCE · 21:21 - WILLST DU MIT MIR GEH'N von FÜNF STERNE DELUXE · 21:15 - BREAK YA NECK von BUSTA RHYMES · 21:10 - NOT LIKE US von KENDRICK LAMAR · 21:04 - TV OFF von KENDRICK LAMAR FEAT. LEFTY GUNPLAY · 20:56 - MR. TAMBOURINE MAN von CAT POWER · 20:52 - LIKE A ROLLING STONE von TIMOTHEE CHALAMET · 20:49 - SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES von BOB DYLAN · 20:47 - HOOKED von FRANZ FERDINAND · 20:42 - MUSTANG von KINGS OF LEON · 20:38 - SERPENTINE PRISON von MATT BERNINGER · 20:31 - THE UNIVERSE von ROISIN MURPHY · 20:29 - DENIAL IS A RIVER von DOECHII · 20:24 - BULLFROG von DOECHII · 20:19 - X-RAY EYES von LCD SOUNDSYSTEM · 20:13 - BABY'S GOT A TEMPER von THE PRODIGY · 20:09 - POP POP POP von IDLES · 20:05 - ASPIRATION von ZAHO DE SAGAZAN

Please check out Episode 33 If you're feeling alone this holiday season, or looking for a little more holiday hype.  Remember when our parents decked the halls? OR when we really did believe in Santa Clause? Now, we're making all the magic happen and it's both exhausting and expensive. In fact, if you don't put the time in, the holidays won't happen! This is a quick little poem Jayna wrote about what it REALLY feels like as an adult at Christmastime.  Thank you for listening each week...you're the reason we keep showing up!  Happy holidays from Jayna, Tim, Arzo, Shawna and the pups. Oh! And Cheers to the naps we're all going to enjoy once its all said and done!    IN THIS EPISODE -Trying to enjoy Christmas as an Adult -The stress of the holidays -A cheerful Christmas greeting   If you loved this episode and would like to support Big Lash Energy please click here: Buymeacoffee.com/BigLashEnergy   Our not-so-secret goal is to create a tribe of badass women who find beauty in the messiest parts of life. We're learning and laughing as we go! If you know someone who could use a little BLE in their life? If so, could you pretty please share this show with them! ...let's grow this tribe together!    HOW TO CONNECT:  Find us on INSTAGRAM!  BigLashPodcast   Jaynas makeup and personal IG: JaynaMarieMakeup   We're official! Here's our website: www.biglashpodcast.com     

It was marky mark and Channing Tatum, but in the dream they were just my friends. They were hanging out in Vegas and I dropped by to say hi, but I had to get going. I was renting a white Beamer SUV which I thought was too nice for me. Thought about going back to say hello but had to convince my parents. Dumb. At least I figured out who those two shirtless dudes were. Oh they also had that guy from Dexter with them. That's correct. And an old dude. But what is that dudes name? Idk. Shirtless dude three. SHIRTLESS DUDE 3 You mean me. God, that Beamer was nice. It was white. It was white, but it was also a rental. I don't know if I could see myself getting a white car. It was pearlescent white though, kind of cream, but with sparkles. You're right, that's a different kind of white. Why would they let me drive this thing? I can drive, I was more surprised anyone would let me rent a car after the Enterprise fiasco. Luckily, it was under my mom's name. Well, this is fucked up. {Enter The Multiverse} My dellisions of granduer sure are fire right now Are you sure you don't know who you are Or where I'll be right there On the highway to hell Like a baseball bat out of heaven I wear my hat backwards, Cause I'm the only one To throw shade On my back end Can I just say, I really like the gangster version of deadmau5. Oh SHIT, There he go. RUN, BLAT-BLAT. (Still Canadian tho) Ah, FUCK, man. What suh tho?! I'm out of gas, eh. The car's out of gas?! Ammo, bud! Oh shit, aight. Must have been surfing in the dream, because I was eating lots of fish and cool about it. That's true! I only ever eat fish when I'm surfing. Why were we in Vegas then? No, the guys were in Vegas, I was just visiting. That doesn't seem like the place to just “visit”. Maybe it was EDC, I don't know. Then why were we eating fish!? That was in another part of the dream. Oh. So we were traveling? I guess so. That sounds rich. Stephen Colbert stands over Jimmy Kimmel with a wooden sword, hitting him repeatedly, yelling KING ME. OW. NO. KING ME. OW, WHAT THE FUCK MAN! KING ME! OWC, knock it OFF! He overpowers Colbert and takes the wooden sword. GIVE ME THAT. he thwaps him with the sword one good time. OW. EXACTLY. Fuck outta here! Why won't you king me?! What makes you think I'm in charge of Kinging?! You wrote the game! I co-wrote the game—with-very minimal effort, by the way, other people— Including my//yourself. Was I there? Gee, maybe not… Seriously, I don't know where my head is sometimes. Plastered inside of the television. Like literally?! I guess. In or on. Anyway, if you're unhappy with your lowly, monocle status, you should talk to The Creator. Who's the creator? Nobody really seems to know… Well then, how am i supposed to talk to him,? Let's find out, Wait, what. One… Jimmy Kimmel Begins to morph into a bird, feathers first and more slowly than usual. What is that? [via tootsie pops owl] Two-hoo! I feel like I've heard this before somewhere. THREE! OH MY GAAA—AAHHHHH! Suddenly, Jimmy Kimmel is transformed into a giant-esque owl. WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!! Jimmy Kimmel swoops above him, grabbing Colbert by the shoulders, as he screams inconsolably. He begins to fly out of the oversized window, then doubles back for a moment, hovering over the wooden sword. Get the sword! YOU CAN STILL TALK? GET THE SWORD. He lowers Colbert down to the sword, his talons digging deeply into his shoulders—it looks like this probably hurts a lot, he meekly but with great f air grabs the sword, and his feed dangle as the owl takes flight, bawking, Of course I can still tallk; I'm smarter than your actual human self! SO IT WAS YOU WHO ATE MY TOOTSIE POP. JIMMY KIMMEL the OWL lets out a deep and bellowing meniacal laugh as he takes flight, STEPHEN COLBERT crying in shame. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! {Enter The Multiverse} Gotta take it real hard Hang down, head in shame Strong arm, the charms off Work hard, the thigh gap Gets a good man Get the gap tooth fixed, Maybe bleach a few shades Paula Patton, or whatever Zoe Kravitz, like My Time's up; I want to be a good mom Hey, Lorne won't like me Hey, hey, Lorne won't like me at all. What's up on the network I'm waiting on my closeup I take lessons real hard I want to be a good mom, Or if not A long gone alcoholic I mean long gone I mean long gone I mean long gone I mean woke up, blacked out Still pedaling forward on the peloton A skeleton I mean long, long gone No, Lorne don't like me at all What's in the back of the bus? A diversity hire, Fresh out of Harvard university What's on the top of the tube Well, a fresh pack of lubricated condoms, If you really want to know No raw dog What's on the top of the morning An hour on the Peloton, Another in the tub, Doc What's on your mind? Are you really on the road? (No raw dog) Woah, If you really want to know I'm in love, So you're all of them, Until I come, And then you just, Run off like a ghost I'm in the room with a body, And you're not her, I must have gone off the hard stuff (on behalf of Oliver) What if you wrote your book, Knowing who might open it? Who wrote the forward, Colbert. Tough crowd— Now I'm out of folks to come up on, After all that hard stuff Simply won't go on I want to be a good mom, But so much for that It goes well up my spine, Like an epidural, I'm all out of experience. I've got 30 minutes of torture left But I'm all out of droplets, From the hyperdermal contraption I've strapped on And the 4 kilometer run And the dance number to Beyoncé, Of course. (It was Destiny's child, But I was dancing to Beyoncè) It was Destiny's Child, But I was dancing to Beyoncé, Also. “Aw, love…” I always gawk, When couples go on as they do, Even if it occurs that, The one I love, Dawns his beloved And arm and arm My heart weighs just a ton I can't even hear the words anymore It's just all for numbers One for Oliver I can't even hear the words anymore It's just for numbers Almost a Californian As long as I just keep going And don't eat Before sweating it all off in the tub Now the scar on the inside of my lip lights up And raises Just at the sound of []; Had better not touch that one, Put the sides to the side And mark the folder Do not touch Move off of it And wonder what the fuck That number was all for All four I could fly a kite Out of that thing on your back— Impresario If that be the case, Than that makes them the rock, Then what of the kite, And the wind And the string So I wanna kill you. Impresario I'll be Lennon And you be the other. I've got my Yoko out on tour Impresario I work hard for a broke heart Just for songs Impresario Get the monster out Put it all on him Like a kite in the wind Put it all on him Ad hominum/ homonym ATTN: Jimmy Fallon. JIMMY FALLON receives a large shipment of grade A douches, with one simple sticky note which reads an anonymous message in neat cursive. ‘Likeness is what your attract.' Why do I have some of your memories? Before: Hmmm… Where can I offload these? I need more storage. L E G E N D S Bpm: animal rights I'm a slave —for your love I'm a slave —for your love I'm a slave —for your love I'm a slave for your love. As I'm taking my time considering whether or not to buy pure, 100% Organic a grade maple syrup, letting out a heavy sigh at the brave of green coated indidivuals who just so happened to not really need anything in the aisle, but just walk by, also just so happened this last man, who appeared to resemble none other than— CUT TO: Seth Meyers. We meet again. We've never met. Oh, you don't remember? I don't remember things that never happened. Oh, really. Really. Well. I beg to differ. Don't beg. It's an expression. For the first time throughout the series run—we stand corrected—however, and possibly just rather, because this is the movie— And not the series at all. *gasp* Now… what the fuck did I come in here to actually write? —I don't remember. True facts. But— More importantly— why did I toggle on the internet? FUCK. Why, what happened? I just remembered I was online and listening to deadmau5. Ah, shit. Is that such a bad thing? It's like…it's like a guilty pleasure— Seriously? Like Drake, now, except I almost wish I hadn't gone about putting them in that scene together. Why. Cause they're Canadian? No! I mean yes— Must—more—Peloton—get— WAISTED. Fuck. I don't know how much I weigh. So how do you know you're not already 120 lbs . Well, let's see here. 110… What the fuck is a silent basketball?!! Still don't know. {Enter the multiverse} Are you sponsored by Bud Wiser? [why] Just answer the question: Are you sponsored by Budweiser? No. (?) Cause you look like a Clydesdale. Your answer should have been. “Nay”. You and me weren't meant to be friends We're not meeting in real life Or, we already did, but hey We'll never meet again. Just another magic trick Just another magic trick It's like hanging at a rave on a Saturday late night. Or early am Or more Spending the night With an old friend, Then waking up to realize when you finally lift yourself up from the couch, You've been all alone The whole time The magic is gone, And you're still feeling under, disturbed —and jealous of her, of course. Knock it off, go for a long soak And remember the Oath you once took Just for fun and only out of A hint of desperation, Unable to escape from him But remember to remember what his name is At some point B A R T H O There it is again The evil and crawling thing in the distance That says I belong to him L E M Perhaps once, But you'd might as well run along And into a different body, Disguised as something I could never even notice To even get close to me Ū I'd bet my last dollar you couldn't do that I'd go all in at the end of that long poker table The tournament, still rolling on And I've not made lunch yet It was a long party, A long supper An even longer dessert And the forever order For ever after What a laugh There's too many of us Stranded out here, I'll never get over — if you needed closer, I've written it on a cardboard box, With a penny for your thoughts, 3-1 and still keeping it simple; I kept my intentions just as hidden in the numbers As the apples in the barrel, unbranded After all, I am famished, And not quite yet has it been 24 hours. I like all your music. Like a shotgun to the face I want to end it. I'm still floating out in space, I guess Recommended Reassigned and Disestablished— Resigned but terrified of it Fried tofu on the orifice Your or her face With a red dress From just behind, Indecision, regrets, And then, of course I wake up. So duotone, your honor. Fuck magnets, I want to go digging up colors I love corpses. Sara Black is so white I could see right through her. I tripped and fell in your eyes for a multi second. If I creep up expressing my love, he'll send them faster The devil: direct to you— More beautiful women There's less of me today. It didn't seem to take long to notice at all, running the soap over my body as it lathered, that there was overall just less to do, and less at all indeed. It had been three days since the arrival of my Peleton, and that combined with the treadmill had been preoccupying all if not most of my time, often the first thing besides making coffee— a brisk mile-or-so walk as it brewed or, clipping in to the Bike in the middle of the night, as if the thing itself had awakened me with a whispering beckon. Then, I knew that my time was running short— my body wanted pregnancy, and my mind wanted a man who would be easily forgiven for his natural instinct to adulterize and fraternize as he pleased by his wit, charm, intelligence, good looks and wealth, of course—but with a man like that comes certain stipulations—I'd have to be a trophy. {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ©

Welcome to Salesy with Meghan. Today, Meghan sat down to talks Content Strategy with Blair.Blair Mlotek whose background goes from journalism to marketing, co-founded a social media agency, Cleo Social, with a friend of hers, talks about the importance of self-promotion on social media and leverages with listeners on how to overcome feelings of awkwardness about sharing their personal experiences online and in their business.Exploring the importance of authenticity and vulnerability within your social media content, Meghan and Blair share tips on how to effective plan and create content. Blair suggests to the listeners that a good place to start would be with content strategy and being comfortable with being imperfect.Think of the freedom that authenticity can bring you in your business?The two continue to discuss the issues with societal pressures of perfection and how it can deter creative individuals from promoting their brand and business.Meghan and Blair encourage listeners to engage in their true selves when it comes to content creation, because trust the experts, the results for your brand and business will reflect honest and true growth.Links:InstagramLinkedinBlogPeople/Things Mentioned: Blair Mlotek: After years of freelance journalism and managing clients in the communications agency world, Blair realized that there was one place that always brought the highest success rate to brands: the vast world of social media. While she continues to work with brands to bring creative ideas to their feeds, Blair has been talking about entrepreneurship more and more as she gets further into the experience herself. Blair really enjoys being able to help others who are going through it, make them feel seen, and offer the practical advice she wishes she had.Cleo SocialBlair WebsiteFor more information or to work with her: Meet the Founders and Communications and Content Team — Cleo SocialBlair's LinkedIn: Blair Mlotek | LinkedInIf you are struggling with signing clients on sales calls, grab the 10k sales script to help you sign clients today. Click here.Support the show!

Nei, dæven døtte, så var det jaggumeg på høy tid med ny kavalkade med et assortert utvalg "JØSS!". Så len deg tilbake, spiss ørene mens Einar og venner iherdig prøver å få deg til å bryte ut i "JØSS", ikke "WOW", "OH SHIT", "WHADDAFAAAACK?" eller, gud forby, "HÆLLE MÅNE!". Landene vi tar turen innom er Frankrike, Pakistan, Bulgaria, São Tomé og Príncipe, Mauritius og Australia.Er du på utkikk etter splitter nye jøss, eller landepisoder i sin helhet? Da finner du det eksklusivt hos Podimo: podimo.com/198landProdusert av Martin Oftedal, PLAN-B Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of NOON, we're sitting down with Ryan, a critical care paramedic and firefighter who's truly done it all. From serving as a medic at a JROTC summer camp to flying into Ukraine as a combat medic, Ryan's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Despite suffering serious injuries in a fire truck accident, his passion for helping others brought him back to the field he loves. Ryan's resilience and dedication shine through his incredible story.Don't forget to like, follow, and turn on notifications so that you don't miss this or any other episode of Nine One One Nonsense!Podcast: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/1vAokfqG5aifoRBKk9MAUh?si=T8DipSBCQzWfOeiBW3h-Vw⁠FB Page: https://m.facebook.com/groups/nineoneonenonsense/?ref=shareInstagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/911nonsense/⁠X: ⁠https://twitter.com/911Nonsense⁠Bonfire Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/nine-one-one-nonsense/?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_share&utm_campaign=nine-one-one-nonsense&utm_content=defaultContent Warning: This episode contains discussions about death, including graphic and potentially triggering details. Listener discretion is advised. The episode also covers sensitive topics and may not be suitable for all audiences. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please seek help immediately. You can contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 from anywhere in the U.S. #PodcastInterview #flight #warning #UniquePerspective #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #samspursuit #nineoneonenonsense #ems #paramedic #medicine #medic #medical #nurse #emt #awesome #NOONPodcast #fun #sad #truth #ptsd #trigger #triggered #hospital #subscribe #spotifypodcast #spotify #applepodcasts #iheartradio --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/samspursuit/support

After taking a summer hiatus, the Better Man Podcast returns—with a brand-new format.  This season looks at real-life examples from men of various ages. These conversations focus on understanding the fitness journeys of men of all ages as we age. We'll discuss their “Oh Shit” moment when they realized they needed to make a change, what helped them get started after their “Oh Shit” moment, and what keeps them going after the initial motivation “high” wears off.  In this first episode back, I reveal what you can expect from this season of the Better Man Podcast, why I decided to tweak the format, and how you can get the most benefit from the personal stories you hear.  In this episode, you'll discover:  The 13 most important health and fitness lessons I've learned from Members (and how to apply these lessons to your journey)  The biggest “self-talk” change you must make as your fitness journey matures  How to start—and stay consistent with—your fitness journey What the most successful Man Flow Yoga Members have in common  And more, including…  Why a “quick fix” mentality keeps your fitness goals out of reach (3:29)  The weird reason it's easier to workout in the morning (even if you're not a morning person (5:03)  How to stick with your plan to achieve your fitness goals when life gets difficult (8:21)  The simple “consequences v. benefits” mindset tweak that surges you with motivation (9:42)  Why following a workout program eliminates the shame and guilt you feel on rest days (13:15)  The “Substitution Secret” for crushing both your short-term and long-term health goals (instead of having them face off against each other) (15:21)  Listen now! Other important links:  Want to improve your sexual wellness, get stronger erections, and last longer in bed? Then join the FREE 7-Day Sexual Wellness Challenge here: https://shrtlnk.co/uA27H  Want to unlock more flexibility and strength, reduce your risk of injury, and feel your absolute best over the next 7 days? Then join the FREE 7-Day Beginner's Yoga for Men Challenge here: https://shrtlnk.co/pTVc7  Tired of doing a form of yoga that causes more injuries than it helps prevent? The cold, hard truth is men need yoga specifically designed for them. Well, here's some good news: You can start your 7-day free trial to Man Flow Yoga by visiting https://shrtlnk.co/kP8M7 

Did you know that even if you win the rat race, when you finish, you are still a rat? So says one of our favorite mentors, Dr. Ken  Blanchard. Here are a few takeaways. Start your day slower. How would you like to be today?At the end of the day, consider writing a few things or PRAISINGS and also know where you should be pivoting the next day. Effective leaders think "how can WE win together?" Next time you get into a sand trap, don't say Oh Shit, I'm in the sandtrap. Look at it as an opportunity, not a trap. What did Ken's board of director, Pat Hyman advise at 99 years of age? Set direction, then get out of the way. There you go. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/success-made-to-last-legends--4302039/support.

This week the guys sit down and talk to Travis Melochick hailing from the coal region of Pennsylvania. We talk about the difficulties of hunting this region and what landscape you should expect. Of course we talk about hunting and his success as well as a few of the monsters he has encountered and the ones he's still after. WE take a few left turns as always but damn what a great time! Lady luck shines on a good friend while hunting during a "smoke cloud"! Travis also tells us about hunting memories and tactics with his Dad. Forgetfulness and how it can alter the hunt as well also an Oh Shit moment while freshening up a licking branch! Thank you for tuning in and we hope you all enjoy!

Why is he so perfect And I even more of a ghost, than he ever would be –the hanged man What's another world Or the word on my shoulders Who better than God to belay me Betray you Atreyu Tell me Mr. Pretty Perfect Face if we could be at heaven's gates The day i finally hang or fade away (The hanged man) What's it like To be loved To fall in love To be loved like that How's it feel To fall in love To be loved at all What's it lke To be loved To be loved like that To be loved like that What Is it like To be loved At all? What is it like To be loved like that To be loved like that To be loved like that To be loved At all the proscenium Love at the proscenium, A memory award of such To know the difference from The right, the left Protagonist of all Denumiere of none, To live in fear of a world Once thought to be One To go where you want me to; You know I can't do that But that thing in your back To the left of the president Must have been an attack I want out of my body Eyes roll to the back of my head Like they ought to When i'm thinking of you, And i'm thinking of blue things I'm thinking of blue days I'll think of a few ways to Love The sound of a kiss Your hand on my neck The arch of my back The taste of your tongue I just ate twelve tacos though God, I hate Vince Vaughn Reminding me of all that I don't want And already gone through Pretending this selter is alcoholic and knowing it's been years since I touched soda but carbonation is quite the sensation after years without it Now i've forgotten, also How having sex is. THe ghost came back But that thing in his back is attracting me I'm a wreck I went backwards I'm hacked and i'm back on my books Something felt bad It went harder than honest the trackers are all out to hurt me They call themselves starrs Now the scars i've got all light up when I fall in love And my ex hears the laugher And rips it away using demons on motorcycles I try not to be happy, Cause then here comes someone to stop it I better not fall in love, Someone's possessed with my son I guess I just got back from surfing I showed up at the Oscars. I just decided I don't want a daughter. I'm good. Heart shaped box I'm at least half a man; Which one do you want? Which thing do you need Blacked out drunk Don't remember doing the CAPTACHA I want to start drinking again But i need a babysitter And someone to fuck afterward. I'm wild bro; I can't hold my liquor, And i don't trust myself. Actually, I can hold my liquor just fine; I just don't trust myself –and i definitely don't trust these niggas. Nirvana is good for montages God, I just want to get sauced up Lost, And not talk about this project at all just mash parts With God bodies Now Cobain I know the ride you're on Turn the page and you're an alien Guess future fame just came and went And here we are again The words you spin The gold, diamond, and spindles Spend dinner with kisses and coaxes In coat closets No Messiah I am but a martyr this sacrifice, hands on the cross and blood on the alter All you pretty girls don't know what it's like to be ugly And unwanted All the ugly girls are stuck settling in loveless heartless I'm stuck here with concepts A literal genius Who nobody wants, besides darkskins And my ex husband So fuck that Where is David Letterman, anyway? Letterman, David –wherever he wants to be. Fishing. Lets hope– What the fuck! You missed it! What the fuck! You know what? I know what it is. No you don't. I know what it is. Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe we already did, and we should just backtrack. Backtrack! Backtrack! Fucking Shapeshifters! Fuck! Listen, kid– No, I'm not listening I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. No more secrets! Do you know this woman? Before: You don't know me. Yes. GODDAMMIT, WAYNE. What the fuck. WAYNE BRADY WHAT THE FUCK. FINALLY. NO. GET OUT OF HERE. GET OUT OF WHERE?! WHERE IS THIS?! WAYNE'S WORLD. NO. NO. NO. NO. I don't even know what that's about. Did you put the –No. Well, what about the sauce, did you finish the sauce. no . Finish the sauce. ShutUP Finish the sauce. UGH. Oh man. What, what happened. I just saw how it ends. For–what? Nothin For what. You know what? What? I gotta go. Where's my Gun. What? What gun? TIA! What in the GET OVER HERE [TAMERA] Damn, so like “Twin Teleporthy” Oh SHIT. SO you're telling me that's my– UNCLE. UNCLE. UNCL– Alright. Shut up. Fuckin pussy. ROUND TWO: FIGHT. AH. GODDAMN. GOOOOODDDDDAAAMN. There's a round 2?! I guess so. What happened in the first round? I don't remember– I do. MEANWHILE: here , kitty kitty… [joel aka the actual deadmau5 is trapped in a cat or something] Or SOMETHING. Oh no, isn't he in someone else's body and they're looking for the cat. Something about a cat. They're looking for the cat. Why, what's the cat do? I'll tell you later. I told you this wasn't a good idea. It was a great idea. Until it wasn't. “UNTIL IT WASN'T.” Gosh. Shut up. I don't think i should do this. You shouldn't do this. Right. Just–stay sauced, bro. Alright. Damn dude, what is wrong with that guy? Something. I don't know. Bitch, i'm a problem Everybody hates me Gotta pour my heart out Gotta put my hat on Long walk in a cold war Long run in a hard part of town Bitch, i'm a rockstar. Don't talk too much Don't say a word, girl Actually, shut up (You know i'm a problem) Don't talk to much, Shh, Don't say nothing Actually, shut up You know i'm a problem You know i'm a problem Shut up Bitch, You know i'm a rockstar You know i'm a problem Shut up, Bitch You know i'm a rockstar You know i'm a problem, Shut up Bitch You know i'm a Bitch Shut up You know i'm a Bitch, shut up! You know i'm a problem You know i'm a problem You know i'm a rockstar You know i'm a problem You know i'm a problem You know i'm a rockstar What did you just say? Nothing . Get over here you fugly little sandwich and say that to my face! …did you just call me a ‘fugly little sandwich'? I just did. [beat] I'm not arguing. Oh, come on! *shrugs* Whatever. *fucks off entirely* Legs and eyes and the ocean of ears Swords and hearts and the luck of the draw Cones on cods and a car full of dust Bottles on broads and the lost of the oars of untrusted All of a sudden, I'm human A whole kitchen table Nonsense it calls to the others I wanted So that's what's up with the time, (This is always) How's your eye? How's your mom? She's still dead. I still love her. It has to be a man, You ought to know; I've got a handle on it Talk about a number Talk about a God Another lone wolf Talk about the doctor Where's your contract Cut yourself over it Talk about a monday Honest, God I told another story Car Phone: Stop it Contracts! Woah. We're stuck in a holding pattern The old ghost of Carson showed up I loved him, I thought That one's done, I'll need another actor Pause for laughter Is that your tell, Or your telegraph? Is that a song or a paragraph? Is this legit on the lawn Of the Grand Ol Oprey? Are you a God, Or a Man Either one: Just show me WOAH. Carphone: Stop it: Contracts! Yo. It's over I don't give a fuck about a fountain, yo Just dance around and make me laugh What else would I want from ya? Nothin The back of this dollar is golden It's over! It's over! WOAH Carphone: Stop it I love you, Buddy– Woah I'm not your buddy Blow up the carphone Blow up the car, Cause here comes Hollywood Hey Hoe! I AM NOT A HOE. I'M THE OPPOSITE OF A HOE. YOU'RE A HOE. There he is. Get him THE SHOE DON'T FIT THE SHOE DON'T FIT. What if business is pleasure your power, my love, gets me off I don't want you for supper I surf in the soup Pull the tupperware I want to be cordial And loved by the whole of it Everyone, Even your mother I want to be on the non-dairy dessert tubs I want to be rubbed by a husband no rubbers No calls from the network Nobody to bother us Where exactly was I buried in the woods at? You're good, dawg. You're good, yo. You're good, God How about a rub and tug? Then crank out the Carson? I've been so obsessed with the tube and the tube socks Since two tuesdays ago I can't see you anymore. Whatever, bro. i broke up with you first. {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2019-2024 | THE COMPLEX COLLECTIVE. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © -Ū.

Why is he so perfect And I even more of a ghost, than he ever would be –the hanged man What's another world Or the word on my shoulders Who better than God to belay me Betray you Atreyu Tell me Mr. Pretty Perfect Face if we could be at heaven's gates The day i finally hang or fade away (The hanged man) What's it like To be loved To fall in love To be loved like that How's it feel To fall in love To be loved at all What's it lke To be loved To be loved like that To be loved like that What Is it like To be loved At all? What is it like To be loved like that To be loved like that To be loved like that To be loved At all the proscenium Love at the proscenium, A memory award of such To know the difference from The right, the left Protagonist of all Denumiere of none, To live in fear of a world Once thought to be One To go where you want me to; You know I can't do that But that thing in your back To the left of the president Must have been an attack I want out of my body Eyes roll to the back of my head Like they ought to When i'm thinking of you, And i'm thinking of blue things I'm thinking of blue days I'll think of a few ways to Love The sound of a kiss Your hand on my neck The arch of my back The taste of your tongue I just ate twelve tacos though God, I hate Vince Vaughn Reminding me of all that I don't want And already gone through Pretending this selter is alcoholic and knowing it's been years since I touched soda but carbonation is quite the sensation after years without it Now i've forgotten, also How having sex is. THe ghost came back But that thing in his back is attracting me I'm a wreck I went backwards I'm hacked and i'm back on my books Something felt bad It went harder than honest the trackers are all out to hurt me They call themselves starrs Now the scars i've got all light up when I fall in love And my ex hears the laugher And rips it away using demons on motorcycles I try not to be happy, Cause then here comes someone to stop it I better not fall in love, Someone's possessed with my son I guess I just got back from surfing I showed up at the Oscars. I just decided I don't want a daughter. I'm good. Heart shaped box I'm at least half a man; Which one do you want? Which thing do you need Blacked out drunk Don't remember doing the CAPTACHA I want to start drinking again But i need a babysitter And someone to fuck afterward. I'm wild bro; I can't hold my liquor, And i don't trust myself. Actually, I can hold my liquor just fine; I just don't trust myself –and i definitely don't trust these niggas. Nirvana is good for montages God, I just want to get sauced up Lost, And not talk about this project at all just mash parts With God bodies Now Cobain I know the ride you're on Turn the page and you're an alien Guess future fame just came and went And here we are again The words you spin The gold, diamond, and spindles Spend dinner with kisses and coaxes In coat closets No Messiah I am but a martyr this sacrifice, hands on the cross and blood on the alter All you pretty girls don't know what it's like to be ugly And unwanted All the ugly girls are stuck settling in loveless heartless I'm stuck here with concepts A literal genius Who nobody wants, besides darkskins And my ex husband So fuck that Where is David Letterman, anyway? Letterman, David –wherever he wants to be. Fishing. Lets hope– What the fuck! You missed it! What the fuck! You know what? I know what it is. No you don't. I know what it is. Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe we already did, and we should just backtrack. Backtrack! Backtrack! Fucking Shapeshifters! Fuck! Listen, kid– No, I'm not listening I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. No more secrets! Do you know this woman? Before: You don't know me. Yes. GODDAMMIT, WAYNE. What the fuck. WAYNE BRADY WHAT THE FUCK. FINALLY. NO. GET OUT OF HERE. GET OUT OF WHERE?! WHERE IS THIS?! WAYNE'S WORLD. NO. NO. NO. NO. I don't even know what that's about. Did you put the –No. Well, what about the sauce, did you finish the sauce. no . Finish the sauce. ShutUP Finish the sauce. UGH. Oh man. What, what happened. I just saw how it ends. For–what? Nothin For what. You know what? What? I gotta go. Where's my Gun. What? What gun? TIA! What in the GET OVER HERE [TAMERA] Damn, so like “Twin Teleporthy” Oh SHIT. SO you're telling me that's my– UNCLE. UNCLE. UNCL– Alright. Shut up. Fuckin pussy. ROUND TWO: FIGHT. AH. GODDAMN. GOOOOODDDDDAAAMN. There's a round 2?! I guess so. What happened in the first round? I don't remember– I do. MEANWHILE: here , kitty kitty… [joel aka the actual deadmau5 is trapped in a cat or something] Or SOMETHING. Oh no, isn't he in someone else's body and they're looking for the cat. Something about a cat. They're looking for the cat. Why, what's the cat do? I'll tell you later. I told you this wasn't a good idea. It was a great idea. Until it wasn't. “UNTIL IT WASN'T.” Gosh. Shut up. I don't think i should do this. You shouldn't do this. Right. Just–stay sauced, bro. Alright. Damn dude, what is wrong with that guy? Something. I don't know. Bitch, i'm a problem Everybody hates me Gotta pour my heart out Gotta put my hat on Long walk in a cold war Long run in a hard part of town Bitch, i'm a rockstar. Don't talk too much Don't say a word, girl Actually, shut up (You know i'm a problem) Don't talk to much, Shh, Don't say nothing Actually, shut up You know i'm a problem You know i'm a problem Shut up Bitch, You know i'm a rockstar You know i'm a problem Shut up, Bitch You know i'm a rockstar You know i'm a problem, Shut up Bitch You know i'm a Bitch Shut up You know i'm a Bitch, shut up! You know i'm a problem You know i'm a problem You know i'm a rockstar You know i'm a problem You know i'm a problem You know i'm a rockstar What did you just say? Nothing . Get over here you fugly little sandwich and say that to my face! …did you just call me a ‘fugly little sandwich'? I just did. [beat] I'm not arguing. Oh, come on! *shrugs* Whatever. *fucks off entirely* Legs and eyes and the ocean of ears Swords and hearts and the luck of the draw Cones on cods and a car full of dust Bottles on broads and the lost of the oars of untrusted All of a sudden, I'm human A whole kitchen table Nonsense it calls to the others I wanted So that's what's up with the time, (This is always) How's your eye? How's your mom? She's still dead. I still love her. It has to be a man, You ought to know; I've got a handle on it Talk about a number Talk about a God Another lone wolf Talk about the doctor Where's your contract Cut yourself over it Talk about a monday Honest, God I told another story Car Phone: Stop it Contracts! Woah. We're stuck in a holding pattern The old ghost of Carson showed up I loved him, I thought That one's done, I'll need another actor Pause for laughter Is that your tell, Or your telegraph? Is that a song or a paragraph? Is this legit on the lawn Of the Grand Ol Oprey? Are you a God, Or a Man Either one: Just show me WOAH. Carphone: Stop it: Contracts! Yo. It's over I don't give a fuck about a fountain, yo Just dance around and make me laugh What else would I want from ya? Nothin The back of this dollar is golden It's over! It's over! WOAH Carphone: Stop it I love you, Buddy– Woah I'm not your buddy Blow up the carphone Blow up the car, Cause here comes Hollywood Hey Hoe! I AM NOT A HOE. I'M THE OPPOSITE OF A HOE. YOU'RE A HOE. There he is. Get him THE SHOE DON'T FIT THE SHOE DON'T FIT. What if business is pleasure your power, my love, gets me off I don't want you for supper I surf in the soup Pull the tupperware I want to be cordial And loved by the whole of it Everyone, Even your mother I want to be on the non-dairy dessert tubs I want to be rubbed by a husband no rubbers No calls from the network Nobody to bother us Where exactly was I buried in the woods at? You're good, dawg. You're good, yo. You're good, God How about a rub and tug? Then crank out the Carson? I've been so obsessed with the tube and the tube socks Since two tuesdays ago I can't see you anymore. Whatever, bro. i broke up with you first. {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project.™] COPYRIGHT © THE FESTIVAL PROJECT 2019-2024 | THE COMPLEX COLLECTIVE. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. © -Ū.

Live Workshop => https://3twarrior.com/wa Redefining the Modern Man => https://www.youtube.com/@RefinedIntegrity E1849 | Oh Shit I'm Driving! If you aren't paying attention when you are driving, then your subconscious is at the wheel! That is how important the subconscious is! Listen Now! Set Up Consultation with our Indexed Universal Life Insurance Team = > https://3twarrioracademy.typeform.com/to/Gb8tpIVy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'james bond' [Instrumentals For A Higher Purpose, Collection I- 'better off dead.' - track 8] Prod. By Blū Tha Gürū I heard Robin Williams was here. Very briefly, yes. How did you do that? TINA FEY Do me next! lol. (That's not how this works.) (lol.) Season 9! Closer Notes: LEGENDS- ENTER THR MULTIVERSE: LEGENDS The real Jimmy Fallon and the Actual Billie Ellish are trapped inside of each others bodies, along with their ascended counterparts, ancient alien mystics who, in search for a “missing link” extraterrestrial from a long forgotten cosmos, must search for Dammit, how am I supposed to write that. FUCK! I told you he was a magician! —I TOLD you don't fuck with that guy! I told you! Fuuuuuck! FUCK. FUHCK. Man, we're fucked. We're so fucked. Who's body is this? Ah, wait. Fuck. Dammit… Ughh. Ugghhhhh. Jim, could I see you for a moment. Oh wait a second [The Tonight Show, Starring Jimmy Fallon] Oh— Jim. Is that who I am? I Uh… I guess—? I'm Jimmy Fallon? …Sometimes. Yeah. I'm Jimmy Fallon! As far as I know. We still have to figure out how this happened , [Liz] How did you not know who I was?! We've met like 6 times! I've met everyone 6 times! I'm mad famous! I'm a genius! I'm a genius… I fucking hate my life. I want to die. Ooh. Could have been anything. Whose body is THIS? Just get in. Just get in. I—don't want to. Oh, a body's about to open up. I gotta go. —you're leaving now?! Yeah, I gotta call you back. This last minute?! It's like a budget-fare-hopper thing. But *click* lol I love how these aliens are using like —like old times telephones. You should see their existence. It's wild. Why even use telephones as telepaths. They're like relics. I promise, I did not mean to hurt you. —I promise, I hurt myself worse. For the record, that little old Englishman that lives inside of (Everyone) —is something wrong with you. A lot. This body used to belong to “Tha Supacree?!” I LOVE that show. What “show” —tis a show. It's a show on my home planet… And what planet is this? You will never know. [Unfamous] Ugh. Now the magical negroes thing makes sense. Have you seen the president of peacock? Have you seen the president of my balls? Have you seen the president? What? For real. She's missing. Are you serio— Yes. You're secret service! I'm just as disappointed as you are. You're so fired. I'm pretty sure only the president can do that. THATS why they sent you. That's it, yes! TO BREAK MY HEART? Cause it sings… “CAUSE IT SINGS?!” —it's supposed to… Look, f-[censored] Jesus Christ. The only thing. you're gonna get from breaking my heart—is [COMPLETELY INCOHERENT SCREAMO EMO ROCK MUSIC.] lol I think I got my written WALKEN impression down. —ACES. What? I got— Goddammit. Four—Aces. Goddammit!! Dammit! Who let him in?! It's multidimensional poker. Nobody “let” him in. —I just— He just VOILA! Appears. Dammit. “Voila.” Huh. I wrote that ages ago, Do you remember what it was about? No. Doesn't matter anyway, we're not gonna find it in here. Let's keep moving. — Supacree? No. I'm not supacree. The THIS IS THE BEST SHIW EVER. I know, I love it. We have to find the original supacree! We must! You are the supacree The supacree —no. I'm not. But this body. Yeah— I drove around in that body for a little while Cause I had to But that dimension ain't right The whole world's gone wrong Everyone's coughing, people are robots— I got punched. —I saw that. I love your show. Not my show. I'm not supacree. But you are!! But I'm not. Maybe I was, once— But, that was at least two suicides ago! WHAT. Two suicides ago?! Fuck this, imm out. I thought you were obsessed with me. No, Jimmy Fallon. I am you. And guess what; I'm the part of you, that hates myself, so. The part that doesn't exist. Oh. It exists. That's how we got here. That's how we all got here. We're all geniuses; That is the singularity. GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME— Hey! She's got a good arm. That's cause it's What the FUCK. Get AOUT. “Jack-Jack” Parr is a multidimensional poly form shapeshifter. That doesn't seem like a coincidence, Disney, I'm just saying. “Book III: Puzzle Pieces” AGH, I— HURT. woah, okay. No. If you ever actually ugly cry like that I'll kill you. [very ugly cry] (Eagerly seeking approval) —it's funny cause it's just acting, right? I—yeah—but, Jesus Christ… GOD If he actually ever ugly cries like that, I'll shoot him. [super-duper-very-ugly-cry] GOOGLE Oh my GOD. SHUT UP! [Shoots Jimmy Fallon *without looking up from cooking.] DAMN, GOD. —I hate that. Oh, Damn. So that's how that happened. Damn, God. That was cold. Don't worry. He'll be back. Damn. He'll always be back. MEANWHILE, on 30 ROCK in the actual multidimensional, …Hornburger…! Damn. So wait. Every since the fourth wall broke… YO, YO. Oh, hey, Seth. what in the [bleeeeeeep] is THIS? This is my attorney. Damn, even she's hot… I'm suing you: I'm honored. Where's Jason Sudakis? THAT'S RIGHT. Ah shit. I don't think about whips so much as chains I tried to change, But everyone hates me. I hope it rains for the rest of the semester— Talking only brings on motorcycles, Slamming doors, And awful robots. I've got nothing for my son besides these songs. Someone should just start a war on poverty. I've got palms and novels, words galore— But no money— You can't hurt me Johnny Carson's on the mornings —and on varsity. I lettered in Letterman; I'll take Jack Parr, Against my better senses, Stick to Telivision, This isn't Steve Allen; I'm Steve Martin; (Sure you are, hon) Fallon's on the Dollar now; If Regan was an Actor, Then I guess— Your session timed out. Whatever. I want to die. [I'll wear a collar, now.] [The Festival Project ™ ] Lil bittttzxxx I met a guy once, that told me Every time he came, He died. Every time he fucking came, He fucking died. “Alright, next lifetime.” Every single orgasm— Different lifetime. Every ejaculation— New fucking shit. Sometimes the bitch wasn't even the same. He would just cum, She turned into someone else. Oh no! I thought to myself like “Fuck that shit. I couldn't imagine that.” I couldn't even understand the concept— But as I would learn later the word “orgasm” does in fact mean “tiny death” Which is nuts. I started to wonder “Are all guys like that?” That would explain things. If they're all like that maybe that's why they seem to just— *poof* “All better now” Only from a woman's perspective it's more like— He turns into someone else. No, I'm still the same— Now he's over here like “I'm a king” I'm like “Really? Before you were just a cashier.” Hm. Look at that. I'm a cash register. lol. But then, I started thinking more about it— I've been celibate for a long time But sometimes I still— You know, Whatever. But I don't watch porn. I just think it all up— Just— Use my imagination. And after doing that for awhile, Like, for years, I started to ponder on this: With the age of OnlyFans and Snapchat and entire markets born from men needing something to look at to jack off too— And deciding I was against doing that for myself because, you know I didn't want the spiritual reciprocation of some dude collecting my photos and videos and jacking off to that shit. Like, even if I got paid for it— I'm going through all this spiritual shit , All this praying and meditation and I'm thinking “Like no, if someone's like, buying all my content I'm some how some way going to feel that spiritually.” “I'm going to have some kind of effect on my soul from that, and that's nonsense.” That's like selling your soul in a way— Like, yes, it's just photographs, It's just your body— But guess what. Your soul lives in your body! So— what! Someone's jacking off to a picture or video of you in exchange for money— That's a piece of you just — Out there, And you don't know who these guys are! They're just guys with money! Come to find out Every time he ejaculates to your photo or video, He goes into the next fucking life— And takes your picture with him. OH NOOOO. So I'm like, Fuck that. Let's just—- I don't need porn. I'll just make something up, Or like— Hey, I'll just-/ Fantasize a little bit. But then I realized, also— Like, That could be dangerous. What if I'm like— Doin-the-do— And someone from actual like real-life pops into my head. Uh oh! Then I was like, “Damn, what if. Like. Whenever I came, like, whatever or whoever I came-to, just like— Collapsed and shit” I'm like, “Ah—“ Some like supermodel from a magazine cover is like, Just fucking drops. Lol. Just falls out, somewhere. lol. Oh no! Now take like an outer look, You porn addicts. What if that happened to you? What if whoever the fuck you're jacking off to just— BLAM. Lol. Every time you cum— Whoever you're thinking about just— OH SHIT. Someone help him! Flat on their face. Oh no. What a world. Jesus. “Someone help him!”” Ahahaha. Now I have to be careful. I just make people up and hope to God there's no one on the planet that actually looks like that, who that might be. I just make dudes up, I'm like “I need a God” lol Create someone entirely just for this purpose, Who then just— OH SHIT. vanishes. {Enter The Multiverse} [The Festival Project ™] L E G E N D S //return negative energy to sender //return harmful energy to sender //reflect pain to sender >>banish demonic energy< -Ū. Coming Up Next… The Wonderful World of S Ū P A © R E E ™ Copyright 2024 The Complex Collective © | 2019 The Festival Project, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Welcome back to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Ready to see the 2024 physical gift for BAE+ Patrons? Look no further than the M-Word Cloud Shirt! Become a $10+ Patron by 9/6/24 to be eligible to receive this gift! Introducing Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' running mate and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate! Let the battle of the midwestern VP candidates commence! And honestly, there is no fight to be had here: JD Vance continues to flounder and create headaches for the Trump campaign, while the Democratic base is more energized than ever over our ticket! Is it problematic to refer to Vice President Harris as simply Kamala? A listener perspective. Bet you couldn't have guessed that the most popular streaming app isn't Netflix, MAX, or Disney+ but... Tubi! The free streaming alternative has seen a 46% increase in viewership from a year ago, edging out even Disney+'s viewership. Amidst all other major streamers continuing to announce price increases, Tubi features movies and channels dedicated to popular genres and TV shows. Since it's ad-supported, Tubi has been able to remain a free service. Laura is a pessimist and doesn't think it'll last. We share some of our favorite hacks to save on home entertainment through bundling, threatening to cancel to take advantage of win back offers, and family plans. One of the latest collectors items? Popcorn buckets! And it's not just because of that sexual 'Dune' Sandworm bucket. People collect these tie-in novelties for the same reasons anyone collects anything - the nostalgia and exclusivity! But serious question because some of us live in small spaces: what do you do when you run out of room to display them? Save some money and your peace with this week's recommendations: NameCheap for domains (Andrew), Journaling at night to clear your head (Laura), and 'Big Mood' on Tubi (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Surprise Bitch is back, and we're ready to pepper you with some new questions because we're nosy about y'all's lives. Also Andrew really comes with the tear-jerker questions - we promise we'll tag him back with some of these. ;) Getting through the rest of the year one day at a time is such a MOOD! We hear tips, tricks, and good advice a fair bit, but tell us about the WORST advice you've ever gotten. "...hello? OH SHIT!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the season 3 finale, so Scott Ellia and Zuhair Ali join to throw out some Top 5 lists we never got to, including the Top 5 Marvel Cinematic Universe "OH SHIT" Moments; Top 5 2024 NFL Quarterbacks; Top 5 Most Annoying College Football Fans; Top 5 Scotts; and the Top 5 Sports Takes Reid Should Keep to Himself! PLUS: Dak Prescott GOAT debates, fixing baseball, awkward silences, podcast ASMR and more!

Send us a Text Message.We'd like to invite you to join us for Inspired by Ms Amber Reds 50th podcast episode in Las Vegas‼️Join us for a LIVE episode as the Ms Amber Red team & our private FB Group interview Amber! Yup, you heard that right! Get all of your questions answered!Some questions that the team asks Amber:How do you feel about being called boss?What was your biggest OH SHIT moment?Top 5 things to get eyeliner to heal black?How important is it to have a supportive partner?What is your biggest fear?Is social media important?Any new found interests since opening a business?What would you like to level up on?And so much more!If you've been wanting to really get to know Amber and what the future holds THIS IS THE EPISODE to listen to‼️One important topic I'd like to elaborate on is:What is Inspired by Ms Amber Red? Read more here: https://www.inspiredbymsamberred.com/blog/what-is-inspired-by-ms-amber-redAs always don't forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe!Did you know we have a private PMU FB community to join? Join us here: https://www.facebook.com/share/GHZPfanLqX8NTVVq/?mibextid=K35XfPFollow Ms Amber Red:IG - msamberredTikTok - msamberredFB - msamberred permanent makeupCheckout out our previous episode here: Better together - https://youtu.be/e99pvCUyrnsSupport the Show.

Oh Shit! We on audio AND video. Renzo is in LA so let's get into it!

"Magneto was right..." On Part 2 of our long-awaited X-Men '97 coverage, we're talking about every crazy twist, comic book reference, Morph cameo, and 'Oh Shit!' moment from the second half of Season 1 of this insanely good animated legacy series... Also on this Episode: Johnny (from the Rapper's Corner and Remember the Record) gives his thoughts on "X-Men '97"! (Episode edited by Chris Carroll) Check out our blog at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ComicZombie.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more!  Follow us on Social Media: Instagram: @ComicZombiePodcast Twitter: @ComicZombie2 Network Info This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network. Follow us below to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts – including: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Epik Fails of History⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠2 Young 4 This Trek⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podcasters Assemble⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: @probablywork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.probablywork.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ProbablyWorkPod@gmail.com

The Mike Calta Show Featured Cut

Download: atish.lnk.to/texaseclipse I had the peaktime midnight slot with the honor of playing after Lee Burridge, so I started this one off with an organic vibe then transitioned through prog, tech-house, and just some straight up bangers. A few unreleased ID's in there from my boys Enamour , m.o.n.r.o.e and Saqib. Also funny moment: you may notice that the set just abruptly ends. That's because the next act accidentally unplugged the wrong cable from the mixer. Was definitely a nerve-wracking moment….BUT my recorder also recorded the crowd noise, so it's kinda a cool little audio capture of what it felt like...and you can literally hear the next DJ say "OH SHIT!!" ....The warm applause from all of you certainly softened the blow :) Tracklist: 098 - Live at Texas Eclipse [0:00:00] atish, Fabian Krooss - Elasticity [A Tribe Called Kotori 2024] [0:05:00] Sarkis Mikael, Nhii - Plant Power [Sounds of Khemit 2024] [0:09:00] Enamour - ID [0:13:00] Jamie Stevens & Ivan Aliaga - Firefox [Solis Records 2024] [0:17:00] Sasha - Fleuron Drift [Last Night on Earth 2024] [0:24:00] Martin Eyerer - Walk the talk [Still Hot 2024] [0:28:00] Ellroy - Safe Landing [Modelika 2024] [0:32:00] Denney - Trojan Dance [Last Night On Earth 2024] [0:36:00] Cristina Lazic - Luna [La Zic 2024] [0:40:00] m.O.N.R.O.E. - ID [0:46:00] Asher - Shifty [Aus Music 2022] [0:50:00] Deetron - Runnin [Nu Groove Records 2024] [0:54:00] John Tejada - Sweat (On The Walls) [Poker Flat RecordingsPoker Flat Recordings 2004] [0:58:00] Francesca Lombardo - Sea [Ovum Recordings 2022] [1:04:00] Saqib - ID [1:08:00] Catz 'n Dogz - ASA [Pets Recordings 2023] [1:13:00] Tom Demac - Sink Or Swim [Hypercolour 2017] [1:17:00] Polo (AR) - Nostalgia del Presente (Danny Howells Remix) [Manjumasi Unreleased] [1:23:00] Jim Rivers - Cosmos [COD3 QR 2023] Sign up for my mailer: bit.ly/atishmusic - connect -
 instagram.com/atishmusic www.facebook.com/atishmusic @atish Check my latest gigs here: www.bandsintown.com/atish / bit.ly/atishsk

1:15-6:00 TV Dudes Tune In 06:07-26:24 TV Diaries 15:10-21:25 Ripley 21:25-26:44 Furies 26:55-41:18 Oh Shit! X-Men 97 41:18-Chucky Season 3 Part 2

2:12-8:20 TV Dudes Tune in 8:20-29:00 TV Diaries 29:48-34:12 Oh Shit!-Physical 100 35:24- Renegade Nell

Brandon var að ljúka fyrsta árinu sínu í skóla og mætti í nokkur partý kvöldið 14. maí árið 2008. Hann var á bíl og entist því ekki lengi, en í kringum miðnætti yfirgefur hann síðustu veisluna. Tæpum tveimur tímum síðar hringir hann í foreldra sína og segir þeim frá því að hann hafi endað ofan í skurði og sé fastur, staðsettur í Lynd. Hann talar við foreldra sína í símann á meðan hann bíður en upp renna tvær grímur á þau þegar þau finna hann hvergi. Hann ákveður að fara út úr bílnum til að ganga í áttina að næsta bæjarfélagi og á miðri leið heyra foreldrar hans hann segja OH SHIT og var það í síðasta skipti sem þau hafa heyrt frá honum. Við leit kom í ljós að hann var hvergi nærri Lynd heldur á allt öðrum stað og margar spurningar hafa vaknað í kjölfar hvarfs hans.  Þátturinn er í boði Define the Line - þið getið skoðað úrvalið inni á www.definethelinesport.com  Komið í áskrift:  www.pardus.is/mordskurinn Samfélagsmiðlar:  www.instagram.com/mordskurinn www.facebook.com/mordskurinn 

This is a continuation of Not My Brother's Keeper and ugh! When I say this was a hard-ass podcast to do! This incident almost ended me for sure! I apologize to my babies and am grateful they had me when I couldn't have myself! OMGEEZ! I get why they said to release this 3 years ago! This is end of the story and I am soooo proud of myself for finally finishing it! I hope it helps someone. ***EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND A TRIGGER ALERT ⚠️ *** Please be advised. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anterica/message

In this episode, Maria Morukian and I dive headfirst into the exciting realm of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We'll uncover the secrets to fostering a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive environment that sparks innovation and drives success. You won't want to miss our discussion on the unique synergy between diversity, inclusion, and ownership within organizations – it's a game-changer!But wait, there's more! We'll also dig deep into the power of allyship in the workplace. Maria shares her wisdom on how to be a rockstar ally, making your workplace a welcoming and supportive space for all. And for those wondering how to measure progress in your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, we've got your back with practical strategies and how to celebrate those wins along the way!So, whether you're a seasoned leader or just found yourself thrust into the boss's chair, this episode is your ticket to creating a workplace that not only thrives but rocks! Join us on this exhilarating journey toward building inclusive workplaces that make you say, "Oh Shit! I've got this!" What you'll hear in this episode:[0:00] DEI practices for inclusive workplaces with Maria Marie European. [2:20] Diversity and inclusion in the workplace. [9:00] Diversity, inclusion, and ownership in organizations. [14:35] Diversity, inclusion, and allyship in the workplace. [20:25] Allyship, diversity, and inclusivity in the workplace. [25:40] Diversity and inclusion in hiring processes. [31:30] Measuring progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. [37:20] Training and talent development for small businesses. Listen to Similar Episodes:Driving Excellence by Building and Sustaining a Strong Company CultureCrucial Traits for Small Business Hiring SuccessHiring the Right Team with Kacia Ghetmiri* Identify the most impactful next step you can take to prevent burnout for you and your teamhttps://www.fortressandflourish.com/burnout-buster-gift* Connect with me on IG @jackie.koch_* Find more information on my website https://www.jackiekoch.com/

Welcome to Episode 8! We share some hilarious stories about 'dropping the kids of at the pool' or 'growing a tail' in public. Hosts: Baldy & MerdoGuest: Dawn & GarySubscribe and get updates when new episodes are posted every week.New episodes are posted every Sunday.Want to guest star on or show? Or do you have a story you want to share with us? Email us at finishyourfnstory@gmail.comIf you would like to remain anonymous, we just ask that you tell us what city and state you are emailing from and we will create a fake name for you. Otherwise, share your first name, where your emailing from, and when/where this story take places. Content Warning: Use of explicit language is used throughout the show. If you get grossed out by potty talk, you may want to skip this episode. Disclaimer: All individuals are innocent until proven otherwise.For mature audiences only.Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm. Learn how to start a podcast here.

Today we've got the incredible Jillian Murphy, a seasoned sales and business mentor with over two decades of experience in the world of sales and marketing. We're diving deep into the world of sales processes and lead generation, so if you're an entrepreneur or aspiring one, this is an episode you won't want to miss!Jillian starts by sharing her journey from being an "accidental entrepreneur" in corporate sales to experiencing the unexpected loss of her corporate job. It was at a mastermind with Nick Carter that she discovered her passion for helping others, despite feeling out of place initially. This experience ignited the spark for her own entrepreneurial venture.We discuss the critical importance of having a well-defined sales process, regardless of your business type. Many entrepreneurs tend to overlook this aspect, and Jillian's insights on how to create a seamless customer experience and build a community are game-changers.For small businesses, Jillian provides invaluable strategies for understanding your ideal client's hangouts and adjusting your sales approach accordingly. We delve into personalized attention and old-school marketing tactics that still hold immense value. We emphasize the importance of aligning your sales strategies with your personal style and building authentic relationships based on trust.If you're ready to supercharge your sales and lead generation game, this episode is a goldmine of insights and strategies. So, join us on this exciting episode of "Oh Shit! I'M the Boss Now?!" and let's dive into the world of sales and lead generation with Jillian Murphy! What you'll hear in this episode:[0:00] Sales processes and lead generation[2:10] Entrepreneurship journey and unexpected loss of corporate job[4:25] Sales process and client acquisition[9:00] Sales strategies for small businesses[13:55] Lead generation strategies for entrepreneurs[18:20] Sales process, transitioning from corporate to online sales, and building relationships[24:40] Sales strategies and networking opportunitiesListen to Similar Episodes:Mastering Your Sales Strategy with Heather WildeHow to Position Yourself as a Premium Brand and Attract the Right Clients to Your Business with Fabi PaoliniSelling Your Business Through Storytelling with Marisa Corcoran* Connect with Jillian on IG @thejillianmurphy* Connect with Jillian at https://linktr.ee/jillianmurphy* Connect with me on IG @jackie.koch_* Find more information on my website https://www.jackiekoch.com/

Get ready to dive headfirst into a topic that every new boss or seasoned leader must face: layoffs. It's a tough subject, but it's one that we can't avoid. So, let's get right into it!I share invaluable insights on layoffs and their impact on both employees and your company's culture. We'll discuss the importance of delivering layoff notices with the right timing and responsibility, considering the legal requirements and ethical considerations that come into play. I explain why leaders need to step up, have those uncomfortable conversations early, and avoid procrastinating until the last minute.We explore how layoffs can affect your company's culture and why treating laid-off employees with respect and giving as much notice as possible is crucial for long-term cultural health. I'll even discuss a somewhat controversial strategy I believe in – laying off as many people as necessary to restructure a company and avoid multiple waves of layoffs, even if it means facing some short-term criticism. Trust me; it's all about ensuring long-term success!Toward the end, I dive into communication strategies and HR compliance. You'll learn the art of being direct and concise during layoff meetings, sharing the why and how behind the decisions without overwhelming your employees with too much information. Plus, I'll stress the importance of timely and thoughtful follow-ups to support your team during these challenging times.Let's dive in together and ensure you're prepared to tackle the leadership challenges that may come your way!What you'll hear in this episode:[0:00] Jackie's experience dealing with laying off team members with empathy. [3:25] Layoffs and their impact on employees. [7:50] Notice and communication strategies.[12:45] How layoffs can impact the company culture.[16:55] Communication and HR compliance. Listen to Similar Episodes:You Need To Fire an Employee… Now What?Tough Conversations and Effective Communication: Insights from Lori HarderHow to Fire Somebody (The Right Way) with Karly Wannos* Connect with me on IG @jackie.koch_* Find more information on my website https://www.jackiekoch.com/

On Cam's special day we decided to give him the gift of knowledge about workplace safety, or rather, just learning about some workplace injuries. Thank you to Vexa from our discord server for the suggestion! Watch the full video for this episode youtube.com/@PodcastAboutList Buy tickets to our latest live show https://www.swagpoop.com/shows Get extra premium and Gun City RPG episodes at https://www.patreon.com/podcastaboutlist Follow us https://www.swagpoop.com/links